A system performs a method for detecting display driver error. The method includes sending a first command signal to a display driver to operate according to a first operating state that includes the display driver sending a synchronization signal, and monitoring for the synchronization signal during a first time period after sending the first command signal. The method further includes sending a second command signal to the display driver to operate according to a second operating state that includes the display driver withholding sending the synchronization signal, and monitoring for the synchronization signal during a second time period after sending the second command signal. In addition, the method includes detecting a display driver error based on results of the monitoring during at least one of the first or the second time periods.

Systems that present photo or video data to a user include electronic components, such as a display driver integrated circuit (IC) also referred to herein simply as a display driver or a driver, which are susceptible to errors. Some errors result from internal software process or hardware malfunctions. Other errors result from external influences such as electrostatic discharge, which can damage the electronic component.
A conventional solution to detect display driver errors requires a bi-directional communication interface between a control processor and the display driver, where the control processor requests the content information of a register in a memory of the display driver. When the contents are different than expected, the control processor detects a display driver error.
One problem is that systems that do not have this bi-directional communication interface between a control processor and display driver cannot use the above conventional display driver error detection procedure. Moreover, the above conventional error detection procedure suffers from statistical uncertainty. More particularly, the procedure does not check the contents of each register within the display driver. Therefore, although a specific register may come back with valid content information, this is not a guarantee that other registers within the display are not corrupted.
Skilled artisans will appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help to improve understanding of embodiments of the disclosure herein.
The apparatus and method components have been represented where appropriate by conventional symbols in the drawings, showing only those specific details that are pertinent to understanding the embodiments of the disclosure herein so as not to obscure the disclosure with details that will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of the description herein.

System for detecting display driver error when failing to receive a synchronization signal and method thereof


A vehicular headlamp including a lighting fixture unit that emits white light in upper beam irradiation and emits infrared light in lower beam irradiation. The lighting fixture unit includes: a light source part including a first semiconductor light-emitting element as a white light source and a second semiconductor light-emitting element as an infrared light source; an optical member for irradiating in forward direction the light from each semiconductor light-emitting element; and an optical axis adjusting unit for changing in a vertical plane the direction of optical axis related to the first and second semiconductor light-emitting elements.

1. Technical Field
The present invention is directed to a lighting fixture unit including semiconductor light-emitting elements. The lighting fixture unit can be used, for example, in a vehicular headlamp. The technology allows formation of a light distribution in upper beam irradiation and an infrared light distribution in lower beam irradiation.
2. Description of Related Art
it is known to use an infrared noctovision camera system to make an obstacle, which is difficult to perceive with visible light, visible during night traveling by using illuminated infrared rays. An infrared floodlight is used as an active-type element of such a system.
When the infrared floodlight is provided as a lighting fixture unit that is separate from a vehicular headlamp, there exist the problems of an increased number of units and an increased unit size. Thus, a configuration using a lighting fixture unit, having a light source that includes a white light source and an infrared light source in a package, is known.
For example, there is a configuration in which separate light-emitting diodes (LEDs) are used for visible light and for infrared light, and a reflector is included. This configuration includes an LED for visible light and an LED for infrared light provided in close proximity to one another. Visible light and infrared light emitted from these elements are reflected in a forward direction by a reflector (for example, refer to JP-A-2004-241138).
Illumination by such a vehicular headlamp includes an upper beam (beam for traveling) irradiation configuration and a lower beam (beam for passing) irradiation configuration. For example, in the following configurations, the lighting fixture units are discriminated based on this feature.
(1) A configuration where a light-emitting element for lower beam irradiation and an infrared light-emitting element are packaged; and
(2) a configuration where a light-emitting element for upper beam irradiation and an infrared light-emitting element are packaged.
In the configuration (1), for example, a white LED for lower beam irradiation is arranged on a board and an infrared LED is arranged in close proximity to the element. In a lighting fixture unit using these elements as a light source, both of the elements are caused to illuminate in lower beam irradiation.
For example, in the configuration (2), a white LED for upper beam irradiation is arranged on a board, and an infrared LED is arranged in close proximity to the white LED. In a lighting fixture unit using these elements as a light source, only the white LED is caused to illuminate in upper beam irradiation, while only the infrared LED is caused to illuminate in lower beam irradiation.
The above configurations (1) and (2) have the following problems related to application of the invention to a vehicular headlamp.
For example, in the configuration (1), two LEDs illuminate at the same time in lower beam irradiation. This requires a large-scale structure or members (such as a heat sink) used for heat radiation of the LEDs.
In the configuration (2), the problem is that the light distribution related to the white LED for upper beam irradiation is the same as that related to the infrared LED for lower beam irradiation. To be more precise, the center of emission of each of these LEDs cannot be specified to the same position. Using one of the centers of emission causes an influence of dislocation on the other. Setting the emission position of each LED by using an intermediate position of the centers of emission causes an influence of dislocation on both LEDs. Forming the same light distribution using individual LED light sources set in separate positions on the same board is difficult or leads to a complicated arrangement in terms of optical design.

Lighting fixture unit and vehicular headlamp


A surface acoustic wave device having a given impedance includes multimode type filters connected in series. A composite impedance of the multimode type filters defines the given impedance of the surface acoustic wave device.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention generally relates to surface acoustic wave devices, and more particularly, to a surface acoustic wave device of a multimode type.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, filters formed by surface acoustic wave devices have been used in RF circuits of radio communications devices such as portable phones. The filters formed by the surface acoustic wave devices (SAW devices) may be used as a transmit filter, a reception filter and a duplexer in which the transmit filter and the receive filters are mounted in a single package. Various types of SAW filters are known, and are typically a ladder type SAW filter has SAW resonators arranged in a ladder formation, and a multimode type SAW filter. Generally, the ladder type SAW filter is used as a transmit filter, and the multimode type SAW filter is used as a receive filter.
As described in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2004-194269, the fundamental structure of the multimode type SAW filter has a pair of reflection electrodes formed on a piezoelectric substrate, and input and output interdigital transducers (IDTs) arranged between the reflection electrodes. When a drive voltage is applied across the input IDT, SAWs are propagated between the reflection electrodes, and multiple standing waves are produced between the reflection electrodes. A voltage based on the standing waves develops across the output IDT. The multimode type SAW filter thus formed functions as a bandpass filter.
FIG. 1A shows a unit of the multimode type SAW filter (fundamental structure), and FIG. 1B shows a cascade type in which two units are cascaded. A multimode type SAW filter 10 of the unit type includes an input IDT 12, output IDTs 14 and 16 arranged at opposing sides of the input IDT 12, and reflection electrodes 18 and 20 located further out than the output IDTs 14 and 16. Each of the input IDT 12, and the output IDTs 14 and 16 has a pair of comb-like electrodes in which electrode fingers are interleaved. The input IDT 12, the output IDTs 14 and 16, and the reflection electrodes 18 and 20 are formed by metal patterns formed on a piezoelectric substrate, which may be LN (lithium niobate) or LT (lithium tantalate). The impedance Fs of the unit type is designed so as to be equal to the characteristic impedance of a transmission line (for example, 50 Ω) connected to the SAW filter. The cascade type of multimode type SAW filter shown in FIG. 1B has two multimode type SAW filters that are cascaded. More specifically, two output IDTs of the multimode type SAW filter 10A are connected to two input IDTs of the multimode type SAW filter 10B through signal patterns 22 and 24, respectively. A comb-like electrode 12a of the input IDT of the multimode type SAW filter 10A and a comb-like electrode 12b of the output IDT of the multimode type SAW filter 10B are grounded. Since the comb-lie electrodes 12a and 12b are grounded, no signals are transmitted therebetween. The impedance Fi of the multimode type SAW filter 10A and the impedance Fo of the multimode type SAW filter 10B are both equal to the characteristic impedance of a transmission line connected to the SAW filter shown in FIG. 1B, and may be equal to, for example, 50 Ω (Fs=Fi=50 Ω).
FIG. 2 shows an arrangement in which three cascaded multimode type SAW filters, each shown in FIG. 1B, are connected in parallel.
The multimode type SAW filters shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B may be used as shown in FIG. 3A. A transmit filter Tx and a receive filter Rx are connected to an antenna Ant. The receive filter Rx is the multimode type SAW filter. A transmitted signal is output to the antenna Ant through the transmit filter Tx. A signal received via the antenna Ant is applied to a next-stage circuit through the receive filter Rx.
However, the inventors found out the following problem. If a Jammer (a frequency component in a desired receive frequency range) is received while the signal is being sent, a leakage component of the transmitted signal excites the multimode type SAW filter of the receive filter Rx together with the Jammer. This problem is shown in FIG. 3B, in which the horizontal axis (MHz) denotes the frequency and the vertical axis denotes the output power (dBm) of the receive filter Rx. As shown in FIG. 3B, only the Jammer appears at the output port of the receive filter Rx in the absence of the transmitted signal. In contrast, when a leakage component of the transmitted signal exists, power components appear at both sides of the peak of the Jammer resulting from the leakage component. The power components increase the intermodulation level and may degrade the single tone defense (STD), which is described in the standardized specification of portable phones. This problem occurs in not only an arrangement in which the transmit filter Tx and the receive filter Rx are formed by separate piezoelectric substrates but also an arrangement with a single piezoelectric substrate on which the transmit filter Tx and the receive filter Rx are formed.


