The improved wellhead system includes a wellhead housing with an internal annular shoulder having a plurality of removed arcs to form an interrupted support shoulder. A casing hanger is provided with an external annular shoulder having a plurality of removed arcs which correspond with those on the wellhead housing. In a first orientation, the removed arcs of the casing hanger shoulder align with the arcs of the support shoulder in the wellhead housing to allow the casing hanger to pass through the wellhead housing or the wellhead housing to be lowered below the casing hanger. In a second orientation the remaining shoulder arcs of the casing hanger align with the support shoulder arcs to support the casing hanger. The casing hanger also includes a thread for attaching a tool whereby the casing hanger and casing attached thereto can be tensioned. An alternate embodiment of the improved wellhead system includes a wellhead housing with an internal support groove. A casing hanger with a contractible split ring allows the casing hanger to be suspended from the internal support groove of the wellhead housing. A ring compression tool which allows the contractible split ring to be compressed allows selective engagement of the casing hanger with the internal support groove of the wellhead housing. This feature allows the casing hanger to pass through the wellhead housing or the wellhead housing to be installed over the casing hanger.

This invention relates to the field of wellhead apparatus, more particularly to wellhead housings and casing hangers which allow the wellhead housing to be installed over the casing hanger.
Prior wellhead systems are based on drilling the borehole of the well in successively smaller diameter sections and lining these sections with correspondingly smaller diameter sections of casing. Usually the wellhead housing is secured to the outermost string of casing and therefore the largest diameter casing lines the first section of the borehole of the well. The subsequent successively smaller diameter strings of casing are supported by casing hangers which sit on annular shoulders in the wellhead housing. Since the shoulders are machined in the wellhead housing, they limit the size of tools which can be passed through the wellhead housing. These dimensions and constraints do not allow the wellhead housing to be run after the casing hanger or the casing hanger to be run prior to the wellhead housing.
Prior oil and gas well completion operations in offshore locations often used a mudline wellhead positioned on the ocean floor with a few sections of casings, called a tie back string connected to a second wellhead located on a platform or similar structure. This type of completion required an adjustable sub to allow tensioning of the tie back string. The present invention eliminates the need for this adjustable sub by allowing the casing hanger to land below the landing shoulder in the wellhead housing. The tie back string is then tensioned by a tool connected to the casing hanger and the wellhead housing is then rotated to a position supporting the casing hanger.
In the event of the wellhead housing being damaged during drilling operations, previous wellhead systems prevented removal and replacement of the damaged wellhead housing due to the above-described configuration of the wellhead housing and the casing hangers. The improved wellhead system of the present invention overcomes the deficiencies of the prior art and provides a wellhead system which allows a wellhead housing to be installed over a previously installed casing hanger.
An example of a wellhead with a retractable seat is the D. L. Martin U. S. Pat. No. 3,902,743 which shows a radially movable split ring that provides a full opening through bore in its expanded position and a substantially continuous landing seat in its extended position.
The B. F. Baugh et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,488,740 discloses a wellhead housing and a removable casing hanger support member with a plurality of circumferentially spaced breech block teeth disposed on each. The breech block teeth allow the wellhead housing to maintain a larger through bore with the casing hanger support member removed. Installation of the support member provides sufficient bearing area for the subsequent casing hangers.


The objective of this invention is to provide a type of data processing device and a type of data recording/reproduction device that can restart data write processing correctly from an interruption position after data write processing on a recording medium is interrupted. When write is interrupted, prescribed information that indicates the tail of the data written before said interruption is obtained from the written data. When write is restarted, first, data read processing is started. From the read data, the tail of the write data before said interruption is determined based on said obtained information. Then, data write processing is restarted and connected to said determined tail of the write data. In write clock signal generating part (45), write clock signal CK3 locked to the phase of read clock signal CK2 is generated. Consequently, it is possible to suppress discontinuity in the connection of write in company with switching from read processing to write processing.

Usually, when write is performed on an optical disk, it is necessary to perform the write operation while a preset speed is maintained. For this purpose, data transfer should be performed from a host device that supplies the write data (such as a personal computer, etc.) with the preset write speed maintained with respect to an optical disk device that performs the write processing.
On the other hand, in many cases, the host device also performs other tasks parallel to the processing of transfer of data to the optical disk device. Consequently, when the write speed is multiplied to a high level, it becomes difficult to maintain the required data transfer speed.
In a conventional optical disk, as shown in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/078,515 filed Sep. 8, 2004 device, the following method is adopted: the write data fed from the host device are temporarily stored in a buffer memory; then, the stored write data are sequentially read out to perform write processing. In this way, variation in the data transfer speed of the host device can be absorbed.
However, even when said buffer memory is set, if the supply of data from the buffer memory lags due to abnormality in the host device, etc., the stored data may be used up. This phenomenon is called "buffer under-run." For example, if such buffer under-run takes place midway during a write operation on a CD-R, DVD-R, etc., that allows only one-time write, the optical disk may be damaged.
As a method commonly adopted to avoid damage of an optical disk due to said buffer under-run, the write operation is paused. That is, the optical disk device monitors the data quantity stored in the buffer memory, and, when the data quantity falls below a prescribed level, the write operation is temporarily interrupted. Then, when the host device recovers to a normal state in which data can be transferred normally, write is restarted from the position of interruption.
Also, there are factors other than said buffer under-run, such as impact, vibration, shaking, etc. applied to the optical disk device from outside. These factors may cause out of lock for the servo system of the optical disk. In such case, too, it is necessary to perform temporary interruption and then restart of the write operation.
In this way, the optical disk device should have a configuration that can interrupt write when certain interruption factors occur, and then can restart the write operation from the interrupted position after the interruption factor is removed.
Japanese Kokai Patent Application No. 2002-230772 describes technology pertaining to a device that allows interruption and restart of a data recording operation for an optical disk. However, when data are read from an optical disk, usually, a clock signal that should be used in synchronizing the read processing is reproduced based on data written in the optical disk. That is, the clock signal for read is reproduced from data read from the optical disk itself, and data read processing is performed in synchronization with this clock signal for read.
Also, for a conventional optical disk for recording, the slot for guiding is formed in a spiral shape so that a laser beam in write can go along the recording track correctly. On the edge portion of the slot, a periodic wiggling known as wobble is formed. When the optical disk is rotated at a steady speed, write processing on the optical disk is performed in synchronization with a clock signal reproduced based on said wobble. On the other hand, when the optical disk is rotated at a steady linear velocity, write processing is performed in synchronization with a clock signal at a fixed frequency generated with an oscillator or the like.
In this way, usually, the phase is not synchronized between the clock signal for read used in reading data from the optical disk and the clock signal for write used in writing data on the optical disk.
On the other hand, in the device described in said Japanese Kokai Patent Application No. 2002-230772, data recording is performed on the optical disk in synchronization with counting of a counter, and, when the recording operation is interrupted, the value of said counter just before said interruption is stored. Then, a laser beam is irradiated from a position on the disk located by a prescribed data quantity in back of the data recorded just before said interruption, and, while the position on the optical disk is determined, recording is restarted based on said stored value of the counter.
During the trace period before restart of the recording operation, read processing is performed for prescribed information (Q-channel data, etc.) in the data written on the optical disk, and synchronization is performed between said read information and said prescribed information fed as the write data to the laser driving part.
Consequently, in the device described in Japanese Kokai Patent Application No. 2002-230772, when the mode shifts from the trace period to the recording operation, it is necessary to switch the system clock as the reference of timing for recording/reproduction processing from the clock signal for read to the clock signal for write.
For example, as shown in FIG. 9, when simple switching is performed from clock signal CLK_A without securing phase locking (FIG. 9(A)) to clock signal CLK_B (FIG. 9(B)), clock signal CLK_SEL obtained in the switching (FIG. 9(C)) may contain glitches as shown in the figure.
Also, the following scheme may be adopted: as shown in FIG. 10, when switching is performed from clock signal CLK_A without phase locking (FIG. 10(A)) to clock signal CLK_B (FIG. 10(B)), first of all, at fall edge T5 of clock signal CLK_A (FIG. 10(A)), the output of clock signal CLK_SEL (FIG. 10(C)) is fixed on the low level. Then, at the fall edge T6 of clock signal CLK_B, switching of the clock is performed.
n this scheme, however, although no glitch as shown in FIG. 9 occurs, the low-level period of the clock signal at the switching time becomes longer, and the phase becomes discontinuous.
Usually, by means of a PLL (phase-locked loop), a reference clock is multiplied to generate a clock signal for determining timing of recording/reproduction processing so that performance of recording/reproduction at plural different speeds is enabled. If the reference clock signal input to said PLL contains a phase discontinuous portion, such as those shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, PLL may be out of locking, and the clock signal becomes unstable.
As explained above, in the method in which when the recording operation is restarted, the system clock signal as a reference of the processing timing is switched from the clock signal for read to the clock signal for write without securing phase locking, phase discontinuity takes place in the system clock signal during switching, so that it becomes difficult to restart write correctly from a write interruption position. This is undesired.
Also, because the write timing is unstable due to a discontinuous variation in the clock signal, error in the recording data may take place easily near the write restart position. This is also undesired.
A general objective of this invention is to solve the aforementioned problems of conventional methods by providing a type of data processing device and a type of data recording/reproduction device that can restart write processing of data correctly from an interrupting position after data write processing on the recording medium is interrupted.

