A method is described for overcoming the non-conformity and poor step coverage incurred when materials such as metals and barrier materials are deposited into contact or via openings by physical-vapor-deposition (PVD) techniques such as sputtering and evaporation. Conventional PVD deposition into a vertical walled opening results in the formations of cusps along the walls at the mouth of the opening. These cusps obstruct the material stream into the depth of the opening, resulting in inadequate coverage at the base of the opening particularly at the corners. This increases the chance of failure of the barrier material resulting in a reliability exposure. In addition, the cusps, if not removed, cause the formation of voids in subsequently deposited conductive plugs. The invention teaches the insulative layer, wherein the openings are formed, to be deposited to a greater thickness than required by the design. The openings are then formed and filled with a spin-on-glass. The insulative layer is then polished to the design thickness, removing the cusps. The spin-on-glass, which protects the openings from damage and contamination during polishing, is removed and an adhesion layer is applied prior to the deposition of the conductive material of the contact or via.

(1) Field of the Invention
The invention relates to processes for the manufacture of semiconductor devices and more particularly to processes for forming metal contacts and Vias.
(2) Description of Prior Art
The use of tungsten in the fabricating of very-large-scale-integrated (VLSI) circuits has been practiced since the mid 1980s. As a conductive material tungsten does not rank as high as aluminum, which has been the primary conductor used in micro-circuit chip technology for nearly forty years. On the other hand, tungsten provides many features which make it an important material for fabricating metal-to-silicon contacts as well as via plugs for making inter-level metal connections. In this capacity tungsten is deposited into contact or via openings, and anisotropically etched to the insulating layer, leaving tungsten in the openings.
Chemical-vapor-deposited (CVD) tungsten has proven to be an excellent material for such interconnect applications because of its low resistance, low stress (less than 5.times.10.sup.9 dynes/cm.sup.2), and a coefficient of thermal expansion which closely matches that of silicon. In addition tungsten has a high resistance to electromigration which is a common problem with aluminum its alloys. CVD tungsten can be deposited at temperatures around 400.degree. C. with good conformity and step coverage.
Although tungsten does not bond well to either silicon or to the adjacent silica based insulating layer, a thin layer (less than 1,000 Angstroms) of titanium (Ti) is often used as a bonding agent to the silicon. Dixit et.al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,960,732 describe the formation of a tungsten plug contact utilizing Ti as a bonding agent, followed by a layer of titanium nitride (TiN) which acts as a diffusion barrier to prevent dopants from passing from the silicon as well as spiking of metal into the silicon. The Ti layer, when thermally annealed, fuses with the silicon to form titanium silicide (TiSi.sub.2) and with the silica based insulating layer to form a titanium silicate (Ti.sub.x SiO.sub.y). Adhesion of the TiN to the Ti and subsequently to the tungsten is considered excellent.
The Ti-TiN-W composite tungsten plug metallurgy has been widely accepted and various techniques for its formation have been described. In the earliest teachings such as those of Dixit et.al., the Ti an TiN layers were deposited by sputtering, although CVD is also claimed. The sputtering can be accomplished by first sputtering a titanium target with argon to form the Ti layer and then admitting nitrogen, thereby sputtering reactively, to form the TiN layer. Alternatively, a multi-target sputtering tool can be used having a Ti target and a TiN target so that the layers may be deposited during a single evacuation cycle by switching targets within the tool. Successive deposition of the Ti and the TiN layers during a single pumpdown is desirable because exposure of the Ti layer to atmosphere will immediately result in the formation of a native oxide layer which can compromise the resistivity of the contact if not removed prior to the deposition of the TiN.
The good conformity and step coverage afforded by tungsten is due in large part to the nature of the deposition process itself. In the CVD process, particularly with low-pressure-chemical-vapor-deposition (LPCVD), the chemical reaction which forms the product occurs at the heated surface of the material receiving the deposition. Physical-vapor-deposition (PVD) processes such as evaporation or sputtering, on the other hand, cannot provide such conformity and edge coverage because the material being deposited arrives from discrete regions distant from its final location. This lends directionality to the process and consequently those regions of a receiving substrate which face the source of the particle stream receive a greater amount of deposit than those topological features not normal to the particle stream.
A computer simulation of film deposition by dc magnetron sputtering into an opening similar to that used for integrated circuit contacts is shown in FIG. 1 (adapted from S. Wolf and R. N. Tauber, "Silicon Processing for the VLSI Era", Vol.I, Lattice Press, Long Beach, Calif., (1986) p.368). A layer of material 8 of nominal thickness t.sub.n is sputter deposited onto a substrate material 6 having an opening with base w and height h. The step coverage is defined by the minimum thickness of the film t.sub.s divided by its nominal thickness t.sub.n expressed in percent. In this example the opening has a taper expressed by the angle 90-.theta. which favors better step coverage than the vertical walled contact openings under consideration here.
The minimum thickness in the contact openings occurs near the base as is also shown in FIG. 2A. Openings with a high aspect ratio h.div.w (FIG. 1) can have insufficient coverage along the base corners of the opening. Step coverage can be improved to some extent by heating of the wafer. This allows surface migration of the depositing species to occur, thereby improving conformity.
Consequently the sputtering processes for the deposition of Ti and TiN have the shortcomings of poor step coverage. This is illustrated in a prior art cross section of a contact opening shown in FIG. 2A. A semiconductor wafer 10, having an active area diffusion 12 has an insulating layer 14 into which an opening 15 has been made and a thin layer of Ti 16 followed by a thicker layer of TiN 18 have been deposited by sputtering. Inadequate step coverage causes cusps 20 to form at the entrance of the opening 15. A subsequently deposited tungsten layer, which is postured to fill the opening 15, prematurely pinches off before the lower portion of the opening 15 is filled. The result is a void 26 shown in FIG. 2B. When the tungsten layer is etched back into the insulating layer 14, completing the formation of the tungsten plug contact, the void 26 may be exposed creating a potential reliability defect. Exposed voids are highly susceptible to absorption of moisture or other corrosive contaminants.
Chen U.S. Pat. No. 5,462,895 also points out this step coverage shortcoming but does not indicate the occurrence of voids in the tungsten. However, such voids have been observed by scanning-electron-microscopy (SEM). They have also been encountered by Cheffings et.al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,387,550 who, rather than seeking to avoid them, treats them after-the-fact by over-etching the tungsten plug into the void and filling the void and the top of the opening with polysilicon. In doing so they also etch deeply into the TiN along the walls of the contact openings.
Chen resolved the edge coverage problem by using CVD for the deposition of the Ti and TiN layers, thereby achieving better conformity. However, because of thermal budget, availability, and other processing restraints, CVD is not always a viable option.
Yamada U.S. Pat. No. 5,470,792 and Matsuura U.S. Pat. No. 5,420,070 disclose methods for the formation of Ti and TiN layers within contact and via openings where tungsten plugs are used. They do not, however, disclose the use of chemical-mechanical-polishing (CMP) in combination with spin-on-glass (SOG) to form improved contacts or vias as is disclosed by this invention.
For applications where aluminum metallization is applied into the openings, whether contacts or vias, similar problems are encountered. Referring again to FIG. 2A, coverage of TiN in the vicinity of the base corners 22 of the opening 15 can be precariously thin so as to place the barrier functionality of the layer at risk. When contacts are involved, inadequate barrier function is known to cause aluminum migration leading to junction spiking.

Method for forming contacts and vias with improved barrier metal step-coverage

Chartered Semiconductor Manufacturing Ltd.


The present invention is a dampening device for a flex circuit of a disk drive. The dampening device engages the flex circuit to alter is vibrational effect generated by the moment of the flex circuit that adversely affects post seek oscillations performance of the drive. The dampening device lowers the first resonant frequency of the flex circuit and reduces the magnitude of the post seek off track oscillations.