The device includes a special tool for extracting an upper bead of a tire; the tool is of such a shape and is activated in such a way as to automate the tire dismounting operation reliably and safely. The device comprises other tools, used in the lower bead extraction operation and in the mounting of a tire, which tools are operated using compressed-air actuators which operate tool-bearing arms according to preset trajectories and runs.

Specifically, though not exclusively, the invention relates to special tools for extracting and mounting tires on wheels positioned on wheel supports of tire-changing machines.
At present, as is known, the dismounting operation, or the mounting operation, of the tire from or on a rim is done using tools and machinery equipped with a horizontal wheel support rotating about a vertical axis thereof, to which a rim of a wheel can be superiorly and self-centringly anchored. Laterally to the wheel support there is a column which supports, in vertically and horizontally adjustable positions, a specially shaped tool, suitable for use in extracting or inserting a bead of a tire from or on the rim.
In particular the tire dismounting operation from the rim takes place after the bead of the tire has been detached from the rim, using special equipment actuated by compressed air and generally located in the lower part of the base of the tire-changing machine, by pressing the bead in a perpendicular direction to the plan of the wheel, towards the inside of the rim; this is called bead-breaking. Once the whole perimeter of the bead has been detached from the wheel rim, the wheel is positioned on the horizontal wheel support and, after having brought the above-mentioned tool close to the wheel, near to the edge of the rim, a lever is inserted between the bead of the tire and the wheel rim, and the bead is extracted from the rim at a point along its circumference, whereafter it is positioned above the above-mentioned tool. At this point, by rotating the wheel support total extraction of the whole upper bead of the tire is completed, taking care to aid the extraction process manually, by exerting a pressure on the side of the tire opposite to the extraction side and by using once more a lever tool, interpositioned between the tire and the rim.
Obviously the above operation requires a considerable physical effort on the part of the operator, which varies according to the dimensions and state of the tire; there is also, obviously, a certain risk of injury in the operator's task. There are similar risks in the tire mounting operation, which is done using the same tools and equipment and by carrying out complementary actions to the ones described above.
Solutions have been proposed to obviate the above drawbacks, which all seek to reduce to a minimum the work needed of the operator. Special attention has been paid to avoiding risky situations such as those which arise when the wheel is rotating about the wheel support.
One of these solutions, for example, is illustrated in Italian industrial patent RE2000A078. This invention includes the use of tools supported on automatically-operating heads, the tools being dedicated, respectively to dismounting and to mounting the tire while the tire is rotating on the wheel support of the tire dismounting machine. In particular, the tool dedicated to dismounting the tire is positioned perpendicular to the axis of the head and is pivoted thereto in order to oscillate in a vertical plane passing through the axis, between a position in which it is inclined towards the centre of the rim and a position in which it is inclined in an opposite direction. The first of the above positions favours the hooking of the tool to the bead of the tire while the bead is normally housed in the rim, the second of these positions being used in the extraction operation of the tire from the rim.
The other tool on the machine is a lever positioned on the same head as the first tool, in a diametrically opposite position with respect to the first tool. The lever is used alternatively to the first tool during the mounting of the tire on the rim.
The above machine undoubtedly represents a good solution to the problem to be obviated, as it considerably reduces operator effort during the dismounting and mounting stages of tires from and to rims.
However, in order fully to exploit the advantages of the automatic aspect of the operations, or similar operations, complete reliability of the hooking-up of the extractor tool to the bead of the tire is indispensable; obviously equally indispensable is the reliability of the other operations, such as, for example, the relocating of the bead of the tire in the rim.
The main aim of the present invention is to provide a device for mounting and dismounting the tires in a way which is safe and automatic.
A further aim of the invention is to provide a device for mounting and dismounting tires of wheels positioned on wheel supports of tire-changing machines, in which correct extraction of the upper bead of the tire from the rim of the wheel is guaranteed.
The above aims and others besides are all attained with a device for mounting and dismounting tires of wheels positioned on wheels supports of wheel-mounting and dismounting machines in which groups of tools are supported by horizontal arms arranged superiorly and inferiorly of the wheel support, which tools are vertically translatable with respect to lateral anchoring and support columns, at least one of the groups of tools comprising at least one extractor tool comprising a cylindrical stem with a curved end, rotatably housed in a support seating constrained to one of the arms and actuated in such a way as to cause an introduction of the curved end between the rim and the tire, the other end of the stem being connected to an actuator for causing a rotation of the stem by a more-or-less 90° angle. Following the rotation, the curved end of the tool, once inserted between the rim and the tire, is brought into a hooking position with the bead of the tire, the extraction of the tire being achieved by raising the tool in a preset trajectory and rotating the wheel support.
To improve the efficiency of the tire extraction operation from the rim, the rotation axis of the extractor tool is arranged in a skewed position with respect tot he wheel rotation axis.
The horizontal arm that supports the extractor tool also supports a second tool comprising an appendix, which is curved towards an outside of the wheel, having a rectangular first portion destined to engage with the edge of the tire during the mounting operation, and a second circular portion which is coplanar to the first portion and which is destined to push the edge of the tire internally of the rim during the rotation of the wheel support during mounting. The second tool is constrained to the tool-bearing arm in such a way that when in the rest position it is perpendicular to the extactor tool and is brought into the work position by a more-or-less 90° rotation of the arm.
The wheel support is provided with a blocking self-centring device of the rim, which is thus positioned automatically according to the diameter of the wheel itself. The support arms of the tools, arranged inferiorly and superiorly to the support, are radially aligned with respect to the self-centring device.
A tool-bearing arm, arranged inferiorly of the wheel support, supports an upwards-pointing L-shaped tool which has an upper end that is slightly curved externalwise of the wheel. The tool is translated parallel to the wheel axis at a fixed distance therefrom, more precisely in proximity of the edge of the rim, so as to push the tire in an upwards direction, while the tire is set in rotation, thus completing the dismounting of the tire from the rim after the extraction of the upper bead of the tire. The tool is also used in the lower bead mounting in the wheel rim. This operation is performed by hooking the lower bead to the curved end of the tool and displacing the tool downwards while the wheel support is rotated.
The above brief description evidences the advantages deriving from the mounting and dismounting device, both with regard to the construction simplicity thereof and the rationality of the tools which are part of the device, and with regard to the operational reliability thereof.

Device for mounting and dismounting tires of wheels positioned on a wheel support of a tire changing machine


A system and method for matching patients with clinical trials and particular trial sites, prequalifying patients for clinical trials and trial sites, and providing information to patients to allow them to inform themselves about available clinical trials and trial sites. The method comprises receiving patient profile information for a patient at a server connected to a computer network, the patient profile information submitted by a user at a terminal connected to the network, comparing the patient profile information with acceptance criteria for clinical trials stored in a database, the comparison performed by the server, determining whether the patient prequalifies for any of the clinical trials, and notifying the user and the trial site whether the patient has prequalified for any clinical trials.

Many companies sponsor clinical trials for new drugs, medical devices, therapies, or treatment programs. Typical clinical trial sponsors include pharmaceutical companies, biotech companies, medical device companies, clinical research organizations (CRO's), and site management organizations (SMO's). Clinical trials are often an important step before obtaining FDA approval for particular drugs.
Patients who have been diagnosed with a disease are often in need of finding appropriate clinical trials for new drugs, medical devices, or treatments to treat their disease. Patients with serious diseases may only have weeks or months to live, and thus the ability to find available clinical trials and information about those trials quickly and efficiently is invaluable. Unfortunately today, there is no effective system for quickly matching patients with clinical trials. Doctors are often not aware of all the clinical trials that are being performed in different geographic regions. Clinical trial sponsors have difficulty finding suitable patients for their trials because there is a lack of up-to-date listings of clinical trials, patients are geographically dispersed, many clinical trials require screening large segments of the population, and patients lack insurance coverage. Additionally, patients seeking on their own to find clinical trials which may help them often suffer from consumer confusion with regard to medical terminology and protocol information, and thus have a difficult time identifying appropriate clinical trials.
Clinical trial sponsors are also hurt by this problem, since the inability to quickly find acceptable patients to enroll in their trials delays development of their new drugs or devices and delays FDA approval. What is needed is a method of quickly and efficiently matching qualifying patients with appropriate clinical trials. What is also needed is a system that can match patient medical profiles and patient characteristics with clinical trial acceptance criteria for a wide range of clinical trials in dispersed geographic areas. What is also needed is a source of comprehensive information about diseases, drugs, medical devices, and clinical trials to provide patients, family, friends and health care professionals the necessary information to make informed decisions about which clinical trials are useful for treating various conditions, and other related information such as risks, benefits, insurance coverage, and other similar information.

System and method for matching patients with clinical trials


An ink composition for ultraviolet curable ink-jet recording including carbon black, a photopolymerizable compound and a photopolymerization initiator, comprising at least one selected from the group consisting of non-metallic phthalocyanine sulfonic acids, metal phthalocyanine sulfonic acids in which the central metal is Cu, Fe, Ni, Co, or Ti, and metal salts thereof, and a polymer dispersant containing a basic functional group. The photopolymerizable compound may dissolve the polymer dispersant.

