This invention relates to a method of treating a disorder selected from OCD, agoraphobia, agoraphobia without history of panic disorder, specific phobia, social phobia, PTSD, restless legs syndrome, premenstrual dysphoric disorder, hot flashes, and fibromyalgia by administering a compound of the formula 1

This invention relates to the use of certain alpha 2 delta ligands for the treatment of fibromyalgia and other central nervous system disorders. Fibromyalgia (FM) is a chronic syndrome characterized mainly by widespread pain, unrefreshing sleep, disturbed mood, and fatigue. The main symptoms fibromyalgia include pain, sleep, mood disturbances and fatigue. Syndromes commonly associated with fibromyalgia include irritable bowel syndrome, and migraine headaches, among others. Success of treating fibromyalgia with a single pharmacological agent has been characterized as modest and results of clinical trials have been characterized as disappointing. It is believed that based on current understanding of the mechanisms and pathways involved in fibromyalgia, multiple agents will be required, aimed at the major symptoms of pain, disturbed sleep, mood disturbances, and fatigue. Fibromyalgia patients are often sensitive to side effects of medications, a characteristic perhaps related to the pathophysiology of this disorder (Barkhuizen A., Rational and Targeted Pharmacologic Treatment of Fibromyalgia, Rheum. Dis. Clin. N. Am., 2002; 28: 261-290; Leventhal L. J., Management of Fibromyalgia, Ann. Intern. Med., 1999;131:850-8).
While fibromyalgia is a complex disorder with multiple facets, this complexity can be well assessed (Yunus M. B., A Comprehensive Medical Evaluation of Patients with Fibromyalgia Syndrome, Rheum. Dis. N. Am., 2002; 28:201-217). The diagnosis of FM is usually based on the 1990 recommendations of the American College of Rheumatology classification criteria (Bennett R. M., The Rational Management of Fibromyalgia Patients, Rheum. Dis. Clin. N. Am., 2002; 28: 181-199; Wolfe F., et al., The American College of Rheumatology 1990 Criteria for the Classification of Fibromyalgia: Report of the Multicenter Criteria Committee, Arthritis Rheum., 1990; 33:160-72). Evaluation, management, and pharmacological treatment of fibromyalgia have been reviewed (Barkhuizen A., Rational and Targeted Pharmacologic Treatment of Fibromyalgia, Rheum. Dis. Clin. N. Am., 2002; Buskila D., Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Myofacial Pain Syndrome, Current Opinions in Rheumatology, 2001; 13: 117-127; Leventhal L. J., Management of Fibromyalgia, Ann. Intern. Med., 1999; 131:850-8; Bennett R. M., The Rational Management of Fibromyalgia Patients, Rheum. Dis. Clin. N. Am., 2002; 28: 181-199; Yunus M. B., A Comprehensive Medical Evaluation of Patients with Fibromyalgia Syndrome, Rheum. Dis. N. Am., 2002; 28:201-217).
Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) has been characterized by the minimal diagnostic criteria: (a) desire to move the extremities, often associated with paresthesias/dysesthesias; (b) motor restlessness; (c) worsening of symptoms at rest with at least temporary relief by activity, and (d) worsening of symptoms in the evening or night. Other features commonly seen in RLS include sleep disturbance, periodic limb movements in sleep and similar involuntary movements while awake, a normal neurological examination in the idiopathic form, a tendency for the symptoms to be worse in middle to older age, and, in some cases, a family history suggestive of an autosomal dominant mode of inheritance. See Walters A. S.; Toward a Better Definition of the Restless Legs Syndrome; The International Restless Legs Syndrome Study Group; Mov. Disord. (1995) 10(5): 634-42. See also, Bhatia M. and Bhowmik D.; Restless Legs Syndrome in Maintenance Haemodialysis Patients; Nephrol. Dial. Transplant., (2003) 18: 217. Restless legs syndrome can be a primary disorder, or a secondary disorder associated with, for example, renal insufficiency, heredity, pregnancy, poliomyelitis, infectious diseases, avitaminosis, different types of anemia, diabetes, and certain drugs (e.g. prochloroperazine, lithium, and mianserin).
Gabapentin, pregabalin and other alpha 2 delta ligands including 4H-[1,2,4]oxadiazol-5-one, C-[1-(1H-Tetrazol-5-ylmethyl)-cycloheptyl]-methylamine, (3S,4S)-(1-Aminomethyl-3,4-dimethyl-cyclopentyl)-acetic acid, (1α,3α,5α)(3-amino-methyl-bicyclo[3.2.0]hept-3-yl)-acetic acid, and (3S,5R)-3-aminomethyl-5-methyl-heptanoic acid, and pharmaceutically acceptable salts and solvates thereof, are referred to in U.S. Pat. No. 4,024,175; U.S. Pat. No. 4,087,544; U.S. Pat. No. 6,306,910; WO 99/21824, WO 01/90052, WO 01/28978, EP 0 641 330, WO 98/17627, and WO 00/76958. The foregoing patents and applications are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.
The compounds employed in the methods of the present invention are mono- and disubstituted 3-propyl gamma-aminobutyric acids. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/009,938 filed Dec. 10, 2001, and Ser. No. 10/324,929 filed Dec. 20, 2002, refer to the compounds employed in the methods of the present invention discussed below and disclose various utilities for these. The entire contents of application Ser. Nos. 10/009,938 and 10/324,929 are hereby incorporated herein by reference.

Alpha 2 delta ligands for post-traumatic stress disorder

Abstract: or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, wherein:

Abstract: R1 is hydrogen, straight or branched alkyl of from 1 to 6 carbon atoms or phenyl; and

Abstract: R2 is straight or branched alkyl of from 4 to 8 carbon atoms, straight or branched alkenyl of from 2 to 8 carbon atoms, cycloalkyl of from 3 to 7 carbon atoms, alkoxy of from 1 to 6 carbon atoms, -alkylcycloalkyl, -alkylalkoxy, -alkyl OH, -alkylphenyl, -alkylphenoxy, or -substituted phenyl. The invention also relates to a method of treating the above disorders by administering the compound (3S,5R)-3-Aminomethyl-5-methyl-octanoic acid.


Performance of a complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) device having n-channel MOS transistors and p-channel MOS transistors is enhanced by providing a single capping layer overlying the MOS transistors with the single capping layer inducing stress in the transistor channel regions to enhance carrier mobility. The n-channel transistor is preferably fabricated in silicon having a (100) crystalline channel surface orientation, and the p-channel transistor is preferably fabricated in silicon having a (110) channel surface crystalline orientation. A tensile stress in the single capping layer induces tensile stress in the channel of the (100) n-channel transistor thereby enhancing the mobility of electrons while tensile stress in the single capping layer induces compressive stress in the channel of the (110) p-channel transistor thereby enhancing the mobility of holes. Alternatively, the n-channel transistor is fabricated in silicon having a (110) crystalline channel surface orientation, and the p-channel transistor is fabricated in silicon having a (100) channel surface crystalline orientation. A compressive stress in the single capping layer induces tensile stress in the channel of the (110) n-channel transistor thereby enhancing the mobility of electrons while compressive stress in the single capping layer induces compressive stress in the channel of the (100) p-channel transistor thereby enhancing the mobility of holes.

This invention relates generally to field effect transistors (FETs), and more particularly the invention relates to use of a stressed capping layer to enhance the performance of complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) integrated-circuit (IC) devices.
CMOS IC devices comprise n-channel (NMOS) and p-channel (PMOS) transistors which toggle on-off in a complementary fashion in response to input voltage signals. The transistors can have a planar structure, in which the surfaces of the source, channel, and drain regions are substantially located in a single plane, as in a conventional bulk-silicon (bulk-Si) MOSFET or silicon-on-insulator (SOI) MOSFET, or the transistors can have a vertical structure such as in the double gate FinFET structure as described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,413,802.
Transistor performance depends on mobile carrier (hole or electron) mobility. Strained-silicon technologies have been widely investigated to enhance the performance of CMOS devices. In particular, strain induced by the use of a stressed SiNx capping layer is advantageous because of its process simplicity and its extendibility from bulk-Si to SOI MOSFETs. However, it is difficult to enhance the performance of both n-channel and p-channel devices simultaneously, because tensile stress is required in the n-channel MOSFET channel, whereas uniaxial compressive stress is required in the p-channel MOSFET channel, to enhance carrier mobility.
The present invention is directed to the fabrication of a CMOS device in which the performance of both n-channel and p-channel transistors can be enhanced with a common capping layer and to the resulting structure.

Complementary field-effect transistors having enhanced performance with a single capping layer

The Regents of the University of California


The technique of the present invention adjustably sets an image area on a center of an image display area of an image display device for displaying an image expressed by an input image signal and a mask display area surrounding the image area for displaying a black image, based on a user's setting of a parameter representing a projection size. The technique contracts or expands the image expressed by the input image signal to make a size of the image expressed by the input image signal fit a size of the image area in the process of generating a display image signal from the input image signal, while generating the display image signal to make the black image displayed in the mask display area. The projection size is thus adjustable according to the size of the image area and the size of the mask display area, which are set based on the parameter representing the projection size. This arrangement ensures simple adjustment of the projection size of the image by the projector.