Hard disk drives store information on magnetic disks. Typically, the information is stored on concentric tracks of the disk that are divided into servo sectors and data sectors. Information is written to or read from the disk by a transducer or head, mounted on an actuator arm that positions the transducer over the disk in a predetermined location. Accordingly, the movement of the actuator arm allows the transducer to access the different tracks of the disk. The disk is rotated by a spindle motor at a high speed, allowing the transducer to access different sectors within each track on the disk.
A voice coil motor (VCM) in combination with a servo control system is usually employed to position the actuator arm. The servo control system generally performs the function of seek control and track following. The seek function is initiated when a command is issued to read data from or write data to a target track on the disk. Once the transducer has been positioned sufficiently close to the target track by the seek function of the servo control system, the track following function of the control system centers and maintains the transducer on the target track until the desired data transfer is completed.
Typically, the transducer will oscillate about the center line of the target track for a period of time following the transition of the servo control system from the seek mode to the track following mode. These off-track displacements, or post-seek oscillations (PSO), are due, at least in part, to mechanical vibrations generated by the components of the disk drive during the seek and/or tracking operation. In addition, while in the track following mode, adjustments to the position of the transducer with respect to the center line of the target track are often required due to these same mechanical vibrations. Such adjustments are required to correct drift in the position of the transducer relative to the target track. The precise control of the position of the transducer relative to a target track has become increasingly important as track densities (or tracks per radial inch —TPI) in disk drives have increased. More specifically, the number of tracks included on a disk, i.e., the greater the TPI, translates to higher data storage capability. However, the increased number of tracks means that there is a more stringent requirement that the transducer stay on track for both reading and writing purposes as the separation distance between adjacent tracks decreases. A measure of how far the transducer is off target is termed "Track Misregistration" (TMR). It can be measured in distance (e.g., microns) or as a percentage of track pitch. TMR is also referred to as off track or track following errors.
The actuator assembly also includes a flex circuit that extends from a flex circuit connector mounted to the base plate and electrically interconnected with the disk drive printed circuit board, across a length of the base plate to the actuator, along the actuator arm and suspension and to the transducer for the transfer of information between the transducer and processors located on the printed circuit board. The flex circuit comprises a plurality of conductors or traces embedded in a flexible polyamide material, such as Kapton, that allows the flex circuit to deflect to accommodate the rotary movement of the actuator.
The actuator assembly generally includes one or more actuator arms and a corresponding load beam and slider for each actuator arm, along with the previously described transducer and a single flex circuit which generates vibrational loads that impair the ability of the actuator assembly to position and maintain the transducer over a desired track. The actuator assembly also includes a yoke and voice coil that can also contribute to the vibrational loads. To account for vibrational loads, during the design phase, the amount of vibration from the assembled components may be assigned a budget that must not exceed a predetermined level of generated vibration, thus minimizing TMR and post seek oscillation errors. These budgets are based upon vibrations originating from a number of sources and take on various forms including, but not limited to, electrical noise torque, whirl, arm mode, drum mode, ball bearing tones, high frequency turbulence, disk vibration, aerodynamic torque, and external vibration or seek settle. More specifically, the vibrational loads are generated by the different modes of vibrational motion generated by the components of the actuator assembly. Minute vibrational loads that emanate from the aerodynamic loading of the disk and/or actuator moving through the air inside the disk drive housing may also affect TMR and post seek oscillations. Thus, it is important for designers of disk drives to reduce the individual sources of vibrational loads that influence positioning of the transducer to produce a disk drive with lower vibrational loading such that the servo control system may better compensate for post seek oscillations and TMR.
In addition to the post seek oscillations generated by the components of the actuator assembly, post seek oscillations are also caused by the acceleration and deceleration of the actuator assembly as the actuator arm(s) moves from one track to its intended track. The flex circuit in effect places a torque loading on the actuator assembly. As the actuator moves, resonances in the flex circuit are exited. The primary or first resonant mode is the most distinctive in that it causes the greatest torque disturbance. This is because it is a low frequency resonance, on the order of 200-400 Hz. The magnitude or amplitude of the vibration caused by the flex circuit torque loading is also a problem in PSO. Other sources of post seek oscillation will be apparent to one skilled in the art, such as those from the interaction between various components, such as the bearing and the actuator when the actuator slows or stops the flex circuit and the actuator, rotation of the disk, or the interaction of the voice coil motor with the driver.
The negative effects of post seek oscillations and TMR are most easily described by a brief discussion of track pitch. The distance between two concentric tracks of a disk is known as track pitch, which decreases as TPI increases. For example, a disk with 100,000 TPI has generally a track pitch budget of 0.25 microns (approximately 10 millionths of an inch), wherein a disk with a 150,000 TPI has a track pitch of about 0.17 microns (approximately 7 millionths of an inch). As described above, each vibration-generating component of a disk drive has a budget that contributes to the maximum allowable TMR that are correctable by the servo control system. That is, vibrational induced oscillations of the transducer must be maintained at or below a level where the servo controller can effectively counteract the movement and control the position of the transducer. This level is predetermined in the design of a disk drive. Returning now to the above example in which TPI is increased from 100,000 to 150,000, and the same servo controller is used in each instance, vibrations generated by the flex circuit increase as a percentage of the total budget. Therefore, it is desirable to implement other means of reducing vibrations due to the flex circuit other than through the servo controller.

Flex circuit dampener for reduction of seek induced vibrations in a disk drive


Methods and arrangements for assessing impact of an event on a network. An event notification is received relative to traffic in the network. Metadata are extracted from the notification, and the extracted metadata are converted into a predetermined format for processing. The converted metadata are received, and an impact of the event on traffic in the network is determined. Other variants and embodiments are broadly contemplated herein.

SMS, or short message service, is usually available on mobile phones and has enjoyed widespread use for sending text messages between mobile phone subscribers but also for communicating with other entities. For instance, a given SMS subscription might permit a mobile phone user to receive notifications from private or public organizations.
Notifications regarding traffic or other transportation events (e.g., accidents, points of congestion) can be of great utility to a user. However, it is usually the case that stock or "one size fits all" notifications are communicated by city or other governmental agencies but do not take into account a user's specific circumstances, especially in a way that could be leveraged for greater benefit to a user in connection with a trip (via private vehicle or public transportation) that is either planned or in transit.

Extracting events and assessing their impact on a transportation network

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION


A coil conductor and a via electrode placed away from the coil conductor are embedded in a magnetic layer. The magnetic layer is sandwiched between a pair of non-magnetic layers. The coil conductor and the via electrode are formed from a conductive material containing Cu as its main constituent, and the magnetic layer is formed from Ni—Mn—Zn ferrite where the CuO molar content is 5 mol % or less, and (x, y) falls within the range of A (25, 1), B (47, 1), C (47, 7.5), D (45, 7.5), E (45, 10), F (35, 10), G (35, 7.5), and H (25, 7.5) when the molar content x of Fe2O3 and the molar content y of Mn2O3 are represented by (x, y). Thus, insulation properties can be ensured, favorable electrical characteristics can be achieved, and a ceramic electronic component is achieved which is able to be reduced in size.

In recent years, ceramic electronic components have been extensively used, and ceramic multi-layer substrates with built-in coil conductors have been widely used.
For example, Japanese Patent No. 4703459 proposes a built-in coil substrate including: a pair of insulating bases; a ferrite magnetic layer provided between the pair of insulating bases; a planar spiral coil formed in the ferrite magnetic layer; a highly magnetic body provided in the central area of the planar spiral coil, which has a higher magnetic permeability than the ferrite magnetic layer; and a non-magnetic body provided between the planar spiral coil and the highly magnetic body, which has a lower magnetic permeability than the ferrite magnetic layer.
Japanese Patent No. 4703459 states that Cu, Ag, Au, Pt, Ag—Pd alloys, Ag—Pt alloys, etc. can be used as the metal materials for use in the coil conductors.
In addition, International Publication No. 2007/145189 proposes a laminate-type ceramic electronic component provided with a ceramic laminate body which has a laminate structure including a ceramic base material layer composed almost entirely of a polycrystalline phase, and a ceramic auxiliary layer placed on at least one principal surface of the ceramic base material layer and composed almost entirely of a polycrystalline phase, which is obtained by co-firing with the ceramic base material layer; and a conductor pattern provided inside and/or outside the ceramic laminate body.
In International Publication No. 2007/145189, Ag is used as the conductor pattern.

Ferrite ceramic composition, ceramic electronic component, and method for producing ceramic electronic component


A power harvesting system including multiple parallel-connected photovoltaic strings, each photovoltaic string includes a series-connection of photovoltaic panels. Multiple voltage-compensation circuits may be connected in series respectively with the photovoltaic strings. The voltage-compensation circuits may be configured to provide respective compensation voltages to the photovoltaic strings to maximize power harvested from the photovoltaic strings. The voltage-compensation circuits may be include respective inputs which may be connected to a source of power and respective outputs which may be connected in series with the photovoltaic strings.

Photovoltaic (PV) power devices can be used to improve the performance and to reduce the cost of power generation systems including photovoltaic panels. Photovoltaic power devices can be variously configured. The cost of some power devices may be proportional to the amount of electrical power they process. Thus, significant savings can be realized by designing systems to optimize output power while processing a small portion of the system power.
Accordingly, there is a need for designing power device system with increased efficiency while decreasing the operating costs associated with such as system.

Maximizing power in a photovoltaic distributed power system


An intake system of an engine for a vehicle, may include a surge tank including a first flange, and an intake manifold including a second flange connected with the first flange of the surge tank, wherein the intake manifold may include a main body including a fuel rail and intake ports corresponding to cylinders, and a guide member provided on the main body to guide the surge tank coupled with the main body in a direction where the surge tank becomes separated and more distant from the fuel rail of the intake manifold when a vehicle collision occurs.

1. Field of the invention
The present invention relates to an intake manifold for a vehicle and an intake system including the same, and more particularly, to an intake manifold for a vehicle and an intake system including the same, which can prevent damage of a fuel rail when vehicle collision occurs.
2. Description of Related Art
Generally, an intake system of an engine for a vehicle serves to guide external air into each combustion chamber in each cylinder. The external air guided into each combustion chamber is mixed with fuel being supplied from a fuel system, the fuel mixed with the external air is burnt, and the resultant exhaust gas is discharged to an outside through an exhaust system.
Here, the intake system is composed of a surge tank, and an intake manifold formed with intake ports which are fixed to the surge tank by bolts and correspond to the respective cylinders.
In front and in the rear of the intake manifold, fuel rails for supplying fuel to the respective cylinders are mounted.
According to the conventional intake system as described above, however, the connection force between the serge tank and the intake manifold, which are connected together by bolts, is insufficient, and when vehicle collision occurs, the engine is pushed toward a dash panel, so that the dash panel hits the surge tank due to its repelling force to make the surge tank separate from the intake manifold.
Accordingly, the surge tank hits the fuel rail positioned in front of the intake manifold to damage the fuel rail.
In order to solve this problem, a scheme for increasing the number of bolts may be proposed to strengthen the connection force between the surge tank and the intake manifold. However, in the case of increasing the number of bolts, the manufacturing cost is increased and the system structure is complicated.
The information disclosed in this Background of the Invention section is only for enhancement of understanding of the general background of the invention and should not be taken as an acknowledgement or any form of suggestion that this information forms the prior art already known to a person skilled in the art.