Printing with an ink-jet recording system involves discharging ink from a nozzle, and bonding that ink to a recording target material, and because the nozzle does not contact the recording target material, favorable printing can be achieved even onto curved surfaces or uneven surfaces with irregular surface forms. As a result, there is a wide range of industrial fields to which ink-jet printing can be applied.
Amongst the different inks used in ink-jet recording systems, those which use a dye as the coloring material can be broadly classified into water-based inks, which use water as the primary solvent, and oil-based inks, which use an organic solvent as the primary solvent, although water-based inks, in which a dye is dissolved in a water-based medium, are more common. However, when conventional water-based dye inks are used in industrial applications, a variety of problems arise, including a slow drying rate for ink applied to non-absorbent materials, weak adhesion of the printed image, and unsatisfactory durability in terms of factors such as the abrasion resistance, the water resistance and the light resistance. One example of inks that are able to largely overcome these problems are the water-based and oil-based ultraviolet curable ink-jet recording inks, which use various pigments as the coloring materials, and undergo curing and drying through exposure to an activated energy ray such as ultraviolet light.
Examples of oil-based ink-jet recording inks that undergo curing and drying through exposure to an activated energy ray such as ultraviolet light include the inks disclosed in the examples of Published Japanese Translation No. 2001-525479 of PCT, which contain carbon black, a dispersant, and a dispersion assistant, wherein the dispersion assistant uses an amine salt of copper phthalocyanine sulfonic acid, and the inks disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, First Publication No. 2001-207098, which use a copper phthalocyanine derivative with an introduced functional group such as a phthalimidomethyl group, amino group or triazine group as a pigment dispersant.
However, all of the inks disclosed in Published Japanese Translation No. 2001-525479 of PCT and Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, First Publication No. 2001-207098 use a lipophilic phthalocyanine derivative that can be easily dispersed in the photopolymerizable compound, and consequently the adsorption of the phthalocyanine derivative of the dispersion assistant to the carbon black is prone to desorption, meaning the dispersion stability of the pigment within the photopolymerizable compound is unsatisfactory.
If the dispersion stability is unsatisfactory, then aggregates are more likely to form in the ink, and the adhesion of these types of aggregates around the vicinity of the ink-jet nozzle can prevent the formation of favorable ink droplets at the nozzle, leading to a marked deterioration in the stability of the discharge volume and discharge direction.
Currently, the dispersion stability of ultraviolet curable ink-jet recording inks that use carbon black as the coloring material is not entirely satisfactory, meaning the discharge stability of these inks is also unsatisfactory. Achieving a favorable dispersion stability is particularly difficult in high resolution inks that use carbon black with a small particle size.

Ink composition for ultraviolet curable ink-jet recording


A topical skin care composition containing an extract solution of Dendrobium Huoshanense and a topical carrier.

Aging of skin results from a combination of intrinsic factors, e.g., genetic factors, and extrinsic factors, e.g., environmental factors such as sun damage and smoking. Aging of skin takes place at the microscopic and biochemical level, and manifests outwardly as various signs, e.g., wrinkles, dryness, roughness, dullness, brown/dark/age spots, and sagging of the skin.
Although a number anti-aging skin care products are commercially available, synthetic ingredients in many of these products may be harsh, irritating or even harmful to the skin or the user over time. Consumers are seeking skin care products that are not only natural but also effective with little or no side effects.


An apparatus and continuous process for the conversion of one solid iron compound to another solid iron compound in a heterogeneous suspension wherein the suspension is formed by dispersing a solid starting iron compound in a liquid that is continuously fed through one or more agitated conversion vessels under hydrothermal conditions and converted to a solid product iron compound having different physical, chemical, or structural properties from the solid starting iron compound.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a process for the hydrothermal conversion of a solid starting iron compound selected from the group consisting of iron oxides, iron hydroxides, iron oxyhydroxides, and mixtures thereof into a solid product iron compound, the solid product iron compound having different physical, chemical, and/or structural properties from the solid starting iron compound.
2. Prior Art
It is known from the prior art to convert goethite (alpha-FeOOH) into hematite (alpha-Fe2O3) in a suspension under hydrothermal conditions. Romanian Patent Application RO 86979 discloses this conversion using an autoclave and temperatures of about 210° C. The same conversion, but now in the presence of potassium carbonate using temperatures between 180 and 210° C. and pressures between 16 and 20 atm., is disclosed in RO 100113.
In order to minimise operational costs and to maximize energy conservation, it would be desirable to conduct the hydrothermal conversion of iron oxides, iron hydroxides, and iron oxyhydroxides in a continuous mode. However, as will explained below, processes involving suspensions are not easy to conduct continuously, mainly due to segregation and sedimentation.
Suspensions consist of a continuous phase, i.e. a liquid, and a dispersed phase, i.e. solid particles. Suspensions can be homogeneous or heterogeneous. In this specification, homogeneous suspensions are defined as suspensions having a constant volume fraction of the continuous phase throughout the whole system. Suspensions without such a constant volume fraction of the continuous phase are referred to as heterogeneous. In these heterogeneous systems there are concentration gradients of the dispersed phase.
Suspensions can separate into a fraction with a higher volume fraction of the continuous phase and a fraction with a lower volume fraction of the continuous phase. Within this specification this phenomenon is referred to as segregation. Segregation can occur by the action of various forces, for instance centrifugal forces or gravity. Sedimentation is a form of segregation where the dispersed phase settles by gravity.
When a sediment is formed, part of the flow region within a reactor is blocked by a stagnant solid, reducing the volume available for free flow. With constant mass flux, the suspension will have to move through a smaller area, resulting in higher velocities of the continuous phase. This results in even more segregation and a non-ideal residence time distribution of the dispersed phase in the reactor.
The conversion of solid particles in a suspension can be performed continuously in traditional pipe reactors or cascade reactors, provided that the starting particles easily form a stable homogeneous suspension, e.g., a sol or a gel, and are of a more or less uniform particle size. Even then limitations in the Solids to Liquid Ratio (SLR) may occur due to the rheological behaviour of the homogeneous suspension. High energy input, e.g., high-shear mixing, can alleviate these difficulties if the suspensions exhibit shear-thinning behaviour.
Unfortunately, readily available iron oxides, iron hydroxides, and iron oxyhydroxides are not easily suspendable and/or do not form stable homogeneous suspensions, neither at high solids to liquid ratios nor at low ones. This is due either to their large particle size (say >0.1 micron) and/or to their chemical incompatibility with the liquid, making segregation of the particles from the liquid very likely. This means that the particles will show a tendency to form a sediment layer, resulting in an uncontrolled and non-ideal residence time distribution in the reactor, thereby hindering the conversion. This situation may be further aggravated when dealing with starting particles of different sizes.
Contrary to the case of the stable homogeneous suspensions described above, where high shear can assist in homogenization and reduction of the viscosity, unstable suspensions tend to segregate even faster when a high energy input is added to the system. Therefore, good mixing throughout the whole reactor and avoiding any dead or non-mixing zones is preferred to avoid non-ideal residence time distributions and to promote efficient conversion of the starting particles.
Alternatively, expensive chemicals need to be added in order to stabilize and disperse the suspension and to prevent segregation.
It has now been found that solid starting iron compounds selected from the group consisting of iron oxides, iron hydroxides, iron oxyhydroxides, and mixtures thereof can be converted continuously, even at high Solids to Liquid Ratios (SLR), in one or a series of separate vessels without an unacceptable level of segregation. Using high Solids to Liquid Ratios enables the use of relatively compact equipment and offers low operational costs and energy consumption.

Preparation of iron compounds by hydrothermal conversion


In a fin-type field effect transistor (FinFET) structure, a gate strap is positioned on the top of a gate conductor and runs along the gate conductor. The top of the gate strap is positioned a greater height above the top surface of the substrate than the top of the fin cap. The gate strap is conformal and, therefore, the top of the portion of the gate strap that crosses the fin cap has a greater height above the top surface of the substrate than top portions of other regions of the gate strap. Further, the material of the gate strap can have a different work function than a material of the gate conductor.