Optical disk data processing device and data recording/reproduction device having interruption and restart of write processing on the recording medium


Methods, systems, and computer-readable storage media for predicting a type of an event in a computer-implemented system, implementations including receiving event data including a set of features representative of an event, determining a probability for at least one feature in the set of features from a data structure that stores a plurality of feature-probability pairs, the data structure representative of a type of event, providing a joint probability based on the probability of the at least one feature, the joint probability indicating a likelihood that the event is of the type of event, comparing the joint probability to a threshold to provide a comparison, and selectively executing one or more actions based on the comparison.

The term big data can refer to analytics (e.g., predictive analytics, user behavior analytics) over relatively large data sets, which can be so large that certain challenges are presented (e.g., capture, storage, analysis, curation, search, sharing, transfer, visualization, querying, updating, privacy). Challenges in the realm of big data have recently gained popularity due to the complexity introduced by such large data sets, and limited computing resources for processing such large data sets.
Cloud computing can be described as Internet-based computing that provides shared computer processing resources, and data to computers and other devices on demand. Cloud computing can support big data processing. In some examples, predictive models executed by cloud computing infrastructures can be trained on a relatively small subset of big data, and can apply predictive models to the larger set of incoming data. However, the amount of data produced by the systems has significantly increased in the recent past. How to predict future patterns in an event stream of relatively large amounts of data is still a complex research problem.

Predictive modeling in event processing systems for big data processing in cloud


A data transducer, process for fabricating the same and method for writing data to a magnetic storage media, such as magnetic tape, utilizing the bottom (or lower) pole as the trailing edge of a write head. This lower trailing edge pole may be formed of sputtered material such as FeN or FeN-based alloys (which are particularly sensitive to the topography over which they are deposited) since it can be formed on the substantially planar substrate instead of overlying the write coil and its associated insulation layers. Moreover, the bottom pole can be processed using faster and less expensive wet-etching techniques because its width and edge-contours are not critical dimensions which determine recording characteristics. Utilizing the relatively wider and more planar bottom pole as the trailing edge of the write head results in a straighter magnetic transition on the media without the curved edges associated with the fringe fields at the edges of the narrower top pole.

The present invention relates, in general, to the field of thin-film data transducers for magnetic storage media. More particularly, the present invention relates to a data transducer and method for writing data to a magnetic storage media, such as DLT computer tape (DLT.TM. is a trademark of Quantum Corporation, Milpitas, Calif.), utilizing the bottom (or lower) pole as the trailing edge of a write head.
Magnetoresistive ("MR") heads for disk and tape media comprise separate read and write head elements formed over each other and generally sharing certain common material layers. The read element usually consists of an alloy film such as nickel-iron ("NiFe") that exhibits a change in resistance in the presence of a magnetic field. Shielding layers protect the MR elements from other magnetic fields, such as those from the associated write head.
The write head element of an MR transducer is designed much the same way as a thin-film inductive head. It generally comprises two magnetic-pole pieces that are typically made of permalloy, a soft magnetic material. These pole pieces are connected at the ends opposite the media and a deposited-layer copper coil is formed therebetween. When an electrical current is supplied to the coil, it produces a magnetic field across the gap between the two inner ends of the pole pieces at the surface of the head adjacent the media. The magnetic fringe field associated with that gap is used to write data onto a magnetic storage media (disk or tape) by reversing the direction of the magnetic fields on the media surface. The number of turns in the write head coil may be as few as ten or less and the lower inductance this affords over the greater number of turns required in conventional thin-film heads makes it easier to write the signal to the media at very high data frequencies.
DLT technology, as opposed to alternative helical scan technologies, segments a tape media into parallel, horizontal tracks and records data by moving the tape past a stationary head at between 100-300 inches per second during read/write accesses and faster during search operations. This longitudinal recording approach allows for the addition of multiple read and write elements to the head to significantly increase data transfer rates. Current DLT products can read or write two or even four channels simultaneously using multiple read/write elements in the head effectively doubling or quadrupling the transfer rate possible at a given drive speed and recording density. Also, DLT products available from Quantum Corporation, Milpitas, Calif., assignee of the present invention, utilize a linear, serpentine recording approach which allows the drive to read multiple data channels simultaneously. The innovative symmetric phase recording ("SPR") technique also developed by Quantum Corporation enhances conventional DLT recording techniques by writing adjacent tracks with an alternating head angle to eliminate cross-track interference and the need for guard bands making smaller track pitch possible.
Conventionally, thin film heads for both disk and tape media have traditionally had the width of the top pole narrower than the width of the bottom pole in order to assure a straight gap line during fabrication. This results, however, in magnetic field contours which are curved outward around the edges of the narrower top pole. Since writing, or encoding, of data occurs as the media moves past the region of the trailing edge pole, and since disk heads use the substrate as the slider body, (which necessitates that the top pole ("P2") be the trailing edge pole), the written transitions are curved at the track edges. However, since tape heads do not require the substrate to serve as a slider body because there is a cap attached to the write head, the present invention advantageously provides that tape heads be constructed and utilized such that the relatively wider bottom pole forms the trailing edge pole of the write head. This serves to decrease the curved transitions at the track edges.
This use of the bottom pole as the trailing edge pole of the write head is especially helpful in applications utilizing certain advanced materials such as FeN-based alloys that have lower permeability when sputtered on sloped surfaces, such as the ramped ends of the top pole as it passes over the underlying write coil. In addition, this can be helpful in patterning sputtered materials such as CoZrTa, since the magnetic track width can be defined by the top pole and the edges of the bottom pole are not critical dimensions and can be wet-etched without loss of track-width control.
As previously noted, in a conventional thin-film data transducer, the bottom pole is typically wider than the top pole so that the edges of the top pole do not overlap the edges of the bottom pole. While the top pole may be fabricated to be wider than the bottom pole at the media-facing surface through additional complicated processing steps, it cannot be made substantially planar due to the fact that it still must be fabricated overlying the write head coil.
Write operations occur at the trailing edge pole of the write head because the field generated by the head in front of the write gap can change the direction of the magnetization of the media when the media is in front of the gap. Resultantly, there exists a region in front of the gap where the field generated by the head exceeds the coercivity of the media. This is commonly referred to as the "write-bubble". If the direction of the field generated by the head changes, it will change the direction of magnetization of the section of the media that is inside this write-bubble. As the magnetic media moves away from the gap, it is no longer influenced by the field generated there, so the direction of magnetization in the media will remain the same as it is when it leaves the write bubble. Therefore, the shape of the field contour and the field gradient are most critical over the tailing edge pole since that is where the magnetization in the media is set.

Data transducer and method for writing data utilizing the bottom pole as the trailing edge of a thin-film magnetic tape write head


A new and distinct cultivar of Rosa plant for garden use named ‘NOA39131’ is disclosed, characterized by fully double brilliant golden orange flowers on upright plants with rapid re-flowering. Plants have excellent resistance to blackspot, powdery mildew, downy mildew and rust diseases. Flowers are fragrant and plant rebloom rapidly. The new variety is a Rosa, normally produced as an outdoor garden or container plant.

The new Rosa cultivar is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the inventor, Reinhard Noack, conducted in Gutersloh, Germany. The objective of the breeding program was to create new and distinct landscape rose plants with unique qualities such as bright flower colors and excellent resistance to diseases encountered in landscapes and gardens. These objectives have been substantially achieved and in that distinguish 'NOA39131' from all other varieties of which the inventor is aware. This combination of qualities is not present in prior rose cultivars known to the inventor. The cross resulting in this new variety was made during May of 2013.
The seed parent is an unnamed, unpatented, proprietary Rosa hybrida variety. The pollen parent is an unpatented, proprietary Rosa hybrida named 'Noa75800'. The new variety was selected in April of 2014 by the inventor in a group of seedlings resulting from the 2013 crossing, in a research greenhouse in Gutersloh, Germany.
Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar was performed by terminal semi-soft wood vegetative cuttings. This was first performed at a research greenhouse in Gutersloh, Germany in Summer of 2014 and has shown that the unique features of this cultivar are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.


A radiating system transmits and receives in first and second frequency regions and includes a radiating structure comprising first and second radiation boosters having maximum sizes smaller than 1/30 times the free-space wavelength of the lowest frequencies of the first and second frequency regions, respectively. The radiating system further includes a radiofrequency system having first and second ports respectively connected to first and second internal ports of the radiating structure, and a third port connected to an external port of the radiating system. The radiofrequency system includes: first and second reactance cancellation element providing impedances having an imaginary part close to zero for respective frequencies in the first and second frequency regions and a delay element interconnecting the first and second reactance cancellation elements to provide a difference in phase therebetween to produce first and second impedance loops in the first and second frequency region, respectively, at the external port.

