A display device includes a display portion, a source driver that is connected to a second end of a source signal line to output to the source signal line a first source signal for a first pixel electrode and a second source signal for a second pixel electrode, a gate driver that outputs first and second gate signals to first and second gate signal lines, and a controller that controls the gate driver and the source driver to control output timings of the first and second gate signals relative to output timings of the first and second source signals. The controller sets a first time interval from the output timing of the first source signal to the output timing of the first gate signal to be longer than a second time interval from the output timing of the second source signal to the output timing of the second gate signal.

A liquid crystal display device is used as a display device such as a high definition color monitor of a computer or other information equipments, a television receiver, or the like. Basically, the liquid crystal display device includes a liquid crystal display portion that has liquid crystal disposed between two substrates, at least one of which is formed by transparent glass or the like. The liquid crystal display device is provided with a driver that selectively applies voltage to pixel electrodes formed on the substrate of the liquid crystal display portion. When the voltage is applied by the driver, pixels of the respective pixel electrodes are controlled.
In general, the liquid crystal display portion is provided with gate signal lines, source signal lines, and pixel electrodes. The gate signal lines respectively extend in a horizontal direction (main scanning direction), and are arranged next to each other in a vertical direction (sub scanning direction), for example. The source signal lines respectively extend in the vertical direction (sub scanning direction), and are arranged next to each other in the horizontal direction (main scanning direction), for example. Thin film transistors (TFTs) and the pixel electrodes are arranged in matrix at intersection points of the gate signal lines and the source signal lines. A gate driver applies voltage (gate signal) to the gate signal lines for turning on and off the TFTs. A source driver applies voltage (source signal) to the source signal lines based on an input image signal to the pixel electrodes, to control transmittance of the liquid crystal that is provided correspondingly to the pixel electrodes, to the value corresponding to the source signal.
In the conventional liquid crystal display device, a difference in waveforms of the source signal may occur depending on positions of the pixel electrodes, even though the source signal having the same level is applied to the pixel electrodes by the source driver. For example, in the pixel electrode that is at a position separated from the source driver, the waveform of the source signal is rounded and becomes a gradually changing waveform, as compared with the waveform in the pixel electrode that is at the position closer to the source driver. Therefore, when the output of the gate signal is finished before the level of the source signal that is applied to the pixel electrode changes to a desired value, the transmittance of the liquid crystal that is provided correspondingly to the pixel electrode may not be controlled to have the desired value. As a result of this, quality of the image to be displayed on the display portion may be deteriorated.
In view of the above, a display device described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-140883, for example, employs a precharge mode, in which a signal (precharge voltage) that is higher than a source signal based on the input image signal is applied in the first half of one horizontal scanning period, and the source signal based on the input image signal is applied in the latter half of one horizontal scanning period, so that the level of the source signal to be applied to the pixel electrode changes to the desired value before the output of the gate signal is finished.
According to the display device described in the Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-140883, however, control structure is complicated in order to apply the precharge voltage having the appropriate level according to the position of the pixel electrode.

PANASONIC LIQUID CRYSTAL DISPLAY CO., LTD.


According to an embodiment, a semiconductor storage device includes a first storage unit, a read control unit, a second storage unit, and a write control unit. The first storage unit is configured to store data supplied from a host device. The read control unit is configured to perform control of reading the data in accordance with a read request. The second storage unit is configured to store a logical address used for reading the data from the first storage unit by the read control unit. The write control unit is configured to perform control of adding the stored logical address to the data and write the resulting data into the first storage unit in a case where a size of the data requested to be written into the first storage unit by the host device is smaller than a threshold.

As examples of storage devices included in general host systems such as computer systems, there are magnetic hard disk drives (HDD), solid state drives (SSD) having nonvolatile semiconductor memories such as NAND flash memory mounted thereon, and embedded NAND flash memory. SSDs and embedded NAND flash memory are classified as storages, but can also be described as memory systems with extended sizes.
Such a memory system includes an interface, a first memory block, a second memory block and a controller, for example. The first memory block stores data, and the second memory block is a buffer memory for writing/reading data.
Description will be given considering an SSD as a system of the related art. Herein, an SSD refers to a storage constituted by NAND flash-based solid-state memory in a broad sense and also includes a NAND flash memory embedded system. Since writing to NAND flash memory is performed in units of a page, there is a disadvantage that a large number of data write requests in smaller units (requests to write data smaller than a page size) results in many empty areas in the NAND flash memory and thus results in decrease in the use efficiency.

Semiconductor storage device for handling write to nonvolatile memories with data smaller than a threshold


The present invention relates to immunotherapies that are based on myeloid cell depletion. In particular, the present invention relates to CD33 binding agents for use in such therapies, e.g. in the treatment of myeloid cell malignancies and myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS).

In the early 1980s CD33 was identified as a marker of myeloid leukemias (Andrews et al., Blood 62, 24-132, 1983). CD33 is a cell-surface antigen specifically expressed on myeloid cells including myeloid leukemia cells. It is the smallest member of the siglec (sialic acid-binding Ig-related lectins) family CD33 is expressed on early multilineage hematopoietic progenitor cells and myelomonocytic precursors. It is absent from pluripotent hematopoietic stem cells (Andrews et al., Journal of Experimental Medicine 169, 1721-1731, 1989). It is downregulated on mature granulocytes but retained on macrophages, monocytes and dendritic cells (Andrews et al., Blood 62, 24-132, 1983). Besides myelomonocytic cells, CD33 has also been found to be expressed on human mast cells and blood basophils (Valent et al., Blood 15; 73(7):1778-85, 1989). Monoclonal antibodies directed against CD33 are used in diagnosis of leukemia as well as for therapeutic targeting and in vitro purging of bone marrow for autologous transplantation in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) (Duzkale et al., Biol Blood Marrow Transplant. 9(6):364-72, 2003). Initial efforts in therapeutic targeting focused on the development of immunotoxins using an anti-CD33 antibody conjugated to the toxin ricin. Since CD33 rapidly internalizes upon antibody binding (Audran et al., J Immunol Methods. 188(1):147-54, 1995) the immunotoxin approach was obvious.
CD33 is a 67 KD transmembrane glycoprotein. The sialic acid-binding extracellular domain of CD33 is involved in cell-cell adhesion. The intracellular immunoreceptor tyrosine-based inhibitory motifs (ITIM) confer inhibitory signals to the cell, affecting proliferation and cell survival. The actual signalling pathways of CD33 are poorly understood but are assumed to involve the ITIM and ITIM-like motifs and the recruitment of tyrosine phosphatases (von Gunten et al., Ann. N.Y. Acad. Sci. 1143: 61-82, 2008). A murine CD33 orthologue has been defined but its functional comparability to human CD33 was questioned (Brinkman-Van der Linden et al., Mol Cell Biol., 23(12): 4199-206, 2003). The functional role of human CD33 on normal and malignant leukocytes remains unknown.
Several publications have described CD33 as a stable cell surface marker on primary AML and CML cells expressed by 70-100% of tested patients (Plesa et al., Cancer 112(3), 572-80, 2007, Hauswirt et al., Eur J Clin Invest. January 73-82, 2007, Scheinberg et al., Leukemia Vol. 3, 440-445, 1989). CD33 is expressed on malignant myeloid blast cells, which represent the majority of malignant cells in peripheral blood and bone marrow of leukemia patients, and on leukemic stem cells, a relatively small number of less differentiated cells in the bone marrow which are characterized by their capacity for self-renewal and the maintenance of the leukemic clonal hierarchy. Depletion of leukemic stem cells is regarded the key mechanism for sustained tumor free survival. The CD33 targeting immunotoxin Mylotarg®, a humanized IgG4 antibody conjugated to the toxin chaliceamicin is used for the treatment of AML patients by delivering its toxic payload to CD33 positive AML cells (Amadori et al., Cancer Treat Rev. 34(1):49-60, 2008). Lintuzumab (SGN-33, HuM195), a "naked" CD33 specific humanized monoclonal antibody was evaluated in phase II clinical trials for the treatment of AML and MDS with initial clinical signs of efficacy from a phase I dose escalation study and tolerable adverse events being reported (Raza et al. Abstract #983, 14th EHA Congress, Jun. 4-7, 2009).
Targeting AML cell lines with CD33 specific HuM195 in vitro reduces TNF-α induced secretion of inflammatory cytokines like IL-8, MCP-1 and RANTES (Sutherland et al., Mabs 1:5, 481-490, 2009). The relevance of this effect for AML therapy is unknown but modulating the cytokine milieu of the tumor microenvironment may contribute to the therapeutic efficacy of the antibody. In addition, the antibody induces antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC) and antibody-dependent cell-mediated phagocytosis (ADCP) of AML cell lines in vitro (Sutherland et al., Mabs 1:5, 481-490, 2009). ADCC is considered to be a decisive mechanism for anti-tumor activity of antibodies in hematological malignancies. Data from clinical trials with the CD20-specific monoclonal antibody Rituximab have demonstrated the significance of effector cell mediated mechanisms for treatment of B-cell malignancies with respect to response to antibody treatment (Weng and Levy, J Clin Oncol. 21 (21): 3940-7, 2003).
In conclusion, it has been shown that CD33 antigen is expressed on normal cells of the myelomonocytic lineage and frequently expressed on tumor cells in myeloid leukemias. In a phase I trial with an antibody against CD33 (lintuzumab) first signs of efficacy were observed without severe adverse events. However, clinical development of lintuzumab was discontinued after results from a phase II trial in combination with chemotherapy did not yield the expected improvement in efficacy. Therefore, there is a clear need for the development of improved CD33-targeting treatment modalities.
In view of the prior art there is a need for providing a further improved therapy for myeloid cell malignancies and MDS, particularly for acute myeloid leukemia.
In particular there is a need for providing further improved antagonistic binding agents to CD33 for treating cancer, in particular AML.