The embodiments of the invention generally relate to transistor structures and more particularly to fin-type field effect transistors (FinFET) that utilize gate straps above the gate conductors.
Within FinFETs and other similar structures, fin edge capacitance and corner parasitic reactions can degrade performance of the FinFET Technology. In order to address such issues, the present invention is directed to a semiconductor structure, which includes FinFET devices having a gate strapping plug between adjacent fins, recessed below the top of a cap on the fins. This structure reduces the outer fringe capacitance. More specifically, with embodiments herein, the fin-type field effect transistor (FinFET) structure begins with a substrate and a fin having a bottom positioned on the top surface of the substrate. The fin has a "fin length" running parallel to the top surface of the substrate, a "fin height" above the top surface of the substrate that is less than the fin length, and a "fin width" running parallel to the top surface of the substrate and running perpendicular to the fin length.
The fin is a relatively narrow width, relatively tall height structure that protrudes from the top surface of the substrate. Therefore, the fin width is less than the fin height. A fin cap is positioned on the top of the fin and runs along the fin. The fin cap has a fin cap width equal to the fin width, and fin cap height that is less than the fin height.
A gate conductor is positioned on the top surface of the substrate. The gate conductor has a "gate conductor length" running parallel to the top of the substrate that is perpendicular to the fin length such that the gate conductor intersects the fin. The gate conductor has a gate conductor height above the top surface of the substrate that is greater than the fin height, yet that is less than the height that the top of fin cap is positioned above the top surface of the substrate.
A gate strap is positioned on the top of the gate conductor and runs along the gate conductor. The gate strap has a "gate strap width" equal to the gate conductor width. The top of the gate strap is positioned a greater height above the top surface of the substrate than the top of the fin cap. The top of the portion of the gate strap that crosses the fin cap has a greater height above the top surface of the substrate than top portions of other regions of the gate strap. Further, the material of the gate strap can have a different work function than a material of the gate conductor.
As with conventional FinFET structures, an insulator (e.g., gate oxide) separates the gate conductor and the gate strap from the fin and the fin cap. Further, the region of the fin that is positioned below the gate conductor comprises a semiconductor. Further, the FinFET structure can include multiple fins and fin caps, in which case the gate conductor would fill in the space between the gate conductors and comprise a gateplug.
These and other aspects of the embodiments of the invention will be better appreciated and understood when considered in conjunction with the following description and the accompanying drawings. It should be understood, however, that the following descriptions, while indicating embodiments of the invention and numerous specific details thereof, are given by way of illustration and not of limitation. Many changes and modifications may be made within the scope of the embodiments of the invention without departing from the spirit thereof, and the embodiments of the invention include all such modifications.

International Business Machines Corporation


A spline hub 1 is a component of a clutch disk assembly 30, which transmits torque between a flywheel 31 and an input shaft 32 of a transmission. The spline hub 1 is produced without being plated, while maintaining the resistance to wear and the accuracy of the dimension of the spline hub 1. The spline hub 1 includes a flange portion 3 and a boss portion 2. The flange portion 3 is coupled to a plate 7 of the clutch disk assembly 30, through which torque is transmitted from the flywheel 31. The boss portion 2 is fixedly coupled to the inner peripheral end of the flange portion 3. Spline grooves 20 are formed on the inner peripheral surface of the boss portion 2. The boss portion 2 is spline-engaged with an input shaft 32 of the transmission. Hardened layers 20a are partially formed on the surface of the spline grooves 20. In one embodiment, the bore of the spline hub 1 has ring-shaped hardened layers 20a intersecting the spline grooves 20. The ring-shaped hardened layers 20a are axially separated from each other. In another embodiment only selected spots of the spline grooves 20 have hardened layers 20b.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention generally relates to a spline hub of a damper disk assembly. More specifically, the present invention relates to a spline hub of a damper disk assembly that is used in a clutch disk assembly.
2. Background Information
A clutch disk assembly transmits and cuts off torque between an engine and a transmission. The clutch disk assembly is one of the members that is rotatably mounted on the input shaft of the transmission. The clutch disk assembly includes a spline hub that engages the input shaft of the transmission. Many spline hubs are either hard chrome plated or Kanigen plated to improve the resistance to wear caused due to the clutch operation.
When plated metal peels due to the continuous clutch operation, the spline engagement portion starts to wear rapidly and does not last long. Moreover, waste water processing facilities are needed to prevent environmental pollution of waste water from plating. Since the plating membrane is very thin (normally thinner than 8 .mu.m), once the plating membrane wears out, the abrasion proceeds very fast.
Another method of strengthening the spline hub is to heat treat the spline hub and therefore form a hardened layer which is equivalent to the plating layer in the previous method. However, the tooth form of the spline hub generally requires precise measuring to prevent backlashes. Since conventional heat treatment generally causes dimensional change due to deformation from heat, a heat-treated spline hub cannot meet the accuracy requirement of dimension. If a polishing process is added after the heat treatment, the accuracy requirement will be met, but it adds to the number of processes and the cost, which makes the heat treatment a less preferable option than plating.
In view of the above, there exists a need for a spline hub of a damper disk assembly that is especially useful in a clutch disk assembly which overcomes the above mentioned problems in the prior art. This invention addresses this need in the prior art as well as other needs, which will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this disclosure.


Plastic hydrophobic material is bonded to a metallic sheet member such that the resulting sandwich structure is impervious to electrochemical delamination. First and second films of the plastic hydrophobic material are applied to opposed surfaces of the metallic sheet member and extend beyond a peripheral edge of the metallic sheet member to form contiguous border portions. A plurality of perforations are formed through the metallic sheet member at locations spaced from its peripheral edge. A resulting sandwich structure of the metallic sheet member and the first and second films are compressed and simultaneously the temperature is raised to the sintering temperature of the hydrophobic film material. The first and second films are caused to melt sufficiently at their interfaces to cause an intermixing of the juxtaposed material thereof throughout the region of the border portions and throughout the regions of the perforations. When the resulting sandwich structure is cooled to room temperature and the films return to the hardened state, they are firmly bonded together in the region of the border to form an integral fringe which seals the peripheral edge of the metallic sheet member from ambient conditions and throughout the regions of the perforations such that the first and second films, respectively, are drawn firmly into engagement with the metallic sheet member by reason of the differential coefficient of thermal expansion between the metallic sheet member and the hydrophobic film material.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for bonding a plastic hydrophobic film to a metallic sheet member and to an article so produced. The invention may be of particular benefit for a bipolar cell for gas depolarized rechargeable batteries such as nickel hydrogen and zinc oxygen.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
Bipolar batteries require a conductive planar layer between series connected cells which essentially replaces external bus bars employed in monopolar batteries. Bipolar batteries also require a means for restricting electrolyte communication between series connected cells as this completes an intrinsic short circuit when combined with the bipolar plate. In the case of nickel hydrogen batteries as taught in U.S. application for Patent, Ser. No. 08/626,992 filed Apr. 3, 1996, entitled, "Bipolar Cell Design for a Gas Depolarized Battery", this restriction is accomplished by applying an inert hydrophobic electrically insulating layer to the periphery of the bipolar plate to contain liquid electrolyte solution within the confines of the individual cell. A preferred material for this purpose, is polytetrafluoroethylene, for example, available under the trademark Teflon.RTM., manufactured by E.I. duPont de Nemours Company of Wilmington, Del.
The hydrophobic film must be bonded to the metal in order to prevent electrolyte from creeping under the layer and thereby bridging to the next series cell. The bonding between the Teflon.RTM. material and the bipolar plate must be stable in the cell environment as an unstable bond will eventually delaminate leading to an intercell electrolyte solution bridge. In practice, traditional Teflon.RTM. coating processes such as those with carbon and chromic oxide primers have not been found to be stable in the cell environment. Chemically applied coatings typically fail due to attack on the bonding interface between the Teflon.RTM. material and the metallic bipolar plate in the cell electrochemical environment.

Battery cell design for a bipolar rechargeable battery


Systems and methods for ordering candidates for wireless network association are provided. In certain embodiments, a wireless device, includes a processor that controls data received and data to be transmitted by the wireless device; and a memory, wherein the memory stores a short list that stores network device responses, wherein a network device response is associated with a network device in an environment of the wireless device. In certain implementations, instructions direct the processor to perform a short list search, wherein the wireless device attempts to connect to networks associated with network devices identified in the short list; and when the wireless device fails to connect with the networks associated with the network devices identified in the short list, perform an exhaustive search, wherein the wireless device attempts to connect to additional networks associated with additional network devices based on an ordered arrangement of network identifiers.

Electronic devices are able to operate wirelessly by communicating over networks. When a "wireless device" is introduced into an environment, the wireless device connects to a network and then communicates with other devices over the network. However, the wireless device first identifies a desired network over which to communicate and in certain environments there may be multiple networks in the neighborhood of a wireless device. When only one network is the desired network in a neighborhood of multiple networks, a wireless device orders the candidates to reduce the number of association attempts with each candidate network.
In one particular method, a wireless device attempts to connect with networks based on the order in which a network responds to a beacon request. For example, a wireless device searches available frequency channels for the first joinable response from a network. When the wireless device finds the network, the wireless device attempts to associate with the network. After association, the wireless device is able to determine if the network is the desired network. If the associated network is not the desired network, the wireless device increments the channel to the next channel and again searches for the first joinable response from a network. The wireless device repeats this process until the wireless device associates with the desired network. While this is a fast way to select a candidate for an association attempt, it may require many tries before the desired network is found. Further, the expected number of association attempts before successfully associating with the desired network increases as the number of joinable candidate networks increase. Problematically, under this "first responder" method, the wireless device can fail to join the desired network at all if undesired networks always respond first.
In an alternative method, a wireless device searches the channels for a network that responds to a beacon request with the strongest joinable beacon response. When a network providing the strongest joinable beacon response is identified, the wireless device attempts to associate with the identified network. Attempting to associate with the network providing the strongest joinable beacon response may work well if a node of the desired network is closest to the wireless device. However, attempting to associate with the network providing the strongest joinable beacon response may fail consistently if an unwanted network generates a stronger beacon response.
In some further implementations, when a wireless device is either searching for a network that provides the strongest joinable beacon response or searching for a network that provides the first response, the wireless device may store multiple responses in memory. For example, the wireless device may store the first X responders or the strongest X responders. However, if the desired network is the X+1 network to provide a response or the response provided by the desired network is the X+1 strongest response, then the wireless device will be unable to associate with the desired network.