Wireless handheld or portable devices typically operate one or more cellular communication standards, and/or wireless connectivity standards, and/or broadcast standards, each standard being allocated in one or more frequency bands, and said frequency bands being contained within one or more regions of the electromagnetic spectrum.
For that purpose, a space within the wireless handheld or portable device is usually dedicated to the integration of a radiating system. The radiating system is, however, expected to be small in order to occupy as little space as possible within the device, which then allows for smaller devices, or for the addition of more specific equipment and functionality into the device. At the same time, it is sometimes required for the radiating system to be flat since this allows for slim devices or in particular, for devices which have two parts that can be shifted or twisted against each other.
Many of the demands for wireless handheld or portable devices also translate to specific demands for the radiating systems thereof.
A typical wireless handheld or portable device must include a radiating system capable of operating in one or more frequency bands of the electromagnetic spectrum with good radioelectric performance (such as for example in terms of input impedance level, impedance bandwidth, gain, efficiency, or radiation pattern). Moreover, the integration of the radiating system within the wireless handheld or portable device must be correct to ensure that the wireless handheld or portable device itself attains a good radioelectric performance (such as for example in terms of radiated power, received power, sensitivity, or SAR).
This is even more critical in the case in which the wireless handheld device is a multifunctional wireless device. Commonly-owned patent applications WO2008/009391 and US2008/0018543 describe a multifunctional wireless device. The entire disclosure of said application numbers WO2008/009391 and US2008/0018543 are hereby incorporated by reference.
For a good wireless connection, high gain and efficiency are further required. Other more common design demands for radiating systems are the voltage standing wave ratio (VSWR) and the impedance which is supposed to be about 50 ohms.
Other demands for radiating systems for wireless handheld or portable devices are low cost and a low specific absorption rate (SAR).
Furthermore, a radiating system has to be integrated into a device or in other words a wireless handheld or portable device has to be constructed such that an appropriate radiating system may be integrated therein which puts additional constraints by consideration of the mechanical fit, the electrical fit and the assembly fit.
Of further importance, usually, is the robustness of the radiating system which means that the radiating system does not change its properties upon smaller shocks to the device.
A radiating system for a wireless handheld or portable device typically includes a radiating structure comprising an antenna element which operates in combination with a ground plane layer providing a determined radioelectric performance in one or more frequency regions of the electromagnetic spectrum. This is illustrated in FIG. 23, in which it is shown a conventional radiating structure 2300 comprising an antenna element 2301 and a ground plane layer 2302. Typically, the antenna element has a dimension close to an integer multiple of a quarter of the wavelength at a frequency of operation of the radiating structure, so that the antenna element is at resonance or substantially close to resonance at said frequency and a radiation mode is excited on said antenna element. It is important to stress that the relationship between the operating wavelength and the size of the antenna is due to a well-known principle that an antenna needs to keep a minimum proportion with respect to such operating wavelength to radiate efficiently. Therefore, it is the conventional wisdom that an antenna which is much smaller than the wavelength would radiate quite inefficiently, and in the limit, would not radiate at all. The fundamental limitations of small antennas where first established by Chu and Wheeler in the 1940's; who described that a small antenna inherently suffered of a reduced bandwidth and eventually a decreased radiation efficiency.
In some cases, the antenna element acting in cooperation with the ground plane does not attain sufficient impedance bandwidth as for covering multiple communication standards and a matching network must be added between the antenna element and the input/output port in order to increase said impedance bandwidth. Some inconveniences of adding matching networks in multiband radiating systems mainly rely on the fact that usually the proper values to match a particular frequency band not necessary coincide with those required to match another frequency band. This inconvenience further exacerbates when the frequency bands to match are allocated at separate frequency regions of the electromagnetic spectrum.
In addition, antenna elements operating in multiple frequency bands allocated at different regions of the electromagnetic spectrum usually presents a complex geometry and considerable dimensions, mainly due to the fact that antenna performance is highly related to the electrical dimensions of the antenna element.
A further problem associated to the integration of the radiating structure, and in particular to the integration of the antenna element, in a wireless device is that the volume dedicated for such an integration has continuously shrunk with the appearance of new smaller and/or thinner form factors for wireless devices, and with the increasing convergence of different functionality in a same wireless device.
Some techniques to miniaturize and/or optimize the multiband behavior of an antenna element have been described in the prior art. However the radiating structures described therein still rely on exciting a radiation mode on the antenna element for each one of the frequency bands of operation. This fact leads to complex antenna elements that usually are very sensitive to external effects (such as for instance the presence of plastic or dielectric covers that surround the wireless device), to components of the wireless device (such as for instance, but not limited to, a speaker, a microphone, a connector, a display, a shield can, a vibrating module, a battery, or an electronic module or subsystem) placed either in the vicinity of, or even underneath, the radiating element, and/or to the presence of the user of the wireless device. A multiband antenna system is sensitive to any of the above mentioned aspects because they may alter the electromagnetic coupling between the different geometrical portions of the radiating element, which usually translates into detuning effects, degradation of the radioelectric performance of the antenna system and/or the radioelectric performance wireless device, and/or greater interaction with the user (such as an increased level of SAR).
For example, commonly-owned co-pending patent application US2007/0152886 describes a new family of antennas based on the geometry of space-filling curves. Also, commonly-owned co-pending patent application US2008/0042909 relates to a new family of antennas, referred to as multilevel antennas, formed by an electromagnetic grouping of similar geometrical elements. The entire disclosures of the aforesaid application numbers US2007/0152886 and US2008/0042909 are hereby incorporated by reference.
In this sense, a radiating system not requiring a complex antenna formed by multiple arms, slots, apertures and/or openings such as the one described in the present invention is preferable in some embodiments in order to minimize such undesired external effects.
Some other attempts have focused on antenna elements not requiring a complex geometry while still providing some degree of miniaturization by using an antenna element that is not resonant in the one or more frequency ranges of operation of the wireless device.
For example, WO2007/128340 discloses a wireless portable device comprising a non-resonant antenna element for receiving broadcast signals (such as, for instance, DVB-H, DMB, T-DMB or FM). The wireless portable device further comprises a ground plane layer that is used in combination with said antenna element. Although the antenna element has a first resonant frequency above the frequency range of operation of the wireless device, the antenna element is still the main responsible for the radiation process and for the electromagnetic performance of the wireless device. This is clear from the fact that no radiation mode can be excited on the ground plane layer because the ground plane layer is electrically short at the frequencies of operation (i.e., its dimensions are much smaller than the wavelength). For this kind of non-resonant antenna elements, a matching circuitry is added for matching the antenna to acceptable level of VSWR which in this particular case can be around VSWR≦6, which is only acceptable for reception of electromagnetic wave signals but not enough for allowing their transmission.
With such limitations, while the performance of the wireless portable device may be sufficient for reception of electromagnetic wave signals (such as those of a broadcast service), the antenna element could not provide an adequate performance (for example, in terms of input return losses or gain) for a communication standard requiring also the transmission of electromagnetic wave signals.
Commonly-owned patent application WO2008/119699 describes a wireless handheld or portable device comprising a radiating system capable of operating in two frequency regions. The radiating system comprises an antenna element having a resonant frequency outside said two frequency regions, and a ground plane layer. In this wireless device, while the ground plane layer contributes to enhance the electromagnetic performance of the radiating system in the two frequency regions of operation, it is still necessary to excite a radiation mode on the antenna element. In fact, the radiating system relies on the relationship between a resonant frequency of the antenna element and a resonant frequency of the ground plane layer in order for the radiating system to operate properly in said two frequency regions.
Nevertheless, the solution still relies on a complex matching network including resonators and filters for each frequency region of operation.
The entire disclosure of the aforesaid application number WO2008/119699 is hereby incorporated by reference.
Other attempts for covering several frequency bands allocated in a particular frequency region of the electromagnetic spectrum rely on the use of antenna elements distributed along the ground plane of a wireless handheld or portable device as disclosed in a commonly-owned patent application WO2007/141187. Each one of the antenna elements of said distributed antenna system resonates or substantially resonates at a frequency within a first frequency region of the electromagnetic spectrum, thus providing redundancy to the radiating system. Said redundancy allows increasing the robustness to human loading effects.
Another limitation of current wireless handheld or portable devices relates to the fact that the design and integration of an antenna element for a radiating structure in a wireless device is typically customized for each device. Different form factors or platforms, or a different distribution of the functional blocks of the device will force to redesign the antenna element and its integration inside the device almost from scratch.
For at least the above reasons, wireless device manufacturers regard the volume dedicated to the integration of the radiating structure, and in particular the antenna element, as being a toll to pay in order to provide wireless capabilities to the handheld or portable device.
In order to reduce as much as possible the volume occupied into the wireless handheld or portable device, recent trends in handset antenna design are oriented to maximize the contribution of the ground plane to the radiation process by using non-resonant elements. However, non-resonant elements usually are forced to include a complex radiofrequency system. Thus, the challenge of these techniques mainly relies on said complexity (combination of inductors, capacitors, and transmission lines), which is required to satisfy impedance bandwidth and efficiency specifications.
Commonly owned patent applications, WO2010015365 and WO2010/015364 are intended for solving some of the aforementioned drawbacks. Namely, they describe a wireless handheld or portable device comprising a radiating system including a radiating structure and a radiofrequency system. The radiating structure is formed by a ground plane layer presenting suitable dimensions as for supporting at least one efficient radiation mode and at least one radiation booster capable of coupling electromagnetic energy to said ground plane layer. The radiation booster is not resonant in any of the frequency regions of operation and consequently a radiofrequency system is used to properly match the radiating structure to the desired frequency bands of operation.
More particularly, in WO2010/015364 each radiation booster is intended for providing operation in a particular frequency region. Thus, the radiofrequency system is designed in such a way that the first internal port associated to the first radiation booster is highly isolated from the second internal port associated to a second radiation booster. Said radiofrequency system usually comprises a matching network including resonators for each one of the frequency regions of operation and a set of filters for each one of the frequency regions of operation. Thus, said radiofrequency system requires multiple stages and the performance of the radiating systems in terms of efficiency may be affected by the additional losses of the components.
A radiation booster should not be confused with a radiating element. Being much smaller than the operating wavelength of the system, the radiation booster alone would be incapable to transmit or receive electromagnetic signals within such operating wavelength. Therefore, a radiation booster can not be considered on its own an antenna or a radiating element.
Another technique, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,274,340, is based on the use of non-resonant elements where the impedance matching is provided through the addition of two matching circuits. The two non-resonant elements are arranged in such a manner that they provide coupling to the ground plane. Despite the use of two non-resonant elements, the size of the element for the low band is significantly large, being 1/9.3 times the free-space wavelength of the lowest frequency for the low frequency band. Due to such size, the low band element would be a resonant element at the high band. The size of the low band element undesirably contributes to increase the printed circuit board (PCB) space required by the antenna module. In fact, such radiating system is still about the size of a conventional internal antenna inside a handset, therefore the overall radiating system does not provide a significant space advantage compared to the existing alternative solutions.
Therefore, a wireless device including small antenna elements or even not requiring an antenna element together with a simplified radiofrequency system would be advantageous to make simpler the integration of the radiating structure into the wireless handheld or portable device. The volume freed up by the absence of a large and complex antenna element would enable smaller and/or thinner devices, or even to adopt radically new form factors (such as for instance elastic, stretchable and/or foldable devices) which are not feasible today due to the presence of an antenna element featured by a considerable volume. Furthermore, by eliminating precisely the element that requires customization, a standard solution is obtained which only requires minor adjustments to be implemented in different wireless devices.