A projector for projecting images displays each image expressed by an input image signal in an expanded manner on a screen and is thus often used at presentations. The projector is generally constructed to project an image created by an image display device, such as a liquid crystal panel, on the screen via a projection lens.
In a conventional projector, a projection lens typically has a fixed zoom ratio, and a projection size on the screen is practically non-adjustable. One prior art technique adopted for adjustment of the projection size shifts the position of the projector and regulates the interval between the projector and the screen.
Another prior art technique uses a projection lens having the function of regulating a zoom ratio to optically adjust the projection size. The projection lens is, however, bulky and raises the total manufacturing cost.

Projector and method of adjusting projection size


A method of generating a pre-mesh includes locating a reference voxel, which is inside a surface of an object and is adjacent to a voxel outside the surface of the object. The method also includes determining a set of contributing voxels by finding adjacent voxels on a same surface as the reference voxel using voxel morph operators, averaging centers of each of the contributing voxels and the reference voxel, and using the average of the centers as a new center of the reference voxel.

A two-dimensional area (2D) can be divided into square units called pixels. Likewise, a 3D volume can be divided into cubical units called voxels. In much the same way that a camera can be used to create a 2D pixel representation of a real-world object by taking a picture, a 3D voxel representation of a real-world object can be constructed by taking many pictures of an object from different angles. Other techniques for generating a 3D voxel representation include using laser range-finding techniques.
Typically, the voxel representations are depicted in a voxel space as cubes. The voxel representation is not the end result because a collection of cubes does not produce a realistic view of an object. Hence, a technique of converting voxel data into a smooth surface suitable for rendering on modern graphics hardware is required.


A dental mouthpiece is provided that may be attached to a high-suction dental adapter for the purpose of assisting the dental staff during dental procedures through chair-side, hands-free suction, and isolation. Such mouthpiece may include a main body portion, a cheek retractor portion, and a suction connector portion. In some embodiments, the main body portion, cheek retractor portion, and suction connector portion (and sub-portions thereof) may be molded in one piece, preferably by injection molding. In an exemplary embodiment, the mouthpiece may be made of a material that is flexible, translucent, conducive to injection molding, high heat-resistant, and autoclavable. Such a material may include silicone. Because the mouthpiece may be made of high heat-resistant and autoclavable material, such a mouthpiece may be reusable.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to the field of dental mouthpieces. More specifically, the present invention relates to intraoral dental suction and isolation mouthpieces.
2. Description of Related Art
Various mouthpieces are currently used by dental health professionals, dental hygienists, and dental assistants in the field of dentistry. In the past, a dental patient has been treated by a traditional two-person team that comprises a dental professional and a dental assistant. Further, dental treatment may be provided by the team using many different types of dental equipment and materials. Such dental equipment and materials may include such items as an intraoral mirror, a bite block, a slow speed suction ejector, a high speed suction ejector, gauzes, cotton rolls, and dry angles. Each item of dental equipment may be used for different purposes, though some may be used in combination for some types of dental services. As such, a dental professional seeking to provide such dental services may need to use multiple items of such dental equipment. An important role of the dental assistant is therefore to assist the dental professional in coordinating the use of these multiple items of different equipment and materials.
There is, therefore, a need in the art for improved systems and methods of providing dental services in a more efficient, comfortable, and safe manner to the dental patient.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


The present invention provides systems and methods for facilitating communications between various components of distributed system. Specifically, the systems and methods of the present invention provide a wireless network for linking the various components of manufacturing equipment or manufacturing systems to one or more central control devices. Each component of the manufacturing equipment and the central control devices include a wireless module for handling communications between the components and the control devices. In some embodiments, one or more of the components may act as a server for other components in the network. In some embodiments, multiple data channels are used for communication between the components and the central control devices.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a wireless network and more particularly to a wireless network for communicating information and commands between the various components of manufacturing equipment or manufacturing systems.
2. Description of Related Art
Many of today's manufacturing equipment includes a wide variety or sensors and actuators that respectively provide data concerning a manufacturing process and control various components used in the manufacturing process. Theses sensors and actuators are connected to local controllers that are in turn, connected to a central control system. In some instances, the sensors and actuators are connected directly to the central control system. Importantly, in most conventional manufacturing equipment, the various components communicate normally using a physical connection for communications, such as a twisted pair of wires, or other cabling. The use of communication cables is expensive in both design and in implementation.
The cable layout design typically involves specialized software to ensure that the physical layout of the cables is correct and that the ambient conditions are correct. Moreover, the cable needs to have the correct specification and shielding to ensure reliability, both physical and communicative. The cables themselves are also expensive, with a good portion of the cost residing in the connectors. The connectors are also problematic in terms of reliability both during maintenance and in normal operation.
For a semiconductor process tool, for example, there are many different devices to which a central controller is connected. A large number of physical ports are used to connect each of the components of the process tool. In addition, not all of the various devices have the same type of communication medium or protocol. All of these factors conspire to drive the cost of the system up and the reliability down, particularly since many of the communications are point-to-point serial.

Systems and methods for facilitating wireless communication between various components of a distributed system


This invention relates to personal computers, and more particularly to a personal computer using a FIFO registers for data transfer as illustrated by a bus master device in the form of a small computer systems interface (SCSI) controller for controlling data transfer with storage memory devices such as fixed or removable media electromagnetic storage devices. In the practice of this invention, the efficiency of a system having a plurality of bus master devices is enhanced by providing for a programmable threshold fill condition for a FIFO register before arbitration for bus control occurs. Thus the invention provides an approach to maximizing the efficiency of data transfer where FIFO registers are used.

Personal computer systems in general and IBM personal computers in particular have attained widespread use for providing computer power to many segments of today's modern society. Personal computer systems can usually be defined as a desk top, floor standing, or portable microcomputer that consists of a system unit having a single system processor and associated volatile and non-volatile memory, a display monitor, a keyboard, one or more diskette drives, a fixed disk storage, and an optional printer. One of the distinguishing characteristics of these systems is the use of a motherboard or system planar to electrically connect these components together. These systems are designed primarily to give independent computing power to a single user and are inexpensively priced for purchase by individuals or small businesses. Examples of such personal computer systems are IBM's PERSONAL COMPUTER AT and IBM's PERSONAL SYSTEM/2 Models 25, 30, L40SX, 50, 55, 56, 57, 65, 70, 80, 90 and 95.
These systems can be classified into two general families. The first family, usually referred to as Family I Models, use a bus architecture exemplified by the IBM PERSONAL COMPUTER AT and other "IBM compatible" machines. The second family, referred to as Family II Models, use IBM's MICRO CHANNEL bus architecture exemplified by IBM's PERSONAL SYSTEM/2 Models 50 through 95. The Family I models typically have used the popular INTEL 8088 or 8086 microprocessor as the system processor. These processors have the ability to address one megabyte of memory. The Family II models typically use the high speed INTEL 80286, 80386, and 80486 microprocessors which can operate in a real mode to emulate the slower speed INTEL 8086 microprocessor or a protected mode which extends the addressing range from 1 megabyte to 4 Gigabytes for some models. In essence, the real mode feature of the 80286, 80386, and 80486 processors provide hardware compatibility with software written for the 8086 and 8088 microprocessors.
As the reader knowledgeable about computer systems will understand, much of the operation of a personal computer system is concerned with the transfer of data from one point within the system to another. In a number of instances where such transfers are to occur, transfers are made through registers known as FIFO (for "first in, first out") registers. For various types of transfers, it has been known to monitor the "fill level" of a FIFO register, by registering in an associated register the amount of data retained in a FIFO register at any given moment.
As the development of personal computers has advanced, there have been proposals for certain standards to be established among makers and users of such apparatus for the purpose of enabling greater exchangability of components and the like. One such standard which has achieved some broad acceptance is the small computer systems interface (SCSI) standard for data communication to and from storage memory devices. For the present purposes, "storage memory devices" is defined broadly to include all devices capable of storing data in digital form, with particular emphasis on such devices as fixed or removable media electromagnetic storage devices (also known as hard and floppy disk drives), electro-optical, tape and other storage devices. SCSI controllers (herein also called "data flow controllers") have been known and used prior to this invention, and will be familiar to the knowledgeable reader. SCSI controllers are known to be one example of an environment of use of FIFO registers for data transfer, although there are others.
In prior personal computer systems, SCSI controllers have typically been arranged as option or accessory devices, accessed by the system through the accessory or input/output or I/O bus. More recently, it has been contemplated to provide a SCSI controller as a single very large scale integrated (VLSI) device or application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) chip, and to provide for connection of that controller directly with the local processor bus. The purpose of so providing such a controller is to achieve enhanced performance in terms of expedited data transfers.
SCSI controllers are one example of a device which is known as a "bus master". As described at greater length hereinafter, a plurality of bus master devices may be provided in a personal computer system (of either Family I or Family II type) in an effort to enhance system performance. Where such a plurality of bus master devices are present, the devices arbitrate for access to and control of the data transfer bus of the system. The efficiency with which the bus master devices and the arbitration control point through which arbitration occurs allocate use of the bus has a great deal to do with the performance achieved by the system.

