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With the growth of networked computer systems, shared data storage systems have become commonplace. In a networked computer system, multiple hosts are generally coupled by a network to a shared data storage system for the purpose of storing applications and their data. Fibre channel is an example of a network that can be used to form such a configuration. Fibre channel is a network standard that allows multiple initiators to communicate with multiple targets over the network, where the initiator and target may be any device coupled to the network.
Storage systems generally have a finite amount of storage capacity (used to store applications, application data, user data (e.g., databases) and the like) and finite performance bandwidth. Server applications, users, and their data have different growth rates, so it often is difficult to predict and design a storage configuration that is suitable for a long period of time. When capacity of a resource or its performance is at or approaching its limit, the storage configuration typically is adjusted to reallocate resources.
Because storage capacity and performance of the storage server is finite due to performance limitations of devices, processors, memory, etc., there is occasionally a need to migrate (or move) data to another location in the networked computer system. With this migration of data comes an associated migration or reallocation of storage and performance load. Data migration, or movement of data from one location to another, is generally a complicated and time consuming task, requiring many hours of planning and testing.
For example, in the case where the performance of the storage system is approaching its capacity, data may be migrated to another storage system having available capacity.
A conventional way in which people migrate data is to stop execution of the application that access the data, move the application and its data to a new storage location, reconfigure the application to point to the new location, and restart the application. It is a drawback of current migration techniques to require data movement to occur only after the data and their associated applications are offline. Depending on the size of the data, a migration process may take a long time (e.g., days), and the data being to migrated is unavailable for the period of time during the migration. Further, if at any point during the migration there is a failure of one or more elements involved in the migration, the user may have to restart the migration from the beginning. For large migrations, there is much lost time, effort, and money associated with restarting the migration process.
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for packaging a liquid crystal panel, and more particularly, to a method of mounting a liquid crystal panel onto a window frame.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The final step of packaging a conventional liquid crystal on silicon (LCOS) panel or a liquid crystal display panel typically involves placing a window frame and a windowpane on the panel to prevent the attachment of dust to the surface of a dust cover, thereby negatively affecting the quality of the images.
Please refer to FIG. 1 through FIG. 4. FIG. 1 through FIG. 4 are cross-sectional diagrams showing the method of disposing of the window frame and windowpane on a liquid crystal panel according to the prior art. As shown in FIG. 1, a liquid crystal panel 10 is fixed on a carrier substrate 12, in which the surface of the liquid crystal panel 10 includes a dust cover 14 disposed thereon. First, a window frame 20 is fixed on a gasket 16 that surrounds the liquid crystal panel 10. The window frame 20 comprises a central opening 22 corresponding to the light sensitive region of the liquid crystal panel 10 and the inner flange of the window frame 20 provides a supporting platform 24 and a positioning side 26 for supporting the window frame.
As shown in FIG. 2, a sealing process is performed to deposit a sealing glue 32 on the supporting platform 24. As shown in FIG. 3, a windowpane 40 is placed on the supporting platform 24 of the window frame 20 and by utilizing the fluidity of the sealing glue 32, the windowpane 40 is adjusted and repositioned against the positioning structure 26.
Next, the finished product of the liquid crystal panel covered with the windowpane 40 is moved to a device for ultraviolet treatment, in which the sealing glue 32 is solidified by the ultraviolet rays, as shown in FIG. 4.
The conventional methods often include the following disadvantages:
(a) An uneven force distribution will result when the sealing glue 32 pulls the windowpane at the supporting platform 24 and eventually influences the direction of the polarizing beams.
(b) After the sealing glue is deposited, the placement of the windowpane is hindered because the location of the positioning structure 26 is difficult to recognize. Additionally, overflow of the sealing glue must be prevented.
(c) Disposed near the edge of the groove area, the positioning structure 26 is an unsuitable chamfer.
(d) Some sealing glue will remain in between the windowpane 40 and the positioning structure 26 resulting in a less tightly attached windowpane. This has a negative effect on the overall yield.
(e) It is difficult to control the amount of deposited sealing glue 32. Deposits of excessive sealing glue 32 will cause overflow (shown in FIG. 3) and result in a dirty windowpane 40 or dirty dust cover 16 surfaces. Occasionally, the entire device will fail and become unfixable.
(f) The long duration of the sealing process and ultraviolet exposing process will influence the overall yield.
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Semiconductor devices including metal features are difficult to scale down to smaller pitch sizes. As components of semiconductor devices continue to decrease in size, the metal features also need to be scaled down. The metal features in conventional semiconductor devices include a pattern of metal lines separated from one another by spaces. Each of the metal lines may have the same width and the metal lines may be equally spaced from one another, while other metal features may vary in size and spacing. Photolithography techniques, such as immersion photolithography, are used to form the metal features. Currently, 193 nm wavelength photolithography is limited to forming metal features at a pitch of about 80 nm. To improve the resolution of 193 nm wavelength photolithography, double patterning techniques (e.g., spacer assisted double patterning (SADP) have been used to reduce the pitch by up to one-half. Triple patterning techniques, quadruple patterning techniques (e.g., spacer assisted quadruple patterning (SAQP)), and octuplet patterning techniques have also been investigated to further scale down the pitch. While these patterning techniques may be used to form equally spaced patterns of metal lines, the patterning techniques are not effective to form metal features of variable sizes and having variable spacings between adjacent metal features. In addition, these patterning techniques are costly and require numerous process acts. Extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography has also been utilized to form metal features at a pitch of about 36 nm. However, the EUV lithography utilizes numerous and complex process acts and is expensive.
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The present invention relates to a supporing plate for supporting a semiconductor wafer in some steps for fabricating a semiconductor device.
More specifically, the present invention relates to a supporting plate for supporing a semiconductor wafer and transporting the semiconductor wafer into, for example, the scribing station and the bonding station in the course of fabrication of the semiconductor device.
Generally, a semiconductor wafer having circuit elements and conductor wirings formed therein in a desired configuration is supported on a supporting plate via adhesive such as wax. The thus supported semiconductor wafer is transported into the scribing station, wherein the semiconductor wafer is divided into semiconductor chips through the use of a dicing saw. An electrode shaped metal leaf is placed to confront an electrode formed on the semiconductor chip in the bonding station, wherein the electrode shaped metal leaf is connected to the chip electrode through the use of a bonding tool.
Grooves formed in the scribing station reach the supporting plate. That is, the adhesive sandwiched between the semiconductor wafer and the supporting plate is also divided into the chip size.
The conventional supporting plate is made of glass, plastics or ceramics. The glass supporting plate has a high thermal conductivity and, therefore, the bonding tool must be heated to a considerably high temperature. Moreover, the heat energy is transferred to adjacent semiconductor chips through the glass supporting plate. The thus transferred heat energy melts the wax fixed to the adjacent semiconductor chips.
The plastic supporting plate can not tolerate a high temperature. Thus there is the possibility that the plastic supporting plate will bend during the bonding treatment.
The fine ceramic supporing plate has similar defects as the glass supporting plate. In the porous ceramic supporting plate, there is a possibility that the adhesive such as the wax permeates the inside of the porous ceramic supporting plate.
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The present invention relates to the polymerization of olefins. In another aspect this invention relates to novel catalysts useful for the polymerization of olefins.
In another aspect this invention relates to novel compositions of matter comprising crystalline magnesium dihalide/electron donor adducts and a method of making same.
In commonly owned U.S. Pat. No. 4,394,291, there is disclosed a number of new high activity polymerization catalysts. The disclosure of said application is hereby incorporated by reference. One of those catalysts types disclosed was prepared by reacting reactants comprising (a) a magnesium dihalide, (b) a benzoic acid ester, and (c) a titanium compound, such as an alkoxytitanium compound, to produce a first catalyst component, then reacting that component with a second catalyst component comprising a precipitating agent, and then reacting the resulting solid product with halogenating agent, such TiCl.sub.4.
South African Pat. No. 230/84 reveals that the activity of such catalysts can be affected by the amount of water associated with the magnesium dihalide. The activity obtained with catalysts prepared from magnesium dihalide containing less than 0.5 moles of H.sub.2 O per mole of magnesium dihalide were inferior to catalysts prepared using magnesium dihalides containing higher levels of water.
The present application is directed to the discovery that the activity of such catalysts can also be improved by adding specified amounts of alkanol to the magnesium dihalide.
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This application makes reference to, incorporates the same herein, and claims all benefits accruing under 35 U.S.C. xc2xa7119 arising from an application entitled, CIRCUIT CALL GENERATOR FOR TESTING FUNCTIONS OF INTERWORKING FUNCTION SYSTEM AND METHOD THEREFOR, earlier filed in the Korean Industrial Property Office on Aug. 19, 1998, and there duly assigned Serial No. 1998-33550.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a circuit call generator (load box) for testing the functions of interworking function (IWF) system. The present invention concerns in particular a method for testing data traffic processing of the interworking function (IWF) system, which provides mobile subscribers with wireless data communication services and facilitates data transfer to a Public Switched Telephone network.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIG. 1 illustrates a conventional network configuration for providing mobile subscribers with radio data communication services in CDMA system. As illustrated in FIG. 1, a mobile/wireless subscriber uses a mobile terminal (MT) 120 for connecting to a terminal equipment (TE) 110, such as personal computer, note book computer, and other equivalent means, to receive radio data communication services from a wired network (i.e. facsimile, internet services, and etc.).
As shown in FIG. 1, a wireless subscriber (TE, MT) 110, 120 transmits a call request message to a base station (BS) 130 in order to establish a communication link via air interface. Then, the base station 130 requests a mobile switching center (MSC) 140 for a call setup via A-interface (as shown by the line labeled A). The mobile switching center (MSC) 140 analyzes the call request message and requests the interworking function (IWF) system 150 to establish a communication path, in the event that radio data communication service is requested in the call request message.
The interworking function (IWF) system 150 is connected to the mobile switching center (MSC) 140 via L-interface (as shown by the line labeled L). The interworking function (IWF) system 150 accesses communication channel to transmit/receive data to/from the wireless subscriber 110, 120. In the event that IWF system receives a request for communication link from the wireless subscriber, the interworking function (IWF) system 150 requests for call connection to the mobile switching center (MSC) 140, which directs the data to the proper place. In response to the request of the interworking function (IWF) system 150, the mobile switching center (MSC) 140 sends an order for call connection request to the wired subscriber of the wired network 160 via the public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) to either modem 170 or facsimile 190. If the call connection is established with the wired subscriber, the IWF system provides data transfer between the wireless subscriber and the wired subscriber using communication protocols.
In the event that a designer of the communication system has developed a specific interworking function (IWF) system and wants to test the working functions of the IWF system, the designer has to directly connect the interworking function (IWF) system to the wireless network and provide communication services thereon to carry out the test operation. Further, the wireless subscriber should be connected to the wired subscriber of the wired network to see if a fault occurs in the communication path of IWF system. Since testing of the IWF system requires an actual physical connection with both the wireless subscriber and the wired network, it demands for complex network test points and complex test devices, which makes the test operation very expensive. In the known art, there still exists the problem relating to high costs and costly labors associated with testing of the call control processing and the data traffic processing for the interworking function (IWF) system.
To solve the problem associated with the conventional method, the present invention is intended to provide an apparatus for and method for testing data traffic processing of the interworking function (IWF) system.
One of the objects of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for and method of testing the interworking function (IWF) system in a code division multiple access (CDMA) system by using a circuit call generator to emulate the wireless subscriber and the wired network.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for and method of testing the interworking function (IWF) system so that the normal paths of communication through the interworking function (IWF) system are tested by isolating the IWF system from the remainder of the whole network and testing the IWF system.
Further objection of the present invention is to provide a method for testing data traffic processing of the interworking function (IWF) system, which provides mobile subscribers with wireless data communication services and facilitates data transfer to a Public Switched Telephone network.
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Since the introduction of Integrated-Circuit (IC) chips, the conventional technique for mounting them on Printed-Circuit Boards (PCBs) has been the Pin-Through-Hole (PTH) technology. However, continual increases in IC-chip complexity, performance, and placement density are placing demands on the density and functionality of package interconnections influencing the development of various Surface-Mount-Technology (SMT) package-interconnection techniques to satisfy the needs, such as the Ball-Grid-Array (BGA) interconnection technique. These techniques are documented in an article by F. F. Cappo, et al. entitled "Highly Manufacturable Multi-layered Ceramic Surface-Mounted Package," IEEE/CHMT IEMT Symposium 1991, pp. 424-428, September 1991. Ball-Grid-Array is an area-array interconnection that can achieve a density of 400 interconnections per square inch. Because of the complexity or density of interconnections, a number of techniques have been developed to monitor interconnection quality.
Various automated solder-inspection systems are commercially available for monitoring solder-joint quality. The techniques used in these systems can be characterized by the radiation employed (either infrared, visible light, X-ray, or acoustic), the way in which the radiation interacts with the object being inspected, and the means used to detect the response of the radiation. The types of radiation can be subdivided into two broad categories, namely, non-penetrating and penetrating, depending on whether the radiation can penetrate the intervening chip-package material to image the Ball-Grid-Array joints. Techniques using penetrating radiation, such as acoustic and X-ray, can potentially inspect all Ball-Grid-Array joints within an area array including both peripheral joints and joints hidden under the chip-package material. The image generated by transmission systems (as opposed to cross-sectional systems) are due to the combined attenuation of the beam by every feature along its path. Therefore, the individual contribution to the attenuation of the beam by distinct features along the same beam path cannot be singularly isolated. For example, with respect to Ball-Grid-Array joints, the supporting solder ball with its high-lead content would entirely obscure the eutectic-solder fillets in a transmission image. For these reasons transmission systems tend not to be effective for the inspection of Ball-Grid-Array joints. However, cross-sectional inspection techniques have proven to be effective, as disclosed in the following patents:
U.S. Pat. No. 5,097,492 issued Mar. 17, 1992 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,926,452, issued May 15, 1990, both to Bruce D. Baker, et al., describe an inspection system using cross-sectional imaging to inspect microelectronic devices. U.S. Pat. No. 4,809,308 issued Feb. 28, 1989 to John Adams, et al. describes a transmission X-Ray inspection system.
Although cross-sectional imaging described above is useful for inspection, a number of interconnection or soldering defects are not reliably detected by these systems.
These references fail to disclose the use of the centroid of a cross-sectional image of an interconnection as a reference (location) for the measurement of a characteristic of the interconnection to determine the quality of the interconnection. The use of the image centroid of the interconnection has been determined to dramatically improve measurement accuracy in inspection so that defects and good joints can be more reliably distinguished, especially in the Ball-Grid-Array joint environment.
While Ball-Grid-Array (BGA) is compatible with existing assembly processes, and is functionally superior to Pin Through Hole (PTH), Ball-Grid-Array cannot successfully replace PTH unless it can also provide the same long-term reliability. The solder-joint volume and ball/pad alignment are the most critical characteristics that the assembly process for Ball-Grid-Array must consistently produce to ensure long-term reliability. Furthermore, the assembly process must be controlled to minimize such process defects as pad nonwets and solder bridges. To develop and control such a robust assembly process requires the use of an inspection technique to characterize the process by quantitatively measuring the critical characteristics of Ball-Grid-Array joints, such as the solder-joint volume and the ball/pad alignment. To this end, the overriding emphasis of inspection is to provide data on the assembly process that can be used to improve it in a closed-loop manner and not simply to screen the assembly-process output for defects. However, the Ball-Grid-Array technology poses a significant challenge to developing a satisfactory inspection process because the eutectic solder fillets that require inspection are obscured by the high-lead-content solder balls and a highly-metallized ceramic substrate. Thus, in order to reliably inspect the solder fillets, the inspection system must be able to isolate the solder fillets from the solder balls and the ceramic substrate. The method invention provides a suitable inspection system for these purposes.
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a signal processing apparatus for a photo-semiconductor position sensing device, and more particularly to a distance measuring device for a camera which uses a semiconductor position sensing device (PSD).
2. Description of the Prior Art
A distance measuring device for measuring a distance by a principle of triangulation based on a predetermined distance (base line length) and an angle between a light emitting element and a photosensing element by arranging the light emitting element and the photosensing element in spaced relation from each other by the base line length and scanning one of the light emitting element and the photosensing element so that the light emitted by the light emitting element and reflected by an object is sensed by the photosensing element, has been well known. However, this method needs a mechanism for scanning the light emitting element on the photosensing element, and when the distance measuring device is used in the camera, it is necessary to synchronize the drive of a distance ring of an imaging lens to the scan. Accordingly, the distance information cannot be obtained prior to shutter release operation. As a result, prefocus photographing in which a distance to an object in a view field of a finder is measured prior to the shutter release operation is hard to attain.
In this respect, a distance measuring device which requires no scan mechanism and allows prefocusing has been known. It uses an array of a plurality of light emitting elements or photosensing elements instead of scanning the element and measures the distance by the principle of triangulation. However, the arrangement of the plurality of light emitting elements or photosensing elements not only increases the cost but also complicates the circuit for driving the light emitting elements and/or complicates the detector for detecting signals from the plurality of photosensing elements. Accordingly, this method is hard to apply to a compact camera.
A camera which incorporates a distance measuring device as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 95210/1983 has also been known. In this Patent Application, a light emitting device for projecting a light to an object and a semiconductor position sensing device (PSD) for producing a first and second current outputs having a mutual current ratio determined by an incident position of the light emitted by the light emitting device and reflected by the object are provided so that the distance is measured based on the first and second current outputs.
This distance measuring device is advantageous in that the PSD is relatively inexpensive and a processing circuit therefor is simpler than that for the plurality of photosensors. However, it has the following disadvantage.
In the prior art method, the output current of the PSD is affected by the intensity of the spot light impinged on the PSD such that the output current is high when the light reflected by the object is strong and the output current is low when the length reflected by the object is weak. Accordingly, it is necessary to normalize the output current of the PSD by dividing it by a sum of the first and second current outputs of the PSD. Thus, the signal processing circuit is complex and a wide dynamic range of the signal processing circuit is required because the output current of the PSD is significantly changed with the intensity of the incident spot light even though the output current of the PSD is normalized by the sum of the first and second current outputs of the PSD. Accordingly, if the signal processing circuit is constructed by discrete components, the selection range for an operational amplifier is narrowed, and if it is constructed by a monolithic chip, the circuit is further complicated because a signal compression circuit is required to widen the dynamic range.
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1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to aerial refueling systems, and more particularly to aerial refueling systems which use a reel assembly to trail a hose through which fuel is transferred from a carrier aircraft to a receiver aircraft.
2. Description of Related Art
Aerial refueling dramatically increases the flight time and range of an aircraft. Refueling in flight saves time by eliminating the time consuming landing and take-off associated with refueling on the ground. It also saves fuel because an aircraft's fuel consumption is substantially higher while climbing than while cruising. As a result, an aircraft which is refueled in flight requires less time and less fuel to fly the same distance as an aircraft which is refueled on the ground. Additionally, an aircraft which is refueled in flight is not dependent on ground based facilities and can fly extended missions over areas where such facilities are unavailable.
Although conventional aerial refueling systems can be mounted directly within a carrier aircraft, they are most commonly contained within pods which are externally attached to the carrier aircraft. This eliminates the need for special tanker aircraft because any aircraft to which the refueling pod is attached can serve as a carrier aircraft. The pods may be of the "wet" variety, meaning that fuel is contained within the pod, or of the "dry" variety which requires an external fuel supply.
In conventional aerial refueling systems, refueling is accomplished by trailing a fuel supply hose from the carrier aircraft. The trailing end of the supply hose is provided with a pressure sensitive coupling drogue which is compatible with a connector on the receiving aircraft. The two aircraft are coupled by maneuvering them so that the drogue and the connector engage each other, fuel is then transferred from the carrier aircraft through the hose to the receiver aircraft. When the fuel transfer is complete, the planes are uncoupled and the hose is retracted. Several prior art refueling systems use reel assemblies to facilitate trailing and retracting the hose. In these systems, the hose is wrapped around the circumference of a drum shaped reel. The hose is trailed by rotating the reel such that the hose unwinds. The hose is retracted by reversing the direction of rotation and rewinding the hose.
One particular type of conventional refueling system uses a reel which rotates around an axis transverse to the direction of the trailing hose. However, in order to accommodate a hose which is long enough to allow the aircraft to maintain a safe distance during the refueling operation, the reel must be relatively long and the hose must be wrapped around the reel in multiple layers. As a result, the transversely mounted reel will only fit within a pod that has cross-sectional area which is too large to be carried by many tactical aircraft. Additionally, wrapping the hose in multiple layers tends to crush the lower layers resulting in damage to the hose. Because this damage occurs in the lower layers it is difficult to detect by visual inspection and may not be discovered until the pod is in operation. If this occurs, the fuel transfer operation may fail with the result that the mission must be aborted, possibly leaving the receiver aircraft without enough fuel to land safely.
Other refueling systems incorporate a hose reel which is mounted for rotation about an axis which is generally parallel to the trailing hose. This allows the use of a longer reel which can accommodate the necessary length of hose in a single layer. However, an axial reel requires a feeding device to change the direction of the hose from transverse of the drum for wrapping to axial of the drum for trailing. Previously, this has been accomplished by a carriage and sheave assembly. Conventionally, these assemblies usually require a number of support beams and guide rails to support the carriage and sheave in the proper position. The support beams and guide rails are mounted within the pod alongside the reel. As a result, the cross-section of this type of pod is still too large to be used with many types of aircraft.
Presently available refueling systems generally rely on hydraulic systems to supply power for rotating the reel. These systems are inherently bulky, heavy and require substantial maintenance. Additionally, it is very difficult to check the operational status of such systems prior to conducting a refueling operation.
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The present invention relates to a device for detecting the motion of a compactor roller rotatable about a compactor roller rotational axis, comprising at least one motion sensor and an energy supply for the at least one motion sensor.
A device of this sort is known from DE 10 2011 088 567 A1. This device comprises a plurality of motion sensors arranged in a roller mantle enclosed within the drum interior and designed as acceleration sensors. To supply the motion sensors with electrical energy, an energy transducer arrangement is arranged within the roller interior. The energy transducer arrangement generates energy from the motion of the compactor roller. For this purpose, the energy transducer arrangement has a vibrating mass, which is made to vibrate by the oscillatory or vibratory motion of the compactor roller, and causes a correspondingly periodic deformation in a piezoelectric element.
DE 11 2010 000 670 T5 discloses a device for detecting the motion of a compactor roller with a motion sensor and an associated energy supply. The energy supply comprises a linear reciprocating mass, which comprises either a permanent magnet surrounded by a non-moveable coil, or a permanent magnet stationary relative to a moveable coil. Through electromagnetic induction, the reciprocating motion of this mass provides the motion sensor with a supply of electrical energy.
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This invention relates a method of making pairs of cooled thread split inserts used to injection mold bottle preforms.
As seen in the applicant's U.S. Pat. No. 5,599,567 which issued Feb. 4, 1997, it is well known to use a pair of thread split inserts in a mold to form the threaded neck portion of a PET bottled preform. The neck portion of the preform also has a ring collar which is used to eject the preform from the mold. The thread split inserts have conduits through which cooling fluid is circulated to cool the neck portion of the preform prior to ejection.
In the past, thread split inserts have been made by machining steel upper and lower parts and then integrally brazing them together. This method has the disadvantage that both parts must be machined to provide cooling fluid conduits and threads and this is time consuming and therefore relatively costly.
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1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to improvements in a phase-locked loop circuit (hereinafter referred to as a PLL circuit) for obtaining output oscillations in phase with an incoming signal.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Analog and digital PLL circuits are often used in various types of apparatus. However, these conventional PLL circuits have not been suited for some applications requiring high speed response and a high degree of stability.
FIG. 1 of the accompanying drawings is a block diagram showing the conventional PLL circuit. The circuit includes a phase detector 1 (hereinafter referred to as PD); a low pass filter 2 (hereinafter referred to as LPF) serving as a loop filter for the PLL circuit; a voltage controlled oscillator 3 (hereinafter referred to as VCO); an 1/n frequency divider 4; and an input terminal 5 to which an incoming signal is supplied. The phase detector 1 can generally be classified as either an analog type or a digital type. The PLL circuit is also classified either as an analog or digital type, depending on the type of phase detector used.
FIG. 2 shows by way of example the arrangement of the essential parts of the conventional analog type PLL circuit. FIG. 2 includes a wave-form shaping circuit 6 and a multiplier circuit 7 which jointly form a phase detector such as the phase detector (PD) 1 shown in FIG. 1. An LPF 2a corresponds to the LPF 2 of FIG. 1. A terminal 8 receives a phase detecting square wave produced from the 1/n frequency divider 4 of FIG. 1 for phase detection. A terminal 9 corresponds to the terminal 5 of FIG. 1 and receives a square wave signal (such as the horizontal synchronizing signal of a television signal) as an external incoming signal in the form of pulses of a narrow width not exceeding a duty cycle of 50%. A terminal 10 supplies an output signal to the VCO 3 of FIG. 1. Another terminal Vcc is arranged to have a power supply voltage impressed thereon. A terminal VB is arranged to have a bias voltage impressed thereon.
FIG. 3 is a timing chart showing the wave forms of the various parts (a)-(e) shown in FIG. 2. In operation, the phase detecting square wave (a) produced from the 1/n frequency divider 4 is converted into a saw tooth wave (b) by the wave-form shaping circuit 6 composed of an RC passive element. The saw tooth wave (b) is supplied to the multiplier 7. The external incoming square wave signal (c) is supplied to the input terminal 9. At the multiplier 7, a part of the saw tooth wave (b) is extracted by the incoming external square wave signal (c) through a multiplying operation, as shown at (d) in FIG. 3.
An LPF 2a which serves as a loop filter and is composed of a resistor R and capacitor C is arranged to pass only a low frequency component of the extracted signal (d). The low frequency component corresponds to a phase difference between the incoming external signal (c) and the phase detecting square wave (a). The signal (d) is then controlled by a control signal (e) to increase the oscillation frequency of the VCO 3 when the oscillation phase of the VCO 3 is delayed and to decrease it when the phase is ahead of the correct phase. The VCO 3 is thus controlled to decrease the phase error until a phase locked state is obtained.
In the analog PLL circuit arranged as described above, the VCO is controlled throughout the whole period of operation. However, since the detection of phase deviation is carried out in a predetermined cycle, a certain length of time is required before information on phase deviation is reflected in control over the VCO. This results from the fact that the response speed of the whole PLL circuit is determined by that of the LPF 2a. The responsivity of the LPF 2a thus makes it difficult to obtain a high speed responsive PLL circuit. Assuming that the frequency of the incoming external square wave signal is 15.374 KHz (the horizontal synchronizing frequency of a television signal), the LPF 2a must adequately remove the 15.734 KHz component and the components related thereto from the output of the multiplier 7. To meet this requirement, the cut-off frequency of the LPF 2a in general must be set at several hundred Hz. This requirement has prevented the LPF 2a from having a quick response.
In an analog PLL circuit of this type, it is conceivable to attenuate the frequency component of the incoming external square wave signal by sample-and-holding the output of the multiplier 7. Even in that event, however, an LPF is indispensable. Besides, assuming that the frequency of the incoming external square wave signal is fr, the sample-and-holding operation results in a wasted time of 1/fr sec (63.556.mu. sec where fr=15.734 KHz). This causes some degradation of the frequency characteristic. Therefore, no substantial improvement can be expected from such an arrangement. Further, the stability of the PLL circuit is impaired by a phase delay resulting from the operations of an LPF and a sample-and-holding arrangement.
FIG. 4 shows by way of example the arrangement of the conventional digital PLL circuit. In FIG. 4, the same component elements as those shown in FIG. 1 are indicated by the same reference numerals and symbols. An AND gate 11 and an LPF 2b correspond, respectively, to the PD and to the LPF of FIG. 1. FIGS. 5(A), 5(B), and 5(C) are timing charts of the wave forms of the various parts (a)-(d) shown in FIG. 4.
FIG. 5(A) shows the PLL circuit of FIG. 4 in a phase locked state. FIG. 5(B) shows it in a state wherein the output (b) of the frequency divider 4 has for some reason gained in phase and ends up ahead of the incoming external square wave signal (a). As apparent from the drawing, when the phase of the signal produced from the frequency divider 4 gains, that is, when the phase of the oscillation signal of the VCO 3 gains, the pulse width of the pulses (c) produced from the AND gate 11 become narrower than the width obtained at the time of phase lock. The control voltage (d) supplied to the VCO 3 thus decreases. Accordingly, the oscillation frequency of the VCO 3 decreases and the phase of the oscillation signal from the VCO 3 is delayed. As a result, the PLL circuit is pulled into a phae-:locked state as shown in FIG. 5(A). FIG. 5(C) shows a state wherein the phase of the signal produced from the frequency divider 4 is lagging behind that of the incoming external square wave signal (a). Again, as apparent from the drawing, the pulse width of the pulses (c) produced from the AND gate 11 becomes wider than the width obtained at the time of phase lock and the control voltage supplied to the VCO 3 increases. The oscillation frequency of the VCO 3, therefore, also increases and advances the phase of the oscillation signal of the VCO 3. The PLL circuit is thus pulled into a phase locked state.
In the digital PLL circuit described above, the VCO is controlled throughout the entire period of operation. The conventional digital PLL circuit thus necessitates the use of some smoothing element such as an LPF. Therefore, the digital PLL circuit also brings about some response delay in the same manner as in the analog type PLL circuit previously described. It has thus been extremely difficult to obtain a quick response PLL circuit. Moreover, the stability of the operation of the conventional PLL circuit is impaired by the response delay.
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Post-excavation corrosion remains a significant consideration in the stabilization and preservation of archeological artifacts. A major consideration is removal of chloride ion, a major factor in the corrosive process.
Corrosion in its simplest form is deterioration of metal by oxidation and is commonly recognized as rusting, expressed chemically as4Fe(solid)+3O2(gas)→2Fe2O3.H2(solid)
The process of corrosion or rust can be explained in terms of electrochemical mechanisms in which a water droplet constitutes a minute galvanic cell with defined anode and cathode regions. Electrons flow from the anode to the cathode through the metal, and ions flow through the water droplets. As one of average skill in the art recognizes, this electrochemical model provides a clear explanation as to why the presence of dissolved salts (particularly the Cl−1 ion) accelerates corrosive processes.
Corrosive processes are a widely acknowledged nemesis of archeologists, particularly those dedicated to finding and preserving marine artifact. In recent decades, technology to locate, identify, and recover historic remains of ships and aircraft lost in combat, by accident, or as a result of storms has exploded. The discovery of the remains of the “Titanic” in the North Atlantic Ocean in September, 1988, 73 years after she sank in about 12,500 feet of water, and the subsequent recovery of about 1800 artifacts from the wreckage ignited interest in the recovery/preservation of marine artifacts. The hull of the Titanic showed expected devastation from corrosive forces; much of the recovered artifact was porcelain and material not as subject to such forces. None-the-less, recovery of iron artifact that is highly susceptible to corrosion is of continuing interest.
In May, 1995, after decades of futile searching, a small group of divers located the hull of the Confederate submarine, “H. L. Hunley,” in less than 40 feet of water in the Atlantic Ocean, immediately outside of the Charleston, S.C. harbor. In February 1864, following a historic, successful attack on the Union ship “Housatonic,” the “Hunley” and her full crew were lost.
The hull of the “Hunley” was, as expected, badly corroded and fragile. See FIG. 1. In order to preserve the priceless, historic, iron artifact, devices and methods to minimize continued losses and to preserve and stabilize the recovered hull and associated artifact became of immediate concern. Prior art addresses corrosion prevention, but fails to address preservation and stabilization of iron artifact.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,490,062 issued Dec. 6, 1949 to Jernstedt was, “to provide for producing protective coatings on metal surfaces ***”. The metal surfaces included iron, zinc, and aluminum. The coatings were to protect against rust formation, not to stabilize rusted-artifact.
Later, U.S. Pat. No. 3,961,991 issued Jun. 8, 1976 to Yoshida and Takagi indirectly addressed corrosion prevention in describing a pretreatment of large metal surfaces, such as the hull of a ship, to prepare the surface for coating with a rust inhibiting coating. Again, the emphasis is on prevention.
In at least one patent the marine environment is recognized as a major cause of corrosion. U.S. Pat. No. 4,844,865 issued Jul. 4, 1989 to Shimada and Sakakibara recognized salt water itself, and corrosion caused by sea salt particles as the principal causes of the decay of steel structures. The '865 patent relates to “non-magnet steel material” for use in magnetic floating high-speed railways nuclear fusion facilities, and similar applications. In the '865 patent, the issue of corrosion resistance is addressed by the development of special materials, not by prevention as described above or by stabilization of artifact.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,950,453 issued to Murray on Aug. 21, 1990 discloses and claims a method of passively forming a layer of zinc silicate-on metal surfaces to protect the surfaces from corrosion. The metal surface to be protected is pretreated with a very dilute solution of a soluble zinc salt and ultimately the treatment leads to the formation of a protective coating of zinc silicate. U.S. Pat. No. 6,468,364 issued Oct. 22, 2002 to Marecic describes an anticorrosion treatment utilizing a zinc/aluminum alloy coating with a molybdenum/phosphoric acid solution.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,849,220 issued Dec. 15, 1998 to Batton and Chen provides a corrosion inhibiting composition adapted for use in both aqueous and non-aqueous fluid involving both ferrous-containing and non-ferrous containing metals. The composition consists of two surfactants, a sorbitan fatty acid ester and a polyethylene derivative. Although markedly different from the '453 patent, like the '453 patent, the '220 patent depends on a specific protective layer to prevent corrosion.
Two related problems are addressed by U.S. Pat. No. 6,425,997 issued Jul. 30, 2002 to Johnson: removal of chloride ion from a corroded, pitted steel surface and measuring the amount of chloride present by use of a conductivity cell. The process claimed in the '997 patent to remove water soluble ions comprises placing a corroded surface in contact with deionized water while passing a high frequency waveform alternating current between steel anodes and the corroded metal surface (which serves as the cathode).
The preceding summary of U.S. patents is a representative summary of prior art that relates to corrosion prevention or management. Clearly, the major focus is on corrosion prevention of “new” material employing some type of protective coating. The '997 patent taught the significance of removal of chloride ions only from the use of electrolysis in highly specialized electrical conditions.
Interest continues to grow in preservation and stabilization of artifact recovered from marine environment and there remains room for innovation and improvement in methods and devices to preserve and stabilize such artifact by rapid and thorough removal of chloride ions.
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This invention relates to filters. More particularly, this invention relates to a filter of the type having a horizontally fed filter chamber containing loose bulk material as a filter medium and having on the inlet side and on the outlet side a permeable wall for retaining the loose bulk material in the filter chamber and having a compressed-air lift pump for driving the loose bulk material from a funnel disposed beneath the filter chamber in which a bottom lifter is installed from which a standpipe reaches into a rinse chamber above it.
This application claims the priority of German patent application No. 197 04 238.4, filed Feb. 5, 1997, and European patent Application No. 97121109.9, filed Dec. 2, 1997, the disclosures of which are expressly incorporated by reference herein in their entirety.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,399,034 discloses a filter for fluids, wherein the fluid flows through the filter medium at an angle instead of vertically or horizontally. The filter granules contained as the filter medium in a rectangular or cylindrical housing are drawn from the bottom of a hopper and fed for back rinse into a wash zone lying above the filter followed by a distributing apparatus. The outer walls of the filter have slanting slots to let out the fluid, while the fluid to be cleaned is fed through a plurality of stacked inlet cones which are disposed centrally in the bottom part of the filter apparatus. To be able to pump the contaminated filter granules out of the bottom of the hopper, rinse water is pumped into the hopper bottom from the wash zone.
The filter of U.S. Pat. No. 4,399,034 has the primary disadvantage of a very small filter inlet area which forms around the inlet hopper. It is much too small in proportion to the size of the filter outlet area and to the generally large filter volume. In the inlet area the filter medium will therefore very quickly become clogged with impurities, so that the filter resistance increases greatly after a short period of operation. To replace the relatively small amount of filter material in the inlet area a considerably greater amount of less contaminated filter material must be drawn off and necessarily included in the treatment. Another disadvantage results from the fact that the inlet and outlet slots are disposed vertically one under the other. The filter material lying on the slanting slot surfaces is not caught by the vertically descending flowing bed and cakes up, forming a stubborn barrier reducing the free passage area. Both the large bulk of the filter and the various ducts running in and out require a free-standing set-up and accessibility on all sides, which prevents adding the filter onto an existing wastewater pool.
Horizontally swept loose bulk material filters have not as yet been used in wastewater technology, although a horizontally directed flow offers very good conditions as regards the configuration of the filter and its operation, as well as versatility of use.
The present invention is addressed to the problem of creating a horizontally swept filter of the kind named above, which will have the least possible resistance to flow and will not tend to clog even in unfavorable conditions.
This problem is solved by the invention if the hopper has inlet slots close to the bottom and is surrounded by a chamber which is provided with a rinse-water feed tube connecting it to a raw water chamber.
In such a filter the loose bulk material in the lower region of the filter chamber is continuously or periodically drawn off and fed back up to it again. At the same time the loose bulk material is freed of the dirt particles and the rinse water is drawn off separately. The filter is configured to special advantage if the pump in the filter chamber is a compressed-airlift pump for driving the loose bulk material from a funnel disposed beneath the filter chamber through a standpipe and into a rinse chamber above it. Such a pump, often called a "mammoth pump," is especially reliable in operation and in the pumping process it frees the loose bulk material from the impurities that have been filtered out. The compressed-air lift pump requires much fluid in order to drive the loose bulk material, but raw water from the settling tank outside can be used directly. Since the amount of fluid which the compressed-air lift pump discharges is greater than that which can flow back simultaneously through the loose bulk material into the filter chamber, a backup takes place in the rinse chamber which has drain openings arranged at a specific height, through which the raw water contaminated by dirt particles escapes. The filter medium itself, therefore, is not affected by the greater amount of fluid required for carrying the loose bulk material.
A contribution to the further improvement of the purifying action is made when the stand pipe reaches into the bottom lifter and terminates in the rinse chamber where it tangentially adjoins an arcuate turnaround means. By the centrifugal forces it creates, such a deflecting means assists the separation of the loose bulk material from the raw water contaminated with dirt particles. The centrifugal forces produced by such a deflecting means help to separate the loose bulk material from the raw water contaminated with dirt particles.
The filter according to the invention can easily be installed in existing settling tanks without major remodeling if the filter chambers are of modular design and can be disassembled. Thus, by fitting together a plurality of filter chambers any desired filtration capacity can be achieved.
It is quite especially advantageous if the filter chambers or a plurality of assembled filter chambers are disposed as an end wall of a horizontal-flow settling tank for waste water purification. Thus the area of the settling tank downstream from the filter chamber or filter chambers becomes a clean water area from which the filtered waste water can flow from the settling tank on the path already designed without the filter.
Alternatively, however, it is also possible to arrange at the downstream side of the filter chamber a filtrate collecting chamber forming a single unit with the filter chamber. Such an embodiment makes it possible to install the filter of the invention at any desired points in a settling tank, on two lateral walls for example. The filtrate then is produced in the filtrate collecting chamber from which it is to be drawn. At the same time the individual units can be arranged both in tandem to increase the filtering action, and in parallel to increase the throughput. They can easily be fitted into existing systems. An island system for installation in still waters is also easy to create, in which case the filtrate can then be withdrawn upwardly.
The medium to be purified can be fed downward to a round filter exactly as taught in the prior art if, on the input side of the filer chamber a vertical inlet forming one unit with the filter chamber is arranged.
The problem of preventing the escape of filter medium from the two permeable walls without impeding the ongoing replacement of the fill material in the area of the openings can also be solved in the invention by providing the walls with a plurality of openings, one above the other and offset from one another and side by side, each shielded on the inside by an eave-like angle iron above and on the side, the apex of the angle iron pointing upward and its two flanges reaching below the bottom edge of the particular opening. Such eave-like angle irons reliably prevent the escape at the openings of the loose bulk material that does not settle downward and therefore cannot be cleaned and renewed.
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Typically, a rotor assembly for an aircraft engine has a rotor disk and one or more arrays of rotor blades. The rotor blades extend outwardly into a working medium flow path such as air. The rotor blades engage the outer periphery or rim region of the rotor disk. The rim region of the rotor disk is defined generally by axially oriented slots that receive the roots of the rotor blades.
The working medium gases exert a tangential force and an axial force on the blades as the gases flow through the rotor assembly. The axial force on the rotor blades urges the rotor blade bases axially forward relative to the movement of aircraft carrying the engine and out of the axially oriented slots. Lock means are provided to lock the rotor blades against this forward axial movement. These locks add to the rotational mass of the rotor assembly and must be carried by the rotor disk.
If a rotor blade suffers a foreign object strike, however, the rotor blade tends to rotate about the points where the foreign object strikes sending the rotor blade's root forward relative to the movement of aircraft within the rotor disk. For this reason, to protect the integrity of the rotor and the rest of the engine, lock means are also provided to lock the rotor blades from moving axially forward.
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In the manufacture of corrugated boxes, or boxes fabricated from other paper materials, blank sheets of the material are cut to size on a cutting machine. Glue is then applied to the board upon exit from the cutting machine by means of a suitable glue dispenser, usually glue wheels or extrusion nozzles. The applied glue forms linear beads in prescribed positions and of predetermined lengths on the board.
The board exits the cutter at a speed sufficiently high that visual verification of the proper application of the glue is not possible. Errors in glue application frequently go undetected until many scrap boards are produced. Common errors include the application of too much or too little glue, glue application in the wrong areas of the board, and glue splatters which occur outside of the area intended to be glued.
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The Halkey-Roberts clamp is a well-known type of one-piece plastic clamp which is used to close off plastic tubing such as polyvinyl chloride tubing.
While the clamp is in widespread use, certain technical disadvantages are found in the present designs of the clamp. The present clamps comprise a single strip of plastic in which the respective ends are curved towards each other to engage together in a snap-fit, spring relation in which a projection or pair of projections squeezes the tubing shut when the ends of the clamp are snapped together. The tubing can be opened by the separation of the projections when the ends of the clamps are separated.
It is desirable for the clamp in its as-molded, unstressed condition to have ends that are close together so that when large containers of the loose clamps are moved or shaken, the clamps do not hook together by random shaking and movement. At the same time, when this has been done, the tube-squeezing portions of the clamp tend to be close enough together to partially compress tubing placed through the clamp which, over a long period of time, can cause a crease or cleft to develop. This can particularly happen with polyvinyl chloride tubing. This crease can serve as a place where a kink in the tubing can develop during use, which is very undesirable.
As a further disadvantage of current designs of the Halkey-Roberts clamp, as one squeezes the ends of the clamp together to close it into a snap-fit, closed retention, the end of the clamp which carries a retention hook to engage the other end also carries an upstanding flange to facilitate re-opening of the clamp. Persons with long fingernails have substantial difficulty in closing the clamp because of this, while their fingers are pointed generally parallel to the axis of the clamp. Accordingly, such individuals close the clamp with their fingers placed transversely or sideways to the clamp. The effect of this often is to cause a skewing of the clamp ends as they close, leaving the clamp in a closed but twisted, undesirable configuration that may only partially close the tubing and thus permit leakage.
By this invention, an improved squeeze clamp is provided which eliminates the above disadvantages of the presently-used Halkey-Roberts clamp.
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Mounting concerns over the effect of greenhouse gases on global climate have stimulated research focused on limiting greenhouse gas emissions. Solar power generation is particularly appealing because substantially no greenhouse gases are produced at the power generation source.
Concentrated solar power (CSP) generation using solar receivers is known in the art. Briefly, concentrated solar power systems use lenses, mirrors, or other elements to focus sunlight incident on a relatively large area onto a small area called a solar receiver. The concentrated sunlight can be used to heat a fluid within the solar receiver. The fluid heated within the solar receiver can be used to create energy, such as by driving a turbine to generate power or by providing a secondary heat source.
Conventional receivers for concentrating solar power consist of panels of tubes that are arranged in a cylindrical or cubical shape to face the incoming solar irradiance. However, these configurations also maximize radiative and convective heat losses to the environment; most of the sunlight reflected off of these surfaces is lost to the environment.
The need therefore remains for an efficient solar receiver that enables higher efficiency power cycles.
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1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the field of digital-to-analog converters (DACs), and particularly to circuits and methods for automatically calibrating the current sources making up a switched current source DAC.
2. Description of the Related Art
Demand for high speed/high resolution DACs continues to grow, driven primarily by strong growth in the markets for wired and wireless communications. One architecture which has been used to construct high speed/high resolution DACs employs an array of current sources: the DAC receives a digital input word which represents a desired output current, and the current sources are selectively switched to an output to provide the desired output current. Such "switched current source" DACs have been favored for high speed and high resolution applications due to their ability to drive a resistive load directly, without the need for a voltage buffer.
One problem which afflicts switched current source DACs is current source mismatch. A typical switched current source DAC employs a segmented current source design, with the DAC's most significant bits (MSBs), upper least significant bits (ULSBs), and lower least significant bits (LLSBs) implemented with respective current source subarrays, with the current sources in a given subarray ideally producing identical output currents. Mismatch between the current sources in a given subarray, particularly if within the MSB subarray, degrades the DAC's static linearity, which in turn degrades its dynamic linearity.
Some method of static calibration is typically employed to reduce mismatch between current sources. Traditionally, as discussed, for example, in D. Groeneveld et al., "A Self-Calibration Technique for Monolithic High-Resolution D/A Converters,", IEEE Journal of Solid-State Circuits, vol. 24, pp. 1517-1522, December 1989, this has been accomplished by using an additional current source within a subarray, which allows one current source to be taken out of the circuit at any one time for calibration measurement and/or correction purposes, leaving a full bank of current sources available for normal DAC operation.
The requirement for an additional current source, however, can impact the DAC's dynamic performance, since the switching in and out of current sources at the calibration rate introduces spurs at the calibration frequencies in the DAC output spectrum. In practice, these spurs include additional dynamic components from dynamic mismatches between the current source arrays being used at any one time. These dynamic mismatches are not attenuated by the calibration mechanism, and can, in fact, be increased by mismatches in the switches needed to facilitate the calibration.
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1. Technical Field
This non-limiting exemplary embodiment(s) relates to security devices and, more particularly, to an anti-intrusion mat for providing users with an easy and convenient means of deterring a home intrusion by subduing a would-be criminal.