Compact radiating array for wireless handheld or portable devices


There are provided a first insulator substrate; a first contact comprising a plurality of contact pins arranged in an array on a top surface of the first insulator substrate; a second insulator substrate; a second contact comprising a plurality of contact pins arranged in an array on an undersurface of the second insulator substrate; a metal plate sandwiched between an undersurface of the first insulator substrate and a top surface of the second insulator substrate; and a metal shell accommodating the first and second insulator substrates, the first and second contacts and the metal plate; wherein the metal plate comprises a pair of protruding parts formed on both ends in an array direction of the contact pins, being oriented toward the outside; and the metal shell comprises a pair of windows to be engaged with the pair of protruding part.

A conventional general connector is provided with a contact, a housing holding the contact, and a metal shell which accommodates the contact and housing. The housing of the conventional connector can be, for example, made of resin. In the conventional connector, it is common that a claw is provided on the housing side, and, on the metal shell side, a hole (groove) is provided on the internal wall of the metal shell so as to be engaged with the claw. When the housing is inserted into the metal shell, positioning is performed by the claw being engaged with the hole (groove) of the metal shell, and the housing and the contact are fixed in the metal shell (see, for example, Patent Literature 1 (Japanese Patent Application Laid Open No. 2005-19075)).
If the housing and the claw formed thereon are made of resin in the conventional connector, the strength of the claw is insufficient, and there may be a case where, at the time of being engaged with the metal shell, the claw is damaged by a stress applied to the claw or other external stresses.


The object of the present invention is to provide a method of producing a polymer wherein radical-polymerizable monomers can be polymerized in a quantitative manner in a relatively short time, and a polymer or a block copolymer having at its termini a functional group that can be chemically converted while the polymer or the block copolymer has a high molecular weight can be produced. Furthermore, the object of the present invention is to provide a method of producing a polymer wherein the polymer is re-precipitated in a general solvent by an easy method, and the used iron complexes are recovered in the solvent, thereby recycling the iron complexes.

A living radical polymerization wherein growing termini of the polymer have an activity that enable their chemical conversion [for example, atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) (see Non-patent Document 1); nitroxide-mediated polymerization (NMP) (See Non-patent Document 2); or reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer polymerization (RAFT) wherein a sulfur compound is mediated (See Non-patent Document 3)] has attracted a great deal of attention over the last decade because, in such a method, the molecular weight of the polymer, order of monomer residues, the multidimensional structure, etc. could be freely controlled as it was different from a conventional radical polymerization In particular, it has been demonstrated that an atom transfer radical polymerization system wherein a metal complex is combined with a halogen compound is applicable to a wide range of monomer types, and a method of precisely controlling a monomer using such a system has also been applied to chemical modifications of a surface or boundary of a substrate, or device construction other than polymer synthesis.
With regard to metal catalysts used in the ATRP method, their central metal is generally copper or ruthenium. Such catalysts do not have a clear structure of a metal complex, and a metal ion and a compound that functions as its ligand (for example, amines) are often mixed into a polymerization reaction system to form such catalysts. In such a polymerization system, the catalytic activity of the metal is exhibited after the metal bonds to the ligand in the system, thereby forming a complex. When the ligands and the metal ions are used by mixing them into the polymerization reaction system, not all metals can form complexes. The metals that do not form a complex cannot show catalytic activity. Accordingly, the catalytic efficiency of the metal will be lowered. This brings about disadvantages wherein it may be required to increase the metal concentration or such a low activity may be insufficient for production of a high-molecular-weight polymer. Furthermore, the increase of the metal concentration will present a further a burden in requiring a step of removing the metal after the polymerization reaction, and may also raise a problem of environmental pollution due to the toxicity of metals. Additionally, it is also required to use an excessive amount of amine ligands, among others (see Patent Document 1 and 2). Many problems such as difficulty in controlling the reaction if the type of monomer is changed in the polymerization reaction; or inclusion of compounds other than monomers making polymer purification complex, have been mentioned when an excessive amount of amine ligands is used.
In general, an active halogen organic compound is used as a polymerization initiator in the ATRP method. In addition, when a polymerization is conducted where the active halogen organic compound is substituted with a conventional radical generator (for example, a peroxide-radical generator, or an azo-based radical generator) in the ATRP method, such a method is called "reverse-type ATRP" (R-ATRP). According to the R-ATRP method, a metal catalyst is added in a conventional radical polymerization process whereby reactive residues can be incorporated in termini of the polymerized products, and synthesis of a block copolymer can be achieved using such residues. Thus, the R-ATRP method can produce a polymer whose structure is controlled in the existing production process without using a halogen initiator, and therefore, this method is useful. In the R-ATRP method, many techniques wherein a copper ion complex formed basically using an amine as a ligand is used are known. Consequently, the R-ATRP also has the same problems as in the ATRP method such as the requirement of increasing the metal ion concentration or the ligand concentration, a decrease in the catalytic efficiency, complexity of the polymer purification, or polymer coloration.
In a living radical polymerization using a metal complex, the production of a polymer using a safe and cost-effective iron catalyst has attracted much attention in terms of environmental protection (Non-patent Document 4).
In the ATRP method, a polymer production technique wherein an iron ion and a ligand (for example, amines, phosphine compounds, or phosphite esters) are mixed with a polymerizable monomer to conduct a polymerization; or a polymer production technique wherein a synthesized iron complex and a polymerizable monomer are mixed to produce a polymer has been disclosed (see Non-patent Document 5: Sawamoto et al, proceedings for the 53th polymer symposium 2004, 2B16 on page 2456). For example, a method of polymerizing a methyl methacrylate wherein a bivalent iron ion and an amine-based ligand are mixed with a monomer, and a halogen initiator is used (see Non-patent Document 6); or a method of polymerizing methyl methacrylate wherein an iron complex formed using a bivalent iron ion and a phosphorus compound as a ligand, and a halogen initiator are used (for example, see Non-patent Document 7 or Patent Document 3) has been reported. However, in ATRP methods using such iron catalytic systems, a high-molecular-weight polymer, whose molecular weight reaches one hundred thousand units, is rarely synthesized. Additionally, in such methods, the iron complexes cannot be recovered and recycled for the polymerization reaction.
In the R-ATRP, use of an environmentally-friendly iron ion compound as a catalyst has been studied. For example, polymerization of methyl methacrylate using a complex of FeCl3 and isophthalic acid as a catalyst has been reported (see Non-patent Document 8). In this system, a polymer having a molecular weight of up to about fifty thousand could be obtained. However, it is required to use N,N-dimethylformamide, which is strongly suspected of having carcinogenicity, as a reaction solvent. Moreover, polymerization of methacrylate or styrene wherein an iron complex formed with an organic onium cation and an anionic iron chloride-based compound is used as a catalyst has been reported (see Non-Patent Document 9). However, the R-ATRP radical polymerization using such an iron complex or iron compound has many problems to be solved (for example, the molecular weight of the polymer stays at twenty or thirty thousand units, or it is difficult to control a block copolymer).
On the other hand, in the living radical polymerization system using a metal catalyst, removal of metals from the polymer after polymerization has been considered as a key issue. In a sense, removal of the remaining metals from the polymer is a real issue to achieve practical use of the living radical polymerization rather than the polymerization reaction thereof. To remove the metals, for example, a method utilizing a complexing agent in a polymer-purification step has been studied (see Patent Document 4 or 5). The use of environmentally-friendly iron ion compounds as catalysts is highly advantageous in the entire process of the polymer production including a step such as an additional treatment because they are nontoxic, compared to the other metal ions such as copper, cobalt and ruthenium. However, the living radical polymerization using an iron ion has a disadvantage such as low polymerization efficiency, compared to a copper ion complex system. Furthermore, disadvantages in the production process such as instability of the ion catalyst or difficulty in recycling the iron catalyst have been mentioned.
With regard to the living radical polymerization reaction, the development of a polymer production method wherein iron complexes having a higher catalytic activity are used to conduct the polymerization reaction, and the iron complexes are removed from the polymerization reaction system, and recovered by an easy method without disposing of them, thereby recycling them as polymerization reaction catalysts is considered to be a very important issue from a viewpoint of industry.
Patent Document 1: Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. H8-41117
Patent Document 2: Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2002-80523
Patent Document 3: Japanese Patent No. 2,946,497
Patent Document 4: Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2002-356510
Patent Document 5: Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2005-105265
Non-patent Document 1: J. Wang et al. 1995. Macromolecules 28, page 7901
Non-patent Document 2: C. J. Hawker et al. 1996. Macromolecules 29, page 5245
Non-patent Document 3: J. Chiefari et al. 1998. Macromolecules 31, page 5559
Non-patent Document 4: Matyjaszewski et al. 2001. Chem. Rev. 101, page 2921
Non-patent Document 5: Sawamoto et al., Proceedings for the 53th polymer symposium 2004, 1Pb022 on page 136
Non-patent Document 6: Matyjaszewski et al. 1997. Macromolecules 30, page 8161
Non-patent Document 7: Ando et al. 1997. Macromolecules 30, page 4507
Non-patent Document 8: Zhu et al. 2001. J. Polym. Sci. Part A: Polym. Chem. 39, page 765
Non-patent Document 9: M. Teodorescu et al. 2000. Macromolecules 33, page 2335