Personal computer with programmable threshold FIFO registers for data transfer


A recording and reproducing apparatus includes an information recording unit that generates reproduction range information indicating the range of image signals to be reproduced as moving picture and that records it on an optical disk. When representative images representing contents of the image signals recorded on the optical disk are displayed, the representative images are displayed as moving picture obtained by reproducing the image signals recorded on the optical disk based on the reproduction range information.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a recording and reproducing apparatus that records image signals on an optical disk and that reproduces the image signals recorded on the optical disk, and more particularly, to a recording and reproducing apparatus capable of displaying representative images such as thumbnail images that represent contents of the image signals recorded on the optical disk as moving pictures.
In DVD players that have widely been used in recent years, the MPEG2 standard has been used to compress image signals. The image signal compressing method according to the MPEG standard is adopted to a Video Recording format (VR format), which is a standard of a DVD recorder capable of converting analog image signals into digital signals and of recording the digital signal on an optical disk. As such, in the VR format enabling image signals to be recorded as digital signals, the recorded image signals are managed in two kinds of formats, that is, an original program chain format and a user-defined program chain (play list). In addition, it is possible to designate a still picture representing a program, which is the unit of the image signals in the original program chain, as a representative picture. Therefore, when thumbnail images indicating the contents of a program are displayed, the still picture designated as the representative picture is displayed (first related art).
Meanwhile, as a technique of expanding the VR format, the following related art has been proposed (second related art) That is, according to this technique, only in a driver (information recording/reproducing apparatus) manufactured by a specific maker, a peculiar function other than the function prescribed by the above-mentioned standard is exhibited, and specific information 2002 that can be used by only the specific maker can be recorded in a recording area when information on the peculiar function is recorded on an information recording medium (optical disk 1001). The specific information 2002 that can be used by only the specific maker is recorded on an area of the information recording medium (the optical disk 1001) different from an area where common information 2001 according to the standard is recorded. Information related to the contents of image information, still picture information, voice information, etc., included in the information that can be reproduced only by the driver manufactured by the specific maker is defined by specific object information 2008 that can be used by a specific maker. Information required for managing and controlling the specific object information (specific content information) 2008 that can be used only by the specific maker is defined by management and control information 2006 that can be used only by a specific maker (for example, see JP-A-2002-140865 (paragraph 0193 and FIG. 12)).
Further, the following technique has been proposed (third related art). That is, according to this technique, in order to provide a data structure (format structure) in which image information, still picture information, and/or voice information can be recorded on the same information recording medium by mixture and in which an arbitrary area of each of the image information, the still picture information, and the voice information can be randomly reproduced, similar to image information in the existing RTR standard, cell Nos. 2, 3, and 6 are defined by designating a reproducing range from a starting position to an ending position of each of audio VOB (AOB) Nos. A to C. In addition, the voice information (the audio VOB Nos. A to C) and a cell No. 1 designating a reproduction range from a starting position to an ending position of the image information (a movie VOB 31) or a cell No. 4 designating a reproduction range from a starting position to an ending position of the still picture information (a still picture VOB 21) are treated exactly as the same string (for example, see JP-A-2002-157861 (paragraphs 0004 and 0022)).
Furthermore, the following technique has been disclosed (fourth related art). That is, according to this technique, a moving picture, an audio, and a still picture are respectively treated in a user-defined program unit, and it is possible to integrally reproduce the moving picture, the audio, and the still picture by displaying the reproduction order of the user-defined programs on the play list (for example, see JP-A-2003-264793 (paragraph 0074 and FIG. 5)).


Electroanalysis of an electroactive, and especially ionized, species, in trace form, in a liquid sample, is by potentiometry with coulometric stripping (elution), and is by employing a working electrode in electrical contact with the sample. A practically exhaustive electrolysis, or a practically exhaustive complexing with adsorption, of the electroactive species, a main coulometric stripping and at least two poststripping cycles including a post-electrolysis step and a poststripping step are performed in succession. By a particular choice of the operating parameters and of the measured parameters it is possible to determine automatically the equivalent mean chemical current, for example for oxidation, competing with the current applied to the working electrode, during the stripping stage. This is done directly from the liquid sample which is being analyzed. As a result, the required concentration of the species is determined without previous calibration.

In accordance with the present invention an "electroactive species" is intended to mean a chemical species, in the broadest sense, capable of undergoing changes in the oxidation state. This chemical species may be, for example, an atom, an ion, a molecule, a complex or a molecular system comprising ligands. In accordance with the invention and as described below, this species must be capable of being retained in one of its oxidation states on or in the working electrode by any suitable physical, chemical or physicochemical mechanism, for example by adsorption, amalgamation or the like.
A "liquid sample" is intended to mean any quantity of a liquid medium in which the electroactive, and especially ionized, species is present in trace form, regardless of whether the liquid medium to be analyzed is placed directly in contact with the working electrode or is diluted or mixed beforehand with a liquid matrix, especially a complexing solvent, and/or with an agent modifying the oxidation state of the electroactive species. Prior to the electroanalysis the liquid medium may or may not be divided up, so as to subject to the electroanalysis optionally a determined fraction of said medium.
"In trace form" is intended to mean molar concentrations per unit volume in the original liquid medium which are at most equal to 10 .mu.mol/l and preferably included according to the invention between 0.01 and 10 .mu.mol/l, or weight concentrations at most equal to 1 mg/l and included between 1 and 1000 .mu.g/l.
As stated already, the electroactive species must be capable of changing the oxidation state when a current or a potential is applied, preferably on electrical contact with a working electrode, while being deposited and being retained on the latter, by any suitable physical and/or chemical means such as the formation of an amalgam, dissolving in, or depositing on, a metal phase, for example gold, complexing, adsorption, absorption or else using electrostatic forces of attraction.
The electroactive species under consideration may be equally well cations, noble metals, anions, molecules or else complexes. Examples which will be mentioned are especially lead, cadmium, copper, bismuth, thallium, nickel, zinc, silver, platinum and halides as electroactive species capable of being detected and quantified according to the present invention.
Also, in accordance with the invention and as will be seen later, the electroactive species considered is capable of changing in oxidation state during the coulometric stripping, that is to say of being oxidized or reduced by means of a third element dissolved in the sample.
In order to make use of an electroanalysis according to the invention the electroactive species must pass through a number of oxidation states different from one another or some of them being the same ones, but the total number of electrons transferred during each stripping of the analysis must be known. These states are the following:
a zero or initial state (Eo) existing after preparation of the sample; PA1 a first state (EI), equal to or different from the initial state (Eo), existing after a main electrolysis or adsorption stage; PA1 a second state (EII), different from the first state (EI), different from or equal to the state (Eo), existing after a main coulometric stripping step; PA1 and a third state (EIII) different from the second state (EII), different from or equal to the state (EI) and existing after at least one post-electrolysis step followed by a coulometric poststripping. PA1 (a) during a main stage there is performed either a practically exhaustive electrolysis of the electroactive species, which is present in an initial state (Eo), at a predetermined potential, or a practically exhaustive complexing of said species with adsorption onto said electrode, while creating a convection regime in the vicinity of the liquid sample/working electrode interface, whereby practically all the electroactive species is deposited and retained, in a first oxidation state (EI), equal to or different from the initial state (EO), on the working electrode; if appropriate, the electrolysis and said convection regime are stopped; FIG. 3 thus shows the formation of a mercury amalgam in the form of film 18 and of electroactive species from a drop 17 deposited onto the electrode 16, after application of an electrolysis potential and of convection; PA1 (b) during a main coulometric stripping stage, represented by FIG. 4, a predetermined current is applied to the working electrode 16, and this causes a change in the oxidation state of the species (A), from the state (EI) to a second state (EII); this has the effect of detaching and diffusing practically all the electroactive species, in oxidized or reduced form from the working electrode 16 into the sample 17; the value of the predetermined oxidation or reduction current, in relation with the measured time of the coulometric stripping stage, makes it theoretically possible to determine the quantity, and hence the concentration, of the electroactive species originally present in the liquid sample 17. PA1 (c.a) during a post-electrolysis step a predetermined potential is applied to the working electrode 16 for a time which is shorter than that of the main stage (a), in this case, of electrolysis, account being taken of the ceasing of the convection regime existing during stage (a); this predetermined potential makes it possible to change the second oxidation state (EII) of the species (A) to a third state (EIII), in the case of at least one portion of said species which has diffused into the liquid sample 17 during the stripping stage (b), but which has not had the time to diffuse too far from the working electrode 16 (cf. FIG. 5); PA1 (c.b) during a poststripping step a predetermined current, strictly equal to the predetermined current of the main coulometric stripping stage (b) is applied to the working electrode 16, causing a change in the oxidation state of the species (A) from the state (EII) to the state (EIII), in order to detach and diffuse the electroactive species from the working electrode 16 into the liquid sample 17 (cf. FIG. 6). PA1 first of all essentially the multi-stripping described and defined above is used for the electroanalysis; PA1 the following operating conditions are then fixed: PA1 the electrolysis according to stage (a) is performed during a period at least equal to 4 times t1/2, t1/2 being the half-reaction time of the electrolysis of the electroactive species; this period ensures a virtually complete reduction or oxidation of the electroactive species; PA1 the main stripping current i.sub.ox1 is between 0.1 .mu.A and 500 .mu.A and preferably between 20 and 40 .mu.A; PA1 the electrolysis according to the stage (a) lasts several minutes, whereas the post-electrolysis of the coulometric poststripping cycle lasts only a few seconds; PA1 the current of another poststripping is approximately four times smaller than i.sub.ox1 ; PA1 the liquid sample analyzed additionally includes an agent modifying the electroactive and especially ionized species, promoting its electroanalysis; PA1 the electroactive species is especially an ionized metal and the liquid sample containing it also includes a molar excess of oxidizing agents, such as mercury II and/or gold III; PA1 the volume V of the liquid sample is at most equal to 100 .mu.l and preferably between and 10 and 50 .mu.l.
By way of preferred example of application of an electroanalysis according to the invention, but without any exclusiveness being implied, reference will be made to the investigation and to the quantification of heavy metals, in trace form, directly in a sample of whole blood, in the presence of dissolved and interfering oxygen.