A method of distributed control of train throttle and braking includes transmitting an instruction to a remote power unit to apply at least one acceleration to the train at a future time; receiving the instruction; transmitting a confirmation that the remote power unit is armed to execute the instruction to a lead power unit; and computing a profile describing at least one acceleration to be applied to the train as it travels over a predetermined route. The computation is determined at least in part on whether or not the confirmation has been received by the lead power unit. The instructions may be contained in a profile which optimizes fuel consumption, emissions, and/or trip time. The accelerations may be carried out by direct control or by prompting an operator. In another aspect, the confirmed instructions may be used to ensure braking in accordance with a predetermined braking curve.

This invention relates generally to trains and other rail vehicles and more particularly to systems and methods for distributed control of trains.
Train cars are commonly provided with a type of air brake system which functions to apply brakes on the car upon a pressure drop in a "brake pipe" that interconnects the cars and to release the air brakes upon a pressure rise in the brake pipe. The brake pipe is pressurized by a compressor in the locomotive. When braking is desired, a brake valve in the locomotive bleeds air from the brake pipe through an orifice.
Such air brake systems may be controlled by a system referred to as communication based train control ("CBTC") or positive train control ("PTC"). In a PTC system, speed limits, temporary slow orders, movement authorities and other conditions are conveyed to a train cab using electrical signals on the rails, transponders, or wireless transmission so that aspect information can be directly displayed in the cab. An example of such a system is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,533,695. An on-board computer scans for speed restrictions and, if a reduced speed or stop is ahead, calculates a braking distance or "braking curve" based on current speed, target speed, track gradient and train braking ability. The "target speed" and calculated "distance to target" may be displayed to the train crew. Then, the distance and time to where braking must start is calculated. In case of failure by the crew to take necessary actions such as decelerating or braking, the on-board computer can apply automated speed enforcement (i.e. penalty brake application) through an interface to the air brake system known as a "penalty valve". Such PTC systems operate under the assumption that braking control is effected only by a lead locomotive or power unit, or by multiple connected power units which are at the front of the train. To assure safe braking, such systems usually assume a conservative worst-case scenario of braking effectiveness when determining a point to initiate penalty braking.
It is also known to control braking, throttle, and other train functions remotely using distributed power control systems for locomotives (hereinafter Distributed Power or DP systems or simply DP), in which the operation of one or more remote locomotives (or group of locomotives forming a locomotive remote) is remotely controlled from the lead locomotive of the train by way of a radio or hard-wired communication system. One such radio-based DP system is commercially available under the trade name LOCOTROL, and is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,582,280, which enables communications among locomotives when connected together to form a consist or at spaced locations along the length of train when the locomotives are spaced apart by one or more railcars.
DP systems can provide shorter braking curves because the brake pipe is being bled down by two or more brake controllers (e.g. valve orifices) and the mean path length of the brake pipe from each car to a control valve (orifice) is reduced. They can also provide improved acceleration and/or tractive force. Known DP systems such as the one described above are highly reliable, but are not generally considered "vital", i.e., their communications protocols do not conform to any specific standards for safety-critical train control operations that must be implemented in a fail-safe manner. If the communications link is interrupted performance may be downgraded.


A method of operating a vehicle having an electric drive is provided. The method includes defining a first zone and a second zone. The first zone has an associated first characteristic and the second zone has an associated second characteristic that differs from the first characteristic. The method further includes switching an operating mode of a vehicle from a first operating mode in the first zone to a second operating mode in the second zone in response to the vehicle translating from the first zone to the second zone. Associated vehicles and systems are provided also.

1. Technical Field
The invention includes embodiments that relate to method of using the propulsion system. The invention includes embodiments that relate to a vehicle and system.
2. Discussion of Art
Hybrid propulsion systems have been developed to recover some of the energy that would otherwise be wasted as heat during dynamic braking. The recovery of this otherwise-wasted energy is regenerative braking. Hybrid propulsion systems can use two different energy sources: a heat engine and an energy storage unit. The engine may burn fuel to produce mechanical work—an internal combustion engine, a turbine engine, and a diesel engine are examples. The energy storage unit may include an electrically re-chargeable battery, an ultracapacitor, or a flywheel having a high power density.
The hybrid propulsion systems can act with regard to specific local events, such as a braking request or an acceleration request. The hybrid propulsion systems do not have a general awareness of the surrounding environment, and do not change functionality based on that awareness. To the extent that any vehicle can sense the environment, one hybrid vehicle monitors ambient temperature and shuts down battery use at ambient temperatures that would damage the batteries.
It may be desirable to have a propulsion system that implements a method of operation that differs from those methods currently available. It may be desirable to have a propulsion system with properties and characteristics that differ from those properties and characteristics of currently available propulsion systems.

Method of operating vehicle and associated system


A method for flexibly configuring default values of a network device and a network device using such flexible configuration method is described. First, it is determined whether the default values are obtained through a microprocessor interface or a memory interface. When it is determined that the default values are obtained through the memory interface, a header is received from a memory through the memory interface it is determined from the header whether any default value of the network device should be updated. If the network device should be updated, then at least one configuration instruction is fetched from the memory and the at least one configuration instruction is interpreted. A register default value of the default values is changed, corresponding to the interpreted at least one configuration instruction. Alternatively, when it is determined that the default values are obtained through the microprocessor interface, the default values are changed according to data received through the microprocessor interface.

1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a network device having an apparatus for selectively configuring the network device using an Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory (EEPROM). More specifically, the network device is able to use dynamic configuration settings in the EEPROM interface, that increases flexibility, has fewer limitations and is a low cost alternative.
2. Description of Related Art
Many types of network devices are necessary to allow a network to function properly. These network devices are composed of chips, with these chips allowing for the control and monitoring of data through the network device. Chip vendors may pre-set some register default values inside a network device, such as a switch/hub chip, to provide a low cost switch and hub application. That means it is not necessary for system integrators to change the internal register default values to build a workable system. The preconfigured chips allow for the network devices to be setup and to function quickly for a majority of system integrators.
In some cases, these pre-set register default values might not suitable for some system integrators. Chip vendors should provide some methods so that system integrators can change some register values instead of using default values. Some chip vendors will provide a microprocessor interface (SPI, I2C, or PCI) to allow system integrators to change all write-able registers. However, built-in microprocessors on the chip boards increase system costs and may not be needed by many customers.
Another alternative method to allow users to change the default values is to provide an Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory (EEPROM) interface. With an EEPROM interface, a system integrator can change some register default values using a very low cost EEPROM. Most chip vendors have provided an EEPROM interface for a low cost switch and hub application.
FIG. 1 provides as an example of a low cost pre-programmed EEPROM that is used to change some default values of a network switch/hub chip. When the external control signal (RESET) goes to inactive, network switch/hub chip start to change its some register default values via downloading the contents of EEPROM. And then network switch/hub chip start its normal operation after the download phase had been finished.
When the RESET signal goes to inactive, the network switch/hub chip starts to fetch data from external EEPROM automatically. Most of the network switch/hub chips will fetch data from EEPROM address 00h (the first entry), and fetch the other data in sequence. In order to change some register default values or set chip configuration, the chip vendor will provide a register set (a part of chip register file) which are downloadable from EEPROM. Each entry of EEPROM is pre-defined and will directly map to one or more entries of a register set inside network switch/hub chip as described in FIG. 2.
However, in this kind of scenario, two major drawbacks may occur. First, different system integrators may want to change different registers. And it is not necessary for system integrators to configure all downloaded register. However, even if system integrators only want to configure some of chip downloadable registers, it is still necessary to fill all the contents of downloadable register set into EEPROM. Secondly, some register default values of network switch/hub chip are change-able via microprocessor interface, but they are not downloadable via EEPROM. In this case, the only way for system integrator to act is to build a microprocessor on the PCB instead of using a very low cost EEPROM.
Thus, there is a need for a mechanism and a process to be used with a network device that allows for a system integrator to make changes to default settings of the network device that is not costly or cumbersome. Additionally, there is also a need for such a mechanism to change only certain defaults on a network device without the limitations imposed by the prior art processes and devices. Also, there is a need for a system that can use multiple inputs to allow for changes to the default values of the network device.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Network device having a flexible EEPROM for setting configuration settings