2. Prior Art
According to reports by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, overall crime rates have fallen by about a third in the United States since the early 1990s, one of the sharpest reductions since organized record keeping began early in the 20th century. In fact, 47 out of 50 states and 190 out of the biggest 220 U.S. cities cited a gradual yet steady drop in crime during the last decade. Although these reports are positive and foster a greater sense of security in this country, it is always wise to continue practicing sensible personal safety. Whether it is staying alert to surroundings while walking alone, keeping car and home doors locked at all times, or carrying little or no cash while out, these common sense security measures can considerably reduce one's chances of becoming a crime victim.
Perhaps one of the most feared crimes is the home invasion. The frightening thing about home invasion is that it is often motivated by a variety of criminal intentions, but most usually the intention is robbery. It is common for invaders to suddenly pull a weapon and burglarize a victim on the spot after impersonating a repairman, a delivery boy, salesman, policeman, or an individual in the need of a Good Samaritan. In a worst case scenario the intention is rape, kidnapping, torture, or terrorism. In these situations, an armed invader takes the victim by surprise simply by kicking in the door. Sometimes the invasion is motivated by the desire to procure normally private information such as a credit card or bank account number that can later be sold or used for fraudulent purposes.
In addition, a person may invade one's home for the purposes of preparing for a future robbery by assessing belongings and the vulnerability of entry points. Although exact statistics about the number of home invasions that take place every year are not available, it is estimated that each year this variant of robbery accounts for 11% of incidents of theft that take place in the United States. As such, concerned citizens are eager to implement extra security measures to prevent becoming a victim of such an invasive, frightening crime.
Accordingly, a need remains for a device in order to overcome the above-noted shortcomings. The present invention satisfies such a need by providing an anti-intrusion mat that is convenient and easy to use, lightweight yet durable in design, versatile in its applications, and designed for deterring a home intrusion by subduing a would-be criminal.
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Silicon CMOS image sensors for imaging from infrared to soft x-rays are known. FIGS. 1 to 3 show equivalent circuit diagrams of known silicon CMOS image sensors using a photodiode, a pinned photodiode and photogate respectively, in which T1 is a reset transistor, T2 is a source follower, T3 is a row select transistor and T4 is a transfer gate. FIGS. 4 to 7 show corresponding cross-sections of known CMOS image sensors using a photodiode, a buried photodiode, a pinned photodiode and photogate respectively.
However, to form near-infrared images it is desirable to use a relatively thick silicon active layer, e.g. 100-200 μm, to provide sufficient absorption depth for the infrared radiation. It is known to apply a reverse bias across an active layer of CMOS image sensors to reduce crosstalk and improve quantum efficiency. However, because of the low operating voltages of CMOS image sensors, achieving full depletion can be very difficult for thick active layers e.g. over >20 μm and requires additional reverse biasing of the substrate. The thickness of an active layer of a CMOS image sensor is determined by the available voltage and silicon resistivity. For the highest available resistivity in CMOS currently available of approximately 1,000 ohm·cm for epi and with a 3.3V supply, a “thick” active layer means an active layer with a thickness that cannot be depleted under normal operating voltages—this corresponds to a thickness >20 μm or thereabouts. That is, currently full depletion with a 3.3V diode bias can be obtained only up to a thickness of approximately 18 μm with epi. In the case of bulk silicon the highest available resistivity is 10,000 ohm·cm and this could deplete up to around 50 microns. In either case, for greater thicknesses, depletion regions may be formed only under the photodiodes which would decrease quantum efficiency and cause crosstalk due to charge diffusion and slow charge collection. The applied reverse bias voltage may then cause a parasitic current to flow through the active layer around the depletion regions.
Referring to the cross-section of a known CMOS image sensor 10 shown in FIG. 8, the CMOS image sensor 10 comprises a p-epitaxial or bulk silicon active layer 11 on a p+ substrate or backside contact respectively 12, and pixels 20, each comprising CMOS active components (not shown) in a p well 21 and a photodiode with an n+ well 22 in a front side of the p-epitaxial or bulk silicon layer 11. The image sensor further comprises a guard ring n+ well 23 surrounding the pixels 21 and, if there is no backside bias contact, a substrate bias p+ well 24 on the front side at a distance A from the guard ring n+ well 23 greater than a thickness D of the image sensor 10 (it will be noted that FIG. 8 is not shown to scale).
Under the influence of the negative bias voltage, typically higher than −10V in absolute value, a current may flow through a resistive path 13 from the p wells 21 to the p+ substrate or backside contact 12. However, in use depletion regions 14, 15, 16 are formed in the active layer below the respective photodiode n+ wells 22, and these depletion regions may, in some circumstances, spread laterally below the p wells 21 to pinch off the current between the p wells 21 and the p+ backside contact 12 as shown in respect of depletion regions 14 and 15 but not in respect of depletion regions 15 and 16. Referring to FIG. 9, with some structures and operating conditions the depletion regions 15 and 16 form pinch-off 17 whereas under other conditions, for example when the photodiode has collected a charge under irradiation, the depletion region 15′ may be smaller than depletion region 15 and no pinch-off occurs between depletion regions 15′ and 16, allowing a parasitic current to flow.
As shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, the extent of the overlap of the depletion regions creating the pinch-off is dependent on relative doping levels and depths of the p-wells and n-wells. Referring to FIG. 10, with identically doped p wells 211 and n wells 221 of equal depth, and with the width Lnw of the n well 221 greater than a width Lpw of the p well 211, the depletion regions 151 and 161 may overlap to form a pinch off 171. Referring to FIG. 11, with identically doped p wells 212 and n wells 222 but with the n wells 222 deeper and wider than the p wells 212, a greater overlap may occur between neighbouring depletion regions 142, 152 and 162 to form wider pinch-offs 172.
Thus, a pinch-off 17 cannot be achieved under all operating conditions and may not be possible if the wells are deep or more highly doped than the photosensitive elements.
Although these effects have been described in a CMOS image sensor with a p-type substrate, it will be understood that the same effects occur in a CMOS image sensor with opposite conductivity type layers and wells.
US 2005/0139752 discloses a front-illuminated CMOS sensor in which a back bias voltage is varied to vary a width of a depletion area in the photodiode to adjust the sensitivity of the sensor to red, green and blue light without using a colour filter. The CMOS sensor has a photodiode region and a transistor region. An n-type buried layer, which may be horizontal or U-shaped, is formed in the p-type substrate below the transistor region to prevent the bias voltage affecting the transistor region.
US 2008/0217723 discloses a back-illuminated CMOS sensor with a pinned photodiode to collect charge carriers formed in the 5μ thick silicon substrate. In sensors in which reverse bias is applied a triple well may be provided below the transistor region so that the voltage applied to the transistors is unaffected by the bias voltage. In addition, a p-type buried layer beneath the transistor region may be provided to reflect charge carriers generated in the p-doped silicon substrate away from the transistor region and towards the photodiode region.
US 2011/024808 discloses a back-illuminated CMOS sensor with a deep n-well in a p-substrate beneath a CMOS logic region to generate a barrier for substrate bias. An n-well surrounding the pixels forms a depletion region around the edge of the pixels to ensure that the pixels pinch off substrate bias in proximity to a p+ return contact. To achieve substantially full depletion of the p-type epitaxial silicon layer, the layer may be of intrinsic silicon or lightly doped. A reverse bias voltage applied to a front contact causes a depletion region to extend to the full substrate thickness below the pixels.
There remains a requirement for an efficient method of preventing parasitic substrate current with a thick CMOS image sensor device structure formed with a minimum of processing steps.
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an inverted microscope that allows observing a sample as an observation target from underneath.
2. Description of the Related Art
An inverted microscope to which an optical device constituting a new optical system between an objective lens and a tube lens can be attached has been proposed. To enable the attachment of the optical device between the objective lens and the tube lens, this inverted microscope is configured so that a spacer member can be arranged between a stage and a stage supporting member that supports the stage. By selecting and arranging a spacer member corresponding to a thickness of the optical device to be newly attached, a level of the stage is raised and the new optical device is attached between the objective lens and the tube lens through the use of a space provided by the leveling. More detailed information of the technique is obtained in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H11-72715, for example.
Besides, there has been proposed another inverted microscope provided with a stage unit that is formed by unitizing a stage and an objective lens, a microscope main body to which the stage unit can be detachably attached, and an optical device which can be attached between the microscope main body and the stage unit and by which a height of the stage is changed when attached. More detailed information of the technique is obtained in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H11-344675, for example.
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It has been known heretofore that ceria-based oxides are used as a co-catalyst of a three-way catalyst for treatment of exhaust gas discharged from automobiles. Here, the three-way catalyst is a catalyst having a function to remove carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxides from the exhaust gas generated with combustion of an internal combustion engine.
In view of recent tendencies toward higher performance and high-temperature use of the catalyst, there is a demand to develop a catalyst that has a high specific surface area and high heat resistance enough to resist decrease in the specific surface area even at high temperatures.
A solid solution comprising ceria, zirconium and an oxide of a rare earth element (lanthanum or the like) other than cerium is recently proposed as one of materials showing such properties (e.g., cf. Claim 6 and examples in Patent Document 1, Claim 2 and examples in Patent Document 2, and Claim 2 and examples in Patent Document 3).
A usually used process for producing such a solid solution is a solution method such as a coprecipitation method. Production of the solid solution by the coprecipitation method is normally so conducted that a solution containing cerium ions, zirconium ions and rare earth ions is prepared, a pH of the solution is controlled to obtain precipitates (coprecipitates) containing cerium, zirconium and the rare earth element, and the coprecipitates are subjected to a heat treatment to convert to oxides.
Patent Document 1: JP-A-2000-319019
Patent Document 2: JP-A-11-292538
Patent Document 3: JP-A-11-292539
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1. Field
Various embodiments disclosed herein relate to doorbells. Certain embodiments relate to doorbell communities.
2. Description of Related Art
Doorbells can enable a person located outside of an entry point, such as a door, to alert a person inside of an entry point that someone outside would like to talk to someone inside. Doorbells sometimes include a button located near a door, such as a front door, side door, or back door of a home, office, dwelling, warehouse, building, or structure. Doorbells are sometimes used near a gate or some other entrance to a partially enclosed area. Pushing the doorbell sometimes causes a chime or other alerting sound to be emitted.
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Natural gas burning power sources such as gas turbine electrical power generating plants are operated with as lean fuel/air mixtures as practical in order to reduce the production of NO.sub.x emissions. Conventional pilot light flames which burn rich fuel/air mixtures and electrical spark plugs have been used for initiating and stabilizing flames in gas burning turbines. However, when lean fuel mixtures are used, the use of a pilot light with a richer fuel/air mixture is necessitated to stabilize the flame because otherwise, at fuel/air composition mixtures near the flammability limit, the combustion process becomes so unstable that the flame cannot be sustained. The richer burn of the pilot flame itself produces a higher flame temperature which contributes significantly to the over-all production of NO.sub.X.
Therefore, a method which does not contribute to NO.sub.x pollutant emissions is needed by the power generation industry to stabilize the ultra-lean combustion of fuels.
An object of this invention is to provide an apparatus for laser ignition of hydrocarbon fuels.
It is an object of this invention to provide a method for stabilization of hydrocarbon fuel combustion flames.
It is another object of this invention to provide a method for cleaner combustion of hydrocarbon fuels.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a method of initiating hydrocarbon fuel combustion without contact of the initiator with the burning fuel.
It is yet another object of this invention to provide a method of initiating hydrocarbon fuel combustion that reduces interference with the flow dynamics in the combustion chamber.
Another object of this invention is to provide a means for directing a laser initiating spark into any selected location within a fuel vapor cloud.
Additional objects, advantages and novel features of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon examination of the following or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objects and advantages of the invention may be realized and attained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims. The claims are intended to cover all changes and modifications within the spirit and scope thereof.
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The Bluetooth low energy (BLE) is a specification that enables radio frequency communication operating within the globally accepted 2.4 GHz Industrial, Scientific & Medical (ISM) band. The BLE specification supports a physical layer bit rate of 1 Mbit/s over a range of 5 to 15 meters. The BLE wireless technology specification features two implementations, namely “dual-mode” and “single-mode”. In the dual-mode implementation, BLE functionality is an add-on feature within traditional Bluetooth, namely, Bluetooth Basic Rate (BR) and Bluetooth Enhanced Data Rate (EDR), sharing a great deal of existing functionality resulting in a minimal cost increase compared to existing Bluetooth BR/EDR enabled devices. The dual-mode implementation is targeted at mobile devices and personal computers. The single-mode implementation is power and cost optimized. The single-mode implementation features a lightweight Link Layer (LL) providing ultra-low power idle mode operation, simple device discovery and reliable point-to-multipoint data transfer with advanced power-save and encryption functionalities. The single-mode implementation is targeted at, for example, small, button-ell battery powered devices in, for example, sports and wellness, healthcare, entertainment and toys and mobile accessories product categories. The BLE offers connectivity between mobile devices or personal computers, and small button-cell battery power devices.
Further limitations and disadvantages of conventional and traditional approaches will become apparent to one of skill in the art, through comparison of such systems with some aspects of the present invention as set forth in the remainder of the present application with reference to the drawings.
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1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a new and improved container closure and container neck structure and more particularly to a structure wherein the closure is applied with a single one-dimensional axial downward force onto the neck and is held in such position by a tamper-evident band. The consumer destroys a frangible connection between the cap and the band during initial removal, preferably by tearing away the band enabling the closure to be unscrewed from the container neck. When the cap is used for reclosure purposes, it may be screwed on and screwed off in the same manner as screw caps have heretofore been used.
2. Description of Related Art
Prior snap-on, screw-off structures may be classified under either of the following categories:
(1) Those with thread engagement as initially applied,
(2) Those without.
The major advantages of the no-thread initial engagement systems are that they are conceptually simple, careful alignment of the closure and the container is not necessary upon application of the closure, and easy (low force) application is possible since no thread-jumping is required. This version can be an aesthetically pleasing, straight wall cap design, and good re-seal is achieved on reclosure because of the torque advantage of threads. On the other hand, the disadvantages of such a system are that it may be confusing to the consumer because initial removal is merely by lifting the cap off the neck but subsequent use requires twisting the cap relative to the neck. Further, it is difficult to use the system with a lined closure because of the height relationships between the finish and the cap, and finally the cap must be relatively tall, which forces the use of fine threads, which can be difficult to mold. None of these disadvantages are present in this invention.
A closure such as Cresci U.S. Pat. No. 4,561,553 has a number of problems. The tamper evident feature of the closure may be circumvented by being able to engage the threads of the neck and closure (thereby creating a mechanical advantage) and back off the cap while the tamper-evident band is intact. Secondly, the device is confusing to the consumer since the cap is screwed off during removal only by inwardly distorting the cap skirt. The cap is reapplied as a standard snap cap.
Full thread engagement as the cap is initially applied has a number of conceptual advantages. Consumer confusion is eliminated since initial removal is by unscrewing. A number of seal systems, including foil, full liner, plugs or other linerless seals can be used. However, full engagement systems heretofore have been difficult to achieve in practice. A disadvantage of a closure such as Carr U.S. Pat. No. 4,625,875 is that there is no practical, consistent means to orient the cap relative to the container so that, after application, the cap must be turned at least slightly to ensure a tight seal. This defeats the purpose of a push-on cap. Also, the use of a stretch snap-band tamper evident ring excessively increases the application force necessary to seat the cap.
The present invention provides full thread engagement by reason of unique thread design and, more particularly, a unique tamper-evident band (i.e., lower skirt portion) attached to the upper part of the cap by multiple bridges or by means of a continuous line of weakness between the cap and tear band, as well as a means of orienting closure and bottle threads to achieve registration prior to straight axial application.
The present invention has considerable advantages over prior structures for the reasons above noted, among others.
The present invention comprises an improved closure or cap and an improved neck finish. The cap skirt and neck are provided with mating threads of such shape that the cap may be applied in a simple downward vertical movement, the cap skirt and neck flexing sufficiently to permit the threads to slip past each other.
The threads may be continuous or interrupted. Also, instead of there being two threadsxe2x80x94one on the neck and one on the cap, one external thread may be replaced with a groove. The term xe2x80x9chelical engagement meansxe2x80x9d is sometimes used herein to encompass all such screw retention means.
The cap has a tamper-evident tear band below the skirt which is connected to the skirt by a plurality of bridges or by a continuous line of weakness. Ratchet teeth are positioned on the inside of the tamper evident band. Correspondingly, the container neck below the threads is formed with external ratchet teeth. The mating ratchet teeth of the cap and container neck are engaged by the initial downward movement of the cap relative to the neck. In other words, in order to engage the ratchet teeth it is not necessary to rotate the cap relative to the neck, thereby differing from conventional threaded tamper-evident caps. It is merely necessary to provide alignment means on the cap and on the container so that the cap is initially properly oriented in such position that a direct single vertically downward movement of the cap relative to the neck causes the threads to slip relative to each other and the ratchet teeth to lock in final position. Chamfers on the ratchet structure of either closure or container can be used as a xe2x80x9cfinexe2x80x9d orientation system as the closure is initially applied.
To achieve proper registration of threads when a simple direct axial application force is used, both the neck threads and closure threads must be oriented. Orientation of the container is relatively easy. Generally, containers are either non-circular or have non-circular features which may be used for proper orientation. In accordance with a preferred form of the invention shown herein, the closure has a downward projecting tab similar to the tear tab used on push-on tear-off closures. The vertical tear tab characteristic of the present closure is an excellent orientation feature. However, other means for orienting the cap and container may be used.
Thread design is another feature of the invention. A large number of threads per inch of axial height is desirable for two reasons. First, a fine thread may be used and such a thread does not have to be as deep as a coarse thread, and hence the forces required for threads to jump during application are minimized. Secondly, fine threads minimize the height required to achieve a standard design criterion of 360xc2x0 or more of thread engagement which permits a lighter closure weight.
The greater the number of thread leads, the less actual turning action is required to remove or reapply the cap. In addition, multiple thread leads promote more xe2x80x9csquarenessxe2x80x9d during straight axial application. In other words, the cap seats horizontally on the neck because the termini of the threads are statically balanced. However, additional leads require a higher thread pitch assuming constant threads per inch and excessively high thread pitch results in a situation where the closure may back off or unscrew itself from sealed position.
In accordance with the present invention, a preferred thread for a blow-molded, high density polyethylene bottle is 12 threads per inch and two leads. If bottle finish processing permits, it would be advantageous to design for higher threads per inch and more leads. For example, if the bottle is made with injection blow mold equipment, a very fine bottle thread is possible. In that case, it might be preferable to use, for example, a 16 thread-per-inch, 4 lead, 4 pitch thread. The more leads, the more squarely the cap sets on the neck and the more effectively the closure will be seated by a direct downward, axial application force.
Also, consumer advantages of quick release and reapplication can be achieved with multiple lead threads.
In order to provide a tamper-evident feature, the closure should not be removable without some apparent closure characteristic changing. Generally, this requirement is satisfied by incorporating a frangible section which is destroyed during initial closure removal. One type of frangible section is a continuous thinned tear line, but in a cap of the present invention, such a system may not be the best choice, although permissible and is disclosed as a modification of the first embodiment of the invention. A preferred tamper-evident feature provides a frangible section having a number of frangible connections or bridges between the closure skirt and a tamper-evident ring below the bottom edge of the skirt. The preferred approach is to incorporate enough bridges around the circumference such that the combined strength of the bridges prevents unscrewing. The tamper evident band must be removed to allow unscrewing. Sequential breaking of the many bridges around the circumference simulates a continuous tear. A second approach is to incorporate only a few bridges around the circumference of the skirt such that the combined strength of the bridges is not sufficient to prevent unscrewing and the bridges rupture as the cap is initially unscrewed. With this second approach the broken bridges give evidence of opening. A major advantage of using bridges rather than a continuous tear strip is that a wide range of material choices is possible. Therefore a multiple bridge simulated tear structure is generally preferred over continuous tear frangible sections and this approach is used in the preferred embodiments of the present invention. However, in a modification of the invention an uninterrupted horizontal shoulder between the upper and lower portions of the cap is used, which shoulder is formed with a line of weakness. The alternative modification eliminates the space between the bridges to create a continuous frangible line. This modification is used successfully only when the cap is formed of a low density polyethylene and is not successfully used with higher density plastic materials. One of the advantages of the elimination of the spaced bridges is that of cleanliness in that the continuous shoulder prevents dirt and liquids from contacting any portion of the neck surface above the bottom edge of the cap.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention hereinafter described in detail, the closure is first oriented by means of its tear tab and the containers are likewise oriented. The closure and bottle are snapped together and the orientation allows registration of both the threads and the ratchets which hold the cap in place until the tamper-evident band is removed. Seal of the container may be made with a liner, foil or a linerless feature such as a plug or flap. Before initial removal, the multiple bridges are collectively sufficiently strong to prevent unscrewing and also resist any tendency of the closure to back off the neck. During initial removal, in the preferred embodiment the tear band is removed through sequential breaking of the bridges, thereby simulating a continuous tear strip but allowing the use of such plastic materials as polypropylene and high density polyethylene. Once the tear band is removed, the system functions as with normal threaded closures. Alternatively the upper and lower portions of the cap skirt are connected by a reduced number of angularly spaced bridges. Merely by twisting the upper skirt portion the bridges may be severed, giving evidence of tampering, and making it possible to unscrew the cap.
One of the features of the present invention is that the lower skirt portion, which includes tamper-evident features and, more particularly, contains ratchet teeth mating with corresponding teeth on the container neck, is formed with a vertical line of weakness and a tear tab adjacent thereto. When the lower skirt is removed it tears along the vertical line of weakness as well as along the line of weakness between the upper part of the cap and the lower skirt (i.e., tamper-evident band.) This feature has a number of advantages:
First, it prevents defeating the tamper-evident feature. Were it not for the vertical line of weakness, a dishonest patron might unscrew the upper cap, remove the contents of the container and replace the cap. It is somewhat difficult to observe that the line of weakness between the upper cap and tamper-evident band has been severed. When the vertical line of weakness is severed, this is not a problem since the lower skirt cannot be replaced.
Second, if the molds for the cap are not perfectly supported, plastic material may fill some or all of the voids between bridges joining the upper cap to the tamper-evident band. This makes it difficult for some users to remove the tamper-evident band. The vertical line of weakness makes it much easier to remove the lower skirt or band. Indeed, the bridges between the upper cap and band may be made thicker or some of the voids between bridges may be eliminated.
Thirdly, the intact tamper-evident band may create a danger to wildlife if the head of a bird, fish or small animal is entrapped therein. Splitting the band along the vertical line of weakness eliminates this hazard.
A further feature of the invention is the fact that the cap ratchet lug on the interior of the lower cap skirt is located between two external lugs on the neck finish when the cap is applied so that on application the cap cannot rotate outside of its xe2x80x9ctolerance rangexe2x80x9dxe2x80x94that is, there is an orientation feature of the cap and bottle ratchets for proper engagement.
Another advantage of the invention is that the cap may be applied to the neck in two stages (i.e., xe2x80x9cdouble clickxe2x80x9d). When the container is filled with milk or certain other liquids, entrapped air or other gases tend to cause foam. The thread structure of the present invention makes it possible to press the cap down until one set of threads passes the other. This holds the cap on the neck and holds it properly aligned relative to the neck ratchet. However, the cap is not tight and hence air and gas may escape. Then the cap is pressed down once more to tightly engaged and sealed position. To insure two xe2x80x9cclicksxe2x80x9d the closure thread has to jump two neck threads during application. This means that if the cap threads extend a full 360xc2x0 around the cap skirt inner wall (180xc2x0 each for double lead threads), the finish threads have to be repetitive at some point of the circumference. This also means that either the cap threads or the finish thread must be repetitive vertically. I.e., the threads must overlap on either the neck or cap in order to make possible the double click.
More specifically, the caps pass down a conveyor overlying the path of the containers and as each container passes the end of the conveyor, a cap drops onto the neck. The cap and neck then pass under a roller which preliminarily presses the cap down on the neck. One of the features of the thread construction of the present invention is that there is more than one full turn of thread engagement of the threads. Hence, the roller pushing the cap through the first step or snap prevents the latter from falling off the neck when it is subjected to such action as milk foaming in the interior of the container. Hence the cap stays on the bottle, although not being tightly sealed thereto, until the bottle passes under the conventional capping machine belt or pressure plate which fully seats the cap on the neck. This is a second step or snap of the cap on the bottle and insures that both threads are tightly engaged.
When the first snap of the cap on the bottle occurs, the ratchet teeth of the cap engage the ratchet teeth of the neck but a slight twisting is possible within the range of tolerance of approximately 20 degrees. Such a rotation of the cap relative to the neck changes the height of the cap only about 0.009 inches. However, this turning ability of the cap relative to the neck with such slight changes in the height of the cap relative to the neck insures proper final alignment of the ratchet teeth of the cap and neck, while permitting release of foam or excess air.
Still another feature of the invention is an internal shoulder at the intersection of the underside of the disk and the top of the upper cap skirt. This shoulder prevents the cap from being turned or torqued to jump threads or strip the threads. The inner plug of the cap tends to push the neck of the bottle outward against the shoulder and the shoulder then prevents turning or stripping. Further, the fit of the shoulder against the neck tends to reduce leakage and rigidities the cap.
Another feature of the present invention is that the cap is provided with a plug or inner skirt which fits inside the bottle neck. The length of this plug is related to the positioning of the screw threads on the cap in such manner that the threads of the cap and bottle neck engage before the plug engages the neck. Thus a quarter-turn of each of the double lead threads occurs before the plug contacts the neck. This feature reduces the possibility of cross-threading when the cap is applied to the neck as a reclosure cap.
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In the field of microelectronic devices and sensors, the development of devices that are small relative to the state of the art, conveniently and relatively inexpensively reproduced, and produced with a relatively low failure rate has long been important. In the fields of cellular and developmental, and molecular biology, microbiology, biomedical devices, and biotechnology, there is now a growing need for devices of similar scale with features as small as or smaller than individual cells.
In the electronics industries, such devices have been produced by a variety of methods. A well-known method of production of such devices is photolithography. According to this technique, a thin film of conducting, insulating, or semiconducting material is deposited on a substrate and a negative or positive resist (photoresist) is coated onto the exposed surface of the material. The resist is then irradiated in a predetermined pattern, and irradiated (positive resist) or non-irradiated (negative resist) portions of the resist are washed from the surface to produce a predetermined pattern of resist on the surface. Alternatively, micromachining has been employed to mechanically remove small areas from a surface to form a pattern.
While the above-described irradiative lithographic methods may be advantageous in many circumstances, all require relatively sophisticated and expensive apparatus to reproduce a particular material pattern on a plurality of substrates, and are relatively time-consuming. Additionally, no method of patterning other than on a flat substrate is commonly available according to the methods.
These techniques have recently been employed in the biological sciences to create patterned surfaces on which cells may be adhered and grown. For example, the orientation, spreading, and shape of several cell types have been shown to be affected by topography. Thus cells have been grown on grooved surfaces which have been created by micromachining surfaces or by using photolithography to etch away parts of surfaces. (See, for example, D. M. Brunette, Exp. Cell Res., 167:203-217, 1986; T. Inoue, et al., J. Biomedical Materials Res., 21:107-126, 1987; B. Chehroudi, et al., J. Biomedical Materials Res., 22:459-473, 1988; G. A. Dunn and A. F. Brown, J. Cell Sci., 83:313-340, 1986; A. Wood, J. Cell Sci., 90:667-681, 1988; B. Chehroudi, et al., J. Biomedical Materials Res., 24-1203-1219, 1990; P. Clark, et al. Development, 99:439-448, 1987.
A need exists in the art for a convenient, inexpensive, and reproducible method of plating or etching a surface according to a predetermined pattern. The method would ideally find use on planar or nonplanar surfaces, and would result in patterns having features in the submicron domain. Additionally, the method would ideally provide for convenient reproduction of existing patterns.
The study of self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) is an area of significant scientific research. Such monolayers are typically formed of molecules each having a functional group that selectively attaches to a particular surface, the remainder of each molecule interacting with neighboring molecules in the monolayer to form a relatively ordered array. Such SAMs have been formed on a variety of substrates including metals, silicon dioxide, gallium arsenide, and others. SAMs have been applied to surfaces in predetermined patterns in a variety of ways including simple flooding of a surface and more sophisticated methods such as irradiative patterning.
Monolayers may be produced with varying characteristics and with various functional groups at the free end of the molecules which form the SAM. Thus, SAMs may be formed which are generally hydrophobic or hydrophilic, generally cytophobic or cytophilic, or generally biophobic or biophilic. Additionally, SAMs with very specific binding affinities can be produced. This allows for the production of patterned SAMs which will adhere cells, proteins, or other biological materials in specific and predetermined patterns.
Accordingly, a general purpose of the present invention is to provide a method of conveniently and reproducibly producing a variety of SAM patterns on planar as well as nonplanar surfaces, the patterns having resolution in the submicron domain and being capable of adhering cells, proteins, or other biological materials in specific and predetermined patterns. Another purpose of the invention is to provide a method of forming a template from an existing pattern having micron or submicron-domain features, the template conveniently reproducing the pre-existing pattern.
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This invention generally relates to airfoils.
The invention finds particular utility as an airfoil for use in the main wing of relatively low-speed, general aviation aircraft. A conventional aircraft configuration typically includes two wings connected to a fuselage. Aircraft must operate at a range of speeds and require different wing lift and drag characteristics for different speeds. High lift coefficients are required at lower speeds, as, for example at landing and takeoff. Low drag and lower lift coefficients are desirable for optimum performance at higher speeds. In addition, it is desirable that the airfoil""s lift characteristics not be sensitive to surface roughness caused by the accumulation of foreign matter on the leading edge of the airfoil. Moreover, it is also desirable to have the airfoil exhibit relatively docile stall characteristics. Such characteristics are determined by the shape of the airfoil, which in turn determines the aerodynamic forces exerted on the airfoil as it passes through the air at various speeds and orientations.
For purposes of three-dimensional, aerodynamic efficiency, the chord of an airfoil, or cross-section of a wing, will typically be larger at the root of the span of the wing and will typically become smaller at the tip of the wing. Therefore, a table of coordinates for the geometry of the upper and lower surfaces of an airfoil can remain valid from the root to the tip of the wing, since the coordinates are dimensionless and are provided as percentages of the chord of the airfoil.
Another important parameter for every airfoil or wing cross-section is its operating Reynolds number. The Reynolds number of an airfoil (at a particular span station) is dimensionless and is defined by the following equation: R=cV/xcexd, where R is the Reynolds number, c is the chord of the airfoil, V is the free-stream flow velocity, and xcexd is the kinematic viscosity of the air. Physically, the Reynolds number can be thought of as the ratio of the inertial forces to the viscous forces of air flow over a wing.
Airfoil performance characteristics are a function of the airfoil""s Reynolds number. As the velocity of air over a wing and/or the chord length of a wing decrease, the wing""s Reynolds number decreases. A small Reynolds number indicates that viscous forces predominate while a large Reynolds number indicates that inertial forces predominate.
Another parameter used to describe the aerodynamic performance of an airfoil is its lift characteristics. Normally, the lift of an airfoil or wing is expressed as a lift coefficient, a dimensionless number that measures how effectively a wing converts the dynamic pressure of the flow into a useful lift force. The lift characteristics of an airfoil change significantly as the angle between the airfoil and the apparent wind change. That angle is known as the angle of attack.
Numerous aircraft airfoil designs have been used in general aviation aircraft. Many conventional-aircraft airfoil designs produce diminished lift coefficients if the wings accumulate materials (e.g., insects, dirt or rain) on the airfoil surfaces, especially the leading edge. Such roughness is of concern because the performance characteristics of the aircraft are variable depending on the smoothness of the airfoil surfaces. A number of ways to reduce the sensitivity of aircraft wings to the effects of surface roughness have been devised. One is to induce turbulent flow on the upper surface of the airfoil so that the accumulation of material on the airfoil will not significantly alter air flow or the lift characteristics of the wing. One such technique is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,068,446 with respect to airfoils for wind turbines.
Thus, one objective of the present invention is to produce an airfoil useful for the main wing of a general aviation aircraft where the airfoil""s maximum lift coefficient has minimal sensitivity to leading edge roughness effects. The primary goal of the invention is to provide an airfoil that efficiently converts the forward velocity of the aircraft into a lift sustaining force. Another object of the invention is to provide an airfoil having a high maximum lift coefficient and low drag. Still another object of the invention is to provide an airfoil having docile stall behavior.
To achieve these and other goals for the present invention there is provided an airfoil shape for the main wing of a general aviation aircraft. In a first embodiment the airfoil has a blunt trailing edge. The airfoil has an upper surface, a lower surface, and a chord line. In such an airfoil, x/c values are dimensionless locations on the chord line and the corresponding y/c values are dimensionless distances from the chord line to points on the upper or lower surface. The values correspond substantially to the following table for the surfaces in the embodiment having a blunt trailing edge:
A second embodiment of the invention is an airfoil shape for the main wing of a general aviation aircraft having a sharp trailing edge. The airfoil has an upper surface, a lower surface, and a chord line. In such an airfoil, x/c values are dimensionless location the chord line and the corresponding y/c values are dimensionless distances from the chord line to points on the upper or lower surface. The values correspond substantially to the following table for the surfaces in the embodiment having a sharp trailing edge:
The airfoil shapes of the present invention are specifically designed for the wing of a general aviation aircraft, although the invention may also have utility in other applications.
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This section is intended to introduce the reader to various aspects of art that may be related to various aspects of the present techniques, which are described and/or claimed below. This discussion is believed to be helpful in providing the reader with background information to facilitate a better understanding of the various aspects of the present disclosure. Accordingly, it should be understood that these statements are to be read in this light and not as admissions of prior art.
Generally, a computing system includes processing circuitry, such as one or more processors or other suitable components, and memory devices, such as chips or integrated circuits. One or more memory devices may be used on a memory module, such as a dual in-line memory module (DIMM), to store data accessible to the processing circuitry. For example, based on a user input to the computing system, the processing circuitry may request that a memory module retrieve data corresponding to the user input from its memory devices. In some instances, the retrieved data may include instructions executable by the processing circuitry to perform an operation and/or may include data to be used as an input for the operation. In addition, in some cases, data output from the operation may be stored in memory, for example, to enable subsequent retrieval.
The memory module may operate to retrieve or store data through commands that include addresses. These addresses correspond to locations in memory that are to be read from or written to as part of the operation. A row decoder may receive an address, interpret the address, and perform the requested operation to the data at the address. Furthermore, an address counter, such as a column before row address (CBR) counter, may maintain a count to facilitate tracking refresh operations of the memory module. During refresh operations, a normal word line is refreshed corresponding to the count maintained by the address counter. In certain refresh operations, redundant word lines are also to be refreshed using a count maintained separately from the count maintained by the described address counter. Thus, in these applications, utilizing a single address counter may be insufficient during refresh operations as two separate counts are to be maintained.
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a hydrodynamic bearing assembly and a motor including the same, and more particularly, to a hydrodynamic bearing assembly and a motor including the same, in which a stopper ring is set to protrude from a stopper ring housing portion to increase the flatness of the stopper ring, when welding the stopper ring for fixing a thrust plate and the stopper ring housing portion of a sleeve which is stepped for housing the stopper ring.
2. Description of the Related Art
Small-sized spindle motors used in recording disc driving devices are being applied to various portable products such as netbooks, mobile phones, portable multimedia players (PMP), game machines, and MP3 players.
Recently, as the performance of recording disc driving devices has improved, demand for low current, low Non Repeatable Run Out (NNRO), impact resistance, and vibration resistance has rapidly increased in the field of spindle motors used in the driving devices.
Meanwhile, when press-processed parts are assembled into a motor, laser welding may be applied in order to ensure good oil sealing characteristics, bonding strength, and convenience of assembling operation.
However, press-processed parts have low level precision and are affected by expansion and contraction caused by heat during a welding process, and may generate residual stress.
In particular, when a stopper ring for fixing a press-processed thrust plate is disposed in a stopper ring housing portion of a sleeve to perform welding, a gap may be formed between the stopper ring housing portion and the stopper ring due to a round portion formed on an outer circumference of the stopper ring disposed inside the stopper ring housing portion. In this case, poor quality welds may occur.
Furthermore, the stopper ring may be raised from the stopper ring housing portion, as the welding material hardens. In this case, after welding, the flatness of the upper surface of the stopper ring may be degraded.
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1) Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an electronic cartridge.
2) Discussion of Related Art
A computer often includes a motherboard having a connector mounted thereto, and a daughtercard which is connected to the connector on the motherboard. The card usually includes an electronic substrate and a semiconductor package mounted to the electronic substrate. The semiconductor package typically includes a semiconductor package substrate and a die mounted thereto. The semiconductor package substrate is then mounted to the electronic substrate.
A semiconductor die generates heat when powered up. A thermally conducted heat plate is mounted next to the die and is thermally coupled thereto, often utilizing a thermally conductive grease. A heat sink may be mounted to the heat plate. Heat is conducted from the electronic die to the heat plate, and from the heat plate to the heat sink and convected into the ambient.
Alternating currents within the semiconductor die, and the card generally, result in electromagnetic radiation therefrom. Electromagnetic radiation is problematic since it may interfere with components of the computer located in the vicinity of the card, causing electromagnetic interference (EMI). Certain governmental bodies often also restrict transmission of electromagnetic radiation for purposes of regulating EMI.
The invention provides an electronic cartridge comprising an electronic cartridge substrate, a first die, a thermally and electrically conductive heat plate, and an electromagnetic radiation shielding cap. The electronic cartridge substrate has first and second opposed sides. The first die is coupled to the electronic cartridge substrate. The heat plate is located adjacent the first side of the electronic cartridge substrate. The electromagnetic radiation shielding cap includes an electromagnetic radiation shielding plate on the second side of the electronic cartridge substrate. The electromagnetic radiation shielding cap also includes at least one member extending from the electromagnetic radiation shielding plate around a periphery of the electronic cartridge substrate. The member has an edge which is deflected and contacting the thermally conductive heat plate.
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a connector, and more particularly to a socket connector.
2. The Related Art
Currently, with the development of modern information technology, various connectors have been widely used in electronic products for connecting with a matching plug connector to realize signal transmission. A conventional socket connector includes an insulating housing, a plurality of conductive terminals disposed in the insulating housing, and a shielding shell enclosing the insulating housing and the conductive terminals. The socket connector is mounted in an electronic product. In use, the matching plug connector is inserted into the socket connector to realize the signal transmission between the plug connector and the electronic product.
However, in the process of inserting and extracting the plug connector with respect to the socket connector, the action point between the plug connector and the socket connector is likely to be unstable owing to the unstable force resulted from improper insertion and extraction. Accordingly, some structures connecting the socket connector with the electronic product are easy to loose, and the signal transmission is unexpectedly disconnected.
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A content delivery network or content distribution network (CDN) is a large distributed system typically deployed in multiple data centers across the Internet. The goal of a CDN is to serve content to end-users with high availability and high performance. CDNs serve a large fraction of the Internet content, including web objects (text, graphics and scripts), downloadable objects (media files, software, documents), applications (e-commerce, portals), live streaming media, on-demand streaming media, and social networks.
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to power supply devices and more particularly an induction type power supply device, which comprises a power supply base unit connectable to an electric outlet to obtain an AC power supply, and an attached induction device placed on the power supply base unit for receiving the AC power supply from the power supply base unit by means of magnetic induction and converting the AC power supply into the desired DC power supply for output to an external mobile electronic apparatus being connected thereto.
2. Description of the Related Art
With the coming of digital era, many digitalized electronic products, such as digital camera, cellular telephone, music player (MP3) etc., have been continuously developed and have appeared on the market. These modern digital electronic products commonly have light, thin, short and small characteristics. For high mobility, power supply is an important factor. A mobile digital electronic product generally uses a rechargeable battery to provide the necessary working voltage. When power low, the rechargeable battery can be recharged. For charging the rechargeable battery of a digital electronic product, a battery charger shall be used. However, it is not economic to purchase a respective battery charger when buying a new mobile electronic product.
Further, when using a battery charger to charge the rechargeable battery of a mobile electronic product, it is necessary to connect the connection interface of the battery charger to an electric outlet and then insert the power output plug of the battery charger to the power jack of the mobile electronic product. After charging, the user needs to remove the battery charger from the mobile electronic product. When wishing to charge the rechargeable battery of a mobile electronic product, the user must carry the mobile electronic product to a place where there is an electric outlet. When one goes out and there is no any electric outlet available, the user will be unable to charge the rechargeable battery of his(her) mobile electronic product.
The use of a conventional battery charger has the drawbacks as follows:
1. When using many different mobile electronic products, one shall have to prepare many different battery chargers for charging the mobile electronic products separately. It costs a lot to prepare many different battery chargers.
2. A conventional battery charger can be used to charge a mobile electronic product only where there is an electric outlet. When one goes out to a place where there is no any electric outlet and the power of the rechargeable battery of his(her) mobile electronic product is low, he(she) will be unable to charge the mobile electronic product in time.
Therefore, it is desirable to find a way that eliminates the aforesaid problems.
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The present invention relates to a new and distinct variety of Nectarine Tree denominated varietally as "May Lion", and more particularly to a Nectarine Tree which is characterized by producing high quality, early season fruit which are ripe for commercial harvesting between May 18 and May 25 in the San Joaquin Valley of central California, and which is further distinguished as to novelty by producing fruit which have a large size, are clingstone by nature, and have a deep dark red color.
In a continuing effort to upgrade the quality of their fruit, the applicants have, from time to time, cross pollinated nectarine trees having desirable characteristics in the hope of developing a new and distinct variety of nectarine tree which could later be introduced to the market. In these labors to produce a new variety of nectarine tree, the applicants have routinely cross pollinated parent nectarine trees having known desirable traits and grown the resulting progeny to maturity, the applicants thereafter carefully studying the progeny's characteristics to determine whether or not a new variety of nectarine tree has been produced. The instant variety of nectarine tree "May Lion" was a product of this procedure.
The "May Lion" nectarine tree is noteworthy in that it produces fruit which are somewhat similar in physical characteristics to the Mayfire nectarine tree (unpatented), which produces fruit which were ripe for commercial harvesting during the first week in May; and the May Grand Nectarine Tree (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 2,794) which produces fruit which are ripe for commercial harvesting during the first week of June. The May Lion Nectarine Tree produces fruit which are distinguishable from the Mayfire and the May Grand nectarine trees in several improtant respects. When compared with the fruit produced by the Mayfire nectarine tree the May Lion Nectarine Tree produces fruit which are larger in size; possess a darker red skin coloration; and has a more favorable flavor and shape. Furthermore, when compared with the fruit produced by the May Grand Nectarine Tree, the May Lion Nectarine Tree produces fruit which have a darker red coloration; which mature for commecial harvesting approximately two weeks earlier than the May Grand Nectarine Tree; and further produces fruit which have a substantially globose shape as oppposed to the rather elongated shaped fruit produced by the May Grand Nectarine Tree.
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The present invention relates to catalyst systems comprising specifically substituted metallocenes which can advantageously be used in olefin polymerization and to a process for preparing them and also to their use in the polymerization of olefins.
Processes for preparing polyolefins with the aid of soluble, homogeneous catalyst systems comprising a transition metal component of the metallocene type and a cocatalyst component such as an aluminoxane, a Lewis acid or an ionic compound are known. These catalysts have a high activity and give polymers and copolymers having a narrow molar mass distribution.
In polymerization processes using soluble, homogeneous catalyst systems, thick deposits form on reactor walls and stirrer if the polymer is obtained as a solid. These deposits are always formed by agglomeration of the polymer particles when metallocene and/or cocatalyst are present in dissolved form in the suspension. Such deposits in the reactor systems have to be removed regularly, since they rapidly reach considerable thicknesses, have a high strength and prevent heat transfer to the cooling medium. Such homogeneous catalyst systems cannot be used industrially in modern polymerization processes in liquid monomer or in the gas phase.
To avoid deposit formation in the reactor, supported catalyst systems in which the metallocene and/or the aluminum compound serving as cocatalyst are fixed to an inorganic support material have been proposed.
EP-A-0,576,970 discloses metallocenes and corresponding supported catalyst systems.
However, a frequent problem in the industrial use of supported catalyst systems is the leaching of the metallocene component from the support material, which results, for example, in undesirable deposit formation in the reactor.
It is an object of the present invention to find novel catalyst systems in which the metallocene component can be firmly fixed to the support and cannot be leached from the support material under industrially relevant polymerization conditions.
We have found that this object is achieved by catalyst systems comprising at least one specifically substituted metallocene which contains a cationic group as substituent.
