A printing machine (10) including a registration station (45) for applying a skew adjustment received from a human operator is disclosed. The registration station (45) includes independently controllable motors (52a, 52b) that drive corresponding urging rollers (56a, 56b) as controlled by control circuitry (24), for example in response to the position of a media sheet as sensed by sensors (58a, 58b; 60a, 60b) at the registration station (45). The machine operator can enter a skew adjustment value at a user interface (25a), or at a networked computer workstation with which the printing machine (10) communicates via a network interface (25b). The control circuitry (24) calculates differential control signals for controlling the motors (52a, 52b) to effect the skew correction. The differential control signals may be differential timing delays, such as prior to deactivation of the motors (52a, 52b), or may be a differential velocity signal for driving the motors (52a, 52b).

This invention is in the field of printing, and is more specifically directed to high-speed and high-precision electrographic printing.
Electrographic printing has become a prevalent technology in the modern computer-driven printing of text and images, on a wide variety of hard copy media. Tis technology is also referred to as electrographic marking, electrostatographic printing or marking, and electrophotographic printing or marking. Conventional electrographic printers are well suited for high resolution and high speed printing, with resolutions of 600 dpi (dots per inch) and higher becoming available even at modest prices. At these resolutions, modern electrographic printers and copiers are well-suited to be digitally controlled and driven, and are thus highly compatible with computer graphics and imaging. Examples of conventional printing machines with this capability include the DIGIMASTER 9110 network imaging system and the DIGIMASTER 9150i digital press, both available from Heidelberg USA, Inc.
A typical electrographic printer includes a primary image forming photoconductor, which may be a moving belt in large scale printers, or a rotating drum in smaller laser printers and photocopiers. The photoconductor is initially sensitized or conditioned by the application of a uniform electrostatic charge at a primary charging station in the printer. An exposure station forms an image on the sensitized photoconductor by selectively exposing it with light according to the image or text to be printed. The exposure station may be implemented as a laser, an array of light emitting diodes (LEDs), or a spatial light modulator. In modern electrographic printing, a computer typically drives the exposure station in a raster scan manner according to a bit map of the image to be printed. The exposing light discharges selected pixel locations of the photoconductor, so that the pattern of localized voltages across the photoconductor corresponds to the image to be printed.
At a developing or toning station in the typical electrographic printer, a developer roller or brush is biased to a bias voltage roughly at the primary charging voltage of the sensitized photoconductor prior to exposure. The biased developer roller or brush is loaded with toner, which is typically a mixture of a fine metallic powder with polyester resin and powdered dye, charged to the bias voltage. As the exposed photoconductor passes the developing station, toner is attracted to the discharged pixel locations of the photoconductor. As a result, a pattern of toner corresponding to the image to be printed appears on the photoconductor. This pattern of toner is then transferred to the medium (e.g., paper) at a transfer station. The transfer station charges the medium to an opposing voltage, so that the toner on the photoconductor is attracted to the medium as it is placed in proximity to the photoconductor.
The transferred toner becomes permanently fixed to the medium at the a fusing, or fixing, station that is located downstream from the transfer station. Conventional fusing stations apply heat and pressure to fuse the transferred toner to the medium, after which the then-printed medium travels to a finishing station in the printer for collating, sorting, stapling or other binding, and other finishing operations.
As mentioned above, modern electrographic printers have extremely high resolution capability. The high resolution that is achievable in the formation of the image on a medium has translated into stringent mechanical requirements on the remainder of the printing machine, including stringent requirements in the precision with which the medium is positioned relative to the photoconductor at the transfer station.
The overall precision of the image formation and mechanical positioning in modern printing machines is of special concern in certain printing applications. One example of a printing application with extreme position is the printing of election ballots that are to be machine read after marking by the voter. Anti-counterfeiting measures implemented by ballot reading machines rely upon extremely precise positioning of printed identifiers on the ballot; for example, modern ballot reading machines typically discard, as counterfeit, those ballots having their identifiers mispositioned by as little as twenty thousandths of an inch. Another printing application that requires extremely high precision is the printing of high-quality images on pre-printed media, in which the printed images may be required to be very precisely positioned relative to the existing images and text.
One important parameter in the positioning of media in a printing machine is referred to as "skew". Skew refers to error in the rotational positioning, or angular deviation, of a sheet of the media to be printed at the transfer station. FIG. 1 illustrates the effect of skew in a conventional printing machine, for example in the positioning of sheet 2 at a transfer station in the printing machine. Sheet 2 is a sheet of paper or another medium, to which an image is to be transferred from a developed region of a photoconductor. In the illustration of FIG. 1, sheet 2 is skewed, or rotationally misaligned, such that the center line CL of sheet 2 along its major vertical axis has an angular deviation relative to the path center line PCTR. Path center line PCTR refers to the center line of a transport path of media in the printing machine, and thus to the center line of the imaged portion of the photoconductor. In the printing art, measurement of skew is defined by the horizontal distance between the horizontal position of center line CL at the top of sheet 2 to the horizontal position of center line CL at the bottom of sheet 2. This measured skew is shown as distance SKEW in FIG. 1.
In conventional printing machines, skew is controlled by way of one or more motors at a registration station that feeds sheets of media to the transfer station. U.S. Pat. No. 5,322,273, incorporated herein by this reference, describes an example of a conventional registration mechanism for placing sheets of a medium to be printed in registration with a photoconductor in a conventional printing machine. According to this conventional approach, a pair of motors are laterally separated from one another, and advance each sheet along the path toward the transfer station and photoconductor. These motors are individually and differentially controlled in response to the sensed position of the sheet along the path to remove skew in the medium relative to the path.
FIG. 2 schematically illustrates the operation of conventional registration stations, such as that described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,322,273. Sheet 2 is illustrated as being advanced along the path (having path center line PCTR) by rollers 6a, 6b. Rollers 6a, 6b are advancing rollers driven by individual motors, and controlled in the manner described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,322,373. Laterally separated sensors 5a, 5b sense the leading edge of sheet 2 as it is advanced along the path. In the example of FIG. 2, sensor 5b will detect a leading edge of sheet 2 earlier in time than will sensor 5a. A control circuit (not shown) receives signals from sensors 5a, 5b, and controls the motors driving rollers 6a, 6b accordingly to remove the skew. In this example, the conventional printing machine described in this U.S. Pat. No. 5,322,273 eliminates this skew by deactivating the motor driving roller 6b (for example, upon sensor 5b detecting the leading edge of sheet 2) to hold sheet 2 in position at the point of contact of roller 6b, and continuing to drive roller 6a to rotate sheet 2 for an additional time (for example, until sensor 5a detects the leading edge of sheet 2). The driving of roller 6a with roller 6b stopped will effect a rotation of sheet 2, in the clockwise direction in the example of FIG. 2, correcting the angular deviation of sheet 2 relative to path center line PCTR.
By way of further background, another approach to the elimination of skew in printing machines involves the differential driving of laterally spaced rollers to different velocities, responsive to a skew measurement. U.S. Pat. No. 5,078,384 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,094,442, both incorporated by reference herein, describe this differential velocity approach. According to this conventional control method, referring to FIG. 2, the control circuit computes the extent of skew of sheet 2 from signals that it receives from sensors 5a, 5b, and controls the motors driving rollers 6a, 6b such that roller 6a rotates faster than roller 6b, in the skew example of FIG. 2. This differential velocity will effectively rotate sheet 2 to eliminate the skew by the time that sheet 2 exits the registration station.
While these conventional printing machines are effective to remove skew to a significant degree, it has been observed in connection with this invention that the ultimate precision with which the skew is eliminated is still limited, especially relative to the extremely high precision required for some modern printing jobs, as mentioned above. Furthermore, while the precision of skew compensation in these conventional printing machines can be adjusted, such adjustment requires a service technician to take down the machine and effect the specific adjustment. Especially in the context of a print shop environment, this adjustment typically necessitates a service call, thus involving significant cost, as well as machine downtime (at least for precision printing jobs) while awaiting the service technician.

Adjustment of skew registration of media to a developed image in a printing machine


The present invention relates to a method of obtaining altered plasmid contents in bacteria, bearing mutation in at least one of the chromosomal genes, nusG, rho, and dnaC, and the bacterial strains thereof, having the mutated chromosomal genes, individually or in various possible combinations, capable of altering the level of plasmids.