Disclosed is a unique system and method that facilitate group communication using SMS text messaging and a plurality of SMS based commands. More specifically, the system and method make use of mobile communication devices such as mobile or cellular phones, smart phones, and/or PDAs which are equipped with SMS capabilities. Communication within a group of users can be accomplished in part by creating a text message and sending it to at least one communication server by way of at least one common access number. The communication server can analyze the message to determine the recipient group and broadcast the message to the members of the group in real-time or near real-time. Groups can be user-defined and managed dynamically by users using either a website interface or a mobile communication device interface at any time or anywhere. The communication server can be a suitably equipped mobile communication device or a separate server can be employed.

The last ten years has seen mobile phones revolutionize how people communicate, coordinate, and socialize. Mobile phones have become an integral part of the feeling of connectedness that friends and family share with one another, allowing them to keep in touch regardless of location. While voice communication is highly natural and expressive, it also requires immediate attention, occasional privacy, quiet surroundings, and does not scale well for coordinating within medium/large groups of people.
Text messaging, also know as SMS (Short Message Service), is a lightweight text communication tool for mobile phones. As the name implies, messages are very short, limited to 160 characters for most encoding schemes. SMS allows one person with an SMS-enabled phone to send a text message to another person with an SMS-enabled phone. SMS-enabled phones are in widespread use in Europe and Japan and gaining acceptance in the United States.
Despite the many advancements of mobile phone technology, communicating with more than one person at a time can be cumbersome, time consuming, and/or inconvenient particularly when dealing with time-sensitive information. Furthermore, with all the social uses of mobile phones, text messaging in its basic form lacks any features to support social coordination among a group of friends.

Command based group SMS with mobile message receiver and server


The invention relates to a multistage process for continuous and phosgene-free preparation of cycloaliphatic diisocyanates.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a multistage process for continuous and phosgene-free preparation of cycloaliphatic diisocyanates.
2. Description of the Background
The synthetic access route to isocyanates may be via a series of different routes. The variant for industrial scale preparation of isocyanates which is the oldest and still predominates today is what is known as the phosgene route. This process is based on the reaction of amines with phosgene. A disadvantage of the phosgene process is the use of phosgene which, as a consequence of its toxicity and corrosivity, places particularly high requirements on its handling on the industrial scale.
There are several processes which avoid the use of phosgene for preparing isocyanates on the industrial scale. The term phosgene-free process is frequently used in connection with the conversion of amines to isocyanates using alternative carbonylating agents, for example urea or dialkyl carbonate (U.S. Pat. No. 4,713,476; U.S. Pat. No. 5,087,739; U.S. Pat. No. 4,268,683; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,204,409).
The urea route is based on the urea-mediated conversion of diamines to diisocyanates via a two-stage process. In the first step, a diamine is reacted with alcohol in the presence of urea or urea equivalents (for example alkyl carbonates, alkyl carbamates) to give a diurethane which typically passes through an intermediate purification stage and is then thermally cleaved in the second step to diisocyanate and alcohol (U.S. Pat. No. 5,087,739; U.S. Pat. No. 4,713,476; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,386,053). Alternatively, the actual urethane formation may also be preceded by the separate preparation of a diurea by selectively reacting the diamine with urea (U.S. Pat. No. 5,360,931). Also conceivable is a two-stage sequence consisting of partial reaction of urea with alcohol in the first and subsequent metering in and urethanization of the diamine in the second step (U.S. Pat. No. 5,744,633).
The thermal cleavage of urethanes to the corresponding isocyanates and alcohols has been known for some time and can be carried out either in the gas phase at high temperatures or at relatively low temperatures in the liquid phase. However, a problem in both procedures is that the thermal stress inevitably also causes undesired side reactions to take place which firstly reduce the yield and secondly lead to the formation of resinifying by-products which considerably disrupt the course of an industrial process as a result of deposits and blockages in reactors and workup apparatus.
There has therefore been no shortage of suggestions of chemical and process technology measures to achieve yield improvements and limit the undesired by-product formation. For instance, a series of documents describes the use of catalysts which accelerate the cleavage reaction of the urethanes (DE 10 22 222; U.S. Pat. No. 3,919,279; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,081,472). Indeed, it is entirely possible in the presence of suitable catalysts, which are a multitude of basic, acidic and also organometallic compounds, to increase the isocyanate yield in comparison to the uncatalyzed variant. However, the formation of undesired by-products can also not be prevented by the presence of a catalyst. The same applies to the additional use of inert solvents, as recommended in U.S. Pat. No. 3,919,279 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,081,472, in order to ensure uniform distribution of the heat supplied and of the catalyst in the reaction medium. However, the use of solvents boiling under reflux fundamentally has the consequence of a reduction in the space-time yield of isocyanates and is additionally hindered with the disadvantage of additional high energy demands.
Examples which are cited in U.S. Pat. No. 4,386,033 for thermal catalyzed cleavage of monourethanes describe the partial discharge of the reaction mixture to remove resinifying by-products formed in the course of the urethane cleavage. This procedure serves to prevent deposits and blockages in reactors and workup units. There are no indications which point to a yield-increasing utilization of the partial discharge. U.S. Pat. No. 4,388,246 describes a similar approach to a solution, in which the thermolysis is in this case carried out in the presence of solvents whose purpose is apparently to better absorb the involatile by-products. Here also, the partial discharge is not utilized for the purposes of yield optimization.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,087,739 discloses that a yield increase can be achieved when the higher molecular weight by-products which can and cannot be utilized and are formed in the cleavage reactor during the cleavage of diurethanes, to ensure a disruption-free and selective reaction, are discharged substantially continuously out of the reactor and subsequently converted for the most part in the presence of alcohol and then recycled into the diurethane preparation. The procedure described is associated with high energy demands, since nonutilizable by-products are removed from the effluent of the diurethane preparation by distillation, and all of the diurethane has to be evaporated. In contrast to U.S. Pat. No. 5,087,739, the urethanization effluent in the process of U.S. Pat. No. 5,386,053 is divided into two substreams of which only one is freed by distillation of its high-boiling, nonutilizable by-products, before the combined diurethane streams are fed to the deblocking reaction in the cleavage reactor. In addition, the continuous cleavage reactor discharge in U.S. Pat. No. 5,386,053 is recycled directly, i.e. without a reurethanization step, into the diurethane synthesis.
The preparation of the diurethanes in a one-pot reaction from urea, diamine and alcohol with simultaneous removal of ammonia is common practice and is described in a series of patents (U.S. Pat. No. 4,713,476; U.S. Pat. No. 5,087,739; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,386,053). A disadvantage is that the simultaneous reaction of urea, alcohol and diamine inevitably forms by-products in a relatively large amount, which impair the selectivity of the reaction and which have to be removed before the thermal deblocking of the diurethanes. U.S. Pat. No. 5,360,931 therefore claims a continuous process for preparing (cyclo)aliphatic diisocyanates which comprises essentially three main steps, of which the first describes the formation of bisureas, the second the formation of diurethanes from the bisureas and the third the cleavage of the diurethanes in the liquid phase to the desired diisocyanates—i.e. the diurethane is prepared in two separate stages. According to the teaching of U.S. Pat. No. 5,360,931, the effluent of the reaction sequence from bisurea formation and subsequent diurethane synthesis is initially freed distillatively of low and medium boilers such as alcohols, carbamates and carbonates, and the high boilers in the diurethane are removed afterward by short-path evaporation. The diurethane is deblocked thermally and a portion of the cleavage residue is discharged continuously, reurethanized with alcohol and recycled back into the diurethane synthesis stage.
It has been found that, surprisingly, when cycloaliphatic diamines are used, it is advantageous to prepare the cycloaliphatic diurethanes by two-stage reaction, which thus proceeds via bisurea, of cycloaliphatic diamines with alcohol and urea, to free them, to thermally cleave the cycloaliphatic diurethanes purified in this way to release the desired cycloaliphatic diisocyanate, to continuously discharge a portion of the cleavage residue from the cleavage apparatus and to reurethanize with alcohol to remove high boiler components therefrom, and to recycle the reurethanized stream purified in this way into the process. It has been found that this method firstly realizes a comparatively low steady-state concentration of high boiler components over the entire sequence of diurethane synthesis, diurethane purification and diurethane cleavage, so that deposits, which are promoted in particular by the high boiler components which are highly viscous by nature, can be substantially avoided, and also ensures good plant availability and good process yield even in the long term. Secondly, the sequence of reurethanization and high boiler removal downstream of the thermal cleavage reaction has the advantage that, in comparison to the customary procedure in which the high boilers are removed before the diurethane cleavage, the amount of diurethane to be converted to the vapor phase is significantly reduced, which allows capital and energy costs to be reduced.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Multistage continuous preparation of cycloaliphatic diisocyanates


Provided is a power supply for use in a solar electric production system, including: a first stage having an input connected to a voltage from a photovoltaic panel and an output providing a first voltage different from the voltage from the photovoltaic panel; and a second stage connected to the output of the first stage, the second stage supplying power at a second voltage to a micro-controller, where the output of the first stage is turned on and stable for a period of time before the second stage is turned on to supply the power at the second voltage to the micro-controller.