Embodiments of the present invention describe a method of fabricating a III-V quantum well transistor with low current leakage and high on-to-off current ratio. A hydrophobic mask having an opening is formed on a semiconductor film. The opening exposes a portion on the semiconductor film where a dielectric layer is desired to be formed. A hydrophilic surface is formed on the exposed portion of the semiconductor film. A dielectric layer is then formed on the hydrophilic surface by using an atomic layer deposition process. A metal layer is deposited on the dielectric layer.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of semiconductor processing and more particularly to the selective formation of dielectric layer for a semiconductor device.
2. Discussion of Related Art
One of the common techniques of forming a dielectric layer on a semiconductor device is deposition followed by etching. The dielectric layer is first blanket deposited onto a semiconductor film. Next, a photo-resist film is deposited on the dielectric layer. The photo-resist film is then masked, exposed and developed into a desired pattern that exposes certain portions of the dielectric layer for patterning. Etching is then performed to remove portions of the dielectric layer not covered by the patterned photo-resist film, thus forming a patterned dielectric layer. However, etching may cause damage to the underlying semiconductor film, which affects the performance of the semiconductor device.
Furthermore, in trying to improve the performance of semiconductor devices, new materials have been proposed for use. One example is the substitution of silicon materials used in transistors with III-V compound semiconductor materials that consist of elements from columns III and V of the periodic table. Examples of III-V compound semiconductors are indium antimonide (InSb) and gallium arsenide (GaAs).
Replacing silicon in the transistor channel with III-V compound semiconductor materials results in much higher electron mobility in the transistor channel, which leads to higher performance and less energy consumption. One type of transistor that utilizes III-V compound semiconductor materials is the III-V quantum well transistor. III-V quantum well transistors have shown to be suitable for high speed and low power logic applications. In comparison with metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistors (MOSFETS), quantum well transistors have shown to provide faster switching speed while reducing power consumption.
An example of a conventional III-V quantum well transistor is illustrated in FIG. 1. III-V quantum well transistor 100 includes a semi-insulating gallium arsenide (GaAs) substrate 110, a semiconductor epitaxial structure 120, a Schottky metal gate 160 and ohmic contacts 161, 162. The semiconductor epitaxial structure 120 consists of an aluminum indium antimony (AlInSb) buffer layer 122, a channel layer 124 and an AlInSb barrier layer 126. Channel layer 124 can be made of indium antimony (InSb) and is formed between barrier layer 126 and buffer layer 122. The Schottky metal gate 160 is formed on a recess 146 etched on the top of the AlInSb barrier layer 126. Ohmic contacts 161, 162 can be source and drain contacts.
As illustrated in FIG. 1, III-V quantum well transistors currently rely on Schottky barrier height as the junction barrier between the channel and gate. As a result, the on-to-off current ratio for these III-V quantum well transistors does not meet high-speed requirements for advance logic applications. Furthermore, the quiescent-state leakage currents present in Schottky metal gates affect the integration of III-V quantum well transistors into large-scale integrated circuits.
Hence, there is need for an improved method of fabricating a semiconductor device that overcomes the limitations of Schottky metal gates as well as minimizing damages associated with etching.

Selective high-k dielectric film deposition for semiconductor device


Various embodiments of the present invention are directed to methods for coupling semiconductor-based photonic devices to diamond. In one embodiment of the present invention, a photonic device is optically coupled with a diamond structure. The photonic device comprises a semiconductor material and is optically coupled with the diamond structure with an adhesive substance that adheres the photonic device to the diamond structure. A method for coupling the photonic device with the diamond structure is also provided. The method comprises: depositing a semiconductor material on the diamond structure; forming the photonic device in the semiconductor material so that the photonic device couples with the diamond structure; and adhering the photonic device to the diamond structure.

Advancements in disciplines ranging from atomic physics to various branches of condensed matter physics are being employed to fabricate a variety of different diamond-based materials that can be used in many different technological applications. Diamond has a crystal lattice structure comprising two interpenetrating face-centered cubic lattices of carbon atoms. FIG. 1A shows a unit cell 100 of a diamond-crystal lattice. In FIG. 1A, each carbon atom, represented by a sphere, is covalently bonded to four adjacent carbon atoms, each covalent bond is represented by a rod connecting two spheres. As shown in FIG. 1A, a carbon atom 102 is covalently bonded to four carbon atoms 103-106. In general, diamond has a number of potentially useful properties. For example, diamond is transparent from the ultraviolet to the far infrared of the electromagnetic spectrum and has a relatively high refractive index of about 2.42. Diamond may also be a suitable replacement for silicon in silicon-based semiconductor devices. For example, silicon has an electronic bandgap of about 1.12 eV and starts to show signs of thermal stress at about 100° C., while diamond has a larger electronic bandgap ranging from about 5 eV to about 7 eV and a higher Debye temperature ranging from about 1550° C. to about 1930° C.
Certain impurities and defects, called "color centers," embedded in diamond may have potential applications in quantum computing and quantum information processing. For example, a nitrogen-vacancy ("NV") center embedded in diamond is a type of color center that may be used to store a quantum bit of information. FIG. 1B shows an NV center embedded in a diamond-crystal lattice 110. The NV-center comprises a nitrogen atom 112, substituted for a carbon atom, next to a vacancy 114 in the carbon lattice. The nitrogen atom 112 is covalently bonded to three carbon atoms 116-118. NV centers can be created in a nitrogen rich diamond by irradiation and subsequent annealing at temperatures above 550° C. The radiation creates vacancies in the diamond and subsequent annealing causes the vacancies to migrate towards nitrogen atoms to produce NV centers. Alternatively, NV centers can be created in diamond using N+ ion implantation.
When an electromagnetic field interacts with an NV center, there is a periodic exchange, or oscillation, of energy between the electromagnetic field and the electronic energy levels of the NV center. Such oscillations, which are called "Rabi oscillations," are associated with oscillations of the NV center electronic energy level populations and quantum-mechanical probability amplitudes of the NV center electronic energy states. Rabi oscillations can be interpreted as an oscillation between absorption and stimulated emission of photons. The Rabi frequency, denoted by Ω, represents the number of times these oscillations occur per unit time (multiplied by the quantity 2π).
FIG. 1C illustrates an energy-level diagram of electronic states of a negatively charged NV center. Under applied stress or an electric field, the E3 excited states, which have an optical doublet, spin striplet structure, split into upper and lower branches with different orbital states. Only the lower branch of the excited states, consisting of three spin levels, is shown in the FIG. 1C. Normally, the optical transitions are normally spin converging. However, when the orbital splitting induced by the applied stress or electric field is in a range from about 15 GHz to about 45 GHz, the spin-orbit interaction can mix the excited states so that spin-non-conserving transitions become allowed In this case, it may be possible to obtain Λ-type configuration comprising multiple ground states coupled to a common excited state. The three ground 3A2 states comprise a first ground state |1 with a lowest energy level 122, and a pair of nearly degenerate ground states |2 and |3 with energy levels 124 and 126, respectively. In FIG. 1C, all three ground states are coupled to an excited state 128, labeled |4. The three double-headed directional arrows 130-132, corresponds to optical transitions driven by two laser frequencies. A first laser drives the |1→|4 transition, while a second laser drives both the |2→|4 and the |3→|4 transitions. A parameter δ1 represents the laser frequency detuning for a |1→|4transition, a parameter δ1 is the laser frequency detuning for a |2→|4 transition, a parameter δ23 is the |2|3 energy splitting, and Ωi represent Rabi frequencies, which are proportional to the square root of the laser intensities. When δ1=δ2 or δ1=δ2+δ3, the system will relax through spontaneous emission into stable "dark" states, which are linear combinations of the states |1, |2, and |3, with probability amplitudes that are tunable through the laser amplitudes. These dark resonance states can be used, for example, for all-optical manipulation of the electron spin. For a description of experimental investigations of NV centers, see "The nitrogen-vacancy center in diamond re-visted," by N. B. Manson et al., preprint: http://arxiv.org/abs/cond-mat/0601360; "Coherent population trapping with a single spin in diamond," by Charles Santori et al., preprint: http://arxiv.org/abs/quant-ph/0607147; and "Coherent population trapping in Diamond N-V centers at zero magnetic field," by Charles Santori et al., preprint: http://arxiv.org/abs/cond-mat/0602573. Note that the exact structure of the 3E state depends on the strain or other mechanical effects exterted on the diamond crystal. Also, the excited-state linewidths depend critically on the temperature. In order to obtain optical linewidths that are less than 100 MHz, it is necessary to lower the temperature of the diamond crystal to temperatures below 20K. With narrow optical linewidths, it is possible to manipulate the spins of single NV centers using the optical transitions shown in FIG. 1C.
The NV centers are appealing for quantum information processing because the NV center has a relatively long-lived spin coherence time and a possibility of large-scale integration into semiconductor processing technology. For example, an NV center electron spin coherence time of 58 μs has been observed at room temperature. See "Long coherence times at 300K for nitrogen-vacancy center spins in diamond grown by chemical vapor deposition," by A. Kennedy et al., App. Phys. Lett. 83, 4190-4192 (2003). NV centers may have relatively long-lived spin coherence because the lattice comprises primarily 12C, which has zero nuclear spin. In addition, a single photon can be generated from an NV center at room temperature, which has established NV centers as potential photon sources for quantum cryptography. See "Stable solid-state source of single photons," by C. Kurtsiefer et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 85, 290-293 (2000) and "Room temperature stable single photon source," by A. Beveratos et al., Eur. Phys. J D 18, 191-196 (2002).
However, in order to fully realize the potential of diamond color centers for photonic quantum information processing it is necessary to optically couple the diamond color centers to photonic devices, such as resonant cavities and waveguides, which can be used to transmit quantum information encoded in modes of electromagnetic radiation. The photonic devices can be formed in semiconductor materials and used as components of quantum computer architectures. When the coupling between the color center and the cavity or waveguide is sufficiently strong, efficient inter-conversion between photonic and spin qubits becomes possible. One can then envision connecting many such devices together by employing optical waveguides to realize a scalable quantum computing architecture. Physicists, computer scientists, and engineers have, therefore, recognized a need for methods of optically coupling diamond with photonic devices in order to fabricate various quantum computing architectures.