Plasmids are stable extra-chromosomal genetic elements in bacteria that are most commonly comprised of circular DNA (often a few kilobase-pairs [kb] in size) and that are capable of autonomous replication within bacterial cells. With the advent of recombinant DNA technology, plasmids gained use in a variety of processes as vehicles or vectors for the introduction and maintenance of non-native DNA in bacterial host cells. More recently, plasmids have become important as products as well, in the form of DNA vaccines in medical and veterinary practice. In most such applications, the bacterial host is Escherichia coli.
An important feature in relation to plasmids is their copy-number regulation within bacterial cells. Under ordinary growth conditions, each plasmid is maintained at a characteristic copy number in the cell by the operation of feedback regulatory loops that control replication of the plasmid DNA. One class of plasmids which is extensively employed in biotechnology are the "ColE1-like" plasmids which include the naturally occurring plasmids ColE1, p15A, RSF1030, CloDF13, and pMB1 as well as the cloning vectors pBR322, pBR329, pACYC184, pACYC177 and the pUC and pBluescript series of plasmids. In the replication of the ColE1-like plasmids in E. coli, the feedback regulatory loops involve a plasmid-specific RNA species (RNA-II) that activates replication, and a second plasmid-specific RNA species (RNA-I) and a protein (Rop) that act to inhibit replication [Polisky (1988) Cell 55:929–932].
Alterations in copy numbers of plasmids—both upward and downward—have been sought to be achieved by manipulation of the concerned feedback regulatory loops in the prior art, as briefly described below. Manipulations to increase the plasmid copy number are in general desirable when one's aim is (i) to increase the yields of plasmid DNA from cultures, for example, in routine recombinant DNA experiments or in production of DNA vaccines; or (ii) to increase the expression of product(s) encoded by plasmid-borne gene(s). Increase in plasmid copy numbers have been achieved either constitutively by mutations inactivating the feedback regulatory circuits (present, for example, in the commonly used ColE1-derived pUC series of plasmid vectors with very high copy numbers, such as pUC18 or pUC19) or by inducible processes that have been referred to as runaway-plasmid-replication systems [Lin-Chao et al. (1992) Mol. Microbiol. 6:3385–3393; Nordstrom and Uhlin (1992) Bio/Technology 10:661–666].
Manipulations to decrease the plasmid copy number become valuable in situations where the gene(s) borne on the plasmid confer a dosage-dependent growth disadvantage to the host bacterial cells. Mutation in pcnB, an E. coli chromosomal gene, has been shown to reduce the copy number of both ColE1-derived and p15A-derived plasmids, most probably through stabilization of the RNA-I transcripts involved in the negative control of plasmid replication [Lopilato et al. (1986) Mol. Gen. Genet. 205:285–290].

Centre for DNA Fingerprinting and Diagnostics (CDFD)


A carrying box which includes a box body adapted for holding a portable computer and computer accessories, a support board hinged to one side panel of the box body and adapted to supporting the box body on a seat, a strap adapted to securing the box body to a back of a seat, an inner cover board hinged to one side of the box body and adapted to close the box body, the inner cover board having an expandable file pouch and pen loops on the inside, and a rigid outer cover board having a flexible linking portion hinged to one side of the box body opposite to the inner cover board and a paper clip on the inside.

(a) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a carrying box for a portable computer which can be conveniently secured to a front seat inside a car, and serves as a table when opened.
(b) Description of the Prior Art
Regular computer carrying boxes are simply designed for carrying a portable computer. These computer carrying boxes have no means for holding files and writing materials. When a portable computer is carried in a computer carrying box for use in a car, the computer carrying box cannot be firmly secured to a seat inside the car for use as a writing table. Furthermore, these computer carrying boxes cannot sustain an impact.


In a case where gas supply controller of an FC system determines that the temperature of an FC is a predetermined temperature or less, the gas supply controller fixes the FC voltage to a voltage value within a voltage region where degradation is relatively small, the voltage value being below a voltage range where an oxidation-reduction proceeds. Further, the amount of a gas supplied to the FC is changed in accordance with electric power required by a load.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of controlling a fuel cell system including a fuel cell and a load driven by electric power outputted from the fuel cell.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, techniques of warming up a fuel cell utilized in a fuel cell vehicle or the like has been proposed (U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2010/0047630 (hereinafter referred to as "US 2010/0047630 A1"). In US 2010/0047630 A1, the output voltage of the fuel cell (FC) is set to be equal to or larger than the minimum drive voltage of a load power source (see "Abstract" therein). More specifically, it is determined whether warm-up is necessary or not based on the temperature of the FC (S2 of FIG. 4 therein). If warm-up is necessary (S2: YES), it is confirmed whether or not there is any demand for the motor output (S3). If there is no demand for the motor output (S3: NO), a first low-efficiency operation is performed (S4 of FIG. 3). In the first low-efficiency operation, the output voltage of the FC is relatively low. If there is any demand for the motor output (S3: YES), a second low-efficiency operation is performed (S5 of FIG. 3). In the second low-efficiency operation, the output voltage of the FC is relatively high.
The first low-efficiency operation is used in the case where there is no demand for output from a traction motor (M3), and the second low-efficiency operation is used in the case where there is the output demand from the traction motor (paragraph [0044] therein). In the first low-efficiency operation, the output voltage of the FC is set to be less than the minimum drive voltage (Vlim) of the traction motor (paragraph [0045] therein). In the second low-efficiency operation, the FC current is calculated depending on the FC demand output, and the air stoichiometric ratio is changed depending on the calculated FC current. At this time, the FC output voltage is fixed at the minimum drive voltage (FIG. 5, paragraph [0046] therein).


This feature of the present invention comprises a method and apparatus to retard the spark time. As a result, the catalyst heats up quickly during the cold start. The retard spark control method of the present invention uses a closed loop to adjust the engine retard limit during an engine cold start to retard the engine spark as much as possible without engine misfire and with minimum partial burn. The increased exhaust temperature heats up the catalyst more quickly than conventional open loop approaches, which as a result, reduces hydrocarbon emissions. The closed loop retard spark control using ionization current feedback consists of four major components or functions, an error and gain generator, a proportional and integration control processing block, a default spark timing processor, and an adaptive learning apparatus.

1. Technical Field
This invention is related to the field of automobile engine systems and control. More particularly, it is related to an apparatus and method to reduce the time required for a catalyst to reach a desired operating efficiency.
2. Discussion
The prior art includes a variety of conventional methods for detecting and using ionization current in a combustion chamber of an internal combustion engine. However, each of the various conventional systems suffers from a great variety of deficiencies. For example, prior art ionization current detection circuits are generally too slow and generate a current signal with low signal-to-noise ratio.
Air pollution from automobile exhaust is caused in part by hydrocarbon emission. A catalyst converter is used in an internal combustion engine to reduce these pollutants by converting the harmful materials to harmless materials. Because the catalyst converter does not operate when the temperature of the catalyst is below its operational point, around 70% of the hydrocarbon emission during the Federal Test Procedure cycle is produced during the cold start when the catalyst temperature is below its operational point. Various approaches using open loop calibration have been developed to heat up the catalyst quickly during the cold start. However, since spark retard is limited by partial burn and misfire, open loop calibration of a retard spark for a cold start is performed slowly and conservatively.

Closed loop cold start retard spark control using ionization feedback


A method of making a bone matrix includes exposing a bone tissue to a solution including a surfactant and a protease; treating the bone tissue with an acid solution following exposing the bone tissue; and electrophoretically treating the acid treated bone tissue. A bone matrix has a DNA content of not greater than 0.1 micrograms per milligram sample and a modulus in a range of 180 kPa to 250 kPa.

A considerable number of traumatic events, surgeries, and degenerative conditions result in damage to the skeletal system. For example, car accidents or sports injuries often result in shattered bone. Similarly, surgeries, such as cranial surgery, can involve the resection of bone, such as the cranium. Further, arthritic conditions or cancers can result in degenerated vertebrae.
As such, the medical field is seeking improved methods and devices to treat skeletal injuries.
The use of the same reference symbols in different drawings indicates similar or identical items.

Decellularized and demineralized bone matrices and methods for making same


A circuit control apparatus for establishing a connection to a communication partner via a public circuit network or via a computer network is disclosed. The circuit control apparatus includes: a specifying information storing part 171 for storing specifying information for specifying a called party to which the circuit control apparatus originates a call to establish a connection via the public circuit network; a circuit control part 11 for immediately originating a call via the public circuit network for establishing a connection to a called party specified by the specifying information, and for trying to originate a call via the computer network for establishing a connection to a called party that is not included in the specifying information storing part; and a changing part 16 for changing specifying information in the specifying information storing part.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a circuit control apparatus and a method for controlling flows of calling signals/communication data transmitted to a public circuit network or a computer network on the basis of a telephone number.
2. Description of the Related Art
Circuit control apparatuses have previously existed for performing communications by using VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) via the computer network in addition to performing communications with a telephone or a facsimile via the public circuit network.
In a circuit control apparatus, a telephone number of a called party that cannot be reached via the computer network is stored as a special number beforehand when the circuit control apparatus was manufactured, so that the circuit control apparatus originates a call to the called party of the special number via the public circuit network without trying to originate a call via the computer network. A telephone number (110) of the police and a telephone number (119) of emergency are examples of the special number.
Japanese laid-open patent application No.2003-224682 discloses an adapter used for establishing a dial-up connection to a server for internet telephone. The adapter stores information necessary for dial-up and user authentication, so that operation activities by the user for performing dial-up connection can be decreased.
In a case when a user originates a call to a special number registered beforehand in an apparatus or an IP telephone adapter, there is not any problem such as increase of a connection establishing time since call origination via the public circuit network is performed at the beginning. However, according to the above-mentioned conventional circuit control apparatus, for originating a call to a called party having a telephone number other than the special number, the circuit control apparatus first tries to establish a connection to the called party via the computer network. After that, when it is determined that the called party cannot be reached via the computer network, the circuit control apparatus establishes a connection to the called party via the public circuit network. Thus, for communicating with a called party that can be connected only via the public circuit network, the time for trying to establish a connection to the called party via the computer network is wasted, so that there is a problem in that a connection time from starting a call origination process to establishing a connection becomes long.
In addition, the technology in the Japanese laid-open patent application No.2003-224682 is for decreasing operation activities for performing dial-up connection by automatically sending information to a server. In the technology, it is not considered to decrease the connection time.


A canting ballast twin foil (CBTF) sailing yacht constructed according to the invention includes a sailing hull, a laterally moveable ballast suspended beneath the hull that provides a counter heeling force when the yacht is underway, and fore and aft foils that provide improved leeway control and ballast. Components are included for at least partially retracting into the hull at least one of the ballast-supporting strut, the fore foil, and the aft foil.