Electroanalysis process using potentiometry with coulometric stripping (elution)


A fast-opening shutter includes an actuating member moveable in a one direction for setting an aperture stop and in the opposite direction for setting focus. The camera shutter is then driven to open against the stop independently of movement of the actuating member. According to more specific features, the actuating member first sets the stop and then focuses a camera optical element. After the exposure is completed, the mechanism is reset by further movement of the actuating member in the second or opposite direction.

1. Field of Invention
The invention relates to photographic cameras having adjustable exposure and focus settings, and more specifically to a mechanism in such cameras for focusing an optical element and setting a maximum aperture.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Camera mechanisms for adjusting focus and exposure come in many varieties. Those considered most pertinent to the present invention use an actuating member that rotates in a first direction for setting focus and a second opposite direction for controlling exposure. Typically, focus is established first by cams that rotate with the member in the first direction against ramps on an optical element, moving it axially into focus. The focusing components then are held stationary while the shutter is actuated by rotation of the member in the opposite direction. The shutter usually includes blades that move in a timed sequence controlled by movement of the actuating member, and the maximum aperture depends on the time period of the blade opening part of the sequence.

Camera mechanism for setting focus and aperture


A process for treating a hydrocarbon liquid composition to improve its storage and/or transportation stability, comprises contacting the hydrocarbon liquid composition with a polar trap, wherein the conductivity of the hydrocarbon liquid composition is not reduced by said contacting with a polar trap. The polar trap may be a clay treater containing attapulgus clay. The process may include sequentially passing the hydrocarbon liquid composition through a dehydrator and a clay treater at a flow rate of between about 100 and about 1000 m3 per hour. Advantageously, the hydrocarbon liquid composition is refined and in particular, may be a Merox™-treated jet fuel.

Crude petroleum (also called "crude oil" or "crude") is composed primarily of hydrocarbons of paraffin, naphthene, and aromatic types: each of these groups contains a broad range of molecules and hence, the composition and properties of the crude can vary significantly. Most jet fuels are made by refining crude petroleum under carefully controlled process conditions.
Processes for the production of jet fuel are known to the person skilled in the art and many technical descriptions are available (see for example, "Aviation Fuels—Technical Review", FTR-3 (2005), published by Chevron Texaco).
In brief, the refining process can generally be considered to comprise four stages of treatment. First, separation processes (most commonly, distillation), in which the crude is separated into two or more components based on a physical property, such as boiling point. Secondly, upgrading processes (for example, "sweetening", hydrotreating and clay treating), which improve the quality of the material by using chemical reactions to remove undesirable (trace) compounds. A standard sweetening process used in the production of jet fuels is Merox™ treatment. Physical processes such as filtering/coalescing to remove particulate matter and/or water contamination can be considered to be a third category of treatment. The fourth stage relates to conversion processes (such as catalytic cracking and hydrocracking), in which the molecular structure of the feedstock is changed, for example, by "cracking" (breaking down) large molecules into smaller more desirable molecules. In addition, depending on the intended use of the hydrocarbon product, one or more chemical additives may be added so that the fuel meets any relevant quality specifications.
Fuel additives are now considered almost essential for meeting the strict quality and performance parameters (for example, oxidation stability requirements) set for jet fuels. In fact, fuel additives may be used for a number of important applications, for example: antibacterial agents are useful for preventing the growth of microorganisms that may otherwise break down the fuel and/or block fuel lines; anti-icing chemicals may be used to prevent the freezing of any water contamination when the fuel is exposed to low temperatures (e.g. at high altitudes); antioxidants may be used to prevent dissolved oxygen from setting off chains of oxidation reactions and, thus, to improve storage stability; metal deactivator agents may be used to chelate metals, such as copper and zinc, that may catalyse oxidation reactions; corrosion inhibitors are useful for preventing the corrosion of storage tanks and distribution pipelines by oxygen and water in the fuel; and electrical conductivity agents (e.g. anti-static and/or static-dissipater additives) are often included to maintain a minimum electrical conductivity, which helps prevent static charge build up. Suitable additives for use in jet fuel are known to the skilled person in the art, and are discussed, for example, in Aviation Fuels: Technical Review (FTR 3), 2005, Chapter 4, Edited by Chevron Texaco.
Jet fuel, such as Aviation Turbine Fuel (Jet A1), is subject to particularly strict quality specification parameters and, therefore, jet fuel must be "certified" before it can be accepted for its intended use. The required fuel specifications may vary according to national or institutional requirements and the intended use. Hence, the various parameters defining the quality of jet fuel are published and updated periodically, most notably by The Director, Defence Fuels Group, UK, under the title Defence Standard 91-91 (DEFSTAN 91-91), and these parameters are well known to those who deal with the fuel. Updated information on jet fuel specification parameters in force in different parts of the world may also be periodically published by commercial organisations such as, for example, ExxonMobil Aviation International Ltd.
A refined hydrocarbon liquid composition (such as a jet fuel) is typically tested at the refinery to ensure that it meets the appropriate specification parameters before it is distributed. However, the distribution chain from the refinery to the point at which the product is used may be both convoluted and slow. For example, a jet fuel may be pumped or transported to one or more fuel terminals (e.g. by ocean tanker or pipeline) for intermediate storage, before it is delivered to an airport terminal, where it also may be stored until it is finally delivered into an aircraft. Such distribution chains can mean that an already certified fuel is exposed to various sources of possible contamination (for example, when transported through pipes or in tanks that have been used for different fuels), and exposed to variable temperatures over prolonged periods of time, which may cause fuel degradation.
It is known that fuel properties can deteriorate significantly during the distribution (and storage) chain, and this deterioration can lead to significant operational difficulties downstream of the refinery, even though the fuel may still fall within the specification parameters. For example, surfactants, ionic species (such as metal ions), particulate matter and water can all build up in fuel during its storage and transportation. Surfactants can occur naturally in crude oils (e.g. naphthenic acids), they may be introduced during the refining process, or may be picked up from contaminated pipes and containers. Ionic species, such as metal ions/oxides and particulate matter are typically introduced through the deterioration (e.g. corrosion) of metal fuel transportation pipelines and storage tanks. Particulate matter can originate from the corrosion of pipelines, storage tanks, and through chemical reactions taking place in the fuel, or by the action of microorganisms. Water can be absorbed through contact with air and by the transportation of fuel; for example, containers and pipes may be washed with water between different shipments. All of these contaminants lead to premature "disarming" (i.e. inactivation) of water filters, which are used, for example, at airports to remove water from jet fuel immediately before it is loaded into an aircraft. It is, therefore, very important to minimise the build up of such contaminants, or to remove the contaminants prior to the final water filtration step, to: (i) prevent the transmission of unacceptably high levels of water through the filter; and (ii) extend the service life of the filter.
At least a part of the cause for the degradation of fuel during storage and transportation and the resulting build up of contaminants is recognised to be the presence of sulfur, oxygen and nitrogen based compounds in petroleum fractions. These compounds, in particular sulphur-based compounds are also undesirable from an environmental standpoint. Hence, refineries and associated downstream facilities have developed a number of processes that are intended to remove or minimise detrimental materials, so that the quality of the fuel end-product is maintained within the original specification limits.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,090,007 (August 1937), describes a process for treating cracked gasoline to meet marketing requirements by using chemicals such as an acid or an alkali and then passing the fuel through a column containing Fuller's Earth or charcoal as a medium to remove the impurities and improve the quality of the resulting product. This patent outlines the utilisation and abilities of attapulgus clay to remove unwanted impurities in the gasoline fraction of fossil fuel. Such clay treaters are employed routinely in the initial refining of crude petroleum.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,529,944 (September 1970) relates to a process for refining fuel fractions, such as jet fuels, in particular to improve thermal stability. The process described involves the addition, at the petroleum refinery, of degradation accelerators in order to catalyse the formation of particulate impurities, followed by treatment (for example, at a fuel depot) with a solid, particulate adsorbent media such as natural or synthetic clays, fuller's earth, attapulgite and silica gel to removed the contaminants. Finally, it is necessary to reintroduce stabilising chemicals, such as antioxidants, into the treated fuel to retard any further degradation of the fuel before use.
Another identified cause for the degradation of fuel during storage and transportation is contamination of the refined fuel with catalysts and by-products of the Merox™ process, which is routinely used for demercaptanisation of crude petroleum.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,579,444 (June 2003) relates to a process for removal of sulfur compounds from a hydrocarbon stream. The adsorbent material comprises of cobalt and one or more group VI metals selected from molybdenum and tungsten on an inorganic refractory support, which is chosen from alumina, silica or large pore zeolites. This patent identifies some of the problems associated with Merox™ treating of hydrocarbons, such as sodium and water contaminated product streams; and the non-removal of sulfur compounds such as sulfides and thiophenes, oxygen compounds such as phenols, phenolates and peroxides, and nitrogen compounds such as amines or nitrates.
An alternative to Merox™ treatment for demercaptanisation of petroleum distillates such as gasoline, kerosene and diesel fractions is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,485,633 (November 2002). The demercaptanisation in this case is achieved by sorption of the mercaptans with activated carbon. This patent identifies the possible contamination of the refined distillate streams with the remnants of the catalysts used in demercaptanisation processes such as the Merox™ processes.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,422,396 identifies the problem of rapid disarming of conventional water separators due to inter alia surfactants in refined hydrocarbon streams. The patent describes a coalescer (water filter) for use in hydrocarbon streams that contain surfactant, and which is intended to separate a discontinuous phase of water from a continuous phase of hydrocarbons, such as jet fuel. In addition, the patent discusses the unsuitability of alternative methods for preventing the disarming of water separators, such as upstream use of a clay treater. Further in this regard, it is stated that the use of a clay treater is inappropriate, because a clay treater also removes desirable surfactants in the fuel.
The Coordinating Research Council (CRC) in its report no. 552 (February 1987) studied the removal of surfactants from jet fuel using activated clay elements. However, the study suggested methods of testing such as ASTM D 3602/ASTM D 3630, which have become obsolete and no longer in use. Furthermore, it is notable that the use of ASTM D 3948 suffers from a lack of reproducibility at WSIM ratings (i.e Water Separometer Index, Modified rating also known as MSEP—Micro Separometer—rating) of around 90, which has a detrimental effect on the precision of these tests. In addition, this study suggests that if the WSIM or MSEP rating drops to about 90 or below then the clay bed starts to deteriorate. Therefore, the method described may not be applicable for jet fuels that may have WSIM ratings as low as 70.
Accordingly, there is a need for a means of treating a hydrocarbon liquid composition to improve fuel quality by eliminating or at least alleviating the problem of contaminant build up during the storage and transportation of the hydrocarbon liquid composition, and which means does not result in undesirable side-effects or by-products. In particular, there is a need for a method or process for treating a hydrocarbon liquid composition in order to extend the service life of water filters, for example, at airports; and to prevent or at least reduce the transmission of unacceptably high levels of water through a water filter.
Another problem associated with the storage and transportation of certified fuels is that the conductivity level of the fuel can drop significantly over time, to below optimal levels. Moreover, the previously discussed problems caused by the reduced efficiency of water removal from fuel can be exacerbated due to this decrease in fuel conductivity during storage and transportation. In this regard, static dissipaters or anti-static additives (for example, ASA-3 and Stadis® 450), which are added to fuel to maintain acceptable conductivity levels, also act as weak surfactants, which can increase the difficulty of removing water from fuel.
This is known to be a particular problem with non-hydrotreated fuels (e.g. Merox™-sweetened fuels). In this case, it has been found that the interaction of the static dissipater compound with the non-hydrotreated fuel can result in a rapid deterioration in the conductivity of the fuel; however, despite this effect the MSEP or WSIM rating surprisingly does not rise proportionally. Hence, any further addition (redoping) of static dissipater to counteract the drop in conductivity causes a further drop in water separability (i.e. a lower MSEP rating), potentially to levels below the acceptable minimum value of 70 when static dissipaters are used. This problem is most significant when Stadis® 450 is used, because it causes a greater proportional reduction in MSEP rating than does ASA-3 (CRC Report No. 601; The Effect of Stadis 450 on MSEP Rating and Coalescence—Technical Basis for Re-doping Turbine Fuels with Stadis 450; July 1996; Coordinating Research Council Inc., Georgia, USA). Although this report suggests that Stadis® 450 may not directly disarm coalescers (despite the measured reduction in MSEP rating), the report highlights concerns over the levels of contamination that can build up during the transportation and storage of fuels.
Hence, it would also be desirable to have a method or process for treating a hydrocarbon liquid composition, such as a jet fuel, which prevents or at least alleviates the problems associated with loss of conductivity during storage and transportation. In this way, any redoping of static dissipater or anti-static compounds that may be required to achieve the desired conductivity level may be eliminated or at least reduced.
It would be further desirable to have a method or process for treating a hydrocarbon liquid composition, such as a jet fuel, which prevents or at least alleviates some of the problems associated with a reduction in water separability (as indicated by a reduced MSEP rating), that can result during storage and transportation, and particularly as a result of the redoping of static dissipater or anti-static compounds to maintain the desired conductivity level.
This invention aims to address at least some of the above problems in the prior art, by providing a process that improves the quality of hydrocarbon liquid compositions such as fractions of petroleum crudes, condensates and compositions including petroleum distillates, naphthas, gasolines, kerosenes, jet fuels, diesel fuels, fuel oils and the like, which can deteriorate from specification parameters during storage and transportation (shipment), and consequently lead to operational difficulties that affect the performance of supply chain management downstream of the refinery.
It is thus an object of this invention to ensure improvement in quality of petroleum products, and particularly Merox™-treated jet fuels. Another object of this invention is the use of clay treaters as novel polar-exchangers to remove from the hydrocarbon liquid compositions, sub-ppm levels of impurities whose presence can cause a deterioration of quality parameters on storage and transportation, but which does not adversely affect the conductivity of the hydrocarbon liquid composition. These and other aspects, objects and the benefits of this invention will become clear and apparent on studying the details of this invention and the appended claims.