Methods for coupling diamond structures to photonic devices

Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.


An integral cooling system for cooling a plurality of electronic components, including: a cooling fluid manifold for mounting over the plurality of electronic components; a main fluid inflow duct within the manifold for supplying pumped cooling fluid; a main fluid outflow duct within the manifold for removing pumped cooling fluid; for each respective electronic component of the plurality of electronic components: a component cooling chamber within the manifold, for application of cooling fluid to an area immediately adjacent the electronic component; a fluid supplying duct within the manifold to supply cooling fluid from the main fluid inflow duct to the chamber; and, a fluid removing duct within the manifold to remove cooling fluid from the chamber to the main fluid outflow duct. In preferred embodiments, there is a thermally-conductive slug or piston disposed between the respective electronic component and component cooling chamber to prevent direct application of a flow of the pumped cooling fluid to the respective electronic component, and to encourage uniform cooling across the respective electronic component.

Numerous cooling systems for cooling electronic components are known in the art. Known systems which include a "hat" type of arrangement and/or intermediary thermal conduction components between a cooling medium and an electronic component to be cooled, include:
Kawamoto (U.S. Pat. No. 3,908,188) PA1 Hosono, et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 3,989,099) PA1 Chu et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 3,993,123; assigned to the same assignee, IBM, as the present application) PA1 Flint et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 4,759,403; assigned to the same assignee, IBM, as the present application) PA1 Chu et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 4,765,400; assigned to the same assignee, IBM, as the present application) E. G. Loeffel, S. W. Nutter and A. W. Rzant, IBM Technical Disclosure Bulletin, Vol. 20, No. 2, July 1977, "Liquid Cooled Module With Compliant Membrane", p. 673-674 PA1 V. W. Antonetti, H. E. Liberman and R. E. Simons, IBM Technical Disclosure Bulletin, Vol. 20, No. 11A, April 1978, "Integrated Module Heat Exchanger" PA1 P. Hwang, S. Oktay, A. L. Pascuzzo and A. C. Wong, IBM Technical Disclosure Bulletin, Vol. 20, No. 11A, April 1978, "Conduction Cooling Module", p. 4334-4335 PA1 C. J. Keller and K. P. Moran, IBM Technical Disclosure Bulletin, Vol. 21, No. 6, November 1978, "High-Power Rectifier Jet-Cooled Heat Sink", p. 2438 PA1 C. D. Ostergren, IBM Technical Disclosure Bulletin, Vol 27, No. 1B, June 1984, "Mini Conformal Cold Plate", p. 494-495 PA1 Meeker et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 4,138,692; assigned to the same assignee, IBM, as the present application) PA1 Ono (U.S. Pat. No. 4,688,147) PA1 Mittal (U.S. Pat. No. 4,750,086) PA1 Yamamoto et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 4,783,721) PA1 Nicol et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 4,791,983) PA1 Tustaniwskyj et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 4,809,134) PA1 Yamamoto et al. (European Patent No. 0 151 546 A2) PA1 D. Balderes and J. R. Lynch, IBM Technical Disclosure Bulletin. Vol. 20, No. 11A, April 1978, "Liquid Cooling of A Multichip Module Package", p. 4336-4337 PA1 V. W. Antonetti, R. C. Chu, K. P. Moran and R. E. Simons, IBM Technical Disclosure Bulletin, Vol. 21, No. 6, November 1978, "Compliant Cold Plate Cooling Scheme", p. 2431 PA1 G. T. Galyon and P. Singh, IBM Technical Disclosure Bulletin, Vol. 28, No. 11, April 1986, "New TCM Design Using Bellows", p. 4759 PA1 Wiegand (U.S. Pat. No. 2,917,685) PA1 Butler et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 3,365,620; assigned to the same assignee, IBM, as the present application) PA1 Melan et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 3,414,775; assigned to the same assignee, IBM, as the present application) PA1 Barkan (U.S. Pat. No. 3,991,396) PA1 Cutchaw (U.S. Pat. No. 4,381,032) PA1 Murphy et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 4,777,561) PA1 M. E. Ecker, IBM Technical Disclosure Bulletin, Vol. 10, No. 7, December 1967, "Interface for Thermal Exchange Devices", p. 943 PA1 J. H. Seely, IBM Technical Disclosure Bulletin, Vol. 11, No. 7, December 1968, "Combination Cooling System", p. 838-839 PA1 K. S. Sachar, IBM Technical Disclosure Bulletin, Vol. 20, No. 9, February 1978, "Liquid Jet Cooling of Integrated Circuit Chips", p. 3727-3728 PA1 A. H. Johnson, IBM Technical Disclosure Bulletin, Vol. 20, No. 10, March 1978, "Device Cooling", p. 3919 PA1 J. C. Eid and M. L. Zumbrunnen, IBM Technical Disclosure Bulletin, Vol. 29, No. 12, May 1987, "Circuit Module With Evaporative Cooling From Sintered Coating On Pistons", p. 5195-5196 PA1 Edmund L. Andrews, Business Technology, "For Chips That Overheat: A Tiny Radiator" (New York Times, Wednesday, Sep. 20, 1989)
The above and other systems including a "hat" arrangement and/or intermediary thermal conduction components are disadvantageous in that thermal resistance of the system is increased and thermal transfer efficiency decreased.
Known systems which include complex "bellows" types of arrangements, and/or complex arrangements of discrete assembled parts, include:
The above and other systems including complex "bellows" types of arrangements, and/or complex arrangements of discrete assembled parts are disadvantageous in that both manufacturing complexity and cost are increased, and alignment problems are prevalent.
Further known approaches include:
Any "essential material" not contained in the present disclosure, but contained in any above- or below-cited U.S. patents or allowed U.S. patent applications, is incorporated herein by reference. Any "non-essential material" not contained in the present disclosure, but contained in any above- or below-cited U.S., foreign or regional patent publications, prior-filed, commonly-owned U.S. applications, or non-patent publications, is incorporated herein by reference.
With the advent of ever increasing computation speeds of computers, VLSI (Very Large Scale Integration) circuit densities have increased proportionately to satisfy demand in the market place. However, increased VLSI circuit densities and chip densities increase power dissipation requirements to enormous levels. For example, typical current semiconductor chip programs are expected to require power dissipation capability in excess of 70 watts. Estimates for future semiconductor chip programs reach 90-100 watts. The increase in chip power is taking place without any increase in chip area, and in fact, it is expected that chip areas will be decreased slightly due to recent developments in VLSI technologies. All of the above developments are necessary to enhance computer machine computational speeds, but place very aggressive design requirements on electronic component cooling schemes.
Air cooling is no longer a viable method for satisfying such high power dissipation requirements. Further, none of the approaches disclosed in the above-mentioned references can provide high power dissipation, while at the same time being low in manufacturing cost and complexity, and provide accurate and easy alignment to respective discrete electronic components which are to be cooled.

Integral cooling system for electric components

International Business Machines Corporation


A mattress lift for elevating a bed mattress and tucking in sheets or bed covers beneath or under the bed mattress between the bed mattress and a box spring or other supporting surface comprising a lift device including a base or body having a longitudinally disposed substantially oblong recess formed in the upper surface thereof with a longitudinally disposed oblong slot formed in the base or body symmetrically disposed within the longitudinally disposed substantially oblong recess, a lift handle formed or coupled to a proximal portion of the base or body configured to be grasped by the user, a lift ramp including an inclined surface formed or coupled to a distal portion of the base or body configured to slide between the bed mattress and box spring to tuck the sheets or bed covers therebetween and a lift support device including an upper lift coupler movably or slidably disposed within the longitudinally disposed substantially oblong recess interconnected or coupled to a lower lift support member disposed beneath the base or body by an interconnecting member at least partially disposed within the longitudinally disposed oblong slot movable or slidable from the proximal end of the longitudinally disposed oblong slot to a distal end of the longitudinally disposed substantially oblong slot to support the lift device in an elevated position to hold the side edge portion and end edge portion of the bed mattress in spaced relationship relative to box spring or support.

1. Field of the Invention
A device and method for lifting a bed mattress and tucking in sheets or bed covers beneath or under the bed mattress.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Changing bed linens and blankets require a degree of strength, dexterity and mobility. This is particularly true for housekeepers who change bed linens on many beds every day, such as in hotels, hospitals and long term care facilities. The task of repeatedly lifting portions of mattresses is physically demanding on the housekeeper and is exacerbated if an institution chooses to use larger or heavier mattresses and bedclothes. Thus, the physical challenges of changing bed linens can be a difficult problem in the homes of many people, and housekeeping staff back, neck, shoulder, elbow, wrist, and finger joint injuries due to the changing of bed linens are a significant workplace issue.
It is therefore desirable to have methods and apparatus to render the task of changing bedclothes less physically demanding. Numerous efforts have been undertaken to reduce these demands.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,398,569 discloses an apparatus for lifting bed mattresses and tucking in bed covers comprising a wedge for lifting bed mattresses.
U.S. 2007/0271706 shows a mattress lift device a wedge-shaped sloped section, a level support section and a handle, for elevating a section of a mattress over a support surface upon which the mattress is lying. A distal end of the sloped section to be directly inserted between the mattress and the support surface, while the proximal end of the sloped section has a height adequate to elevate the mattress high enough to aid in the changing of bedclothes.
U.S. U.S. 2008/0222814 relates to a device for vertically lifting an end of a horizontally disposed mattress comprising an elongated member disposed beneath the mattress and movable by a handle is disposed on and secured to one end of the elongated member between a resting position wherein the elongated member is disposed coplanar with a bottom surface of the mattress and a lifting position wherein the elongated member is disposed generally perpendicular to the bottom mattress surface for lifting the end of the mattress in the vertical direction. The handle is releasably secured to the end of the end of the elongated member for ease of securing the handle to an opposed end of the elongated member.
Additional examples of the prior art are found in; U.S. Pat. No. 2,381,509; U.S. Pat. No. 2,387,357; U.S. Pat. No. 2,390,660; U.S. Pat. No. 2,504,176; U.S. Pat. No. 3,021,533; U.S. Pat. No. 3,952,346; U.S. Pat. No. 4,181,989; U.S. Pat. No. 6,886,203 and U.S. Pat. No. 7,240,385.