1. Technical Field
This invention relates generally to sailing yachts, and more particularly to a high performance sailing yacht having a laterally moveable ballast suspended beneath the hull that provides a counter heeling force when the yacht is underway, together with forward and aft foils that provide improved leeway control.
2. Description of Related Art
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,163,377 and 5,622,130 describe various aspects of a keel-less sailing yacht that has fore and aft cambered foils for leeway control and a dynamic gravitational ballast for heeling resistance. A ballast-supporting structure, in the form of an elongated strut extending downwardly from the hull, supports the ballast generally beneath the hull. Twin fore and aft rotatable foils are also supported by the hull with extension below the hull for optimum performance under a wide range of operating conditions, preferably being controlled by a hydraulic or electric system.
A keel-less sailing yacht with appendages in the form of a movable ballast-supporting strut and twin fore and aft foils is sometimes referred to as a canting ballast twin foil (CBTF) sailing yacht. Such CBTF sailing yachts enjoy recognized sailing success accompanied by significant interest in CBTF technology. However, various structural and operational concerns need attention.
For example, the downwardly depending foils and ballast-supporting strut hinder operations in shallower water. In addition, replacement of foils damaged by vessel grounding is impaired. Furthermore, operating performance of larger sailing yachts, including those designed for ocean racing or cruising, can suffer somewhat under various sailing conditions (e.g., sailing off wind) due to the friction drag introduced by the downwardly depending appendages. Thus, a need exists for CBTF improvements in these respects.

CBTF sailing yacht appendage retraction system


Gases containing solubles or suspended particles are mixed with a scrubbing liquid in a mixing apparatus having a chamber with a rotatable wheel mounted therein. The gas is mixed with a scrubbing liquid by the rotating wheel which has first and second scrubbing surfaces including vanes for creating turbulence and moving the gas through the chamber. The vanes on the first scrubbing surface increase in height from the axis of the wheel to its periphery to move gas radially outwardly. The vanes on the second scrubbing surface increase in height from the periphery to the axis of the wheel to move the gas radially inwardly.

This invention provides systems for general mass transfer of solubles and suspended particles from a gas to a liquid. Such systems are applicable to any industrial process which produces gases carrying soluble or partially soluble gases or wettable or soluble solids which must be scrubbed from the gas. For example, vapor deposition and etching processes such as those employed in the semiconductor industry produce gases which are laden with solubles including hydrochloric acid, hydrofluoric acid, nitric acid, ammonia, metal halides and other halogen compounds. These gases must be scrubbed free of such contaminants before venting to the environment or captured for other uses or reuse.
Conventional gas scrubbers generally employ filter media such as packed beds or mixing apparatus such as rotatable cylinders for scrubbing solubles or suspended particles from the gas. U.S. Pat. No. 4,762,539 discloses such a scrubber wherein one or more rotatable cylinders having perforations for passage of smoke are partially immersed in a liquid bath contained in a scrubbing chamber. The cylinders include cups along their axes for spilling liquid over the cylinders during rotation. Smoke laden with particulate impurities is propelled through the perforations as the cylinders rotate. The cups collect and spill liquid from the bath over the cylinders as smoke is forced through the perforations of all of the cylinders to the interior of the innermost cylinder and from there through the perforations to the outermost cylinder, whereby the gas is washed free of particulate impurities.
Another scrubber for removing solubles from gas is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,011,520 wherein a stream of gas passes from a negative pressure stage (where it is sprayed by a scrubbing liquid) through a constricted region of the scrubber into a main scrubbing chamber. In the main chamber the gas effluent is again sprayed with scrubbing liquid in an upper region of the chamber. The gas and scrubbing liquid move to a central region of the chamber where a media filters and mixes the gas and scrubbing liquid. A lower separation region of the chamber separates and discharges the scrubbed gas. The scrubbing liquid laden with contaminants removed from the gas moves through a diverter plate at the lower boundary of the separation region and into a lowermost region of the chamber.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,185,016 discloses a gas scrubber having a rotatable turbine with blades at its periphery and openings along its axis. The turbine is housed within a chamber containing a body of liquid. A stator partially surrounds the rotatable turbine and forms a channel therebetween. The channel communicates with the body of liquid in which the blades of the turbine dip. Waste gas is fed into the rotating turbine along its axis and passes through its openings to the periphery, whereby the gas and liquid from the liquid body mix in a turbulent fashion within the channel.

Mixing apparatus for gas scrubbing systems


A semiconductor memory device includes a control circuit, first wirings, second wirings intersecting the first wirings, and memory cells formed between the first wirings and the second wirings. The control circuit is configured to supply, in a set operation, a set pulse between one of the first wirings and one of the second wirings, supply, in a reset operation, a reset pulse between one of the first wirings and one of the second wirings, and supply, in a first operation, a first pulse between one of the first wirings and one of the second wirings. The first pulse has an amplitude larger than a larger one of an amplitude of the set pulse or an amplitude of the reset pulse, or the same amplitude as the larger amplitude. The first pulse has a pulse width larger than a pulse width of the reset pulse.

There is known a semiconductor memory device including a plurality of first wirings, a plurality of second wirings intersecting the plurality of first wirings, and a plurality of memory cells formed between the plurality of first wirings and the plurality of second wirings, each of the memory cells including a variable resistance layer and a nonlinear element layer including chalcogen.


The present utility model provides a traction sheave, including: a traction sheave body, formed of several arc-shaped traction sheave sections that are connected to each other; and connecting portions, disposed at two ends of each traction sheave section along a lateral surface of the traction sheave section, where the connecting portions at the two ends of each traction sheave section fit each other. The traction sheave according to the present utility model has relatively high replaceability, is very convenient to assemble and disassemble, requires relatively low costs of human and material resources and time, and meanwhile can still ensure high reliability of working of the traction sheave.

An elevator is a transport tool frequently used in daily life. However, because of a special use scenario of an elevator, the elevator needs maintenance for a long period, and aged or worn parts need to be replaced at an appropriate time, so as to ensure safety of application of the elevator. At present, according to usage of an elevator, a pulley component of the elevator is generally replaced about every 6 years. However, it is found in actual maintenance processes that it is very difficult to maintain and replace a pulley component at a site of mounting and using an elevator. After a maintenance person turns off an elevator, a conveyor belt or a conveyor rope tensioned on a traction sheave of a pulley component still needs to be completely pulled away. Throughout a process of maintaining and replacing a traction sheave, such an action of pulling away the conveyor belt or the conveyor rope needs to be kept, and after replacement of the traction sheave is completed, the conveyor belt is tensioned on the traction sheave again. Moreover, throughout a process of maintenance, a conveyor belt needs to be taken off first, and is mounted again after the maintenance is completed. Therefore, regardless of which manner is used, this replacement process consumes a large amount of human and material resources. Meanwhile, the process further has a high cost of time, resulting in that a user needs to wait for a long time, which reduces user experience.
To improve such a condition, experts in the field also propose a concept of changing a complete traction sheave into multiple sections to overcome the foregoing problem. However, to apply such a concept to an actual scenario, multiple issues further need to be considered. For example, an issue is how to connect these sections to facilitate replacement of the sections without affecting normal working of a traction sheave. For another example, an issue is how to design angles and perimeters of these sections to achieve the foregoing effect.

Traction sheave, pulley component and elevator having same


An electrical connector (100) includes a number of conductive contacts (21-28), a first capacitive plate (31) and an insulator (40) fixing the number of conductive contacts (21-28) and the capacitive plate (31). The number of conductive contacts further include a first pair of conductive contacts (21, 22) to form a first signal channel and a second pair of conductive contacts (23, 26) to form a second signal channel. The first capacitive plate (31) is electrically connected with one conductive contact (23) of the second pair. The first capacitive plate (31) is disposed closer to one conductive contact (21) of the first pair than the conductive contact (23) which the first capacitive plate (31) is electrically connected to. The insulator (40) is partially hollowed out between the first capacitive plate (31) and the corresponding conductive contact (21) of the first pair to improve the crosstalk between the first and the second signal channels.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to an electrical connector, and more particularly to an electrical connector with improved crosstalk features.
2. Description of Related Art
U.S. Pat. No. 5,547,405 issued to ITT Industry on Aug. 20, 1996 discloses a low cost modular jack for minimizing crosstalk. The modular jack comprises pairs of electrical contacts. One electrical contact of one pair is electrically connected with a capacitive plate disposed closer to one electrical contact of another pair so that crosstalk is minimized.