Typically, power supplies or power supply modules used for photovoltaic systems may provide, for example, 3.3V to be used as a main supply voltage, in most applications when the photovoltaic system needs to maintain low voltage for energy-saving purposes. However, when the power supplies are driving the metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFET) or similar devices or switches contained within the photovoltaic systems, the power supplies or power supply modules of photovoltaic systems may have to provide higher voltage levels such as, for example, 10V to 12V. Keeping the main supply of the control circuit and the overall power supply module at, for example, 3.3.V may be preferable in order to maintain ideal energy-savings for the operation of photovoltaic systems.

Systems and methods for enhanced efficiency auxiliary power supply module


A polishing liquid for polishing a surface to be polished containing cobalt, the polishing liquid containing abrasive grains, at least one sugar component selected from the group consisting of a sugar alcohol, a sugar alcohol derivative, and a polysaccharide, an acid component, and water, in which a pH of the polishing liquid is more than 8.0.

In recent years, new microfabrication technologies have been developed along with the tendencies of higher integration and higher performance of semiconductor integrated circuits (Large-Scale Integration; hereinafter, referred to as "LSI"). A chemical mechanical polishing (hereinafter, referred to as "CMP") method is one of such techniques. The CMP method is a technique that is frequently used in LSI manufacturing processes (particularly, in flattening of insulating films, formation of metal plugs, formation of buried wirings, and the like in multilayer wiring formation processes) (for example, see Patent Literature 1 below).
Currently, metals containing cobalt are used as a plug material, a wiring material, a contact material, a via material, a gate material, and the like. When an embedded portion such as a wiring or a plug is formed, for example, a damascene method is employed. In the damascene method, a base substrate, which includes an insulating member (a member containing an insulating material; for example, an interlayer insulating film) having unevenness on a surface, a liner portion disposed on the insulating member to follow the unevenness of the insulating member, and a conductive member disposed on the liner portion, is polished by using a polishing liquid and thereby an embedded portion composed of the conductive member embedded in a concave portion of the insulating member is formed. The formation step of an embedded portion includes a first step of polishing a conductive member until a liner portion is exposed, a second step of polishing the conductive member and the liner portion until a convex portion of an insulating member is exposed, and a third step of polishing the conductive member, the liner portion, and the insulating member to flatten a surface to be polished.


A current-limiting device contains at least one limiter element (2) with at least one printed conductor (L) of high-T.sub.c superconductor material. For a sufficiently rapid response of the device, the printed conductor (L) should consist of a layer (4) of the superconductor material on an electrically insulating substrate (3) and should have a critical current density of at least 10.sup.3 A/cm.sup.2. The substrate may be arranged on a carrier body, in particular one made of a glass material with low shrinkage.

European Patent No. 0 523 374 describes a superconductive current-limiting device.
In a.c. power supply systems it is impossible to reliably prevent short-circuits and arcing, which cause the alternating current to increase very rapidly in the respective circuit, i.e., to a multiple of its rated value in the first half-wave until it is interrupted by suitable fuse means or circuit-breaker means. As a result, great thermal and mechanical stresses occur in all the components of the system affected, such as conductors and busbars, switches or transformers, due to electromechanical forces. Since these transient loads increase with the square of the current, reliably limiting the short-circuit current to a lower peak level can greatly reduce the requirements regarding the load capacity of these system components. This can result in cost advantages, e.g., in constructing new systems or in expanding existing systems since it is possible to avoid replacing system components with higher-rated designs by installing current-limiting devices when they are rising short-circuit currents.
With superconducting current-limiting devices of the resistive type, the current rise after a short-circuit can be limited to a value of a few multiples of the rated current. Also, the current-limiting device is ready for operation again a short time after shutdown. The device acts like a fast, self-healing fuse. The device ensures high operational reliability because it is passive, i.e., it operates autonomously without prior detection of the short-circuit and active triggering by a switch signal.
Resistive superconducting current-limiting devices form a superconducting breaker gap that is to be inserted into a circuit in series. The devices utilize the transition of a superconducting printed conductor from the cold, practically zero-resistance operating state below the critical temperature T.sub.c of the superconductor material to the normal-conducting state above T.sub.c, with the electric resistance R.sub.n which then prevails in the printed conductor limiting the current to an acceptable level I=U/R.sub.n. Heating above the critical temperature T.sub.c is accomplished by Joulean heat in the superconductor of the printed conductor itself, when the current density j rises above the critical value j.sub.c of the superconductor material after a short circuit, with the material already having a finite electric resistance even below the critical temperature T.sub.c. In the limiting state above the critical temperature T.sub.c a residual current continues to flow in the circuit until an additional mechanical disconnect switch completely interrupts the circuit.
Superconducting current-limiting devices with known metal oxide high-T.sub.c superconductor materials whose critical temperature T.sub.c is so high that they can be kept in the superconducting operating state with liquid nitrogen at 77 K show a rapid increase in electric resistance on exceeding the critical current density j.sub.c. Heating to the normal-conducting, i.e., current-limiting state takes place in a relatively short period of time, so the peak value of the short-circuit current can be limited to approximately three to ten times the rated current, a fraction of the unlimited current. The superconducting current path is in contact with a coolant capable of returning it to the superconducting operating state in a relatively short period of time after exceeding the critical current density j.sub.c.
Corresponding requirements can be largely met with the current-limiting device derived from the European Patent No. 0 523 374. The known device contains a meandering electric conductor of a HTSL material made out of a 5 mm-thick sheet of HTSL material by slotting. The electric conductor is self-supporting, but it may be arranged on a carrier body to increase its mechanical stability. The HTSL material is produced by powder metallurgy and has a relatively low critical current density j.sub.c so that the cross section of the printed conductor must be large enough for rated currents of 25 A, for example. A large cross section also necessitates a great length to produce the normal conduction resistance required for the limiting effect. Large amounts of HTSL material are therefore required. A large amount of material also means long cooling times after the limiter responds (switching operation); i.e., the current can be turned on again only after a considerable delay.

Resistive current-limiting arrangement using high temperature superconductive material


A process for purifying 1,3-bis(aminophenoxy benzene) (APB) on a manufacturing scale to at least 99.5% purity comprises the sequential steps of (a) forming the dihydrochloride salt of APB (hereinafter APB-HCl), (b) recrystallizing the APB-HCl from isopropyl alcohol, and (c) converting the APB-HCl to free APB.

The monomer 1,3-bis(aminophenoxy benzene), or APB, is a key monomer used to make heat-resistant high molecular weight polymers, particularly polyamides and polyimides. Preparation processes for APB results in product that approaches 99% purity; however, even at this level of purity, the product may still contain multi-ring compounds, mono-functional compounds, and high molecular weight tar by-products. The presence of these by-products reduces ultimate molecular weight in polyimides prepared from this monomer. Distillation processes provide levels of purity this high; however, since the monomer is a solid, distillation processes on a manufacturing scale frequently encounter the problem of the monomer crystallizing within the distillation apparatus. Clean-up causes loss of time and loss of yield. Thus, it would be an advantage to be able to provide APB in a process on a manufacturing scale in high yield and at a level of purity that exceeds 99% in order to produce high molecular weight polyimides.

Process for recrystallizing 1,3-bis(aminophenoxy benzene)

National Starch and Chemical Investment Holding Corporation


A dual mode electronic identification system using a tag which has a RF receiver and transmitter contained therein. In the first mode the tag responds to an interrogation signal by transmitting identification data to the interrogator. In the second mode the tag periodically transmits an identification beacon signal to a directional sensing antenna which uses the signal to compute the position of the tag. The power supply for the tag operates from an internal battery or from power received from a portal signal via a tag receiving antenna. The battery can be automatically turned off when the tag is in the portal area and the unit can be shifted into the battery operated beacon mode when the tag is removed from the portal area.

This invention relates to an electronic identification system having a tag which is attached to a person or object for identification purposes. The tag can in a first mode when asked to identify by an interrogation signal communicate via radio frequency with fixed locations to identify the tag, such as at portals, for access control to secured areas, and in a second mode the tag can communicate as a beacon with fixed equipment to provide for identification and corresponding position or tracking of the tag.
The protection and tracking of personnel and property in high security areas continues to be a vexing problem. Airports, government facilities, and industrial sites are increasingly concerned with securing large areas for controlled access. Often times the very areas in which it is desired to restrict access also require a large number of authorized occupants to gain legitimate access to work areas. Use of guards and screening devices at entrances needs to be complemented by continuous monitoring of personnel once they are on the premises. The use of television cameras and monitors as a solution to this problem suffers from the limitations of human fatigue and the lack of automation to track and distinguish authorized from unauthorized occupants in a secure area. Advanced technology including concepts using laser and infrared signals to track people or objects moving in secured areas provide some help. The need still exists to distinguish authorized from unauthorized persons or objects. While optical means have been suggested for accomplishing such distinguishing of authority, optical means are limited by line-of-sight operation. In addition to tracking and identification of people or objects in a secured area, it is also desirable to restrict entrance into the secured area to those who have proper identity. Access cards and electronic portal admission devices are known and can provide an initial distinguishing of authorized and unauthorized personnel or objects upon access.
An airport location is typical of the complex needs of a modern security site. Portals into the high security runway and baggage areas can be either manned or provided with optical or electronic identity card readers so as to provide a first line of defense against unauthorized entrance into the larger expanse of the runway and baggage areas. Such single line defense is usually considered inadequate for security purposes, and a further security network will be provided. Infrared, optical, or laser scanning systems can be used to identify persons moving within the wide security area, such as the airfield and baggage areas. Unfortunately in such areas activity of authorized persons cannot be distinguished from the movement of unauthorized persons by such scanning systems. There is a need to identify and distinguish authorized from unauthorized persons in a wide area after admission to the area has been gained through some type of portal security system. If authorized persons can be identified and their positions known, then the positions and locations of the authorized personnel can be removed from the data set of the movement detectors and appropriate security action can be taken with regard to the remaining personnel or objects detected.
Reliable identification is also desired in a warehousing situation where it is desired to identify certain commodities when they enter at a warehouse portal and later to identify the position and identity of commodities in a wide area, such as storage or work areas.
In both the security and commodities identification applications it is desirable that the identification system provide for reliability, low cost, relatively long life of batteries or other power supplies, and small size so as to be convenient in use.