Intake manifold for vehicle and intake system including the same


A vehicular rearview mirror system includes an interior rearview mirror assembly having an interior electrochromic reflective element that assumes an interior mirror partial reflectance level in response to an interior mirror electrochromic reflective element drive signal. The mirror assembly includes a control that has circuitry operable to provide the drive signal to the reflective element. The control includes a bus interface that interfaces with a vehicle bus of the equipped vehicle. The control is in communication with at least one other vehicle accessory via the vehicle bus. The interior rearview mirror assembly includes a forward-facing camera. The control may control at least two of (a) dimming of the interior electrochromic reflective element, (b) operation of a video display, (c) operation of the forward-facing camera and (d) operation of a headlight control for controlling a headlight of the equipped vehicle.

This invention relates generally to vehicle rearview mirror systems and, more particularly, to digital electrochromic rearview mirror systems.
Digital electrochromic mirror systems are described in commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 6,089,721 entitled DIGITAL ELECTROCHROMIC MIRROR SYSTEM and U.S. Pat. No. 6,056,410 entitled DIGITAL ELECTROCHROMIC MIRROR SYSTEM, the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference. Such systems are capable of controlling the reflectance level of an electrochromic element from the output of a microcomputer.
Various forms of vehicle communication systems have been developed including wired networks, or busses, operating one of several known protocols. These include a LIN (Local Interconnect Network), a LAN (Local Area Network), a CAN (Car or Controlled Area Network), and the like. An advantage of such vehicle networks is that the wire harness to the mirror can be minimized to as few as three wires or so, yet provide a variety of functions. Wireless communication networks utilizing radio frequency and/or infrared communication for vehicles have also been proposed, such as those utilizing the BLUETOOTH protocol. Such wireless communication and the BLUETOOTH protocol are described in more detail in commonly assigned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/793,002, filed Feb. 26, 2001, entitled VIDEO
MIRROR SYSTEMS INCORPORATING AN ACCESSORY MODULE, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,690,268, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference.
Trainable garage door openers, such as a universal garage door opener available from
Johnson Controls/Prince Corporation, Holland, Mich. under the trade name HOMELINK™, include a transmitter for a universal home access system, which replaces the switch in a household garage door opener that opens/closes the garage door. A garage door opener communicating with a smart switch that is programmable to a household specific code that is of the rolling code type, such as is available from TRW Automotive, Farmington Hills, Michigan under the trade name KWIKLINK™, is known to be mounted within vehicles. As described in commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 6,172,613 B1, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference, the universal garage door opener HOMELINK™ unit or the universal home access KWIKLINK™ unit may be mounted at, within, or on an interior rearview mirror assembly. The KWIKLINK™ system is a low-current device that can, optionally, be operated off of a battery source, such as a long-life lithium battery. It is also compact and lightweight as executed on a single- or double-sided printed circuit board.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


A method for forming a semiconductor sensor device comprises providing a substrate (4) and forming a sacrificial layer (18) over the substrate. The sacrificial layer (18) is then patterned and etched to leave a portion (19) on the substrate (4). A first isolation layer (6) is formed over the substrate (4) and portion (19) of the sacrificial layer and a conductive layer (12), which provides a heater for the sensor device, is formed over the first isolation layer (6). The portion (19) of the sacrificial layer is then selectively etched to form a cavity (10) between the first isolation layer (6) and the substrate (4), the cavity (10) providing thermal isolation between the heater and the substrate.

A chemical sensor is a device which monitors the concentration of a given chemical species in a liquid or a gas. Chemical sensors are used, for example, to detect unsafe levels of poisonous or explosive gases in the work and home environments.
Typically, chemical sensors comprise a sensitive layer, which is sensitive to a particular chemical which is to be detected by the sensor, and a heater. The heater increases the temperature of the sensitive layer to increase the sensitivity and selectivity of the sensor.
Chemical sensors formed using hybrid technology, such as for example sensors formed on ceramic substrates, are well known. It is also known to fabricate a semiconductor chemical sensor wherein the sensor and heater are integrated onto a silicon substrate.
These known chemical sensors, however, have poor thermal isolation between the heater and substrate which results in significant power consumption.
In order to reduce the power consumption in the semiconductor chemical sensors, it has been proposed to micromachine the backside of the bulk silicon to form a thin membrane under the heater. The thickness of the membrane is in the order of 2 microns. Although the thin membrane reduces power consumption, the thin membrane is fragile and liable to break during fabrication resulting in a loss in yield. Moreover, in view of the fragility of the membrane, the sensors have to be manually rather than automatically handled, which is extremely time consuming and so increases the cost of manufacture.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,345,213 describes a method for forming a semiconductor chemical sensor wherein the membrane is formed by surface micromachining and etching the silicon underneath the membrane using a mixture of ethylenediamine-pyrocatechol-water-pyrazine (EDP). However, EDP is an extremely dangerous chemical which is believed to be a carcinogen. It would be preferable to avoid using such a chemical.
It is therefore desirable to provide an improved semiconductor sensor device and an improved method for reducing power consumption in a semiconductor sensor device which does not suffer from the above prior art problems.

Method for forming a semiconductor sensor device


A vehicle 100 according to the present invention includes a battery pack 2, wherein the battery pack is disposed, in the vehicle, forward Fr of a space S2 formed between a driver's seat 11 and a passenger's seat 12 provided side by side in a vehicle width direction, and rearward Rr of an instrument panel 31 provided forward of the driver's seat 11 and the passenger's seat 12 in the interior of the vehicle. According to the present invention, it is unnecessary to remove the driver's seat and the passenger's seat in removing the battery pack from the vehicle body, and the number of man-hours involved in the removal work of the battery pack can be reduced as compared with the conventional vehicle.

Vehicles such as an electric car and a hybrid car have a battery pack mounted thereon to drive an electric motor, and the battery pack contains a battery formed of a lithium-ion battery or a nickel metal hydride battery (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
In Patent Document 1, the battery pack is disposed on a floor panel and between a driver's seat and a passenger's seat placed side by side in a vehicle width direction.


An apparatus that includes a first reactor and a return mechanism. The first reactor has an inlet to receive a mixture comprising a first reactant, a second reactant, a reaction product, and an inert solvent that dissolves at least a portion of the first and second reactants, an enzyme to facilitate a reaction between the first and second reactants to generate more reaction product, and an outlet to output the reaction product, including the reaction product received at the inlet and the reaction product generated from the reaction between the first and second reactants. The return mechanism sends at least a portion of the reaction product from the outlet back to the inlet.

This invention relates to fuel production, including bio-diesel fuel production from vegetable oils and animal fats.
An oil source of alcoholysis of vegetable oils and animal fats can be used to produce fatty acid alkyl esters, which can be used as diesel fuels, generally referred to herein as "bio-diesel" fuels. In one production approach, non-enzymatic catalysts, such as alkali hydroxides and alcoholates, are used to facilitate the alcoholysis. A by-product of the alcoholysis is glycerol. The non-enzymatic catalysts are removed with the glycerol, and cannot be reused. Purification of glycerol is made difficult because it contains a large amount of the catalyst. In another production approach, enzymatic catalysts, such as lipases, are used to facilitate production of alkyl esters from natural oils in an alcoholysis reaction. An oil source having triglyceride and an alcohol are dissolved in an organic solvent. With a lipase as a catalyst, the triglyceride and the alcohol react to produce alkyl ester, with glycerol as by-product.


A method and system for dynamic testing and diagnostic assessment of security vulnerability of cloud-based enterprise software applications. The method comprises directing, to a software program under execution, a series of attack vectors; diagnosing a set of results associated with the software execution as comprising one of a security vulnerability and not a security vulnerability, the set of results produced based at least in part on the attack vectors; and assessing a dynamic security vulnerability score for the software program based at least in part on the diagnosing.

Protection of safety-critical software platform infrastructures and systems employed in healthcare, telecommunications, banking, and other commercial and industrial uses remains a major challenge. In particular, cyberattacks can be unpredictable, and intended to compromise or inhibit secure operation of an infrastructure or a critical component within the infrastructure. Computer viruses, trojans, hackers, cryptographic key recovery attacks, malicious executables and bots may present a constant threat to users of computers connected to public computer networks such as the Internet and also private networks such as corporate computer networks. In response to these threats, enterprise organizations may deploy antivirus software and firewalls. However, such preventative attempts may not always prove adequate.
Multiple commercial industry mandates and government regulations necessitate the security of sensitive and confidential data, particularly in regard to personally identifiable information. Particular security policy management functions may need to be enforced, with attendant reporting.
For enterprise organizations deploying safety-critical software system infrastructure and components, it is important to ensure that their enterprise software applications and systems operate in a secure way and are robust and resilient with regard to cyberattacks performed via a data network. However, often the necessary software security assessment structure and solution may be missing or inadequate to assess current security aspects of a software system as deployed. Solutions are required to protect enterprise critical data from external threats by ensuring integrity of the software systems and applications used in conducting commerce.