The present invention provides a catalyst system comprising
a) at least one support,
b) at least one cocatalyst and
c) at least one metallocene of the formula (I)
xe2x80x83where
M1 is a transition metal of Group 4 of the Periodic Table of the Elements, for example titanium, zirconium or hafnium, preferably zirconium,
R1 and R2 are identical or different and are each a hydrogen atom, a C1-C20 group, preferably a C1-C20-alkyl group, a C6-C14-aryl group, a C2-C20-alkenyl group, a C2-C20-alkynyl group, or a C7-C20-alkylaryl group, each of which may bear one or more identical or different halogen atoms as substituents, a halogen atom, an xe2x80x94SiMe3 group or an OSiMe3 group, particularly preferably hydrogen, methyl, ethyl, n-propyl, isopropyl, n-butyl, sec-butyl, isobutyl, tert-butyl, n-pentyl, branched pentyl, n-hexyl, branched hexyl, cyclohexyl or benzyl,
R3 are identical or different and are each a hydrogen atom or a C1-C40 group, preferably a C1-C20-alkyl group which may be substituted, in particular methyl, ethyl, trifluoroethyl, n-propyl, isopropyl, n-butyl, sec-butyl, isobutyl, tert-butyl, pentyl, hexyl, octyl, cyclopropyl, cyclopentyl or cyclohexyl, a C6-C14-aryl group which may be substituted, for example phenyl, tolyl, xylyl, tert-butylphenyl, ethylphenyl, trifluoromethylphenyl, bis(trifluoromethyl)phenyl, methoxyphenyl, fluorophenyl, dimethylaminophenyl, trimethylammoniumphenyl iodide, dimethylsulfoniumphenyl bromide, triethylphosphoniumphenyl triflate, naphthyl, acenaphthyl, phenanthrenyl or anthracenyl, a C2-C20-alkenyl group, a C2-C20-alkynyl group, a C7-C20-alkylaryl group, a halogen atom, an SiMe3 group, an OSiMe3 group or a C1-C20-heterocyclic group which may be substituted, where the term heteroatom encompasses all elements with the exception of carbon and hydrogen and preferably refers to an atom of group 14, 15 or 16 of the Periodic Table of the Elements, and two radicals R3 may form a monocyclic or polycyclic ring system which may in turn be substituted, where at least one of the radicals R1, R2, R3 is a cationic group (xe2x80x94DEL)+Yxe2x88x92,
where
D is an atom of group 15 or 16 of the Periodic Table of the Elements, preferably nitrogen, phosphorus, oxygen or sulfur,
E are identical or different and are each a hydrogen atom, a C1-C20 group, preferably a C1-C20-alkyl group, a C6-C14-aryl group, a C2-C20-alkenyl group, a C2-C20-alkynyl group or a C7-C20-alkylaryl group, a trialkylsilyl group, a triarylsilyl group or an alkylarylsilyl group, which may each be substituted, and two radicals E may form a monocyclic or polycyclic ring system which may in turn be substituted, particularly preferably a hydrogen atom, methyl, ethyl, propyl, butyl, allyl, benzyl, methoxymethyl, benzyloxymethyl, 2-methoxyethoxymethyl, 2-trimethylsilylethoxymethyl or trimethylsilyl,
L is 3 when D is an atom of group 15 of the Periodic Table of the Elements and is 2 when D is an atom of group 16 of the Periodic Table of the Elements,
Y is halogen, C1-C10-alkylsulfonate, C1-C10-haloalkylsulfonate, C6-C20-arylsulfonate, C6-C20-haloarylsulfonate, C7-C20-alkylarylsulfonate, C1-C20-haloalkylcarboxylate, C1-C10-alkylsulfate, tetrafluoroborate, hexafluorophosphate, hexafluoroantimonate or hexafluoroarsenate, preferably chloride, bromide, iodide, triflate, mesylate, tosylate, benzenesulfonate, trifluoroacetate, methyl sulfate, tetrafluoroborate or hexafluorophosphate,
m is an integer less than or equal to 4 and greater than or equal to 1, preferably 1 or 2, particularly preferably 1,
mxe2x80x2 is an integer less than or equal to 4 and greater than or equal to 1, preferably 1 or 2, particularly preferably 1,
k is zero or 1, with the metallocene being unbridged when k=0 and the metallocene being bridged when k=1,
A is a bridge of the formula
or xe2x95x90BR4, AlR4, xe2x80x94Sxe2x80x94, xe2x80x94SOxe2x80x94, xe2x80x94SO2xe2x80x94, xe2x95x90NR4, xe2x95x90PR4, xe2x95x90P(O)R4, o-phenylene or 2,2xe2x80x2-biphenylene, where
M2 is carbon, silicon, germanium, tin, nitrogen or phosphorus, preferably carbon, silicon or germanium, in particular carbon or silicon,
o is 1, 2, 3 or 4, preferably 1 or 2,
R4 and R5 are identical or different and are each, independently of one another, a hydrogen atom, halogen, a C1-C20 group, preferably a C1-C20-alkyl, in particular methyl, a C6-C14-aryl, in particular phenyl or naphthyl, a C1-C10-alkoxy, a C2-C10-alkenyl, a C7-C20-arylalkyl, a C7-C20-alkylaryl, a C6-C10-aryloxy, a C1-C10-fluoroalkyl, a C6-C10-haloaryl, a C2-C10-alkynyl, a C3-C20-alkylsilyl, in particular trimethylsilyl, triethylsilyl or tert-butyidimethylsilyl, a C3-C20-arylsilyl, in particular triphenylsilyl, or a C3-C20-alkylarylsilyl, in particular dimethylphenylsilyl, diphenylsilyl or diphenyl-tert-butylsilyl, and R4 and R5 may form a monocyclic or polycyclic ring system.
A is preferably dimethylsilanediyl, dimethylgermanediyl, ethylidene, methylethylidene, 1,1-dimethylethylidene, 1,2-dimethylethylidene, tetramethylethylidene, isopropylidene, phenylmethylmethylidene or diphenylmethylidene, particularly preferably dimethylsilanediyl or ethylidene.
The radicals X are identical or different and are each a hydrogen atom, a halogen atom such as fluorine, chlorine, bromine or iodine, a hydroxyl group, a C1-C10-alkyl group such as methyl, ethyl, propyl, isopropyl, n-butyl, isobutyl, sec-butyl, tert-butyl, hexyl or cyclohexyl, a C6-C15-aryl group such as phenyl or naphthyl, a C1-C10-alkoxy group such as methoxy, ethoxy or tert-butoxy, a C6-C15-aryloxy group or a benzyl group, preferably a chlorine atom, a fluorine atom, a methyl group or a benzyl group, particularly preferably a chlorine atom or a methyl group.
Particularly preferred metallocenes of the formula (I) have the formula (I*),
where
M1, A, R1, k and X are as defined for formula (I) and
R6 are identical or different and are each a hydrogen atom or a C1-C40 group, preferably a C1-C20-alkyl group which may be substituted, in particular methyl, ethyl, trifluoromethyl, trifluoroethyl, n- propyl, isopropyl, n-butyl, sec-butyl, isobutyl, tert-butyl, pentyl, hexyl, octyl, cyclopropyl, cyclopentyl or cyclohexyl, a C6-C14-aryl group which may be substituted, in particular phenyl, a C2-C20-alkynyl group, a C7-C20-alkylaryl group, halogen, an OR4 group, an SiR43 group, an NR42 group or an SR4 group, and two radicals R4 and R6, each or together, may form a monocyclic or polycyclic ring system which may in turn be substituted, where R4 is as defined for formula (I), and at least one of the radicals R6 bears a cationic group (xe2x80x94DEL)+Yxe2x88x92,
where D, E, L and Y are as defined for formula (I),
q is an integer less than or equal to 5 and greater than or equal to 1, preferably 1 or 2, particularly preferably 1,
qxe2x80x2 is an integer less than or equal to 5 and greater than or equal to 1, preferably 1 or 2, particularly preferably 1.
Illustrative but nonrestrictive examples of novel metallocenes of the formula (I) are:
dimethylsilanediylbis(2-methyl-4-(4xe2x80x2-trimethylammoniumphenyl)indenyl)dichlorozirconium diiodide
dimethylsilanediylbis(2-methyl-4-(4xe2x80x2-trimethylammoniumphenyl)indenyl)dichlorotitanium diiodide
dimethylsilanediylbis(2-methyl-4-(4xe2x80x2-trimethylammoniumphenyl)indenyl)dichlorohafnium diiodide
dimethylsilanediylbis(2-methyl-4-(3xe2x80x2-trimethylammoniumphenyl)indenyl)dichlorozirconium diiodide
dimethylsilanediylbis(2-methyl-4-(2xe2x80x2-trimethylammoniumphenyl)indenyl)dichlorozirconium diiodide
dimethylsilanediylbis(2-methyl-4-(3xe2x80x2,5xe2x80x2-bis(trimethylammonium)phenyl)indenyl)dichlorozirconium tetraiodide
dimethylsilanediylbis(2-methyl-4-(4xe2x80x2-trimethylammoniumnaphthyl)indenyl)dichlorozirconium diiodide
dimethylsilanediylbis(2-methyl-4-(4xe2x80x2-trimethylammoniumphenyl)indenyl)dichlorozirconium ditosylate
dimethylsilanediylbis(2-ethyl-4-(4xe2x80x2-trimethylammoniumphenyl)indenyl)dichlorozirconium ditriflate
dimethylsilanediylbis(2-methyl-4-(4xe2x80x2-dimethylammoniumphenyl)indenyl)dichlorozirconium dichloride
dimethylsilanediylbis(2-methyl-4-(4xe2x80x2-trimethylammoniumphenyl)indenyl)dichlorozirconium bistetrafluoroborate
dimethylsilanediylbis(2-methyl-4-(4xe2x80x2-N-methyl-N-pyrrolidinophenyl)indenyl)dichlorozirconium diiodide
dimethylsilanediylbis(2-methyl-4-(4xe2x80x2-dimethylammoniumphenyl)indenyl)dichlorotitanium dichloride
dimethylsilanediylbis(2-methyl-4-(4xe2x80x2-dimethyl(methoxymethyl)ammoniumphenyl)indenyl)dichlorozirconium dichloride
dimethylsilanediylbis(2-methyl-4-(4xe2x80x2-dimethyl(2xe2x80x3-methoxyethoxymethyl)ammonium phenyl)indenyl)dichlorozirconium dichloride
dimethylsilanediylbis(2-methyl-4-(4xe2x80x2-dimethyl(benzyloxymethyl)ammoniumphenyl)indenyl)dichlorozirconium dichloride
dimethylsilanediylbis(2-methyl-4-(4xe2x80x2-dimethyl-(2xe2x80x3-trimethylsilylethoxymethyl)ammoniumphenyl)indenyl)dichlorohafnium dichloride
dimethylsilanediylbis(2-methyl-4-(4xe2x80x2-dimethylbenzylammoniumphenyl)indenyl)dichlorozirconium dichloride
dimethylsilanediylbis(2-methyl-4-(4xe2x80x2-dimethylallylammoniumphenyl)indenyl)dichlorozirconium diiodide
dimethylsilanediylbis(2-methyl-4-(4xe2x80x2-triethylammoniumphenyl)indenyl)dichlorozirconium diiodide
dimethylsilanediylbis(2-ethyl-4-(4xe2x80x2-dimethyl-(2xe2x80x3-trimethylsilylethoxymethyl)ammoniumphenyl)indenyl)dichlorohafnium dichloride
dimethylsilanediylbis(2-ethyl-4-(4xe2x80x2-dimethylbenzylammoniumphenyl)indenyl)dichlorozirconium dichloride
dimethylsilanediylbis(2-ethyl-4-(4xe2x80x2-dimethylallylammoniumphenyl)indenyl)dichlorozirconium diiodide
dimethylsilanediylbis(2-ethyl-4-(4xe2x80x2-trimethylammoniumphenyl)indenyl)dichlorozirconium diiodide
dimethylsilanediylbis(2-n-butyl-4-(4xe2x80x2-trimethylammoniumphenyl)indenyl)dichlorozirconium diiodide
dimethylsilanediylbis(2-isopropyl-4-(4xe2x80x2-triethylammoniumphenyl)indenyl)dichlorozirconium dibromide
dimethylsilanediylbis(2-isobutyl-4-(4xe2x80x2-triethylammoniumphenyl)indenyl)dichlorozirconium ditriflate
dimethylsilanediylbis(2-ethyl-4-(4xe2x80x2-triethylphosphoniumphenyl)indenyl)dichlorozirconium diiodide
dimethylsilanediylbis(2-methyl-4-(4xe2x80x2-dimethylsulfoniumphenyl)indenyl)dichlorozirconium dibromide
dimethylsilanediylbis(2-ethyl-4-(4xe2x80x2-dimethylsulfoniumphenyl)indenyl)dichlorozirconium dibromide
dimethylsilanediylbis(2-methyl-4-(3xe2x80x2-dimethylsulfoniumphenyl)indenyl)dichlorozirconium dibromide
dimethylsilanediylbis(2-methyl-4-(2xe2x80x2-dimethylsulfoniumphenyl)indenyl)dichlorozirconium dibromide
dimethylsilanediylbis(2-methyl-4-(3xe2x80x2,5xe2x80x2-bis(dimethylsulfonium)phenyl)indenyl)dichlorozirconium tetrabromide
dimethylsilanediylbis(2-methyl-4-(4xe2x80x2-dibenzylsulfoniumphenyl)indenyl)dichlorozirconium dibromide
dimethylsilanediylbis(2-methyl-4-(4xe2x80x2-methyl(methoxymethyl)sulfoniumphenyl)indenyl)dichlorozirconium dichloride
dimethylsilanediylbis(2-methyl-4-(4xe2x80x2-diallylsulfoniumphenyl)indenyl)dichlorozirconium dibromide
dimethylsilanediylbis(2-methyl-4-(3xe2x80x2-diphenylethylphosphoniumphenyl)indenyl)dichlorozirconium diiodide
dimethylsilanediylbis(2-methyl-4-(3xe2x80x2-trimethylphosphoniumphenyl)indenyl)dichlorozirconium ditriflate
methylphenylsilanediylbis(2-isobutyl-4-(4xe2x80x2-triethylammoniumphenyl)indenyl)dichlorozirconium ditosylate
1,2-ethanediylbis(2-methyl-4-(3xe2x80x2-dimethylammoniumphenyl)indenyl)dichlorozirconium bistrifluoroacetate
1,2-ethanediylbis(2-methyl-4-(4xe2x80x2-dimethylsulfoniumphenyl)indenyl)dichlorozirconium dibromide
1,2-ethanediylbis(2-methyl-4-(3xe2x80x2-diphenylethylphosphoniumphenyl)indenyl)dichlorozirconium diiodide
dimethylsilanediylbis(2-methyl-5-trimethylammoniumindenyl)dichlorozirconium dichloride
dimethylsilanediylbis(2-methyl-5-trimethylphosphoniumindenyl)dichlorozirconium dichloride
1,2-ethanediylbis(2-methyl-4-dimethylbenzy,ammoniumindenyl)dichlorozirconium dibromide
1,2-ethanediylbis(2-methyl-4-phenyl-5-dimethylbenzylammoniumindenyl)dichlorozirconium dibromide
dimethylsilanediylbis(2-methyl-4-phenyl-6-trimethylammoniumindenyl)dichlorozirconium dichloride
dimethylsilanediylbis(2-methyl-5-dimethylsulfoniumindenyl)dichlorozirconium dibromide
dimethylsilanediylbis(2-methyl-4-(4xe2x80x2-(2xe2x80x3-trimethylammoniumethyl)phenylindenyl)dichlorozirconium dichloride
dimethylsilanediylbis(2-methyl-4-(4xe2x80x2-(3xe2x80x3-dimethylsulfoniumpropyl)phenylindenyl)dichlorozirconium diiodide
dimethylsilanediylbis(2-methyl-4-(3xe2x80x2-(2xe2x80x3-trimethylammoniumethyl)phenylindenyl)dichlorozirconium dichloride
dimethylsilanediylbis(2-methyl-4-(2xe2x80x2-trimethylammoniumethyl)indenyl)dichlorozirconium dichloride
dimethylsilanediylbis(2-(2xe2x80x2-trimethylammoniumethyl)indenyl)dichlorozirconium dichloride
dimethylsilanediylbis(2-(2xe2x80x2-trimethylammoniumethyl)-4-phenylindenyl)dichlorozirconium dibromide
dimethylsilanediylbis(2-(2xe2x80x2-dimethylsulfoniumethyl)-4,6-dimethylindenyl)dichlorozirconium diiodide
The catalyst system of the present invention comprises at least one cocatalyst (component b). The cocatalyst component which may, according to the present invention, be present in the catalyst system comprises at least one compound such as an aluminoxane or a Lewis acid or an ionic compound which reacts with a metallocene to convert it into a cationic compound.
As aluminoxane, preference is given to using a compound of the formula II
(R AlO)pxe2x80x83xe2x80x83(II).
Aluminoxanes may be, for example, cyclic as in formula (III)
or linear as in formula (IV)
or of the cluster type as in formula (V), as are described in the literature (JACS 117 (1995), 6465-74, Organometallics 13 (1994), 2957-2969).
The radicals R in the formulae (II), (III), (IV) and (V) may be identical or different and may be a C1-C20-hydrocarbon group preferably a C1-C6-alkyl group, a C6-C18-aryl group or benzyl, or hydrogen, and p is an integer from 2 to 50, preferably from 10 to 35.
The radicals R are preferably identical and are methyl, isobutyl, n-butyl, phenyl or benzyl, particularly preferably methyl.
If the radicals R are different, they are preferably methyl and hydrogen, methyl and isobutyl or methyl and n-butyl, where hydrogen or isobutyl or n-butyl are preferably present in a proportion of 0.01-40% (number of radicals R).
The aluminoxane can be prepared in various ways by known methods. One of the methods is, for example, reacting an aluminum-hydrocarbon compound and/or a hydridoaluminum-hydrocarbon compound with water (gaseous, solid, liquid or bound-for example as water of crystallization) in an inert solvent (e.g. toluene). To prepare an aluminoxane having different alkyl groups R, two different trialkylaluminums (AlR3 +AlRxe2x80x23) corresponding to the desired composition and reactivity are reacted with water (cf. S. Pasynkiewicz, Polyhedron 9 (1990) 429 and EP-A-0,302,424).
Regardless of the method of preparation, all aluminoxane solutions have a variable content of unreacted aluminum starting compound which is present in free form or as adduct.
As Lewis acid, preference is given to using at least one organoboron or organoaluminum compound containing C1-C20 groups such as branched or unbranched alkyl or haloalkyl, e.g. methyl, propyl, isopropyl, isobutyl or trifluoromethyl, unsaturated groups such as aryl or haloaryl, e.g. phenyl, tolyl, benzyl, p-fluorophenyl, 3,5-difluorophenyl, pentachlorophenyl, pentafluorophenyl, 3,4,5-trifluorophenyl or 3,5-di(trifluoromethyl)phenyl.
Examples of Lewis acids are trimethylaluminum, triethylaluminum, triisobutylaluminum, tributylaluminum, trifluoroborane, triphenylborane, tris(4-fluorophenyl)borane, tris(3,5-difluorophenyl)borane, tris(4-fluoromethylphenyl)borane, tris(pentafluorophenyl) borane, tris(tolyl)borane, tris(3,5-dimethylphenyl)borane, tris(3,5-difluorophenyl)borane and/or tris(3,4,5-trifluorophenyl)borane. Very particular preference is given to tris(pentafluorophenyl)borane.
As ionic cocatalysts, preference is given to using compounds which contain a noncoordinating anion, for example tetrakis(pentafluorophenyl)borates, tetraphenylborates, SbF6xe2x80x94, CF3SO3xe2x80x94 or ClO4xe2x80x94. As cationic counterion, use is made of Lewis bases such as methylamine, aniline, dimethylamine, diethylamine, N-methylaniline, diphenylamine, N,N-dimethylaniline, trimethylamine, triethylamine, tri-n-butylamine, methyidiphenylamine, pyridine, p-bromo-N,N-dimethylaniline, p-nitro-N,N-dimethylaniline, triethylphosphine, triphenylphosphine, diphenylphosphine, tetrahydrothiophene and triphenylcarbenium.
Examples of such ionic compounds which can be used according to the invention are
triethylammonium tetra(phenyl)borate
tributylammonium tetra(phenyl)borate
trimethylammonium tetra(tolyl)borate
tributylammonium tetra(tolyl)borate
tributylammonium tetra(pentafluorophenyl)borate
tributylammonium tetra(pentafluorophenyl)aluminate
tripropylammonium tetra(dimethylphenyl)borate
tributylammonium tetra(trifluoromethylphenyl)borate
tributylammonium tetra(4-fluorophenyl)aborate
N,N-dimethylanilinium tetra(phenyl)borate
N,N-diethylanilinium tetra(phenyl)borate
N,N-dimethylanilinium tetrakis(pentafluorophenyl)borate
N,N-dimethylanilinium tetrakis(pentafluorophenyl)aluminate
di(propyl)ammonium tetrakis(pentafluorophenyl)borate
di(cyclohexyl)ammonium tetrakis(pentafluorophenyl)borate
triphenylphosphonium tetrakis(phenyl)borate
triethylphosphonium tetrakis(phenyl)borate
diphenylphosphonium tetrakis(phenyl)borate
tri(methylphenyl)phosphonium tetrakis(phenyl)borate
tri(dimethylphenyl)phosphonium tetrakis(phenyl)borate
triphenylcarbenium tetrakis(pentafluorophenyl)borate
triphenylcarbenium tetrakis(pentafluorophenyl)aluminate
triphenylcarbenium tetrakis(phenyl)aluminate
ferrocenium tetrakis(pentafluorophenyl)borate and/or
ferrocenium tetrakis(pentafluorophenyl)aluminate.
Preference is given to triphenylcarbenium tetrakis(pentafluorophenyl)borate and/or N,N-dimethylanilinium tetrakis(pentafluorophenyl)borate.
It is also possible to use mixtures of at least one Lewis acid and at least one ionic compound.
Cocatalyst components which are likewise of importance are borane or carborane compounds such as
7,8-dicarbaundecaborane(13),
undecahydrido-7,8-dimethyl-7,8-dicarbaundecaborane,
dodecahydrido-1-phenyl-1,3-dicarbanonaborane,
tri(butyl)ammonium undecahydrido-8-ethyl-7,9-dicarbaundecaborate,
4-carbanonaborane(1 4),
bis(tri(butyl)ammonium) nonaborate,
bis(tri(butyl)ammonium) undecaborate,
bis(tri(butyl)ammonium) dodecaborate,
bis(tri(butyl)ammonium) decachlorodecaborate,
tri(butyl)ammonium 1-carbadecaborate,
tri(butyl)ammonium 1-carbadodecaborate,
tri(butyl)ammonium 1-trimethylsilyl-1-carbadecaborate,
tri(butyl)ammonium bis(nonahydrido-1,3-dicarbanonaborato)cobaltate(III),
tri(butyl)ammonium bis(undecahydrido-7,8-dicarbaundecaborato)ferrate(III).
The support component (component a) of the catalyst system of the present invention can be any organic or inorganic, inert solid, preferably a porous support such as talc, inorganic oxides and finely divided polymer powders (e.g. polyolefins).
Suitable inorganic oxides may be found among the oxides of elements of groups 2, 3, 4, 5, 13, 14, 15 and 16 of the Periodic Table of the Elements. Examples of oxides preferred as supports include silicon dioxide, aluminum oxide and also mixed oxides of the two elements and corresponding oxide mixtures. Other inorganic oxides which can be used alone or in combination with the abovementioned preferred oxidic supports are, for example, MgO, ZrO2, TiO2 or B2O3, to name only a few.
The support materials used have a specific surface area in the range from 10 to 1000 m2/g, a pore volume in the range from 0.1to 5 ml/g and a mean particle size from 1to 500 xcexcm. Preference is given to supports having a specific surface area in the range from 50 to 500 xcexcm, a pore volume in the range from 0.5 to 3.5 ml/g and a mean particle size in the range from 5 to 350 xcexcm. Particular preference is given to supports having a specific surface area in the range from 200 to 400 m2/g, a pore volume in the range from 0.8 to 3.0 ml/g and a mean particle size of from 10 to 200 xcexcm.
If the support material used naturally has a low moisture content or residual solvent content, dehydration or drying before use can be omitted. If this is not the case, as when using silica gel as support material, dehydration or drying is advisable. Thermal dehydration or drying of the support material can be carried out under reduced pressure and simultaneous inert gas blanketing (e.g. nitrogen). The drying temperature is in the range from 100 to 1000xc2x0 C., preferably from 200 to 800xc2x0 C. The parameter pressure is not critical in this case. The duration of the drying process can be from 1 to 24 hours. Shorter or longer drying times are possible, provided that equilibrium with the hydroxyl groups on the support surface can be established under the conditions chosen, which normally takes from 4 to 8 hours.
The support material can also be dehydrated or dried by chemical means, by reacting the adsorbed water and the hydroxyl groups on the surface with suitable passivating agents. Reaction with the passivating reagent can convert all or some of the hydroxyl groups into a form which leads to no negative interaction with the catalytically active centers. Suitable passivating agents are, for example, silicon halides and silanes, e.g. silicon tetrachloride, chlorotrimethylsilane, dimethylaminotrichlorosilane, or organometallic compounds of aluminum, boron and magnesium, for example trimethylaluminum, triethylaluminum, triisobutylaluminum, triethylborane, dibutylmagnesium. Chemical dehydration or passivation of the support material is carried out, for example, by reacting a suspension of the support material in a suitable solvent with the passivating reagent in pure form or as a solution in a suitable solvent with exclusion of air and moisture. Suitable solvents are, for example, aliphatic or aromatic hydrocarbons such as pentane, hexane, heptane, toluene or xylene. Passivation is carried out at from 25xc2x0 C. to 120xc2x0 C., preferably from 50 to 70xc2x0 C. Higher and lower temperatures are possible. The reaction time is from 30 minutes to 20 hours, preferably from 1 to 5 hours. After chemical dehydration is complete, the support material is isolated by filtration under inert conditions, washed one or more times with suitable inert solvents as have been described above and subsequently dried in a stream of inert gas or under reduced pressure.
Organic support materials such as finely divided polyolefin powders (e.g. polyethylene, polypropylene or polystyrene) can also be used and should likewise be freed of adhering moisture, solvent residues or other impurities by appropriate purification and drying operations before use.
The metallocenes used according to the present invention can be obtained by reacting a metallocene of the formula (Ia) with a reagent EY.
The radicals R1, R2, R3, A, M1, X, E, Y, k, m and mxe2x80x2 are defined as for formula (I), and R7 are identical or different and are each a hydrogen atom or a C1-C40 group, for example a C1-C20-alkyl group which may be substituted, for example methyl, ethyl, trifluoroethyl, n-propyl, isopropyl, n-butyl, sec-butyl, isobutyl, tert-butyl, pentyl, hexyl, octyl, cyclopropyl, cyclopentyl or cyclohexyl, a C6-C14-aryl group which may be substituted, for example phenyl, tolyl, xylyl, tert-butylphenyl, ethylphenyl, trifluoromethylphenyl, bis(trifluoromethyl)phenyl, methoxyphenyl, fluorophenyl, dimethylaminophenyl, methylthiophenyl, diethylphosphinophenyl, naphthyl, acenaphthyl, phenanthrenyl or anthracenyl, a C2-C20-alkenyl group, a C2-C20-alkynyl group, a C7-C20-alkylaryl group, a halogen atom, an SiMe3 group, an OSiMe3 group or a C1-C20-heterocyclic group, which may be substituted, where the term heteroatom refers to all elements with the exception of carbon and hydrogen and is preferably an atom of group 14, 15 or 16 of the Periodic Table of the Elements, and two radicals R7 may form a monocyclic or polycyclic ring system which may in turn be substituted, and in the metallocenes of the formula (Ia), at least one of the radicals R1, R2, R7 bears or is a group DELxe2x88x921, where D is an atom of group 15 or 16 of the Periodic Table of the Elements, in particular nitrogen, phosphorus, oxygen or sulfur, and E and L are as defined for formula (I).
Metallocenes of the formula (Ia) are prepared by methods known from the literature (e.g. EP 576 970 A1; Chem. Left., 1991, 11, p.2047 ff; Journal of Organometallic Chem., 288 (1985) 63-67 and documents cited there).
The reagent EY is a compound capable of transferring a radical E, where E and Y are as defined for formula (I).
Illustrative but nonrestrictive examples of the reagent EY are: methyl iodide, methyl bromide, methyl chloride, methyl triflate, methyl trifluoroacetate, methyl methanesulfonate, methyl p-toluenesulfonate, dimethyl sulfate, trimethyloxonium tetrafluoroborate, trimethyloxonium hexafluorophosphate, ethyl iodide, ethyl bromide, ethyl chloride, triethyloxonium tetrafluoroborate, triethyloxonium hexafluorophosphate, propyl iodide, propyl bromide, propyl triflate, butyl bromide, butyl iodide, butyl chloride, pentyl bromide, octyl bromide, benzyl chloride, benzyl bromide, benzyl triflate, allyl bromide, allyl chloride, p-methoxybenzyl chloride, trimethylsilyl chloride, trimethylsilyl bromide, trimethylsilyl iodide, trimethylsilyl triflate, tert-butyldimethylsilyl chloride, tert-butyidimethylsilyl triflate, triphenylsilyl chloride, triphenylsilyl iodide, triphenylsilyl triflate, methoxymethyl chloride (MOMCl), 2-methoxyethoxymethyl chloride (MEMCl), 2-trimethylsilylethoxymethyl chloride (SEMCl), benzyloxymethyl chloride (BOMCl), hydrogen fluoride, hydrogen chloride, hydrogen bromide, hydrogen iodide, trifluoroacetic acid, methanesulfonic acid, trifluoromethanesulfonic acid, p-toluenesulfonic acid, sulfuric acid, perchloric acid, acetic acid, triethylamine hydrochloride, trimethylamine hydrofluoride, tetrafluoroboric acid diethyl etherate and hexafluorophosphoric acid.
The process of the present invention can be carried out in the presence of a suitable solvent or in bulk. Nonrestrictive examples of suitable solvents are hydrocarbons which may be halogenated, e.g. benzene, toluene, xylene, mesitylene, ethylbenzene, chlorobenzene, dichlorobenzene, fluorobenzene, decalin, pentane, hexane, cyclohexane, dichloromethane, chloroform, tetrachloromethane, 1,2-dichloroethane or trichloroethylene, ethers such as diethyl ether, di-n-butyl ether, MTBE, THF, DME, anisole, triglyme or dioxane, amides such as DMF, dimethylacetamide or NMP, sulfoxides such as DMSO, phosphoramides such as hexamethylphosphoramide, urea derivatives such as DMPU, ketones such as acetone or ethyl methyl ketone, esters such as ethyl acetate, nitriles such as acetonitrile and also any mixtures of these.
The process of the present invention is generally carried out at from xe2x88x92100xc2x0 C. to +500xc2x0 C., preferably from xe2x88x9278xc2x0 C. to +200xc2x0 C., particularly preferably from 0xc2x0 C. to 100xc2x0 C.
The reaction can be carried out in a single-phase system or in a multiphase system.
The molar ratio of reagent EY to metallocene (Ia) is generally in the range from 0.5 to 100, preferably from 1 to 10.
The concentration of metallocene (Ia) or of reagent EY in the reaction mixture is generally in the range from 0.001 mol/l to 8 mol/l, preferably in the range from 0.01 to 3 mol/l, particularly preferably in the range from 0.1 mol/l to 2 mol/l.
The duration of the reaction of metallocenes of the formula (Ia) with a reagent EY is generally in the range from 5 minutes to 1 week, preferably in the range from 15 minutes to 48 hours.
The catalyst system of the present invention may, if desired, further comprise additional additive components. It is also possible to use mixtures of two or more metallocene compounds of the formula (I) or mixtures of metallocene compounds of the formula (I) with other metallocenes or semisandwich compounds, e.g. for preparing polyolefins having a broad or multimodal molar mass distribution.
The catalyst system of the present invention is prepared by mixing at least one metallocene of the formula (I), at least one cocatalyst and at least one passivated support.
To prepare the supported catalyst system, at least one of the above-described metallocene components in a suitable solvent is brought into contact with at least one cocatalyst component, preferably giving a soluble reaction product, an adduct or a mixture.
The composition obtained in this way is then mixed with the dehydrated or passivated support material, the solvent is removed and the resulting supported metallocene catalyst system is dried to ensure that the solvent is completely or mostly removed from the pores of the support material. The supported catalyst is obtained as a free-flowing powder.
A process for preparing a free-flowing and, if desired, prepolymerized supported catalyst system comprises the following steps:
a) Preparation of a metallocene/cocatalyst mixture in a suitable solvent or suspension medium, where the metallocene component has one of the above-described structures,
b) Application of the metallocene/cocatalyst mixture to a porous, preferably inorganic dehydrated support,
c) Removal of the major part of the solvent from the resulting mixture,
d) Isolation of the supported catalyst system,
e) If desired, prepolymerization of the supported catalyst system obtained using one or more olefinic monomer(s) in order to obtain a prepolymerized supported catalyst system.
Preferred solvents for the preparation of the metallocene/cocatalyst mixture are hydrocarbons and hydrocarbon mixtures which are liquid at the reaction temperature chosen and in which the individual components preferably dissolve. However, the solubility of the individual components is not a prerequisite, as long as it is ensured that the reaction product of metallocene and cocatalyst component is soluble in the solvent chosen. Examples of suitable solvents include alkanes such as pentane, isopentane, hexane, heptane, octane and nonane; cycloalkanes such as cyclopentane and cyclohexane; and aromatics such as benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and diethylbenzene. Very particular preference is given to toluene.
The amounts of aluminoxane and metallocene used in the preparation of the supported catalyst system can be varied over a wide range. Preference is given to setting a molar ratio of aluminum to transition metal in the metallocene of from 10:1 to 1000:1, very particularly preferably from 50:1 to 500:1. In the case of methylaluminoxane, preference is given to using 30% strength solutions in toluene, but the use of 10% strength solutions is also possible.
For preactivation, the metallocene in the form of a solid is dissolved in a solution of the aluminoxane in a suitable solvent. It is also possible to dissolve the metallocene separately in a suitable solvent and subsequently to combine this solution with the aluminoxane solution. Preference is given to using toluene.
The preactivation time is from 1 minute to 200 hours.
The preactivation can take place at room temperature (25xc2x0 C.). The use of higher temperatures may in some cases shorten the preactivation time required and effect an additional increase in the activity. In this case, higher temperature means a temperature in the range from 50 to 100xc2x0 C.
The preactivated solution or the metallocene/cocatalyst mixture is subsequently combined with an inert support material, usually silica gel, which is in the form of a dry powder or as a suspension in one of the abovementioned solvents. The support material is preferably used as powder. The order of addition is immaterial. The preactivated metallocene/cocatalyst solution or the metallocene/cocatalyst mixture can be added to the support material, or else the support material can be introduced into the solution.
The volume of the preactivated solution or the metallocene/cocatalyst mixture can exceed 100% of the total pore volume of the support material used or else can be up to 100% of the total pore volume.
The temperature at which the preactivated solution or the metallocene/cocatalyst mixture is brought into contact with the support material can vary in a range from 0 to 100xc2x0 C. However, lower or higher temperatures are also possible.
Subsequently, the solvent is completely or mostly removed from the supported catalyst system, during which the mixture can be stirred and, if desired, also heated. Preference is given to removing both the visible proportion of the solvent and also the proportion in the pores of the support material. Removal of the solvent can be carried out in a conventional way using reduced pressure and/or flushing with inert gas. In the drying procedure, the mixture can be heated until the free solvent has been removed, which usually takes from 1 to 3 hours at a preferably selected temperature in the range from 30 to 60xc2x0 C. The free solvent is the visible proportion of solvent in the mixture. For the purposes of the present invention, residual solvent is the proportion which is enclosed in the pores.
As an alternative to complete removal of the solvent, the supported catalyst system can also be dried only to a certain residual solvent content, with the free solvent having been completely removed. The supported catalyst system can subsequently be washed with a low-boiling hydrocarbon such as pentane or hexane and dried again.
The supported catalyst system prepared according to the present invention can either be used directly for the polymerization of olefins or be prepolymerized using one or more olefinic monomers before use in a polymerization process. The prepolymerization procedure for supported catalyst systems is described, for example, in WO 94/28034.
As additive, a small amount of olefin, preferably an xcex1-olefin (for example styrene or phenyldimethylvinylsilane), as activity-increasing component or, for example, an antistatic (as described in U.S. Ser. No. 08/365280) can be added during or after the preparation of the supported catalyst system. The molar ratio of additive to metallocene component compound I is preferably from 1:1000 to 1000:1, very particularly preferably from 1:20 to 20:1.
The present invention also describes a process for preparing a polyolefin by polymerization of one or more olefins in the presence of the catalyst system of the present invention comprising at least one transition metal component of the formula (I). For the purposes of the present invention, the term polymerization encompasses both homopolymerization and copolymerization.
Preference is given to polymerizing olefins of the formula Rmxe2x80x94CHxe2x95x90CHxe2x80x94Rn, where Rm and Rn are identical or different and are each a hydrogen atom or an organic radical having from 1 to 20 carbon atoms, in particular from 1 to 10 carbon atoms, and Rm and Rn together with the atoms connecting them can form one or more rings.
Examples of such olefins are 1-olefins having 2-40 carbon atoms, preferably from 2 to 10 carbon atoms, e.g. ethene, propene, 1-butene, 1-pentene, 1-hexene, 4-methyl-1-pentene or 1-octene, styrene, dienes such as 1,3-butadiene, 1,4-hexadiene, vinylnorbornene, norbornadiene or ethylnorbornadiene, and cyclic olefins such as norbornene, tetracyclododecene or methylnorbornene. In the process of the present invention, preference is given to homopolymerizing propene or ethene or copolymerizing propene with ethene and/or with one or more 1-olefins having from 4 to 20 carbon atoms, e.g. hexene, and/or one or more dienes having from 4 to 20 carbon atoms, e.g. 1,4-butadiene, norbornadiene, ethylidenenorbornene or ethyinorbornadiene. Examples of such copolymers are ethene-propene copolymers or ethene-propene-1,4-hexadiene terpolymers.
The polymerization is carried out at from xe2x88x9260 to 300xc2x0 C., preferably from 50 to 200xc2x0 C., very particularly preferably 50-80xc2x0 C. The pressure is from 0.5 to 2000 bar, preferably from 5 to 64 bar.
The polymerization can be carried out in solution, in bulk, in suspension or in the gas phase, continuously or batchwise, in one or more stages.
The catalyst system prepared according to the present invention can be used as sole catalyst component for the polymerization of olefins having from 2 to 20 carbon atoms, but is preferably used in combination with at least one alkyl compound of an element of main groups I to III of the Periodic Table, e.g. an aluminum alkyl, magnesium alkyl or lithium alkyl or an aluminoxane. The alkyl compound is added to the monomer or suspension medium and serves to free the monomer of substances which can adversely affect the catalyst activity. The amount of alkyl compound added depends on the quality of the monomers used.
If necessary, hydrogen is added as molar mass regulator and/or to increase the activity.
In addition, an antistatic can be metered into the polymerization system during the polymerization, either together with or separately from the catalyst system used.
The polymers prepared using the catalyst system of the present invention display a uniform particle morphology and contain no fines. No deposits or caked material occur in the polymerization using the catalyst system of the present invention.
The catalyst system of the present invention gives polymers, e.g. polypropylene, having extraordinarily high stereospecificity and regiospecificity.
A particularly characteristic parameter for the stereospecificity and regiospecificity of polymers, in particular polypropylene, is the triad tacticity (TT) and the proportion of 2-1-inserted propene units (RI) which can both be determined from the 13C-NMR spectra.
The 13C-NMR spectra are measured at elevated temperature (365 K) in a mixture of hexachlorobutadiene and d2-tetrachloroethane. The resonance signal of d2-tetrachloroethane (xcex4=73.81 ppm) is used as internal reference for all the 13C-NMR spectra of the polypropylene samples measured.
To determine the triad tacticity of polypropylene, the methyl resonance signals in the 13C-NMR spectrum from 23 to 16 ppm are examined; cf. J. C. Randall, Polymer Sequence Determination: Carbon-13 NMR Method, Academic Press New York 1978; A. Zambelli, P. Locatelli, G. Bajo, F. A. Bovey, Macromolecules 8 (1975), 687-689; H. N. Cheng, J. A. Ewen, Makromol. Chem. 190 (1989),1931-1943. Three successive 1-2-inserted propene units whose methyl groups are arranged on the same side in the xe2x80x9cFischer Projectionxe2x80x9d are referred to as mm triads (xcex4=21.0 ppm to 22.0 ppm). If only the second methyl group of the three successive propene units points to the other side, one speaks of an rr triad (xcex4=19.5 ppm to 20.3 ppm), and if only the third methyl group of the three successive propene units points to the other side, of an mr triad (xcex4=20.3 ppm to 21.0 ppm). The triad tacticity is calculated using the following formula:
TT(%)=mm/(mm+mr+rr)xc2x7100
If a propene unit is inserted inversely into the growing polymer chain, this is referred to as a 2-1 insertion; cf. T. Tsutsui, N. Ishimaru, A. Mizuno, A. Toyota, N. Kashiwa, Polymer 30 (1989), 1350-56. The following different structural arrangements are possible:
The proportion of 2-1-inserted propene units (RI) can be calculated using the following formula:
RI(%)=0.5Ixcex1,xcex2(Ixcex1,xcex1+Ixcex1,xcex2+Ixcex1,xcex4)xc2x7100,
where
Ixcex1,xcex1 is the sum of the intensities of the resonance signals at xcex4=41.84, 42.92 and 46.22 ppm,
Ixcex1,xcex2 is the sum of the intensities of the resonance signals at xcex4=30.13, 32.12, 35.11 and 35.57 ppm and
Ixcex1,xcex4 is the intensity of the resonance signal at xcex4=37.08 ppm.
The isotactic polypropylene which has been prepared using the catalyst system of the present invention has a proportion of 2-1-inserted propene units RI of less than 0.5% at a triad tacticity TT greater than 98.0%, and the Mw/Mn of the polypropylene prepared according to the present invention is from 2.5 to 3.5.
The copolymers which can be prepared using the catalyst system of the present invention have a significantly higher molar mass than those of the prior art. At the same time, such copolymers can be prepared with high productivity using industrially relevant process parameters without deposit formation by using the catalyst system of the present invention.
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The invention describes novel methods for treating and preventing cognitive impairments caused by traumatic brain injuries by administering a therapeutically effective amount of at least one of the cholinesterase inhibitor compounds described herein. A preferred cholinesterase inhibitor for use in the methods of the invention is donepezil hydrochloride or ARICEPT(copyright).
Novel cholinesterase inhibitors are described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,895,841 and WO 98/39000, the disclosures of which are incorporated by reference herein in their entirety. The cholinesterase inhibitors described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,895,841 include donepezil hydrochloride or ARICEPT(copyright), which has proven to be a highly successful drug for the treatment of Alzheimer""s disease.
There is a need in the art for new and improved treatments for other diseases, disorders, and syndromes that are characterized by symptoms of dementia and/or cognitive impairments. The invention is directed to these, as well as other, important ends.
The invention describes novel methods for treating and preventing cognitive impairments caused by traumatic brain injuries (e.g., post head trauma) by administering to a patient a therapeutically effective amount of at least one of the cholinesterase inhibitor compounds described herein.
The present invention is described in more detail below.
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This invention relates to wheels for vehicles such as bicycles and wheelchairs, and, in particular, to racing wheels designed to lessen the weight and improve the aerodynamics of the vehicle.
Speed sport athletes such as cyclists continue to seek bicycle equipment improvements which gain them an advantage in racing competitions. Bicycle wheels are one type of equipment specifically targeted for improvement, as designers attempt to develop wheels with improved weight and aerodynamic characteristics relative to existing bicycle wheels. Previous wheel enhancements which decrease wheel weight have been accomplished by modifying the materials of wheel construction. For instance, heavy metal wheel rims of the past have been replaced with lower weight, high strength composites. These composites are typically carbon fiber composite shells having filled, lightweight cores constructed from, for instance, various foam materials, balsa wood, or NOMEX.TM..
While altering the materials of construction has achieved lower wheel weights, standard wheel designs continue to suffer from a major shortcoming. Specifically, the wheel hub and its associated rotating spokes and bicycle frame tripletree detrimentally affect both the aerodynamic and weight characteristics of the wheel. Standard wheels include a central hub, disposed at the wheel's axis of rolling rotation, with numerous connected spokes extending radially therefrom to connect with the tire supporting wheel rim. Even wheels wherein the spokes have been replaced with a solid disc for aerodynamic purposes still employ a hub. The central hub is then connected to the remainder of the bicycle via the bicycle frame tripletree, i.e. the tubular component which at its upward end is a single tube, operatively connected to the handlebars, and at its lower end includes a tubular forked extension which fits over the sides of the wheel and connects with both axial sides of the hub. The spokes, hub and forked extension of the tripletree add weight to the bicycle which if avoided would make the bicycle desirably lighter. In addition, the spokes, hub and particularly the forked extension of the tripletree hinder the aerodynamics of the bicycle as they frequently axially project beyond the forward profile of the wheel, i.e. the tire axial thickness. Consequently, these pieces of equipment encounter passing air during operation and generate undesirable drag on the bicycle.
In addition to increasing wheel weight and thereby vehicle weight, rotating spokes can be hazardous to persons including the vehicle operator. For instance, when a person is riding a bicycle, rigid materials such as sticks which inadvertently are introduced between the spokes and the tripletree forked extension can bind the wheel, thereby throwing the rider and subjecting her to injury. Moreover, a person can be seriously injured if her hand is accidentally inserted into the rapidly rotating spokes of a wheel on a wheelchair or a bicycle.
Previous attempted designs for hubless, spokeless wheels for bicycles, such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,045,096 and 3,329,444, may be operational but are nonetheless undesirable from a standpoint of optimizing vehicle weight or aerodynamics. Because these designs involve shrouds or frame members which partially encapsulate a significant portion of the ground engaging tread, their forward profile is wider than the tread for much of the height of the wheel and consequently increased drag is present. In addition, the multiplicity of fasteners involved in the assembly of the shrouds and the multiplicity of bearings employed add unnecessary weight.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,071,196 discloses hubless spokeless wheels for motor vehicles apparently having annular bearing means which extend around the entire circumference of the wheel on both its stationary and rotating components. While such a bearing design may be advantageous from a standpoint of fully minimizing friction, introducing excess bearings in situations such as bicycle racing competitions where minimizing weight is of heightened importance may be counterproductive.
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the processing of printed documents and, particularly, to the addition of indicia comprising one or more colors to previously printed black on white documents. More specifically, this invention is directed to a document processing system having a single paper path and the capability of being interfaced with a high speed monocolor printer and, especially, to apparatus employing multiple print heads to add colored indicia to documents exiting an interfaced printer without reducing document throughput rate or requiring redirection of the documents exiting the interfaced printer into multiple processing paths. Accordingly, the general objects of the present invention are to provide novel and improved methods and apparatus of such character.
2. Description of the Prior Art
While not limited thereto in its utility, the present invention enables the addition of indicia, in selected colors, to printed documents exiting a high speed electrographic or xerographic printer, i.e., in a preferred embodiment the present invention is a high volume printer with accent color capability. There has been a long standing and unmet need in the art of the ability to provide color enhancement to conventional black on white printed documents. Previous attempts to satisfy this demand, as will be briefly described below, have been unsatisfactory in that there has been a failure to address the need to preserve the significant investment of potential users in their existing, installed black print data printers and, particularly, to recognize that this investment has been made with a primary objective of increasing printing speed.
As an example of the prior art attempts to achieve high volume printing with multiple color capability, two color printing capability has recently been added to conventional xerographic apparatus by using two developers, one for black and one for a single accent color, operating at different voltages. This approach, however, has the disadvantage that it cannot offer full spectrum color capability on a high speed data printer.