Dual mode electronic identification system


A thermocouple for use in an apparatus for manufacturing a semiconductor device having two metal wires, each composed of a different material, being connected at one end. A first insulator extends a first length from the connected end of the metal wires and electrically insulates a portion of one of the metal wires. A second insulator, having a brittleness factor less than that of the first insulator, extends a second length from the first insulator along the same metal wire. The lifetime of the thermocouple can be lengthened and productivity of the semiconductor device can be enhanced.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a thermocouple of an apparatus for manufacturing a semiconductor device, and more particularly, to a thermocouple in which one of the metal wires forming the thermocouple is coated with two different insulator materials, each of a predetermined length.
2. Description of the Related Art
Since the temperature during the process of manufacturing a semiconductor device is very high, a thermocouple is used for sensing the temperature instead of a general thermometer. The thermocouple has two metal wires, each composed of a different material. Only one end of each of the two metal wires is connected, thereby creating a potential difference between the two metal wires at the other (unconnected) end. This potential difference is then measured to thereby indirectly measure the temperature of the connected portion of the metal wires.
The principle utilized in the above thermocouple is the so-called Seebeck effect. The Seebeck effect is where a potential difference is generated due to the thermal driving force and is briefly described as follows.
In the case of a metal having a temperature gradient, electrons in the relatively hotter portion of the metal have an average kinetic energy higher than those in the relatively cooler portions thereof. This relationship can be represented by 3KT/2 where K is the Boltzmann's constant and T is absolute temperature. Accordingly, electrons have a tendency to move from the hotter region to the cooler region in order to reduce the average kinetic energy. That is, the electrons of the hotter region are diffused into the cooler region by a thermal driving force. However, when the electrons are thus diffused, a potential difference called the Seebeck voltage is created between the two regions, such that the cooler region electrons have a tendency to return to the hotter region. A state of equilibrium is realized when the Seebeck voltage is exactly balanced with the thermal driving force with respect to the electron flow. Therefore, the thermal driving force can be measured by the Seebeck voltage.
The Seebeck voltage differs according to the type of metal being employed in the thermocouple. When one end of each of two different metal wires is connected to each other and the connected portion is positioned where the temperature is to be measured, a potential difference is created between the unconnected ends as described above. Accordingly, the temperature of the portion to be measured can be indirectly measured by measuring the potential difference of the two metal wires. The above thermocouple adopts this principle.
FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a pyrogenic system generally used in a vapor oxidation process, showing an apparatus for manufacturing a semiconductor device using a thermocouple.
In detail, reference numeral 10 denotes a pyrogenic tube in which a pyrogenic reaction occurs, reference numeral 12 denotes a body of the pyrogenic system surrounding the pyrogenic tube 10, reference numerals 14 and 16 denote hydrogen and oxygen intakes for injecting hydrogen and oxygen, respectively, and reference numeral 18 denotes a heat collector mounted on the end (positioned inside the pyrogenic tube 10) of the hydrogen intake 14. Here, SiC having a high thermal conduction is, in general, used for the heat collector 18. Reference numeral 19 denotes a thermocouple having one end positioned near the heat collector 18 to measure the temperature of the heat collector and the other end connected to a temperature controller (not shown) positioned outside of the pyrogenic system. Reference numeral 30 denotes a lamp for supplying the heat collector 18 with thermal energy by irradiation. Here, since the lamp 30 should supply thermal energy in the form of light, an infrared lamp is generally used. Reference numeral 32 denotes a reflector for directing the heat generated from the lamp 30 onto the heat collector 18, and reference numeral 34 denotes a body of a heat generator for supporting the lamp 30 and the reflector 32.
The operation of the pyrogenic system will now be briefly described. Light energy generated from the lamp 30 collects on the heat collector 18, assisted by the reflector 32, and the temperature of the heat collector rises accordingly. Once the temperature of the heat collector 18 reaches a certain point, the hydrogen and oxygen injected through the intakes 14 and 16 are reacted to generate a vapor. The vapor flows into the pyrogenic tube 10, via a diffusion path (not shown) in which a wafer to be oxidized is located, to carry out a vapor oxidation process for forming an oxide film on the wafer.
For uniform vapor oxidation, the temperature of the heat collector 18 should rise to a predetermined temperature within a predetermined time. Then, to maintain this temperature, the temperature of the heat collector 18 is controlled by a temperature controller (not shown) which compares the heat collector temperature sensed by the thermocouple 19 to a predetermined value in order to control the power supplied to the lamp 30 and in turn the amount of light irradiated by the lamp 30. If, however, the temperature of the heat collector 18 is not rapidly transmitted to the thermocouple 19, the temperature of the pyrogenic tube 10 cannot reach the desired temperature in the proper time. Thus, the thermocouple material should exhibit high thermal conduction.
FIG. 2 is a schematic view of a conventional thermocouple. In detail, reference numerals 100 and 110 denote first and second metal wires having a connection point A where one end of each is connected. Reference numeral 120 denotes a base for supporting the first and second metal wires 100 and 110. The left part of the support 120 is positioned in the pyrogenic tube 10 of FIG. 1, and the right part is positioned at the outside of the pyrogenic tube 10 of FIG. 1. The right part has a portion that is connected to a temperature controller (not shown). Reference numeral 113 denotes an insulator for coating the second metal wire 110 between the connection point A and the support 120. Reference numeral 130 denotes a polymer (pliant) insulator for coating portions of the first and second metal wires 100 and 110 which are located between the support 120 and the temperature controller.
According to the conventional thermocouple as described above, quartz is used for the insulator 113 in order to obtain the desired high thermal conduction. Quartz, however, is highly brittle and is therefore subject to fracturing even with a slight physical shock, which may short-circuit the first and second metal wires 100 and 110. Accordingly, the life expectancy of the thermocouple is short, resulting in the frequent stoppage of the vapor oxidation process and subsequent productivity decreases.

Thermocouple for use in an apparatus for manufacturing a semiconductor device


An AC/DC converter of the present invention includes a transformer implemented by a piezoelectric transformer. Power fed from a commercially available power source (14) is converted to a DC voltage by rectification and smoothing. The DC voltage is transformed to a high frequency (about 100 kHz) pulse voltage by switching FETs (Field Effect Transistors) (5) and (6). The pulse voltage is applied to the input of a piezoelectric transformer (9). The transformer (9) has its vibration mode and dimension selected such that the resonance frequency of the transformer is substantially identical with the frequency of the above pulse wave. A high frequency AC voltage is produced from the output side of the transformer (9). The AC voltage is transformed to a DC voltage by rectification and smoothing and then fed to a load resistor (13). The piezoelectric transformer is easy to miniaturize, compared to an electromagnetic transformer. The entire AC/DC converter can therefore be reduced in size.

The present invention relates to an AC/DC converter for converting a commercially available AC power source to a desired DC output and, more particularly, to an AC/DC converter advantageously usable as an AC adapter for household electrical appliances including a notebook type personal computer.
An AC/DC converter for the above application is usually implemented by a switching regulator system and includes an electromagnetic transformer and a switching circuit operable at about 100 kHz by high frequency noise regulation (VCCI, FCC). Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 6-245548 teaches an inverter circuit for outputting a high voltage adapted for the liquid crystal backlight of, e.g., a notebook type personal computer. The inverter circuit taught in this document uses a piezoelectric transformer which is small size and light weight and has a high boosting ratio. Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 7-39144 discloses a DC/DC converter using a piezoelectric transformer operable in a thickness-extensional vibration mode and resonating in a megahertz frequency band.
A conventional AC/DC converter uses an electromagnetic transformer for outputting a desired DC voltage. The electromagnetic transformer is required to have its primary winding and secondary winding spaced by a prescribed distance for insulation from the safety standpoint. Such a distance for insulation obstructs the miniaturization of the transformer. By contrast, a piezoelectric transformer is formed of ceramics and therefore small size, incombustible, highly isolative, and high frequency, high power efficiency, boosting ratio, and high power density. With these features, a piezoelectric transformer is implemented as an inverter circuit for outputting a high voltage adapted for a liquid crystal backlight or as a DC/DC converter. On the other hand, for a high voltage inverter, it is a common practice to use a Rosen type piezoelectric transformer. This type of transformer outputs a current of only several milliamperes and is not applicable to an AC/DC converter required to output a current of several amperes. The piezoelectric transformer operable in the thickness-extensional vibration mode and used as a DC/DC converter operates in the megahertz frequency band uses an electrolytic capacitor for a smoothing purpose. This kind of transformer is not feasible for an AC/DC converter due to the electrolytic capacitor and because the AC/DC converter must operate in substantially the 100 kHz frequency band. For the above reasons, applying a piezoelectric transformer to an AC/DC converter which transforms a commercial AC power source to a DC output has not been considered.