Method and system for dynamic testing with diagnostic assessment of software security vulnerability


An EGR failure determination system for an internal combustion engine, which is capable of accurately determining failures of both an external EGR device and an internal EGR device, irrespective of whether the EGR amount is large or small, thereby making it possible to enhance marketability of the system. The EGR failure determination system includes an ECU. The ECU calculates an actual fresh air ratio, and sets a target value thereof. Further, it calculates a feedback correction coefficient according to the actual fresh air ratio and the target value, and controls an exhaust recirculation mechanism and three variable mechanism. When the feedback correction coefficient is not within a predetermined range, and if it is larger than 0.5, at least one of the three variable mechanism is determined to be faulty, whereas if it is not larger than 0.5, the exhaust recirculation mechanism is determined to be faulty.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a control system and an EGR failure determination system for an internal combustion engine that has an internal EGR amount and an external EGR amount changed by an internal EGR device and an external EGR device, respectively, the control system controlling the internal EGR amount, the external EGR amount, and so forth, and the EGR failure determination system determining failures of the EGR devices.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, a control system for an internal combustion engine including an EGR failure determination system have been disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 2004-360548. This internal combustion engine is provided with a variable intake cam phase mechanism and an exhaust recirculation mechanism. When the variable intake cam phase mechanism varies the phase of an intake valve relative to a crankshaft of the engine (hereinafter referred to as "the cam phase"), the valve overlap is changed to change the amount of combustion gases remaining in a cylinder of the engine (hereinafter referred to as "the internal EGR amount"). Further, the exhaust recirculation mechanism includes an EGR passage extending between an exhaust passage and an intake passage, and an EGR control valve for opening and closing the EGR passage. In the exhaust recirculation mechanism, by changing the degree of opening of the EGR control valve (hereinafter referred to as "the EGR opening"), the amount of gases recirculated from the exhaust passage to the intake passage (hereinafter referred to as "the external EGR amount") is changed.
The above EGR failure determination system includes an EGR control system. The EGR control system controls sets a target cam phase as a target of the cam phase and a target EGR opening as a target of the EGR opening are set according to operating conditions of the engine, and controls the internal EGR amount by the variable intake cam phase mechanism such that the cam phase becomes equal to the target cam phase, and the external EGR amount by the EGR control valve such that the EGR opening becomes equal to the target EGR opening.
Further, the EGR failure determination system compares the absolute value of the difference between the EGR opening and the target EGR opening with a predetermined value, and determines that a failure has occurred in which the EGR control valve is stuck at an open state, when the absolute value of the difference is not smaller than the predetermined value.
Furthermore, when the EGR failure determination system has determined that the EGR control valve is faulty, the EGR control system sets the target cam phase to a value of 0, whereby the cam phase is controlled to a value for minimizing the valve overlap by the variable intake cam phase mechanism. That is, the internal EGR amount is controlled such that it becomes minimum.
The above-described conventional control system carries out failure determination only of a failure in which the EGR control valve is stuck at an open state, that is, a failure in which the external EGR amount is too large, and when such a failure has occurred, the internal EGR amount is only controlled such that it becomes minimum, by the variable intake cam phase mechanism. Therefore, when a failure has occurred in which the external EGR amount decreases to be too small, the total EGR amount becomes so low to make knocking liable to occur, resulting in deteriorated drivability. This problem can become conspicuous particularly during high-load operation of the engine.
According to the above-described conventional EGR failure determination system, the failure of the EGR control valve is determined by comparing the absolute value of the difference between the EGR opening and the target EGR opening with the predetermined value, and hence when the EGR rate is small and the external EGR amount is small, the accuracy of the determination is lowered, which can bring about an error in the determination. That is, the EGR failure determination system can carry out failure determination with accuracy only in a region where the external EGR amount is large, which lowers the marketability of the system.
Further, no failure determination is carried out of the variable intake cam phase mechanism, and therefore when the variable intake cam phase mechanism is faulty, the internal EGR amount is controlled to an improper value by the EGR control system, which results in degraded combustion of the engine. Furthermore, when the EGR failure determination system determines that the EGR control valve is faulty, the EGR control system controls the internal EGR amount by the variable intake cam phase mechanism such that the internal EGR amount becomes minimum, so that knocking is liable to occur during high-load operation of the engine.

EGR failure determination system and control system for internal combustion engine


The dosimeter has two vertical field effect transistors (VFETs), each VFET with a bottom and top source/drain and channel between them. An implanted charge storage region material lies between and in contact with each of the vertical channels. A trapped charge is within the implanted charge storage region. The amount of the trapped charge is related to an amount of radiation that passes through the implanted charge storage region.

The present invention relates to a semiconductor radiation monitor (e.g. a dosimeter.) More specifically, to a radiation dosimeter embodied using vertical transistor structures.
Radiation may come in various forms, including, for example, as X-rays, alpha particles, protons, gamma rays, or beta-rays. There are various types of radiation monitors that may be used to determine an amount of radiation exposure, such as ionization detectors, Geiger counters, and thermoluminescent detectors (TLDs). Geiger counters and ionization detectors may determine and display a dose rate (for example, in mRad/hr) or an integrated dose (for example, in Rads) of radiation exposure accumulated over a time period. Alarm set points may be programmed based on the dose rate and/or the integrated dose. A Geiger counter or ionization detector may communicate with a computer for data logging or firmware updates.
However, Geiger counters and ionization detectors may be relatively expensive. TLDs allow determination of a dose of radiation based on emission of photons in response to application of heat. TLDs may be relatively inexpensive but may only read integrated dose after a period of exposure time, typically between one and three months. A degree of radiation exposure may only be determined after-the-fact using a TLD; real time dose information is not available.
One type of semiconductor radiation monitoring device may include a p-channel metal-oxide-semiconductor field effect transistor (MOSFET) transistor structure having a gate oxide layer fabricated on bulk silicon. Ionizing radiation induces holes in the gate oxide layer of the FET structure. The holes are trapped in the gate oxide by a voltage applied to the gate. The threshold voltage (Vth) of the transistor may change in relation to the amount holes that are trapped. Therefore, the amount of ionizing radiation is related to the shift in threshold voltage (Vth).
However, in order to measure the change in Vth of the MOSFET described above, a negative voltage is applied to the MOSFET gate, which may trigger the release of the holes trapped in the gate oxide via direct or trap-assisted tunneling. Therefore, electrical readout of the Vth shift to determine the radiation dose in such a FET-type dosimeter may cause a loss of the radiation-induced charge, leading to incorrect long-term total dose data. Further, the trapping voltage and the readout voltage are both applied at the gate, they may not be applied at the same time, so real-time information regarding a dose of radiation may not be obtained.
Another type of semiconductor radiation monitoring device includes a fully depleted semiconductor-on-insulator (FDSOI) dosimeter. One example of an FDSOI dosimeter includes a buried insulator layer disposed on a semiconductor substrate. The buried insulator layer includes a plurality of charge traps. A semiconductor layer is disposed on the buried insulating layer. A second insulator layer is disposed on the semiconductor layer. A gate conducting layer is disposed on the second insulator layer, and one or more side contacts are electrically connected to the semiconductor layer. A back contact is electrically connected to the semiconductor substrate, the back contact is configured to receive a backgate voltage during a radiation exposure by the radiation monitor to enhance trapping of charges generated by the radiation. The backgate voltage includes a positive bias across the buried insulator layer that is configured to trap an amount of positive charge in the charge traps in the buried insulator layer in response to the radiation exposure by the radiation monitor, wherein the amount of positive charge trapped in the charge traps in the buried insulator layer is used to determine the amount of the radiation exposure. The FDSOI dosimeter is capable of real time readout, with retention, but is limited in density due to its planar structure and detection of lower dose (equal to, or lesser than, 100 rad) at the expense of larger device area.

Vertical transistor based radiation dosimeter

International Business Machines Corporation


The present invention relates to a dimeric urethane compounds derived from monohydric alcohols, generally fatty alcohols, and a diisocyanate according to the following reaction scheme: ##STR1## wherein R.sub.1 is selected from the group of saturated or halogen substituted linear, cyclic or branch-chained hydrocarbons and R.sub.2 is a linear, cyclic or branch-chained alkyl or aminoalkyl group ranging from two to 200 carbon atoms, preferably two to 50 carbons, more preferably 6 to 36 carbons, said urethane compound being substantially free from terminal hydroxyl groups.