For users requiring or desiring more than a combination of black plus a single accent color, the only previous alternatives have been low speed systems characterized by high labor intensity and/or expensive investment in equipment. By way of example, a xerographic process employing multiple developers may be employed. Printers utilizing multiple developers are slow, typically five pages per minute maximum, and expensive. Ink jet printer technology also offers multiple color capability. However, the prior art ink jet technology employed water-based inks which imposed restrictions on the choice of paper being processed and, generally, presented problems with permanency as a result of moisture absorption. It is to be noted that ink jet technology is available which employs print media which is liquid in the jet and solidifies upon impact, such media typically being wax based. While the use of wax based inks provides excellent full color range, previously available printers employing this technology are notoriously slow.
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1. Field
The present invention relates to a lithographic apparatus and a method for manufacturing a device.
2. Related Art
A lithographic apparatus is a machine that applies a desired pattern onto a substrate, usually onto a target portion of the substrate. A lithographic apparatus can be used, for example, in the manufacture of flat panel displays, integrated circuits (ICs), micro-electro-mechanical-systems (MEMS), and other devices involving fine structures. In a conventional apparatus, a contrast device or a patterning device, which can be referred to as a mask or a reticle, can be used to generate a circuit pattern corresponding to an individual layer of a flat panel display or other device. This pattern can be transferred onto a target portion (e.g., comprising part of one or several dies) on a substrate (e.g., a glass plate). Transfer of the pattern is typically via imaging onto a layer of radiation-sensitive material (e.g., resist) provided on the substrate.
Instead of a circuit pattern, the patterning device can be used to generate other patterns, for example a color filter pattern or a matrix of dots. Instead of a mask, the patterning device can comprise a patterning array that comprises an array of individually controllable elements. Compared to mask-based system, the pattern can be changed more quickly and for less cost.
In general, a flat panel display substrate is rectangular in shape. Known lithographic apparatus designed to expose a substrate of this type typically provide an exposure region, which covers a full width of the rectangular substrate, or which covers a portion of the width (e.g., about half of the width). The substrate is scanned underneath the exposure region, while the mask or reticle is synchronously scanned through the beam. In this way, the pattern is transferred to the substrate. If the exposure region covers the full width of the substrate, then exposure is completed with a single scan. If the exposure region covers, for example, half of the width of the substrate, then the substrate is moved transversely after the first scan, and a second scan is performed to expose the remainder of the substrate.
Another way of imaging includes pixel grid imaging, in which a pattern is realized by successive exposure of spots.
Where the pattern on the substrate is built up from a grid of localized exposures or “spot exposures,” it is found that the quality of the pattern formed at a particular point can depend on where that point is located relative to the spot exposure grid positions. Furthermore, a variation in pattern quality can be found to exist with respect to the angle of a feature in the pattern relative to axes defining the grid. Either or both of these variations can have a negative influence on the quality of a device to be manufactured.
The image log slope of a pattern determines the resist side-wall angle of features formed after processing of an exposed substrate. A shallow image log slope implies a shallow side wall angle, which can be useful, for example, for achieving a wide viewing angle for Flat Panel Displays or can reduce the consequences of overlay errors. Steeper image log slopes and side wall angles provide greater contrast. The maximal image log slope is determined by the point spread functions of the spot exposures in the grid, and on the geometrical properties of the grid. In general, therefore, the image log slope is fixed once the corresponding hardware elements have been finalized. However, it can be desirable to vary the image log slope according to the nature of the application.
The critical dimension (CD) refers to the size of the smallest printable feature. Although the CD of the dose pattern can be defined quite accurately prior to exposure, it is more difficult to predict the CD properties of the pattern after post-exposure processing. Frequently, it is desirable to tweak the CD after inspection of a processed substrate in order to optimize the processed pattern according to a customer's requirements. One way this can be achieved is to vary the intensity of the radiation source. The more intense it is, the more the resulting pattern is spread out (normally leading to an increased CD). However, CD biasing in this way can only be applied uniformly and in a circularly symmetrical fashion over the surface of the substrate.
Variation in the position of the substrate surface relative to the plane of best focus can cause deterioration in the quality of the image formed on the substrate. Complex servo and control systems can be provided to translate and/or tilt the substrate table and/or projection system in order to keep the substrate near the plane of best focus but it is difficult to achieve perfect compensation. A residual focus error tends to be remain.
Where an array of individually controllable elements is used as a patterning device, some form of conversion tool is to translate requested spot exposure doses to voltages suitable for actuating the corresponding elements of the array at the appropriate times. For example, where the array of individually controllable elements comprises a mirror array, the voltages will be chosen so as to cause individual mirrors or groups of mirrors to tilt in such a way as to deflect an appropriate portion of incident radiation through the projection system. The relationship between the proportion of deflected radiation and the voltage/tilt angle can be complex (e.g., non-linear). Factors that affect the intensity/uniformity of the radiation incident on the array of individually controllable elements and variations in the optical properties of projection system components (e.g., variations between different optical columns) can also affect the intensity of radiation reaching the substrate and thereby reduce the quality of the pattern formed.
Where an array of individually controllable elements is used as a patterning device, ghost light (i.e., light originating from elements other than those that are supposed to be contributing to a particular sub-beam of radiation) can cause errors in the pattern formed on the substrate.
Therefore, what is needed is a system and method that more efficiently and effectively performs maskless lithography.
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1. Field of the Invention
The subject invention generally pertains to electric motors for wet carpet cleaners and more specifically to a seal and bearing assembly for such a motor.
2. Description of Related Art
The motors of some vacuum cleaners, such as wet/dry shop vacs and wet carpet cleaners, are exposed to a significant amount of moisture-laden air. Some motors include one or more bearing seals to protect the bearings and other motor components from the moisture. The motors disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,472,786, for example, include one seal that engages the motor shaft and a support cushion that sits between the bearing and the fan end bracket.
The method used for retaining seals and bearings can affect the axial position of the motor shaft relative to the motor's stator, which can thus affect the relative axial position of the motor's commutator and its brushes. In the '786 patent, for instance, the bearing protection system permits some change in the shaft's axial position due to the compressibility of the support cushion and the way the inboard bearing is mounted.
Even a slight shift in the axial position of the shaft can greatly diminish the life and performance of the motor. A motor's brushes normally wear a track in the commutator, as the shaft rotates at about 20,000 to 30,000 rpm. An axial shift in the position of the shaft could force the brushes slightly out from within their tracks. As a result, portions of the brushes may lift slightly away from the surface of the commutator, which can cause electrical arching between the brushes and the commutator.
Since flexible or compressible seal materials typically creep under load, it can be difficult to provide a motor with a bearing seal whose compressibility does not at least partially determine the axial position of the motor shaft. Thus, a need exists for an improved seal and bearing assembly that ensures that a motor shaft is maintained at a substantially fixed axial position regardless of the seal's compression.
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a color cathode-ray tube, and more particularly to a color cathode-ray tube which has an optimum funnel structure so that it has a slim tube structure while reducing stress caused by its internal vacuum pressure.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIG. 1a is a partially-broken side view illustrating the structure of a general color cathode-ray tube.
Such a color cathode-ray tube is used as an essential element for displaying images in an image display unit such as a television receiver or a computer monitor. Referring to FIG. 1a, the color cathode-ray tube includes a panel 1 constituting a front part of the cathode-ray tube, and a funnel 2 extending rearward from the panel 1.
The color cathode-ray tube also includes a fluorescent film (screen) 4 coated over the inner surfaces of the panel 1 and funnel 2 to serve as a desired luminescent element, an electron gun fitted in a neck portion 13 of the funnel 2 and adapted to emit electron beams 6 for causing the fluorescent surface 4 to emit light, a shadow mask 3 for performing color selection for causing desired portions of the fluorescent film 4 to emit light, a frame including a main frame 7 adapted to apply tension to the shadow mask 3, and a sub frame 8 adapted to support the main frame, springs 9 mounted to respective side portions of the main frame 7 to allow the frame to be coupled to the panel 1, an inner shield 10 welded to the sub frame 8 and adapted to shield an external earth magnetic field, and a reinforcing band 12 fitted around the panel 1 and adapted to protect the panel 1 from external impact.
A deflection yoke 5 and magnets 11 of 2, 4, and 6 poles are arranged around the neck portion 13 of the funnel 2. The deflection yoke 5 serves to deflect electron beams 6 emitted from the electron gun (not shown) in upward, downward, leftward, and rightward directions. The magnets 11 serve to correct the travel paths of the emitted electron beams 6 so as to cause those electron beams 6 to accurately strike onto desired portions of the fluorescent film 4, thereby preventing a degradation in color purity.
The manufacturing process of the general color cathode-ray tube having the above described configuration mainly involves a pre-process and a post-process. The pre-process is a process for coating a fluorescent film over the inner surface of the panel. The post-process involves various processes.
That is, the panel coated with the fluorescent film and mounted with a mask assembly therein, and the funnel coated with frit at a seal surface thereof are subjected to a sealing process in a furnace maintained at high temperature so that they are coupled to each other. The electron gun is fitted in the neck portion of the funnel in an encapsulating process. A vacuum is formed in the interior of the cathode-ray tube in accordance with an air exhaust process. The cathode-ray tube is then sealed.
When the cathode-ray tube is in a vacuum state, its panel and funnel are subjected to high tensile stress and high compressive stress.
To this end, a reinforcing process is carried out to attach the reinforcing band to the panel for dispersion of high stress exerted on the front surface of the panel. Thus, the manufacture of the cathode-ray tube is completed.
Meanwhile, although digitalization of cathode-ray tubes is important, slimness of those cathode-ray tubes is also important in association with the securing of a redundant space.
Where cathode-ray tubes have a slim structure, their glass portions are subjected to vacuum stress increased correspondingly to a reduction in volume caused by the slimness, because the vacuum pressure is constant in spite of the volume reduction.
Furthermore, in such a slim cathode-ray tube, formation of high stress mainly occurs at the funnel portion having a relatively small thickness, rather than at the panel. In particular, the seal line portion of the cathode-ray tube may be easily damaged in a thermal process because high tensile stress is present at that seal line portion.
Methods for reducing the overall length of a cathode-ray tube have also been proposed. Such methods include a method for reducing the overall length of the panel, and a method for reducing the overall length of the funnel body. The method for reducing the overall length of the funnel body may be more preferable.
Where the overall length of the panel is reduced under the condition in which the funnel has a relatively thin structure, an undesirable result may occur in association with formation of high tensile stress at the seal line portion due to the vacuum pressure generated in the air exhaust process. Furthermore, it may be impossible to provide a sufficient space for the clamping of the band. As a result, a degradation in the effectiveness of the band may occur due to an insufficient clamping tension of the band.
FIG. 3 shows distribution of stress applied to the panel and funnel glass under the condition in which a vacuum is formed in the interior of the cathode-ray tube in accordance with an air exhaust process. In FIG. 3, the phantom line represents compressive stress, whereas the solid line represents tensile stress.
Cracks may be formed when glass is subjected to external impact. In this case, tensile stress applied to the surface of the glass accelerates propagation of cracks. Where the applied tensile stress is excessively high, the glass may be broken. On the other hand, compressive stress serves to prevent propagation of cracks.
Referring to FIG. 3, the central portion of the panel, the central portion of a skirt extending from the peripheral edge of the panel, and the central portion of the funnel are relatively resistant to impact because they are subjected to compressive stress, whereas the corner portions and seal line portion of the panel are sensitive to impact because they are subjected to tensile stress.
For reducing or coping with high tensile stress generated at the glass, various methods have been proposed in association with the panel. For example, a method using a reinforcing band, and a method using a reinforced glass having an increased stiffness in accordance with a thermal treatment of the glass, and a method using a film to be attached to the surface of the panel have been proposed. However, the reinforcing band exhibits an insufficient effect where it is applied to the funnel. Furthermore, there has been no case in which reinforced glass is used for the funnel.
Accordingly, a technique to secure desired resistance to impact while reducing stress is required for the funnel.
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The present invention relates to an SOS (Silicon On Sapphire) wafer corresponding to one wafer for manufacturing a semiconductor device, and its manufacturing method.
In a conventional SOS wafer, a silicon layer and an oxide layer are laminated over the front surface of a sapphire substrate of the SOS wafer. A polysilicon layer having non-transparency and an electrical characteristic and a silicon nitride layer which protects the polysilicon layer are provided over the back surface of the sapphire substrate, thereby enabling optical and electrical detection of the SOS wafer.
Such an SOS wafer is formed by a conventional manufacturing method shown in FIG. 9.
The conventional method for manufacturing the SOS wafer will be explained below in accordance with processes or process steps indicated by PZ using FIG. 9. Incidentally, FIG. 9 shows partial sections of the SOS wafer.
In PZ1, an SOS wafer 5 is prepared in which a silicon layer 3 and an oxide layer 4 comprised of silicon dioxide are laminated over a front surface 2 of a sapphire substrate 1.
Such a normal SOS wafer 5 is of a circular wafer having a diameter of 125 mm. The thickness of the sapphire substrate 1 is 640 μm, the thickness of the silicon layer 3 is 1000 Å, and the thickness of the oxide layer 4 is about 3600 Å.
Incidentally, the diameter and shape of the SOS wafer 5 are not limited to the above. The SOS wafer 5 may be a wafer having other dimensions and shape.
In PZ2, a 2.3 μm-thick polysilicon layer 7 is formed on the back surface 6 of the sapphire substrate 1 by using low-pressure chemical vapor deposition (LPCVD). Since the polysilicon layer 7 is grown using the low-pressure chemical vapor deposition in the present process step, a polysilicon layer 7 is similarly formed even on the front surface 2 side.
Incidentally, the drawing indicative of the present process step is shown with its obverse and reverse sides placed in reverse relationship to the drawing indicative of the process step PZ1. The front surface 2 side is not illustrated (the drawings indicative of the process steps of the prior art shown below are also same).
In PZ3, ions of an impurity such as phosphorus (P) are implanted in the corresponding polysilicon layer 7 to form a conductive diffusion region 8. This implantation is carried out to obtain conductivity of a silicon wafer in such a manner that an electrical sensor of a silicon wafer processing apparatus designed so as to detect the silicon wafer, based on the conductivity of the wafer is capable of detecting the SOS wafer 5.
The ions implanted in the present process step are P+ (atomic weight: 31), a dose thereof is 1×1016/CM2, and implantation energy is 175 keV. The amount of diffusion of the impurity into the polysilicon layer 7 on the back surface 6 side is determined depending on the dose of the phosphorus. The implantation energy can also be reduced to 25 keV or so.
After the implantation of the phosphorus, resistivity of the conductive diffusion region 8 is normally set to less than approximately 50 Ω/square. This is because when the resistivity is set to 50 Ω/square or more, the resistivity becomes excessively high to allow the silicon wafer processing apparatus to detect the SOS wafer 5 as the silicon wafer on the basis of its conductivity.
In PZ4, a 900 Å-thick silicon nitride layer 9 is formed on the polysilicon layers 7 on the front surface 2 side of the sapphire substrate 1 and on the back surface 6 side thereof.
The silicon nitride layer 9 is used as a protection layer for protecting the polysilicon layers 7 and the conductive diffusion region 8 during subsequent processing of the SOS wafer 5.
Incidentally, the thickness of the silicon nitride layer 9 may be set to a range from about 500 Å to about 5000 Å. The thickness of the silicon nitride layer 9 is selected so as to sufficiently protect the polysilicon layer 7 and the like from subsequent processing applied to the SOS wafer 5.
The shape of each edge portion 10 of the SOS wafer 5 formed in this way is shown in FIG. 10. Incidentally, FIG. 10 shows the front surface 2 side of the sapphire substrate 1 with being turned upward in a manner similar to the drawing indicative of the process step PZ1.
As shown in FIG. 10, the edge portion 10 of the SOS wafer 5 is covered with the polysilicon layer 7 and the silicon nitride layer 9. Although these layers are placed on the edge portions 10, they are unnecessary according to the preferred embodiment of the prior art.
Since the ion implantation is effected only on the back surface 6, although the front surface 2 side of the sapphire substrate 1 is also covered with the polysilicon layer 7 and the silicon nitride layer 9, the region like the conductive diffusion region 8 on which the ion implantation is effected, does not exist in the polysilicon layer 7 that covers the front surface 2 side and the edge portion 10.
The silicon nitride layer 9 and the polysilicon layer 7 formed on the front surface 2 side of the sapphire substrate 1 according to the process steps PZ2 and PZ4 are removed by reactive ion etching so that the lower oxide layer 4 is exposed. Processing of the SOS wafer 5 placed in this state by the silicon wafer processing apparatus is enabled.
In the SOS wafer 5 formed in this way, the polysilicon layer 7 formed on the back surface 6 side of the sapphire substrate 1 is non-transparent enough to detect the existence of the SOS wafer 5 by a photosensor. The thickness of the polysilicon layer 7 is the suitable minimum thickness based on an indirect bandgap absorption method, enough to detect a non-transparent object by the photosensor.
Incidentally, it is necessary to change the thickness of the polysilicon layer 7 to be grown, according to a photosensor system employed in the silicon wafer processing apparatus. It is also necessary to change it even depending upon the wavelength of used light. Red light and infrared radiation are used in the current silicon wafer processing apparatus and enough to optically detect the existence of the SOS wafer 5 according to the thickness of the polysilicon layer 7 on the back surface 6 side. When light of other wavelength is used, the thickness of the polysilicon layer 7 may be set to such a thickness that the SOS wafer 5 can be detected as a silicon wafer, according to the photosensor employed in the silicon wafer processing apparatus.
Further, in the SOS wafer 5 formed in the above-described manner, the conductive diffusion region 8 having conductivity obtained by ion-implanting phosphorus into the polysilicon layer 7 is formed on the back surface 6 side.
The manufacturing method of the prior art does not form such a contamination level or defect density as to exert an influence on yield on the front surface 2 side of the SOS wafer 5, in addition to the fact that optical characteristics and conductive characteristics are made equivalent to the silicon wafer.
The films formed on the back surface 6 side of the SOS wafer 5 are adapted to a subsequent silicon processing process. This adaptability is obtained according to the selection of the films and the order of deposition of their films. That is, the polysilicon layer 7 and the silicon nitride layer 9 are adapted to all subsequent heat treatments.
Further, the silicon nitride layer 9 corresponding to the outer film serves as a diffusion barrier which prevents the silicon layer 3 on the front surface 2 side of the SOS wafer 5 from being auto-doped with an impurity implanted in the back surface 6 side by diffusion thereof through the surface of nitride. Further, the silicon nitride layer 9 corresponding to the outer film is inert to all acids except for phosphoric acid at a high temperature, and the phosphoric acid is not used even in any step.
A conventional SOS wafer has been manufactured by such a manufacturing method as described above (refer to, for example, a patent document 1 (Japanese Patent No. 3083725 (paragraph 0011 in page 3—paragraph 0016 in page 4, and FIGS. 1 through 5)).
There is known, as a technique for preventing warpage of an SOS wafer, one which forms a polysilicon layer in a back surface of a sapphire substrate and pulls back its warpage produced by a silicon layer on its front surface by virtue of the polysilicon layer formed in the back surface (refer to, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. Sho 57(1982)-153445 (lower right-hand section in page 2 and FIG. 2)).
There is also known a technique which thins a polysilicon layer to prevent warpage of an SOS wafer (refer to, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2000-36585 (paragraph 0015 in page 3 and FIG. 1)).
However, the technique of the patent document 1 referred to above is accompanied by problems that since silicon nitride layers are formed by low-pressure chemical vapor deposition, and the silicon nitride layer on the front surface side of a sapphire substrate is removed and the silicon nitride layer is provided so as to exist only in its back surface side, when they are used in processing of a silicon wafer processing apparatus, the front surface of the sapphire substrate is warped into convexity due to very large tensile stress developed in the silicon nitride layer formed by the low-pressure chemical vapor deposition, thus causing a failure in wafer vacuum chuck on the back surface side and a failure in transfer due to the warpage in a subsequent processing process of a semiconductor device, instability in a processing process for temperature ununiformity or the like at heat treatment, cracks of the SOS wafer, etc.
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The present invention relates to compositions and methods for delivery of siRNA to specific cells or tissue. More particularly, the present invention relates to compositions and methods for cell type-specific delivery of anti-HIV siRNAs via fusion to an anti-gp120 aptamer.
The publications and other materials used herein to illuminate the background of the invention, and in particular, cases to provide additional details respecting the practice, are incorporated by reference, and for convenience are referenced in the following text by author and date and are listed alphabetically by author in the appended bibliography.
RNA interference (RNAi) is a process of sequence-specific post-transcriptional gene silencing triggered by small interfering RNAs (siRNA). The silencing is sequence specific and one of the two strands of the siRNA guides the RNA induced silencing complex (RISC) to the complementary target, resulting in cleavage and subsequent destruction of the target RNA (1). RNAi is rapidly becoming one of the methods of choice for gene function studies, and is also being exploited for therapeutic applications (2, 3). The successful therapeutic applications of RNAi are critically dependent upon efficient intracellular delivery of siRNAs (3).
Currently, there are several methods to deliver siRNA in vivo. These can be divided into physical and mechanical methods (hydrodynamic tail vein injections in mice (4-6), electroporation (7-9), ultrasound (10), and the gene gun (11)); local administration (3) (intravenous injection (12), intraperitoneal injection, subcutaneous injection); and chemical methods (cationic lipids (13, 14), polymers (15-20), and peptides (21-24)). However, the delivery efficiency (desired dose), uncontrollable biodistribution and delivery-related toxicitities must be carefully analyzed.
Recently, the cell type-specific delivery of siRNAs has been achieved using aptamer-siRNA chimeras (25). In this system, the aptamer portion mediated binding to the prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSAM), a cell-surface receptor and the siRNAs linked to the aptamer was selectively delivered into PSMA expressing cells resulting in silencing of target transcripts both in cell culture and in vivo following intratumoral delivery. In a similar study (26) a modular streptavidin bridge was used to connect lamin A/C or GAPDH siRNAs to the PSMA aptamer. Consequently, this system induced silencing of the targeted genes only in cells expressing the PSMA receptor.
Thus, it is desired to develop compositions and methods for cell- or tissue-specific delivery of siRNA molecules for treatment.
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1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a sample manufacturing apparatus and, more specifically, to an apparatus for making test pieces for slice observation from a wafer with a transmission electron microscope (hereafter referred to as TEM) or a scanning electron microscope (hereafter referred to as SEM) utilizing ultra-fine processing using a focused ion beam (hereafter referred to as FIB).
2. Related Art
An FIB device is known as a device for manufacturing a test piece such a TEM sample or an SEM sample from a wafer, being an original sample. A schematic drawing of an FIB device of the related art is shown in FIG. 10. The main components of this FIB device are an ion source 100, an ion optical system 101, a secondary charged particle detector 102, a gas gun 103, a sample holder 104 and a sample stage 105.
The ion source 100 is a liquid metal ion source exemplified by, for example, gallium (Ga). The ion optical system 101 is for focusing an ion beam from the ion source 100 and is comprised of a condenser lens (electrostatic lens) a beam blanker, a movable aperture, an 8-pole stigmeter, an objective lens (electrostatic lens) and a scanning electrode. The secondary charged particle detector 102 detects secondary charged particles generated when an ion beam 100a is scanned on the sample 106, and a scanning ion microscope (hereafter referred to simply as SIM) function is provided by carrying out image processing based on the detection results. The sample stage 105 is a stage capable of movement on 5 axes of control. With 5 axes of control it is possible to achieve 3-dimensional movement in the XYZ directions, rotation around an axis orthogonal to the XY plane, and tilt control. The sample holder 104 is for fixing the sample 106, and is mounted on a movable platform called a base (not shown in the drawings) and conveyed on to the sample stage 105. The gas gun 103 sprays gas for forming a deposition film as a protective film onto the surface of the sample 106.
There are basically the following two methods in sample manufacture using the above described FIB device. One is a method of fixing a small sample that has been subjected to preliminary processing by cutting away part of a wafer using a dicing saw on a holding member, fixing this to a sample holder 104 as a sample 106, and processing using an ion beam 100a. Another is a so-called pick-up method (or lift-out method) where the wafer itself is fixed to the sample holder 104 as the sample 106, a specific site on the sample holder 104 is directly processed by the ion beam 100a, and the test piece taken out. The latter method can manufacture a test piece (TEM sample or SEM sample) without dividing the original sample, which means that compared to the former method which splits the wafer to make a small piece, there are the merits that it is advantageous with respect to cost, and the sample manufacturing time is short.
FIG. 11 schematically shows a sequence of manufacturing processes for a TEM sample using the pick-up method, in which the FIB device shown in FIG. 10 is used. The manufacturing processes for a TEM sample will be described in the following with reference to FIG. 10 and FIG. 11.
First, a wafer, being the sample 106, is fixed onto the sample stage 105, and based on previously provided position information for a specific site rough alignment is carried out so that the ion beam 100a is irradiated close to that specific site. Next, the vicinity of a fault site is scanned with the ion beam 100a, and the position of a fault site is specified while looking at an SIM image obtained by this scanning (position output). After position output, deposition gas is sprayed onto the surface of the wafer using the gas gun 103, and a deposition film (protective film) for the surface of the wafer is formed by scanning a specified range containing the specific site with the ion beam 100a. Formation of this deposition film is generally called ion assist deposition (or ion beam CVD (Chemical Vapor Deposition), and it is possible to selectively form a deposition film on sections irradiated by the ion beam 100a.
Next, as shown in FIG. 11A, the ion beam 100a is irradiated to the vicinity of the specific site of the wafer surface to perform general processing, and the ion beam 100a is also irradiated to that processed section to perform finishing processing. With this processing, the ion beam 100a is irradiated from a normal direction with respect to the surface of the wafer, which means that the region irradiated by the ion beam 100a is gradually removed from the wafer surface, to obtain the slice 107a as shown in FIG. 11B. The extent to which the thickness of the slice 107a section looking from above is made thinner is different depending on the material of the sample and the acceleration voltage of a TEM used. For example, in the case of lattice image observation of an Si type semiconductor sample with a 200 kV acceleration voltage TEM, this must be 0.1 μm or less. Also, in the case of carrying out 3D analysis with tomography using a TEM, the sample thickness is finished to about 0.5 μm.
After formation of the slice 107a, the angle of incidence of the ion beam 100a to the wafer is adjusted by controlling the tilt angle of the sample stage 105, and a notch 107b as shown in FIG. 11B (the section shown by a dotted line in FIG. 11B) is formed around the section where the slice 107a is formed by processing using the ion beam 100a. A part at an upper surface side remains that is not notched, and a section taken out along the notch 107b is the TEM sample 107.
A manipulator, not shown, is used in taking out the TEM sample 107. A tip of a probe 108, made of a glass material, is brought close to a lateral slice 107a of the TEM sample 107. If the tip of the probe 108 is brought sufficiently close to the slice 107a, then as shown in FIG. 11C, the TEM sample 107 is attracted to the probe 108 due to static electricity. Then, with the TEM sample 107 still stuck to the tip, the probe 108 is mode onto a fixing table (not shown) that has been separately prepared, and the TEM sample 107 stuck to the tip is fixed to a specified part of the fixing table. In fixing the TEM sample 107 to the fixing table at this time, it is possible to utilize deposition processing or static electricity. Depending on the situation, it may also be possible to perform finishing processing for the TEM sample 107 fixed to the fixing table using the ion beam 100a.
When carrying out TEM observation, the fixing table to which the above described TEM sample 107 is fixed is taken out from the FIB device, and attached to a separately prepared TEM sample holder. This TEM sample holder is then fitted into an entry stage of a TEM device that is separate from the FIB device, and the slice 107a of the TEM sample 107 is observed.
With manufacture of the TEM sample using the FIB device described above, outside the FIB device a fixing table to which the TEM sample 107 is fixed is attached to the TEM sample holder, and after TEM observation in the event that the TEM sample is processed again, it is necessary to remove the fixing table to which the TEM sample is fixed is from the TEM sample holder, fix the sample holder again, and convey onto the sample stage inside the FIB device. This is extremely bad from an operating point of view.
Recently, methods have been proposed where manufacture of a test piece, such as a TEM sample, and fixing to a sample holder for observation of the manufactured test piece (such as a TEM sample holder) can be carried out sequentially inside the FIB device. As one example, there is a sample manufacturing device as disclosed in Japanese Patent laid-open No. 2000-155081. FIG. 12 shows the schematic structure of this sample manufacturing device.
The sample manufacturing device shown in FIG. 12 has an FIB irradiation optical system 202, a secondary electron detector 203, a deposition gas source 204, a sample movement mechanism 206, a test piece probe movement mechanism 209 and an observation sample holder movement mechanism 211 provided in a sample processing chamber 201 that has been evacuated using a vacuum pump 200.
The sample movement mechanism 206 has an original sample 5 mounted thereon, and imparts relative displacement for an FIB original sample 5 irradiated from the FIB irradiation optical system 202 with respect to the original sample 5. The test piece probe movement mechanism 209 has a test piece probe holder 208 attached thereto, and enables three dimensional movement of the test piece probe holder 208. An observation sample holder 210 is attached to the observation sample holder movement mechanism 211, and three dimensional movement of the attached observation sample holder 210 is enabled. These movement mechanisms enable delivery of a test piece probe 207 between the test piece probe holder 208 and the observation sample holder 210.
With the above described sample manufacturing device, a specific site of a wafer, being the original sample 5, is processed by an FIB from the FIB irradiation optical system 202 to form a cantilever shaped test piece, a specific site of the test piece probe 207 held on the test piece probe holder 208 is brought into contact with part of this cantilever shaped test piece, and fixed by deposition processing. Also, part of the cantilever shape is processed by the FIB from the FIB irradiation optical system 202 to be cut away, and a test piece is separated from the original sample 5. The test piece probe 207 to which the separated test piece is fixed is then delivered from the test piece probe holder 208 to the observation sample holder 210.
As well as the above, there is an FIB sample manufacturing device provided with a side entry stage to which it is possible to attach a TEM sample holder, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 2002-62226. FIG. 13 shows the schematic structure of this FIB manufacturing device.
The FIB manufacturing device shown in FIG. 13 has an ion beam irradiation system 301, a manipulator 305, a TEM sample stage 306, being a side entry stage, and a wafer sample stage 304, to which a wafer 303 is fixed, provided in an FIB sample chamber 302 that has been evacuated by an evacuation pump, not shown.
The vicinity of the center of the FIB sample chamber 302 constitutes an FIB processing position, and the ion beam irradiation system 301 is arranged so that the optical axis passes through the vicinity of the center of the FIB sample chamber 302. The TEM sample stage 306 is capable of movement in the horizontal direction (the direction of the arrow B), and it is possible to insert a TEM sample holder that is shared between this FIB sample manufacturing device and a separately prepared TEM device. The wafer sample stage 304 is provided with a movement mechanism for moving up an down in the vertical direction, that is, the direction of arrow A (Z direction) along the optical axis of the ion beam irradiation system 301 (central axis of the lens barrel).
With the above described FIB sample manufacturing device, first of all, after the TEM sample stage 306 has been made to retreat to a position that is sufficiently apart from the FIB processing position, the wafer sample stage 304 with the wafer 303 mounted thereon is moved to the FIB processing position. Then, a specific site of the wafer 303 is processed by an ion beam from the ion beam irradiation system 301, and part of that processed section is taken out and held by the manipulator 305 as a TEM test piece.
Next, as shown in FIG. 14, after the wafer sample stage 304 has been made to retreat to a position that is sufficiently apart from the FIB processing position, the TEM sample stage 306 to which a TEM sample holder 311 is attached is moved to the FIB processing position, and the previously held TEM test piece is fixed to a specified part of the TEM sample holder 311 using the manipulator 305. Then, an ion beam from the ion beam irradiation system 301 is irradiated to the test piece fixed to the TEM sample holder 311 to perform finishing processing.
According to the above described FIB sample manufacturing device, it is possible to carry out processing to manufacture a TEM test piece from a wafer and processing to fix the manufactured test piece to a TEM sample holder inside the FIB sample chamber. Further, when processing the TEM test piece again after TEM observation, it is possible to simply attach the TEM sample holder to the TEM sample stage of the FIB sample manufacturing device again.
As described above, with sample manufacture using the FIB device shown in FIG. 10, there is a problem that operability is bad.
In the sample manufacturing device disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 2000-155081, since manufacture of a test piece and fixing of the manufactured test piece to a test piece observation sample holder within the FIB device is carried out sequentially, it is possible to solve the above described problem with respect to operability, However, in this case there is the following problem.
At the FIB device, since with the above described stricture it is not possible to make the sample processing chamber 203 very large, the FIB irradiation optical system 202, gas source 204, detector 203, sample movement mechanism 206, observation sample holder 210 and the test piece probe holder 208 are arranged close together in the limited space of the sample chamber 263. With the structure shown in FIG. 12, the observation sample holder 210 and the test piece probe holder 208 both have tips arranged in the horizontal direction so as to cross at the FIB processing position, and with this type of arrangement there is sometimes interference between each of the holders and the sample movement mechanism 206 arranged below the FIB processing position.
By causing the sample movement mechanism 206 to retreat sufficiently from the FIB processing position, it is possible to avoid interference with the holders, but in limited space it is difficult to ensure a space for retreating, and it is not practical. Also, if, for argument's sake, it was possible to ensure such a space, the sample processing chamber 203 would be enlarged by the extent of that space, and the device would be made larger. If the sample processing chamber 203 is made larger, it will become impossible to sufficiently evacuate the inside of the chamber. Also, because the stroke of the sample movement mechanism 206 will be made longer, there is a danger of FIB processing precision being lowered due to vibration.
In the FIB sample manufacturing device disclosed in Japanese patent laid-open No. 2002-62226 it is also possible to solve the above described issue regarding operability, but there is the following type of problem.
As shown in FIG. 13, the wafer sample stage 104 and the TEM sample stage 106 move respectively in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction so as not to interfere with each other. It is difficult to ensure this type of movement space in the limited space of the sample chamber, and is not really possible. Also, the device (sample chamber) is enlarged by the extent of any movement space provided, making the device bulky. Further, if the sample chamber is made larger, it will become impossible to sufficiently evacuate the inside of the sample chamber.
Also, in order to move the wafer sample holder 104 to a position where it does not interfere with the TEM sample stage 106, a certain stroke length is required. If the stroke length of the wafer sample stage 104 is made long, the FIB processing precision will be lowered due to vibration of the wafer sample stage 104.
The object of the present invention is to solve each of the above described problems in the conventional art, and to provide a compact sample manufacturing device in which a sample stage and an observation sample holder (side entry stage) do not interfere.
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Respiration humidifiers generally used at present (as that described in, e.g., DE 195 08 803 A1) use a humidification chamber, in which heated water is distributed over a large surface. The respiratory gas is passed over this surface. During the contact with the water, the respiratory gas is heated and humidified. This system does not remain sterile, because it is in connection with both the ambient air and the returning water of condensation of the inspiration tube. In addition, this system has too high a compliance, which makes use difficult precisely in the case of premature and full-term newborn babies. The wish to integrate the respiration humidifier within the respirator is hindered by the size of the humidification chamber, as well as its position-dependent function.
The respiration humidifier described in DE 196 21 541 C1 has a membrane type humidifier with a hollow fiber module, which maintains the desired sterility of the water over a long time and also only has a small size. The drawback is that the breathing resistance is not negligible; it is 2 mbar at a respiratory gas flow rate of 60 L/minute. The breathing resistance is especially significant in cases in which the respirator fails and the patient must be supplied spontaneously via an emergency respirator. Excessively high breathing resistances cannot be overcome by the patient. Another drawback of this respiration humidifier is that the hollow fiber module has a wet surface on the respiration side, which may become contaminated with microorganisms after a certain time. These respiration modules must therefore be cleaned and sterilized or completely replaced as disposable parts at regular intervals. This leads to correspondingly high operating costs in the case of this system.
Another possibility of humidifying the respiratory gas is described in DE 43 03 645 C2. A sintered material is placed into a water bath having constant water level and heated. The respiratory gas sweeps past the sintered material, is heated and humidified. This system is intended for humidification in the case of insufflation, while the respiratory gas flow is constant. It is not suitable for respiration, because the humidity and the temperature cannot be controlled independently from one another. The breathing resistance and the compliance are too high. In addition, it is an open system from a hygienic viewpoint, both from the water supply side (with a float chamber, which is in connection with the ambient air), and from the respiratory gas side. The sintered surface may become contaminated very rapidly during periods of no respiration. The operating temperature is even favorable for the formation of microorganisms, and the sintered material with its fine pores is especially accommodating for microorganisms.
Another respiration humidifier has been known from DE-PS 27 02 674; water is boiled off in this humidifier in an evaporation chamber and the respiratory gas saturated with water vapor is sent to a superheater, which is controlled by the respiratory gas temperature of the patient system. The water supply is not separated from the outside air in a sterile manner. The evaporation chamber and the superheater are directly in the respiratory gas system and they must therefore be cleaned and sterilized before they are used for another patient. The design is correspondingly complex. The application of such a system to respirators has not proved successful, either.
Another prior-art respiration humidifier (see DE 43 12 793 C2) uses a heated evaporation chamber, to which water is fed via an injection needle. The evaporation chamber is maintained at a temperature of about 120.degree. C.
A respiration humidifier has been known from DE-AS 25 16 496; this respiration humidifier has the drawback in practice that it is set at a constant evaporation capacity and operated in an uncontrolled manner. As a result, it heats the respiratory gas at different intensities, depending on the existing flow rate. The humidification of the respiratory gas is also uncontrolled; it is obtained from the heating power set and the flow rate. Either the respiratory gas is supersaturated, which correspondingly causes condensation into the condensate container provided for that purpose, or the respiratory gas is humidified insufficiently.
According to a completely different procedure, the water needed for the humidification is metered directly with a pump and is evaporated in a heating chamber (see, e.g., EP 0 716 861 A1, which shows a hose pump and a chamber for evaporating anesthetics). Even though such devices are technically more complicated, because they must actively meter the amount of water in proportion to the respiratory gas flow, they can be made very small, and they do not generate, in general, any additional breathing resistance.
Finally, DE 41 16 512 A1 describes an anesthetic evaporator, in which the respiratory gas flows through a heated, porous sintered material. If the anesthetic evaporator were used as a respiration humidifier, it would heat and humidify the breathing gas. However, separate heating and humidification of the respiratory gas is not possible in this arrangement. In addition, the respiratory gas would come directly into contact with the liquid, which could lead to problems in terms of sterility.
To complement the background information, one should mention the use of passive artificial noses (HME: Heat and Moisture Exchangers), which assume the bridged-over function of the natural upper airways (see DE 41 30 724 A1). These HMEs are adapted by necessity to the Y-piece of the breathing tube system, i.e., to the connection of the tube. The warm and humid air is stored in a moisture and heat exchanger during breathing out by the patient, and it is again released during breathing in. It was possible to markedly improve the efficiencies of such systems in the past years due to improved materials of the exchange surface. As a result, these systems have been increasingly used for the long-term respiration of adults. The technical effort is small. They are, in general, disposable systems, which are removed and replaced with new ones at regular intervals. Yet, the humidification and heating capacity (line) of the systems is insufficient for especially ill patients. There have therefore been developments aimed at improving this passive system by an active humidification and heating (see, e.g., EP 0 567 158 A2); however, this is again technically complicated and leads to the need to lead many cables and tubes to the patient.
These artificial noses also have another serious drawback, which is inherent to the system: The breathing resistance is very high. Another exacerbating factor is that the systems very rapidly become contaminated by the aspiration of the patient and they also become clogged in this case. In many modes of respiration, the clogging of the artificial nose cannot be detected by the monitoring means, so that such systems may bring the patient into a hazardous situation, unless the internal pulmonary pressure (or esophageal pressure) is directly measured. However, being invasive measurements, such measurements are currently not accepted in practice and they also contradict the search for a simple system.
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In systems of this type the tentering chains carry tenter bodies which in turn support the above mentioned tentering hooks or clamps. Additionally, the tenter bodies carry guide rollers which run along guide surfaces of the guide rails of the system. The tenter bodies are pivoted to the chain links and it is desirable that the chain pitch is adjustable. The term "chain pitch" in this context means the on-center spacing between two chain bolts that pivot or journal neighboring chain links and tenter bodies to each other.
A tentering chain as described above is known, for example, from U.S. Pat. No. 4,890,365 (Langer) corresponding to German Patent (DE) 3,716,603. The tentering chain disclosed in the just mentioned publications has a continuously adjustable pitch, whereby the adjustment is accomplished by means of bellcranks which interconnect neighboring chain links. Tilting of the bellcranks adjusts the chain pitch. However, such tilting of the bellcranks is limited, so that the chain pitch can only be changed within a narrow range of about 1.5% of the normal chain pitch. At the same time, however, the dimensions of the known tentering chain are quite substantial so that, for example, the pitch itself was 7.5 inches and it is difficult to make this pitch smaller in a conventional chain.
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Present day photolithographic printing plates are conventionally formed of a mono- or multimetal base substrate having a coating of light sensitive, photochemically reactive material thereon. Such light sensitive, photochemically reactive materials employed in lithography, including presensitized polymer formulations will hereinafter be generally referred to and broadly identified as "photopolymer" or "photopolymeric" coatings or materials.
One widely used example thereof is the conventional bimetal plate formed of an aluminum alloy or stainless steel base substrate having a thin layer of copper on the surface thereof which, in turn, is overlaid by a photopolymer coating thereon. After exposure, the portions of the photopolymeric coating definitive of the non-image areas are removed and the thus exposed underlying copper surface etched away to expose the base substrate surface which is, if it is stainless steel for example, of pronounced water receptive or hydrophilic character. Following such copper removal in the non-image areas, the portions of the photopolymeric coating definitive of the image areas are then removed to expose the underlying oleophilic copper surface thereunder. Plates of this type are generally characterized by high print quality and relatively long press life and, despite their relatively expensive nature, have been extensively used in recent years.
Another and less expensive example thereof is the conventional monometal plate formed of an aluminum alloy base substrate having the surface thereof appropriately grained and anodized and overlaid with a photopolymeric coating. Such coating, which in this type plate is not entirely removed and portions of which ultimately will serve as the oleophilic image defining area of the finished and developed plate, can be either positive or negative working, depending upon its chemical nature. Plates of this type, although relatively less costly and offering simplified processing procedures, are generally characterized by shorter press life and higher frequency of print quality problems occasioned by the durability of the photopolymer surface, the adhesion of the photopolymer to the substrate, and the brittle nature and other characteristics of the anodized non-image defining surface areas on the plate.
The performance inadequacies of the above described monometal presensitized photopolymer type coated plates, sometimes called "surface" plates, together with the inherent more difficult processing requirements for the above described and more expensive bimetal type plate, as compounded by current EPA regulatory requirements relating to the disposition of heavy metals and corrosive etchants, has created a need for an improved photopolymer printing plate that offers the advantageous print quality and long press life characteristics of the bimetal plate with the advantageous simplified processing procedures of the monometal photopolymer coated type plate.
Recent developments in the art have demonstrated the commercial practicality of forming improved photopolymer coated printing plates of the second type described above, i.e. of the type where a developed photopolymer surface is definitive of the image area on a finished plate, by the direct deposition of chromium on a base metal substrate, such as aluminum alloy or steel, overlaid with a coating of either a positive or negative working photopolymer thereon. Normal processing of either of these plates, i.e. positive or negative working, yields a chromium surfaced non-image area which, after finishing, is highly hydrophilic in character. Such plates, as disclosed in copending application Ser. No. 134,636, filed Apr. 11, 1980, present an electrodeposited chromium surface having an improved secondary grain structure characterized by a close packed, cragged surface and a labyrinthine understructure compositely defining an electroplated layer of high surface area and porosity that provides for markedly better adhesion of the pre-exposed photopolymer coating thereon, improved water carrying characteristics in the processed plate, an increased press life because of the improved durability of the chromium surface, and an enhanced print quality on press. The high surface area and porosity characteristics of such electrodeposited chromium layer have somewhat restricted the selection of photopolymeric coatings that can be most effectively utilized thereon to those that can attain the required degree of adhesion to the underlying chromium layer and yet also permit, after exposure, easy and effective removal thereof from the non-image areas during the subsequent development process. While not fully understood at the present time, it is believed that a combination of the high surface area, porosity and labyrinthine understructure of the electrodeposited chromium layer results in the entrapment of minute amounts of photopolymer in the non-image areas of the developed plate which causes tinting or scumming sensitivity on press. Performance data obtained to date indicates a markedly improved press life and print quality, but with further increases in press life being limited by scumming or tinting rather than by plate wear, railroad tracking or blinding.
The use of sealant coating compositions to improve various aspects of lithographic printing plate performance is broadly old in the art. One prior suggestion is exemplarly disclosed in the 1956 and 1957 Bradstreet et al. U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,763,569 and 2,814,988 and another in the later 1966 Leonard U.S. Pat. No. 3,247,791. In the earlier Bradstreet patents, a method is disclosed for forming a white refractory type coating of extremely minute zirconia crystallites by the rapid thermal decomposition of minute droplets of a dilute solution of ammonium-zirconyl carbonate sprayed toward the surface of a zinc or aluminum lithographic plate substrate maintained at a temperature of 400.degree.-500.degree. F. The later Leonard patent disclosed a different chemical approach for a sealant surface utilizing phosphomolybdate coatings obtained by immersion of a plate in a molybdenum-phosphate solution followed by subsequent immersion in a sealing bath.
This invention may be briefly described, in its broad aspects, as an improved chrome surfaced photopolymer printing plate having a zirconium base, water insoluble, glasslike, thin and transparent compound selectively disposed intermediate the recessed portions of the chromium surface and an overlying coating of unexposed photopolymeric material. In a narrower aspect, the invention includes an improved lithographic photopolymer printing plate compositely formed of a close packed, cragged surfaced and highly porous layer of electrodeposited chromium on an aluminum alloy or steel base substrate, a thin layer of a water insoluble, zirconium base, transparent and glasslike compound selectively disposed in the nether recesses of said chromium layer and an overlying coating of unexposed photopolymeric material. In a still narrower aspect, the invention includes means for modifying the surface area and porosity characteristics of an electrodeposited chromium surface on a photopolymer lithographic printing plate. In still another aspect, the subject invention includes a method for selectively forming a relatively thin layer of a water insoluble, transparent and glasslike zirconium base compound on an electrodeposited surface layer of chromium on an aluminum alloy or steel base substrate photopolymer printing plate.