Method of producing polymer using iron complex as catalyst

Kyushu University, National University Corporation


A disposable container for the storage and/or dispensing of products. The disposable container includes one or more sides that define an external surface and an internal surface. The container includes one or more apertures that extend from the internal surface to the external surface. A carrier material having a volatile material disposed on one side thereof is joined to at least one side of the container and is located adjacent at least one of the apertures. This configuration allows the volatile material, when violatilized, to pass through the aperture(s) to the external environment.

The use of boxes or containers to store and dispense articles, such as, for example tissues, is well known. Some of the advantages of boxes for the storage and dispensing of articles such as tissues include ease of shipping and storage and convenience to the end user. While the convenience of having a readily accessible supply of tissues or other products on hand is apparent, some storage containers can be visually and/or otherwise unappealing. Thus, there has been a need to provide a more aesthetically pleasing container to fit the décor of the room in which the tissues or other products are stored and/or dispensed. This need has resulted in the development of decorative boxes. While decorative boxes have proven to be consumer preferred in many instances, such as, for example, for facial tissues, there is still a need to improve such boxes to provide containers that can better match the overall decorative theme of a particular space. Such improvements might include more preferred graphics and other visual elements, but may also include the addition of olfactory elements as well.
One attempt to meet the desire for facial tissue containers to provide an olfactory element has resulted in the development of a non-disposable facial tissue container and dispenser that is capable of providing an odor to the environment surrounding the container. For example, in JP-11210095, a reusable facial tissue container is provided which includes storage spaces that are built into the lid of the container. The storage spaces allow the user to place a material such as potpourri therein and thus, the scent can be provided to the surrounding environment. One drawback of such a design, however, is the non-disposability of the container. Because the container is non-disposable, it is likely to be a relatively high cost in relation to the products stored therein. Another disadvantage of the non-disposable container is that the fragrant material used to provide the desired scent is separate from the container itself, and thus, is likely purchased and stored separately, adding inconvenience for the user. Additionally, the scent producing material used must be monitored separately from the product stored therein so that it can be changed when the scent is no longer sustained at a level satisfactory to the user.
Another example of a facial tissue container that provides a scent to the surrounding environment is a disposable facial tissue box with a strip of fragrant material disposed on the outside surface of the container, such as the container described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,341,992. The strip of fragrant material is disclosed to be on the outside face of the container and is covered with a relatively vapor impermeable material so that the fragrant material is conserved when the container is not in use, e.g. prior to purchase by the user. The user must then only remove the cover material to expose the scent producing material to the environment and thus, provide a scent to the environment. Although an improvement over the non-disposable container described above, there are still disadvantages associated with this type of container having the fragrant material disposed on one or more of its outside surfaces. First, because the scent is placed on the outside of the container, there is a possibility that the cover material will be damaged and prematurely expose the volatile fragrant material to the environment. Worse, damage to the cover material could lead to the fragrant material being transferred onto a surface it was not intended to touch, for example, a user's clothing, automobile upholstery or furniture. In addition, because the scented material is applied to the surface of the container as a strip or other carrier material, it may introduce deformities or raised portions to the container that may translate into shipping or storage inefficiencies.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a disposable container for dispensable products that includes a fragrance. It would also be desirable to provide a container that includes decorative indicia and a fragrance. It would also be desirable to provide a container that includes decorative indicia and a fragrance, wherein the decorative indicia and the fragrance are related to each other. Further, it would be desirable to provide a container that includes decorative indicia, a fragrance, and a means for introducing the fragrance to the environment, such as, for example apertures in the container, where the means for introducing the fragrance to the environment is related to the decorative indicia and/or the fragrance.