Standard emollients for the cosmetic, toiletry and personal care industries have been esters (monohydric) such as isopropyl myristate, butyl stearate, cetyl octanoate and isostearyl isostearate covering a wide breadth of molecular weights. Monohydric esters have also been manufactured from high molecular weight compounds such as behenic acid and behenyl alcohol which yield a solid ester useful as an emollient for increasing the melting point characteristics of a given formulation. Synthetic spermacetic waxes have been utilized for the past thirty years to replace the natural rare variety. Such products as cetyl palmitate, cetyl myristate and mixed cetyl esters have essentially replaced the use of spermacetic wax.
In the mid-seventies, there was a critical shortage of beeswax, and the synthesis of a synthetic version of this natural wax and emollients derived from this wax was sought. As one solution, the relatively high molecular weight dodecanedicarboxylic acid was esterified with a mixture of cetyl, stearyl and polyoxyethylene glycols to render a product that was found to be a suitable replacement. With the mixture of relatively high molecular weight alcohols and polyethers, the dicarboxylic acid of C.sub.12 yielded a perfectly usable product for skin applications-where natural beeswax had been used for numerous years.
For many years, monohydric alcohol diesters used in the cosmetic and personal care industries have been synthesized from such difunctional carboxylic acids as adipic, sebacic, azeleic, dodecanedicarboxylic acid and dimer acid, as well as anhydrides such as maleic, succinic and phthallic, among others. Based on the molecular weight of the difunctional carboxylic acid and the alcohol used, it was possible for the synthetic organic chemist to obtain a wide range of properties from these compositions, including, for example, dryness, oiliness, spreadability, lubricity, freezing point depression, insect repellency (e.g., dicapryl adipate), melting and slip point modification, emulsion synergism, solvency and color dispersion.
As the molecular weight of the dicarboxylic acid and corresponding alcohol increase, a greater degree of heaviness is imparted to the emollient, along with a higher degree of viscosity. As the degree of unsaturation of the alcohol used increases and becomes more olefinic in character, spreadability is enhanced. For example, diesters derived from oleyl or linoleyl alcohols have a greater degree of spreadability than does a corresponding diester derived from stearyl or isostearyl alcohol.
It is possible to further influence the melting point and indeed the viscosity of a diester through the use of branched rather than linear structures. With the introduction of an ether linkage, the liquidity of a given diester is also enhanced. Diesters made from ethoxylated and/or propoxylated adducts of alcohols have also been used as emollients and emulsifiers.
As a result of molecular weight and structure, diisopropyl adipate has been found to be an extremely dry ester with excellent solvency characteristics. Because of its physical properties, diisopropyl adipate finds use in products ranging from floating bath oils, after shaves, creams, lotions, deodorants, pre-electric shave lotions, to antiperspirants. Diisopropyl adipate has been widely used for numerous years in these applications because of the availability of raw materials and relatively low production cost. Diisostearyl adipate, on the other hand, is a relatively heavy, water white diester with little or no odor that imparts a luster and sheen to the skin and, as a result of its molecular weight and viscosity, has a tendency to linger on the skin. Dicapryl adipate is a diester derived from natural sources (through the cracking of castor oil to yield caprylene, then conversion to the corresponding alcohol) which has been found to exhibit insect repellency and has met with huge success in repellents for use in human and animal products. Diesters derived from dimer acids, such as diisopropyl dimerate and diisostearyl dimerate, in addition to being excellent, long lasting emollients because of their relatively high molecular weight, were shown to add anti-irritation characteristics to given skin formulations.
Typical end-use applications of diesters of dicarboxylic acids in the personal care, cosmetic as well as toiletry industries include: skin care products, eye makeups, body shampoo, stick deodorants, protective skin formulations, lipsticks, lip glosses, pre-electric and after shave lotions, after-bath splashes, shampoos and rinses, presun and sun products, antiperspirants and sunscreens.

Monohydric alcohol derived urethanes and their use in cosmetic formulations


A class of pyrazolidone compounds suitable for use as electron transfer agents in photographic development comprises pyrazolidones substituted in the 1-position by an aromatic group that is substituted in the ortho, meta or para position by --O--CO--R, wherein R is a monovalent organic group having up to 24 carbon atoms. This ester group is hydrolyzable in an alkaline developer solution, thereby deactivating the electron transfer agents after a period of time and reducing the contamination effect of seasoning into the developer solution. Photographic recording materials can be developed in reactive association with the electron transfer agent. The electron transfer agent can be present in the photographic recording materials, or in develper solutions.

Pyrazolidone electron transfer agents have been previously described for use as auxiliary developing agents in black-and-white and color photographic developers. It has been proposed to include these materials either in the developer solution or in the sensitized silver halide layer of a photographic film.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,155,763 describes color developing solutions comprising an aromatic amine color developing agent and a 1-aryl-pyrazolidone having two substituents at the 4-position of the pyrazolidone. The advantages are said to include faster image dye formation and a more stable color developing solution.
The English language abstract of Japanese application 62/178251 describes a color developing solution comprising a para-phenylene color developing agent and an auxiliary developing agent including, inter alia, 1-phenyl pyrazolidone. Image formation is described as highly sensitive and forming excellent gradation.
WO 92/10789 describes the color development of an imagewise exposed photographic material in which the color development is carried out in the presence of one or a combination of black-and-white silver halide developing agents such as pyrazolidones, for example 1-(4-methoxyphenyl)-3-pyrazolidone, 1-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)-3-pyrazolidone and 1-phenyl-4-n-pentyl-pyrazolidone which provide acceptable sensitometric results with reduced variability.
When an electron transfer agent such as a pyrazolidone is incorporated in the sensitized layer, residual amounts can season into the developer solution and can affect other films which did not contain this material and which were not designed to be processed in its presence.
There is a need to solve this problem of the contamination of the developer solution by the presence of residual amounts of electron transfer agent when used for subsequent development.

Auxiliary development agents photographic materials incorporating them and the use thereof


Semiconductor packages provide a leadframe for packages that are singulated with respective predetermined package body sizes. Individual mold caps are formed on the leadframe with mold cap dimensions that are larger than the respective predetermined package body sizes. The mold caps and leadframe are singulated to the respective predetermined package body sizes.

Continuing progress in integrated circuit ("IC") technology continues to lead to higher and higher levels of circuit integration. This is a result of the computer industry's relentless drive toward higher performance, lower cost, increased miniaturization of components, and greater packaging density of integrated circuits. As new generations of integrated circuit products are released, the functionality of those products increases while the number of components used to fabricate them decreases.
Semiconductor devices are constructed from a silicon or gallium arsenide wafer through a process that comprises a number of deposition, masking, diffusion, etching, and implanting steps. Usually, many individual devices are constructed on the same wafer. When the devices are separated into individual rectangular units, each takes the form of an IC die.
In order to connect a die with other circuitry, it is common to mount it on a leadframe or on a multi-chip module substrate that is surrounded by a number of contact connections. Each die has bonding pads that are then individually connected in a wire-bonding operation to the leadframe's contact connections, using extremely fine gold or aluminum wires. The assemblies are then completed by individually encapsulating them in molded plastic or ceramic bodies called "packages". With continuing technology improvements, packages themselves are also achieving higher and higher density.
The chip scale package ("CSP") is a popular package configuration in the semiconductor industry. The size of a CSP package is only slightly larger than the IC chip, or die, that it encapsulates. The CSP therefore saves considerable space over earlier, larger configurations. In addition, since the smaller CSP size shortens internal signal transmission paths, the CSP also improves product performance.
The chip carrying structures within a CSP commonly include a leadframe that provides mechanical support for the individual IC device die. The leadframe also provides interconnect lines that enable the die to be connected electrically to surrounding circuitry.
Since the CSP leadframe is usually low in cost and easy to work with, it has become a popular package configuration for consumer electronic products. Popular leadframe-based CSP's are the quad flat nolead ("QFN") package, the micro leadframe package ("MLP"), and the bottom leaded package ("BLP"). Popular leadless CSP's include various flip chip style packages such as the ball grid array ("BGA") and the slightly larger than IC carrier ("SLICC"). Leadless CSP's have the additional advantage of shorter signal transmission paths and lower signal attenuation.
A conventional semiconductor package is typically manufactured in quantity in an assembly process that requires a custom mold and a custom form tool. Thus, the tooling cost for manufacturing a new package can be high. Therefore, rather than creating a package that is optimized specifically for a given IC size and input/output ("I/O") configuration, a designer often compromises by selecting an already available package instead. The selection is done by matching the size and I/O terminal requirements of the IC as closely as possible to available packages for which the tooling investment has already been made. In such a case, unfortunately, the resulting package is optimized for neither density nor material cost.
During manufacturing of semiconductor packages, they are typically connected together either in an array or in a strip configuration. The individual packages must then be separated from each other. The separation process is referred to as "singulation". Contemporary singulation uses either a sawing process or a punching process to separate the individual semiconductor packages. Punch singulation and saw singulation technologies are efficient and well developed.
However, there are still significant disadvantages with both punch singulation and saw singulation. For example, punch singulation wastes leadframe space (circuit area), can suffer from debris damage, and requires molds and singulation dies that are individually sized for each leadframe body size. This causes increased tooling investments or sub-optimized design compromises. Saw singulation processes can form voids, can suffer strip warpage from differences in the thermal expansion of the material layers used, and can be impaired by materials that outgas.
Solutions to these problems have been long sought but prior developments have not taught or suggested any solutions and, thus, solutions to these problems have long eluded those skilled in the art.

Semiconductor packages and leadframe assemblies


A method for producing a fluorine-containing carboxylic acid ester represented by the general formula R1HCFCOOR2 involves reacting a fluorine-containing ether represented by the general formula R1HCFCF2OR2 with water in the presence of a solid catalyst. The solid catalyst is at least one selected from the group consisting of alumina, titania, zirconia, sulfated zirconia, an activated carbon on which sulfuric acid is supported, a resin having acid sites, and aluminum phosphate. In the general formulas R1HCFCOOR2 and R1HCFCF2OR2, R1 represents a fluorine atom or a C1-4 perfluoroalkyl group, and R2 represents a monovalent organic group.