Process for treating hydrocarbon liquid compositions

Emirates National Oil Company Limited (ENOC) LLC


Upon reception of data via a first communication device, a unit connects the first communication device with a storage unit to store the data to be transferred and, after completion of data reception, the unit switches connections of the storage unit to a second communication device and transmits the stored data to the second communication device.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a data transferring method in which data received from the outside via a communication device is transmitted to the outside by using another communication device, and more particularly to a data transferring device in which data received by one communication device and stored in a memory is directly transmitted to the outside by connecting the memory to another communication device without storing the received data in another storage device.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a conventional data transferring device, data received from the outside via a communication device is stored in, for example, a FIFO memory (First In First Out memory) and is once transferred to a storage device such as a hard disk or the like under a control of a CPU or a DMA controller, thereafter, the data is transferred to a FIFO memory for data transmission from the storage device in order to be transmitted to the outside using a communication device.
As a conventional art, Japanese Patent Application No. 2-50721 "Double buffer circuit" discloses a technique for absorbing a gap of data transmission speed for data transmission and receiving in such data transferring process as above by conducting a switching process between a FIFO memory for transmission and a FIFO memory for receiving in case that there is a data transmission gap between data receiving and data transmitting from/to the outside. However there is a problem that a complicated control is required in order to conduct a switching process between a FIFO memory for data transmitting and a FIFO memory for data receiving. Further, in case that received data is once stored in a storage device such as a hard disk as described above, there is a problem that redundant processes are conducted such as data transferring from a FIFO memory for data receiving to a storage device, and data transferring from the FIFO memory for data receiving to a FIFO memory for data transmitting.

Data transferring device for transferring data sent from one communication device to another communication device


A system includes a security processing unit to monitor inputs from process, voltage and temperature sensors to maintain a security of the system. The security processing unit can operate at a determined clock frequency. A timing path detector can connect with the security processing unit. The timing path detector can monitor a condition near the security processing unit. The timing path detector can switch the clock frequency to a lower frequency before the security processing unit fails from the condition.

With the rise in enterprise network security breaches and increasing concerns related to social media sites and data stored in the cloud, security experts, suppliers and service providers try to improve network security. Hardware-based authentication provided by a system on a chip (SoC) can offer security for important user data.
The security platform can be leveraged across product families and form-factors, allowing information technology (IT) managers to have a consistent security platform throughout the organization. The secured systems can be used in smartphones and consumer electronic devices and can be utilized in personal computers (PCs) and tablets for user authentication, payment, virtual currency transactions, ticketing, advertising, and location-based services and applications.