Electrical connector with improved crosstalk features


An antenna for a vehicle is provided which includes a first printed circuit board coupled to an upper part of the base, in which at least one ground feeding point is formed and a second printed circuit board coupled to the first printed circuit board in a vertical direction on the upper part of the first printed circuit board. A monopole antenna is coupled to a first side of the second printed circuit board and a first pattern radiates a coupled signal by being coupled to the ground feeding point electrically on the first side of the second printed circuit board.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an antenna for a vehicle, and more particularly, to an antenna for a vehicle that minimizes a return loss generated due to an effect of a vehicle loop ground.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, a conventional communication for a vehicle receives a radio frequency signal such as an Amplitude Modulation (AM) and a Frequency Modulation (FM). For a signal reception of the existing AM and FM band, a glass antenna in which an antenna function is embedded to a window hot-wire has been widely used. In addition to this embedded glass antenna, an external antenna such as a whip antenna or a rod type pole antenna which connects a vertical conducting wire of a π/4 length to a coaxial cable and uses a vehicle itself as a ground connection is used.
Due to the development of communication technology, a vehicle is able to support a broadcasting such as a digital multimedia broadcasting (DMB), XM®, SIRIUS®, digital multimedia broadcasting (DMMB), digital television (DTV), code division multiple access (CDMA), and global positioning system (GPS), in addition to an AM/FM signal. Accordingly, the development of antenna suitable to broadcasting band is important, but the existing glass antenna may be insufficient to satisfy such a demand. In addition, due to an increase of an electronic sub assembly (ESA), the radiation noise of electronic equipment within a vehicle flows back into the vehicle via the vehicle antenna, affecting the reception performance of broadcasting. In particular, the glass antenna has a structure in which the radiation noise of electronic equipment of vehicle flows back into the vehicle, and the directivity of antenna is not identical in all directions (e.g., omnidirectional), thus decreasing the reception performance.
However, the shark fin shaped antenna mounted on a vehicle loop may implement a robust design (e.g., blocking by vehicle loop) in the directivity and the inflow of the radiation noise of electronic equipment unit of vehicle thus improving the reception performance of radio. However, reception sensitivity of antenna may occur due to the miniaturization of AM/FM radio. FIG. 1 is an exemplary detailed view illustrating a structure of a shark antenna for a vehicle which is used in the related art.
Referring to FIG. 1, the conventional shark antenna for the vehicle includes a case 11, a base 12, a printed circuit board 13, a chip antenna 14, and a helical antenna 15. The case 11 is shaped as a shark fin and has an open lower end, and accommodates the printed circuit board 13, the chip antenna 14, and the helical antenna 15. The chip antenna 14 receives a GPS or a CDMA signal, and the helical antenna 15 receives a DMB signal. The chip antenna 14 and the helical antenna 15 are electrically connected to the printed circuit board 13 respectively, and deliver the GPS or the CDMA signal, and the DMB signal received from each antenna to a coaxial cable which is connected to a receiver since a conductive pattern is formed in the printed circuit board 13.
The helical antenna 15 is an antenna made of a metal wire wound in the shape of a spiral helix. A height of the helical antenna is set to the height that may receive the DMB signal, however, it may not be possible to receive a low frequency signal such as an AM/FM with the helical antenna of the conventional shark antenna. The shark antenna is an antenna which has been designed in consideration of the vehicle aesthetics and a function of the antenna, however, the aesthetics of the vehicle may be deteriorated since the height of the shark antenna may be excessively increased when receiving a signal of a low frequency band such as an AM/FM with the helical antenna. In addition, due to a nature of a FM monopole shark antenna which is mounted to a vehicle loop, a return loss may be frequently generated due to the effect of the vehicle loop ground, and accordingly, an insufficient impendence matching of a radiation board may occur.


A photodiode and a method of manufacturing the same, and an X-ray detector and a method of manufacturing the same are provided. The PIN photodiode includes a first doped layer, a second doped layer and an intrinsic layer between the first and second doped layers, the first doped layer is provided on a source/drain electrode layer of a thin film transistor of the X-ray detector. A heavily-doped region is provided in the second doped layer, has a dosage concentration larger than that of the second doped layer, and is electrically connected with a cathode of the PIN photodiode.

Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to the field of semiconductor technologies, and particularly, to a photodiode and a method of manufacturing the same, and an X-ray detector and a method of manufacturing the same.
Description of the Related Art
X-ray detection technologies are widely applied in fields such as medical treatment, security, non-destructive inspection, scientific research and the like, and increasingly play important roles in the national economy and the people's livelihood. Currently, film radiography is generally utilized in actual X-ray detection. The X-ray film radiography technology has a high imaging quality, and can correctly provide reliable information about appearance and defects of a test sample. This technology, however, has disadvantages such as complex operation, high running cost, difficulty in saving a result, inconvenience in retrieving the result, poor portability, and damage to eyes of a reviewer due to strong light, and the like.
In order to solve the above, an X-ray digital radiography (DR) detection technology was developed in the late 1990s. An X-ray digital radiography system is provided with a flat panel detector, which has a pixel size that may be less than 0.1 mm, and thus has an imaging quality and a resolution which can be almost comparable with the film radiography technology, while overcoming the defects present in the film radiography technology and providing convenience in computer processing of images. The digital X-ray radiography detection technologies may be classified, according to different electron conversion modes, into a direct conversion type (Direct DR) and an indirect conversion type (Indirect DR).
The direct conversion type X-ray flat panel detector is comprised of a ray receiver, a command processor and a power supply. The ray receiver comprises a scintillation crystal (Gd2O2S or CsI) panel, a large area amorphous silicon sensor array, a readout circuit, and the like. The scintillation crystal panel is used to convert X-ray photons into visible light, and the large-scale integrated amorphous silicon sensor array jointed closely to the scintillation crystal panel is used to convert the visible light from the panel into electrons, which will then be digitalized by the readout circuit and transmitted to a computer so as to form a displayable digital image.
The indirect conversion type detector is comprised of an X-ray conversion layer, an amorphous silicon photodiode, a thin film transistor, basic pixel units for signal storage, signal amplifying and readout circuits, and the like. The indirect conversion type flat panel detector has a configuration mainly comprised of a scintillator (cesium iodide) or phosphor (gadolinium oxysulfide) layer, an amorphous silicon layer functioning as a photodiode and a TFT array. The scintillator or phosphor layer of such flat panel detector can, after being exposed to X-ray, convert the X-ray into an electrical signal, and a charge signal from each pixel is readout by the thin film transistor array and is converted into a digital signal, which will be transmitted to an image processing system of the computer to be integrated into an X-ray image.
The PIN photodiode is a critical component of an indirect conversion type X-ray detection substrate, is a decisive factor for absorption efficiency of the visible light, and has great influences on key indicators such as X-ray dosage, X-ray imaging resolution, image response speed and the like. Processes of manufacturing the PIN photodiode of the indirect conversion type X-ray detection substrate mainly include PECVD (plasma activated chemical vapor deposition) and ion implantation, where PIN devices may be formed conveniently and quickly by using different process gases (for example, SiH4, NH3, N2O, PH3, H2, B2H6, and the like) in the PECVD technology at the same time, the PECVD technology, however, is disadvantageous in that the dosage concentration is constant, doping of a particular region cannot be achieved, and an ion implantation technologies is required to cooperate with the PECVD technology in order to improve performances of the PIN devices.
In view of the above, there is a need to provide a new photodiode and a method of manufacturing the same, and an X-ray detector and a method of manufacturing the same, which can at least partially solve the above problems.

Photodiode and method of manufacturing the same, and X-ray detector and method of manufacturing the same


A light emitting diode (LED) driving apparatus includes a power supply circuit configured to supply driving power to a plurality of LED arrays, a controller integrated circuit (IC) including a plurality of internal switches respectively connected to the plurality of LED arrays and configured to control a path of current flowing in the plurality of LED arrays by adjusting operations of the plurality of internal switches based on a magnitude of the driving power, and a current control circuit connected to an output terminal of a first LED array among the plurality of LED arrays and configured to adjust current flowing in the first LED array. The first LED array is constantly operated while the driving power is being supplied.

The present disclosure relates to a light emitting diode (LED) driving apparatus and lighting device including the same.
LEDs are semiconductor light emitting devices having advantages of low power consumption, long lifespan, and implementation of light in various colors, compared with existing light sources such as fluorescent or incandescent lamps. With such advantages, LEDs have been extended to apply to various lighting devices, backlight units of display devices, and headlamps of vehicles. In general, an LED is operated by a constant current, and thus, an LED driving apparatus includes a rectifying circuit for converting alternating current (AC) power into direct current (DC) power and a converter circuit generating constant power from an output of the rectifying circuit.
Recently, an LED driving apparatus able to operate an LED without using a converter circuit has been proposed to lower manufacturing costs and increase reliability by reducing the amount of circuit components. The LED driving apparatus without a converter circuit may include a controller IC having a plurality of switches and a plurality of LED arrays controlled in lighting by the controller IC. The LED driving apparatus without a converter circuit is advantageous in terms of high reliability and low manufacturing costs, but a flickering phenomenon can be caused due to a duration in which all the LED arrays do not emit light.

Light emitting device (LED) driving apparatus and lighting device including the same

Samsung-ro, Yeongtong-gu, Suwon-si, Gyeonggi-do


An approach is provided for network quality assurance. The approach includes identifying a node in a calling path associated with a call between a calling party and a called party. The approach also includes querying call record information associated with the call from the node. The approach further includes analyzing the call record information to determine a successful state or a failure state of the call. The approach further includes recursively querying and analyzing other call record information associated with the call from one or more subsequent nodes based on the successful state, the failure state, or a combination thereof determined for the node, the one or more subsequent nodes, or a combination thereof.

Emergency 911 (E911) services play a critical role in maintaining order and security in society. The E911 system's usefulness is directly linked with the system's reliability. As such, network providers must be proactive in monitoring and discovering E911 network issues quickly. Unfortunately, while test calls are necessary to monitor and diagnose such issues, these test calls are intrusive to the E911 networks, potentially blocking incoming calls. Thus, network providers are challenged to continually monitor the reliability of the E911 system without blocking calls to the network. As a result, there is a need for a proactive approach in monitoring and testing of the E911 network with minimum intrusion.