Container for storing and dispensing product


An angular velocity sensor includes a movable bi-directional electrode and a fixed bi-directional electrode wherein L-shaped electrode plates of the movable bi-directional vibration-urging electrode mesh in spaced relationship with L-shaped electrode plates of the fixed bi-directional electrode. In one embodiment in response to a vibration driving signal applied between the electrodes, a vibration plate vibrates with a large amplitude in one direction parallel to the direction in which bent parts of the L-shaped electrode plates extend. If an angular velocity .OMEGA..sub.Z about the Z axis is applied to the vibration plate, the vibration plate is greatly displaced in the Y direction by Coriolis force. This displacement is detected by a displacement detecting part with high accuracy. In another embodiment, the bi-directional electrodes serve as the displacement detecting part.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an angular velocity sensor for detecting the angular velocity of a rotating body.
2. Description of the Related Arts
In operation of an angular velocity sensor,the vibration plate of the angular velocity sensor is vibrated in any direction selected from three directions including X, Y, and Z directions. When the vibration plate is vibrating with a constant amplitude for example in the X direction, if the angular velocity sensor is rotated about the Z axis, a Coriolis force (inertia force) acts on the vibration plate, which causes the vibration plate to be displaced in the Y direction. The above displacement of the vibration plate in the Y direction caused by the Coriolis force is detected by detecting the change in capacitance or piezoresistance. Various angular velocity sensors, one-side or both-side supporting type, such as those disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publications Nos. 61-139719, 61-114123 and 6-123632 are widely used.
Of these various conventional angular velocity sensors, the angular velocity sensor disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 6-123632 is shown in FIGS. 17 and 18.
As shown in FIGS. 17 and 18, the angular velocity sensor 1 has a substrate 2 or a main body formed into a rectangular shape. The substrate 2 is made up for example of silicon having a high resistance.
A movable member 3 is disposed on the substrate 2, wherein the movable member 3 is formed of low-resistance polysilicon or single-crystal silicon doped with P, B, or Sb. The movable member 3 includes: four fixing parts 4, 4, . . . formed on the substrate 2, at the respective four corners; four L-shaped supporting beams 5, 5, . . . each extending from the corresponding supporting element 4 and each having a part extending in parallel to the X axis and a part extending in parallel to the Y axis; and a vibration plate 6 which is supported by the four supporting beams 5 such that the vibration plate 6 is spaced from the surface of the substrate 2 and can move in the X and Y directions. Movable comb-shaped vibration-urging electrodes 7, 7 are formed on the front and rear side faces, respectively, of the vibration plate 6, wherein the front and rear side faces refer to those side faces perpendicular to the X direction. Each movable comb-shaped vibration-urging electrode 7 includes a plurality of electrode plates 7A, 7A, . . . (four electrode plates in the specific example shown in FIGS. 17 and 18) projecting from each of these side faces. Movable comb-shaped detection electrodes 8, 8 are formed on the left and right side faces, respectively, of the vibration plate 6, wherein the left and right side faces refer to those side faces perpendicular to the Y direction. Each movable comb-shaped detection electrode 8 includes a plurality of electrode plates 8A, 8A, . . . (four electrode plates in the specific example shown in FIGS. 17 and 18) projecting from each of these side faces.
Of various portions of the movable member 3, only the fixing parts 4 are firmly connected to the substrate 2, and the other portions including the vibration plate 6 and the supporting beams 5 are supported at four points such that they are spaced a predetermined distance apart from the substrate 2. Since the vibration plate 6 is supported by the supporting beam 5 each having an L shape, the vibration plate 6 can move in the X direction with the part parallel to the Y axis of the L-shaped supporting beam 5 being bent. Similarly, the vibration plate 6 can move in the Y direction with the part parallel to the X axis of the L-shaped supporting beam 5 being bent.
The angular velocity sensor 1 also has a pair of fixed comb-shaped vibration-urging electrodes 9,9 which are formed on the substrate 2 at the front and rear sides of the vibration plate 6 such that the vibration plate 6 is interposed between these fixed comb-shaped vibration-urging electrodes. Each fixed comb-shaped vibration-urging electrode 9 includes: a fixed part 9A formed on the substrate 2, in front of or at the back of the vibration plate 6; and four electrode plates 9B, 9B, . . . extending from each fixed part 9A in parallel to and apart from the corresponding electrode plates 7A of the movable comb-shaped vibration-urging electrode 7.
The angular velocity sensor 1 also has a pair of fixed comb-shaped detection electrodes 10,10 which are formed on the substrate 2 at its left and right sides, respectively, such that the vibration plate 6 is interposed between these fixed comb-shaped detection electrodes. Each fixed comb-shaped detection electrode 10 includes: a fixed part 10A formed on the substrate 2, adjacent to the left or right end of the vibration plate 6; and four electrode plates 10B, 10B, . . . extending from each fixed part 10A in parallel to and apart from the corresponding electrode plates 8A of the movable comb-shaped detection electrode 8.
Reference numerals 11,11 denote two vibration generating parts serving as vibration generating means each formed with one movable comb-shaped vibration-urging electrode 7 and one fixed comb-shaped vibration-urging electrode 9. The electrode plates 7A of each movable comb-shaped vibration-urging electrode 7 are equally spaced from the respective electrode plates 9B of the corresponding fixed comb-shaped vibration-urging electrode 9. If vibration driving signals with a frequency f are applied between the movable comb-shaped vibration-urging electrodes 7 and the fixed comb-shaped vibration-urging electrodes 9 such that the signals applied to electrodes at the front and left sides are opposite in phase to each other, then electrostatic attraction occurs between the electrode plates 7A and 9B alternately at the front and rear sides, and thus attraction and repulsion occur alternately and periodically at each vibration generating part 11. As a result, the vibration plate 6 vibrates in a direction denoted by the arrow a, i.e., the X direction.
Reference numerals 12,12 denote two displacement detecting parts serving as displacement detecting means each formed with one movable comb-shaped detection electrode 8 and one fixed comb-shaped detection electrode 10. There are provided gaps do between the electrode plates 8A of the movable comb-shaped detection electrode 8 and the adjacent electrode plates 10B of the fixed comb-shaped detection electrode 10. The above electrodes 8 and 10 form a parallel-plate detection capacitor. Each displacement detecting part 12 detects the change in the effective area between the electrode plates 8A and 10B by detecting the corresponding change in capacitance.
In the angular velocity sensor 1 having the above structure, if vibration driving signals having opposite phases are applied to the respective vibration generating parts 11, then electrostatic attraction between the electrode plates 7A and 9B occurs alternately in the vibration generating parts 11 at the front and rear sides. As a result the vibration plate 6 is displaced alternately forward and backward in the X direction denoted by the arrow a, and thus the vibration plate 6 vibrates in the X direction.
When the angular velocity sensor 1 is vibrating in the above-described manner, if an angular velocity n about the Z axis is applied to the angular velocity sensor 1, a Coriolis force (inertia force) having a magnitude given by equation 2 shown below is generated in the Y direction. The Coriolis force causes the vibration plate 6 to vibrate in the Y direction.
In the vibrating operation of the vibration plate 6 generated by the vibration generating parts 11, the displacement x in the X direction and its velocity V are given by: EQU x=A.multidot.sin ((2.pi.f)t) EQU V=A (2.pi.f) cos ((2.pi.f)t) (1)
where A is the amplitude of the vibration of the vibration plate 6, and f is the frequency of the vibration driving signal.
The Coriolis force F, which occurs when an angular velocity .OMEGA. about the Z axis is applied to the vibration plate 6 vibrating with the displacement x and the velocity V described above, is given as: ##EQU1## where m is the mass of the vibration plate 6.
The Coriolis force F represented by equation 2 causes the vibration plate 6 to vibrate in the Y direction. The vibrating displacement of the vibration plate 6 results in a change in the capacitance between the movable comb-shaped detection electrode 8 and the fixed comb-shaped detection electrode 10 in each displacement detecting part 12. Thus the angular velocity .OMEGA. about the Z axis can be determined by detecting the above change in the capacitance.
As described above, each vibration generating part 11 is formed with the electrode plates 7A of the movable comb-shaped vibration-urging electrode 7 and the electrode plates 9B of the fixed comb-shaped vibration-urging electrode 9 such that the electrode plates 7 and 9 can effectively have a large facing area, which allows the electrode plates 7A and 9B to have a great electrostatic attractive force in response to the vibration driving signal applied to each vibration generating part 11 thereby allowing the vibration plate 6 to vibrate with a large amplitude in the direction denoted by the arrow a.
Similarly, each displacement detecting part 12 is formed with the electrode plates 8A of the movable comb-shaped detection electrode 8 and the electrode plates 10B of the fixed comb-shaped detection electrode 10 such that the electrodes 8 and 10 effectively have a large facing area. As a result, each displacement detecting part 12 can detect the displacement of the vibration plate 6 in the Y direction by detecting the change in the capacitance corresponding to the change in the effective area between the electrode plates 8A and 10B.
As can be understood from equation 2, the detection sensitivity of the angular velocity sensor 1 having the above-described structure can be improved by increasing the vibration amplitude A of the vibration plate 6. The increase in the vibration amplitude can be achieved for example by increasing the voltage of the vibration driving signal applied to the vibration generating parts 11.
However, the maximum possible vibration amplitude A of the vibration plate 6 in the X direction is limited by the gap d0 between the electrode plates 8A and 10B of each displacement detecting part 12. Therefore, to increase the vibration amplitude A of the vibration plate 6, it is required to increase the gap d0. However, if the gap d0 between the electrode plates 8A and 10B is increased, the capacitance detected by each displacement detecting part 12 decreases in inverse proportion to the gap do.
As described above, if it is attempted to increase the detection sensitivity of the conventional angular velocity sensor having the above structure by increasing the gap d0, a reduction in the detection capacitance occurs. On the other hand, if the gap d0 is decreased, it becomes impossible to obtain a large vibration amplitude A. Thus, in the above-described structure employed in the conventional angular velocity sensor, it is difficult to improve the detection sensitivity by making a simple modification in the design parameters.


A method includes forming a phase change material layer on a substrate using a deposition process that employs a process gas. The process gas includes a germanium source gas, and the germanium source gas includes at least one of the atomic groups “—N═C═O”, “—N═C═S”, “—N═C═Se”, “—N═C═Te”, “—N═C═Po” and “—C≡N”.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to methods of forming a semiconductor device and, more particularly, to methods of forming a semiconductor device including a phase change material layer.
2. Description of the Related Art
Phase change memory devices are non-volatile memory devices that employ a phase change material as a data storage element. The phase change material has two stable states which exhibit different resistive characteristics, for example either an amorphous state or a crystalline state. If the phase change material is heated to a temperature higher than the melting point thereof and quenched down rapidly, the phase change material may become the amorphous state. In contrast, if the phase change material is heated to a temperature within the range of the melting point to a crystallization temperature thereof and cooled down slowly, the phase change material may become the crystalline state. Accordingly, the phase change material may be used as a data storage element to program a logic data "0" or a logic data "1", and the data stored in the phase change material can be read out by applying a predetermined voltage to the phase change material and sensing a current that passing therethrough.
Joule heat is used to change the crystalline structure of the phase change material. The joule heat may be generated by forcing a heating current into a conductive heater which is connected to the phase change material, and the resultant joule heat is thermally conducted to the phase change material. The temperature of the phase change material depends on the amount of the heating current. In general, at least several milli-amperes may be required to change the crystalline structure of the phase change material. Thus, there may be some limitations in improving the integration density of the phase change memory device and in reducing the power consumption thereof.
As the semiconductor devices such as phase change memory devices become more highly integrated, methods for reducing heating current are continuously explored. Recently, a method of forming the phase change material in a confined space (for example, a hole, etc.) has been proposed in order to reduce the heating current. If the phase change material is formed in the confined space, a contact area between the phase change material and the conductive heater can be decreased to reduce the heating current that is required to change the crystalline structure of the phase change material.
The phase change material may be deposited using a sputtering technique. In this case, the phase change material may not completely fill the confined space such as the hole since the sputtering technique exhibits poor step coverage. Thus, a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) technique has recently been proposed to form the phase change material layer such as a GST (Ge—Sb—Te) layer. However, in the event that the phase change material layer is formed using the CVD technique that employs source gases which are well known in the art, some problems may occur. For example, when the GST layer is formed using the CVD technique, a GeH4 gas or a Ge(allyl)4 gas may be widely used as the source gas and the GeH4 gas or the Ge(allyl)4 gas is decomposed at a temperature of about 400° C. Accordingly, the CVD process using the GeH4 gas or the Ge(allyl)4 gas as a source gas should be performed at a temperature of 400° C. or the higher. However, the GST layer may begin to volatilize at a temperature of about 350° C. Thus, the GST layer may volatilize during deposition of the GST layer using the conventional CVD technique that employs the GeH4 gas or the Ge(allyl)4 gas as a source gas. As a result, the conventional CVD GST layer may be discontinuously and/or non-uniformly formed to degrade characteristics of the phase change memory device.