As a method for producing a fluorine-containing carboxylic acid ester, there are known (1) a method of esterifying a fluorine-containing carboxylic acid in the presence of an acid catalyst, (2) a method of reacting 1-alkoxy-1,1,2,2-tetrafluoroethane, sulfuric acid, and silica (Non-patent Publication 1), (3) a method of reacting difluoroacetic acid fluoride, which is obtained by subjecting 1-alkoxy-1,1,2,2-tetrafluoroethane to a gas-phase reaction in the presence of a metal oxide catalyst, with an alcohol (Patent Publication 1), etc.
In the method of (1), there is a problem that difluoroacetic acid as the raw material is not easily available. As a method for producing difluoroacetic acid, there have been reported (4) a method in which chlorotrifluoroethylene as a starting material is reacted with an alkylamine, followed by hydrolysis to obtain a chlorofluoroacetic amide, moreover fluorination to convert it into difluoroacetic amide, and then hydrolysis (Non-patent Publication 2), (5) a method in which ammonia is added to tetrafluoroethylene to prepare 2,4,6-difluoromethyl-1,3,5-triazine, followed by hydrolysis (Patent Publication 2), etc.
In the method of (4), however, there are problems that the fluorination of chlorofluoroacetic amide is a reaction of a long time and a high temperature, that a post-treatment after the fluorination is complicated, and that yield is also low. Furthermore, in the method of (5), an industrial execution is difficult, since the addition of tetrafluoroethylene and ammonia is a high-pressure reaction of a gauge pressure of 3.4 MPa (34 kgG/cm2).
Furthermore, in each method of (4) and (5), a hydrolysis step is necessary. When using a hydrolysis step using sulfuric acid, there is a problem that a large amount of sulfuric acid waste liquid occurs. Furthermore, in the case of using a hydrolysis step using an alkali metal hydroxide aqueous solution, difluoroacetic acid is obtained as a mixture of water and an inorganic salt. Since difluoroacetic acid has a boiling point higher than that of water, there is a problem that separation from the inorganic salt by distillation is difficult, and recovery is low.
Furthermore, in the method of (2), it is difficult to control the reaction, and there is a risk that the reactor may corrode. Furthermore, the method of (3) is composed of a two-step reaction in which difluoroacetic acid fluoride is once produced from 1-alkoxy-1,1,2,2-tetrafluoroethane, and an alcohol is reacted with it. In more detail, it is composed of complicated steps that the alkoxy group moiety is eliminated as an alcohol by the first step reaction, and the alcohol is again added in the second step. In such reaction process, it is necessary to have a large-scale reaction apparatus and complicated operations. Furthermore, there is a risk that resources may be wasted by dumping a part of the raw material, and an excessive energy may be consumed.    Non-patent Publication 1: J. Am. Chem. Soc., 72, 1860 (1950)    Non-patent Publication 2: Collect. Czech. Chem. Comm., 42(8), 2537 (1977), CS180697    Patent Publication 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication 8-92162    Patent Publication 2: U.S. Pat. No. 2,442,995 specification

Method for producing fluorine-containing carboxylic acid ester


A press assembly (10) for squeezing liquid from layers of liquid containing materials. The press assembly utilizes a plurality of open top filter bag assemblies (102), each filter bag assembly being disposed between adjacent press racks (86), the press racks being mounted on parallel horizontally extending rods (52) for sliding movement thereon, the rods in turn being supported between spaced apart platens (42, 54). When the press racks are moved towards one another to squeeze juice from the liquid containing material which is disposed within the filter bag assemblies, the juice will flow into a collector (176) mounted below the press racks. The press assembly is capable of inverting the press racks and filter bag assemblies after the press racks have been moved away from each other, the residue from within the filter bags being discharged onto a conveyer (220) mounted below the collector which has been moved from its operative position below the press racks to an inoperative position to the sides of the press racks.

By way of background, it has been found that the best apple cider is made by pressing relatively thin layers of apple pomace, the pomace having been wrapped in cloth which is placed between adjacent press racks or press plates. Prior to the development of U.S. Pat. No. 4,892,665 this procedure was extremely labor-intensive because each layer had to be initially wrapped in a separate cloth and then placed between racks for pressing, and after pressing the cloth had to be unwrapped manually to dispose of the pomace residue, which is called press cake. The cider press shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,892,665, (which was developed by the applicant of the present invention) was designed to overcome the foregoing disadvantages. This prior art cider press has a centrally located moveable platen and fixed platens to either side. A plurality of press racks or plates are disposed between the platens, the racks in turn being supported by a scissor linkage. When the moveable platen moves towards or away from a fixed platen it causes corresponding movement of the scissor linkage, the scissor linkage in turn causing corresponding movement of the press racks. Filter bags are supported by and between adjacent racks. When the racks are moved to their spaced apart position, the open filter bags are filled with the fruit which is to be pressed. Then the moveable platen will be moved toward the fixed platen, causing the scissor linkage to cause corresponding movement of the racks, which will in turn press the fruit within the filter bags. At the completion of the pressing operation the movable platen will be moved back to its open position. With this design it is not necessary to close the top of the press bags during pressing.
In order to avoid undue stress on the scissor linkage of the design shown in the foregoing patent, the fruit which is to be pressed should be evenly distributed within each press section, each filter bag receiving about the same amount of fruit, and the fruit within each filter bag being evenly distributed from side to side. If this even distribution does not occur, or if each bag does not receive the same amount of fruit, it has been found that the pressing forces may have to be borne by the adjacent scissor linkage, causing undue stress on the linkage. This requires that the scissor linkage be designed to withstand the press forces. For example, when a filter bag is not filled and it is next to a filter bag that is completely filled, the press forces for the empty filter bag must be borne by the adjacent scissor linkage, as there is no fruit within the empty filter bag to absorb the press forces. As the scissor linkage must have sufficient strength to withstand maximum press forces, it has been necessary to make the links of the scissors linkage of relatively thick bar stock. Because of this, it had been found that the scissor links will contact each other before the press racks do, thus restricting the pressing operation when the filter bags are not filled with the proper amount of material.
It has also been found when using the design of the forgoing patent, that if the fruit to be pressed is soft and mushy that the press racks may move from side to side causing undue stress upon the machine. It is also been found in the prior machine, that there are additional structural requirements due to the lifting of the filter bags and all of the associated structure as the filter bags are moved from their normal working position to an inverted position to one side of the machine.
Other forms of presses are known which carry material receiving a plurality of containers. One such design is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 424,543 which is designed for pressing oil from cotton seed or the like. This design includes a plurality of press boxes supported by guide rods on each side of the press boxes, each press box including it own plunger. The design shown in this patent requires the use of press boxes which must be closed prior to pressing, which cannot be readily removed from the machine for cleaning, and which also requires that the press cake be ejected upwardly at the completion of the pressing operation.
Other prior designs are shown is U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,107,487, 3,289,844, 4,076,033, 4,343,710, 4,900,436, 5,037,540 and 5,045,186. However, none of these prior art patents utilize filter bag assemblies that can be readily installed and removed from a press for rapid sanitation and replacement, which filter bag assemblies have been found to be useful when the best tasting juice is desired, and which have other operational and structural deficiencies.

Press assembly for extracting liquids from solids


An automotive interior component including an airbag chute having at least one weld bar, and a pre-stressed instrument panel having a substrate layer for bonding to the weld bar. The pre-stressing provides tensile stress at weld bar bonding areas to reduce any deformation visible on an exposed surface of the instrument panel.

a. Field of Invention
The invention relates generally to automotive instrument panels, an apparatus for and method of manufacture thereof, and, more particularly, to an apparatus for and method of manufacturing automotive instrument panels and other automotive components which eliminates distortion in the area of vibration welded Passenger Side Inflatable Restraint (PSIR) chutes and other vibration welded components.
b. Description of Related Art
Automobiles are commonly equipped with airbags for reducing driver and passenger injuries in the case of an accident. Automobile airbags are generally located in areas where a driver or passenger would potentially contact an automobile interior in the event of an accident. Airbags can reduce injuries by providing a substantially non-solid surface for the driver or passenger to contact, as opposed to the generally solid surfaces of the automotive interior. Although the functionality of the airbag is greatly valued, the visual appeal of the instrument panel, and invisibility of the airbag system are also of value to automobile manufacturers and consumers alike.
In order to install an airbag, the airbag is generally folded into a module that is installed into or behind an automotive interior component. The module housing a passenger-side airbag is generally installed on the underside of an instrument panel, within a PSIR chute protruding behind the instrument panel. The instrument panel will generally have a pre-weakened area, allowing an airbag to release therethrough. A PSIR chute will be bonded to the instrument panel, and will generally include doors that line up with the pre-weakened area of the instrument panel.
A known method for attaching a PSIR chute to an instrument panel includes vibration welding the PSIR chute to the instrument panel. Vibration welding joins components by "rubbing" them together, creating heat through the friction, melting the connection points, and applying/holding pressure until the components cool together, thereby welding the components at the contact points. During the cooling process, there is known to be shrinkage/deformation of materials. Namely, during the known vibration welding of an instrument panel and PSIR chute, there is a visible deflection of the instrument panel at the connection points between the components caused by uneven shrinkage during the cooling process.
It would therefore be of benefit to provide an apparatus and method of manufacturing automotive instrument panels and other structures including air bags and other vibration welded components to include a flat (or predetermined contoured) appearance in the area of the vibration welds.