System and method for providing proactive service assurance in emergency networks


Method for controlling a compressor element of a screw compressor, where the compressor element has a housing with two meshing helical rotors supported in the housing in the axial direction using at least one axial bearing. The method has a process A and/or a process B, where process A has a first step of switching on a first magnet during start-up of the compressor element, such that the magnet exerts a force on the rotor that is directed from an outlet side to an inlet side, and of switching off this first magnet during nominal operation of the compressor element; and where process B has a first step of keeping a second magnet switched off during start-up of the compressor element, and switching on this second magnet during nominal operation of the compressor element, such that this second magnet exerts a force that is directed from the inlet side to the outlet side.

As is known a compressor element of a screw compressor contains a housing with two meshing rotors, of which the helical parts are called the rotor bodies.
As is known, one of the rotors is constructed in the form of a male rotor with lobes, while the other rotor is constructed in the form of a female rotor with grooves, in which the lobes of the male rotor mesh in a known way.
Each rotor has a shaft whereby the rotor is supported in the housing by means of axial and radial bearings.
Generally one of these rotors is driven by a motor via a drive gearwheel on the shaft of the rotor, and in turn this rotor drives the other rotor, via a gearwheel transmission formed by gearwheels on the shafts of both rotors, or otherwise.
The housing of the screw compressor element has an inlet close to one end of the rotors through which a gas to be compressed is drawn in (i.e. the inlet side of the compressor element) during the operation of the screw compressor, and this screw compressor element has an outlet close to the other end of the rotors through which compressed gas is expelled (i.e. the 'outlet side' of the compressor element).
As is known, when driving the rotors by means of the aforementioned motor, a gas or mixture of gases to be compressed, such as air, is drawn in at the aforementioned inlet by the meshing of the rotors and then compressed between the two rotors and finally driven out from the outlet side of the compressor element at a certain outlet pressure.
An axial gas force will thereby be exerted on the rotors, which during nominal operating conditions is directed from the outlet side to the inlet side, as the gas pressure on this outlet side is higher than the gas pressure on the inlet side. When starting up, this gas force is absent as at that time no gas is being compressed and the gas pressures on the inlet side and the outlet side are practically equal.
During operation of the screw compressor element, the rotors also experience axial forces that are exerted by the aforementioned motor on the drive gearwheel of one of the two rotors, such as is the case for example with an oblique or helical toothing of the drive gearwheel, and/or when there is a gearwheel transmission between the rotors, due to the axial forces attributable to the torque transmission between the gearwheels of this gearwheel transmission.
The resulting axial forces that act on the rotors can change direction during operation of the screw compressor, such that during starting up the forces exerted by the gearwheels, or more generally by the drive, can have the upper hand, whereas during nominal operation of the screw compressor element, the gas forces are generally more pronounced and determine the direction of the resulting axial forces.
Due to this reversal of the direction of the resulting axial forces, it is consequently necessary for the axial forces to be able to be accommodated in each direction, in order to immobilise the rotors in the housing as much as possible, on the one hand in order to avoid undesired leakage losses arising through the axial head clearance between the head surface of the rotors, and the corresponding head surface of the outlet side of the housing being too large, and on the other hand to avoid one of the head surfaces of the rotors coming into contact with the housing, which would lead to undesired friction and wear.
From EP 0.867.628 applications are also known in which the head surface clearance is kept constant, whereby the clearance is measured by a sensor and the rotor can be moved in the axial direction by means of a dual-action magnetic actuator that moves the rotor in the one or the other direction when the clearance deviates from the set desired value.
Such applications are rather complex and expensive.
Other applications are also known in which the rotor is kept in place in the axial direction by applying dual-action axial bearings, for example four-point contact bearings, that can accommodate the forces on the rotor in both directions.
However these dual-action axial bearings have an inherent axial play. As a result, when the resultant forces on the rotors reverse, the rotors can move over a distance which, neglecting the deformation of the bearings, is equal to this play.
When designing the compressor element this must be taken into account by providing a sufficiently large head clearance to avoid the rotor making undesired contact with the housing, which would then mean a loss of efficiency as a result of leakage losses.
Dual-action bearings also generate relatively large mechanical losses and churning losses as a result of the lubricants in the bearing being churned.
On the other hand, a certain inherent clearance in such dual-action bearings is necessary because if the clearance is too small, the risk of a three-point contact increases, which is undesired as in this case the risk of slipping in the bearing increases substantially, and consequently either excessive lubricant has to be applied, or the operating range of the compressor has to be limited, such that low loads at high speeds in particular are to be avoided.
Such compensating measures are already known in the form of a "balancing piston", as described in BE 1.013.221 for example, whereby a hydraulic or pneumatic piston is used to exert an axial force on the rotor concerned in order to counteract the gas forces acting on the rotor and thus to relieve the main bearing, such that a smaller bearing can be selected. The balancing piston is connected to the outlet of the compressor element, so that the force exerted by the balancing piston is proportional to the outlet pressure.
A disadvantage is the cost of such a balancing piston. Another disadvantage is that the main bearing always experiences the full load that is due to the resultant of the gas forces and the forces developed on the drive gearwheel and/or the gearwheel transmission between the rotors, such that the main bearing has to be designed for this.
One way to avoid the load on the main bearing changing direction is to provide a spring that exerts an elastic force on the rotor in the axial direction, in the opposite direction to the resulting forces on the gearwheels of the rotor concerned and in the same direction as the gas forces exerted on the rotor.
If this axial elastic force is sufficiently large to fully offset the resulting forces on the gearwheels of the rotor when starting up the compressor element, there will be no reversal of the resultant of the forces on the rotor, such that in this case a single-action axial bearing can suffice as the main bearing.
The aforementioned spring is affixed between the housing and the rotor concerned, and consequently requires the introduction of a supplementary axial bearing to transmit the axial elastic force between the stationary housing and the turning rotor.
This supplementary bearing has the disadvantage that it increases the cost and also brings about additional losses.
Although the spring prevents the direction of the load on the main bearing reversing during the start of the compressor element, this same spring will detrimentally increase the load on the main bearing during nominal operation as the resulting forces on the gearwheels of the rotor are at least partially cancelled out by the spring, and these resulting forces consequently can no longer counteract the gas forces during nominal operation to the same extent as in a situation without a spring.

ATLAS COPCO AIRPOWER, NAAMLOZE VENNOOTSCHAP


This invention provides an etching method for preventing deformation of an opening without extremely lowering productivity. This invention has a process for bonding a supporting board on a front surface of a semiconductor substrate to cover a pad electrode formed on the semiconductor substrate with a silicon oxide film interposed therebetween, a process for forming a via hole from a back surface of the semiconductor substrate to a surface of the pad electrode, a process for forming a first opening in the semiconductor substrate to a position where the silicon oxide film is not exposed with using etching gas containing SF6 and O2 at least, and a process for forming a second opening in the semiconductor substrate to a position where the silicon oxide film is exposed with using etching gas containing C4F8 and SF6 at least.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a semiconductor device manufacturing method, particularly to an etching method for preventing deformation of a via hole formed in a semiconductor substrate.
2. Description of the Related Art
CSP (Chip Size Package) has received attention in recent years as a three-dimensional mounting technology as well as a new packaging technology. The CSP means a small package having almost same outside dimensions as those of a semiconductor die packaged in it.
Conventionally, BGA (Ball Grid Array) type semiconductor device has been known as a kind of CSP. In this BGA type semiconductor device, a plurality of ball-shaped conductive terminals made of metal such as solder is arrayed in a grid pattern on one surface of the package, and electrically connected with the semiconductor die mounted on the other side of the package.
When this BGA type semiconductor device is mounted on electronic equipment, the semiconductor die is electrically connected with an external circuit on a printed circuit board by compression bonding of the ball-shaped conductive terminals to wiring patterns on the printed circuit board.
Such a BGA type semiconductor device has advantages in providing a large number of conductive terminals and in reducing size over other CSP type semiconductor devices such as SOP (Small Outline Package) and QFP (Quad Flat Package), which have lead pins protruding from their sides. The BGA type semiconductor device is used as an image sensor chip for a digital camera incorporated into a mobile telephone, for example. In some BGA type semiconductor devices, a supporting board made of, for example, a glass is bonded on a surface or both surfaces of the semiconductor die. The technology mentioned above is disclosed, for example, in the Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2002-512436.
Next, description will be made on the BGA type semiconductor device manufacturing method in a case where a sheet of supporting board is bonded to the semiconductor die, with reference to the drawings.
FIGS. 7 to 9 are cross-sectional views of the BGA type semiconductor device manufacturing method of the conventional art, which is applicable to the image sensor chip.
First, as shown in FIG. 7, a pad electrode 32 made of an aluminum layer or an aluminum alloy layer is formed on a top surface of a semiconductor substrate 30 with a silicon oxide film 31 or a silicon nitride film interposed therebetween. Then, a supporting board 34 made of, for example, a glass is further bonded on the top surface of the semiconductor substrate 30 including the pad electrode 32 with an adhesive 33 made of an epoxy resin layer interposed therebetween.
Next, as shown in FIG. 8, a resist layer 35 is formed on a back surface of the semiconductor substrate 30, having an opening in a position corresponding to the pad electrode 32. Then, the semiconductor substrate 30 is dry-etched using this resist layer 35 as a mask, and the silicon oxide film 31 is further etched, thereby forming a via hole 36 from the back surface of the semiconductor substrate 30 to the pad electrode 32. This process employs an etching method having relatively high process speed for forming an opening having 130 μm depth, for example, in the semiconductor substrate 30 made of a Si wafer (e.g., an etching rate is 10 μm/min).
Then, as shown in FIG. 9, a barrier layer 37 is formed on the back surface of the semiconductor substrate 30, including inside the via hole 36 with an insulation film (not shown) and a surface of the pad electrode 32 A seed layer for plating 38 is formed on the barrier layer 37, and plating is performed to this seed layer 38 to form a re-distribution layer 39 made of, for example, copper (Cu). Furthermore, a protection layer (not shown) is formed on the re-distribution layer 39, and openings are formed in predetermined positions of the protection layer. Then, ball-shaped terminals 40 are formed in the openings, being contact with the re-distribution layer 39.
Then, although not shown, the semiconductor substrate and the layers laminated thereon are cut off and separated into individual semiconductor dice. In this way, the BGA type semiconductor device where the pad electrode 32 and the ball-shaped terminals 40 are electrically connected with each other is formed.
However, the forming process of the via hole 36 described above causes a problem such as deformation of the opening. That is, an etching shape shown in FIG. 10 is formed in the process shown in FIG. 8. Since the pad electrode 32 is formed on the semiconductor substrate 30 with the silicon oxide film 31 or the silicon nitride film interposed therebetween, when the via hole 36 is formed by etching from the back surface of the semiconductor substrate 31 to the pad electrode 32, the etching stops at the silicon oxide film 31 or the silicon nitride film at a bottom of the via hole. Then, when over-etching occurs, the etching proceeds in a lateral direction (notch is formed), thereby deforming the opening as shown in FIG. 10. This notch causes the silicon oxide film 31 or the silicon nitride film to be removed beyond the area of the surface of the pad electrode 32. Furthermore, the adhesion of the insulation film or the re-distribution layer to the via hole 36a having such a shape is degraded, thereby causing a conductive error and lowering reliability in connection with the pad electrode.
Although there is an etching process forming no notch, this process has a disadvantage of extremely low process speed (e.g. an etching rate is 5 μm/min or lower, or 2 to 1 μm/min in some cases). Therefore, this etching process can not be employed because of low productivity.