AC/DC converter with a piezoelectric transformer


A winding device for winding a continuously arriving material web onto a reel, including a contact roller by which the material web can be guided and transferred to the reel in contact with the surface of the contact roller. The contact roller has a support tube and fibers, which protrude from the outside of the support tube and form the surface of the contact roller. The fibers extend essentially perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the contact roller so that first ends of the fibers are affixed to the support tube and their other free ends define a surface of the contact roller.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a winding device for winding a continuously arriving material web onto a reel, including a contact roller by which the material web can be guided and transferred to the reel that contacts the surface of the contact roller.
2. Discussion of Related Art
Winding devices are generally widely known and are used, for example, to continuously wind an arriving material web constructed on a basis of a synthetic film or a synthetic fleece web. Depending on the design, in such a winding device, the contact roller is in a surface contact with the developing reel of the material web, for example the material web, by being wrapped partially around the surface of the contact roller, and is guided by the latter and transferred to the reel at the contact point with the reel.
In this design of a winding device, problematic diametrical differences in the developing reel occur, which are due, for example, to thickness fluctuations in the material web. These are compounded in the wound reel and as a result, the contact roller then only contacts the highest radial points of the reel because the contact roller is required to be very rigid for stability reasons. Such a contact at only certain points between the contact roller and the reel results in a subsequent uneven reel development, culminating in the occurrence of so-called blockage points or winding blemishes, which would appear in need of improvement.
In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, attempts have been made to provide the contact rollers with a surface that is soft and therefore compensates for thickness tolerances, for example by providing the contact roller with a sandwich construction that has an inner, hard support tube and an outer, soft casing, such as described in German Patent Reference DE 296 15 385 U1. However, these designs do not always perform in a satisfactory fashion. In addition, European Patent Reference EP 1 679 275 A1 has already proposed providing a cloth casing for rollers that are used to guide film webs, but this casing does not behave in a satisfactory fashion, particularly in the region of the contact roller, where friction occurs between the contact roller and the reel resting against it.
European Patent Reference EP 1 947 044 A1 describes a contact roller with a soft inner layer and a comparatively harder outer layer.

Reifenhäuser GmbH & Co. KG Maschinenfabrik


A processor operation inspection system includes a processor and an operation inspection circuit that inspects an operation of the processor. When a program under execution changes from one predefined state to another state, the processor outputs a state switching signal indicating a transition of its state, a state signal indicating a current state to the inspection circuit. The inspection circuit includes a state register that stores the state of the processor, a combinational logic circuit that calculates, according to the stored state of the processor and the state switching signal, a new state to be taken by the processor, and a comparison circuit that inspects the operation of the processor by comparing the calculated new state to the state of the processor inputted as the state signal.

Conventionally, a watchdog timer (WDT) technology has been used for the purpose of detecting a failure of a microprocessor (for example, Japanese patent application laid-open No. 2003-150280). When a signal transmitted at a predetermined interval from a processor comes to a halt, a watchdog timer outputs a reset pulse to the processor. When the processor receives this reset pulse, it resets itself to restore its function. In this manner, by using the watchdog timer technology, it is possible to detect that the processing of the processor has been stopped due to a fault, etc. In addition, in such a case, it is possible for the processor to perform the restoration of its function.
Also, as a technology for conducting tests (debug) without the use of real circuits, there has been known a virtual tester technology (for example, Japanese patent application laid-open No. 2005-32191). A virtual tester is a technology that conducts tests by simulation on a computer using a model of a program to be tested which is modeled by a hardware description language (HDL) without using a real machine or system.
In addition, there has also been known a technique in which instead of making a built-in circuit for monitoring an FPGA (field programmable gate array) small-scale, a large-scale memory module is provided outside the FPGA and is connected thereto through a high speed transmission line (Japanese patent application laid-open No. 2003-271412). With such, it is possible to monitor the operation of the FPGA without regard to the circuit scale thereof.
However, in the case of the above-mentioned conventional technologies, there have been the following problems.
First, with a technology using a virtual tester as described in Japanese patent application laid-open No. 2005-32191, the operation of a real system can not be inspected. In addition, with a technology using a watchdog timer as described in Japanese patent application laid-open No. 2003-150280, it can be checked that a processor is operating, but it can not be verified whether the processor is operating correctly or normally.
The abnormal operation of a processor is attributable to the following causes. The first is a defect (bug) of a program, and is that the processor does not operate according to its specifications.
The second is an alteration of a program by a malicious third party. In recent years, a reconfigurable processor such as an FPGA, etc., has been frequently used as a processor. With an FPGA, the operation of the processor can be changed by changing circuit information (program). Accordingly, in the case of a version upgrade of the program or the like, the operation of the processor can be easily changed by providing a new program to the processor. However, a program provided from outside may have been rewritten by a third party. In such a case, an operation different from a manufacturer's intention will be carried out.
The third is a soft error. The soft error is an error resulting from the data held in a memory being inverted under the influence of radiation such as high energy neutrons. The probability of occurrence of soft errors is increased according to the miniaturization of LSI design rules in recent years. Although this can be dealt with by using a memory with an error correction function, it is difficult to adopt such a memory having an error correction function because of an increase in cost.

Processor operation inspection system and operation inspection circuit


A method of detecting the alignment error of lenses and reducing image distortion attributable to the alignment error in a lens-type 3-dimensional liquid crystal display monitor. A method of detecting the alignment error of lenses in a 3D display using a purpose-built test pattern image, which predicts the alignment error in such a way as to calculate variation in view indices of pixels in a lateral direction, observed by an eye of an observer, if there is alignment error in the lenses. A method of compensating for image distortion in a 3D monitor, including the steps of finding the relationship between the pixels of a Liquid Crystal Display (LDC) panel and the pixels of observed images, which are determined depending on the location of an observer; and compensating for image distortion attributable to the rotational and translational alignment error of the lenses based on the found relationship.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a method of detecting the alignment error of lenses and reducing image distortion attributable to the alignment error in a lens-type 3-dimensional liquid crystal display monitor.
2. Description of the Related Art
As shown in FIG. 1, a lenticular display, that is, a lens-type 3-dimensional (3D) monitor, refracts light from the pixels of a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) panel using lenses. As a result, a phenomenon in which different pixels are viewed depending on the location of the eye of a viewer occurs. Accordingly, images entering through the right eye and left eye are different from each other. Since humans 3-dimensionally perceive an object based on the binocular disparity between images entering through the left eye and the right eye, it is possible to cause humans to perceive 3D objects using such display devices.
FIG. 2 is a transverse section of FIG. 1. Since the left eye views the region of an eighth viewing zone and the right eye views the region of a fifth viewing zone, the two eyes observe different pixel values. As illustrated in FIG. 2, the end point of the line of sight of the eye is located in one of 1 to N viewing zones, so that N different images may be observed depending on the location of the eye. This system is referred to as an "N view lenticular display system."
The lenticular display system may be manufactured by attaching cylinder-shaped lenses to an LCD panel (see FIG. 1). Meanwhile, since resolutions in the lateral and vertical directions of an observed 3D image are significantly different, a slanted lenticular display, in which cylinder-shaped lenses are attached to an LCD panel in a slanted position, has been developed.
The lateral distance of respective sub-pixels in R, G and B pixels on an LCD panel is very small (equal to or smaller than about 0.1 mm). Meanwhile, since the cylinder-shaped lenses must be accurately aligned and attached to an LCD panel, as shown in FIG. 3, high precision is required. Accordingly, it is very difficult to attach the cylinder-shaped lenses to the LCD panel, so that it is also difficult to avoid alignment error. However, since the occurrence of even minute alignment error causes image distortion, such alignment error causes the problem of degrading the image quality of a lenticular display device.

Method of detecting alignment error of lenses and compensating for image distortion in 3D lenticular display

Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology


The invention is a game of tactics and strategy, played on a special ten-square by ten-square checkered board of 100 alternately colored squares, with twenty pieces likened to figures of the American Civil War, on each of two opposing sides. Twenty Civil War playing pieces are alloted to each opposing player. While many of those pieces have traditional chess-type playing moves and capture strategy, some of the pieces, such as a gunboat on each side, have particularly unique moves that have no parallel in conventional chess. For example, a gunboat may not enter a thirty-six square restricted zone located at the interior of the board. A gunboat may, however, capture pieces within this restricted zone. Players, including the President, may board the gunboat, and with the President aboard the gunboat's moveability is the combination of the gunboat and the President's normal moves. With other players aboard, the gunboat's moves are simply its own; and, thus, the boarded gunboat does not have a combination of movement as it does when the President is aboard.

The invention broadly relates to a board game of the checker or chess type in that two opposing players move their playing pieces in accordance with prescribed rules in an effort to outwit the opponent's strategy and moves. Of these two examples, the invention most closely resembles the conventional game of chess in piece movement and capture strategy.
A conventional chess game is played on a chessboard, identical to a checkerboard, with thirty-two pieces, one set of sixteen-white, and one set of sixteen-black, for each of two opposing players. The conventional board includes sixty-four squares of two alternating colors, usually white and black or red and black. The playing pieces are ranked with each rank being allowed certain moving privileges in varying patterns along the squares of the playing board.
One player each is situated across from the opposing player on each of two opposing sides of the chessboard. These two players, one for each side, face each other across the board, and each player has his own set of playing pieces that are initially arranged in a predetermined order on that player's side of the playing board. The object of the game is to maneuver one's men and pieces, according to prescribed rules, in such a way as to put the most highly-ranked piece, the opponent's king, in a condition of "checkmate." Checkmate is a situation in which that king is threatened with capture and cannot move out of vulnerability in any direction.
In an effort to promote additional glamour underlying the chess game, some known chess sets have substituted the figures of well known generals, such as Mr. Lee and Mr. Grant, for the conventional queen playing pieces. The traditional rules of play, however, have not been changed and conventional rules and playing surface size are employed.
Along with the wide appeal of chess, it is now also popular for computers to play a chess game, with the computer itself acting as one opponent. In computer chess, a computer has been programmed beforehand to play the many conventional moves based upon a data analysis of both of the opponent's moves in a conventional chess match. Although certainly powerful as far as data processing goes, a computer is not particularly adept at long range decision making. In other words, the computer program must have the data available in the program if it is to outwit the human player.
Even with the advent of so-called artificial intelligence, the long range decision making of a human being will generally defeat the computer in conventional chess games. This invention, however, adds several additional new dimensions that a computer will most likely not be capable of accommodating. For example, the invention: (1) expands the size of the chess playing field; (2) adds new types of moves for the playing pieces in that one of the playing pieces can suddenly "board" another (a gunboat playing piece) under prescribed conditions; (3) restricts some pieces from movement within certain board-restricted zones, and (4) adds a "boarding" feature for a player's President that provides, while boarded, a combination of the move options into that of both the president and the gunboat.
In short, the complexity of the new chess game will be increased dramatically by these new features, thus adding more enjoyment to the game for opponents. The "boarding" move will make computer chess with the new improved game more complex, tactically, due to the player's decision making involved in electing when and, whether or not, to board any given piece.