Among the advantages of the subject invention is the provision of a surface area reducing and porosity modifying compound for application to an electrodeposited chromium surface on a printing plate that is characterized by pronounced and prolonged water and fountain solution insolubility. Another advantage is the provision of a surface area and porosity modifying compound for chrome surfaced printing plates that does not deleteriously affect the adhesion of an overlying coating of photopolymer material thereto and which greatly minimizes background sensitivity and scumming on the non-image areas of a developed and finished printing plate. Another advantage of the subject invention is an improved surface area and porosity modifying compound that inhibits plate corrosion. A still further advantage of the subject invention is the provision of an improved surface area and porosity modifying coating compound for chrome surfaced lithographic photopolymer plates that is of pronounced hydrophobic character when coated with photopolymeric material, but which becomes possessed of pronounced hydrophilic characteristics in the non-image areas of the plate after exposure, development and finishing of the plate. A still further advantage is the provision of a directly chrome plated lithographic photopolymer printing plate that is attended by a marked reduction in tinting and scumming tendencies and an attendant significant increase in effective press life and print quality.
The primary object of this invention is the provision of an improved lithographic photopolymer printing plate.
Another primary object of this invention is the provision of an improved chrome plated lithographic photopolymer printing plate of the type wherein the chrome plated surface is of pronounced hydrophilic character after exposure, developing and finishing and is definitive of the non-image area in a press-ready plate.
Other objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent from the following portions of this specification and from the appended photomicrograph which depicts a presently preferred embodiment of a chromium plated printing plate having a surface area and porosity modifying coating incorporating the principles of this invention disposed thereon.
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Dementia results from a wide variety of distinctive pathological processes. The most common pathological processes causing dementia are Alzheimer's disease (“AD”), cerebral amyloid angiopathy (“CM”) and prion-mediated diseases (see, e.g., Haan et al., Clin. Neurol. Neurosurg., 1990, 92(4):305-310; Glenner et al., J. Neurol. Sci., 1989, 94:1-28). AD is a progressive, neurodegenerative disorder characterized by memory impairment and cognitive dysfunction. AD affects nearly half of all people past the age of 85, the most rapidly growing portion of the United States population. As such, the number of AD patients in the United States is expected to increase from about 4 million to about 14 million by 2050.
The accumulation of amyloid-β (Aβ peptides) is believed to be one of the underlying causes of Alzheimer's Disease (AD), which is the most common cause of cognitive decline in the elderly (Hardy & Allsop, Trends Pharmacol Sci., 1991; 12(10):383-8; Selkoe, Behay. Brain Res., 2008; 192(1):106-13). Aβ, the major protein constituent of amyloid plaques, is derived from sequential cleavage of the type I integral membrane protein, amyloid precursor protein (APP) by two proteases, β- and γ-secretase. Proteolytic cleavage of APP by the β-site APP cleaving enzymes (BACE1 and BACE2) generates a soluble N-terminal ectodomain of APP (sAPPβ) and the C-terminal fragment C99. Subsequent cleavage of the membrane-bound C99 fragment by the γ-secretase liberates the various Aβ peptide species, of which Aβ40 and Aβ42 are the most predominant forms (Vassar et al., J. Neurosci., 2009; 29(41):12787-94; Marks & Berg, Neurochem. Res., 2010; 35:181-210). Therefore, limiting the generation of Aβ directly through inhibition of BACE1 is one of the most attractive approaches for the treatment of AD, as BACE1 inhibitors could effectively inhibit the formation of all predominant Aβ peptides.
In addition, it has been determined that BACE1 knock-out mice had markedly enhanced clearance of axonal and myelin debris from degenerated fibers, accelerated axonal regeneration, and earlier reinnervation of neuromuscular junctions compared with littermate controls. These data suggest BACE1 inhibition as a therapeutic approach to accelerate regeneration and recovery after peripheral nerve damage. (See Farah et al., J. Neurosci., 2011, 31(15): 5744-5754).
Insulin resistance and impaired glucose homoeostasis are important indicators of Type 2 diabetes and are early risk factors of AD. In particular, there is a higher risk of sporadic AD in patients with Type 2 diabetes and AD patients are more prone to Type 2 diabetes (Butler, Diabetes, 53:474-481, 2004.). Recently, it has also been proposed that AD should be reconsidered as Type 3 diabetes (de la Monte, J. Diabetes Sci. Technol., 2008; 2(6):1101-1113). Of special interest is the fact that AD and Type 2 diabetes share common pathogenic mechanisms and possibly treatments (Park S. A., J. Clin. Neurol., 2011; 7:10-18; Raffa, Br. J. Clin. Pharmacol 2011, 71(3):365-376). Elevated plasma levels of Aβ, the product of BACE activities, were recently associated with hyperglycemia and obesity in humans (see Meakin et al., Biochem J., 2012, 441(1):285-96.; Martins, Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, 8 (2005) 269-282). Moreover, increased Aβ production prompts the onset of glucose intolerance and insulin resistance in mice (Cózar-Castellano, Am. J. Physiol. Endocrinol. Metab., 302:E1373-E1380, 2012; Delibegovic, Diabetologia (2011) 54:2143-2151). Finally, it is also suggested that circulating Aβ could participate in the development of atherosclerosis in both humans and mice (De Meyer, Atherosclerosis 216 (2011) 54-58; Catapano, Atherosclerosis 210 (2010) 78-87; Roher, Biochimica et Biophysica Acta 1812 (2011) 1508-1514).
Therefore, it is believed that BACE1 levels may play a critical role in glucose and lipid homoeostasis in conditions of chronic nutrient excess. Specifically, BACE1 inhibitors may be potentially useful for increasing insulin sensitivity in skeletal muscle and liver as illustrated by the fact that reduction in BACE1 decreases body weight, protects against diet-induced obesity and enhances insulin sensitivity in mice (see Meakin et al., Biochem. J. 2012, 441(1):285-96). Of equal interest is the identification of LRP1 as a BACE1 substrate and the potential link to atherosclerosis (Strickland, Physiol. Rev., 88: 887-918, 2008; Hyman, J. Biol. Chem., Vol. 280, No. 18, 17777-17785, 2005).
Likewise, inhibition of BACE2 is proposed as a treatment of Type 2 diabetes with the potential to preserve and restore β-cell mass and stimulate insulin secretion in pre-diabetic and diabetic patients (WO2011/020806). BACE2 is a β-cell enriched protease that regulates pancreatic β cell function and mass and is a close homologue of BACE1. Pharmacological inhibition of BACE2 increases β-cell mass and function, leading to the stabilization of Tmem27. (See Esterhazy et al., Cell Metabolism 2011, 14(3): 365-377). It is suggested that BACE2 inhibitors are useful in the treatment and/or prevention of diseases associated with the inhibition of BACE2 (e.g., Type 2 diabetes, with the potential to preserve and restore β-cell mass and stimulate insulin secretion in pre-diabetic and diabetic patients) (WO2011/020806).
Aminodihydrothiazine or thioamidine compounds are described in US2009/0082560, WO 2009/091016 and WO 2010/038686 as useful inhibitors of the β-secretase enzyme. Co-pending PCT application, PCT/162012/054198, filed by Pfizer Inc on Aug. 17, 2012, also describes aminodihydrothiazine compounds that are useful inhibitors of the β-secretase enzyme. The present invention is directed to novel thioamidine compounds and their use in the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases, including AD, as well as the treatment of metabolic diseases and conditions such as diabetes and obesity.
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to floss dispensers and more particularly pertains to a new combination writing utensil and floss dispenser for writing and dispensing floss.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of floss dispensers is known in the prior art. More specifically, floss dispensers heretofore devised and utilized are known to consist basically of familiar, expected and obvious structural configurations, notwithstanding the myriad of designs encompassed by the crowded prior art which have been developed for the fulfillment of countless objectives and requirements.
Known prior art includes U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,782,397; 3,963,358; 1,646,082; 2,512,168; 4,887,621; and U.S. Pat. No. Des. 115,916.
While these devices fulfill their respective, particular objectives and requirements, the aforementioned patents do not disclose a new combination writing utensil and floss dispenser. The inventive device includes an outer housing with separable dispensing and writing portions, opposite dispensing and writing ends, a longitudinal axis extending between the ends, and a marking device disposed in the housing and that is partially extendible through an opening in the writing end. A spool is rotatably or fixedly disposed in the dispensing portion. The spool has floss wrapped around it, a length of which extends through an aperture in the dispensing end of the housing. The dispensing end has a cutting means for cutting the floss.
In these respects, the combination writing utensil and floss dispenser according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in so doing provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of writing and dispensing floss.
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The liver is a vital organ of the digestive system which performs a wide range of functions, including protein synthesis, hormone production and glycogen storage. It consists of four lobes of unequal size and shape, and is connected to two major blood vessels, the hepatic vein and the portal vein. Liver resections, also referred to as hepatectomies, are performed for the treatment of malignant neoplasms, including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and/or metastasis commonly arising from colorectal cancer. Hepatectomies may also be performed to treat intrahepatic gallstones or parasitic cysts of the liver.
Traditional liver surgery planning is based on visual observation of a series of two-dimensional (2D) computed tomography (CT) images. Before a hepatectomy, the radiologist or surgeon needs to characterize the anatomic structure of the patient's liver and its components. The hepatic vein, the portal vein, functional lobes and the cancer tumors have to be identified and located on the 2D CT images. This process is known as segmentation. Following the segmentation step, a resection curve is drawn on the 2D CT images by the radiologist or surgeon. This process is manually intensive and time consuming. Furthermore, the success of traditional liver surgery planning is highly dependent on the skill of the radiologist and/or surgeon. Moreover, while most radiologists prefer surgery planning by drawing resection curves on different 2D CT images, many surgeons are naturally three dimensionally (3D) oriented, rendering it difficult for surgeons to perform liver surgery planning based on traditional 2D radiological methods.
Automated liver surgery planning systems have been developed to identify anatomical, pathological and functional parts of the liver from 2D CT scans, to visualize a 3D model of the liver, and to generate a resection proposal for the surgeon. Computer-aided liver surgery planning systems may also propose a safety margin around specific hepatic features such as the portal vein and the hepatic vein, or propose a resection plan based on a required resection volume. However, the current computer-aided liver surgery planning systems are complicated, preventing untrained surgeons from utilizing the systems effectively. In addition, the accuracy and success of the simulation is highly dependent on the initial data that is provided by the user and is still dependent upon the skill of the radiologist and/or surgeon.
Thus, what is needed is an improved computer-aided liver surgery planning system that is easy to use and produces an optimized, customizable and robust liver resection proposal for the user. Furthermore, other desirable features and characteristics will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and this background of the disclosure.
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This invention relates to an improvement of a spray device for spraying a mold releasing agent onto inner surfaces of mold halves of a die casting machine after taking out a molded product from the mold halves and blowing off chips remaining in the mold halves to clean the inner surfaces thereof.
A prior art die casting machine including a spray device is schematically shown in FIG. 1, in which a hydraulic or pneumatic cylinder-piston assembly 1 is secured to a stationary die plate 3 through a bracket 2 attached thereto. A spray head 4 provided with a plurality of spray guns 6 each having a cock is supported by the lower end of a piston rod 5 of the cylinder-piston assembly 1 so as to be vertically movable in accordance with the operation of the assembly 1. Movable and stationary mold halves 7 and 8 are supported by movable and stationary die plates 9 and 3, respectively.
In FIG. 1, the spray guns 6 eject a mold releasing agent such as Chem-Trend (Trade Mark, Chem-Trend Corp., U.S.A.) for preventing seizure of molten metal injected into the die mold halves. After the mold releasing agent has been sprayed, the spray head 4 is raised by the operation of the cylinder-piston assembly 1 and the movable die plate 9 is then slidably moved so as to engage the movable mold half 7 with the stationary mold half 8.
With the arrangement of the die casting machine of the type described above, the spray device of the die casting machine has to be moved to a position where the spray head 4 does not hinder the operation for exchanging the molds every time when the movable and stationary molds are exchanged with other ones. Although it is possible to change areas of the inner surfaces of the molds to be sprayed with the mold releasing agent by properly opening or closing respective cocks of the spray guns 6 in accordance with the dimensions of the molds exchanged, it is required to increase the stroke of the piston rod 5 in conformity with the dimensions of the molds. It is important to spray the mold releasing agent in a quantity which is sufficient, but, not excessive, over the entire surfaces of the molds. However, in an actual injection molding work, since various molds having different dimensions are used, a spray head with a number of spray guns must be used in order to satisfactorily spray the mold releasing agent onto the inner surfaces of the molds. This fact increases the number of spray guns 6, and elongates the piston stroke of the cylinder-piston assembly 1. Moreover, mist of the sprayed mold releasing agent is often generated when the mold releasing agent is sprayed from a large number of spray guns, and the spray guns 6 are choked by adhesion of splashed mold releasing agent. For the reason described above, troublesome maintenance of the spray guns should be made periodically, which results in additional work for an operator. Furthermore, after one spraying process, the spray head 4 is raised directly upwardly and the movable mold half 7 is moved to engage the stationary mold half 8. At this time, die molds or a molded product are often spoiled by "after-dribble" of the mold releasing agent from the spray guns 6 positioned directly above the molds. The drops or after-dribble of the mold releasing agent damage the appearance and quality of the molded product.
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Single wafer integration, wherein all the components of a device are formed simultaneously on one wafer, has been a standard and successful practice in the semiconductor industry for decades. In the emerging fields of micromechanics and microsystems, however, advanced designs increasingly require a multiple wafer integration strategy, where the various components of a device are fabricated onto a plurality of wafers and then the processed wafers are bonded together to form the final product. The design situations that necessitate multiple wafer integration include complicated three-dimensional geometries, incompatibilities among fabrication processes and, particularly, the need to build device components on a wide palette of non-silicon starting wafer material types.
A number of bonding techniques are known that can produce strong, reliable bonds between wafers. Fusion bonding is a direct bonding process where two clean, flat surfaces, such as silicon, silicon dioxide, or silicon nitride, are covalently bonded through the application of pressure and heat. In anodic bonding a silicon surface and a borosilicate glass surface are fused through the application of strong electric fields and heat. Adhesive bonding is applicable to the widest range of wafer materials, but the bond strengths achieved are typically lower than those for either fusion or anodic bonding. Independent of the bonding method used, the first step in wafer bonding is to position the wafers in fixed relation.
There are applications where wafer bonding is performed without a precise alignment of the wafers to be bonded. If at least one of the wafers contains no device features then only a very coarse alignment may be necessary. This is the case for high purity silicon on insulator (SOI), where a bare silicon wafer is fusion bonded to a silicon dioxide-coated silicon wafer, and also when a bare wafer is bonded to a device wafer to serve as a cap or seal. In general, however, wafer bonding requires the initial steps of accurately aligning the components of a first wafer with the components of a second wafer and then holding the wafers in fixed relation for the bonding process.
Current methods for aligning wafers prior to bonding are time-consuming and require expensive equipment. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,236,118, entitled, "Aligned Wafer Bonding" by Bower et al. describes a wafer bonding process which uses a wafer aligned with precision mechanical stages and a sophisticated imaging system to optically align the wafers. The Bower et al patent teaches the use of infrared viewing to facilitate alignment of wafers. Wafer aligners based on infrared or alternative optical techniques are offered commercially by several semiconductor equipment manufacturers. They compare in complexity and price to lithographic contact aligners and require a similarly high level of skill to operate. For high volume manufacturing of wafer bonded devices, it would be advantageous to have a wafer bonding process with a low-cost wafer alignment step that did not require expensive capital equipment and could be performed quickly by unskilled operators or robotic assemblers. The use of commercial wafer aligners is currently restricted to the alignment of two wafers at one time. It would be a further advantage then to have a wafer alignment process that, in addition to the aforementioned benefits, could align three or more wafers for simultaneous bonding.
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to silver-containing films which develop upon being heated. In particular, the present invention relates to the use of a silver sulfonate as a physical developer in heat-developable films.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
Heat-developable or photothermographic films ordinarily contain a silver salt, a photocatalyst, a reducing agent, and binder as the major components. The photocatalyst is usually a silver halide. The silver salt serves as a physical developer by supplying the silver which forms the visible image; the prior art has placed particular emphasis on the use of silver behenate and silver benzotriazole.
Silver alkanesulfonic acid salts are described in photopolymerizable and heat developable, compositions in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,347,676 and 3,529,963. These patents do not suggest that such combinations would be applicable in silver halide speed thermographic films. U.S. Pat. No. 4,069,759 discloses silver 2-aminoethane sulfonate in a polyvinyl butyral dry process and silver system used for an electrostatic printing plate master. Japanese Patent Publication JA 52/018308 describes the use of silver fluoroalkane sulfonate in a dry silver system activated by infrared radiation.
In spite of the numerous publications in the field of heat-developable silver films, an enabling disclosure is lacking on how to employ novel physical developers such as silver sulfonates in such a system.
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1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to apparatus for combusting preheated fuel and/or preheated oxidant.
2. Related Art
There are three basic types of combustion systems based on temperature of the fuel and oxidant: First and most common burner system utilize unheated (or ambient) fuel and oxidant for combustion. Both air-fuel and oxy-fuel burners of above types are widely used in industry (see U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,199,866; 4,690,635).
The second type of burner system employs preheating the ambient fluids (fuel and oxidant) inside the burner embodiment. This method employs ambient or slightly preheated fuel and oxidant as an input to the burner. It is commonly used with air-fuel burners and combustion engines. U.S. Pat. No. 4,257,762 describes one such method where preheated forced draft air is used for preheating fuel gas by partial mixing in the burner passage. In another application (U.S. Pat. No. 5,413,477), hot flue gas is entrained inside the burner to preheat fuel and combustion air using fuel-rich and fuel-lean staged combustion. On oxy-fuel combustion systems, the concept has been adapted and the preheating of natural gas is used by mixing with another hot fluid, or partial combustion in an oxygen poor atmosphere that leads to soot formation as well as preheating (U.S. Pat. No. 5,725,366). These are known technologies where preheating of either oxidant or fuel is carried out within the burner body or burner block. In summary, the burner or burner block is used as a heater for fuel, oxidant or both. In the first stage, partial combustion of fuel with oxidant is carried out and in the second stage, subsequent mixing of hot combustion products from first stage with the remaining fuel and oxidant is carried out. Thus, overall preheating of fuel and oxidant is achieved.
Preheated air for air-fuel burner systems is known. However, most applications involve preheated combustion air (U.S. Pat. No. 4,492,568; U.S. Pat. No. 5,823,769). The traditional methods employ a refractory heat exchanger (two regenerators) to preheat combustion air in a cyclic manner. Thus, with air-fuel burners and ceramic regenerators, preheating temperatures as high as 1100.degree. C. for air containing 21 (volumetric) percent oxygen is quite common. The air is preheated in such devices by periodic (or cyclic) flow through a given regenerator (such as checkers containing ceramic elements) that have been preheated by the hot flue gases during the previous cycle. The disadvantage of above heat recovery system is that it can not utilize pure oxygen. The first reason is safety related. The flue gas-leaving the furnace is usually dirty due to entrained process particulates, fuel, condensate and vapors, which can deposit on the heated checker surfaces in one cycle and then react readily with preheated oxygen in the next cycle. This may create explosive conditions. The second reason is due to slippage of preheated oxygen (precious commodity) through refractory cracks and joints of the regenerator structure.
The use of metallic recuperators is also widespread but the preheat temperatures are lower than 700.degree. C. due to the metallic construction and corrosion effects of hot oxidant (air) and flue gases on the metallic parts of the recuperator. Yet these kinds of air-fuel heat recovery systems have lower thermal efficiency due to the nitrogen contained in the air. This inert nitrogen has to be heated to process temperature and this heat is simply wasted. In addition, nitrogen at high temperature triggers the forming of NOx.
The preheated oxygen for combustion has been used before in the case of a reforming reactor (U.S. Pat. No. 5,588,974) where oxygen and steam are used to transform hydrocarbons into hydrogen and carbon monoxide. The hot oxidizing mixture is fed into the reactor at temperatures ranging from 500.degree. F. to 1200.degree. F. The object was to reform fuel into H.sub.2 and CO by partial combustion. The combustion was not carried out in stoichiometric proportions to release heat for heating applications such as steel melting, glass melting, heat treatment, etc. The objective of the present invention is different since it deals with a combustion burner, where fuel is combusted with oxygen in nearly stoichiometric proportions.
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductor laser device with a dielectric multilayer film.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, a semiconductor laser has resonator end faces formed by wafer cleavage, and dielectric films are formed on the resonator end faces. A desired reflectance of each end face can be controlled by arbitrarily selecting species, film thickness and number of layers of the dielectric film on the end face.
Such a reflective film requires not only characteristics of arbitrarily controllable reflectance but also of high tolerance to degrading due to catastrophic optical damage (COD). The COD degradation means that the film on the end face of a laser device is heated up by absorbing laser light and then melted down as temperature rises, resulting in destruction of the end face.
When forming a reflective film with 40% or more of reflectance, for example, a dielectric multilayer film with a low refractive index film and a high refractive index film laminated alternately is employed in general. The related prior arts are listed as follows:
[Document 1] Japanese Patent Unexamined Publications (koukai): JP-H10-247756 (1998), A
[Document 2] Japanese Patent Unexamined Publications (koukai): JP-2001-267677, A
[Document 3] Japanese Patent Unexamined Publications (koukai): JP-2002-305348, A
For example, the document 2 (JP-2001-267677) employs a multilayer reflective film of five layers including a Al2O3 film and a Si film containing oxygen for the high reflective film on the rear end face of a semiconductor laser, in which introduction of oxygen into a deposition process of Si film enables an extinction coefficient of Si to decrease, thereby preventing the COD degradation. However, with laser oscillation wavelength shortened and laser power heightened, the Si film is likely to have an optical absorption coefficient, which may exceed a certain limit to cause the COD degradation.
Meanwhile, the document 1 (JP-H10-247756) employs a multilayer film of titanium oxide (TiO2) and silicon oxide (SiO2) for the reflective film on the optical exit face of a semiconductor laser to improve the COD level. However, titanium oxide has low thermal stability in emission and is likely to age. Therefore, the reflectance may change because of variations of thickness and refractive index of the film, finally the COD degradation will occur.
Moreover, the document 3 (JP-2002-305348) employs a multilayer film of niobium oxide (Nb2O3) and silicon oxide (SiO2) for the reflective film on the end face of the resonator of a semiconductor laser with an oscillation wavelength of 400 nm.
In conventional semiconductor lasers, a multilayer reflective film including a high refractive index film, such as Si film, titanium oxide (TiO2) film, is studied. However, with laser power further heightened in the future, temperature of the laser end face will increasingly rise in emission. Therefore, the COD degradation and the aging, such as change of reflectance due to variations of thickness and refractive index, are concerned.
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This invention relates generally to thermal printing, and more specifically, it relates to a method and apparatus for high-speed, non-impact, thermal printing which provides sufficient resolution to produce specific styles of fonts such as E13B, by the American Bankers Association; OCR-A and OCR-B, by Accredited Standards Committe X3; and CMC7, by Companie des Machines Bull for example, and also for printing on plain paper or documents like checks.
One problem with many prior-art, thermal printers is that they do not provide sufficient definition or resolution of the character printed when compared to laser-xerographic or ink jet technologies.
Another problem with prior-art, thermal printers is that they generally employ specialized thermal paper which has a limited shelf life and is not the record medium of choice for a large number of applications.
Another problem with some prior-art thermal printers is that they employ a feed mechanism which feeds the record medium in a continuous manner past the recording head; this type of feed mechanism is not suitable for printing on record media like checks or deposit slips, for example, where intermittent feeding of the record media to be printed upon is encountered.
Another problem is that some prior-art, thermal printers are not compact and adaptable enough to be incorporated in an encode and sort machine, for example, which is used for printing (in specific styles or fonts, like E13B, for example) on financial documents like checks, for example.
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An air turbine starter (ATS) may be used when starting an engine, such as a gas turbine engine of an aircraft or other vehicle. Generally, the ATS can include a rotatable turbine. During startup of the gas turbine engine, air can be selectively fed to the ATS to rotate the turbine. Rotation of the ATS turbine can, in turn, rotate one or more parts of the gas turbine engine. Once the parts are rotating at a sufficient speed due to torque input from the ATS, combustion may begin in the gas turbine engine.
During rotation, the turbine may, in rare circumstances, subject other parts of the ATS to relatively high dynamic forces. Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a deformable turbine bearing mount for an air turbine starter, which deforms when the forces exceed a predetermined threshold to significantly reduce the dynamic loads. Furthermore, other desirable features and characteristics of the present disclosure will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and the foregoing technical field and background.
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Vomitoxin (deoxynivalenol or DON) is a trichothecene mycotoxin produced by Fusarium molds which occurs on cereal grains intended for consumption by livestock. Vomitoxin contamination of grains is documented to have toxic effects in many species, including pigs which appear to be the most sensitive of any species tested. Vomitoxin levels as low as 0.6 to 2.0 ppm in complete feed cause a reduction in feed intake and growth rate. Higher levels, above 5 ppm, can result in complete feed refusal, vomiting, immune suppression, and gastrointestinal lesions.
Sodium metabisulfite (NaS2O5) and sodium bisulfite (Na2SO3) have been shown to destroy vomitoxin in processed grains. The extent of destruction is dependent on heat, moisture level, and time. Feeding sodium metabisulfite to pigs has been tested in a toxicology study (The Toxicity of Sulphite. II. Short and Long-Term Feeding Studies in Pigs. H. P. Til, V. J. Feron, A. P. De Groot and P. Van Der Wal. Fd Cosmet. Toxicol. Vol. 10, pp. 463-473. Pergamon Press 1972. Printed in Great Britain.) and can be achieved with no toxic effects at levels up to 0.35% of the diet, the “no-effect” level established in the study. In view of the toxicity of vomitoxin and the toxicity of sodium metabisulfite above 0.35 wt % in pig diets, the need exists for a livestock supplement having a non-toxic level of sodium metabisulfite that is effective to reduce the toxic effects of vomitoxin.
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In conventional semiconductor technology, optical measurement techniques may be used to monitor and test structural parameters of semiconductor devices in semiconductor manufacturing, such as a feature size of a semiconductor device. Specifically, in semiconductor manufacturing, when a semiconductor device is being formed on a substrate, a corresponding structure for optical measurement may be formed in a cutting area. As shown in FIG. 1, a structure for optical measurement 1 includes a plurality of repeating units along a direction A, e.g., a straight line. The structure for optical measurement 1 is made of the same material(s) as the corresponding semiconductor device and is formed through the same steps. The structure for optical measurement 1 has identical structural parameters as the corresponding semiconductor device. Therefore, structural parameters of the structure for optical measurement 1 may be used to represent structural parameters of the corresponding semiconductor structure. By measuring structural parameters of the structure for optical measurement, the structural parameters of the corresponding semiconductor device may be obtained.
Specifically, the conventional method of optical measurements includes several steps. First of all, as shown in FIG. 1, light spot 2 may be used to illuminate the structure for optical measurement 1 such that light scatters in the structure for optical measurement 1. Optical detectors receive the incident light and scattered light for analysis and modulation. A measured scattering spectrum may be obtained.
Further, the obtained measured light scattering spectrum may be matched with each standard optical scattering spectrum in a library or database. If a match is obtained between the obtained light scattering spectrum and a standard optical scattering spectrum, the structural parameters of the standard semiconductor device structure corresponding to the standard optical scattering spectrum is considered as the structural parameters of the structure for optical measurement 1. The parameters of the standard semiconductor device structure corresponding to the standard optical scattering spectrum is further used as the structural parameters of the semiconductor device structure corresponding to the structure for optical measurement 1 and is used to estimate the quality of the semiconductor device structure. If no matching standard optical scattering spectrum may be found for the obtained light scattering spectrum, the structural parameters of the semiconductor device structure formed are considered as failing to meet the predetermined standards, and the semiconductor device structures are not qualified as good products.
However, in the conventional technology, as shown in FIG. 2, the light spot 2′ often deviates from the area of the structure for optical measurement 1′ and illuminates on a plain or void area on the substrate. Light reflection from the plain area may generate noise and reduce the reliability of the obtained light scattering spectrum. That is, the measured structure, reflected by the structural parameters, based on the obtained light scattering spectrum may not be accurate, and the obtained structural parameters of the semiconductor device structure may not be accurate.
Several solutions were developed to solve the problem mentioned above. For example, one solution includes increasing or expanding the size of the cutting area containing the structure for optical measurement. However, due to limited scribe-line space, such solution may be difficult to implement. Another solution includes decreasing or shrinking the size of the illuminating light spot to lower the probability of the light spot deviating from the structure for optical measurement so that the signal-to-noise ratio may be decreased. However, such solution often requires modifications to the corresponding equipment and thus the manufacturing cost may increase.
The disclosed methods and systems are directed to solve one or more problems set forth above and other problems.
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The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for treating white water of a paper machine. The invention especially relates to a fiber recovery process, in other words to the improvement of the "save-all" process.
Fiber recovery processes are used when usable fibrous material is entrained with the effluent from the fiber treatment processes, such as, for example, with white water being discharged in the web formation from the wire section of a paper machine. Usable fibrous material also separates to such filtrates which are separated from the fiber suspension by different slotted or perforated screens or by mainly liquid-permeable wires. It is characteristic of this fibrous material that the majority thereof comprising the finest fiber fraction in the fiber suspension.
The fiber recovery processes are carried out mostly by different filters, such as disc filters comprising a number of discs wire-coated on both sides and mounted on the horizontal axis, the discs being sunk into a vessel containing suspension to be treated. By subjecting the wire surfaces to a pressure difference, i.e. a reduced pressure from the inside or an overpressure from the outside, liquid is removed from the fiber suspension to the inside of the discs and further through the axis to the outside of the apparatus and a fiber matting is formed on the wire surfaces. Also drum filters are used in the fiber recovery processes, the filters being respectively formed by a wire-coated drum mounted to a horizontal axis, and the inner surface of which wire surface is provided with so called filtrate compartments, through which liquid is discharged from the fiber suspension. The problem with the wire surface in both filter types is that it should be able to let enormous amounts of liquid through, but at the same time prevent the fine fibrous fraction from escaping to the filtrate. The best way to carry out the filtration of white water is to first form a thin layer from the "sweetener stock" (long stock), through which layer the actual white water filtration takes place.
Usually sweetener stock is added to the white water so that immediately at the beginning of the filtration a thin filtering layer of sweetener stock is formed on the wire surface. During the first seconds of the filtration most of the fine fibrous material passes with the filtrate, which is usually returned to the inlet of the filter prior to the sweetener stock accumulating and forming a sufficient layer for an effective filtration. If such a layer is not formed at all, all fines tended to be recovered might pass through the wire surface to the filtrate water. To avoid such a situation, the amount of sweetener stock that is fed usually is such that the solids ratio between sweetener stock and white water is about 0.5-1, 1-1.5, or 1.5-2.
The longer the stock of the sweetener stock is, and the less it contains fine fraction, the better it will bind the fines, in other words prevents their entrance in the filtrate water. Thus the best sweetener stock is formed by the long stock, which has a small share of short stock and fine fraction. This impermeability is, however not the only criterium set for the quality of the sweetener stock. It is also significant how thick the fiber netting to be formed is and what kind of thickening properties it has. If the sweetener stock is optimal and the fiber netting thus of the right type, the fine material of the white water is attached thereto throughout the whole layer and not only on the surface of the sweetener stock, so that the fiber netting remains open and thus the flow channels through the fiber netting for the liquid to be filtered remain better and open longer and the capacity of the filtering apparatus is thus higher.
In all previously known save-all processes the tendency has been to affect the operation of the fiber recovery filter merely by the choice of the sweetener stock.
In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention, by treating the sweetener stock to be fed to the fiber recovery filter by a fractionation apparatus prior to mixing the sweetener stock to the white water in such a way that the short-fibred fine material is removed from the sweetener stock, the quality of the sweetener stock is thus improved and the efficiency of the operation of the fiber recovery filter increased.
The effect of the fractionation of the sweetener stock comes very apparent when, for example, mechanical pulps, TMP, SGW or PGW, having a high content of the fine material, very often over 30% and in some cases even 50%, are to be used as sweetener stock. The situation is the same also when secondary pulp is used as sweetener stock, which will in the future become more and more usual as the use of the secondary pulp increases.
According to one aspect of the invention, a method practiced comprising the following steps: (a) Fractioning undiluted sweetener stock into fine and coarse fractions. (b) Mixing the sweetener stock coarse fraction, but not the fine fraction, with the white water. (c) Feeding the mixture of sweetener stock and white water to the recovery apparatus. (d) Recovering useable fibrous material from the mixture in the recovery apparatus. And (e) returning the recovered useable fibrous material to the paper machine.
The following advantages are achieved by utilizing the apparatus and practicing the method in accordance with the invention:
the capacity of the filter increases, so that a smaller filter is sufficient;
the filtrate clarity of the fiber recovery filter is improved, because the fine material of the sweetener stock no longer loads the filter;
more secondary pulps may be used as sweetener stock;
long-fibered softwood pulp may be replaced by mechanical pulps or recycled fibers with better yield;
fluctuation, for example, in the fiber recovery grade due to possible process fluctuations, may be controlled. For example, if the quality of the sweetener stock varies, it immediately affects the operation of the fiber recovery filter, but by fractionation of the sweetener stock, the quality thereof may be stabilized thus stabilizing the whole process.
It is also a fact that the solids content of the white water to be fed into the recovery when recovering the fibers varies, for example, according to the retention of the wire section in a paper machine. The maximum amount of solids in the white water when producing paper from pulp components containing a significant amount of fine material may be even 6000-8000 mg/l, i.e. 0.6-0.8%. Naturally, the capacity of the fiber recovery filter and the filtrate clarity depend on the solids content of the white water to be fed to the fiber recovery. The lower the solids content of the white water is, the higher flow the fiber recovery filter must be able to treat and the clearer the filtrates are.
According to another preferred embodiment of the invention the white water entering the fiber recovery is led--prior to mixing with the sweetener stock--through a separation apparatus, separating fibrous material prior to the actual recovery filter into fine and coarse fractions, only the fine fraction of which is mixed with the sweetener stock.
The advantages gained by the invention include:
the capacity of the fiber recovery boiler increases, so that a smaller filter is sufficient;
the filtrate clarity of the fiber recovery filter is improved, in other words the solids content of the filtrates decreases;
the process fluctuations in a paper machine, e.g. the fluctuation in the solids content of the white water due to the fluctuation in the retention, stabilize and do not affect the operation of the fiber recovery filter;
a sort of "middle water" is obtained, of which a portion of the fibers is removed and which may possibly be better used, for example, as a so called "carrier water"; and
the solids ratio between the sweetener stock and the white water may be raised optimal to the fiber recovery without the consistency of the mixture of the white water and the sweetener stock to be fed to the fiber recovery filter rising too high in view of the operation of the recovery (maximum approximately 1.0-1.2%).
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to semiconductor memory devices, and particularly relates to a semiconductor memory device which automatically carries out a refresh operation inside the device without requiring an external refresh command, and reads data during the refresh operation while attending to error correction.
2. Description of the Related Art
In DRAMs (dynamic random access memories), data are read from memory cells corresponding to a selected word line, and are amplified by sense amplifiers, followed by supplying data from the sense amplifier of a selected column to the exterior of the device. A DRAM is typically provided with a plurality of data input/output pins DQ, which outputs a plurality of data bits simultaneously. In order to reduce electric power consumption associated with access operations and to reduce the chip size by reduction of the number of wire lines, the plurality of DQ pins are associated with a single column line rather than associating a single DQ pin with a single column line. Namely, a plurality of sense amplifiers are connected to a single column line, and data of these sense amplifiers are input/output in parallel from/to the plurality of DQ pins.
For the purpose of speeding up the operation speed of semiconductor memory devices, generally, the operation of core circuits inside the memory devices need to be made faster. It is difficult, however, to speed up the operation of core circuits because of limitations such as wire delays. When a fixed number of data bits are to be serially input/output upon a single access, provision may be made not only to read data corresponding to the plurality of DQ pins in parallel from the memory core, but also to read serially output data in parallel from the memory core, then subjecting the data to parallel-and-serial conversion to arrange them sequentially along a time axis. With this provision, the data transfer rate to the exterior of the device can be improved without changing the operation speed of a core circuit. In detail, each column line is associated with a plurality of DQ pins, and a plurality of column lines are simultaneously activated that are equal in number to the number of data bits to be arranged along the time axis upon a single access, thereby reading the sequential data through parallel access.
FIGS.1A and 1B are drawings showing data read operations in a case in which a column line is activated when each column line is associated with a plurality of DQ pins and in a case in which a plurality of column lines are activated when each column line is associated with a plurality of DQ pins.
In FIG. 1A, each column line is assigned to DQ0 and DQ1, and a single column line is selectively activated to output data to the DQ0 pad and the DQ1 pad simultaneously. At a first cycle, a column line C1 is activated to output first data along the time axis. At a second cycle, a column line C2 is activated to output second data along the time axis.
In FIG. 1B, each column line is assigned to DQ0 and DQ1, and a plurality of column lines are simultaneously activated to concurrently output respective data to the DQ0 pad and the DQ1 pad and sequentially output a plurality of data along the time axis. At the first and second cycles, the column lines C1 and C2 are activated to output data of the column line C1 at the first cycle and to output data of the column line C2 at the second cycle.
In DRAMs, there is a need to periodically refresh data that are stored in memory cells. During the period in which a refresh operation is carried out for a given memory block, read/write access to this memory block is generally not possible. There are schemes, however, that make it possible to perform a data access operation concurrently with a refresh operation, thereby improving the efficiency of semiconductor memory devices.
One of such schemes uses parity bits, and this scheme is taught by an invention (Japanese Patent Application No. 2000-368423) assigned to the assignee of the present application. A parity bit is calculated with respect to a plurality of DQ data bits, and these DQ data bits are stored in memory together with the parity bit. Here, the plurality of DQ data bits are stored in respective memory blocks, and the parity bit is stored in a parity-bit-storage-purpose memory block. At the time of data read operation, the plurality of DQ data bits are read from the respective memory blocks, and the parity bit is read from the parity-bit-storage-purpose memory block. A parity check is carried out based on the retrieved DQ data bits and the parity bit. If a parity error is detected during a refresh operation, a data bit retrieved from the memory block that is currently being refreshed is corrected, and, then, the DQ data bits are output.
No attempt has ever been made to apply this error correction function for a refresh operation based on the use of parity bit to the configuration of FIG. 1B.
Accordingly, there is a need for a semiconductor memory device that has an error correction function for a refresh operation in a configuration in which each address line is associated with a plurality of data bits, and a plurality of address lines are simultaneously activated.
It is a general object of the present invention to provide a semiconductor memory device that substantially obviates one or more of the problems caused by the limitations and disadvantages of the related art.
Features and advantages of the present invention will be set forth in the description which follows, and in part will become apparent from the description and the accompanying drawings, or may be learned by practice of the invention according to the teachings provided in the description. Objects as well as other features and advantages of the present invention will be realized and attained by a semiconductor memory device particularly pointed out in the specification in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable a person having ordinary skill in the art to practice the invention.
To achieve these and other advantages and in accordance with the purpose of the invention, as embodied and broadly described herein, a semiconductor memory device according to the present invention includes a plurality of memory blocks, each of which is refreshed independently of one another, m (m greater than 1) data pins, each of which continuously receives or outputs n (n greater than 1) data pieces, a conversion circuit which converts data of each of the data pins between parallel data and serial data, mxc3x97n data bus lines on which the n data pieces are expanded in parallel with respect to each of the m data pins, m address selection lines which are connected to m respective blocks of the memory blocks corresponding to the m respective data pins, and are simultaneously activated, the activation of any one of the address selection lines connecting the data bus lines to a corresponding one of the m respective blocks and resulting in the n data pieces being input/output to/from the corresponding one of the m respective blocks, and a parity data comparison circuit which performs a parity check on m data pieces read from the m respective blocks corresponding to the m respective data pins and a parity bit read from a parity-purpose memory block, the parity check being performed separately with respect to each of the n data pieces.
The semiconductor memory device described above has a configuration in which each address selection line is responsible for a plurality of data pieces, and a plurality of address selection lines are simultaneously activated. In this configuration, the present invention performs a parity check on m data pieces read from the m respective blocks and a parity bit read from a parity-purpose memory block separately with respect to each of the n data pieces, thereby providing an error correction function for a refresh operation.
According to one aspect of the present invention, the semiconductor memory device described above further includes a mask circuit which masks a specific one of the n data pieces with respect to all the m data pins at a time of data writing. In this configuration in which each address selection line is responsible for the n data pieces, and the m address selection lines correspond to the m respective data pins, the parity check that is directed to the m data pieces can be performed properly even if one of the n data pieces is nonexistent.
According to the present invention, further, a semiconductor memory device includes a plurality of memory blocks, each of which is refreshed independently of one another, m (m greater than 1) data pins, each of which continuously receives or outputs n (n greater than 1) data pieces, a conversion circuit which converts data of each of the data pins between parallel data and serial data, mxc3x97n data bus lines on which the n data pieces are expanded in parallel with respect to each of the m data pins, n address selection lines which are connected to n respective blocks of the memory blocks corresponding to the n respective data pieces, and are simultaneously activated, the activation of any one of the address selection lines connecting the data bus lines to a corresponding one of the n respective blocks and resulting in m data pieces corresponding to the m respective data pins being input/output to/from the corresponding one of the n respective blocks, a parity data comparison circuit which performs a parity check on the n data pieces read from the n respective blocks and a parity bit read from a parity-purpose memory block, the parity check being performed separately with respect to each of the m data pieces, and a mask circuit which masks a specific one of the m data pieces with respect to all the n data pieces at a time of data writing.
In this configuration in which each address selection line is responsible for the m data pieces, and the n address selection lines correspond to the n respective data pieces, the parity check that is directed to the n data pieces can be performed properly even if one of the m data pieces is nonexistent.
Other objects and further features of the present invention will be apparent from the following detailed description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
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Unlike navigation using roads, vehicle navigation across media that does not include intrinsic paths generally involves creating a traversal plan. Examples may include flight plans, marine navigation plan, or a route across a grassy plain. Autonomous vehicles, such as unmanned aerial drones, are improving so as to fill a greater number of industrial or recreational purposes previously filled by manned vehicles. Without an active pilot, these vehicles may rely more heavily on traversal plans to arrive at a destination.
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1. Field of Invention
At least one embodiment of the invention is directed to solar powered systems and methods for providing power and, more particularly, to solar lighting applications.
2. Discussion of Related Art
In 2006, global figures on rural energy access showed an estimated 2.4 billion people on Earth with no access to modern energy services, and approximately 1.6 billion people without access to electricity. The vast majority of these people are located in rural areas, many in poor countries, and it is unlikely that an electrical utility grid will extend to them in the near future.
For dispersed rural markets, improved energy services may come via distributed clean energy technologies, such as, solar photovoltaic modules and biogas. Many of the 1.6 billion people who are without access to electricity grids (i.e., who are in “off-grid” areas) live in warm, sunny locations. In these locations, solar photovoltaic systems are often the most cost effective way to provide electricity to off-grid areas.
Conventional solar photovoltaic systems use a battery to store energy collected from the sun during daylight hours. This battery is generally a 12 volt (V) battery that supplies direct current (DC) power. The systems may either be connected directly to 12 Vdc appliances, or may include a DC-AC converter to allow connection to more common AC (alternating current), higher voltage (e.g., 120 Vac or 230 Vac) appliances. This converter is generally an H-bridge inverter, as known to those skilled in the art.
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The present invention related generally to systems and methods for determining dot gain.
There typically exists a discrepancy between a digital dot areaxe2x80x94the size of an ink dot intended to be generated by a printing apparatusxe2x80x94and the actual printed dot area created on the printing media. This can lead to detrimental effects in the quality of the resultant image. For example, a printer or press generally employs a fixed number of inks (for example, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, or 7 inks) and mixes different ink dots having different dot areas to achieve many more colors. If the printed dot areas are incorrect, the resultant colors or images appear incorrect.
In order to correct for this discrepancy, a dot gain table is typically used to relate printed dot area to digital dot area. To populate this table, one or more pages or swatches are printed using known digital dot areas for each color or ink. The printed dots are then measured. In this manner, a dot gain table is generated, with the points between measured points being interpolated from the measured data. In operation, the printer or press uses the measured and interpolated dot gain table to print the printed dot area desired. To keep up with drift in the press, this process needs to be performed as often as possible, and therefore requires a large number of pages for each calibration.
An embodiment of the present invention provides a method for determining dot gain. A state parameter is measured and provided as an input to a statistical learning system. Using the statistical learning system, a plurality of printed dot areas, each corresponding to a specified digital dot area, are estimated.
Another embodiment of the present invention provides a method for printing. A specified printed dot area is received, and a state parameter is input. A digital dot area corresponding to the specified printed dot area is determined using a dot gain lookup table corresponding to the input state parameter. A control signal corresponding to the determined digital dot area is generated.
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In recent years, thermal transfer systems have been developed to obtain prints from pictures that have been generated from a camera or scanning device. According to one way of obtaining such prints, an electronic picture is first subjected to color separation by color filters. The respective color-separated images are then converted into electrical signals. These signals are then operated on to produce cyan, magenta and yellow electrical signals. These signals are then transmitted to a thermal printer. To obtain the print, a cyan, magenta or yellow dye-donor element is placed face-to-face with a dye-receiving element. The two are then inserted between a thermal printing head and a platen roller. A line-type thermal printing head is used to apply heat from the back of the dye-donor sheet. The thermal printing head has many heating elements and is heated up sequentially in response to one of the cyan, magenta or yellow signals. The process is then repeated for the other two colors. A color hard copy is thus obtained which corresponds to the original picture viewed on a screen.
Dye receiving elements used in thermal dye transfer generally include a support (transparent or reflective) bearing on one side thereof a dye image-receiving layer, and optionally additional layers. The dye image-receiving layer conventionally comprises a polymeric material chosen from a wide assortment of compositions for its compatibility and receptivity for the dyes to be transferred from the dye donor element. Dye must migrate rapidly in the layer during the dye transfer step and become immobile and stable in the viewing environment. Care must be taken to provide a receiving layer which does not stick to the hot donor as the dye moves from the surface of the receiving layer and into the bulk of the receiver. An overcoat layer can be used to improve the performance of the receiver by specifically addressing these latter problems. An additional step, referred to as fusing, may be used to drive the dye deeper into the receiver.