A ball screw drive having a threaded spindle and a spindle nut which coaxially encloses it at least partially. The spindle nut receives a ball deflector and therefore has an imbalance caused thereby. A force transmission element is positively connected to the spindle nut. The outer surface of the spindle nut has a recess which is dimensioned and arranged to serve as a stop or groove for the force transmission element and also contributes to the imbalance compensation of the spindle nut. An imbalance compensation method is also provided by fixing the action surface as a surface recess such that the smallest width of the recess is at least 3 times as large as the maximum radial indentation thereof. The filling up of at least parts of the recess by the force transmission element is accounted for and the recess is lengthened along the spindle nut for imbalance reduction.

Generally a roller screw drive is denoted as a recirculating ball spindle or even a ball screw drive (BSD) with balls as the rolling bodies. From a technical point of view, a ball screw drive functions as a worm gear, the step-down gearing and/or step-up gearing thereof being determined by the dimensioning of the threaded spindle, more specifically by the pitch of the thread.
In many technical applications ball screw drives are used primarily in engineering and preferably in tool machines within this field. Increasingly, however, ball screw drives are also used as longitudinal drives in fields where previously hydraulic systems were generally used, for example in injection-moulding machines and power assisted steering. Additionally, ball screw drives also play an increasing role in electromechanical and electro-hydraulic braking systems, where the ball screw drive may be used as a replacement for hydraulic braking cylinders or simultaneously with known braking systems as the actuating element of brake assist systems.
A ball screw drive according to the prior art is illustrated in FIG. 1. A threaded spindle 12 and a spindle nut 14 encompassing this spindle are included in the main components of the ball screw drive 10. During operation, balls circulate between these two components, wherein the thread flights of the threaded spindle 12 and the spindle nut 14 are configured in a complementary manner and thus are adapted to one another such that they act as ball returns.
The spindle nut 14 is formed of a nut body 13 which has (at least) one opening 17 for a ball deflector 15. In this case, this ball deflector 15 is shown as an insert element which is countersunk in the opening 17. The deflector has the task of lifting out the balls at a first point from the ball return between the spindle nut 14 and the threaded spindle 12 and returning the balls at a second point. The ball return thus represents a bypass which bridges at least one, frequently a plurality of thread flights of the nut-spindle system. This results in a closed circulating path for the balls of the ball screw drive 10.
Due to the construction of the spindle nut, said spindle nut is frequently not constructed symmetrically around its central rotational axis. Specifically the ball return or ball deflector ensures that the main axis of inertia of the spindle nut no longer coincides with the rotational axis which is defined by the axial central axis 18 of the spindle.
This state leads to a dynamic imbalance of the spindle nut when it rotates in operation. This is manifested as increased loading of the bearing parts, fastenings and as a result increased wear of the entire system. Additionally, due to the dynamic imbalances, vibrations are produced which lead to audible operating noise which is frequently undesirable.
It is thus known that by adding and/or omitting weight elements at the correct location, the imbalance of a rotating body may be avoided and/or substantially reduced. In the case of a mass-produced part this may be tested, for example, on prototypes and then implemented in production.
A method for removing the imbalance is to provide recesses which as far as possible are identical but mirror-symmetrical, such as for the ball deflector(s) in the spindle nut, and to offset said recesses by 180°. Alternatively, two such compensation recesses which are axially offset in each case by 120° may also be provided. Relative to an imbalance caused by the ball deflector, however, this is costly due to the complex geometry.
FIG. 2 shows a spindle nut body 20 with two recesses 24 and 25 which represent openings (milled recesses and/or apertures) provided for ball return channels. Two recesses 22, 23 are provided for compensating for the imbalance which is produced by the ball deflector(s). The recesses 22, 23 are represented as grooves with a planar base which is advantageous in terms of production technology but differs from the aforementioned formula of mirror-symmetrical apertures.
Ball screw drives are generally used such that either the threaded spindle is stationary and driven so that the spindle nut may move along the spindle or vice-versa. In any case, with spindles and spindle nuts, elements have to be provided which permit the component to be securely fixed or driven; in other words which permit a torque to be introduced or diverted.
Frequently gearwheels are used to this end, said gearwheels being able to be produced as a separate component and pressed, welded or adhesively bonded onto the spindle nut. Alternatively, other force transmission elements are also conceivable such as friction wheels, toothed belt disks or the like. The term force transmission element, therefore, is to be understood as all machine elements which permit torques to be transmitted to or from the spindle nut.

Ball screw drive with force transmission element and imbalance compensation


A system detects the level of a liquid contained in a liquid gas tank or the like by using a magnet.

The present invention proposes a system for controlling the level of a liquid contained in a LPG tank or the like through a particular use of a magnetic detector.
This controlling and detecting system detects the inner state of the tank by means of a magnet. More precisely, this system takes advantage of the generated magnetic field and permits an electronic reading of the position of the liquid level. The system collects data and transforms them in radio signals to be detected by suitable control and/or alarm instruments.
In general, the detecting system according to the invention has an advantage over the prior art since it permits to avoid a direct visual control of the state of filling of the tank by the operator. In this way, it is possible to solve the problems relating to the running of the distribution both for single firms and associated firms.
As it is known, the liquid petroleum gas or LPG for a domestic or industrial use is contained in suitable metal tanks. These tanks are pressurized and completely hermetic.
Since the structure of such tanks is completely hermetic, it is not possible to verify the level of the contained liquid with a direct visual control.
Till today, the only possibility of controlling the gas level is the employment of mechanical level gauges which are provided within the tank itself and comprise a float which is equipped with a suitable gear on which a magnet is mounted.
The aforesaid magnet is connected with an outer dial from which it is therefore possible to control the level of the LPG by means of a suitable indicator.
However, this control system compels the user to make frequent checks. The user is compelled to frequently go to the tank. Further, the tank may be placed far from the building of the installation in question.
In addition, the known art is aware of some industrial activities for a remote transmission of data relating to the level of the liquid gas contained in the LPG tanks. However, these industrial initiatives employ a very limited technology which sometimes is even inaccurate such as the replacement of the dial with potentiometers or with mechanical contacts and the remote cable transmission of the level or also the remote radio transmission of the level.
It is evident that these solutions are not suited to a precise detection of the level of liquid gas contained within the tanks. At least, these solutions require the installation of complex equipments and expensive connections which sometimes are unreliable or difficult to be operated.
The aim of the present invention is the elimination of the aforesaid inconveniences by using a suitable equipment which permits one to electronically detect the magnetic field generated by a magnet and to transform the magnetic field into a radio signal to be detected with precision by means of a suitable receiver. The receiver may placed also at a distance.
Another aim of the present invention is the removal of those inconveniences caused by the frequent visual checks of the operator and the solution of the problems relating to the data distribution as well as the simplification of the data processing, the detection being carried out in a complete and safe automatism.
Another aim of the present invention is the detection of data that are received by the magnet by means of an electronic equipment. The conception and realization of this electronic equipment is very simple and limits the total cost of a service which guarantees a high level of reliability in the data transmission.
All the aforesaid specific aims, advantages and functions are reached according to the present invention by means of a system for controlling the level of the liquid contained in a LPG tank or the like such as those which comprise a float equipped with a suitable device on which a magnet is mounted, characterized in that out of the said tank and over the said magnet there is a transmitting apparatus coupled with at least a magnetic reader, which apparatus and reader are able to convert the state of filling of the tank in signals on the base of the angular displacement of the magnet, which signals are transmitted to suitable devices of reception and alarm including the satellite devices.

System for controlling the level of the liquid contained in a LPG tank or the like

Abstract: This system is mounted on a tank (1). The tank is usually provided with a mechanical level indicator. The mechanical level indicator transmits a certain angular rotation to a stem (2). The upper end of the stem is connected with a magnet. The magnet is placed within a flanged body (3) which is fixed on the tank surface.

Abstract: A casing (4) including a transmitting apparatus (6), coupled with at least a magnetic reader (5) is arranged out of the tank (1) and over the magnet which is placed within the flanged body (3).

Abstract: On the basis of the angular displacement of the magnet, the transmitting apparatus and magnetic reader translate the filling level of the tank in signals to be transmitted to suitable receiving devices.