A needle assembly which comprises a hollow needle, a stylet, and a spacer mechanism to control the position of the stylet within the needle.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,763,667 (Manzo) issued Aug. 16, 1988, describes a tissue-penetrating catheter device useful in performing amniocentesis, having an inner catheter with a tissue-penetrating device, e.g., a needle, joined to the distal end of the inner catheter. The inner catheter is contained in an outer catheter and there is an element situated between the proximal ends of the inner and outer catheters which permits adjustment of the distance the tissue-penetrating device will extend.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,308,875 (Young) issued Jan. 5, 1982, describes an amniocentesis needle comprising a blunt-end needle and a stylet in the lumen of the needle. The stylet projects a short distance from the end of the needle on insertion and as soon as the needle is inserted the stylet is withdrawn from the needle.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,389,355 (Goland) issued Nov. 20, 1945, describes a needle for injecting fluids comprising a double cannula (inner and outer) with a rod in the inner cannula. The rod has no tissue piercing function, but rather serves as a means to prevent fluid from entering the cannula chamber.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,248,492 (Hill) issued Dec. 4, 1917, describes a cannula for withdrawing fluid comprising of a cannula/stylet combination wherein the cannula is slidably adjustable over the stylet.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,147,488 (Kells) issued Jul. 20, 1915, describes a needle having a sheath which surrounds the tissue at the point of puncture for the purpose of collecting any tissue fluids that may leak out around the puncture.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,628,524 (Jamshidi) issued Dec. 21, 1971, describes a biopsy needle having a stylet of substantially the same length situated inside the needle. The purpose of the stylet is to push the biopsy sample from the needle.

Needle assembly with a movable stylet controlled by a spacer mechanism


A physiologically active substance collecting device, includes: a collecting section brought into contact with a body surface of a living organism to acquire a physiologically active substance from the body surface; and a liquid sending means for sending a solvent to the collecting section, the collecting section having an aperture at which the solvent flown by being sent from the liquid sending means contacts the body surface.

The present application relates to physiologically active substance collecting devices and biological information acquisition methods, specifically to physiologically active substance collecting devices used to acquire physiologically active substances from the body surface of a living organism.
Known methods of acquiring information concerning stress, emotion, menstrual cycle, and other conditions of a living organism (hereinafter, "information concerning a living organism" or, simply, "biological information") include biological information acquisition methods that are based on psychological evaluations involving, for example, questioning and sensory questionnaires, physiological tests measuring, for example, brain waves or myoelectricity, and behavior measurements involving the use of, for example, a work record. For example, JP-A-2006-94969 (Patent Document 1) discloses a technique that determines the menstrual cycle based on heart rates. Japanese Patent No. 2582957 (Patent Document 2) discloses a life activity monitoring system that monitors body temperature fluctuations and heart rates.
In recent years, simpler techniques have been developed that acquire information concerning a living organism with the use of a physiologically active substance contained in blood, urine, or saliva as an index. For example, JP-A-11-38004 (Patent Document 3) discloses a method for quantifying stress using the concentration of adrenal cortical steroid and/or its metabolic products in saliva as an index. JP-A-2000-131318 (Patent Document 4) discloses a method that allows the stress level to be grasped as either "comfortable" or "uncomfortable" using biological substances such as β-endorphin, dopamine, immunoglobulin A, and prostaglandin D2 contained in blood or in other body parts as an index.

Physiologically active substance collecting device and biological information acquisition method


A handheld materials testing device is provided for measuring compressive properties of a material, preferably articular cartilage in vivo. The device is computer-controlled and provides a readout indicative of the desired compressive property, which in the case of bodily tissue, may be indicative of the state of health of the tissue. The device does not require precise perpendicular alignment and is preferably capable of compensating for force applied by the user against the tissue.