In sum, the receiving layer must act as a medium for dye diffusion at elevated temperatures, yet the transferred image dye must not be allowed to migrate from the final print. Retransfer is potentially observed when another surface comes into contact with a final print. Such surfaces may include paper, plastics, binders, backside of (stacked) prints, and some album materials.
A variety of polymers are known to be useful in image-receiving layers. Such polymers include, polycarbonates, bisphenol-A polycarbonates, as set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 4,695,286 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,927,803, both incorporated herein by reference, polyesters formed from aromatic diesters (such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,897,377, incorporated herein by reference), polyesters formed from alicyclic diesters are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,387,571 of Daly, incorporated herein by reference, phenyl group (e.g. bisphenol A) modified polyester resin synthesized by the use of a polyol having a phenyl group as the polyol compound as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,908,345 to Egashira et al., incorporated herein by reference, a polyester resin having a branched structure as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,112,799, incorporated herein by reference. Blends of polymers are also useful, for example, a miscible blend of an unmodified bisphenol-A polycarbonate having a number molecular weight of at least about 25,000 and a polyester as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,302,574 to Lawrence et al., incorporated herein by reference, and unmodified bisphenol-A polycarbonates of the type described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,695,286, incorporated herein by reference, may be blended with the modified polycarbonates of the type described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,927,803, incorporated herein by reference.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,897,183, incorporated herein by reference, relates to a process for making a multilayer film, useful in an image recording element, where the multilayer film comprises a support and an outer or surface layer wherein between the support and the outer layer is an “antistatic tie layer” comprising a thermoplastic antistatic polymer or composition having preselected antistatic properties, adhesive properties, and viscoelastic properties. In one embodiment of the invention, such a multilayer film is used in making a thermal-dye-transfer dye-receiver element comprising a support and an dye-receiving layer wherein between the support and the dye-receiving layer is a tie layer. However in U.S. Pat. No. 6,897,183, no mention of importance of tie layer adhesion to the dye receiver layer and to the support during printing and immediately after printing is made. Also, no mention is made of the importance of printing under hot and humid conditions, and lack of humidity sensitivity of the tie layer compositions. A preferred tie layer composition that takes into account the above factors is not disclosed in the reference. U.S. Patent Publication No. 2004/0167020, incorporated herein by reference, is also similar to U.S. Pat. No. 6,897,183 in that it does not make any references to adhesion of the dye receiver layer to the support during printing, immediately after printing, printing under hot and humid conditions, humidity sensitivity of tie layer compositions and preferred tie layer composition that takes into account these factors.
Known polymer laminates used on the faceside of thermal receivers have a top skin layer of polypropylene (PP) onto which is extruded a dye receiver layer (DRL) of polyester/polycarbonate blend. A conventional tie layer used between the laminate support and the dye receiving layer (DRL) is antistatic and is a blend of 70 wt % PELESTAT® 300 (polyethylene-polyether copolymer) and 30 wt % polypropylene (PP). The rheology of the two components is such that PELESTAT® 300 encapsulates the polypropylene (PP), so that the continuous phase in the tie layer is PELESTAT® 300. The PELESTAT® 300 acts as an antistatic material as well as an adhesive component to polymer laminate support skin layer and the dye receiving layer (DRL). This tie layer, however, is significantly humidity sensitive and has poor adhesion and does not survive borderless printing (edge to edge) when tested under hot and humid conditions like 36° C./86% RH.
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1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to the field of integrated circuit modeling, and in particular to a system and method for accurately representing the effects of multi-drive conditions.
2. Related Art
An electronic design automation (EDA) system is a computer software system used for designing integrated circuit (IC) devices. The EDA system typically receives one or more high level behavioral descriptions of an IC device (e.g., in HDL languages like VHDL, Verilog, etc.) and translates (“synthesizes”) this high-level design language description into netlists of various levels of abstraction. A netlist describes the IC design and is composed of nodes (functional elements) and edges, e.g., connections between nodes. At a higher level of abstraction, a generic netlist is typically produced based on technology independent primitives.
The generic netlist can be translated into a lower level technology-specific netlist based on a technology-specific (characterized) cell library that has gate-specific models for each cell (i.e., a functional element, such as an AND gate, an inverter, or a multiplexer). The models define performance parameters for the cells; e.g., parameters related to the operational behavior of the cells, such as power consumption, output slew, delay, and noise. The netlist and cell library are typically stored in computer readable media within the EDA system and are processed and verified using many well-known techniques.
FIG. 1 shows a simplified representation of an exemplary digital ASIC design flow. At a high level, the process starts with the product idea (step E100) and is realized in an EDA software design process (step E110). When the design is finalized, it can be taped-out (event E140). After tape out, the fabrication process (step E150) and packaging and assembly processes (step E160) occur resulting, ultimately, in finished chips (result E170).
The EDA software design process (step E110) is actually composed of a number of steps E112-E130, shown in linear fashion for simplicity. In an actual ASIC design process, the particular design might have to go back through steps until certain tests are passed. Similarly, in any actual design process, these steps may occur in different orders and combinations. This description is therefore provided by way of context and general explanation rather than as a specific, or recommended, design flow for a particular ASIC.
A brief description of the components steps of the EDA software design process (step E110) will now be provided. During system design (step E112), the designers describe the functionality that they want to implement and can perform what-if planning to refine functionality, check costs, etc. Hardware-software architecture partitioning can occur at this stage. Exemplary EDA software products from Synopsys, Inc. that can be used at this step include Model Architect, Saber, System Studio, and DesignWare® products.
During logic design and functional verification (step E114), the VHDL or Verilog code for modules in the system is written and the design is checked for functional accuracy. More specifically, the design is checked to ensure that it produces the correct outputs. Exemplary EDA software products from Synopsys, Inc. that can be used at this step include VCS, VERA, DesignWare®, Magellan, Formality, ESP and LEDA products.
During synthesis and design for test (step E116), the VHDL/Verilog is translated to a netlist. The netlist can be optimized for the target technology. Additionally, the design and implementation of tests to permit checking of the finished chip occurs. Exemplary EDA software products from Synopsys, Inc. that can be used at this step include Design Compiler®, Physical Compiler, Test Compiler, Power Compiler, FPGA Compiler, Tetramax, and DesignWare® products.
During design planning (step E118), an overall floorplan for the chip is constructed and analyzed for timing and top-level routing. Exemplary EDA software products from Synopsys, Inc. that can be used at this step include Jupiter and Floorplan Compiler products.
During netlist verification (step E120), the netlist is checked for compliance with timing constraints and for correspondence with the VHDL/Verilog source code. Exemplary EDA software products from Synopsys, Inc. that can be used at this step include VCS, VERA, Formality and PrimeTime products.
During physical implementation (step E122), placement (positioning of circuit elements) and routing (connection of the same) is performed. Exemplary EDA software products from Synopsys, Inc. that can be used at this step include the Astro product.
During analysis and extraction (step E124), the circuit function is verified at a transistor level, this in turn permits what-if refinement. Exemplary EDA software products from Synopsys, Inc. that can be used at this step include Star RC/XT, Raphael, and Aurora products.
During physical verification (step E126), various checking functions are performed to ensure correctness for: manufacturing, electrical issues, lithographic issues, and circuitry. Exemplary EDA software products from Synopsys, Inc. that can be used at this step include the Hercules product.
During resolution enhancement (step E128), geometric manipulations of the layout are performed to improve manufacturability of the design. Exemplary EDA software products from Synopsys, Inc. that can be used at this step include the iN-Phase, Proteus, and AFGen products.
Finally, during mask data preparation (step E130), the “tape-out” data for production of masks for lithographic use to produce finished chips is performed. Exemplary EDA software products from Synopsys, Inc. that can be used at this step include the CATS® family of products.
As indicated in FIG. 1, timing analyses can be performed at various points along the EDA process, such as during synthesis, design planning, netlist verification, and analysis (as indicated by the bolded chevrons). The accuracy of these timing analyses is critical to the quality of final IC produced using EDA systems. To perform a timing analysis, the IC design (or a portion of the IC) is defined as a network of drivers and receivers. Cells designated as drivers provide stimuli to the network, and the resulting waveforms are received by the cells designated as receivers.
For example, FIG. 2 shows a schematic diagram of a sample driver-receiver network 200 that includes a driver (cell) 210 and a receiver (cell) 230. An input pin 211 of driver 210 receives a driver input signal S_IND and generates a driver output signal S_OUTD at a driver output pin 212. This signal is transmitted across an interconnect element 220 and is received as a receiver input signal S_INR at a receiver input pin 231 of receiver 230 (depicted as an inverter for exemplary purposes). Receiver 230 processes receiver input signal S_INR and generates a receiver output signal S_OUTR at a receiver output pin 232. Note that receiver 230 can also function as a driver for downstream cells, as indicated by load 240 connected to receiver output pin 232.
Conventional driver models represent transistor behavior by indexing the output voltage behavior of the driver by input slew and output capacitance. For example, FIG. 3A shows a conventional driver model 210A for modeling driver cell 210 shown in FIG. 2. Driver model 210A includes a time-dependent voltage source V210A in series with a drive resistor R210A and driver output pin 212A, and an output capacitor C210A coupled between pin 212A and ground. Driver model 210A is sometimes referred to as a “Thevenin model”. Driver model 210A is precharacterized by applying a range of driver input signals S_INA to input pin 211A across a range of capacitance values C1 through CN for output capacitor C210A (via SPICE simulations or actual device measurements). Each input signal S_INA exhibits a particular input slew SI (i.e., the time required for the signal to go from one logic state to the opposite logic state) and a particular input delay time TDI (i.e., the time at which input signal S_INA reaches a threshold level (generally 50% of the signal swing)). The output voltage signals V_OUT(t) generated in response to the various input signals S_INA each exhibit a particular output slew SO and an output delay time TDO. By subtracting the input delay time TDI of an input signal S_INA from the output delay time TDO of an associated output signal S_OUTA, an output delay value DOUT can be determined. The output slew SO and the output delay value DOUT for each of output signals S_OUTA can then be indexed by input slew SI and output capacitance values C1 through CN in a precharacterized library cell entry for driver cell 210.
Thus, conventional precharacterized library cell entries for driver cells generally include output voltage curve characteristics (i.e., output slew and output delay) as precharacterization output signals, with output capacitance, input slew, and signal type acting as indexing parameters. For example, FIG. 3B shows a precharacterized library cell entry 300 generated by driver model 210A in FIG. 3A. Cell entry 300 includes a set of precharacterized driver output signal data stored as output delays DOxx and output slews SOxx indexed by input slews SI1 through SI4 and output capacitances C1 through C4. Thus, for example, output delay DO11 is indexed by input slew SI1 and output capacitance C1. Output slew SO11 is indexed by the same indexing parameter values (i.e., input slew SI1 and output capacitance C1). In some cases, a driver cell may be associated with separate library entries for output delay and output slew (i.e., output delay and output slew values that are indexed by separate sets of input slew and output capacitance values).
Note that because the behavior of a cell can vary according to the type of signal being applied to that cell, the output delay and output slew values in cell entry 300 can also be indexed according to input signal type (i.e., rising signals, falling signals, “best case” (fastest) transitions, and “worst case” (slowest) transitions). Thus, for example, output delay value DO14 (circled) can include a set of output delay values DO14-R, DO14-F, DO14-B, and DO14-W, which correspond to rising, falling, “best case”, and “worst case” signals, respectively.
The precharacterized signal data stored in cell entry 300 can be then used during timing analyses to derive a model driver output signal based on the model output capacitance (and signal type). For example, FIG. 3C shows a graph of rising driver output signals V_OUT(t)-11, V_OUT(t)-12, V_OUT(t)-13, and V_OUT(t)-14 (generated according to the precharacterization output delay and output slew values indexed by output capacitances C1, C2, C3, and C4, respectively, and input slew SI1 in cell entry 300 in FIG. 3B). To perform a timing analysis on a model driver cell, a model output capacitance value C5 is determined for that driver cell (based on the characteristics of the cell). For exemplary purposes, model output capacitance value C5 is selected to be between precharacterization output capacitance values C2 and C3. A model driver output signal V_OUT(t)-INT(C5) can then be interpolated from the precharacterized driver output signals V_OUT(t)-12 and V_OUT(t)-13 (associated with output capacitance values C2 and C3, respectively). Output slew and delay values for the model driver cell can then be derived from model driver output signal V_OUT(t)-INT(C5). Alternatively, output slew and delay values for the model driver cell can be directly interpolated from the precharacterization output delay and slew values of cell entry 300 in FIG. 3B.
As the devices used to instantiate the driver cells in a system continue to shrink, the driver cells formed from those devices begin to exhibit increasingly complex output current responses that are not adequately described by output slew and delay values. For example, reduced device dimensions generally result in faster circuits, which in turn requires greater modeling accuracy. To provide this enhanced modeling accuracy, the nuances of device behavior (in particular output current behavior) must be properly captured. Therefore, modern EDA tools have begun to incorporate output current-based schema (rather than output delay/slew-based schema) for cell modeling.
For example, FIG. 4 shows a driver model 210B for modeling driver cell 210 shown in FIG. 2. Driver model 210B includes a time-dependent voltage source V210B in series with a drive resistor R210B and driver output pin 212B, and an output capacitor C210B coupled between pin 212B and ground (Thevenin model). Driver model 210B is therefore substantially similar to driver model 210A shown in FIG. 3A, except that model 210B is precharacterized by measuring output current signals I_OUTB(t) across a range of input slews SI and output capacitance values C1 through CN. The output current signals I_OUT(t) can then be compiled in a precharacterized library cell entry for driver cell 210. An example of this output current-based approach is described in co-owned, co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. 11/866,981.
However, while an output current-based approach can provide greater modeling accuracy for small device effects, indexing output current according to output capacitance requires that the output capacitor be fully charged or fully discharged at the start of the output current signal (i.e., the output capacitor must initially be at a known state at one of the power rails). Unfortunately, this assumption cannot be made in a systems that includes multiple driver cells operating at different times (i.e., “multi-driver” systems).
For example, FIG. 5A shows a system 500 that includes an aggressor driver cell A510 and a victim driver cell V510. Aggressor driver cell A510 is modeled as a resistor R_AGG and an output capacitor C_AGG, and is configured to generate an output signal S_OUTDA from an input signal S_INDA. Victim driver cell V510 is modeled as a resistor R_VIC and an output capacitor C_VIC, and is configured to generate an output signal S_OUTDV from an input signal S_INDV. The outputs of aggressor driver cell A510 and victim driver cell V510 are parasitically coupled, as indicated by capacitor C_PAR.
Because of this parasitic coupling, crosstalk can exist between aggressor driver cell A510 and victim driver cell V510. For example, if aggressor driver cell A510 is switching in the same direction as victim driver cell V510, output signal S_OUTDV from victim driver cell V510 could exhibit a slew much greater than the typical best case (i.e., no load) slew value. On the other hand, if aggressor driver cell A510 is switching in the opposite direction from victim driver cell V510, output signal S_OUTDV from victim driver cell V510 can exhibit a significantly decreased slew.
Furthermore, if aggressor driver cell A510 begins switching before victim driver cell V510, the output of victim driver cell V510 can actually be pulled outside of the circuit power rails. For example, FIG. 5B shows a sample graph of output signal S_OUTDV generated by victim driver cell V510 for the situation when aggressor driver cell A510 starts a falling transition before victim driver cell V510 begins switching. Victim output signal S_OUTDV is initially pulled below ground (0.0 V) before beginning its upward trajectory. Because conventional output current-based driver models require that initial capacitance states be well-defined (i.e., voltage at one of the power rails), such models are not well-equipped to deal with multi-driver systems (i.e., systems that are faced with crosstalk among driver cells).
Thus, conventional cell driver models can be inadequate for the timing analysis of modern IC designs. Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a cell driver model that can accurately represent the behavior of a driver cell in a multi-driver system.
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{
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for simulating fluid flows within a reservoir from methods referred to as chimera methods; which is an alternative solution for reservoir simulation, allowing accounting for the radial directions of flow around wells and thus improving the calculation accuracy. Furthermore, this modular approach allows testing in an efficient and interactive way several development scenarios during modelling.
2. Description of the Prior Art
An oil reservoir is a porous and permeable subsoil formation associated with an impermeable cover that traps hydrocarbons. The order of magnitude of the lateral extension of a reservoir is one kilometer whereas the depth thereof is rather about ten meters. It is crossed by a variable number of geometric discontinuities such as wells or faults.
In oil exploration, survey of an oil reservoir requires simulation of the fluid flows within the reservoir and of the geometric discontinuities running therethrough in order to define the economic interest and the production modes of the field. These simulations are referred to as “reservoir simulations”.
It is therefore necessary to simulate fluid flows over the entire domain covered by the reservoir, by taking into account all the geometric discontinuities running therethrough. The simulation domain is then defined as the set of the reservoir and the geometric discontinuities. This simulation requires, on the one hand, physical modelling of the flows by a set of equations referred to as flow model and, on the other hand, discretization of these equations to solve the problem in an approximate way. The simulation domain is represented by means of a grid allowing discretization of the domain in space, thus allowing solution of the discrete equations and to provide an approximation of the physical solution. Simulation of fluid flows within a reservoir therefore requires two stages:
discretizing the structure of the domain by means of a grid, and
discretizing the flow equations according to the grid selected.
Grid generation is a crucial element for new-generation oil reservoir simulators. A grid allows description of the geometry of the geologic structure studied by means of a representation in discrete elements wherein the simulation is carried out. Better understanding of the physical phenomena involved requires 3D simulation of the multiphase flows in increasingly complex geologic structures, in the neighborhood of different types of singularities such as stratifications, faults, onlaps, channels and complex wells. All this complexity has to be taken into account first by the grid that has to reproduce as accurately as possible the geologic information in its heterogeneous character. Furthermore, good apprehension of the physical phenomena occurring in these complex structures requires a hierarchical and modular grid approach.
The following documents mentioned in the course of the description hereafter illustrate the state of the art:
Alexander S. Williamson and John E. Chappelear, “Representing Wells in Numerical Reservoir Simulation: Part 1 Theory”, SPE 7697, 1981
Sophie Balaven-Clermidy, “Génération de Maillages Hybrides Pour la Modélsation de Réservoirs Pétroliers”, Thèse de doctorat, IFP, Ecole des mines de Paris, 2001.
Chesshire et Henshaw, “Composite Overlapping Meshes for the Solution of Partial Differential Equations”, Journal of Computational Physics 90, 1-64, 1990.
Shih, “Overset grids: Fundamentals and Practical Issues”, AIAA Applied Aerodynamics Conference. 3259, 2002.
Lin, C. W., Smith, G. D., and Fisher, S. C.—Application of a Multiblock Grid Generation Approach to Ship Configuration, 3rd International Conference on Numerical Grid Generation in CFD, Spain, June 1991.
Wells are generally thin tubes having a radius of about ten centimeters and comprising several perforations (at the most permeable points). Scale problems in reservoir modelling are therefore flagrant: the reservoir/well flow models can therefore only be coupled models. This scale difference also has to be taken into account if the discontinuity is a fault, which is why it is crucial to obtain a fine description of the flows around the discontinuities.
There are several known approaches based on the use of a complete grid representing all of the simulation domain (reservoir+discontinuities). A commonly used method consists in gridding the reservoir part of the domain in a single block (several in case of faults) and to integrate the presence of other discontinuities such as wells in the equations. The presence of wells is considered as a source term defined by means of a productivity index Ip. This method is for example described in the document by Williamson (1981).
However, the necessity for a finer description of the flows around discontinuities such as wells leads to the elaboration of a modular approach where the various objects (reservoir and well for example) considered can be taken into account individually. Flow modelling around wells for example is carried out by means of the “well models”. These models allow simulation of multiphase flows in the well drainage area by adopting a small-scale description of the characteristics of the porous medium in the area around the well where the flows are fast.
Thus, in a more recent method developed by the assignee, the reservoir, in the area close to the discontinuity are gridded and the two grids are combined by creating a transition zone. The result is referred to as hybrid grid, as described in the document by S. Balaven-Clermidy (2001).
This method requires a considerable effort for generating the grid of the transition zone notably in three dimensions.
An alternative to this approach is the use of multi-block grids wherein the calculation domain is represented by a set of subdomains, gridded independently of one another. They can overlap one another or not. There are for example multi-block grids with non-coincident overlaps referred to as “chimera grids” or “Composite Overlapping Meshes”. This type of grid is described for example by Chesshire and Henshaw (1990). These chimera grids have been used for about ten years in the field of aeronautics (Shih, 2002) and hydrodynamics (Lin, Smith, G. D., and Fisher (1991) for complex geometries and in particular those with mobile bodies (missiles, helicopter blades, fluid structure coupling, . . . ). This type of grid allows adequate description of the flows on the border of discontinuities, but control of the subdomains regarding flows requires particular methods called chimera methods. However, the current chimera grid creation techniques and the associated chimera methods are not applied for reservoir simulation.
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Using the Internet today, a user may search for the postal address of a given business. For example, by providing the business name to an online search provider, the online search provider may return the postal address of the business. However, there may be instances where a user may want to confirm that the business he or she had in mind is the correct business. For example, the user may have an image of the business in his or her mind, but may be unable to recall the correct business name or may have confused the image of the business with another business name.
To confirm that the user is thinking of the correct business, it may be helpful to provide a street level image of the business to the user. However, in capturing street level images, the number of captured street level images can be very large, and not every captured street level image depicts a business storefront. Moreover, because street level images may be captured at a high framerate, it is possible that a single postal address is associated with multiple, if not hundreds, of street level images. Alternatively, if street level images are captured a slower framerate, it is possible that not every street level image depicts a clear business storefront. For example, the street level images, whether captured at a high framerate or a low framerate, may have obstructed views of the business storefront, may capture the business storefront at odd angles, may be unfocused, or may have other technical issues Thus, before providing a street level image to the user for a given address, it may be helpful to confirm whether the business storefront is displaying building numbers or other postal identifiers to ensure that the street level image provided to the user is a relatively clear street level image.
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This invention relates to techniques for teaching swimming and, more particularly, to a method and apparatus for training a swimmer into the proper catch phase of the swimming stroke.
Various training systems and drills have been provided that work to improve the streamlining of the swimmer in the water. However, it is the catch phase of the swimming stroke that can make the difference between competitive swimmers.
The present invention provides a method and apparatus for properly positioning the hand and arm during the catch phase of a swim stroke, in order to train for freestyle, butterfly, breaststroke, backstroke, and the like.
A swim stroke trainer method and apparatus, according to an aspect of the invention, includes providing a bicep/tricep float, including a floatation mass adapted to be connected with a bicep/tricep portion of a swimmer""s arm. The bicep/tricep float elevates the elbow, thereby discouraging improper dropping of the elbow during the initiation of the catch. However, the bicep/tricep float may be streamlined to be easily moved through the water as the swimmer moves through the remaining portions of the catch.
The floatation mass may include two or more arcuate portions and at least one strap interconnecting the at least two arcuate portions around the bicep/tricep portion of the swimmer""s arm.
A swim stroke trainer apparatus and method, according to another aspect of the invention, includes providing a forearm paddle that is adapted to be connected with a swimmer""s forearm. The forearm paddle promotes a downward motion of the hand and forearm. The forearm paddle may include a fin. As the swimmer propels the forearm, the fin converts the swimmer""s motion into a downward force leading the forearm downward into a desirable catch position. The forearm paddle may include a throat having a resistance surface for increasing the normal area of the forearm and providing added resistance or feel of the water. The fin may slope downwardly or upwardly from the throat or may be located in any other position of the throat. The throat may be sized to support the hand and the wrist, thereby reducing hand motion to propel the swimmer in order to train the swimmer to use forearm motion, not hand motion. The throat may be designed to limit hand motion, such as to approximately 12 degrees.
The forearm paddle may further include a stabilizer for stabilizing the hand. The stabilizer may be a member gripped by the hand. For comfort, the member may be laterally included to assume a normal hand posture with the hand turned somewhat outwardly. The forearm paddle may be connected with a swimmer""s forearm by a first connector. The first connector may be one or more straps. In order to train the swimmer in use of both arms to achieve a proper catch, a pair of bicep/tricep floats may be provided, one for each of the arms of the user. A pair of forearm paddles may be provided, one for each arm of the user.
A method of training swimming, according to an aspect of the invention, includes providing a bicep/tricep float and using said float to discourage dropping of the swimmer""s elbow and providing a forearm paddle and forcing the swimmer""s forearm down with the paddle while limiting force supplied with the swimmer""s hand.
These and other objects, advantages and features of this invention will become apparent upon review of the following specification in conjunction with the drawings.
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Increasingly, wireless network providers are utilizing wireless local area networks, including but not limited to networks based on the IEEE 802.11 (WiFi), the IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX) specifications and/or other wireless specifications (e.g., EDGE, GPRS, UMTS), to provide connectivity to wide area networks such as the Internet. In many cases, wireless networks utilize inexpensive consumer premises equipment (CPE) that provide a cheaper alternative to more traditional wired networks (e.g., cable, telephone, and satellite networks) that typically require high-fixed costs for the installation and maintenance of expensive head-end equipment.
Despite the cost-savings of wireless network CPE, the deployment of wireless networks may still require substantial up-front capital investment. Typically, wireless networks utilize line-of-sight transmission technologies that propagate radio signals within localized geographic regions. Thus, deployment of wireless networks over large geographic regions may require substantial numbers of otherwise inexpensive CPE. If wireless network providers, such as individuals, businesses and/or governments, desire to offer Internet connectivity to users on a free or reduced-cost basis (e.g., to encourage build out of Internet access), the deployment and maintenance of wireless network technology may result in little to no return on investment (ROI).
Currently, many wireless network providers offset these expenses by charging subscription fees to users for wireless access to the Internet. Other wireless network providers may charge other types of fees, including but not limited to hourly or usage-based fees for accessing the Internet. In each case, however, charging a fee to a user incurs significant overhead and requires additional costs for maintaining user information in confidence. Thus, what is needed are systems and methods for providing wireless access to the Internet that encourage Internet build-out and permit wireless network providers to recoup their ROI.
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{
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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Social networking is frequently based on shared common interests. For example, people that like a particular movie may create or establish a web page dedicated to the movie. On the web page, the people may post messages with respect to the movie. For example, people may write or post messages regarding the characters, the acting, themes, plot sequence and the like.
While current social networking platforms may bring people together that share a common interest, the social networking platforms tend to be location independent. Moreover, communications via conventional social networking platforms tend to be stale in nature and are established outside of a logical context. It is difficult to locate relevant social networking groups, given the proliferation of information that is now available due to advancements in technology, including the Internet. Social networking users are continuously looking for ways to improve on how they connect to, and interact with, one another.
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{
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The systems and method discussed herein treat tissue in the human body. In a particular variation, systems and methods described below treat cosmetic conditions affecting, the skin of various body parts, including face, neck, and other areas traditionally prone to wrinkling, lines, sagging and other distortions of the skin.
Exposure of the skin to environmental forces can, over time, cause the skin to sag, wrinkle, form lines, or develop other undesirable distortions. Even normal contraction of facial and neck muscles, e.g. by frowning or squinting, can also over time form furrows or bands in the face and neck region. These and other effects of the normal aging process can present an aesthetically unpleasing cosmetic appearance.
Accordingly, there is well known demand for cosmetic procedures to reduce the visible effects of such skin distortions. There remains a large demand for “tightening” skin to remove sags and wrinkles especially in the regions of the face and neck.
One method surgically resurfaces facial skin by ablating the outer layer of the skin (from 200 μm to 600 μm), using laser or chemicals. In time, a new skin surface develops. The laser and chemicals used to resurface the skin also irritate or heat the collagen tissue present in the dermis. When irritated or heated in prescribed ways, the collagen tissue partially dissociates and, in doing so, shrinks. The shrinkage of collagen also leads to a desirable “tightened” look. Still, laser or chemical resurfacing leads to prolonged redness of the skin, infection risk, increased or decreased pigmentation, and scarring.
Lax et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,458,596 describes the use of radio frequency energy to shrink collagen tissue. This cosmetically beneficial effect can be achieved in facial and neck areas of the body in a minimally intrusive manner, without requiring the surgical removal of the outer layers of skin and the attendant problems just listed.
Utely et al. U.S. Pat. No. 6,277,116 also teaches a system for shrinking collagen for cosmetically beneficial purposes by using an electrode array configuration.
However, areas of improvement remain with the previously known systems. In one example, fabrication of an electrode array may cause undesired cross-current paths forming between adjacent electrodes resulting in an increase in the amount of energy applied to tissue.
Thermage, Inc. of Hayward Calif. also holds patents and sells devices for systems for capacitive coupling of electrodes to deliver a controlled amount of radiofrequency energy. This controlled delivery of RF energy creates an electric field through the epidermis that generates “resistive heating” in the skin to produce cosmetic effects while simultaneously attempting to cool the epidermis with a second energy source to prevent external burning of the epidermis.
In such systems that treat in a non-invasive manner, generation of energy to produce a result at the dermis results in unwanted energy passing to the epidermis. Accordingly, excessive energy production creates the risk of unwanted collateral damage to the skin.
In view of the above, there remains a need for an improved energy delivery system. Such systems may be designed to create an improved electrode array delivery system for cosmetic treatment of tissue. In particular, such an electrode array may provide deep uniform heating by applying energy to tissue below the epidermis to cause deep structures in the skin to immediately tighten. There also remains a need to provide systems that can deliver energy to a predetermined target area while minimizing delivery of energy to undesired region of tissue.
Over time, new and remodeled collagen may further produce a tightening of the skin, resulting in a desirable visual appearance at the skin's surface. Such systems can also provide features that increase the likelihood that the energy treatment will be applied to the desired target region. Moreover, devices and systems having disposable or replaceable energy transfer elements provide systems that offer flexibility in delivering customized treatment based on the intended target tissue.
The systems of the present invention are also adapted to apply energy selectively to tissue to spare select tissue structures, to control creation of a lesion from a series of discrete lesions to a continuous lesion, and to selectively create fractional lesions to optimize effectiveness of the treatment.
Moreover, the features and principles used to improve these energy delivery systems can be applied to other areas, whether cosmetic applications outside of reduction of skin distortions or other medical applications.
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Several different types of magnet structures are known that have the above construction. U.S. Pat. No. 5,555,251 discloses a magnet structure which has two pole pieces having a massive ferromagnetic layer and a layer made of laminated ferromagnetic foils or sheets. In this arrangement, sheets are made of one piece and have a number of radial cuts, arranged from a center of the sheet. The sheets have a circular shape, coaxial with the center around which the cuts are radially arranged. All the sheets have the same shape and the same pattern of cuts.
The cuts of each sheet are offset with respect to an adjacent sheet by rotating each sheet relative to the adjacent sheet by an angle smaller than the angular distance between two successive radial cuts.
As a result, in order to form the laminated layer of each pole piece, the sheets must be properly offset before being bonded together by an adhesive layer or an electric insulating and adhesive layer which coats the sheets. While the assembly of the laminated layer is intrinsically simple, it is still dependent on the position of the sheets relative to each other, and this is a parameter to be accounted for during manufacture of the pole pieces. Moreover, this may generate errors in the angular positioning of the sheets.
Also, due to the one-piece construction of the sheets, handling problems may arise when the sheets, as well as the pole pieces have a relatively large size. An additional problem consists in that that the sheets that require a high dimensional precision and are made of a special magnetically permeable material are generally not fabricated of sufficiently large sizes, and any size increase thereof would involve a considerable cost increase. In this case, the provision of one-piece sheets is not feasible or involves higher costs for the magnet structure.
The invention is based on the problem of providing a magnet structure as described hereinbefore which, thanks to simple and inexpensive arrangements, allows easier handling, particularly for the fabrication of large-sized magnets, and helps to obviate the above drawbacks.
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A messaging service, for a non-limiting example, Java® Messaging Service (JMS), is an application program interface (API) that supports the formal communication known as messaging between computers in a network. Here, messaging is the creation, storage, exchange, and management of messages between producers who send/publish the messages to a queue of a destination and consumers who receive, subscribe, and browse the messages from the queue of the destination. Here, a message can be but are not limited to, text, image, voice, telex, fax, e-mail, paging, and other suitable electronic data describing events, requests, and replies over a communications network. A distributed destination is a set of destinations (queues or topics) that are accessible as a single, logical destination to a client. The destinations can be hosted on a messaging server.
The JMS specification specifies ordered message delivery in a very strict sense by defining order between a single instance of a producer and a single instance of a consumer. It does not take into account that there may be multiple producers within a single application acting as a single producer. The case where there are multiple consumers acting in concert is even more common. Moreover, when consumers reject messages (recover or transaction rollback), other messages from the same producer can be delivered to another consumer for processing.
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a road map information readout apparatus, a recording medium and a transmitting method, and more particularly, to a road map information readout apparatus, a recording medium and a transmitting method which are used for applications such as the display of an arbitrary position of a map, a detection of the current position, or a calculation of a route from the current position to a determination.
2. Description of the Related Art
Data including various types of information relating to roads used for a vehicle navigation or the like is generally referred to as vector map data. The vector map data is composed of data representing nodes, links, connection information, a link shape, and attribute information.
The node data is data mainly representing an intersection of roads. The link data is data representing a road connecting nodes. The link data is data having vector information. A road map is represented by a set of links. Therefore, such a map is referred to as a vector map. The connection information data is data representing a connection between nodes and links. The link shape data is data for complementing, when the map is insufficiently represented by only the nodes, the links and the connection information thereof, the map representation. For example, roads in mountainous and coastal areas may, in some cases, be bent. In this case, the bent shape of the road cannot be sufficiently represented by only one link data corresponding to the road. Therefore, in order to suitably represent the bent shape of the road, the bent shape is complemented as the link shape data. The attribute information data includes node attribute data relating to the nodes and link attribute data relating to the links. The node attribute data is data representing the name of an intersection, the presence or absence of a signal, and the like. The link attribute data is data representing the name of a road, the type of road, for example, a national road or a prefectural road, the number of lanes, and the presence or absence of a median strip.
A conventional map information display device using a vector map composed of the above-mentioned various types of data will be described.
Description is now made of the format of the vector map data used in the conventional map information display device. One example of the format of the conventional vector map data is a format disclosed in a text of "Trend to Put High-Accuracy Route Guide System to Practical Use" (hereinafter referred to as a first document) in a seminar sponsored by the Japan Industry Engineering Center. In the first document, a method of representing links and a compression of connection information are described in relation to the format of data.
FIG. 18 is a diagram showing a recording method for representing a connection of roads which is described in the first document. In the recording method described in the first document, identification data of a node to be connected, which is referred to as an index, and data representing the distance to a node at its destination of connection or time required for movement, which is referred to as a cost, are recorded for each node in order to record a connection between nodes. FIG. 18(a) illustrates an example of a cost table composed of arbitrary nodes. FIG. 18(a) illustrates a state where in a road network composed of eight nodes, one of the nodes in the road network is connected to the other four nodes (corresponding to indexes 2, 3, 4 and 7). A cost between the one node and the other node is represented by a hexadecimal number (for example, "2" in the index 2). Costs corresponding to nodes to which no connection is made are represented by setting a hexadecimal number "FFFF" (corresponding to indexes 1, 5, 6 and 8).
FIG. 18(b) illustrates an example of a recording system containing respective connection information shown in the cost table in FIG. 18(a) (hereinafter referred to as an example of the recording system 1). The example of the recording system 1 has as its object not only to simply record costs corresponding to the eight nodes but also to reduce the amount of information to be recorded. In the example of the recording system 1, when the nodes having the same cost are continuous, only information relating to the final node out of the continuous nodes is recorded, and information relating to the preceding nodes having the same cost are all deleted. Specifically, in the example of the recording system 1, both the costs corresponding to the indexes 3 and 4 are "7". Therefore, after the cost relating to the index 2 is recorded, the cost relating to the index 4 is recorded. Further, the costs corresponding to the indexes 5 and 6 are the same. Therefore, after the cost relating to the index 4 is recorded, the cost relating to the index 6 is recorded. Consequently, the number of nodes to be recorded is "6", exclusive of the indexes 3 and 5, with respect to the respective connection information shown in the cost table in FIG. 18(a). Further, the data capacity of the connection information of the nodes is the number of rows in the example of the recording system 1, i.e., "14".
In the example of the recording system 1, however, the connection information are also recorded with respect to the nodes to which no connection is made, thereby the recording efficiency is low. Therefore, in the first document, a recording system shown in FIG. 18(c) (hereinafter referred to as an example of the recording system 2) is employed as another recording system of connection information. In the example of the recording system 2, indexes and costs are recorded only with respect to nodes to which connection is made. Specifically, as shown in the example of the recording system 2, the connection information are recorded only with respect to indexes 2, 3, 4 and 7 in which costs exist.
As described in the foregoing, the amount of information to be recorded of the connection information is basically proportional to the square of the number of nodes in the example of the recording system 1, while the amount of information to be recorded can be reduced to the total number of nodes times the number of nodes which are connected to each of the nodes. In many cases, map data which is divided for each arbitrary region is generally used for vector map data. However, when the map data is divided for each region as described above, the number of nodes in the region is normally several hundred. On the other hand, the number of nodes connected to each of the nodes is three to four on average. This shows that in the example of the recording system 2, the capacity of map information can be significantly reduced, that is, compressed, as compared with that in the example of the recording system 1. The reduction of the connection information is hereinafter referred to as compression of connection information in the present specification.
The connection of roads can be basically represented by only the above-mentioned connection information. In practice, however a method of grouping links having the same attribute and recording a connection of the links has been also generally carried out. A method of representing the connection of links which is described in the first document will be described.
A method of representing the connection of links which is described in the first document is a method of not respectively recording the same attribute for each link, but grouping the links having the same attribute as one road, which can be drawn with one stroke of the brush, and recording one attribute for the grouped roads, when there exist a plurality of links having the same attribute. By this method, recording of one attribute is sufficient by grouping, though a plurality of attributes which are the same are recorded, thereby the recording efficiency is improved. This method is specifically employed for cases such as a case where it is desired to represent only country roads on a map.
FIG. 19 is a diagram showing the difference of a method of representing connection information of links depending on the presence or absence of such a grouping process. In FIG. 19, L0 to L3 denotes links. N0b to N3a and N0b-1a to N2b-3a denote the identification codes of nodes. C1 and C2 denote the costs of the links. Further, C01 to C32 denote data representing the connection states of each node (for example, the node number of a destination of connection, offset information, etc.).
FIG. 19(a) illustrates a method of representing a unit of links which are not grouped. The method of representing a unit of links requires all the costs of the links as well as connection information of nodes at both ends of each of the links in order to connect the links which individually exist. On the other hand, FIG. 19(b) illustrates a method of representing a row of links which are grouped. The method of representing a row of links is a method of recording links in relation to link information in the connection order of the links. In a method of representing a row of links, therefore, it is possible to omit not only the above-mentioned attribute information but also the connection information between the links, as compared with a method of representing a unit of links. Such a grouping of the connection information shall be hereinafter referred to as compression of road information in the present specification.
On the other hand, as the conventional map information display device, a device is disclosed in "Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 7-37067" (hereinafter referred to as a second document), for example. FIG. 20 is a block diagram showing the construction of the map information display device described in the second document.
Referring to FIG. 20, the conventional map information display device will be described.
In FIG. 20, the map information display device described in the second document comprises vector map data 2001, data conversion portion 2002, first storage portion 2003, second storage portion 2008, position input portion 2007, image processing portion 2004, a frame memory 2005, and display portion 2006.
The capacity of the vector map data 2001 is reduced in accordance with a predetermined thinning method by the data conversion portion 2002. The predetermined thinning method is a method of thinning vector data for representing the shape of a road, that is, link shape data. In the map information display device described in the second document, processing for judging redundant points (end points of vectors) which are hardly affected at the time of displaying a road and thinning the points is performed by utilizing the fact that the shape of the road is represented as a set of line segments (vectors) upon being linearly approximated. The vector map data 2001 whose capacity is reduced is vector map data after data conversion (hereinafter referred to as conversion data), and is stored in the first storage portion 2003 (a medium such as a hard disk). On the other hand, the second storage portion 2008, constituted by a memory which can be accessed at high speed, and stores a required part of the conversion data stored in the first storage portion 2003. The second storage portion 2008 is constituted by a memory which can be accessed at a higher speed, although smaller in capacity, as compared with the first storage portion 2003. Consequently, the image processing portion 2004 can access map data stored in the second storage portion 2008 at high speeds in accordance with designation of a user through the position input portion 2007 (designation of a map which desires to be displayed), drawing the map data on the frame memory 2005, and display the map data using the displaying portion 2006.
As described in the foregoing, in the map information display device described in the second document, the vector map data is thinned, and an expensive storage medium such as a memory which can be accessed at a high speed is used, so that more map information can be stored. Therefore, in the map information display device described in the second document, if the capacity of the memory is the same, vector map data in a wider range can be stored. On the contrary, if the same map information is stored, the capacity of the memory may be smaller. Such thinning of the shape of the road shall be hereinafter referred to as compression of the shape of a road in the present specification.
As described in the foregoing, the map information display devices described in the first document and the second document realize compression of the map information by three compression portions: compression of connection information; compression of road information; and compression of a road shape. Consequently, the map information display devices described in the first document and the second document allow for a reduction of the capacity of the map information recording medium, shortening of time required to read out the map, and recording of information, such as sightseeing information, other than the map information on the same medium.
In recent years, various practical map information display devices and vehicle navigation systems have been developed with vector map data which is subjected to the conventional compression techniques of map information being used as a premise. In the above-mentioned conventional map information display devices or the like, a large-capacity recording medium such as a CD-ROM or a hard disk has been employed as a recording medium of map information in the present conditions. However, in the future, radio or wire transmission of the map information, and utilization of the map information in a portable information equipment in which the capacity of a recording medium is largely limited will be considered. Accordingly, the map information must not have a large capacity as in the present conditions but a smaller capacity under these applications. However, the conventional map information display device or the like has the following problems, thereby the problem of the reduction of the capacity cannot be solved.
First, in a method of compression of connection information in the conventional map information display device or the like, connection information of roads are recorded in the same data format with respect to all the roads.
Roads can be mainly divided into main roads and minor streets. The main road is a road which is considered to be utilized by a large number of people, for example, a country road or a highway. The minor street is a road which is considered to be utilized by a small number of people (or to be usable by only particular persons), for example, a life road in a residential street, a farm road or a path through a forest, contrary to the main road. When the roads are divided into main roads and minor streets in the map information display device or the like, the frequency of use of connection information of roads differs between the main roads and the minor streets. Particularly, in route search processing for calculating a route to a desired position in the map information display device or the like, connection information of main roads is required in a wide range. However, connection information of the minor streets is required only in the restricted range in the vicinity of the current position (a starting point) or a destination. In the actual map data, not less than the half of all the roads may be minor streets in the detailed map of an urban area, for example, in many cases.
However, the conventional map information display device or the like stores the connection information of the roads in the same data format with respect to all the roads irrespective of the above-mentioned contents. Therefore, almost all the connection information is occupied by the connection information of the minor streets low in frequency of use. That is, the problem that the capacity of the map information is large still exists.
Second, in a method of compression of road information in the conventional map information display device or the like, roads cannot be sufficiently grouped.
The compression of road information is for grouping a row of links which are of the same road type and can be drawn with one stroke of the brush. However, there are actually many roads which are of the same type but cannot be drawn with one stroke of the brush. For example, in an urban highway (a metropolitan highway, for example), ramps exist with relatively small spacing. Ramps are an entrance and an exit connecting a main lane of the highway and a general road. Accordingly, the main lane of the highway branches for each ramp. Therefore, when the main lane is drawn with one stroke of the brush to form a group, short links which are merged into the general road and branching for each ramp remain without being included in the group. Consequently, the links have the same attribute but are not directly connected to each other, thereby the links, together with their attributes, must be respectively recorded.
Such a phenomenon is frequently seen in main roads in an urban area, for example, a road portion connecting upper and lower lanes, which are separated, of a main road. Therefore, in the conventional map information display device or the like, the fact that links which can be grouped are limited to a set of links which can be drawn with one stroke of the brush causes the problem that the capacity of the map information is large.
Third, in a method of compression of the shape of a road in the conventional map information display device or the like, the representations of a bent road, a gently curved road, a curved road such as an interchange of a toll road present a problem.
In the method of compression of the shape of a road in the conventional map information display device or the like, a shape close to a curve is represented by setting a large number of interpolation points for representing the shape of a road such as a bent road to perform linear approximation between the interpolation points. Consequently, data representing a lot of interpolation points causes the problem that the capacity of the map information is large.
As described in the foregoing, in the prior art, the map information cannot be sufficiently compressed by the above-mentioned remaining three problems. Since the capacity of the map information is still large, therefore, it is still difficult to realize the transmission of the map information, the storage of the map information in a semiconductor memory, and the like.
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In recent years, the mobile phone set has become widely used not only as a terminal set for simple vocal communication but also as a terminal set for data communication, with a remarkable rise of its data transmitting ability.
For example, as one of features to be utilized as this data communication terminal set, there has been proposed and developed a mobile phone set having such a structure that a camera is installed on the mobile phone set and an image data photographed by this camera can be transmitted and received in real time.
On the other hand, in this data communication terminal set, because various components such as a display, operating buttons, a microphone, a speaker, an antenna and so on, for example, must be efficiently contained in a limited narrow space, a place for installing the camera is restricted similarly.
Under such circumstances, there has been known a data communication terminal set with a camera which is so constructed that there is provided a cut-out part in a rectangular shape on a side face or a top face of the data communication terminal set, and a camera body is rotatably installed in this cut-out part. In such a data communication terminal set with a camera, it is possible to adjust the camera body so as to be directed in a desired direction and also so as to be directed to an operator himself, by installing the camera body in a rotatable manner.
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The present invention generally relates to a mobile winching system whereby a motorized winch and power source are mounted on a small frame that includes wheels, a handle, and a means for anchoring the winch system during operation. This mobile winch system provides a way to transport and operate a winch in areas that are otherwise inaccessible by traditional vehicle-mounted winches.
A winch is a mechanical device commonly used for lifting or pulling loads by means of a rope or cable that is wound around a cylinder turned by an engine, a motor, or by hand. A winch is typically comprised of a bi-directional motor, which drives a cable drum around which a cable is wrapped. One end of the cable is secured to the drum while the free end of the cable includes a hook or other hook-like device. A typical winch has a cable made of wound metal strands, rope, chain, or other similar material having high tensile strength wound around the drum. Thus when the motor turns in one direction, the cable can be fed outwardly, and conversely, while the motor turns in the opposite direction, the cable is pulled inwardly, creating a pulling force on the cable and the hook.