Security central processing unit monitoring of on-chip conditions


A support table supports a module board during a screen printing thereof. The support table has a body in which rectangular grooves are formed in both upper and lower surfaces thereof, a plurality of slots formed in a middle portion thereof and open to the grooves, and a plurality of jigs which are inserted into the slots and fixed relative to the body. The jigs can compensate for any difference between the heights of semiconductor devices which are mounted on the board, and support the board, with the board or the semiconductor devices resting directly on the jigs as the manufacture process at that time requires. The screen printing method includes steps of (a) preparing the support table by inserting appropriate ones of the jigs in the slots of the body of the support table; (b) disposing a board, having a plurality of land patterns formed thereon, on the support table; (c) positioning a screen, which has hole patterns formed therein, over the board with the hole patterns aligned with the land patterns of the board; and (d) forcing lead material through the hole patterns of the screen and onto the land patterns of the board with a squeegee while the board is supported by the upper surface of the support table.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a support table, and more particularly to a support table for supporting a board which is used in the manufacture of an electronic module and to a screen printing method using the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
Electronic apparatus and semiconductor products are gradually progressing toward becoming faster, smaller, and thinner in order to meet the pressing demands for miniaturization, high integration density and high operational speed. Further, a module which has a plurality of electrically linked integrated circuits (ICs) installed on a printed circuit board (PCB) is used to meet the demand for an IC having a large memory capacity.
Such a PCB can be produced by either of the following two methods. In the first method, a plurality of semiconductor devices are mounted on a single board, and then the single board is divided into a plurality of individual boards. In the second method, the semiconductor devices are mounted on individual boards after they have been divided out from a single board. That is to say, the step of dividing a board into a plurality of individual boards and the step of mounting the semiconductor devices on the boards can be carried out in any order.
The modules are classified as single-sided modules and double-sided modules. The single-sided module has a plurality of semiconductor devices mounted on only one side of a board, while the double-sided module has a plurality of semiconductor devices mounted on both sides of a board.
Usually, after a lead material is applied to land patterns of the board, the semiconductor devices are mounted on the lead. A screen printing method or a dispenser method is used to form the leads.
In the dispenser method, a syringe containing the lead material is compressed by air, whereby the lead material is ejected through a nozzle ofthe syringe. This method has an advantage in that it is not affected much by the lack of planarity of the board because the lead material is ejected though the nozzle. Also, the amount of the lead material emitted can be controlled by modifying the pressure of the compressed air, the emission period, the interior diameter of the nozzle, and the viscosity (centipoise) of the lead material. However, this method is not suitable for a fine lead-application step because it can not meet the requirements of mass-productivity or those for the manufacture of a multi-pin semiconductor device package.
On the other hand, the screen printing method has an advantage in that the lead material can be applied to the board all at once. In this method, a screen in which hole patterns are formed is in contact with part of the board. However, this method requires the board to be precisely planar, because the lead material is applied to the board which is in contact with the screen. The screen which is used in the screen print method can be either a mesh screen or a metal screen (also referred to as "a metal mask").
The hole patterns of the mesh screen are formed by applying an emulsion on a mesh of stainless wire, nylon, or tetron. The mesh has 80 to 100 hole patterns and such a mesh screen can advantageously be employed in connection with the manufacture of large boards. The thickness of the printed pattern depends on the thickness of the lead and the toughness or durability of the mesh.
The metal mask is expensive compared to the mesh screen, but has an advantage of high durability. Because finer hole patterns can be formed in the metal mask, it has an advantage in that it can apply leads on finer land patterns formed on the board. However, it has a disadvantage in that the restricted size of the metal mask limits the area in which printing can be carried out on the board.
Furthermore, in the lead application step using the screen, because a squeegee applies pressure to the board, a support table for maintaining the board planar and supporting the board is required.
FIG. 1 depicts the screen printing of leads on one surface of a board which is resting on a conventional support table and FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 2--2 in FIG. 1.
Referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, a conventional support table 10 for supporting a module board 20 has a planar top surface that receives a bottom surface of the board. The support table 10 prevents the board 20 from warping when the lead material 50 is applied to the board 20 during the screen printing step. Magnets 73 are attached to a bottom surface of the support table 10.
The board 20, which is devoid of semiconductor devices, is loaded on the support table 10. A screen 30 such as mesh or metal mask is disposed on the top surface of the board 20 and the creamy lead material 50 is applied to the board 20 by a squeegee 40. At this time, since the bottom surface of the board 20 is supported by the support table 10, the board 20 is prevented from warping.
The support table 10 is fixed to one surface of a driving device (not shown). The support table 10 is elevated by the driving device until the support table nears the screen 30 whereupon the lead material is applied to land patterns 24 already formed on the board 20. The support table 10 is fixed to the driving device by the magnets 73. The support table 10 is made of a non-magnetic material such as aluminum alloy.
A PCB (printed circuit board) is mainly used as the board 20. Generally, the board 20 is manufactured as a single body. Hole patterns 32 are formed in the screen 30. The screen 30 is placed on the board 20 with the hole patterns 32 aligned with the land patterns 24. The lead material 50 is applied onto the land patterns 24 of the board 20 through the hole patterns 32. Accordingly, after semiconductor devices are mounted to the leads, the board 20 is cut along scribing holes 26 to separate it into individual boards. In the present embodiment, land patterns 24 on which six (6) semiconductor devices 60 (FIG. 3) are mounted are formed per individual separated board 20. The semiconductor devices 60 are mounted on the resulting leads using a reflow solder process. The land patterns which receive other electronic components, such as capacitors or resistors, are omitted from the drawings for the sake of simplicity.
The mounting of semiconductor devices on the other surface of the board will now be described. FIG. 3 depicts the screen printing of leads on the other surface of the board, after semiconductor devices have been mounted on one surface of the board. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a double-sided module in which the semiconductor devices have been mounted on the other surface of the board.
Referring to FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, because the semiconductor devices 60 which are mounted on one surface of the board 20 have the same height, the support table 10 which is in contact with the semiconductor devices 60 has a planar top surface. That is to say, the support table 10 has a planar top surface which supports the semiconductor devices 60 having the same height. The bottom surfaces of the semiconductor devices 60 are in contact with the top surface of the support table 10. The support table 10 shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 can be used in this case.
The lead material is applied to the other surface of the board 20 by the same process described in connection with FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, and the semiconductor devices 60 are mounted on the resulting leads by the reflow soldering process.
In the above-described embodiment, semiconductor devices having the same height were mounted on the board 20. However, as shown in FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, semiconductor devices having different heights also can be mounted on the board 20 to produce a double-sided module.
Referring to FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, semiconductor devices 160, 165 which are mounted on one surface of a board 120 have different heights. The semiconductor devices 160 which are disposed to both sides of the board 20 have a greater height and are denoted as `high semiconductor devices`, whereas the semiconductor devices 165 which are disposed at the center of the board 120 have a smaller height and are denoted as `low semiconductor devices`. A support table 110 has a projection 115 at the center thereof and on which the low semiconductor devices 165 are supported. Because the height of the low semiconductor devices 165 is less than that of the high semiconductor devices 160, the projection 115 is formed so as to compensate for the difference between the height of the high semiconductor devices 160 and the height of the low semiconductor devices 165. The height of the projection 115 is the same as the difference of the height between the high semiconductor devices 160 and the low semiconductor devices 165. The magnet 173 is attached to the bottom surface of the support table 110.
The projection 115 prevents the board 120 from warping because the support table 110 directly supports all of the semiconductor devices having different heights.
Note, although semiconductor devices 160, 165 having different heights were mounted on both surfaces of the board 120, semiconductor devices having the same height can also be mounted on one surface of the board 120 to produce a double-sided module.
As an example, the heights of semiconductor devices which are mounted on the board 120 are as follows:
SOJ (Small Outline Package)--about 3.6 mm; PA1 TSOP (Thin Small Outline Package)--about 1.2 mm ; and PA1 QFP (Qu ad Flat Package)--about 3.0 mm.
In manufacturing the above-described double-sided module, in the case of mounting semiconductor devices having the same height, the support table which has a planar top surface as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 is used. However, in the case of mounting semiconductor devices having different heights, the support table which has the projection as shown in FIG. 5 and FIG. 6 is used.
The prior art is problematic in that a support table must be newly produced when different semiconductor devices of different heights are to be mounted on the board. The cost for manufacturing a support table is very high. Therefore, this high cost becomes a significant part of the cost of producing the modules.

Support table for supporting a module board and screen printing method using the same


A geolocation system (10) includes an emitter (12), a plurality of collection nodes (14,16,18), and a control station (20). Each collection node includes a receiver (24) that is operable to receive signals transmitted from the emitter (12), generate a reduced data stream that includes only signal data, and communicate the reduced data stream to the control station (20) along with navigation data. The receiver (24) identifies signal data by detecting an energy level of the raw collection data. More specifically, the receiver (24) determines a bandwidth and a signal-to-noise ratio of each portion of the collection data, and identifies each portion as including signal data if both the bandwidth and the signal-to-noise ratio exceed predetermined threshold amounts. The receiver (24) includes a digital signal processing component (36) for performing calculations used by the receiver (24) to determine the bandwidth and the signal-to-noise ratio.

1. Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the present invention relate to the field of systems and methods for reducing data throughput over wireless data links. More particularly, embodiments of the present invention reduce data throughput over wireless data links by distinguishing signal data from non-signal data and communicating only the signal data over a wireless data link while preserving signal timing information.
2. Description of Prior Art
Geolocation systems commonly include a plurality of data collection nodes that receive a wireless signal from an emitter and use differences in the signal received at each node, such as differences in a time of arrival or a frequency, to determine a location of the emitter. In order to use the signals received at each node to determine the location of the emitter, however, the signals need to be compared and, thus, communicated to a central location for analysis.
Communicating the collected signals to a central location adds a substantial amount of time to the geolocation process because each of the multiple collection nodes must communicate signal collection data to the central location via a data link with limited bandwidth. If a collection period is one minute, for example, it may take one minute or more for each node to communicate the collected signals to the central location for processing. Thus, signal analysis and determination of the emitter location are substantially delayed.
One method of reducing the time required to communicate signal collection data from each node to the central location involves compressing the signal collection data before transmission, thus reducing the total amount of data communicated via the data link. Unfortunately, data compression is only marginally effective in solving the problem. While data compression reduces the amount of data communicated via the data link, even the reduced amount of data requires a significant amount of time to transfer. Furthermore, increased data compression typically results in greater loss of the compressed data, possibly compromising the accuracy of the geolocation system.
Accordingly, there is a need for an improved geolocation system that does not suffer from the problems and limitations of the prior art.