Method of manufacturing semiconductor device


Provided is a process for preparation of pharmaceutically acceptable metal salts of clavulanic acid which avoids the use of toxic amines or other intermediates. The process involves removing solids from a clavulanic acid containing fermentation broth by microfiltration; acidifying the microfiltrate to a pH of between 1 and 3; extracting the acidified microfiltrate with a water immiscible solvent and separating the clavulanic acid containing extract; without converting the clavulanic acid containing extract to an intermediate clavulanate salt, mixing the extract with a metal donor and at least one additional non-aqueous solvent; and separating a pharmaceutically acceptable metal clavulanate salt from the solution.

This invention relates to a process for preparation of pharmaceutically acceptable salts of clavulanic acid, particularly but not exclusively alkali salts especially potassium clavulanate.
Clavulanic acid is the common name for (2R,5R,Z)-30(2-hydroxyethylidene)-7-oxo-4-oxa-1-azabicyclo[3.2.0]heptane-2 -carboxylic acid. Clavulanic acid and its alkali metal salts and esters are active as inhibitors of beta lactamase produced by some Gram positive as well as Gram negative micro-organisms. In addition to inhibition of beta lactamase, clavulanic acid and alkali metal salts thereof also have a synergistic action with penicillin and cephalosporin antibiotics. Clavulanic acid and its salts are used in pharmaceutical preparations to prevent the deactivation of beta lactam antibiotics. Commercial preparations contain potassium clavulanate in combination with amoxycillin trihydrate. Potassium clavulanate is more stable than the free acid or other salts.
Clavulanic acid is prepared by fermentation of a micro-organism such as strains of Streptomyces such as S. clavuligerus NRRL 3585, S. jimonjinensis NRRL 5741 and S. katsurahamanus IFO 13716 and Streptomyces sp. P5621 FERM P2804. The aqueous culture obtained after fermentation is purified and concentrated in accordance with conventional processes for example filtration and chromatographic purification as disclosed in GB 1508977, prior to extraction of the aqueous solution with an organic solvent to obtain a solution of impure clavulanic acid in the solvent.
GB 1508977 discloses preparation of clavulanate salts by filtration of the fermentation broth by passage through an anionic exchange resin. This process may achieve acceptable yields but sophisticated chromatographic purification methods are required and the use of resin columns involves substantial investment for manufacture on a commercial scale.
GB 1543563 discloses a fermentation process wherein the pH value of the medium is maintained in the range 6.3 to 6.7. Pharmaceutically acceptable salts such as potassium clavulanate are prepared by re-salting from lithium clavulanate. GB 1563103 discloses a process wherein crude clavulanic acid is obtained by primary isolation processes with a subsequent purification process being necessary.
EP-A-0026044 discloses use of the tertiary butylanine salt of clavulanic acid as an intermediate for purification of clavulanic acid. This salt was known from BE-862211 or DE 2733230 which disclosed that the salt was even more stable than the sodium or potassium clavulanate salts. Tertiary butylamine is a toxic compound and is also difficult to remove from waste water giving rise to serious pollution concerns.
EP-A-0312813 discloses a process for purification of clavulanic acid via the intermediate lithium salt.
EP-A-0562583 discloses use of salts of clavulanic acid with N,N'-monosubstituted symmetric ethylene diamines such as N,N'-diisopropyethylene diammonium diclavulanate as useful intermediates for isolation and preparation of pure clavulanic acid or alkaline metal clavulanate salts from ethyl acstate extract.
WO93/25557 discloses use of clavulanate salts with numerous amines as intermediates for preparation of clavulanic acid or pharmaceutically acceptable salts or esters.
EP-A-0594099 discloses use of tertiary octylamine with clavulanic acid as an intermediate in preparation of clavulanic acid or pharmaceutically acceptable salts.
WO94/21647 discloses use of N,N'-substituted diamines such as N,N'-diisopropylethylene diammonium diclavulanate as a useful intermediate for preparation of clavulanic acid and alkali salts.
WO94/22873 discloses use of novel tertiary diammonium salts of clavulanic acid such as N,N,N',N'-tetramethyl-1,2-diaminoethane clavulanate as a useful intermediate for preparation of clavulanic acid and salts thereof.
The aim of this invention is to prepare clavulanic acid and its pharmaceutically acceptable salts, such as potassium clavulanate in a new and simple manner, wherein the desired substance is obtained in a high yield and of high purity, avoiding the use of toxic amines.

Process for the preparation of pharmaceutically acceptable salts of clavulanic acid


A moisture-resistant mount is provided for mounting enclosures, such as air conditioner disconnect enclosures, to a support structure, such as a building wall or other structure. The enclosure includes a back panel having a plurality of holes. The mount, which preferably includes a single molded piece, includes a mounting portion receiving the back panel of the enclosure and forming an interface therebetween, a plurality of weatherproofing mechanisms including a shield, a flange, receptacles and protrusions to resist moisture from entering the enclosure, and an engagement portion coupling the mount to the support structure. The shield extends from the mounting portion to shield the interface, and the receptacles and protrusions engage the holes in the back panel. The support structure includes a number of layers. An integral flange on the mount engages one of the layers, and a second, finishing layer overlies the integral flange of the mount, but not the enclosure.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to electrical apparatus and, more particularly, to electrical apparatus enclosure assemblies, such as, for example, air conditioner disconnect enclosure assemblies. The invention also relates to mounts for electrical enclosure assemblies.
2. Background Information
Electrical apparatus including, for example, air conditioners for residential and commercial buildings, often include a disconnect device. The disconnect device generally includes an electrical enclosure for housing electrical equipment including, for example, a connector and/or switch for disconnecting the air conditioner from a power source. Among other purposes, the enclosure serves to protect the electrical equipment from the environment and, in particular, from moisture which can cause a hazardous condition, such as a short circuit, or which could otherwise damage the electrical equipment.
The electrical enclosure typically comprises a folded metal box including a back panel, and a pair of sides, a top and bottom. The sides, the top and the bottom each extend outwardly from the back panel to form the enclosure. The enclosure typically further includes a front cover, such as a door or access panel. In some applications, where the electrical enclosure is mounted, for example, directly to the surface of an exterior wall of a building, the back panel is attached directly to the wall surface using a plurality of screws or other suitable fasteners. In other applications where a finishing material or layer, such as, for example and without limitation, stucco, will be subsequently added over the surface of the underlying wall, a mount is required to provide the appropriate spacing between the back panel of the enclosure and the underlying wall surface. In other words, the mount serves to accommodate the thickness of the finishing layer.
Known mounts generally comprise metal brackets that mount on one side to the underlying wall structure and that receive the air conditioner disconnect enclosure on the opposite side. The bracket is then at least partially covered with stucco or other suitable finishing material. However, such mounting brackets generally include a number of seams and holes which undesirably provide points of entry for moisture to enter the enclosure. Such points of entry are particularly prevalent between the back panel of the enclosure and the mounting bracket. Specifically, moisture can enter the seam or interface between these two components, and can then enter the disconnect enclosure through, for example, screw holes or other apertures. Moreover, the metal material comprising the bracket can rust when exposed to moisture.
There is, therefore, room for improvement in electrical enclosure assemblies such as, for example, air conditioner disconnect enclosure assemblies, and in mounts therefor.