Normal articular cartilage functions to absorb shock, to bear load and to provide articulating surfaces for diarthorodinal joints. Articular cartilage differs from other musculoskeletal tissues in that it does not have the ability to repair itself following traumatic or pathologic afflictions. Because adult articular cartilage is avascular and acellular, healing of this tissue is very difficult to achieve Bora, F. W. and Miller, G. "Joint Physiology, cartilage metabolism, and the etiology of osteoarthritis." Hand Clin. 3: 325-336, 1987!. The composition of articular cartilage varies with anatomical location on the joint surface, with age and with depth from the surface Lipshitz, H. et al., "In vitro wear of articular cartilage." J. Bone Jt. Surg., 57:527-534, 1975!.
Once the disease or trauma affects the health of articular cartilage, an inevitable degenerative process can occur Convery, F. R., Akeson, W. H., and Keown, G. H., "The repair of large osteochondral defects." Clin. Orthop. Rel. Res., 82:253-262, 1972!. During cartilage degeneration, the amount of interstitial water increases, the proteoglycan content decreases, and the aggregation of proteoglycans decreases McDevitt, C. A. and Muir, H. "Biochemical changes in the cartilage of the knee in experimental and natural osteoarthritis in the dog." J. Bone Jt. Surg. Br!, 58-B:94-101, 1976!. When the proteoglycan content decreases, cartilage becomes softer Kempson, G. E. et al., "Correlations between stiffness and the chemical constituents of cartilage on the human femoral head." Biochem. Biophys., 215: 70-77, 1970; Jurvelin, J. et al., "Softening of canine articular cartilage after immobilization of the knee joint." Clin. Orthop. Rel. Res., 207:246-252, 1986!.
The condition of cartilage can be evaluated using various methods including visual examination, mechanical probing, imaging diagnostics, and biopsies. Clinically it is very difficult to evaluate cartilage health in a non-destructive manner and most often visual observations made arthroscopically in conjunction with mechanical probing are used. Visual examination is basically a subjective, qualitative determination of the structural integrity of the surface and includes a description of the articular cartilage damage present. Numerous systems have been proposed over the years, including the Outerbridge and Noyes classification systems Noyes, F. R. and Stabler, C. L., "A system for grading articular cartilage lesions at arthroscopy." The Journal of Sports Medicine., 17:505-513, 1989; Outerbridge, R. E., J. Bone Jt. Surg. 43B:752-757, 1961!. Mechanical probing utilizes a hand-held probe like a nerve hook to subjectively evaluate the stiffness of the articular cartilage. This instrument has traditionally been easy to use in an arthroscopic setting, but the information obtained is not traceable over time. Imaging diagnostics, specifically Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), can be used to diagnose internal derangements of joints. Even though its overall accuracy range is acceptable Fisher, S. P., Fox, J. M., and Del Pizzo, "Accuracy of diagnosis from magnetic resonance imaging of the knee." J. Bone Jt. Surg., 73:2-10, 1991!, its cost, lack of sensitivity for lesions of the articular cartilage Halbrecht, J. L. and Jackson, D. W., "Office arthroscopy: A diagnostic alternative." Arthroscopy, 8:320-326, 1992!, and unsuitability for some patients makes it undesirable in many cases.
Many researchers have confirmed the correlation of the cartilage stiffness with the condition of the cartilage Kempson, G. E. et al., "Correlations between stiffness and the chemical constituents of cartilage on the human femoral head." Biochem. Biophys., 215: 70-77, 1970!, and it has been shown that the compressive stiffness of the cartilage is primarily determined by proteoglycans Armstrong, C. G. and Mow, V. C. "Variations in the intrinsic mechanical properties of human articular cartilage with age, degeneration, and water content." J. Bone Jt. Surg., 64-A:88-94, 1982!. Kempson, supra, reported that the greater the proteoglycan content, the stiffer the cartilage. Indentation of cartilage has been used extensively in vitro Athanasiou, K. A. et al., "Biochemical properties of hip cartilage in experimental animal models." Clin. Orthop. Rel. Res., 316:254-266, 1995; Schenck, R. C. et al., "A biomechanical analysis of articular cartilage of the human elbow and a potential relationship to osteochondritis dissecans." Clin. Orthop. Rel. Res., 299:305-312, 1994; Hale, J. E. et al., "Indentation assessment of biphasic mechanical property deficits in size-dependent osteochondral defect repair." J. Biomechanics, 26:1319-1325, 1993; Mak, A. F. and Mow, V. C., "Biphasic indentation of articular cartilage--I. Theoretical analysis." Biomechanics, 20:703-714, 1987; Rasanen, T. and Messner, K. "Regional variations of indentation stiffness and thickness of normal rabbit knee articular cartilage." J. Biomed. Mater. Res., 31:519-524, 1996! and in situ Lyyra, T. et al., "Indentation instrument for the measurement of cartilage stiffness under arthroscopic control." Med. Eng. Phys., 17:395-399, 1995; Tkaczuk, H. "Human cartilage stiffness: In vivo studies." Clin. Orthop. Rel. Res., 206:301-312, 1986; Dashefsky, J. H., "Arthroscopic measurement of chondromalacia of patella cartilage using a microminiature pressure transducer." Arthroscopy, 3:80-85, 1987! to measure the material properties of articular cartilage including stiffness. To biomechanically evaluate the articular cartilage, in vitro biphasic and even triphasic creep indentation and stress relaxation tests have been used to determine the intrinsic mechanical properties (aggregate modulus, Poisson's ratio, permeability) of the articular cartilage Mow, V. C. et al., "Biphasic indentation of articular cartilage--II. A numerical algorithm and an experimental study." J. Biomechanics, 22:853-861, 1989; Lai, W. M. et al., "A triphasic theory for the swelling and deformation behaviors of articular cartilage." J. Biomechanical Eng., 113:245-258, 1991!. In addition in situ indentation tests have been used to map various regions of articular cartilage in several animal models and show significant variations in stiffness among the various test sites Rasanen, T. and Messner, K. "Regional variations of indentation stiffness and thickness of normal rabbit knee articular cartilage." J. Biomed Mater Res., 31:519-524, 1996!.
In the literature a few devices for the measurement of cartilage stiffness in a clinical setting have been reported e.g. Lyyra, T. et al., "Indentation instrument for the measurement of cartilage stiffness under arthroscopic control." Med. Eng. Phys., 17:395-399, 1995; Tkaczuk, H. "Human cartilage stiffness: In vivo studies." Clin. Orthop. Rel. Res., 206:301-312, 1986; Dashefsky, J. H., "Arthroscopic measurement of chondromalacia of patella cartilage using a microminiature pressure transducer." Arthroscopy, 3:80-85, 1987!. Lyyra et al. use an indentation instrument for the measurement of cartilage stiffness under arthroscopic control. Based on tests in laboratory conditions with elastomer and cadaver knee joint cartilage samples, the authors concluded that such an instrument was suitable for qualitative detection of cartilage stiffness.
The desire to test compressive mechanical properties of a material existed long before a correlation between articular cartilage stiffness and the existence of articular degenerative diseases was recognized. Many devices are known for use in material indenting which are unsuitable for use for measuring cartilage stiffness due to their design. Some of the devices such as those of U.S. Pat. No. 5,146,779 (Sugimoto), U.S. Pat. No. 4,896,339 (Fukumoto), and U.S. Pat. No. 5,067,346 (Field) are designed for use on a tabletop. Since they cannot be used arthroscopically, a sample of tissue would have to be removed from the body or the patient would have to be subjected to major invasive surgery in order to allow these devices to indent the articular cartilage. Due to the injury to the patient and the expense these procedures would necessarily entail, a nonarthroscopic design is not effective for testing the in vitro stiffness of articular cartilage.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,433,215 (Athanasiou et al.) and Tkaczuk, H. "Human cartilage stiffness: In vivo studies." Clin. Orthop. Rel. Res., 206:301-312, 1986 disclose devices useful for cartilage testing; however, these devices are larger and more awkward to use than would be desirable. These devices cannot be used arthroscopically and require the joint surfaces to be tested to be completely exposed.
In order to prevent the invasive steps and awkwardness involved in the use of the above designs to measure articular cartilage, hand-held materials testers have been designed which require no more surgery than a visual arthroscopic evaluation. These, however, suffer from a plethora of other problems. U.S. Pat. No. 4,159,640 (Leveque) describes a hand-held device which is not usable for arthroscopic surgery. Leveque's device requires a necessarily wide base suited for surface tissue measurements such as skin or the surface of muscle, but is unsuited for use within joints for measurement of articular cartilage. In addition, Leveque's device must be positioned relatively perpendicular to the material to be tested and the entire device must rest on material of similar stiffness in order to accurately measure.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,503,865 (Shishido) is primarily designed to measure differences between compressibilities. The device rolls over the material and allows measurement of changes of stiffness. The device however has no means for measuring absolute stiffness and providing an objective display of stiffness. The force the operator uses to position the device will affect the results, and this force exerted by the operator is not controlled. The device can thus be used to find hard or soft spots within a specific material, but the device cannot provide a concrete determination of whether the material is soft or hard as compared to an objective standard.
The major limitation with arthroscopic devices intended to be used for measurement of mechanical properties of materials is that they do not compensate for the indenting tip being positioned at angles other than perpendicular with the material being tested. This can either be due to natural variation in the surface of the material or to difficulty on the part of the operator to maneuver the tip to a position where the tip is perpendicular. Some devices have tried to compensate for this by forcing the material to be placed perpendicular to the indenting tip (the table-top models listed above), while others have tried to ensure that the operator can effectively know when the tip is perpendicular to the material. U.S. Pat. No. 4,364,399 (Dashefsky) discloses a probe whose compressible tip is pressed into the cartilage. Due to the shape of the end of the cannula, when the operator can push no further, the compressible portion of the probe registers the appropriate stiffness (see FIG. 3B of Dashefsky for the position for a proper reading). The probe is positioned manually and perpendicularity of the probe is subjectively determined. There is no guarantee that the operator has correctly aligned the probe for any given measurement. The manual identification process is not sufficiently accurate to allow repeatable, objective measurements. U.S. Pat. No. 4,132,224 (Randolf) also discloses a device which is positioned manually and provides no means for compensation for movement. It is clear from the description of its operation that any tilting leading to the tip not being perpendicular will result in significantly inaccurate readings due to premature touching of the forked beam of this device. U.S. Pat. No. 5,503,162 (Athanasiou et al.), U.S. Pat. No. 5,494,045 (Kiviranta et al.), and Lyyra, T. et al., "Indentation instrument for the measurement of cartilage stiffness under arthroscopic control." Med. Eng. Phys., 17:395-399, 1995 describe devices having a contact surface around the tip to aid in aligning the tip perpendicular to the material being tested (in addition to using machine controls to aid alignment in Athanasiou et al.), but such additions, although aiding the operator in positioning the tip perpendicular to the test material, do not help if the operator cannot get the tip perpendicular. In all of these devices, and others, the indenting tip must be perpendicular in order for an accurate measurement of stiffness to be made. No matter how many structures are added to these devices to try and insure perpendicularity, they will all give significantly inaccurate readings if the indenting tip cannot be aligned perpendicular to the material to be tested. In articular cartilage measurements, especially in small joints such as finger, ankle, or temporal mandibular joints, there is a high possibility that the device cannot be aligned perpendicular to the material being tested due to intervening structures such as bone, muscle, or other body parts. There is thus a need in the art for a materials tester that does not have to place its indenting tip perpendicular to the material being tested in order to provide accurate measurements.
In addition to these limitations, devices known to the art are usually unable to compensate for temperature variations during the measurement. The art makes limited reference to compensating for temperature effects although such effects can significantly impact the measurements of the device, especially when measurements are taken in situ in the body with devices calibrated outside the body.
These devices often also indent the material great distances over long periods of time. Although for many materials such indentation time and distance are not relevant, in the case of articular cartilage, long, deep indentation steps can result in significant tissue damage.
Furthermore, the operator may introduce error due to the varying amounts of force the operator uses to bring many prior art devices into contact with the material to be tested. In a table top device this is not a problem since the operator need not hold the device against the material, but may place the material on a prepared surface and allow indentation controlled by machine or computer. In many hand-held devices known to the art, however, if the operator changes the force used to depress the testing tip of the device into the material to be tested, the device will report compressibilities of different values.
Finally, none of these devices are designed to allow the portion inserted into the patient's body to be for single use only. Since a device for single use is significantly more sterile and sanitary than a reused device, such a quality is to be desired. Known devices are generally not completely watertight and thus submersible which affects their ability to be sterilized via liquid sterilization methods and also makes them vulnerable to splashes, from body fluids or otherwise, that could damage their delicate electronic components. For a device used in situ for the measurement of body tissue stiffness, survivability under surgical conditions where fluids are prevalent is a highly desired quality.
It is an object of the invention to provide a novel materials testing device which is free of the above-mentioned defects of the art.


A catalyst precursor comprising (A) a microporous support; (B) a non-noble metal precursor; and (C) a pore-filler, wherein the micropores of the microporous support are filled with the pore-filler and the non-noble metal precursor so that the micropore surface area of the catalyst precursor is substantially smaller than the micropore surface area of the support when the pore-filler and the non-noble metal precursor are absent is provided. Also, a catalyst comprising the above catalyst precursor, wherein the catalyst precursor has been pyrolysed so that the micropore surface area of the catalyst is substantially larger than the micropore surface area of catalyst precursor, with the proviso that the pyrolysis is performed in the presence of a gas that is a nitrogen precursor when the microporous support, the non-noble metal precursor and the pore-filler are not nitrogen precursors is also provided. Methods of producing the catalyst precursor and the catalyst are provided.