Methods of forming a semiconductor device including a phase change material layer


A method and apparatus for refrigeration system control includes a control system operable to meet cooling demand and control suction pressure for a plurality of refrigeration circuits each including a variable valve and an expansion valve. The controller controls the variable valve independently of the expansion valves to meet cooling demand by determining a change in a measured parameter and controlling at least one of the variable valves based upon the change to an approximately fully open position.

A conventional refrigeration system includes a compressor that compresses refrigerant vapor. The refrigerant vapor from the compressor is directed into a condenser coil where the vapor is liquefied at high pressure. The high pressure liquid refrigerant is then generally delivered to a receiver tank. The high pressure liquid refrigerant from the receiver tank flows from the receiver tank to an evaporator coil after it is expanded by an expansion valve to a low pressure two-phase refrigerant. As the low pressure two-phase refrigerant flows through the evaporator coil, the refrigerant absorbs heat from the refrigeration case and boils off to a single phase low pressure vapor that finally returns to the compressor where the closed loop refrigeration process repeats itself.
In some systems, the refrigeration system will include multiple compressors connected to multiple circuits where a circuit is defined as a physically plumbed series of cases operating at the same pressure/temperature. For example, in a grocery store, one set of cases within a circuit may be used for frozen food, another set used for meats, while another set is used for dairy. Each circuit having a group of cases will thus operate at different temperatures. These differences in temperature are generally achieved by using mechanical evaporator pressure regulators (EPR) or valves located in series with each circuit. Each mechanical evaporator pressure regulator regulates the pressure for all the cases connected within a given circuit. The pressure at which the evaporator pressure regulator controls the circuit is adjusted once during the system start-up using a mechanical pilot screw adjustment present in the valve. The pressure regulation point is selected based on case temperature requirements and pressure drop between the cases and the rack suction pressure.
The multiple compressors are also piped together using suction and discharge gas headers to form a compressor rack consisting of the multiple compressors in parallel. The suction pressure for the compressor rack is controlled by modulating each of the compressors on and off in a controlled fashion. The suction pressure set point for the rack is generally set to a value that can meet the lowest evaporator circuit requirement. In other words, the circuit that operates at the lowest temperature generally controls the suction pressure set point which is fixed to support this circuit.
There are, however, various disadvantages of running and controlling a system in this manner. For example, one disadvantage is that the requirement for the case temperature generally changes throughout the year. This requires a refrigeration mechanic to perform an in-situ change of evaporator pressure settings, via the pilot screw adjustment of each evaporator pressure regulator, thereby further requiring re-adjustment of the fixed suction pressure set point at the rack of compressors. Another disadvantage of this type of control system is that case loads change from winter to summer. Thus, in the winter, there is a lower case load which requires a higher suction pressure set point and in the summer there is a higher load requiring a lower suction pressure set point. However, in the real world, such adjustments are seldom done since they also require manual adjustment by way of a refrigeration mechanic.
What is needed then is a method and apparatus for refrigeration system control which utilizes electronic evaporator pressure regulators and a floating suction pressure set point for the rack of compressors which does not suffer from the above mentioned disadvantages. This, in turn, will provide adaptive adjustment of the evaporator pressure for each circuit, adaptive adjustment of the rack suction pressure, enable changing evaporator pressure requirements remotely, enable adaptive changes in pressure settings for each circuit throughout its operation so that the rack suction pressure is operated at its highest possible value, enable floating circuit temperature based on a product simulator probe, and enable the use of case temperature information to control the evaporator pressure for the whole circuit and the suction pressure at the compressor rack. It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide such a method and apparatus for refrigeration system control using electronic evaporator pressure regulators and a floating suction pressure set point.

Method and apparatus for refrigeration system control having electronic evaporator pressure regulators


A video encoding device for encoding video using inter prediction includes encoding control means 11 for controlling an inter-PU partition type of a CU to be encoded, based on a minimum inter-PU size (PA) and a CU size (PB) of the CU to be encoded. A video decoding device includes decoding control means for controlling an inter-PU partition of a CU to be decoded, based on the minimum inter-PU size (PA) and the size (PB) of the CU to be decoded.