A winch may be used in situations where a pulling force on an item is required and the winch is relatively fixed with respect to another object. Typically, a winch can be attached to a vehicle such as all terrain vehicle (ATV), snowmobile, four-wheel drive vehicle and the like. The winch can be used in a variety of ways to provide assistance to the vehicle driver. For example, one end of the cable may be attached to a stationary object and the winch used to help move or extricate the vehicle from a stuck position. Additionally, one end of the cable may be attached to an object in order to hoist or haul it, or to remove an obstacle from the road in order for the vehicle to pass. Additionally, a winch may be used in tree rigging and removal whereby the winch is attached to a tree to facilitate pulling the tree in the desired direction in which to fall.
While the vehicle mounted winch has multiple attributes, the shortcoming is that the winch is permanently coupled to the vehicle, and the winch can only be used in conjunction with the vehicle, or where the vehicle may maneuver. Moreover, as the winches are hardwired and powered by the vehicle's battery, extended use of the winch can reduce vehicle battery voltage to below starting requirements and may strand the operator without sufficient battery power.
Therefore, it would be desirable to provide a portable system and method of operating a winch in areas inaccessible by current vehicle-mounted winches. Additionally, having an independent power source operating the winch avoids the problem of draining a vehicle battery. Further, it would be desirable to provide a small winch system that may be easily moved and handled by a single person, and which would be particularly useful for logging operations and other types of jobs that are necessarily located in remote places that provide challenges for positioning a vehicle with a mounted winch.
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The present invention relates to a hydraulically operated directional control valve for support mechanisms in underground mining, with a valve piston guided sliding in a boring of a valve seat carrier with a valve cone to abut in a sealing manner a sealing ring arranged in the valve seat carrier and with a control piston guide for the actuation of the valve piston accommodated so as to slide in a control piston, with a high pressure connection, a load connection, a return flow connection and a control pressure connection for hydraulic fluid, whereby on actuation of the valve piston by the control piston the return flow connection can be closed by a closing element of the control piston and following the lifting of the valve cone from the sealing ring a fluid connection can be set up from the high pressure connection to the load connection.
Pressure controlled direction control valves of this construction find application in underground mining in advancing support frames, to extend and retract their hydraulic cylinders. The high hydraulic pressures and the frequently repeated operating processes in ongoing support operations lead to high pressure change loadings in directional control valves, which have the consequence of a high degree of wear especially on the sealing surfaces of the valves.
A 3/2 directional control valve of the construction described in the opening paragraph is proposed in DE 197 08 741 A1, which operates with positive overthrust. This means that the feed to the high pressure connection of the valve is only opened when the return flow connection is fully closed. On operating the previously proposed valve, pressure spikes of up to 1000 bar can arise, which cause a very hard switching and can lead to the cartridge coupling of the valve being loosened or damaged and after only a comparatively short operating time damage occurs to the static seals of the valve cartridge. The previously proposed valve requires a high control pressure of some 230 bar, whereby also the wear is undesirably high on the control piston side.
It is the aim of the present invention to produce a directional control valve of the construction described in the opening paragraph in which the opening and closing proceeds without hard switching processes and thus with substantially reduced wear, without the security of switching being negatively influenced thereby.
Accordingly the present invention is directed to a hydraulically operated directional control valve as set out in the opening paragraph of the present specification, in which the valve piston is guided without sealing between the high pressure connection and the sealing ring in the valve seat carrier and in which the closing element of the control piston closes the return flow connection, before the valve piston releases the high pressure connection for the establishment of the fluid connection with the load connection.
The seal free guidance of the valve piston in the valve seat carrier has the effect that high pressure fluid, which remains continually at high pressure can flow through the non-sealed region between the valve piston and the valve seat carrier immediately after the lifting of the valve piston from the sealing ring, so that in the switching process for opening the valve, owing to the overflow of pressure fluid during the switching process an at least partial pressure equalisation occurs, which has the consequence that the control pressure with which the control piston presses on the valve piston in the sense of an opening movement can be significantly lower than was the case in the previously proposed valves. As a consequence of the overflow of high pressure fluid, beginning already with the lifting of the valve piston from the sealing ring it is possible to close the return flow connection by means of the control piston before the valve piston releases the high pressure connection for the establishment of the fluid connection with the load connection to its full cross section, without pressure peaks during the opening process. This comes about because the high pressure fluid does not stream abruptly into the inside of the valve on the closing of the return flow connection and the further opening movement of the valve piston, but high pressure fluid streams already via the gap between the valve piston and the valve seat carrier and the pressure at the load connection continuously increases with increasing closure of the return flow borings. Although the valve according to the present invention thus appears according to its kinematics as a valve with positive overlap, it belongs in fact according to its method of operation to the valves with negative overlapping, i.e. in closing the return flow the infeed is simultaneously gently opened, so that pressure shocks do not arise or only in much reduced measure and the lifetime of the valve is substantially increased.
An especially simple constructional configuration results if the control piston and the valve piston are joined together. This can be achieved for instance if the control piston is screwed onto the valve piston by means of a threaded connection. It is also possible in this to configure the threaded connection as a separation adjusting mechanism, with which the relative axial positions of the control piston and the valve piston can be changed. By this the point in time at which the high pressure connection is released after the closing of the return flow lines by the valve piston can be varied. This can for instance be effected by the exchangeable arrangement of distance washers between the valve piston and the control piston on the thread root of the threaded connection.
Preferably the control piston preferably has a control piston body as a closing element closing the return flow connection when activated by control fluid under pressure and a control piston shoulder, offset from this, guided in a sealed manner in a control piston guide whereby the control piston body is guided without being sealed in a control piston guide. It is also expedient if the control piston guide is provided with at least one relief hole in the region of the control piston body which is connected to the return flow connection via a relief channel. Both measures ensure an especially light, shock-free operation of the control piston in both the opening and closing processes.
The control piston guide has preferably a diameter which corresponds at least approximately to the diameter of the valve seat carrier, whilst the diameter of the control piston body corresponds at least approximately to the effective opening diameter of the valve cone. By this configuration the directional control valve experiences a pressure equalisation so that for the complete opening of the valve piston essentially the pressure force of its valve closing spring alone has to be overcome and the pressure force of the hydraulic fluid can lift off from the effective surfaces of the control and valve pistons, which are essentially the same size but positioned opposite and with the force balance can remain to the greatest degree without relevance in the switching of the valve. The pressure balance can, of course, also be effected by other suitable means.
Preferably the valve piston is pre-tensioned against the sealing ring by the effect of a closing spring which is arranged in the valve seat carrier. This provides an especially space saving configuration.
The sealing ring can be a plastics material sealing ring in a previously proposed manner. It can expediently be sealed to the valve seat carrier by an interposed O-ring or similar, which effectively prevents the build up of pressure behind the plastics material sealing ring in the closed position of the valve. Preferably the directional control valve is also provided with a control piston sealing ring for the control piston in its open controlled position, which effectively seals the control piston against the inner valve chamber and prevents high pressure fluid flowing by the control piston to the return flow borings in the open position of the valve.
The sealing ring for the valve piston is preferably held in its position in the valve seat carrier by a retaining ring. An especially advantageous configuration results if the control piston sealing ring is configured as an assembly with the retaining ring, where the retaining ring or the control piston sealing ring can comprise a steel sealing ring with a conical sealing surface matched to the front end of the control piston.
The valve piston is preferably axially secured in the valve seat carrier with a spring ring and the control piston is provided with a connecting thread or similar for a disassembly tool. The directional control valve can then be removed as a valve cartridge from its valve housing in the assembly unit where the disassembly tool is screwed onto the control piston or fastened in another suitable manner and then the control piston is pulled out using the disassembly tool, whereby the spring ring lies against the valve seat carrier and pulls this also out of the valve housing.
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Automating customer care through self-service solutions (e.g., Interactive Voice Response (IVR), web-based self-care, etc.) results in substantial cost savings and operational efficiencies. However, due to several factors, such automated systems are unable to provide customers with a quality experience. Such factors include the highly constrained nature of automated interactions, poor error recovery in automated interactions, and poor context handling in automated interactions. The present invention addresses some of the deficiencies experienced with presently existing automated care systems.
One challenge in providing automated customer service (e.g., through an interactive voice response system) is a tradeoff between cost and customer satisfaction. While customer interactions which take place using an automated system (e.g., an interactive voice response system) are generally less expensive than interactions which take place between a customer and a human being, automated interactions are also likely to lead to lower customer satisfaction. One technique for addressing this problem is to provide customer service wherein an interaction initially takes place between a customer and an automated system, and, if the interaction seems to be approaching a negative outcome (i.e., “going bad”), transferring the interaction from an automated to a live interaction. However, an obstacle to the successful use of this technique is the problem of determining when an interaction is “going bad.” If an algorithm for determining when an interaction is “going bad” is oversensitive, then too few interactions will be completed using automation, resulting in unnecessary cost. If an algorithm for determining when an interaction is “going bad” is under-sensitive, then too few interactions will be transferred to a live interaction, resulting in lower customer satisfaction and, ultimately, a lost customer and lost business. Further, even creating an algorithm for determining whether an interaction is “going bad” can be a difficult task. The teachings of this application can be used to address some of these deficiencies in the state of the art for systems and methods used in customer interactions.
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{
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
}
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The present invention relates to an underwater trenching system, and more particularly, to a trench making equipment that enlarges an underwater trench for burying a pipeline.
Many oil and gas production sites require installation of miles of pipelines for delivery of the produced material to a refinery or other destination. Often times, the pipelines are laid underwater, especially in shallow coastal waters. The pipes are usually buried at the bottom of a waterway, such as a river, marsh, or sea. In some locations, the pipes are simply laid along the bottom of a waterway and left exposed, to be buried by the action of the currents. In other uses, a trenching tool, such as a water jet, a cutter head, or a scoop, or clam shell digger digs a trench around the pipe, which then settles into the trench.
The bottom sediment eventually settles around the pipe although a large portion of it is carried to other areas of the waterway. The time when the sediment remain in suspension varies although it is known to have a potential for creating serious environmental damage to plants, animals, marine life, and the water. Over time, the sediment has a tendency to shift the pipeline, which causes it to rise from the bottom or from the trench. Current governmental regulations prohibit disturbing the waterway bottom for the second time, such that digging out the original trench for adjusting position of the pipeline is not a viable option. As a consequence, the only viable alternative is to excavate the side of the trench near the bottom and cause the pipeline to drop into the new indentation in the soil.
In short, all currently known equipment and methods for underwater trenching create large clouds of silt and debris that remain in suspension for a long time and seriously disrupt the ecology of the waterway. Reforming the trench by additional excavation of the bottom is not allowed.
There exists therefore a need for an underwater trenching system that avoids bottom trenching, while achieving the goal of lowering the pipeline into a trench without excavating the bottom of the trench.
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{
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
}
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The present invention relates to a hair dye composition featuring markedly high dyeing power, less color fade over time and a smaller color tone change of the dye even after storage.
Hair dyes can be classified by the dye to be used therefor, or whether they have bleaching action of melanin or not. Typical examples include a two-part permanent hair dye composed of a first part containing an alkali agent, an oxidation dye and a direct dye such as nitro dye and a second part containing an oxidizing agent; and one-part semi-permanent hair dye containing an organic acid or an alkali agent, and a direct dye such as acid dye, basic dye or nitro dye.
The above-described permanent hair dye is however accompanied with the drawbacks that color tone imparted by an oxidation dye is not so vivid and the color of the hair dyed with a vivid-color producing nitro dye ordinarily employed as a direct dye markedly fades over time and becomes dull soon even if the color tone rightly after dyeing is very vivid (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (Kokai) No. Hei 6-271435).
Recently, hair dyes containing as a direct dye a so-called cationic dye having a cation group contained in their conjugate system have been reported (Japanese Language Laid-Open Publication (PCT) No. Hei 8-507545, 8-501322 or 10-502946, or Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (Kokai) No. Hei 10-194942). They have been found to involve drawbacks that intended dyeing effects are not available owing to decomposition of them caused by mixing, upon hair dyeing, with hydrogen peroxide ordinarily employed as an oxidizing agent; and that when the cation group is incorporated in an azo(xe2x80x94Nxe2x95x90N)-based conjugated system, they are unstable to an alkali agent or a reducing agent essentially contained in a permanent hair dye.
An object of the present invention is to provide a hair dye composition featuring high hair dyeing power, less color fade over time and excellent storage stability to permit only a smaller color tone change of the dye after storage.
The present inventors have found that a hair composition containing a cationic dye represented by the below-described formula (1) which is disclosed as a dye for dyeing or printing fiber materials therewith in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (Kokai) No. Hei 7-166079, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (Kokai) No. Sho 54-111526, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (Kokai) No. Sho 49-10215, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (Kokai) No. Sho 48-923, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (Kokai) No. Sho 56-76457, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (Kokai) No. Sho 56-145952, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (Kokai) No. Hei 7-3177, U.S. Pat. No. 4,600,776, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (Kokai) No. Hei 9-12914, German Offenlegungsschrift DE-3149047, German Offenlegungsschrift DE-3205647, Japanese Patent Publication No. Sho 51-35405, Japanese Patent Publication No. Sho 49-4531, Japanese Patent Publication No. Sho 49-4530, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (Kokai) No. Sho 50-5683 or Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (Kokai) No. Sho 54-149731; which is known as C.I. 48010, C.I. 48015 (Basic Red 13), C.I. 48020 (Basic Violet 7), C.I. 48030 (Basic Violet 21), C.I. 48035 (Basic Orange 21), C.I. 48040 (Basic Orange 22), C.I. 48055 (Basic Yellow 11), C.I. 48060 (Basic Yellow 21), C.I. 48065 (Basic Yellow 12), C.I. 48100 (Basic Yellow 23), C.I. 48016 (Basic Red 14) or C.I. 48056(Basic Yellow 13); or which is described in xe2x80x9cLiebigs Ann. Chem. 107-121(1981)xe2x80x9d can dye the hair with high dyeing power without causing decomposition of the dye upon hair dying, exhibits excellent light resistance, washing resistance, perspiration resistance, friction resistance and weather resistance, and causes a smaller change in color tone of the dye after storage as compared with that rightly after preparation because the dye exists in the composition stably.
In one aspect of the present invention, there is thus provided a hair dye composition comprising, as a direct dye, a compound represented by the following formula (1):
[wherein, R1 and R2 each independently represents a hydrogen atom or a C1-6 alkyl group which may have a substituent,
A represent a group of the following formula (2):
(in which, R3, R4 and R5 each independently represents a C1-6 alkyl group which may have a substituent, or R4 and R1 may be coupled together to form a cyclic structure, and benzene ring a1 may have a substituent other than a sulfonic acid group or may be condensed with an aromatic ring), or a group of the following formula (3):
(in which, W represents an aralkyl group, a carbamoylalkyl group or a group xe2x80x94Txe2x80x94NR6R7 (in which R6 and R7 each independently represents a C1-6 alkyl group which may have a substituent, an aromatic group which may have a substituent or a heterocyclic group which may have a substituent, or R6 and R7 may form a heterocyclic ring together with the adjacent nitrogen atom, and T represents a divalent linear C1-4 hydrocarbon group which may have a substituent), and pyridine ring a2 may be condensed with an aromatic ring),
B represents a group represented by the formula xe2x80x94Z1, xe2x80x94NR8xe2x80x94Z1 or xe2x80x94CHxe2x95x90Z2
(in which Z1 represents an aromatic or heterocyclic aromatic group which may have a substituent, R8 represents a hydrogen atom, a C1-4 alkyl group which may have a substituent or an aromatic group which may have a substituent or R8 and Z1 may be coupled together to form a nitrogen-containing heterocyclic group which may have a substituent, and Z2 represents a divalent group obtained by removing two hydrogen atoms from the methylene group on the ring of a heterocyclic aromatic compound which may have a substituent,
with the proviso that when A is a group of the formula (2), B represents the group xe2x88x92Z1, and Z1 represents an aromatic group or, when A is a group of the formula (2), B represents the group xe2x80x94CHxe2x95x90Z2, Z2 represents an indolinidene group and n does not stand for 0, the aromatic or indolinidene group has at least one substituent represented by the formula: xe2x80x94NR9R10 (in which R9 represents a C1-4 alkyl group having as a substituent a chlorine atom or a cyano, acylamino, alkoxy, monoalkylamino, dialkylamino or trimethylammoniumyl group, or a phenyl group which may have a substituent and R10 represents a C1-6 alkyl group which may have a substituent),
n stands for an integer of 1 to 3 when B represents the group xe2x80x94Z1 or group xe2x80x94NR8xe2x80x94Z1 and n stands for an integer of 0 to 3 when B represents the group xe2x80x94CHxe2x95x90Z2; and
Y31 represents an anion.
In the formula (1), examples of the C1-6 alkyl group represented by R1 or R2 include methyl, ethyl, propyl, butyl, pentyl, hexyl, isopropyl, isobutyl and isopentyl groups. R1 and R2 may be the same or different. Examples of the substituent which may be possessed by them include cyano group, chlorine atom, hydroxyl group, amino group, methoxy group and diethylamino group. When B stands for the group xe2x80x94Z1 or xe2x80x94NR8xe2x80x94Z1, particularly preferred as n is 1, while when B stands for the group xe2x80x94CHxe2x95x90Z2, 0 or 1 is particularly preferred. When B stands for the group xe2x80x94CHxe2x95x90Z2, 0 is most preferred as n because of stability to an oxidizing agent, particularly to hydrogen peroxide.
In the formula (1), when A represents a group of the formula (2), examples of the C1-6 alkyl group represented by R3, R4 or R5 include methyl ethyl, propyl, butyl, pentyl, hexyl, isopropyl, isobutyl and isopentyl groups. R3, R4 and R5 may be the same or different. R4 and R1 may form a cyclic structure together with two adjacent carbon atoms and as such a cyclic structure, 5xe2x80x94 to 7-membered ones are preferred. R3, R4 or R5 may have, as a substituent, a sulfonic acid group or salt thereof, cyano group, chlorine atom, hydroxyl group, amino group, alkoxy group, monoalkylamino group, dialkylamino group, trimethylammoniumyl group, oxo group, carbamoyl group, carboxy group or aryl group.
Examples of the substituent which may be possessed by benzene ring a1 in the formula (2) include C1-6 alkyl groups which may be substituted with a hydroxyl group, C1-6 alkoxy groups, halogen atoms, C2-7 alkoxycarbonyl groups, carboxy group or salts thereof, C1-6 acylamino groups, amino group which may be substituted with one or two C1-6 alkyl groups which may be substituted with a hydroxyl group, nitro group, hydroxyl group, and C1-6 acyl groups. This a1 may be cyclocondensed with an aromatic ring and a naphthalene ring may be mentioned as such a condensed ring.
In the formula (1), when A is the group (3), examples of the aralkyl group represented by W include benzyl, 1-phenethyl and 2-phenethyl groups, while those of the carbamoylalkyl group include carbamoylethyl.
In the formula (1), when A is the group (3) and W is the group xe2x80x94Txe2x80x94NR6R7, examples of the C1-6 alkyl group represented by R6 or R7 include methyl, ethyl, propyl, butyl, pentyl, hexyl, isopropyl, isobutyl and isopentyl groups, those of the aromatic group include phenyl and naphthyl, and those of the heterocyclic group include imidazolyl and triazolyl. R6 and R7 may be the same or different, or the group xe2x80x94NR6R7 may be quaternized. In this group, R6 and R7 may form a heterocyclic ring, together with the adjacent nitrogen atom. As such a heterocyclic ring, pyrrolidine, piperidine, morpholine, piperazine, imidazole, triazole and pyridinium rings may be mentioned by way of example. R6 or R7 may have a substituent such as phenyl group, cyano group, chlorine atom, hydroxyl group, amino group, methoxy group, diethylamino group or a group of the following formula:
In the formula (3), the divalent linear C1-4 hydrocarbon group represented by T is, for example, a methylene, ethylene, trimethylene, tetramethylene or propylene group, with the ethylene or trimethylene group being particularly preferred. T may have, for example, a methyl, ethyl, phenyl, benzyl or hydroxyl group as a substituent.
In the formula (3), pyridine ring a2 may be substituted with an aromatic ring and examples of such a condensed heterocyclic ring include quinoline and isoquinoline rings.
In the formula (1), as a group represented by A, groups of the formula (2) are preferred because of stability to an oxidizing agent, particularly to hydrogen peroxide.
In the formula (1), B represents the group xe2x80x94Z1, xe2x80x94NR8xe2x80x94Z1 or xe2x80x94CHxe2x95x90Z2. Examples of xe2x80x94Z1 include groups of the following formulas:
These Z1 may have, as a substituent, halogen atom, hydroxyl group, cyano group, C1-8 alkyl group which may have a substituent, C1-8 alkoxy group which may have a substituent, amino group which may have a substituent, phenyl group which may have a substituent or a group of the formula: Axe2x80x94CHxe2x95x90CHxe2x80x94Z1xe2x80x94Dxe2x80x94 (in which A and Z1 have the same meanings as described above and D represents a group xe2x80x94NHCONHxe2x80x94 or xe2x80x94NHCOxe2x80x94Dxe2x80x2xe2x80x94CONHxe2x80x94 (in which Dxe2x80x2 represents an alkylene, phenylene or naphthylene group)). When Z1 represents an aromatic group, it contains at least one xe2x80x94NR9R10.
Examples of the substituent for the alkyl or alkoxyl group which may be substituted for Z1 include cyano group, chlorine atom, dialkylamino group and trialkylammmoniumyl group. Examples of the substituent for the amino group which may be substituted for Z1 include alkyl and aryl groups. These substituents may be substituted, for example, with an aryl group, an alkoxy group, an alkyl group, a chlorine atom, a cyano group, an amino group, a monoalkylamino group, a dialkylamino group or a trialkylammoniumyl group.
As xe2x80x94Z1, preferred are the following groups:
R8 is, for example, a hydrogen atom or a methyl, ethyl, propyl, butyl, phenyl, 4-hydroxyphenyl or 4-methoxyphenyl group.
As xe2x80x94CHxe2x95x90Z2, following groups represented by the formula (5) or (6) can be mentioned by way of example:
As a substituent which may be possessed by Z2, C1-6 alkyl groups and the like can be mentioned. These alkyl groups may have a substituent similar to that exemplified as the substituent which may be possessed by R3, R4 or R5. When Z2 represents an indolinidene group and n does not stand for 0, the indolinidene group have at least one group xe2x80x94NR9R10.
Among the compounds represented by the formula (1), preferred for stability to an oxidizing agent, particularly to hydrogen peroxide are those wherein when A is represented by the formula (2), B is represented by a group of the formula xe2x80x94CHxe2x95x90Z2, and n stands for 0, the group of the formula xe2x80x94CHxe2x95x90Z2 is a group substituted, at a specific position of the formula (5) or (6), by an alkyl group, that is a group of the following formula (7):
[wherein, R11, R12 and R13 each independently represents a C1-6 alkyl group which may have a substituent, and a benzene ring a3 may have a substituent other than a sulfonic acid group or may be cyclocondensed with an aromatic ring].
In short, compounds having a group of the formula (2) as A, a group of the formula (7) as B and 0 as n are most preferred for stability to an oxidizing agent, particularly to hydrogen peroxide. Such compounds (1) have the following formula (4):
[wherein, R3, R4, R5, R11, R12 and R13 each independently represents a C1-6 alkyl group which may have a substituent; R14 and R15 each independently represents a hydrogen atom, a C1-6 alkyl group which may be substituted by a hydroxyl group, a C1-6 alkoxy group, a halogen atom, a C2-7 alkoxycarbonyl group, a carboxy group or salt thereof, a C1-6 acylamino group, an amino group which may be substituted with one or two C1-6 alkyl groups which may be substituted by a hydroxyl group, a nitro group, a hydroxyl group or a C1-6 acyl group; benzene rings a1 and a3 may each be cyclocondensed with an aromatic ring; and Y represents an anion].
In the formula (4), examples of the C1-6 alkyl group represented by R3, R4, R5, R11, R12 or R13 include methyl, ethyl, propyl, butyl, pentyl, hexyl, isopropyl, isobutyl and isopentyl groups. R3, R4, R5, R11, R12 and R13 may be the same or different. Examples of the substituent which R3, R4, R5, R11, R12 or R13 may have include sulfonic acid group or salts thereof, cyano group, chlorine atom, hydroxyl group, amino group, alkoxy groups, monoalkylamino groups, dialkylamino groups, trimethylammoniumyl group, oxo group, carbamoyl group, carboxy group and aryl groups.
As R14 or R15, examples of the C1-6 alkyl group which may be substituted by a hydroxyl group include, in addition to the above-exemplified C1-6 alkyl groups, hydroxymethyl, 1-hydroxyethyl, 2-hydroxyethyl, 1-hydroxypropyl and 3-hydroxypropyl groups. Examples of the C1-6 alkoxy group represented by R14 or R15 include methoxy, ethoxy, propoxy, butoxy, pentyloxy, hexyloxy, isopropoxy, isobutoxy and isopentyloxy groups. Examples of the halogen atom represented by R14 or R15 include fluorine, chlorine, bromine and iodine atoms. Examples of the C2-7 alkoxycarbonyl group represented by R14 or R15 include methoxycarbonyl, ethoxycarbonyl, propoxycarbonyl, butoxycarbonyl, pentyloxycarbonyl, hexyloxycarbonyl, isopropoxycarbonyl, isobutoxycarbonyl and isopentyloxycarbonyl groups. Examples of the salt of a carboxy group represented by R14 or R15 include ammonium salts, lithium salts, sodium salts and potassium salts. Examples of the C1-6 acylamino group represented by R14 or R15 include formamido, acetamido, propionamido, butanoylamino, pentanoylamino, hexanoylamino, isopropionamido, isobutanoylamino and isopentanoylamino groups. Examples of the amino group which may be substituted by one or two C1-6 alkyl groups which may be substituted by a hydroxyl group include amino, monomethylamino, dimethylamino, monoethylamino, diethylamino, monopropylamino, dipropylamino, mono(2-hydroxyethylamino, bis(2-hydroxyethyl)amino, mono(3-hydroxypropyl)amino, bis(3-hydroxypropyl)amino, mono(2-hydroxypropyl)amino, and bis(2-hydroxypropyl)amino groups. Examples of the C1-6 acyl group represented by R14 or R15 include formyl, acetyl, propanoyl, butanoyl, pentanoyl, hexanoyl, isopropanoyl, isobutanoyl and isopentanoyl groups.
In the formula (4), the benzene rings a1 and a3 may each be cyclocondensed with an aromatic ring and as such a condensed ring, a naphthalene ring may be mentioned as an example.
In the formulas (1) and (4), examples of the anion represented by Yxe2x88x92 include chloride ions, bromide ions, iodide ions, trichlorozincic acid ions, tetrachlorozincic acid ions, sulfuric acid ions, hydrogensulfate ions, methyl sulfate ions, phosphoric acid ions, formic acid ions, acetic acid ions, perchloric acid ions and tetrafluoroboric acid ions.
The following are specific examples of the direct dye (1) to be used in the present invention:
Compounds having a group of the formula (2) as A:
Among the direct dyes (1), those represented by the formula (4) can be prepared, for example, by the method described in xe2x80x9cTHE CHEMISTRY OF HETEROCYCLIC COMPOUNDS xe2x80x94THE CYANINE DYES AND RELATED COMPOUNDSxe2x80x94, 54-55(1964)xe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cLiebigs Ann. Chem., 107-121(1981)xe2x80x9d.
As the direct dye (1), one or more of the above-exemplified compounds may be used. Alternatively, another direct dye can be used in combination.
Examples of the direct dye other than the direct dye (1) include Basic Blue 7 (C.I. 42595), Basic Blue 26 (C.I. 44045), Basic Blue 99 (C.I. 56059), Basic Violet 10 (C.I. 45170), Basic Violet 14 (C.I. 42515), Basic Brown 16 (C.I. 12250), Basic Brown 17 (C.I. 12251), Basic Red 2 (C.I. 50240), Basic Red 22 (C.I. 11055), Basic Red 76 (C.I. 12245), Basic Red 118 (C.I. 12251:1) and Basic Yellow 57(C.I. 12719); and basic dyes as described in Japanese Patent Publication No. Sho 58-2204, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 9-118832, Japanese Language Laid-Open Publication (PCT) No. Hei 8-501322 or Japanese Language Laid-Open Publication (PCT) No. Hei 8-507545.
The direct dye (1) is preferably added in an amount of 0.01 to 20 wt. %, more preferably 0.05 to 10 wt. %, especially 0.1 to 5 wt. % on the basis of the entirety of the composition (after mixing of all the parts when a two-part or three-part composition is employed; this will apply equally hereinafter). When another direct dye is used in combination, the content of it with the direct dye (1) preferably ranges from 0.05 to 10 wt. %, especially 0.1 to 5 wt. % based on the whole composition.
The hair dye composition of the present invention is preferably adjusted to pH 6 to 11, with pH 8 to 11 being more preferred. Examples of the alkali agent to be used for pH adjustment include ordinarily employed ones such as ammonia, organic amines and salts thereof. The alkali agent is preferably added in an amount of 0.01 to 20 wt. %, more preferably 0.1 to 10 wt. %, especially 0.5 to 5 wt. %.
In the hair dye composition of the present invention, an oxidizing agent can be incorporated. In this case, hair dyeing and bleaching can be carried out simultaneously, which facilitates more vivid hair dyeing. Ordinarily employed oxidizing agents, for example, hydrogen peroxide, persulfates such as ammonium persulfate, potassium persulfate and sodium persulfate; perborates such as sodium perborate, percarbonates such as sodium percarbonate and bromates such as sodium bromate and potassium bromate are usable. Out of them, hydrogen peroxide is especially preferred. The oxidizing agent is added in an amount of 0.5 to 10 wt. %, especially 1 to 8 wt. %, on the basis of the entirety of the composition.
In the hair dye composition of the present invention, an oxidation dye can be incorporated further. This incorporation enables remarkable vivid dyeing not attainable by the single use of an oxidation dye. As the oxidizing agent, the above-exemplified ones can be used, with hydrogen peroxide being particularly preferred. Alternatively, an oxidizing enzyme such as laccase can be employed. For the oxidation dye, known developers and couplers ordinarily employed for an oxidation type hair dye can be used.
Examples of the developer include p-phenylenediamines having one or several groups selected from NH2xe2x80x94, NHRxe2x80x94 and NR2xe2x80x94 groups (R represents a C1-4 alkyl or hydroxyalkyl group) such as p-phenylenediamine, p-toluylenediamine, N-methyl-p-phenylenediamine, chloro-p-phenylenediamine, 2-(2xe2x80x2-hydroxyethylamino)-5-aminotoluene, N,N-bis-(2-hydroxyethyl)-p-phenylenediamine, 2-hydroxyethyl-p-phenylenediamine, 2,6-dimethyl-p-phenylenediamine, methoxy-p-phenylenediamine, 2,6-dichloro-p-phenylenediamine, 2-chloro-6-methyl-p-phenylenediamine, 6-methoxy-3-methyl-p-phenylenediamine, 2,5-diaminoanisole, N-(2-hydroxypropyl)-p-phenylenediamine and N-2-methoxyethyl-p-phenylenediamine; 2,5-diaminopyridine derivatives and 4,5-diaminopyrazole derivatives; p-aminophenols such as p-aminophenol, 2-methyl-4-aminophenol, N-methyl-p-aminophenol, 3-methyl-4-aminophenol, 2,6-dimethyl-4-aminophenol, 3,5-dimethyl-4-aminophenol, 2,3-dimethyl-4-aminophenol and 2,5-dimethyl-4-aminophenol; o-aminophenols, o-phenylenediamines, 4,4xe2x80x2-diaminophenylamine and hydroxypropylbis(N-hydroxyethyl-p-phenylenediamine); and salts thereof.
Examples of the coupler include 1-naphthol, 1,5-dihydroxynaphthalene, 1,7-dihydroxynaphthalene, 2,7-dihydroxynaphthalene, 5-amino-2-methylphenol, 5-(2xe2x80x2-hydroxyethylamino)-2-methylphenol, 2,4-diaminoanisole, m-toluylenediamine, resorcin, m-phenylenediamine, m-aminophenol, 4-chlororesorcin, 2-methylresorcin, 2,4-diaminophenoxyethanol, 2,6-diaminopyridine, 2-amino-3-hydroxypyridine, 4-hydroxyindole, 6-hydroxyindole, 2,4-diamino-6-hydroxypyrimidine, 2,4,6-triaminopyrimidine, 2-amino-4,6-dihydroxypyrimidine, 4-amino-2,6-dihydroxypyrimidine, 4,6-diamino-2-hydroxypyrimidine and 1,3-bis(2,4-diaminophenoxy)propane; and salts thereof.
As a developer or coupler, at least one of the above-exemplified ones can be used. Although no particular limitation is imposed on its content, it is preferably added in an amount of 0.01 to 20 wt. %, especially 0.5 to 10 wt. % based on the whole composition.
To the hair dye composition of the present invention, a known autoxidation dye typified by an indole or an indoline, or a known direct dye such as a nitro dye or a disperse dye can also be added.
When an anionic component (such as anionic surfactant or anionic polymer) is added to the hair dye composition of the present invention, it is preferred to satisfy the following equation:
xe2x80x83xe2x80x9cIon activity concentration of an anionic component/ion activity concentration of a cationic direct dye (1)xe2x89xa68xe2x80x9d
The term xe2x80x9cion activity concentrationxe2x80x9d as used herein means xe2x80x9cmolar concentration x ionic valencexe2x80x9d
Addition of a polyol, polyol alkyl ether, cationic or amphoteric polymer or silicone to the hair dye composition of the present invention is preferred, because the resulting composition can dye the hair uniformly and has improved cosmetic effects.
In addition to the above-described components, those ordinarily employed as a raw material for cosmetics can be added to the hair dye composition of the present invention. Examples of such an optional component include hydrocarbons, animal or vegetable fats and oils, higher fatty acids, organic solvents, penetration promoters, cationic surfactants, natural or synthetic polymers, higher alcohols, ethers, amphoteric surfactants, nonionic surfactants, protein derivatives, amino acids, antiseptics, chelating agents, stabilizing agents, antioxidants, plant extracts, crude drug extracts, vitamins, colorants, perfumes and ultraviolet absorbers.
The hair dye composition of the present invention can be prepared in a conventional manner into a one-part composition, a two-part composition having a first-part component containing an alkali agent and a second-part component containing an oxidizing agent, or a three-part composition having, in addition to these two components, a powdery oxidizing agent such as persulfate. The direct dye (1) can be incorporated in either one or both of these components of the two-part or three-part composition. The one-part type is applied to the hair directly, while the two- or three-part type is applied to the hair after mixing these parts upon hair dyeing.
No particular limitation is imposed on the form of the hair dye composition of the present invention. Examples include powder, transparent liquid, emulsion, cream, gel, paste, aerosol, and aerosol foam. It preferably has a viscosity of 2000 to 100000 mPaxc2x7s in the stage of application to the hair (after mixing of all the components when a two-part or three-part type composition is employed).
For dyeing the hair with the hair dye composition of the present invention, it is recommended to apply the hair dye composition of the present invention to the hair at 10 to 50xc2x0 C. directly when it is one-part type and after mixing when it is two- or three-part type, allow it to act on the hair for 1 to 60 minutes, preferably 3 to 45 minutes, wash the resulting hair and then dry it.
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{
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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The present invention relates to fault-tolerant computer systems. In particular, it relates to reducing the memory required to operate a fault-tolerant system.
Processes run on computers are used to obtain many useful results. For instance, computer processes can be used for word processing, for performing calculations, for banking purposes, and for routing messages in a network. A problem with computer processes is that sometimes a process will fail. Although for some programs failure may have minimal negative consequences, in other cases, such as a banking application, the negative consequences can be catastrophic.
It is known to use fault tolerant processes to enable recovery from failure of a process. In particular it is known to use traditional process pairs where one process is the working process doing work and the other process is essentially a clone of the working process that takes over if the working process fails. See e.g. xe2x80x9cTransaction monitor process with pre-arranged modules for a multiprocessor systemxe2x80x9d, U.S. Pat. No. 5,576,945, issued Nov. 19, 1996. The working process at intervals sends information about its state (xe2x80x9ccheckpointsxe2x80x9d) to the backup process. (In process pairs, a checkpoint is sent at a minimum when an external state relating to the process is changed, such as when a file is opened or when a banking program does a funds transfer. Usually checkpoints are sent much more frequently, however.) Upon failure, the backup process begins execution from the last checkpointed state.
A problem with using traditional process pairs is that because a redundant process is set up about double the memory of running a single process is required. A copy of the contents of the memory image of the working process is created by the clone, including the state of the working space memory such as the stack. A copy of the program (xe2x80x9ccode segmentxe2x80x9d) is also maintained in memory. The code segment typically is an object file read from disk and loaded into memory at run time, and executed. The code segment is typically a relatively large portion of the memory image copy.
Memory is expensive and also takes up space. Accordingly, it would be advantageous to have a way to run fault-tolerant processes using less memory. It would further be advantageous for the time to takeover for a failed process to be short.
Systems and methods for implementing a memory-efficient fault tolerant computing system are provided by virtue of one embodiment of the present invention. A generic backup process may provide fault tolerance to multiple working processes. The backup process need not include a copy of the code segments executed by the working processes, providing very large savings in memory needed to implement the fault tolerant system. Alternatively, multiple backup processes provide fault tolerance but need not include duplicated code segments for the working processes they support.
In one embodiment, backup processes maintain state information about each working process including the contents of stack memory and heap memory. Checkpoint messages from a working process to a backup process keep the state information updated to facilitate takeover on failure. At takeover on failure, a backup loads a code segment associated with the working process and resumes using the current backup state information. With recent advances in processor speed, loading of the code segment occurs very quickly.
In one embodiment, a method for recovery of an original working process upon failure is provided. State information associated with the original working process is obtained. A copy of a code segment associated with the original working process is obtained and loaded into memory. The code segment is caused to execute as an active working process, using the state information.
A further understanding of the nature and advantages of the inventions herein may be realized by reference to the remaining portions of the specification and the attached drawings.
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The use of an electric motor to rotate a fan blade to create an airflow has long been known in the art. Unfortunately, such fans produce substantial noise, and can present a hazard to children who may be tempted to poke a finger or a pencil into the moving fan blade. Although such fans can produce substantial airflow (e.g., 1,000 ft3/minute or more), substantial electrical power is required to operate the motor, and essentially no conditioning of the flowing air occurs.
It is known to provide such fans with a HEPA-compliant filter element to remove particulate matter larger than perhaps 0.3 μm. Unfortunately, the resistance to airflow presented by the filter element may require doubling the electric motor size to maintain a desired level of airflow. Further, HEPA-compliant filter elements are expensive, and can represent a substantial portion of the sale price of a HEPA-compliant filter-fan unit. While such filter-fan units can condition the air by removing large particles, particulate matter small enough to pass through the filter element is not removed, including bacteria, for example.
It is also known in the art to produce an airflow using electro-kinetic technique, by which electrical power is converted into a flow of air without mechanically moving components. One such system is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,789,801 to Lee (1988), which patent is incorporated herein by reference. An array of first (“emitter”) electrodes or conductive surfaces are spaced-apart symmetrically from an array of second (“collector”) electrodes or conductive surfaces. The positive terminal of a generator such as, for example, pulse generator that outputs a train of high voltage pulses (e.g., 0 to perhaps +5 KV) is coupled to the first array, and the negative pulse generator terminal is coupled to the second array in this example. It is to be understood that the arrays depicted include multiple electrodes, but that an array can include or be replaced by a single electrode.
The high voltage pulses ionize the air between the arrays, and create an airflow from the first array toward the second array, without requiring any moving parts. Particulate matter in the air is entrained within the airflow and also moves towards the second electrodes. Much of the particulate matter is electrostatically attracted to the surfaces of the second electrodes, where it remains, thus conditioning the flow of air exiting system. Further, the high voltage field present between the electrode arrays can release ozone into the ambient environment, which can eliminate odors that are entrained in the airflow.
While the electrostatic techniques disclosed by the '801 patent are advantageous over conventional electric fan-filter units, further increased air transport-conditioning efficiency would be advantageous.
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an exercising device and, more particularly, to a passive exercising device.
2. Description of the Related Art
A conventional exercising device in accordance with the prior art shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 comprises a base 40, a plurality of rollers 42 rotatably mounted on and protruded outward from the base 40, a driving unit 50 mounted on the base 40 and connected with the rollers 42 to move the rollers 42 relative to the base 40, a housing 60 mounted on the base 40 to cover the driving unit 50, and a handle unit 70 mounted on the top of the housing 60 to move in concert with the housing 60. The base 40 has a surface formed with a plurality of receiving holes 41 to receive the rollers 42. The driving unit 50 includes a toothed belt 52 mounted around the rollers 42 to rotate the rollers 42, a driven gear 511 rotatably mounted in the housing 60 and meshing with the toothed belt 52 to rotate the toothed belt 52, a motor 51 mounted in the housing 60 and connected with the driven gear 511 to rotate the driven gear 511, and two idlers 43 rotatably mounted in the housing 60 and abutting an outer wall of the toothed belt 52 to stretch the toothed belt 52. Thus, the toothed belt 52 is pressed between the driven gear 511 and the two idlers 43.
In operation, the driven gear 511 is rotated by the motor 51 to rotate the toothed belt 52 which rotates the rollers 42 so as to move the base 40, the housing 60 and the handle unit 70. When in use, the rollers 42 are placed on the ground so that a user is knelt on the ground with his two hands holding the handle unit 70. Thus, the handle unit 70 is moved with the rollers 42 by operation of the motor 51 so as to perform a reciprocating motion so that the user is passively driven by the handle unit 70 to move forward and backward successively so as to exercise his arms, shoulder, chest and waist efficiently.
However, the toothed belt 52 is subjected to forces from the driven gear 511, the two idlers 43 and the rollers 42 so that the toothed belt 52 easily produces an elastic fatigue during a long-term utilization and is easily deviated or loosened from the driven gear 511 and the rollers 42, thereby affecting the movement of the exercising device. In addition, the sliding friction between the rollers 42 and the ground is not large enough so that the rollers 42 easily slip from the ground, thereby causing danger to the user during movement of the rollers 42.
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This invention relates to using a laser beam delivered via an optical fiber to break down a calculus, stone or calcified tissue or other material for removal from within the human body.
Frequently such calculi, stones, or calcified tissue are located in positions which can be reached using only small diameter endoscopes and the optical fiber must be fine enough to pass via the endoscope. The stones are typically in close proximity to healthy tissue.
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One of the fastest growing markets in contemporary computing is in mobile computing devices, such as laptop computers. When selecting a mobile computing device, many consumers consider the weight and battery life to be very important criteria. To an extent, the weight and battery life are traded off; e.g., the larger the device, the larger the battery that is needed to power it, and more than one battery is often carried with the device to prolong its usability between recharges.
In general, when choosing a mobile device, the more efficient the power management, the longer the battery life will be relative to overall weight and/or system performance. As a result, device manufacturers are continually seeking ways to more efficiently manage power consumption.
The display on a mobile personal computer (PC) is one of the significant areas of power consumption, however the ability to control the power consumed by the display has heretofore been limited. Indeed, the power management methods that modern displays employ are essentially still rooted in technology related to the foundation of computer displays, the CRT. For example, for mobile PCs, users can set the backlight level, and set an inactivity timer to turn off the display when the system is not being used for a user-specified duration. This works because the backlight is a large power user. However, the user can only adjust the backlight level so much, based on the current surrounding environment, and the inactivity timer does not apply when the user is working on the computing device.
More recently, profiles have been added to allow the user to have different settings for various characteristics, including backlight settings and inactivity timer settings, for different modes of use, with a relatively easy way to switch between the predefined modes. For example, a user can set up and select one profile for a plugged-in state, another profile for normal use when on battery, another (maximum battery life) profile for times when battery life needs to be conserved, and so forth. However, even when running with a reduced power profile, when the device is in use the inactivity timer is irrelevant, and the user has to tolerate the lowered backlight level to conserve power, or if not able to because of the current environment, raise the backlight level but then lose the power savings.
What is needed is a way to provide improved battery life for mobile computing devices, including mobile PCs. In particular, the overall power consumption of device displays needs to be addressed in an advanced way.
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The present invention relates to surgical instruments and, in various embodiments, to surgical cutting and stapling instruments and staple cartridges therefor that are designed to cut and staple tissue.
Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views. The exemplifications set out herein illustrate certain embodiments of the invention, in one form, and such exemplifications are not to be construed as limiting the scope of the invention in any manner.
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The present invention relates to a method of making an endless image-forming medium starting from a strip of semi-crystalline support material which strip extends between a first and second end, wherein the first and second ends are brought together and fused to form an endless support. The fused parts are post-crystallized and an image-forming layer is applied to the support.
Such a method is known from the international patent application WO 03/028982 and can be used, for example, as described in this application for forming a photoconductor for use in a printer. In this method, a strip of semi-crystalline support material is used as starting material, i.e. a material which is partially crystalline and partially amorphous such as, for example, the semi-crystalline polyester described therein. In this method, the head edges of the ends of the strip of support material are positioned against one another. The two ends are then fused together forming a weld. In the known method, the strip is heated to a temperature above the melting temperature of the material from which the strip is formed using radiation at the required weld location. As a result the ends of the strip are fused together. However, after fusing, the support material is significantly amorphous and thus a weak weld is formed. Also, tension is built up in the endless support. To make the weld sufficiently stronger and to reduce the problem of tension, the weld is treated so that the amorphous material at least partially re-crystallizes. In this connection, it is not necessary to achieve the same degree or form of crystallization as that of the original starting material. In one embodiment, and for this purpose, the weld is heated to a temperature where it does not melt but where the molecules of the molten material still have sufficient freedom of movement to be oriented with respect to one another, whereby the support material post-crystallizes and obtains a higher degree of crystallization at the weld location. In another embodiment, directly after the fusion of the two ends, the weld is slowly cooled so that the melted amorphous material has the opportunity to crystallize.
If an image-forming layer is applied to the endless support obtained in this way, an endless image-forming medium can be obtained which has no loss of image-forming functionality at the weld location. The advantage of this is that during image formation, no consideration need be paid to the location of the weld.