Clean, efficient and versatile, H2—O2 (air) polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) are seen as worthy alternatives to a wide range of conventional power generation devices such as internal combustion engines, batteries and diesel-fuelled back-up power systems. PEMFCs generate electricity via two electrochemical reactions that involve the oxidation of hydrogen at the anode (2H2→4H++4e−) and the reduction of oxygen at the cathode (O2+4H++4e−→2 H2O), thus producing only water and heat. Due to the rather low operating temperature of PEMFCs (ca. 80° C.), catalysts play an essential role in boosting the reaction kinetics to produce the desired high power densities.
Today, the only viable electrocatalysts used in PEMFCs are platinum-based. Platinum is considered to be a "noble" metal, such as gold, for example. In PEMFCs, 90% of the platinum is needed at the cathode due to the sluggishness of the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) compared to the fast hydrogen oxidation reaction at the anode. Despite improved platinum performances, the increasingly prohibitive cost of platinum remains a major obstacle for the commercial viability of PEMFCs.
In addition, the production of platinum in the natural world is rather limited. On the other hand, there are estimations that the demand for platinum as electrode catalyst will increase significantly as the demand for electric cars with fuel cells increases. Therefore, there is a fear of a still further rise in platinum prices. Accordingly, electrode catalysts which can be formed without using noble metals, such as platinum, are desirable.
Research activity into non-noble or non-precious metal catalysts (NPMC) for the ORR has grown considerably since 1964 when Jasinski observed that cobalt phthalocyanine catalyzed the ORR (REFERENCE 1). Such catalysts were first obtained by adsorbing Fe—N4 or Co—N4 macrocycles on a carbon support and pyrolysing the resulting material in an inert atmosphere (REFERENCE 2). Since, NPMC research using metal-N4 macrocycles has continued (REFERENCE 3-5).
A breakthrough was then achieved when it was revealed that these often-expensive macrocycles could, instead, be substituted by individual N and Co precursors (REFERENCE 6). This approach was followed by several groups (REFERENCE 2, 7, 8-17).
One approach in the synthesis of NPMCs for ORR has been to use NH3 as a nitrogen precursor. The catalysts are obtained by wet impregnation of a carbon black with an iron precursor like ironII acetate (FeAc), followed by a heat treatment, i.e. pyrolysis, in NH3. Herein, such electrocatalysts will be referred to as Fe/N/C catalysts. During pyrolysis at temperatures ≧800° C., NH3 partly gasifies the carbon support, resulting in a mass loss that depends on the duration of the heat treatment (REFERENCE 18). The disordered domains of the carbon support are preferentially gasified (REFERENCE 19-21). As a result, micropores are created in the carbon black particles. The mass loss (30-50 wt %) at which maximum activity is reached corresponds to the largest microporous surface area of the etched carbon, suggesting that these micropores (size ≦2 nm) host the catalytic sites (REFERENCE 19). In addition, the reaction of NH3 with the disordered carbon domains also produces the N-bearing functionalities needed to bind iron cations to the carbon support (REFERENCE 22-23).
Hence it has been proposed that each Fe/N/C catalytic site comprises an iron cation coordinated by four pyridinic functionalities attached to the edges of two graphene planes, each belonging to adjacent crystallites on either side of a slit pore in the carbon support (REFERENCE 19, 23). Thus, four factors have been identified as requirements for producing active Fe-based catalysts for ORR: (i) disordered carbon content in the catalyst precursor (REFERENCE 18); (ii) iron; (iii) surface nitrogen and (iv) micropores in the catalyst. Disordered carbon allows for the formation of micropores and nitrogen enrichment during pyrolysis in NH3, Fe and N are essential because they form an integral part of the catalytic site (REFERENCE 2), while micropores are required to host the catalytic site (REFERENCE 19-21).
For NPMCs, it is meaningful to speak in terms of volumetric activity for ORR. Conversion from A·g−1NPMC to A·cm−3electrode is described below. The volumetric activity is the product of the catalytic site density and the activity of a single site. The latter varies with voltage and is an intrinsic property of the catalytic site. Therefore, if the site is unchanged, increased volumetric activity can only be achieved by increasing the site density.
The volumetric catalytic activity of a catalyst may be marginally improved by increasing the Fe content. However, the inventors previously found increased activity only up to a presence of ca. 0.2 wt % Fe, beyond which the activity levels off and eventually decreases (REFERENCE 24). Therefore, a nominal Fe concentration of 0.2 wt % was at that time chosen for impregnation onto pristine non-porous carbon blacks.
Furthermore, when catalysts were prepared using the impregnation method on non-porous carbon black and pyrolysed in pure NH3, the micropore surface area of the resulting catalysts was shown to govern the catalytic activity because the nitrogen and iron content were usually non-limiting (REFERENCE 19).
FeAc was therefore impregnated onto highly microporous carbon supports followed by pyrolysis in NH3. Surprisingly, this did not improve the activity as compared to catalysts made with non-porous carbon supports. Instead, it was concluded that only the micropores created during pyrolysis in NH3 may host catalytic sites (REFERENCE 25). The inventors thus found that the micropores in the as-received microporous carbon blacks do not bear the surface nitrogen necessary to form catalytic sites. Furthermore, since these carbon blacks have little disordered carbon content, surface nitrogen is difficult to add during pyrolysis in NH3.
REFERENCE 26 gives conditions for measuring the volumetric activity of NPMCs in fuel cells.
REFERENCES 18 and 22 disclose the use of different carbon blacks and activated carbon in catalysts of the prior art.
REFERENCES 27 and 28 disclose the use of a carbon pretreated to add nitrogen and/or carbon with a nitrogen-containing molecule with iron acetate in catalysts of the prior art.
REFERENCE 29 discloses the use of iron, cobalt, chromium and manganese in catalysts of the prior art.
REFERENCES 30-38, 9, 39-46, discloses the use of at least the following non-noble metal precursors in catalysts of the prior art: cobalt porphyrin (Co tetramethoxyphenylporphyrin (TMPP)); iron acetate, Fe tetramethoxyphenylporphyrin (TMPP) on pyrolysed perylene-tetracarboxylic-dianhydride (PTCDA); Fe phthalocyanines; Fe and Co tetraphenylporphyrin; Co phthalocyanines; Mo tetraphenylporphyrin; metal/poly-o-phenylenediamine on carbon black; metal porphyrin; molybdenum nitride; cobalt ethylene diamine; hexacyanometallates; pyrrol, polyacrylonitrile and cobalt; cobalt tetraazaannulene; and cobalt organic complexes.
REFERENCES 29, 56 and 57 report the successful use of FeII acetate, cobalt acetate, copper acetate, chromium acetate, manganese acetate, nickel acetate, and ferrocene in prior art catalysts.
The present inventors and other authors have successfully used FeII acetylacetonate, FeII sulfate, FeIII chloride, FeIII nitrate, FeII oxalate, FeIII citrate, ChloroFe tetramethoxyphenylporphyrine, cobalt phthalocyanine, iron phthalocyanine, cobalt tetra-aza-annulene in catalysts of the prior art.
The present inventors have successfully used all the compounds between parenthesis and at least one compound of each family bellow in non-noble catalysts of the prior art: Phenanthroline (1,10-phenanthroline, Bathophenanthroline disulfonic acid disodium salt hydrate, 4,7-Diphenyl and 5,6-dimethyl phenanthroline, 4-aminophenanthroline); Phthalocyanine; Porphyrine; Phthalonitrile (4-Amino-phthalonitrile); Melamine; Hexaazatriphenylene; Tetracarbonitrile; Benzene-1,2,4,5-tetracarbonitrile; amino-acids; Polypyrrole; Polyaniline, Bismark Brown; and Bathocuproine (2,9Dimethyl-4,7-diphenyl-1,10-phenantroline). These results were unpublished before the present and were thus not part of the prior art available to the skilled person.
There remains a need for improved NPMCs to replace the Pt-based electrocatalysts used in PEMFCs.
The present description refers to a number of documents, the content of which is herein incorporated by reference in their entirety.

Catalyst precursors, catalysts and methods of producing same

INSTITUTE NATIONAL DE LA RECHERCHE SCIENTIFIQUE

THE ROYAL INSTITUTION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF LEARNING/MCGILL UNIVERSITY


A solenoid-actuated three-way fluid control valve having a paramagnetic valve body and a ferromagnetic adjustable end stop connected by a ferromagnetic tubular sleeve and forming a housing defining a valve chamber containing an axially elongate generally cylindrical ferromagnetic solenoid plunger supported for axial reciprocal movement between a pair of axially opposed valve seats. The plunger is biased toward seating engagement with an associated one of the seats and is moveable out of seating engagement with the one seat and into seating engagement with the other seat in response to energization of a surrounding solenoid coil. An annular ferromagnetic flux ring disposed adjacent one end of the coil cooperates with a diametrically enlarged portion of the plunger to define a portion of a flux path. The position of the end stop relative to the sleeve is adjusted during manufacture to set the clearance between the valve plunger and the one valve seat thereby enabling accurate valve calibration. A method for calibrating the valve is also disclosed.

This invention relates in general to solenoid valves and deals more specifically with improvements in miniaturized solenoid-actuated fluid control valves particularly adapted for low power operation and a method for calibrating such valves.
In a valve of the type with which the present invention is concerned an axially elongate solenoid plunger supported for axial reciprocal rectilinear movement in response to energization of a surrounding solenoid coil controls fluid flow through one or more fluid passageways coaxially aligned with the plunger. In the production of such valves the accumulation of manufacturing tolerances resulting from assembly of the valve parts in axially stacked relation to each other has resulted in problems in maintaining uniform valve operating characteristics. This is particularly true with respect to the production of miniature valves.
It is the general aim of the present invention to provide an improved solenoid-actuated fluid control valve which may be manufactured in quantity with substantially uniform operational characteristics and in which magnetic reluctance is minimized to enable efficient low power operation. It is a further aim of the present invention to provide an improved method for calibrating a valve of the aforedescribed general type.

Solenoid valve and valve calibrating method