Prestressing fixture to eliminate automotive P.S.I.R. door-chute vibration weld visibility


Tools and methods are described herein that allows for measuring and using the relationship between artifacts of a software design, such as requirements, test plans, and so on. The relationship can be quantified by determining a relationship quotient for quantifying a similarity between components of software design artifacts and presenting the quantified relationships to a user, such as a software designer, so that he or she can account for the relationship between such components during design changes and so on. The relationship quotient is made more representative of substantive similarity by selecting the key terms that are to be submitted to a similarity analysis such that words that are too common in the English language, such as conjunctions, articles, etc., are not used. Ubiquity of certain key terms in an enterprise is accounted for by adding a term significance weight to the similarity analysis. The similarity analysis is made contextual, for instance, by the use of inputs from domain ontology including Entity Descriptions, and Entity Relationships.

During the lifecycle of large software projects several software design artifacts, such as, but not limited to, requirements specifications, test plans, use-case documents and class descriptions of object-oriented programming languages are generated. Any change in one such artifact could necessitate a change in many of the other software design artifacts as well. The ability to assess the impact of a change, in any one of the software design artifacts, on the rest of the project artifacts is a critical aspect of software engineering. However, as software design artifacts are created and updated their relationship to other artifacts is not always fixed and also not always apparent without the use of some sorts of explicit links established manually by the developers.
Maintaining user-specified explicit links between software design artifacts has many costs. For instance, such methods add substantial overhead in terms of computing resources needed to maintain the links throughout the software development lifecycle. In addition to the computing resources such methods require personnel, such as developers, business analysts, architects and other stake holders to spend valuable time to maintain the manual links.
Establishing and maintaining explicit links between related software design artifacts throughout the software development cycle also means that such relationships have to be continuously established and maintained through the software development lifecycle. Any gaps in such an effort will mean that certain relationships may be missed. Also, these methods do not lend themselves easily to ascertaining the relationships between software design artifacts in advanced stages of the software development lifecycle when a large number of such artifacts are already in place.
Thus, there is a need for automating the process of determining and quantifying relationships between various software design artifacts generated during the software development lifecycle.

Automated relationship traceability between software design artifacts


A firearm safety system as well as a method associated with the firearm safety system capable of preventing a firearm from firing is described. By incorporating a control module into firearms, the presence by the firearm may be detected by a detecting device receiving signals sent by the control module. The detecting device may in turn transmit signals to an established signaling network, such as a mobile telephone network, which may then telecommunicate with the control module to disable the firearm and prevent it from being fired. Such a system and method may be most effective in gun-free zones, especially places such as schools and courthouses. Thus, both the system and the method may be used to reduce firearm violence.

Gun violence has become a more and more significant safety problem, not only in the United States, where more than 200 hundred million firearms are privately owned, but also in a number of other countries. A great number of injuries and deaths result from gun-related violence, causing tremendous losses of life and wealth. Tragedies such as the Newtown, Conn. school shooting and other violent incidents are prompting people to seek effective ways to curb firearm misuse and brutality. It is undoubtedly desirable to develop safety systems and control mechanisms that may contribute to the comprehensive endeavor of reducing violence. To achieve such goals, the system is preferred to be effective, simple to use, and wide-ranging. The current invention satisfies that need.


Heterocyclic compounds I EQU R.sup.1 --X--L (I). where. L is a cyclic carbamate residue, a lactonoxy residue or a lactam residue, PA0 X is an oxygen-containing group ##STR1## where A is a linker, and R.sup.1 is an organic radical or a group L,. are used as activators for inorganic peroxy compounds, in particular as cold bleach activators or optical brighteners in detergents, cleaners and bleaches and in disinfectants.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the use of certain heterocyclic compounds based on cyclic carbamates, lactones or lactams as activators for inorganic peroxy compounds, in particular as cold bleach activators or optical brighteners in detergents, cleaners and bleaches and in disinfectants. The present invention furthermore relates to certain industrial formulations which contain these heterocyclic compounds.
2. Description of the Background
In the efforts to achieve energy-saving washing, cleaning and bleaching processes, recently use temperatures in the lower temperature range have become increasingly important, for example for textile laundering distinctly below 60.degree. C., and in particular below 45.degree. C. However, at these temperatures, the effect of the known activators for inorganic peroxy compounds, this being the system responsible for the bleaching or cleaning action, decreases markedly. There has thus been no lack of attempts to develop more effective activators for this temperature range, without any convincing success to date.
EP-A 028 432 discloses textile detergent formulations which contain, among other things, N-acyllactams, eg. N-acetylcaprolactam, as precursor for a bleaching organic peroxy acid.

Use of heterocyclic compounds as activators for inorganic peroxy compounds


A display has plural pixel groups each having plural color pixels. In a given frame that is divided into a first sub-period and a second sub-period, a first signal is provided in the first sub-period to a pixel of a given color in a first pixel group, and a second signal is provided to the pixel in the second sub-period. The first signal is set to one of a first polarity and a second polarity, and the second signal is set to one of the first polarity and second polarity, wherein the first signal and the second signal form a first sequence. A pixel of the given color in a second pixel group that is adjacent the first pixel group is driven with a second sequence of signals that is the same as the first sequence.

In general, the light transmittance of a display such as a liquid crystal display (LCD) is different depending upon whether the viewer is looking at the picture (displayed image) squarely (directly) in front of the LCD or at an angle. This is because the incident light from different angles results in different retardation in the liquid crystal layer. Hence, the refractive index influence in the transmitted light will change according to different viewing angles and result in different transmittance when viewing from different angles. Consequently, an image displayed by the LCD may appear to have different brightnesses when viewed from different angles.
When various color pixels of the LCD (e.g., red pixel, green pixel, and blue pixel) having different brightnesses are mixed and viewed at different angles, color shift may occur, which means that the colors of a displayed image may look different at different angles.

Drive system and method for a color display


A securing method including the steps of inserting a core into a depression portion of a metal member having an open end portion, and connecting the metal member to the core by compressing circumferentially the core and metal member by means of a compression die is disclosed. The improvement includes a step of compressing circumferentially the core and metal member in such a manner that an overall compression portion to be compressed by means of the compression die is divided into a plurality of compression regions arranged from the open end portion of the metal member to the other end portion, and a compression pressure is applied to the compression regions successively from the open end portion to the other end portion

(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a securing method for inserting a core into a depression portion of a metal member having an open end and connecting the metal member to the core by compressing circumferentially the core and metal member by means of a compression die, and especially relates to a securing method used preferably for a connection between a core and a metal end-fitting in a polymer insulator.
(2) Related Art Statement
Generally, various securing methods for inserting a core into a depression portion of a metal member having an open end and connecting the metal member to the core by compressing circumferentially the core and metal member by means of a compression die have been known. For example, Japanese Patent Publication No.60-54730 discloses, as shown in FIG. 7, such a technique that a core 51 and a compression portion of a metal member 52 are connected by performing a compression operation such that a compression pressure P is circumferentially applied to a compression region L of the core 51 and the metal member 52 to be compressed at once by means of a compression die 53 having a width a corresponding to the compression region L.
In this technique, since the metal member 52 is deformed plastically in a direction vertical to a direction in which the compression pressure is applied by means of the compression die 53, a tensile pressure is applied to the core 51 in its axial direction. Moreover, a compression pressure is applied to the core 51 in its radial direction at the same time.
At the time when use is made of the technique disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No.60-54730, a sufficient securing strength can be obtained by this technique. However, recently for example in a field of a polymer insulator and so on, there arises a requirement such that a securing method having a more sufficient securing strength is provided so as to produce a polymer insulator having better reliability.
In this respect, the compression pressure may be increased so as to obtain a more sufficient securing strength. However, a predetermined securing strength can not be obtained if a material of the core is varied, and thus there arises a problem such that a securing portion is fractured at an extremely low tensile strength in an actual use.


Disclosed is a method for creating a fitness training program based on performing neuromuscular and muscular performance tests on an individual, analyzing the results of the neuromuscular and muscular performance tests, and creating the fitness training program based on the analysis of the neuromuscular and muscular performance test results. The equipment used to perform the neuromuscular and muscular performance tests may be equipment designed for rehabilitation physical therapy used for recovery from injuries and surgical procedures that permits general neuromuscular and muscular performance testing and testing of the difference in muscle performance between a right side and a left side of the body of the individual. The individual is tested to create a fitness training program to increase neuromuscular and muscular performance, not for purposes of injury and/or surgery rehabilitation. The individual tested may be a healthy individual. The method is particularly well suited for an athlete that desires to increase performance in a particular sport. The test equipment should objectively, quantitatively, and accurately measure the general neuromuscular and muscular performance and the difference in muscle performance between the right side and left side of the body. Neuromuscular and muscular performance tests may include a variety of exercise movements with each movement tested for isometric, coordination, proprioceptive, endurance capacity, and strength capacity response. The fitness training regimen is created for the individual based on the analysis of the neuromuscular and muscular performance test results.