Electrical enclosure assembly and moisture-resistant mount therefor


The fabric-side hook thread end (GN), which was previously longer than the fabric-side needle thread end (NN) by the amount corresponding to a stitch length, is to be shortened in sewing machines with a thread-cutting device. This object is accomplished by the feed device of the sewing machine, of which there is at least one, performing a partial feed step in the reverse feed direction during the performance of the thread-cutting process.

The thread-cutting process usually takes place as follows in a sewing machine equipped with a thread-cutting device: The sewing machine is stopped at the end of the seam with the needle in the lower position. The sewing machine is then driven briefly once again, in the course of which the arm shaft performs half a revolution and the hook a full revolution, and the take-up lever assumes the top dead center of its path of movement. In the course of this half revolution of the arm shaft, the catch thread device of the thread-cutting device performs a catching or separating movement, by which the threads to be cut are caught, during the time at which the hook has widened the needle thread loop. The cutting of the threads proper takes place only at the end of the half revolution of the arm shaft, when the take-up lever is stopped at the top dead center of its path of movement.
Since no sewing stitch formed by the looping of the hook and needle threads is formed by the thread cutting, the fabric-side needle thread end therefore emerges from the fabric after the thread cutting at the site of the last insertion of the needle, while the hook thread end hangs down from the fabric at the site of the last complete stitch. Since these two points are spaced apart from one another by one stitch length, i.e., the length of one feed step, the hook thread end is consequently longer than the needle thread end by the amount of the stitch length.
This situation and the result linked with it, which may have an adverse effect under certain circumstances, are shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 of the drawing in the case of a sewing machine with lower feed and in FIGS. 9 and 10 in the case of a sewing machine with combined lower feed and needle feed.
To avoid this situation, it is proposed in a thread-cutting device known from DE 16 85 087 B2 that the last stitch formation process, during which the thread cutting is to take place, be performed at the point at which the last complete sewing stitch was formed. Even though both the hook thread end and the needle thread end will thus hang down from the fabric at the same point and thus have the same length, this is achieved by accepting the drawback that a complete stitch must first be formed at this point after stopping the sewing machine and switching over the stitch length mechanism to zero stitch length before the half revolution of the arm shaft can take place as in the state of the art for performing the thread-cutting process. An additional stitch formation process must therefore be carried out in the prior-art thread-cutting device between the stopping of the machine and the thread cutting compared with the above-described state of the art. However, such an additional stitch formation process may lead overall to an undesired, considerable loss of time in the case of the sewing of a plurality of short seams.

Process for shortening a fabric-side hook thread end in sewing machines with thread cutting device


A new and improved adjustable furnace leg assembly is described herein. The furnace leg assembly is adjustable once the furnace has been set on the assembly. The furnace leg assembly has a carriage bolt with a rounded head, which allows the assembly to support the furnace on any part of the rounded head so that if the furnace shifts at any point, the bolt will adjust and the pressure will shift to wherever needed on the head of the carriage bolt to keep the furnace level.

A. Field of Invention
This invention relates to the art of adjustable support devices and more particularly to the art of adjustable support legs for furnaces.
B. Description of the Related Art
It is known in the art to use leveling devices for washing machines and clothes dryers, as well as other heavy structures, such as furniture, showcases, and laboratory benches. However, none of these devices are used on, or for, furnaces.
Currently when furnaces are installed, a piece of metal or scrap wood is placed under the furnace in order to level it. However, it is common for these pieces to move or become completely dislodged, thereby causing the furnace to become unleveled.
In the present invention, the furnace legs are adjustable after the furnace is set upon them. The furnace legs can be adjusted by using a standard wrench on the square part of a carriage bolt. The inventive adjustable furnace legs can be used on all furnaces as retrofit legs, and the furnace manufacturers will not have to supply legs or prepare furnaces for the legs, thereby eliminating additional costs.
The adjustable legs allow the furnace to be adjusted throughout the life of the furnace, so that it can maintain a level position after concrete settling or rising due to shifting of ground under the structure.
The adjustable furnace legs are attached to the furnace or air conditioning coil, at the corners or sides where the weight of the furnace or coil bears the weight of the equipment.
A carriage bolt is used to adjust the height of each corner as needed to level the equipment. The bolt, in this embodiment, has a rounded head that allows the leg to support the equipment at any point on the head.
The present invention provides new and improved adjustable furnace legs and overcomes certain difficulties inherent in the related inventions while providing better overall results.


A pseudo-synchronizing signal generator for use in a digital image processing apparatus is disclosed. The pseudo-synchronizing signal generation circuit comprising a pulse generating circuit for generating a train of predetermined pulses as being a dot clock oscillation signal for use with a digital image processing apparatus in response to a synchronizing signal input from an external source, a counting controller disposed to input a program data signal for synchronizing the program data signal with a pulse output by the pulse generating circuit and for outputting a program data enable signal, a down counter enabled by the program data enable signal synchronized with the clot clock oscillation signal so as to count down from a preset value, a detector for detecting when the down counting operation of the down counter reaches zero for generating a disable signal to be applied to the down counter and for generating a first pseudo-synchronizing signal, and a multiplexer to selectively outputting, as a second pseudo-synchronizing signal, a selected one of the first pseudo-synchronizing signal and the horizontal synchronizing signal in responsive to the program data signal. As a result, the circuit is able to generate a pseudo-synchronizing signal having a predetermined delay time duration with respect to its inherent synchronizing signal, in synchronization with a train of dot clock oscillation signal, thereby enabling a digital image processing apparatus to perform a positioning of a pictorial image being display on a variable visual monitor.

Contemporary practice in the art typically uses a synchronizing signal alteration method for image positioning in an image processing apparatus. Positioning of a video signal being visually displayed on a variable visual monitor, such as a cathode ray tube, is altered by electrical operation of a synchronizing signal. The positioning of a raster is substantially shifted according to phases of both horizontal and vertical synchronizing signals in the directions of up, down, left and right, with respect to the frame angle of a display. Upon positioning adjustment of a video signal being visually displayed on a monitor by user manipulation, it is required to generate and utilize a pseudo-synchronizing signal whose phase has been shifted with respect to the phase of its inherent synchronizing signal. Generally, generation a pseudo-synchronizing signal having a different phase with respect to its inherent synchronizing signal, such as a horizontal or vertical synchronizing signal assumed to be applied from an external source, incorporates a pair of monostable multivibrators, respectfully synchronized with a rising edge of an input signal and with a failing edge of an input signal, thereby generating a pulse having a predetermined pulse width. Such pseudo-synchronizing signal such as a cathode ray tube. It is well known in the art regarding circuits for generating pseudo-synchronizing signals to be improper to adopt such pseudo-synchronizing signal generating circuits for use in a digital signal display apparatus, especially in a liquid crystal display. Upon applying a pseudo-synchronizing signal from a conventional circuit apparatus, an asynchronous phenomenon between a pseudo-synchronizing signal and a video dot clock signal occurs thereby causing a failure to the apparatus.
Shuji Ishihara describes a Timing Pulse Generator For Generating Timing Pulses Synchronized With The Horizontal Synchronizing Signal In A Video Signal in U.S. Pat. No. 4,736,162 for controlling the positioning of an image to be superimposed on a video image. Ishihura does not contemplate generating a second pseudo-synchronizing signal as a selected one of a first pseudo-synchronizing signal and a horizontal synchronizing signal in responsive to a program data signal.

Pseudo-synchronizing signal generator for use in digital image processing apparatus


A liquid specimen collector for biological fluids. A receptacle is provided for holding fluids, with a cover applied thereon. A sample port is formed in the cover, and a cap is threadedly applied to the port. A removable specimen extractor is installed in the sample port, having a needle for piercing a pierceable end of a specimen vial, and an extraction tube which extends into the receptacle to facilitate withdrawal of any fluid in the receptacle. While the specimen extractor is removable, it is held temporarily in place until its removal is desired.

This invention relates to sampling of biological fluids, such as urine, and particularly to a container for collection of such fluids and extraction of one or more samples therefrom.
Specimen collectors for biological fluids, in their simplest form, comprise simply a container with a removable cover. Once a sample has been collected in the container and the cover reapplied, the specimen collector is then transported to a laboratory, where sampling of the specimen takes place.
For more immediate sampling of the collected biological fluids, the collector can include additional features. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,300,404 describes a liquid specimen container which has not only a receptacle for fluids, but also an integral sampling portion comprising a recess with a needle extending upwardly therein. The needle is connected to a tube which extends into the container for withdrawing fluid therefrom. When the pierceable end of an air-evacuated vial is inserted in the recess and is pierced by the needle, a sample is withdrawn from the container without the need of removing the cover. Once the sample has been withdrawn, the sample collector can then be discarded, another sample withdrawn in the same manner, or the sample collector can be transported to a laboratory for further testing of the fluid therein.
Once a sample has been withdrawn from the specimen container of Pat. No. 4,300,404, the needle is contaminated, yet it remains with the specimen container since it is an integral part thereof. The only protection from the needle is a replaceable label which must be physically reapplied to the container after the sample or samples have been withdrawn. Not only is reapplication of a label cumbersome, it also exposes the doctor, nurse, lab technician or other person handling the container to possible infection.