Non Patent Literature (NPL) 1 discloses typical video encoding system and video decoding system.
A video encoding device described in NPL 1 has a structure as shown in FIG. 15. The video encoding device shown in FIG. 15 is called a typical video encoding device below.
Referring to FIG. 15, the structure and operation of the typical video encoding device that receives each frame of digitized video as input and outputs a bitstream are described below.
The video encoding device shown in FIG. 15 includes a transformer/quantizer 101, an entropy encoder 102, an inverse transformer/inverse quantizer 103, a buffer 104, a predictor 105, a multiplexer 106, and an encoding controller 108.
The video encoding device shown in FIG. 15 divides each frame into blocks of 16×16 pixel size called macro blocks (MBs), and encodes each MB sequentially from top left of the frame.
FIG. 16 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of block division in the case where the frame has a spatial resolution of QCIF (Quarter Common Intermediate Format). The following describes the operation of each unit while focusing only on pixel values of luminance for simplicity's sake.
A prediction signal supplied from the predictor 105 is subtracted from the block-divided input video, and the result is input to the transformer/quantizer 101 as a prediction error image. There are two types of prediction signals, namely, an intra prediction signal and an inter prediction signal. The inter prediction signal is also called an inter-frame prediction signal.
Each of the prediction signals is described below. The intra prediction signal is a prediction signal generated based on an image of a reconstructed picture that has the same display time as a current picture stored in the buffer 104.
Referring to 8.3.1 Intra_4×4 prediction process for luma samples, 8.3.2 Intra_8×8 prediction process for luma samples, and 8.3.3 Intra_16×16 prediction process for luma samples in NPL 1, intra prediction of three block sizes, i.e. Intra_4×4, Intra_8×8, and Intra_16×16, are available.
Intra_4×4 and Intra_8×8 are respectively intra prediction of 4×4 block size and 8×8 block size, as can be understood from (a) and (c) in FIG. 17. Each circle (∘) in the drawing represents a reference pixel used for intra prediction, i.e., a pixel of the reconstructed picture having the same display time as the current picture.
In intra prediction of Intra_4×4, reconstructed peripheral pixels are directly set as reference pixels, and used for padding (extrapolation) in nine directions shown in (b) of FIG. 17 to form the prediction signal. In intra prediction of Intra_8×8, pixels obtained by smoothing peripheral pixels of the image of the reconstructed picture by low-pass filters (½, ¼, ½) shown under the right arrow in (c) of FIG. 17 are set as reference pixels, and used for extrapolation in the nine directions shown in (b) of FIG. 17 to form the prediction signal.
Similarly, Intra_16×16 is intra prediction of 16×16 block size, as can be understood from (a) in FIG. 18. Like in FIG. 17, each circle (∘) in the drawing represents a reference pixel used for intra prediction, i.e., a pixel of the reconstructed picture having the same display time as the current picture. In intra prediction of Intra_16×16, peripheral pixels of the image of the reconstructed picture are directly set as reference pixels, and used for extrapolation in four directions shown in (b) of FIG. 18 to form the prediction signal.
Hereafter, an MB and a block encoded using the intra prediction signal are called an intra MB and an intra block, respectively, i.e., a block size of intra prediction is called an intra prediction block size, and a direction of extrapolation is called an intra prediction direction. The intra prediction block size and the intra prediction direction are prediction parameters related to intra prediction.
The inter prediction signal is a prediction signal generated from an image of a reconstructed picture different in display time from the one the current picture has and is stored in the buffer 104. Hereafter, an MB and a block encoded using the inter prediction signal are called an inter MB and an inter block, respectively. A block size of inter prediction (inter prediction block size) can be selected from, for example, 16×16, 16×8, 8×16, 8×8, 8×4, 4×8, and 4×4.
FIG. 19 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of inter prediction using 16×16 block size. A motion vector MV=(mvx, mvy) shown in FIG. 19 is a prediction parameter of inter prediction, which indicates the amount of parallel translation of an inter prediction block (inter prediction signal) of a reference picture relative to a block to be encoded. In AVC, prediction parameters of inter prediction include not only a direction of inter prediction representing a direction of the reference picture of an inter prediction signal relative to a picture to be encoded of the block to be encoded, but also a reference picture index for identifying the reference picture used for inter prediction of the block to be encoded. This is because, in AVC, multiple reference pictures stored in the buffer 104 can be used for inter prediction.
In AVC inter prediction, a motion vector can be calculated at ¼-pixel accuracy. FIG. 20 is an explanatory diagram showing interpolation processing for luminance signals in motion-compensated prediction. In FIG. 20, A represents a pixel signal at an integer pixel position, b, c, d represent pixel signals at decimal pixel positions with ½-pixel accuracy, and e1, e2, e3 represent pixel signals at decimal pixel positions with ¼-pixel accuracy. The pixel signal b is generated by applying a six-tap filter to pixels at horizontal integer pixel positions. Likewise, the pixel signal c is generated by applying the six-tap filter to pixels at vertical integer pixel positions. The pixel signal d is generated by applying the six-tap filter to pixels at horizontal or vertical decimal pixel positions with ½-pixel accuracy. The coefficients of the six-tap filter are represented as [1, −5, 20, 20, −5, 1]/32. The pixel signals e1, e2, and e3 are generated by applying a two-tap filter [1, 1]/2 to pixels at neighboring integer pixel positions or decimal pixel positions, respectively.
A picture encoded by including only intra MBs is called an I picture. A picture encoded by including not only intra MBs but also inter MBs is called a P picture. A picture encoded by including inter MBs that use not only one reference picture but two reference pictures simultaneously for inter prediction is called a B picture. In the B picture, inter prediction in which the direction of the reference picture of the inter prediction signal relative to the picture to be encoded of the block to be encoded is past is called forward prediction, inter prediction in which the direction of the reference picture of the inter prediction signal relative to the picture to be encoded of the block to be encoded is future is called backward prediction, and inter prediction simultaneously using two reference pictures involving both the past and the future is called bidirectional prediction. The direction of inter prediction (inter prediction direction) is a prediction parameter of inter prediction.
In accordance with an instruction from the encoding controller 108, the predictor 105 compares an input video signal with a prediction signal to determine a prediction parameter that minimizes the energy of a prediction error image block. The encoding controller 108 supplies the determined prediction parameter to the entropy encoder 102.
The transformer/quantizer 101 frequency-transforms the image (prediction error image) from which the prediction signal has been subtracted to get a frequency transform coefficient.
The transformer/quantizer 101 further quantizes the frequency transform coefficient with a predetermined quantization step width Qs. Hereafter, the quantized frequency transform coefficient is called a transform quantization value.
The entropy encoder 102 entropy-encodes the prediction parameters and the transform quantization value. The prediction parameters are information associated with MB and block prediction, such as prediction mode (intra prediction, inter prediction), intra prediction block size, intra prediction direction, inter prediction block size, and motion vector mentioned above.
The inverse transformer/inverse quantizer 103 inverse-quantizes the transform quantization value with the predetermined quantization step width Qs. The inverse transformer/inverse quantizer 103 further performs inverse frequency transform of the frequency transform coefficient obtained by the inverse quantization. The prediction signal is added to the reconstructed prediction error image obtained by the inverse frequency transform, and the result is supplied to the buffer 104.
The buffer 104 stores the reconstructed image supplied. The reconstructed image for one frame is called a reconstructed picture.
The multiplexer 106 multiplexes and outputs the output data of the entropy encoder 102 and coding parameters.
Based on the operation described above, the multiplexer 106 in the video encoding device generates a bitstream.
A video decoding device described in NPL 1 has a structure as shown in FIG. 21. Hereafter, the video decoding device shown in FIG. 21 is called a typical video decoding device.
Referring to FIG. 21, the structure and operation of the typical video decoding device that receives the bitstream as input and outputs a decoded video frame is described.
The video decoding device shown in FIG. 21 includes a de-multiplexer 201, an entropy decoder 202, an inverse transformer/inverse quantizer 203, a predictor 204, and a buffer 205.
The de-multiplexer 201 de-multiplexes the input bitstream and extracts an entropy-encoded video bitstream.
The entropy decoder 202 entropy-decodes the video bitstream. The entropy decoder 202 entropy-decodes the MB and block prediction parameters and the transform quantization value, and supplies the results to the inverse transformer/inverse quantizer 203 and the predictor 204.
The inverse transformer/inverse quantizer 203 inverse-quantizes the transform quantization value with the quantization step width. The inverse transformer/inverse quantizer 203 further performs inverse frequency transform of the frequency transform coefficient obtained by the inverse quantization.
After the inverse frequency transform, the predictor 204 generates a prediction signal using an image of a reconstructed picture stored in the buffer 205 based on the entropy-decoded MB and block prediction parameters.
After the generation of the prediction signal, the prediction signal supplied from the predictor 204 is added to a reconstructed prediction error image obtained by the inverse frequency transform performed by the inverse transformer/inverse quantizer 203, and the result is supplied to the buffer 205 as a reconstructed image.
Then, the reconstructed picture stored in the buffer 205 is output as a decoded image (decoded video).
Based on the operation described above, the typical video decoding device generates the decoded image.

Video encoding device, video decoding device, video encoding method, video decoding method, and program restricts inter-prediction unit partitions based on coding unit depth


An improved process for production of diisopropyl ether by conversion of hydrocarbon feedstock containing propene, propane and C.sub.2 -- light gas components. The overall process steps include, (optionally) prefractionating fresh feedstock containing propene, propane and C.sub.2 -- light gas components to provide a reactor feedstream rich in propene; contacting the feedstock and water in a catalytic reactor with acidic catalyst under olefin hydration and etherification conditions; and recovering from the catalytic reactor a liquid reactor effluent stream containing diisopropyl ether, isopropanol, water, unreacted propene, propane, oligomer and C.sub.2 -- light gas components. DIPE product containing C.sub.6 + oligomer is recovered by separating the liquid effluent stream in a stripper column, and extracting the DIPE-rich liquid with water. An improved separation process is employed for removing water to provide DIPE liquid product substantially free of water.

This invention relates to olefin hydration, especially for production of di-isopropyl ether (DIPE) from C.sub.3 + olefinic feedstock. Particularly, the invention relates to a novel technique for recovering dry DIPE product from reactor effluent.
The need to eliminate lead-based octane enhancers in gasoline has provided incentive for development of processes to produce high octane gasolines blended with lower aliphatic alkyl ethers as octane boosters. Supplementary fuels are being vigorously developed in the petroleum refining industry. Lower molecular weight alcohols and ethers such as isopropyl alcohol (IPA), and diisopropyl ether (DIPE) are in the boiling range of gasoline fuels and are known to have a high blending octane number. They are useful octane enhancers. In addition, by-product propene (propylene) from which IPA and DIPE can be made is usually available in a fuels refinery, typically as a C.sub.3 +aliphatic stream rich in propene and propane. Feedstocks of particular interest are light hydrocarbon streams rich in propene, which are often accompanied by significant amounts of propane, ethene, ethane and other light gases.
Catalytic hydration of olefins to provide alcohols and ethers is established technology for production of the IPA and DIPE and is of significant commercial importance. Olefin hydration employing large pore zeolite (i.e. 7+Angstroms) or medium pore (5-7 .ANG.) catalyst is a known synthesis method. Recently, processes for the direct hydration of olefins to provide alcohols and ethers using porous shape selective metallosilicate zeolite catalyst, such as zeolite Beta have been disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,857,664 (Huang et al.), U.S. Pat. No. 4,886,918 (Sorensen et al), U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,138,102 and 5,162,591 (Beech et al), incorporated herein by reference. Prior processes have attempted to provide a dry DIPE product by various recovery techniques.
It is a main object of this invention to provide an improved process for olefin hydration in a more economical manner and with improved yields of dry ether product. It is a further object to provide novel product recovery techniques for use in DIPE reactor systems.

Di-isopropyl ether synthesis and dry product recovery


A charm in the form of a simulated Christian bible which has both pleasing appearance and conveys a religious message of value from the wearer to the admirer, composed of a book appearing external structure having imprinted thereon the words "The Bible", or the like, and which has, in appearance, the look commonly associated with a Christian bible. The outer cover is preferably flexibly joined with respect to the spine of the charm and may be folded back to reveal one or more internal pages which have writing thereon related to biblical passages. A mounting structure is provided at or adjacent the spine for providing connection to another piece of jewelry, such as a necklace, a bracelet or an earring.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to charms of the kind worn in association with necklaces, bracelets, earrings, pins, key chains, and the like, and more particularly to a charm therefor which simulates the Christian bible.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Charms are well known in the art, such as pendants which hang from necklaces, various fanciful shapes of articles that are attached to bracelets and hang from earrings, artistic expression portions of key chains, and the like. These devices are constructed usually of metal, but sometimes are constructed of other materials, such as plastic.
Generally, charms merely convey a pleasing look and have no deeper meaning to the wearer or the admirer. Accordingly, it would be beneficial in the charm art to provide a charm which has both pleasing appearance and conveys a message of value from the wearer to the admirer.