Competitive athletes and their trainers and coaches have always sought to develop training regimens and exercises to maximize athletic performance in particular sports, but objective testing and evaluation in a manner that can identify specific neuromuscular and muscular deficiencies in a manner that enables targeted development of specific training regimens to maximize athletic performance for individual athletes in specific sports has been lacking. Each person has different or unique physical characteristics, strengths, and weaknesses that may not necessarily be addressed and optimized by generalized exercise programs.
Some efforts have been made, of course, to test and address needs of individual athletes, such as the functional sports screening tests which are used with many athletes. A relatively comprehensive list of many of the functional sports screening tests has been compiled by the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM), of 26632 Agoura Road, Calabasas, Calif. 91302, and the functional movement screening test developed by Gray Cook and described in his book Athletic Body in Balance, by Gray Cook, published by Human Kinetics, 2003. The functional movement screen discussed by Gray Cook, which includes squat, step lunge, reach, leg raise, push-up, and rotational movements, addresses the mobility and stability of the body and stresses the importance of overall body balance. Gray Cook further stresses the need for overall body balance and the desire that the right and left side of the body maintain a balanced muscular performance profile. Such functional movement screening observation of the movements necessitates that a trainer/coach or the athlete himself or herself interpret and grade or score the relative performance of the athlete/subject on the various exercise movements on a scale from 0 for complete failure to 3 for complete success for each movement. Thus, the functional screening is somewhat subjective in that it is subject to the opinion of the coach/trainer, and it is difficult to have repeatable results between different coaches/trainers. The NASM functional sports screening tests, on the other hand, are measurements of the athlete/subject in sporting skills such as the 40 yard dash, the 300 meter shuttle run, and number pull-ups, thus measuring the final performance of an athlete/subject in a sports context, but not the individual muscle groups. The NASM tests also address things such as body mass/weight measurements and other more subjective tests such as a postural assessment.

Method for measuring physical fitness and creating athletic training regimens for particular sports


Techniques are disclosed for automatically reconnecting an interrupted voice call session. For example, a method for use in a communication system switch for managing a call session between a first device and second device includes the following steps. The first device and the second device are connected, via the communication system switch, in accordance with a call session. The first device and the second device are automatically reconnected, via the communication system switch, when the call session is unintentionally interrupted. By way of example, the communication system switch may be a private branch exchange server.

Unintended termination of a voice call between two call participants has plagued mobile communication networks since their inception. Typical reasons for such unintended termination of a call include sporadic connectivity and limited resources (e.g., battery level) of a mobile device used by at least one of the call participants. For example, a call is dropped when the mobile user device enters an area with poor or no service. Also, a call is dropped when the battery of the mobile user device is low or completely discharged and the device turns off.
While this may be a nuisance to casual users, it can have significant detrimental effects in a corporate voice communication network, particularly for users of so-called "smartphones" who rely heavily on such lines of communication to perform important business functions. As is known, a "smartphone" is a voice-centric communication device (i.e., voice communication and applications are the primary functions), which also provides secondary data-centric functions (e.g., phonebook, calendar and task list).
Thus, due to their multi-functionality, it is no surprise that smartphones have become an important part of a corporate voice communication network. Many corporate users are constantly on the move and use their smartphones as their only PBX (private branch exchange) extension. Unfortunately, a voice call between a corporate smartphone and a corporate PBX desktop extension, or other forms of extensions, can be suddenly lost due to the sporadic connectivity and/or limited resources of the smartphone.
If this occurs, one of the parties then needs to manually redial the other party to continue the call. Since the user of the PBX desktop extension does not know if the conditions that led to the dropped call have been corrected or dissipated, that party may need to try several times to get reconnected with the corporate smartphone user to continue an important conversation. This can be a source of great frustration, and even revenue loss, to both parties.
It is apparent from the foregoing that a need exists for techniques for automatically reconnecting an interrupted voice call session.

Automated reconnection of interrupted voice call session


An IMS system including a Home Subscriber Server including data for terminals connecting to the IMS. The Home Subscriber Server being arranged to transmit a reset message to components such as application servers and S-CSCF in the IMS when it undergoes a reset. The receipt of a reset message causing the component to mark the terminals that the HSS stores the data for as not confirmed. The component then, either automatically or in response to a message, transmits a message to the Home Subscriber Server to request user profile data for a user terminal connecting to the IMS or accessing services from the IMS.

An IP multimedia subsystem (IMS) is a functional network architecture used to facilitate the delivery of multimedia services, such as telephony over IP and video-conferencing, over an IP network. It is of particular use in cellular networks that allow users of cellular telephones to access Internet services.
Typically an IMS 10 has the architecture illustrated in FIG. 1. It has an application layer 12 that includes application servers 14. The application servers 14 host the services provided to users by the IMS 10. The application layer 12 also includes a Home Subscriber Server (HSS) 16. The HSS 16 stores information, such as identification information and subscription-related information, for each user terminal using the IMS 10. In one embodiment, HSS 16 is the master database for the IMS network. HSS 16 may be include one or more physical database. For example, a physical database may be implemented using physical storage, e.g., non-transitory computer readable media.
The IMS layer 18 is responsible for media and session control within the IMS 10. It includes Call Session Control Functions (CSCF) which establish, monitor, support and release multimedia sessions. The CSCFs also manage service interactions for each user within the IMS. A CSCF may be a Serving-CSCF (S-CSCF) 20, Proxy-CSCF (P-CSCF) 22 or an Interrogating-CSCF (I-CSCF) 24 and is preferably a SIP server.
The S-CSCF 20 is located within the network controlled by the HSS 16, also known as the home network, and stores the details of user terminals accessing services in the home network. It controls communication sessions within the IMS 10 by invoking an application server 14 that can provide a service in response to a request from a user terminal for the service. The P-CSCF 22 is assigned to a terminal when it registers with a network and becomes the contact point of the terminal. The P-CSCF 22 can be in either the home network of the terminal or the visiting network. The I-CSCF 24 provides a gateway between different IMS 10 and enables topology hiding and the use of multiple S-CSCF 20 in an IMS 10.
Finally, the transport layer 26 enables a user terminal 28 to access the IMS 10. It includes user terminals such as cellular telephones 28 and may also include, among other components, gateways (not shown) to allow non IMS-compatible systems, such as VoIP systems, to access the IMS 10.
As will be known by one skilled in the art the components present in the IMS are not limited to those described above.
In order to access a service a user will cause a user terminal 28 to request a service. The request is routed through to the S-CSCF 20. The S-CSCF 20 authenticates the user identity of the user terminal 28 with the HSS 16 in the home network and, if the service can be provided, forwards the request to an application server 14. The application server 14 can then provide the service to the user terminal 28. All messages exchanged between the application server 14 and the user terminal 28 are passed through the S-CSCF 20.
When a user terminal 28 initially registers and authenticates a user identity in an IMS 10, the S-CSCF 20 downloads authentication vectors from the HSS 16 and performs the authentication of the user terminal 28. If the user terminal 28 is successfully authenticated, the S-CSCF 20 downloads, from the HSS 16, the user profile associated with the user terminal's 28 user identity.
After initial registration, the user terminal 28 may re-register, but the HSS 16 may not be contacted for this re-registration. This is because the user terminal 28 is doing a periodic refresh of its registration status and there is no need to re-authenticate the user terminal 28 again, nor download a fresh user profile from the HSS 16. This means that if the HSS 16 is reset, for example because of a hardware upgrade data, inaccuracies may occur. Hence, what is needed is a method for improving the integrity of the subscriber data in the event of an HSS Reset.

Method for improving subscriber data integrity in an IMS network


A hot-rolled wire rod excelling in wire drawability is provided, in which breakage can be suppressed even in heavy work from a large diameter. A hot-rolled wire rod contains C: 0.35 to 0.65% (percent by mass, hereinafter expressed as well), Si: 1.4 to 3.0%, Mn: 0.10 to 1.0%, Cr: 0.1 to 2.0%, P: 0.025% or less (exclusive of 0%), S: 0.025% or less (exclusive of 0%), N: 0.006% or less (exclusive of 0%), Al: 0.1% or less (exclusive of 0%), and O: 0.0030% or less (exclusive of 0%), with the remnant consisting of Fe and inevitable impurities; wherein the content of hydrogen in steel is 2.50 ppm (ppm by mass, hereinafter expressed as well) or less, and hardness (HV) is 460×C00.1 or less (C0 indicates the content of C (percent by mass) in a position of depth of D/4 (D: diameter of the wire rod)).

In the wire rods or the spring steel for wire drawing, wire drawability has been improved by controlling microstructural factors, suppressing segregation, or the like. For example, JP-A-11-199977 proposes that pearlite nodule size, a center segregation level, and a lamellar interval of a pearlite structure are controlled in order to improve wire drawability (particularly, rod drawability) of wire rods. JP-A-2000-239797 proposes that mechanical properties of spring steel are appropriately adjusted to improve rod drawability of the spring steel.
For high alloy formation associated with increase in strength of a spring and the like, suppression of supercooled microstructures is also required for the wire rods. Suppression of the supercooled microstructures can be achieved by manufacturing a wire rod having a large wire diameter. However, the wire rod having the large wire diameter exhibits large work hardening due to heavy wire drawing, and furthermore as initial wire diameter is increased, the wire drawing becomes more difficult. Therefore, a wire rod having a large diameter is required to have higher wire drawability.

Wire with excellent suitability for drawing and process for producing the same