Datalink throughput reduction via energy detection

L3 Communications Integrated Systems, L.P.


Apparatus for calibrating a linear image sensor, includes a fluorescent light source, at least as long as the image sensor; a fixture for holding the light source parallel to the image sensor and displaced from the image sensor by a fraction of the length of the image sensor; and a light level controller for producing a plurality of light levels from the lamp.

The response of pixels in linear image detectors such as focal plane arrays typically may vary in a random fashion by .+-.15%. This severely limits the fidelity of the recorded image. To improve the fidelity of an image produced by such sensors, it is common to calibrate the image sensor by illuminating the image sensor with a controlled source of uniform illumination and record the responses of the individual pixels in the sensor. For maximal fidelity, each pixel must respond identically to equal luminance levels. It is the function of light calibrators to ensure an equalization of pixel response to equal input (amplitude and spectral) The calibrator inputs known amounts of radiation energy into each pixel or detector element and its response to such input recorded. This is done for a range of calibrator controlled input radiation levels from zero to some maximal radiation level. The pixel response measured and recorded in terms of offset (bias) and gain (slope). These results are stored in a memory and subsequently are used to adjust pixel response in absolute and relative terms.
Current calibrators commonly use incandescent radiation (light) sources as the active element of the calibrator. Such sources have the following disadvantages:
1. The spectral characteristics of incandescent light sources are rich in the red part of the light spectra and thus are inherently poor simulators of sunlit objects which are common in the photographic process. PA1 2. Light output from an incandescent light source is specular and generally exhibits illumination hot spots, due for example to filament irregularity and shadowing, which result in a non-uniform illumination. PA1 3. The spectral output from incandescent lamps changes as a function of input current supplied to the filament and hence exhibit strong variations in the characteristics of the output light spectra with changes in light output level. Furthermore, the spectral output of incandescent lamps changes over time at a given output level due to evaporation and deposition of the filament material onto the lamp envelope. PA1 4. Incandescent light sources are compact and thereby require large separation from the image sensor or complex optical projection systems that spread the light to insure coverage. PA1 1. A wideband spectra equivalent to that supplied by natural daylight due to the ability to provide a phosphor mixture tailored to the spectral requirements of the sensor. PA1 2. The fluorescent light source is capable of providing a long uniform, diffuse light source such as is required for coverage of long linear image sensors. PA1 3. Stable light level control (relatively invariant spectral distribution with change in illuminance level). Electronic light level control is thus enabled. PA1 4. Superior life and reliability characteristics. PA1 5. The light output is essentially Lambertian and ripple free, being generated from phosphor excitation and hence inherently diffuse in character.


A differential apparatus of planetary gear type comprises an internal gear, and a sun gear on the side of an axle. Each of a plurality of pinion-gear sets has an even number of pinion gears rotated in mesh with each other. Ones of the pinion gears on the outside are in mesh with the internal gear, while the remaining pinion gears on the inside are in mesh with the sun gear. A pinion carrier rotatably supports the pinion gears. A torque is inputted from one of the internal gear and the sun gear. A rotating frictional force between the pinion gears on the torque output side and the pinion carrier is reduced less than those of each of the remaining pinion gears.

This invention relates to a differential apparatus for use in a vehicle.
"A differential-limiting type differential apparatus" is disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open Publication (Kokai) No. 1-166157. This apparatus is a planetary-gear differential apparatus of double-pinion type, which is provided with a differential limiting mechanism. A drive force of an engine is inputted to an internal gear, and is divided into left- and right-hand driving axles from pinion carriers and a sun gear.
In the case of the above-described publication, however, differential limiting means includes a multiple disc clutch between a differential case and a planetary carrier. For this reason, there are problems that a structure or construction is complicated, and the apparatus is large-sized.
In order to dissolve the above-mentioned problems, applicant of the present invention has previously filed Japanese Patent Application No. 2-188136.
As shown in FIG. 1, it is assumed that, when an internal gear 201 is rotatively driven in an arrowed direction, and when a wheel on the side of a sun gear 203 is idle-run, a torque (idle-running torque) applied to the sun gear 203 is T.sub.SP, while a torque (grip torque) applied to the sun gear 203 when the wheel on the side of a pinion carrier is idle-run is T.sub.G. Then, T.sub.G remarkably increases more larger than T.sub.SP by a driving resistance inputted from the wheel on the side of the sun gear 203.
Further, a resultant force of a drive torque and a reaction force thereof acts upon each of rotating sections of pinion gears 205 and 207 and pinion carrier. A rotating resistance (differential limiting force) due to a frictional force in accordance with a magnitude of the resultant force is generated on each of the rotating sections.
Accordingly, the differential limiting force is large when the wheel on the carrier side is idle-run, while the differential limiting force is small when the wheel on the sun gear side is idle-run. Thus, an unbalance in strength of the differential limiting force occurs between the left-and right-hand wheels, so that a pull of differential limiting occurs. Furthermore, since the differential limiting force is in proportion to the frictional forces of the respective rotating sections, the pull becomes more remarkable the more the differential limiting force increases. In the case where the torque is inputted from the sun gear, such pull occurs on the side of the internal gear.
As the differential limiting force increases, a torque distribution ratio (transfer ratio) between the idle-running side at the time one of the driving wheels is idle-run and the other driving-wheel side, so that rough-road bailing-out or escaping performance is improved. If, however, the transfer ratio increases as described above, a pull of differential limiting between the left- and right-hand wheels increases so that the rough-road bailing-out performance in the case where the wheel on the side of the sun gear is idle-run decreases. Thus, an unbalance occurs in cornering characteristic between left turn and right turn. An unbalance in direct or rectilinear advance stability also occurs between the right-hand direction and the left-hand direction. Accordingly, maneuvering stability is remarkably reduced.

Planetary gear type differential apparatus


A multiple view angles camera used for an automatic photographing apparatus includes a narrow view angle lens, a cylinder lens, and an image sensor. One image sensor is used, and a wide view angle image and a narrow view angle image are projected on the image sensor at the same time. The narrow view angle lens projects the image of the eye photograph range on an eye image region on the image sensor. The cylinder lens is a wide view angle lens and projects the image of a wide view angle photograph range on a wide view angle image region on the image sensor by way of this cylinder lens and the narrow view angle lens.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a multiple view angles camera for taking wide view angle photographs and a narrow view angle photographs of a specific subject, an automatic photographing apparatus for photographing using this multiple view angles camera, and an iris recognition method for performing iris recognition using this automatic photographing apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
As an iris recognition apparatus, an iris recognition apparatus using the automatic photographing apparatus has been known. The automatic photographing apparatus used for the iris recognition apparatus photographs, first of all, the facial image of a subject standing in front of the apparatus by way of a wide view angle camera. Next, the subject's eye position is automatically detected from this facial image. Then, based on the eye position thus detected, a pan-tilt mechanism aim the narrow view angle camera which is mounted on the mechanism at the eye. Then, the eye image of the subject is photographed by way of the narrow view angle camera, and then it is output to the iris recognition unit.
The iris recognition unit generates iris codes by processing the subject's eye images which is output from the automatic photographing apparatus. By comparing the iris code thus generated with the iris code which is registered in advance, it is determined whether or not the subject is the person himself, and if it is recognized that the subject is the person himself, a predetermined process, such as opening an electric lock, is performed.
For the iris recognition apparatus using the automatic photographing apparatus, it is not required for the subject himself to adjust his eye position to the field of view of the camera. Therefore, its noninvasiveness is the distinctive feature.
However, conventionally, two cameras of a narrow view angle camera for eye photographing and a wide view angle camera for face photographing for eye position detection as the automatic photographing apparatus have been required. Therefore, there has been a problem in which the size of the camera unit which include two cameras has been large and the weight thereof has been heavy. Further, since the image signals have been output from each camera, a circuit for processing the image signals therefor has come to be complex. As a result, there has been a problem in which the cost of the automatic photographing apparatus, in particular the iris recognition apparatus, has come to increase.

Multiple view angles camera, automatic photographing apparatus, and iris recognition method


One or more local oxidation of silicon (LOCOS) regions may be formed that apply compressive strain to a channel of a field-effect transistor such as a P-type field-effect transistor (PFET) or other circuit element of a semiconductor device. For instance, a pair of LOCOS regions may be formed on opposite sides of a PFET gate and its corresponding channel, or one or more LOCOS regions may more fully surround, or even completely surround, the PFET channel. In addition, one or more slits may be formed in the LOCOS regions as appropriate to reduce or even completely neutralize the compressive strain in certain directions that would otherwise be applied without the slits. These techniques may be used in silicon-on-insulator (SOI) wafers with or without hybrid orientation technology (HOT) regions.