Liquid specimen collector with removable extraction device


A container closure which can be converted from a child resistant configuration to a non-child resistant configuration. The container closure includes an external cap, an internal cap and a locking element. The locking element is inserted between the external cap and internal cap to form the non-child resistant configuration.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a child resistant closure. More particularly, it concerns a closure which can be converted from a child resistant to a non-child resistant configuration. While in its child resistant configuration, this closure provides an obstacle to a child attempting to remove the closure from a container. After conversion to a non-child resistant configuration, the closure may be readily removed.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Many types of child resistant closures are known in the art. Their common objective is to provide a closure that is too difficult for small children to open, yet easily opened by adults. While many child resistant closures effectively prevent child access, they also present a problem for adults who lack the manual dexterity or strength to remove the closures. This commonly arises in the case of people suffering from arthritis.
This problem was addressed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,406,376, which discloses a snap on closure which when installed in a first position is child resistant, but when reversed is easily removed by adults. This was not, however, readily adaptable to closures which are rotatably engaged upon containers.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,731,512 also addressed this problem in the context of a rotatably engaged closure. However, the disclosed closure system requires an external instrument when used by adults who lack the manual dexterity or strength required to operate the closure and even then still requires pressure be applied to the external cap.
U.S. Pat. No. RE29,779 discloses a child resistant container using a reversible cap which uses a snap action to open and close the closure.

Container closure which converts from a child resistant to a non-child resistant configuration


A non-contaminating catheter includes a hollow tube having an axial lumen extending along the length thereof, and an elongated, tubular, flexible membrane disposed within the lumen. The leading end of the membrane is circumferentially folded back over the leading edge of the tube and fixed to a guide assembly. As the catheter is inserted into a patient, the membrane is drawn through the tube and out the leading edge of the tube. Once the catheter is fully inserted, the membrane circumscribes the tube; thus, contact between the tube and the patient is substantially, if not entirely, prevented during insertion of the catheter over the length of the membrane. More particularly, the membrane is laid out as the catheter is urged along the anatomical canal and thus remains interposed between the exterior wall of the catheter and the patient's internal organs (e.g., the urethra). Sliding frictional contact between the catheter tube and the urethral mucosa is inhibited and the passive transportation of pathogens in the lower urinary tract concomitantly prevented. Various methods of making and using the catheter of the present invention are also disclosed.

Catheters or probes are used in a number of medical and related applications. For example, a catheter comprising an elongated, flexible, hollow tube may be inserted into a patient's urethral canal to permit withdrawal of fluids from the bladder. Such catheters are typically referred to as urinary drainage catheters, or simply urinary catheters, and are usually inserted into the bladder by way of the urethra.
It has been found that typical urinary catheters, even if sterile when inserted into a patient, tend to contribute to bladder infections Treatment of such infections often involves the use of heavy medication and may lengthen the catheterized patient's hospital stay. It is believed that the insertion of the catheter through the urethral canal into the bladder dislodges or otherwise attracts infectious material, (i.e., pathogens and bacteria which populate the lower urinary tract), due to the frictional forces the catheter exerts on the urethral walls or urethral mucosa resident on the walls. These bacteria are typically present on the male glans or the distal portion of the male's urethra and on the female's urethral meatus. Once dislodged, the infectious material is carried, typically by the leading edge of the catheter, to the internal organ (e.g., bladder), causing infection of the internal organ.
Even if no infectious or pathogenous material is dislodged, the frictional forces exerted on the urethral walls by conventional catheters tend to irritate the urethral mucosa. While the irritation caused by this mechanical trauma exerted during penetration by the catheter is generally temporary, the discomfort experienced by the patient is nonetheless substantial.
These disadvantages are also encountered in other applications in which a probe or catheter is inserted into a body cavity to either drain or inject internal fluids or for other diagnostic procedures. For example, probes used in cystoscopy also may cause attraction of infectious material or irritation to the canal or orifice into which the catheter is inserted.
Other catheters are known which purport to address these problems; for example, the catheters shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,421,509 issued to Fiore on Dec. 17, 1965; U.S. Pat. No. 3,084,693 issued to Cathcart on Apr. 9, 1963; DE 1958561 issued to American Hospital and published on Jun. 11, 1970; and EP-A-247 559 issued to Sterimed and published on Dec. 2, 1987. While the catheters described in these references purport to address these problems, as will be shown herein, the catheter constructions of these references are medically unacceptable and, in practice, are inferior in performance to or considerably more complex than the catheter of the present invention. Some of the known catheter constructions simply do not work at all.
There thus exists a long-felt need to ameliorate the disadvantages occasioned by use of known medical probes. There is a particular need for a urinary catheter that does not cause infectious material to be carried or otherwise passed to the bladder.

Non-contaminating probe and methods of making and using same


The present invention relates to a system wherein each of a reservation server that makes reservations of sales and purchases, a portable terminal owned by a user who makes a reservation, and a shop terminal provided in stores where goods are sold, and a service or entertainment is provided, is connected to a communication network whereby the user makes a reservation for sales or purchase by accessing the reservation server, the reservation server encrypts contents of the sales/purchase reservation and transmits the encrypted reservation information to the aforementioned portable terminal, the user presents the transmitted encrypted reservation information to the shop terminal, visiting the shop terminal, and the shop terminal accesses the reservation server to confirm whether the presented encrypted reservation information is legitimate or not and admits the presenter of the encrypted reservation information if the reservation information is legitimate.

On-line sales and purchases are being conducted popularly using the Internet. For example, ticket purchases can be made by accessing web servers that sell tickets for movies, music concerts, theater plays, sports and the like. One can also make an on-line reservation for a car rental or the like. Further, a reservation of merchandise sales and purchases can be made on-line via the Internet. Here, in the ticket sales on the Internet, tickets have to be delivered directly to users who reserved the ticket purchase, for which the burden of ticket distribution and time needs to be spared. Because of the time required to receive the ticket, the ticket cannot be reserved and sold for events of the same day. Further, confirmations of reservations for car rentals and the like and merchandise sales and purchases have been troublesome.

Reservation method, reservation authentication method, reservation confirmation method, reservation servers, shop terminals, portable terminals and memory media


The invention concerns a pressure sensing die to be mounted on a base, comprising:                a diaphragm structure with a deflectable pressure sensing diaphragm whose deflection is representative of the pressure and sensing elements for detecting the deflection of the sensing diaphragm;        a pedestal supporting the diaphragm structure;

One already knows dual stack sensor MEMS assemblies, wherein the sensing die comprises a Pyrex® pedestal supporting a sensing diaphragm, mounted on a metal, ceramic or plastic base.
Such a dual stack pressure sensing die is illustrated on FIG. 1 with a pressure sensing structure 1 and a pedestal 2.
Pressure sensing structure 1 generally consists of a bulk micro machined diaphragm 5 supported by rigid outer frames 7, said diaphragm 5 and said frames 7 being formed on a silicon wafer by chemical etching. Strain gages, or piezoresistors, 6 are diffused, implanted or deposited on diaphragm 5 for sensing the deflection produced in diaphragm 5 by applied pressure. Pedestal 2 may be made of a Pyrex wafer which functions as a pedestal for supporting pressure sensing structure 1. For absolute (PSIA) pressures, pedestal 2 has no vent hole whereas a vent hole 14 is provided on pedestal 2 for gage (PSIG) and differential (PSID) pressures.
The two wafers 1, 2 are anodic bonded and are sawed to form a dual stack pressure sensing die of a type which is commonly used in the piezoresistive pressure sensor industry. Pyrex pedestal 2 of the dual stack pressure sensing die is attached with an elastic adhesive 8, such as RTV, to a metal or ceramic base 3, said adhesive and said base both having a thermal coefficient of expansion larger than that of Pyrex glass. The RTV must be cured at a high temperature.
Considerable "die-attach" compression stresses are locked-in the RTV adhesive during the curing process.
The stress deforms the Pyrex pedestal 2 and the outer frame 7 of the silicon pressure sensing structure 1, which in turn deflects the pressure sensing diaphragm 5. The piezoresistors sense the diaphragm 5 deflection and produce a residual null offset output that is proportional to the locked in die-attach stresses.
Pressure sensors are customarily required to operate in a wide range of temperatures.
However, the temperature variations increase and decrease the locked in die-attach stress in the RTV adhesive.
And, since RTV is not perfectly elastic, the compression stress locked in the RTV does not return perfectly to its original value after each temperature cycle involving temperature hysteresis.
This temperature hysteresis is the main source of short term instability and drift of sensor offset. In addition, the effects of continuing bond relaxation and RTV aging are the source for long term deterioration of die-attach stresses and produce long term sensor drift.
As a result, pressure sensors employing conventional pedestals suffer from short and long term drift problems, which are exacerbated in low pressure range sensors that employ thin diaphragms.
Earlier attempts to isolate the die-attach drift problem involved etching slots or channels in the silicon die around the sensing diaphragm (see US 2001/0001550 A1) or adding a plurality of relief channels etched in an upper and a lower surface of an intermediate layer (see U.S. Pat. No. 6,822,318 B2).
The use of slots or channels as stress isolators requires them to be relatively flexible.
Since their geometry is dictated by the limited thickness of silicon wafer used in MEMS sensors, this approach requires multiple upper and a lower surface channels is slots with very thin webs, which is problematical and costly to implement.
Furthermore, etching slots or channels in the silicon die around the sensing diaphragm in close proximity to the piezoresistors may create stability problems.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Stress isolated pressure sensing die, sensor assembly inluding said die and methods for manufacturing said die and said assembly

Abstract: wherein the pedestal is a composite pedestal comprising top and bottom platforms connected by at least one small link having a mean cross-section smaller than the cross-section of the top platform, said small link isolating at least some of the stresses, produced by the mounting of the pressure sensing die on the base, from said deflectable pressure sensing diaphragm.