Field-effect transistors (FETs) in semiconductor devices are often manufactured such that either a compressive strain or a tensile strain is applied to the FET channels. This strain, if applied in appropriate directions, can enhance FET performance. N-type FETs (NFETs) can be enhanced through appropriately directed tensile strain, whereas P-type FETs (PFETs) can be enhanced through appropriately directed compressive strain.
Conventionally, strain is produced either by embedding stress-inducing materials, such as silicon-germanium, into the silicon on opposing sides of the FET channel, or by forming a strain-inducing layer over the FET, such as a doped silicon nitride layer. Although these techniques can be used to apply either tensile or compressive strain on a FET channel, there are practical limits to the amount of strain that can be applied using these techniques.
Moreover, the strain supplied by these techniques is not always directed as efficiently as desirable to the FET channel. The strain is often diluted, canceled out, and/or dispersed to other regions of the semiconductor device.
In addition, these techniques do not always work well and can be expensive to implement in mixed-technology semiconductor devices, such as those that contain both silicon-on-oxide (SOI) regions and hybrid orientation technology (HOT) regions.

LOCOS on SOI and HOT semiconductor device and method for manufacturing

Toshiba America Electronic Components, Inc.


The method comprises the ion implantation of controlled quantities of elements such as CO, C or O in endo-osseous implants or prostheses manufactured in metals, metallic alloys or biocompatible compound materials. This surface treatment originates some modifications in the characteristics of the surface of the endo-osseous implants or prostheses which increases significantly their degree of osseointegration.

The requirement for prosthetic treatments of long duration (implants or knee, hip, maxillofacial, cranial, etc. prostheses), is increasingly usual in daily clinical practice, and involves the use, in numerous cases, of metallic materials (subcutaneous or osseous implants) mainly in patients subjected to major traumatic surgery, maxillofacial surgery, osteoporotic and osteoproliferative patients. The employment of these systems of prosthetic substitution is accompanied by a not insignificant implant failure rate, which in some cases surpasses 30%, and at times makes recourse to this technique an impossibility.
The most frequent complications encountered, described in the medical literature, are the infectious type (infection of the implant, bacteremia, sepsis, and others less frequent, like gangrene, etc.), the inflammatory type (reaction to a foreign body, local inflammation, total rejection), those of tissue integration (gingivitis, sinovial metallosis, osteoresorption) and those arising from their handling and use (rupture of the bone, failure of the metal-tissue interface).
The biocompatible metals constitute the most important and diverse group of materials used in biomedical applications because they offer appropriate properties of biocompatibility and chemical inertia which make them suitable for contact with biological fluids and tissues. Also, they have the characteristic that they can be manufactured in a great variety of ways.
However, the evolution observed in recent years regarding the types of alloys employed has not reduced the number of complications as much as would have been expected and the experimental procedures used to improve their biocompatibility have been limited to more permeable designs or surface impregnations, more or less intense, with molecules having biological activity (antibiotics, antiseptics, antiaggregants, etc.).
The requirement remains to develop medical materials whose employment permits avoidance of the entirety or part of the aforementioned complications.
In that concerning the problem of osseointegration of the prostheses or implants, a method of approaching the problem could consist in applying a surface treatment thereon which confers upon them the appropriate characteristics.
This is the case of ion implantation, a treatment which does not modify the structural properties or the dimensional tolerances of the treated prostheses or implants (see FIG. 1) but which, however, can modify their surface properties by means of the introduction of a series of selected elements on the surface, modifying the properties thereof in the desired sense.
Use has been made of different techniques of ion implantation for many years in different fields of application with the object of modifying the surface properties of the components. It is used, for example, in electronics for modification of the electrical properties of semiconductors. It is also applied in the metal mechanics industry for the improvement of properties of resistance to abrasion and corrosion, in cases such as moulds and injection mouthpieces, machining and cutting tools, gauges, etc.
Ion implantation has also been used on biomaterials. This is the case, for example, of the implantation of germicidal elements in medical equipment described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,492,763, or the implantation in implants of cobalt-chromium alloys with the object of increasing surface hardness and reducing friction as described in European patent application EP 526 581. The problem of osseointegration has also been broached from the ion implantation technique in order to produce a surface coated with hydroxyapatite, a coating which has also been applied by other processes. Such is the case of the method for the production of surgical implantations coated with synthetic bone described in Spanish patent ES 2.006.658 which employs high energy streams of xenon to coat the implants with hydroxyapatite by the sputtering or cathodic spraying technique. German patent application DE 19830530 describes the production of titanium surfaces coated with calcium phosphate by ion implantation. In this last case, use is made of phosphorus and calcium implantation followed by a heat treatment.
Notwithstanding the existence of previous applications of ion implantation in implants and medical prostheses, the ion implantation methods employed provide implants and prostheses with insufficient osseointegration properties and/or with a risk of lixiviation of the ions to the physiologic medium in contact with the inadequate implants and prostheses, and/or with not completely satisfactory tribological properties.

Method for manufacturing endo-osseous implants or medical prosthesis by ionic implantation technique


An interconnectable bobbin has first and second end flanges and a fastener on the first end flange positioned to engage a second bobbin on an adjacent leg of a multiple leg magnetic core. A magnetic component apparatus includes one or more of the interconnectable bobbins, the magnetic component apparatus including a magnetic core with first and second legs, the first leg extending into a first bobbin, and the second leg extending into a second bobbin, wherein the first and second bobbins are fastened together.

The present invention relates generally to magnetic component structures that include wire windings around magnetic cores. Windings around a magnetic core produce a magnetic flux in core that can have an effect on current flow in other windings on the magnetic core. Such structures may be used in circuits as transformers or as inductors.
More particularly, this invention pertains to magnetic component structures having a magnetic core with multiple legs, with one or more windings on multiple legs. Typically, such magnetic components have magnetic cores that include one or more bobbins fixed to the cores. The location of the bobbins can be altered as necessary to facilitate different uses and different circuits. Typically these magnetic cores and bobbins are combined as one structure. It can be difficult to wind wire around such structures, as the bobbins can get in the way of each other during the winding process. This difficulty also increases when the magnetic core has multiple legs, as one leg will interfere with winding wire around a bobbin on another leg.
Additionally, when the bobbins and magnetic cores are one structure, each bobbin configuration on the core is a different structure, and accordingly, each structure must be manufactured separately. If the magnetic components are manufactured by injection molding for example, a different mold form must be made for each bobbin configuration. This can increase the cost of production for manufacturers that produce several types of magnetic components with different bobbin configurations on the magnetic cores.
What is needed, then, is a magnetic component apparatus that includes a magnetic core with multiple legs, multiple bobbins, and multiple windings, where wire can be easily wound around the bobbins on the magnetic core.

Magnetic component apparatus with interconnectable bobbins


The present invention relates to high-strength medium manganese steel for warm stamping, which contains 3-10 wt % of manganese (Mn), 0.05-0.3 wt % of carbon (C), and 0.1-1.0 wt % of silicon (Si) as components thereof, with the balance being iron (Fe) and unavoidably contained impurities. The present invention performs heat treatment at the low austenitizing temperature of medium manganese steel, and thus has the effect of reducing the high thermal energy consumption of the prior art hot stamping process. Furthermore, the present invention does not require an additional temperature process, and can obtain high strength by only slow cooling such as air cooling outside a mold without performing cooling at high rate inside the mold, and thus has the effects of simplifying a process and improving manufacturing efficiency.

Recently, as environmental problems such as air pollution have emerged, many methods have been proposed to increase the fuel efficiency of automobiles. In particular, as reductions in the weights of automobiles have emerged as an important part, there are required high-strength steel sheets having not only high formability but also high strength.
Furthermore, since automobile parts such as bumper reinforcement materials or shock absorbers inside doors are parts directly related to passenger safety, ultra-high strength steel sheets having a tensile strength of 980 MPa or more are used, and must have not only high strength but also high elongation. As the rate at which such parts also employ high-strength steel increases, research on the commercialization of high-strength steel is increasing.
In response to these social demands, research has been conducted on methods for easily forming high-strength steel. As such a prior art, there is a hot stamping process proposed in Korean Patent No. 10-0765723. This prior art proposes a manufacturing method that obtains ultra-high strength cold-rolled steel sheet as a final product by performing heat treatment and press forming in a high-temperature austenite single-phase region and then performing rapid cooling using a mold.
However, the prior art hot stamping process poses several problems. First, a problem arises in that thermal energy consumption is excessive due to forming at a high temperature of 900° C., or higher. Next, boron-added steel cannot obtain a hard martensite structure without rapid cooling after forming. Accordingly, although the forming has been terminated, water is poured into the mold, so that the specimen is cooled at high rate while being maintained inside the mold. This causes problems in that the productivity of the process is reduced and also the surface of the mold is repeatedly heated and cooled, thereby reducing the lifespan of the mold due to thermal fatigue.
As a prior art for mitigating this problem, there is Korean Patent Application Publication No. 10-2013-0050138. This prior art discloses a warm press process, including performing heating to a dual-phase temperature range of Ac1-Ac3, and maintaining the temperature and performing forming after the heating. However, due to the low forming temperature of the dual-phase region, a problem arises in that the physical properties of a final product cannot reach physical properties equivalent to those of the prior art hot-stamped steel. Furthermore, although yield strength is an important property of automobile body members, it is not addressed in this prior art. Therefore, this prior art is considered to have limitations as an alternative process to hot stamping.

High-strength medium manganese steel for warm stamping and method for manufacturing same

INDUSTRY-ACADEMIC COOPERATION FOUNDATION, YONSEI UNIVERSITY