An important disadvantage of the known process is that the efficiency is relatively low. Although it is possible to obtain image media which have the same functionality at the location of the fused parts (hereinafter referred to as “the weld” in this description) as at any other location of the belt, the majority of the image media, that is, up to some 70%, has been found to exhibit considerably deviating functionality at this location. This deviating functionality takes the form, for example, in the occurrence of a stripe in the image at the place corresponding to the weld. Although the reason for this is not completely clear, it appears to be connected with defects in the image-forming layer at the weld location.
The purpose of the present invention is to provide a method having better efficiency. Thus, according to the present invention, prior to the application of the image-forming layer, at least a part of the support containing the fused parts is stretched, and the stretched part of the support is heated to a temperature above the glass transition point of the support material.
It has been surprisingly found that thermal treatment of the endless support, during which at least a part of the belt around said weld is under tension, enables the efficiency of the method to be significantly improved. By the application of this method it has been found possible to reduce the loss to 20% or less. It has been found that this treatment of the support should take place before the actual image-forming layer is applied to the support. To obtain the effect of the present invention, it is not important how much time elapses between the treatment of the support and the application of the image-forming layer or whether there are additional process steps therebetween.
Moreover, the favorable effect of the present invention does not appear to be due to the removal of any tension built up in the weld by the recrystallization process. On the one hand, the above-mentioned international application teaches that any tension build-up can be avoided precisely by recrystallization. On the other hand, in the method according to the present invention it is important that the temperature at which the endless support should be after-treated is above the temperature at which the initial support material has its glass transition point. If there is any tension in the weld, it would be precisely expected that a temperature above the glass transition point of the recrystallized weld material, which is typically 5 to 10° C. lower than that of the starting support material, should be sufficient. Also, the glass transition point of the support material can be determined, for example, in a method as known from the handbook Thermal Analysis by Bernhard Wunderlich, 1990, page 101 et seq. In the light of the present invention, the term glass transition point does not mean one temperature but all temperatures in the range of the glass transition point (described by Wunderlich on page 101, line 18, as “range of the glass transition”). The present invention can be applied at a temperature above the start of the transition (referred to as “Tb” by Wunderlich). The range of the glass transition point can be determined at different cooling (or heating) rates. Preferably, a very low rate is used, for example 1° C./min, particularly using a differential scanning calorimeter (DSC).
It should also be noted that the tension applied need have only a minimum value. It has been found that the present invention can be successfully used if the endless support is stretched at a tension not equal to zero, i.e. greater than zero. It should also be noted that the present invention is not restricted to a photoconductive layer as the image-forming layer. In principle the invention can be successfully applied to obtain a support for any layer on which an image can be formed. Nor is the invention restricted to obtaining a weld using a heat source to fuse the two ends. In principle, any technique leading to a comparable result can be used in the present invention.
From U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,885,512 and 6,068,722 it is known to thermally treat an endless photoconductor having a weld, the photoconductor being kept at a certain tension. The after-treatment known from this is not aimed at obtaining a higher percentage of photoconductors which initially have a good image-forming functionality at the weld location, but to withstand mechanical ageing of the photoconductor at the weld location. The processes known from this propose to subject the photoconductor to thermal after-treatment as a whole, i.e. including the image-forming layer. This after-treatment is aimed at removing internal tensions forming due to the application of different layers to one another. The present invention has realized that this known method does not provide the required improvement in production efficiency.
From U.S. Pat. No. 6,232,028 there is also known a method in which a photoconductor is subjected to tension at least in respect of a part and its temperature at the same time temporarily increased. This patent states that it is advantageous to select the temperature of the after-treatment which is below the glass transition point of the support.
In one embodiment of the present invention, after heating above the glass transition point and before the application of the image-forming layer the support material is cooled to a temperature below the glass transition point of the support material. As a result, the new state obtained is consolidated and the endless support can be mechanically treated without having an adverse effect on the production process. The result is greater freedom in the production process. Thus a support can be temporarily maintained before the image-forming layer is actually applied.
In another embodiment, the entire support is stretched. This embodiment has the advantage that the tension required can be easily obtained, for example by stretching the support over one or more rollers. This avoids the need to grip the surface of the support in order to stretch it. This might cause soiling or damage of the surface and this can, in turn, affect the functionality of the required image-forming medium. Also, apart from reducing the incidence of damage or soiling of the support as described above, it appears possible to further improve the production efficiency using this embodiment. The reason for this is not completely clear.
In another embodiment, the support is stretched over a drum having a radius slightly greater than the length L of the strip divided by 2π. In this embodiment, the support is stretched over one drum only, which has a periphery somewhat greater than the length of the endless support, typically up to 1%, and in one embodiment up to 0.15% greater. As a result, the support is as it were stretched over the drum by itself. This is a simplification of the method and consequently gives less rise to production defects.
In a further embodiment, the support is heated to a temperature above the glass transition point by placing it in an oven and on the drum on which the support is applied. This method on the one hand has the advantage that heating can be carried out very simply. On the other hand there is the advantage that as a result of the expansion of the drum the tension in the support can increase. This creates the possibility of keeping the initial tension at a minimum when the support is applied to the drum. The advantage of this is that the application of the support to the drum can take place with simple means and the risk of tearing when applying the support, particularly at the weld location, is very restricted.
In one embodiment, the image-forming layer is applied in the form of a solution, whereafter the solvent is evaporated. It has been found that precisely in this embodiment the maximum increase in production efficiency can be obtained. The reason for this is not clear.
In one embodiment the image-forming layer comprises a metal layer applied to the surface of the endless support. It is precisely with an image-forming medium of this kind that a deviant image-forming functionality was obtained at the weld location when using a method as known from the prior art. By the application of the method according to the present invention this can be significantly obviated.
In one embodiment, a polyester is used as the support material. The advantage of this material is that it is very resistant to water vapour and organic solvents. It also appears to be very suitable for use in the present invention.
In another embodiment, MELINEX is used as support material. This is a biaxially oriented polyester (polyethylene terephthalate) film made by DuPont/Teijin. This film appears particularly suitable for use in the method according to the present invention.
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In the field of packaging, it is often required to provide consumers with a package comprising multiple primary product containers. Such multi-packs are desirable for shipping and distribution and for display of promotional information. For cost and environmental considerations, such cartons or carriers need to be formed from as little material as possible, and cause as little wastage in the materials from which they are formed as possible. Another consideration is the strength of the packaging and its suitability for holding and transporting large weights of articles.
It is desirable to display a primary product container whilst disposed within a multi-pack so as to enhance the aesthetics of the package. It is also desirable that the primary product containers are securely held within the multi-pack.
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This invention relates to an information processing apparatus, and more particularly to an information processing apparatus which includes a keyboard and a display unit which is supported for pivotal motion on a stand.
An information processing apparatus is conventionally known which includes a keyboard having a plurality of operation keys provided thereon and a display unit having a display screen and supported for pivotal motion on a stand.
A conventional information processing apparatus of the type mentioned includes a base having a stand to be placed on a desk and a support arm mounted for pivotal motion on the base. A display unit is supported for pivotal motion at the upper end of the support arm. If the support arm is pivoted so as to be tilted forwardly with respect to the base and then the display unit is pivoted with respect to the support arm, then the display unit can be positioned in an inclined relationship such that a display screen thereof is directed substantially upwardly or obliquely forwardly upwards. In the state wherein the display unit is inclined in this manner, the user can, for example, use an annexed input pen to perform hand-written inputting or use such an annexed input pin and a keyboard to use both of hand-written inputting from the display screen and key inputting through operation keys to perform an inputting operation, an editing operation of inputted information and other necessary operations.
Where the display unit is inclined such that the display screen thereof is directed substantially upwardly or obliquely forwardly upwards in this manner, the user can perform an inputting operation and other necessary operations readily in a natural posture like a case wherein the user normally writes characters and so forth on a desk using a writing tool.
However, after the user performs its operation in a state wherein the display unit is inclined substantially upwardly or substantially obliquely upwards as described above, the user frequently interrupts or stops the operation while the state described above is maintained.
With the conventional information processing apparatus described above, however, when operation is to be interrupted or stopped in a state wherein the display unit is inclined, it cannot be avoided to leave the keyboard placed at a position other than the space occupied by the display unit. Therefore, when the information processing apparatus is not used, several components of the information processing apparatus including the keyboard and the display unit occupy a large space, which gives rises to a disadvantage that reduction in space cannot be achieved and the information apparatus occupies an unnecessary large area on a desk when it is intended to perform some other operation on the desk.
Not only where the display unit is inclined as described above, but such components of the information processing apparatus as the display unit and the keyboard individually occupy the space on the desk. Also this deteriorates the space efficiency similarly.
Further, if the keyboard does not include a keyboard cover, it is disadvantageous also in that foreign substances such as dust are liable to be admitted into the inside of the keyboard through the gaps between the operation keys and holes formed in the keyboard having the operation keys arranged therein.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an information processing apparatus which occupies a minimized space when it is not used.
In order to attain the object described above, according to the present invention, there is provided an information processing apparatus, comprising a stand including a base to be placed on a desk and a support arm extending uprightly from the base, a display unit having a display screen and supported for pivotal motion on the support arm of the stand, and a keyboard having a plurality of operation keys provided thereon, the support arm including an upper arm portion and a lower arm portion, the upper arm portion having an upper pivotal fulcrum at an upper end portion thereof for supporting the display unit for pivotal motion, the lower arm portion having a lower pivotal fulcrum provided at an upper end portion thereof for supporting the upper arm portion for pivotal motion, an accommodation space for accommodating the keyboard placed on the base being formed between the base of the stand and the display unit when the upper arm portion of the support arm is pivoted with respect to the lower arm portion around the lower pivotal fulcrum and the display unit is pivoted with respect to the upper arm portion around the upper pivotal fulcrum until the base is covered with the display unit.
With the information processing apparatus, when the upper arm portion of the support arm is pivoted with respect to the lower arm portion around the lower pivotal fulcrum and the display unit is pivoted with respect to the upper arm portion around the upper pivotal fulcrum until the base is covered with the display unit, the accommodation space in which the keyboard placed on the base can be accommodated is formed between the base of the stand and the display unit. Consequently, since the keyboard can be accommodated in the accommodation space when the keyboard is not used, the keyboard does not occupy an unnecessary space on the desk, and therefore, reduction of the space can be anticipated. Further, when the keyboard is not used, sticking of dust to the operation keys of the keyboard and admission of dust into the inside of the keyboard can be prevented.
Preferably, a keyboard cover is supported at a front end portion of the keyboard for pivotal motion between a covering position at which the keyboard cover covers over all or some of the operation keys of the keyboard and an uncovering position at which the keyboard cover does not cover all or some of the operation keys of the keyboard, and the keyboard and the keyboard cover can be accommodated in the accommodation space when the keyboard cover is in the covering position. With the information processing apparatus, when the keyboard is accommodated in the accommodation space, sticking of dust to the operation keys of the keyboard and admission of dust into the inside of the keyboard can be prevented further effectively.
Preferably, a keyboard cover is supported at a front end portion of the keyboard for pivotal motion between a covering position at which the keyboard cover covers over all or some of the operation keys of the keyboard and an uncovering position at which the keyboard cover does not cover all or some of the operation keys of the keyboard, and the keyboard and the keyboard cover can be accommodated in the accommodation space when the keyboard cover is in the uncovering position. With the information processing apparatus, also the keyboard cover which does not cover over the operation keys can be accommodated in the accommodation space, and consequently, augmentation of the convenience of use of the keyboard can be anticipated.
Preferably, when the accommodation space is formed, an end portion of a face of the display unit opposite to a face on which the display screen is provided contacts with the desk and part of the face of the display unit opposite to the face on which the display screen is provided contacts face-by-face with the upper arm portion of the support arm. With the information processing apparatus, the display unit can be disposed stably while preventing otherwise possible play of the display unit.
Preferably, when the upper arm portion is not pivoted with respect to the lower arm portion and therefore the upper arm portion and the lower arm portion extend along a line and the display screen of the display unit is directed substantially forwardly, an accommodation space for accommodating the keyboard is formed between a lower end of the display unit and the base of the stand. With the information processing apparatus, where the keyboard is placed on the base when the information processing apparatus is not used, the keyboard does not occupy an unnecessary area of the desk, and consequently, reduction of the space can be anticipated.
Preferably, a keyboard cover is supported at a front end portion of the keyboard for pivotal motion between a covering position at which the keyboard cover covers over all or some of the operation keys of the keyboard and an uncovering position at which the keyboard cover does not cover all or some of the operation keys of the keyboard, and when the accommodation space is formed, the keyboard with the operation keys covered with the keyboard cover can be disposed in contact with or in the proximity of the display unit forwardly of the display unit, whereas, when the keyboard is disposed forwardly of the display unit, a face of the display unit on which the display screen is provided and an upper face of the keyboard cover are positioned in a substantially same plane. With the information processing apparatus, the entire display unit and keyboard cover can be used as a hand receiving table. The use of the hand receiving table reduces the fatigue to the arms of the user, and therefore, the user can perform its operation easily and augmentation of the operation efficiency and augmentation of the convenience of use can be anticipated.
Further, since the face of the display unit on which the display screen is provided and the upper face of the keyboard cover are positioned in a substantially same plane, the display unit and the keyboard on which the keyboard cover is supported are disposed unitarily and provide a good appearance.
Preferably, a keyboard cover is supported at a front end portion of the keyboard for pivotal motion between a covering position at which the keyboard cover covers over all or some of the operation keys of the keyboard and an uncovering position at which the keyboard cover does not cover all or some of the operation keys of the keyboard, and when the accommodation space is formed, the keyboard with the operation keys uncovered can be disposed in contact with or in the proximity of the display unit forwardly of the display unit, whereas, when the keyboard with the operation keys uncovered is disposed forwardly of the display unit, a face of the display unit on which the display screen is provided, an upper face of the keyboard and an upper face of the keyboard cover are positioned in a substantially same plane. With the information processing apparatus, the entire display unit and keyboard cover can be used as a hand receiving table. The use of the hand receiving table reduces the fatigue to the arms of the user, and therefore, the user can perform its operation easily and augmentation of the operation efficiency and augmentation of the convenience of use can be anticipated.
Further, since the face of the display unit on which the display screen is provided, the upper face of the keyboard and the upper face of the keyboard cover are positioned in a substantially same plane, the display unit and the keyboard on which the keyboard cover is supported are disposed unitarily and provide a good appearance.
Preferably, a one-way clutch mechanism which exerts, when the upper arm portion is pivoted with respect to the lower arm portion in a direction in which the display unit is moved down, a load to the moving down force, but does not exert, when the upper arm portion is pivoted with respect to the lower arm portion in another direction in which the display unit is moved up, a load to the moving up force, is used for the lower pivotal fulcrum. With the information processing apparatus, when the user tries to move up the display unit, it is not acted upon by a load other than the weight of the display unit and the upper arm portion. Therefore, the display unit can be lifted readily with weak force, and consequently, augmentation of the convenience of use of the information processing apparatus can be anticipated.
Further, the display unit can be stopped at an arbitrary position. Therefore, the user can use the display unit at a suitable position in accordance with the necessity, and consequently, augmentation of the convenience of use can be anticipated.
Preferably, the keyboard has a positioning portion at a lower face portion thereof and is movable in a leftward and rightward direction on the base while the display unit covers over the base, and the base of the stand has a position restriction portion for being engaged, when the keyboard is moved in the leftward or rightward direction with respect to the base, by the positioning portion of the keyboard to restrict the position of the keyboard in the leftward and rightward direction. With the information processing apparatus, when some other inputting means other than the keyboard such as an inputting pen is used for inputting, some of the operation keys disposed on the keyboard can be exposed from the arrangement space and used for inputting. Consequently, efficient operation can be performed within a necessary but minimum space, and augmentation of the convenience of use of the information processing apparatus can be anticipated.
When both of the keyboard and some other inputting means are used for inputting, the keyboard and the display unit are disposed near to the user. Consequently, significant augmentation of the convenience of use can be anticipated.
Further, only such operation keys as ten keys need not be provided on a side portion (on a screen frame) of the display screen of the display unit, and consequently, an increase of the size of the display unit can be prevented.
The positioning portion of the keyboard may be formed as a projection which projects from the lower face portion, and the position restriction portion of the base may be formed as a recess into which the projection can be inserted. With the information processing apparatus, those portions provided originally in the information processing apparatus are used as the positioning portion and the position restriction portion, and accordingly, a special positioning projection or positioning restriction element need not be provided on the keyboard or the stand. Consequently, the keyboard can be positioned readily without increasing the production cost.
Preferably, the positioning portion is provided at each of the left and right ends of the lower end portion of the keyboard. With the information processing apparatus, since the positioning projections are provided separately from each other at the opposite left and right end portions of the bottom wall of the keyboard, both of the position at which the keyboard projects rightwardly from the accommodation space and the position at which the keyboard projects leftwardly from the accommodation space can be set, which expands the number of different forms of use of the information processing apparatus. Consequently, significant augmentation of the convenience of use can be anticipated.
Preferably, the recess of the base has an offset portion formed therein in such a manner as to extend in the leftward and rightward direction and is formed such that a portion of the recess rearwardly of the offset portion has a bottom shallower than a bottom of another portion of the recess which is forwardly of the offset portion. With the information processing apparatus, the user can recognize with certainty that the positioning projection has been inserted into the deeper portion of the recess.
Preferably, a control circuit board for controlling a signal to be outputted upon operation of the operation keys is disposed in the inside of at least one of the positioning portions. The disposition of the control circuit board allows the keyboard to be designed with a reduced thickness.
Preferably, an accommodation recess is formed in each of the positioning portions on the opposite sides of the keyboard, and a support foot for being accommodated into the accommodation recess is supported for pivotal motion on each of the positioning portions, the keyboard being held in a horizontal state in the leftward and rightward direction by pulling out, while one of the positioning portions is inserted in the recess of the position restriction portion, the support foot from the accommodation recess provided on the other one of the positioning portions and erecting the support foot on the desk. With the information processing apparatus, the keyboard can be held in a horizontal state very readily.
The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which like parts or elements denoted by like reference symbols.
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Membrane exchange humidifiers comprise a membrane that is permeable to water and/or water vapor. The fluid stream to be humidified (the dry stream) is directed over one side of the membrane while the fluid stream supplying the water (the wet stream) is directed over the opposing side of the membrane. (The terms “dry” and “wet” in this instance are relative terms; “dry” does not necessarily mean the complete absence of water, and “wet” does not necessarily mean saturation with water.) Water from the wet stream passes through the membrane thereby humidifying the dry stream. These humidifiers have been used for many purposes (for example, medical equipment, air conditioners).
Certain humidifier applications involve gaseous wet and dry streams whose compositions, except for the concentration of water, are similar. In such cases, membrane materials may be used that are significantly permeable not only to water but also to other components in the gaseous wet or dry streams. Additionally, certain humidifier applications involve wet streams that are simply liquid aqueous solutions or liquid water alone. In such cases, membrane materials may be used that are quite permeable to gases generally but not to liquid. Thus, in certain humidifier applications employing a liquid wet stream, microporous polymer membranes such as GORE-TEX® (polytetrafluoroethylene) may be employed.
However, if the humidifier application involves the use of wet and dry fluid streams of differing composition, then the membrane may preferably be selectively permeable to water. Otherwise, other components of the wet and dry fluid streams may mix undesirably via transport through the membrane. An example of a humidifier application in which the wet and dry fluid streams may be of differing composition is disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/108,156, filed Jun. 30, 1998, also owned by the assignee of the present application. In the '156 application, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, a solid polymer fuel cell system is disclosed in which a reactant gas supply stream to the fuel cell may be adequately humidified using a reactant gas exhaust stream from the fuel cell via a membrane exchange humidifier apparatus. In particular embodiments, an air supply stream to the fuel cell may be adequately humidified using the wet oxygen-depleted air exhaust stream from the fuel cell. Typically, while the wet oxygen-depleted exhaust stream is predominantly gaseous, a portion consists of water in the liquid phase. In the Examples of the '156 application, NAFION® perfluorosulfonic acid membranes were used in the humidifiers. These membranes essentially prevent significant transmission of air or oxygen-depleted air therethrough.
In a solid polymer fuel cell, the ionic conductivity of the solid polymer electrolyte and the performance of the fuel cell are affected by the hydration level (both generally increasing with water content). As a result, fuel and/or oxidant reactant gas streams supplied to the fuel cell are typically humidified in order to maintain a sufficiently high level of hydration in the solid polymer electrolyte during operation.
The capacity of the reactant gases to absorb water vapor varies significantly with changes in temperature and pressure. If the reactant gas stream is humidified at a temperature higher than the fuel cell operating temperature, this can result in condensation of liquid water when the humidified reactant gas stream enters the fuel cell. Condensation may cause flooding in the electrodes, which may detrimentally affect fuel cell performance. Conversely, if the reactant gas stream is humidified at a temperature lower than the fuel cell operating temperature, the reduced water vapor content in the reactant gas stream could result in dehydration and damage to the solid polymer electrolyte. It is therefore preferred to humidify a reactant gas stream, typically at least the oxidant gas supply stream, at or close to the operating temperature and pressure within the fuel cell.
The solid polymer fuel cell system of the '156 application employs an effective arrangement for adequately humidifying and heating a reactant gas supply stream using a membrane exchange apparatus and a reactant gas exhaust stream from the fuel cell (typically at a slightly lower pressure than the supply stream). The reactant streams exiting the fuel cell (particularly the oxidant stream) typically contain sufficient water near the operating temperature of the fuel cell for purposes of humidification. This water in the reactant exhaust stream comes from water produced by the electrochemical reaction at the fuel cell cathode and from water vapor already present in the humidified stream delivered to the fuel cell. Use of an appropriate humidifier design and appropriate system operating parameters provides for adequate humidification of a reactant supply stream. For instance, certain values for the ratio (denoted by the dimensionless parameter R) of residence time divided by diffusion time for a hypothetical water molecule in a given chamber in the membrane exchange humidifier were found to be preferred. (By “hypothetical water molecule”, it is acknowledged that this ratio R is determined by a calculation based on apparatus characteristics and fluid flow rates and not by actual measurement of one or more water molecules.) To obtain the greatest flux of water through the membrane, the ratio R for the flows in the chambers may preferably be between about 0.75 and 3. This kind of humidifier is suitable for use with solid polymer fuel cell systems-generally, including portable air-cooled systems that have no supply of liquid water coolant that can be used for humidification, as well as larger water-cooled systems.
A preferred configuration for a humidifier in one of the fuel cell systems described in the '156 application is a multiple plate-and-frame construction comprising a stack of plate-and-frame membrane exchange assemblies wherein each plate-and-frame membrane exchange assembly comprises a water permeable membrane sandwiched between two plates.
Although NAFION® and other similar materials are suitable as membrane materials, they also have certain disadvantages. For instance, NAFION® is not dimensionally stable under the varying humidity and temperature conditions of a fuel cell system (in which a humidifier may be exposed to humidity and temperature cycles ranging from ambient conditions during storage to conditions of full humidification at temperatures of about 100° C. or more). As a consequence, a NAFION® membrane may sag during operation and thus supporting ribs and/or bridges near the reactant stream inlet and outlet ports may be needed in a humidifier, thereby complicating design and construction. A requirement for bridges in particular can complicate construction. Further, if dimension changes from the dry state cannot readily be accommodated, it may be necessary to assemble such humidifiers with the membrane material in a wet state, a significant complication during assembly. Additionally, such materials are often not amenable to attaching via gluing or melt-bonding and thus compression type seals may need to be employed, again complicating design and assembly. Finally, such materials tend to be expensive. Thus, with regard to these disadvantages, other choices of membrane materials might be preferred.
Microporous polymer sheets comprising hydrophilic additives (for example, silica filled polyethylene sheets from companies such as PPG, Duramic, Entek, or Jungfer, silica filled latex sheet from Amerace, silica filled PVDF sheet from Elf Atochem, silica filled PVC sheet from Amersil) have been available commercially for some time and have found application as printing sheets and as battery separators. Such sheets may have good mechanical and water transmission properties but also may be significantly permeable to other fluids as well. Unlike many hydrophobic microporous sheet materials (for example, GORE-TEX®), these hydrophilic sheets may also be significantly permeable to liquid water and thus be considered unsuitable in certain applications (for example, wettable hydrophilic sheets that can transmit liquid water from the “wet” side to the “dry” side when the “dry” side is touched would be unsuitable as water proof breathable clothing).
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(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to methods for display of whole immunoglobulins or libraries of immunoglobulins on the surface of eukaryote host cells, including mammalian, plant, yeast, and filamentous fungal cells. The methods are useful for screening libraries of eukaryotic host cells that produce recombinant immunoglobulins to identify particular immunoglobulins with desired properties. The methods are particularly useful for screening immunoglobulin libraries in eukaryote host cells to identify host cells that express an immunoglobulin of interest at high levels, as well as host cells that express immunoglobulins that have high affinity for specific antigens.
(2) Description of Related Art
The discovery of monoclonal antibodies has evolved from hybridoma technology for producing the antibodies to direct selection of antibodies from human cDNA or synthetic DNA libraries. This has been driven in part by the desire to engineer improvements in binding affinity and specificity of the antibodies to improve efficacy of the antibodies. Thus, combinatorial library screening and selection methods have become a common tool for altering the recognition properties of proteins (Ellman et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 94: 2779-2782 (1997): Phizicky & Fields, Microbiol. Rev. 59: 94-123 (1995)). The ability to construct and screen antibody libraries in vitro promises improved control over the strength and specificity of antibody-antigen interactions.
The most widespread technique for constructing and screening antibody libraries is phage display, whereby the protein of interest is expressed as a polypeptide fusion to a bacteriophage coat protein and subsequently screened by binding to immobilized or soluble biotinylated ligand. Fusions are made most commonly to a minor coat protein, called the gene III protein (pIII), which is present in three to five copies at the tip of the phage. A phage constructed in this way can be considered a compact genetic “unit”, possessing both the phenotype (binding activity of the displayed antibody) and genotype (the gene coding for that antibody) in one package. Phage display has been successfully applied to antibodies, DNA binding proteins, protease inhibitors, short peptides, and enzymes (Choo & Klug, Curr. Opin. Biotechnol. 6: 431-436 (1995); Hoogenboom, Trends Biotechnol. 15: 62-70 (1997); Ladner, Trends Biotechnol. 13: 426-430 (1995); Lowman et al., Biochemistry 30: 10832-10838 (1991); Markland et al., Methods Enzymol. 267: 28-51 (1996); Matthews & Wells, Science 260: 1113-1117 (1993); Wang et al., Methods Enzymol. 267: 52-68 (1996)).
Antibodies possessing desirable binding properties are selected by binding to immobilized antigen in a process called “panning” Phage bearing nonspecific antibodies are removed by washing, and then the bound phage are eluted and amplified by infection of E. coli. This approach has been applied to generate antibodies against many antigens.
Nevertheless, phage display possesses several shortcomings. Although panning of antibody phage display libraries is a powerful technology, it possesses several intrinsic difficulties that limit its wide-spread successful application. For example, some eukaryotic secreted proteins and cell surface proteins require post-translational modifications such as glycosylation or extensive disulfide isomerization, which are unavailable in bacterial cells. Furthermore, the nature of phage display precludes quantitative and direct discrimination of ligand binding parameters. For example, very high affinity antibodies (Kd≦1 nM) are difficult to isolate by panning, since the elution conditions required to break a very strong antibody-antigen interaction are generally harsh enough (e.g., low pH, high salt) to denature the phage particle sufficiently to render it non-infective.
Additionally, the requirement for physical immobilization of an antigen to a solid surface produces many artifactual difficulties. For example, high antigen surface density introduces avidity effects which mask true affinity. Also, physical tethering reduces the translational and rotational entropy of the antigen, resulting in a smaller DS upon antibody binding and a resultant overestimate of binding affinity relative to that for soluble antigen and large effects from variability in mixing and washing procedures lead to difficulties with reproducibility. Furthermore, the presence of only one to a few antibodies per phage particle introduces substantial stochastic variation, and discrimination between antibodies of similar affinity becomes impossible. For example, affinity differences of six-fold or greater are often required for efficient discrimination (Riechmann & Weill, Biochem. 32: 8848-55 (1993)). Finally, populations can be overtaken by more rapidly growing wild-type phage. In particular, since pIII is involved directly in the phage life cycle, the presence of some antibodies or bound antigens will prevent or retard amplification of the associated phage.
Additional bacterial cell surface display methods have been developed (Francisco, et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 90: 10444-10448 (1993); Georgiou et al., Nat. Biotechnol. 15: 29-34 (1997)). However, use of a prokaryotic expression system occasionally introduces unpredictable expression biases (Knappik & Pluckthun, Prot. Eng. 8: 81-89 (1995); Ulrich et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 92: 11907-11911 (1995); Walker & Gilbert, J. Biol. Chem. 269: 28487-28493 (1994)) and bacterial capsular polysaccharide layers present a diffusion barrier that restricts such systems to small molecule ligands (Roberts, Annu Rev. Microbiol. 50: 285-315 (1996)). E. coli possesses a lipopolysaccharide layer or capsule that may interfere sterically with macromolecular binding reactions. In fact, a presumed physiological function of the bacterial capsule is restriction of macromolecular diffusion to the cell membrane, in order to shield the cell from the immune system (DiRienzo et al., Ann. Rev. Biochem. 47: 481-532, (1978)). Since the periplasm of E. coli has not evolved as a compartment for the folding and assembly of antibody fragments, expression of antibodies in E. coli has typically been very clone dependent, with some clones expressing well and others not at all. Such variability introduces concerns about equivalent representation of all possible sequences in an antibody library expressed on the surface of E. coli. Moreover, phage display does not allow some important posttranslational modifications such as glycosylation that can affect specificity or affinity of the antibody. About a third of circulating monoclonal antibodies contain one or more N-linked glycans in the variable regions. In some cases it is believed that these N-glycans in the variable region may play a significant role in antibody function.
The efficient production of monoclonal antibody therapeutics would be facilitated by the development of alternative test systems that utilize lower eukaryotic cells, such as yeast cells. The structural similarities between B-cells displaying antibodies and yeast cells displaying antibodies provide a closer analogy to in vivo affinity maturation than is available with filamentous phage. In particular, because lower eukaryotic cells are able to produce glycosylated proteins, whereas filamentous phage cannot, monoclonal antibodies produced in lower eukaryotic host cells are more likely to exhibit similar activity in humans and other mammals as they do in test systems which utilize lower eukaryotic host cells.
Moreover, the ease of growth culture and facility of genetic manipulation available with yeast will enable large populations to be mutagenized and screened rapidly. By contrast with conditions in the mammalian body, the physicochemical conditions of binding and selection can be altered for a yeast culture within a broad range of pH, temperature, and ionic strength to provide additional degrees of freedom in antibody engineering experiments. The development of yeast surface display system for screening combinatorial protein libraries has been described.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,300,065 and 6,699,658 describe the development of a yeast surface display system for screening combinatorial antibody libraries and a screen based on antibody-antigen dissociation kinetics. The system relies on transfecting yeast with vectors that express an antibody or antibody fragment fused to a yeast cell wall protein, using mutagenesis to produce a variegated population of mutants of the antibody or antibody fragment and then screening and selecting those cells that produce the antibody or antibody fragment with the desired enhanced phenotypic properties. U.S. Pat. No. 7,132,273 discloses various yeast cell wall anchor proteins and a surface expression system that uses them to immobilize foreign enzymes or polypeptides on the cell wall.
Of interest are Tamino et al, Biotechnol. Prog. 22: 989-993 (2006), which discloses construction of a Pichia pastoris cell surface display system using Flo1p anchor system; Ren et al., Molec. Biotechnol. 35:103-108 (2007), which discloses the display of adenoregulin in a Pichia pastoris cell surface display system using the Flo1p anchor system; Mergler et al., Appl. Microbiol. Biotechnol. 63:418-421 (2004), which discloses display of K. lactis yellow enzyme fused to the C-terminus half of S. cerevisiae α-agglutinin; Jacobs et al., Abstract T23, Pichia Protein expression Conference, San Diego, Calif. (Oct. 8-11, 2006), which discloses display of proteins on the surface of Pichia pastoris using α-agglutinin; Ryckaert et al., Abstracts BVBMB Meeting, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium (Dec. 2, 2005), which discloses using a yeast display system to identify proteins that bind particular lectins; U.S. Pat. No. 7,166,423, which discloses a method for identifying cells based on the product secreted by the cells by coupling to the cell surface a capture moiety that binds the secreted product, which can then be identified using a detection means; U.S. Published Application No. 2004/0219611, which discloses a biotin-avidin system for attaching protein A or G to the surface of a cell for identifying cells that express particular antibodies; U.S. Pat. No. 6,919,183, which discloses a method for identifying cells that express a particular protein by expressing in the cell a surface capture moiety and the protein wherein the capture moiety and the protein form a complex which is displayed on the surface of the cell; U.S. Pat. No. 6,114,147, which discloses a method for immobilizing proteins on the surface of a yeast or fungal using a fusion protein consisting of a binding protein fused to a cell wall protein which is expressed in the cell.
The potential applications of engineering antibodies for the diagnosis and treatment of human disease such as cancer therapy, tumor imaging, sepsis are far-reaching. For these applications, antibodies with high affinity (i.e., Kd≦10 nM) and high specificity are highly desirable. Anecdotal evidence, as well as the a priori considerations discussed previously, suggests that phage display or bacterial display systems are unlikely to consistently produce antibodies of sub-nanomolar affinity. Also, antibodies identified using phage display or bacterial display systems may not be susceptible to commercial scale production in eukaryotic cells. To date, no system has been developed which can accomplish such purpose, and be used.
Therefore, development of further protein expression systems based on improved vectors and host cell lines in which effective protein display facilitates development of genetically enhanced cells for recombinant production of immunoglobulins is a desirable objective.
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1. Field of the Invention
The invention is directed to a non-hygroscopic stable crystalline form of N-[N-[N-(4-piperdin-4-yl)butanoyl)-N-ethylglycyl]-(L)-aspartyl]-(L)-.beta. -cyclohexyl-alanine amide of formula I. The compound has antithrombotic activity, ##STR2## including the inhibition of platelet aggregation and thrombus formation in mammals, and is useful in the prevention and treatment of thrombosis associated with disease states such as myocardial infarction, stroke, peripheral arterial disease and disseminated intravascular coagulation.
In addition, the invention is directed to processes for preparing the crystalline form of N-[N-[N-(4-piperdin-4-yl)butanoyl)-N-ethylglycyl]-(L)-aspartyl]-(L)-.beta. -cyclohexyl-alanine amide, a pharmaceutical composition thereof and intermediates thereof.
Haemostasis, the biochemistry of blood coagulation, is an extremely complex phenomena whereby normal whole blood and body tissue spontaneously and arrest bleeding from injured blood vessels. Effective haemostasis requires the combined activity of vascular, platelet and plasma factors as well as a controlling mechanism to prevent excessive clotting. Defects, deficiencies, or excesses of any of these components can lead to hemorrhagic or thrombotic consequences.
Platelet adhesion, spreading and aggregation on extracellular matrices are central events in thrombus formation. These events are mediated by a family of adhesive glycoproteins, i.e., fibrinogen, fibronectin, and von Willebrand factor. Fibrinogen is a co-factor for platelet aggregation, while fibronectin supports platelet attachments and spreading reactions, and von Willebrand factor is important in platelet attachment to and spreading on subendothelial matrices. The binding sites for fibrinogen, fibronectin and von Willebrand factor have been located on the platelet membrane protein complex known as glycoprotein IIb/IIa.
Adhesive glycoproteins, like fibrinogen, do not bind with normal resting platelets. However, when a platelet is activated with an agonist such as thrombin or adenosine diphosphate, the platelet changes its shape, perhaps making the GPIIb/IIIa binding site accessible to fibrinogen. The compound within the scope of the present invention blocks the fibrinogen receptor, and thus has the aforesaid antithrombotic activity.
2. Reported Developments
It has been observed that the presence of Arg-Gly-Asp (RGD) is necessary in fibrinogen, fibronectin and von Willebrand factor for their interaction with the cell surface receptor (Ruoslahti E., Pierschbacher, Cell 1986, 44, 517-18). Two other amino acid sequences also seen to take part in the platelet attachment function of fibrinogen, namely, the Gly-Pro-Arg sequence, and the dodecapeptide, His-His-Leu-Gly-Gly-Ala-Lys-Gln-Ala-Gly-Asp-Val sequence. Small synthetic peptides containing the RGD or dodecapeptide have been shown to bind to the platelet GPIIb/IIIa receptor and competitively inhibit binding of fibrinogen, fibronectin and von Willebrand factor as well as inhibit aggregation of activated platelets (Plow, et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 1985, 82, 8057-61; Ruggeri, et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 1986, 5708-12; Ginsberg, et al., J. Biol. Chem. 1985, 260, 3931-36; and Gartner, et al., J. Biol. Chem. 1987, 260, 11,891-94).
Indolyl compounds containing guanidinoalkanoyl- and guandinoalkenoyl-aspartyl moieties are reported to be platelet-aggregation inhibitors by Tjoeng, et al., U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,037,808 and 4,879,313.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,992,463 (Tjoeng, et al.), issued Feb. 12, 1991, discloses generically that a series of aryl and aralkyl guanidinoalkyl peptide mimetic compounds exhibit platelet aggregation inhibiting activity and discloses specifically a series of mono- and dimethoxy phenyl peptide mimetic compounds and a biphenylalkyl peptide mimetic compound.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,857,508 (Adams, et al.), issued Aug. 15, 1989, discloses generally that a series of guandinoalkyl peptide derivatives containing terminal aralkyl substituents exhibit platelet aggregation inhibiting activity and discloses specifically a series of O-methyl tyrosine, biphenyl, and naphthyl derivatives containing a terminal amide functionality.
Haverstick, D. M. et al., in Blood 66 (4), 946-952 (1985), disclose that a number of synthetic peptides, including arg-gly-asp-ser and gly-arg-gly-asp-ser, are capable of inhibiting thrombin-induced platelet aggregation.
Plow, E. F. et al., in Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 79, 3711-3715 (1982), disclose that the tetrapeptide glycyl-L-prolyl-L-arginyl-L-proline inhibits fibrinogen binding to human platelets.
French Application No. 68/17507, filed Dec. 15, 1986, discloses that tetra-, penta- and hexapeptide derivatives containing the -arg-gly-asp- sequence are useful as antithrombotics.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,683,291 (Zimmerman, et al.), issued Jul. 28, 1987, discloses that a series of peptides, comprised of from six to forty amino acids, which contain the sequence -arg-gly-asp- are platelet binding inhibitors.
European Application Publication No. 0 319 506, published Jun. 7, 1989, discloses that a series of tetra-, penta-, and hexapeptide derivatives containing the -arg-gly-asp- sequence are platelet aggregation inhibitors.
Cyclic peptide analogues containing the moiety Gly-Asp are reported to be fibrinogen receptor antagonists in U.S. Pat. No. 5,023,233.
Peptides and pseudopeptides containing amino-, guanidino-, imidizaloyl, and/or amidinoalkanoyl, and alkenoyl moieties are reported to be antithrombotic agents in pending U.S. application Ser. Nos. 07/677,066, 07/534,385, and 07/460,777 filed on Mar. 28, 1991, Jun. 7, 1990, and Jan. 4, 1990, respectively, as well as in U.S. Pat. No. 4,952,562, and in International Application No. PCT/US90/05448, filed Sep. 25, 1990, all assigned to the same assignee as the present invention.
Peptides and pseudopeptides containing amino- and guanidino- alkyl- and alkenyl-benzoyl, phenylalkanoyl, and phenylalkenoyl moieties are reported to be antithrombotic agents in pending U.S. application Ser. No. 07/475,043, filed Feb. 5, 1990, and in International Application No. PCT/US91/02471, filed Apr. 11, 1991, published as International Publication No. WO 92/13117 Oct. 29, 1992, assigned to the same assignee as the present invention.
Alkanoyl and substituted alkanoyl azacycloalkylformyl aspartic acid derivatives are reported to be platelet aggregation inhibitors in U.S. Pat. No. 5,053,392, filed Dec. 1, 1989, and assigned to the same assignee and having the same inventorship as the present invention.
N-substituted azacycloalkylcarbonyl cyclic aminoacylaspartic acid derivatives are reported to be antithrombotics in U.S. Pat. No. 5,064,814, filed Apr. 5, 1990 by the same inventors and assigned to the same assignee as the present invention. Azacycloalkylformylglycol aspartic acid derivatives are reported to be antithrombotics in U.S. Pat. No. 5,051,405, filed Oct. 10, 1989, and assigned to the same assignee as the present invention.
European Patent Application 0 479 481, published Apr. 8, 1992, discloses azacycloalkylalkanoyl glycyl aspartyl amino acids as fibrinogen receptor antagonists.
European Patent Application 0 478 362, published Apr. 1, 1992, discloses azacycloalkylalkanoyl peptidyl .beta.-alanines as fibrinogen receptor antagonists.
PCT Patent Application Publication No. WO95/10295 discloses azacycloalkylalkanoyl peptides and pseudopeptides of formula II and, in ##STR3## particular, N-[N-[N-(4-piperdin-4-yl)butanoyl)-N-ethylglycyl]-(L)-aspartyl]-(L)-.beta. -cyclohexylalanine amide that inhibit platelet aggregation and thrombus formation in mammals and are useful in the prevention and treatment of thrombosis. The N-[N-[N-(4-piperdin-4-yl)butanoyl)-N-ethylglycyl]-(L)-aspartyl]-(L)-.beta. -cyclohexylalanine amide prepared according to PCT Patent Application Publication No. WO95/10295 is amorphous, hygroscopic and is physically unstable as it absorbs moisture. PCT Patent Application Publication No. WO95/10295 does not disclose a non-hygroscopic stable crystalline form of N-[N-[N-(4-piperdin-4-yl)butanoyl)-N-ethylglycyl]-(L)-aspartyl]-(L)-.beta. -cyclohexyl-alanine amide.
PCT Patent Application Publication No. WO95/10295 also discloses that the azacycloalkylalkanoyl peptides and pseudopeptides are prepared generally by standard solid phase or solution phase peptide synthesis procedures using starting materials and/or readily available intermediates from chemical supply companies such as Aldrich or Sigma, (H. Paulsen, G. Merz, V. Weichart, "Solid-Phase Synthesis of O-Glycopeptide Sequences", Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. Engl. 27 (1988); H. Mergler, R. Tanner, J. Gosteli, and P. Grogg, "Peptide Synthesis by a Combination of Solid-Phase and Solution Methods I: A New Very Acid-Labile Anchor Group for the Solid-Phase Synthesis of Fully Protected Fragments. Tetrahedron letters 29, 4005 (1988); Merrifield, R. B., "Solid Phase Peptide Synthesis after 25 Years: The Design and Synthesis of Antagonists of Glucagon", Makromol. Chem. Macromol. Symp. 19, 31 (1988)). Furthermore, PCT Patent Application Publication No. WO95/10295 discloses that the amorphous and hygroscopic form of N-[N-[N-(4-piperdin-4-yl)butanoyl)-N-ethylglycyl]-(L)-aspartyl]-(L)-.beta. -cyclohexylalanine amide is prepared by sequential synthesis from the C-terminus amino acid as shown in Scheme I. PCT Patent ##STR4## Application Publication No. WO95/10295 does not disclose the formation of tetra-azacycloalkylalkanoyl peptides and pseudopeptides or, in particular, N-[N-[N-(4-piperdin-4-yl)butanoyl)-N-ethylglycyl]-(L)-aspartyl]-(L)-.beta. -cyclohexylalanine amide from a central di(pseudopeptide or peptide) whereby the N- and C-Terminal ends of the central di(pseudopeptide or peptide) are both coupled with pseudoamino acids and/or aminoacids to form the tetra-azacycloalkylalkanoyl peptides and pseudopeptides.
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a motion-detecting module, and particularly relates to a motion-detecting module that has a light-sensing die directly and electrically disposed on a PCB without performing a sensor die packaging process.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the field of optical mouse technology of the prior art, a light source device such as LED projects an incident light onto a surface such as a desk or a mouse pad to form a reflected light, and the reflected light is captured via a light-sensing module. The motion of an optical mouse can then be acquired by detecting changes in reflection due to the surface roughness or uneven structures on the surface.
The light-sensing module of the prior art for detecting motion has a light-sensing die packaged via a package protection body firstly, and then the light-sensing die is electrically connected to a PCB. This process prevents the light-sensing die from being damaged during the transport of the light-sensing module. However, the above-mentioned method would increase extra cost (such as extra package material and device) and process (package process).
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It is well known that when a passage in which a fluid, such as water or the like, passes through is abruptly closed, there occurs the so-called “water hammer.” The “water hammer” is a pressure effect manifested by the fluid in the passage under these conditions in which the pressure inside the passage vibratingly rises upstream of the place or point where the passage is closed abruptly.
When a water hammer is created, various problems, such as breakdown of devices or instruments connected to the fluid passage, are caused by the vibrating rise of the internal pressure in the upstream side passage.
Therefore, various techniques have been developed to prevent water hammer. However, these techniques basically address the water hammer effect by (1) making the time for closing the fluid passage long (i.e., so closing of the fluid passage is not so abrupt), or (2) by having the vibrating pressure generated inside the passage released to the outside by opening a bypass passage, or (3) by absorbing the water hammer using a separately installed accumulator. The method by which the time for closing the passage is lengthened is undesirably time-consuming with the result that this method can not be applied to situations where there is the need of urgent (or rapid) closing of the fluid passage. On the other hand, the other two methods for avoiding the water hammer necessarily involve attachments to the fluid passage, which adds cost to building a system and to practicing a method for closing a fluid passage without generating a water hammer. The added costs for these attachments is too high.
The water hammer related problems discussed above have arisen previously in industrial fields where the fluid flowing in the passage involved a relatively great flow rate. In recent years, however, avoiding the water hammer effect has become desirable even in fields where the fluid moves with a small flow rate. For example, in the fields of wet type oxide film treatment of silicon in the semiconductor manufacturing industry, or wafer cleaning apparatus development, or the development of chemical liquid supply systems and in the field of medicine production, prevention of water hammer generation during urgent (or prompt) closure of the fluid supply passage has been strongly required in order to maintain the facilities of production, upgrade the product quality, and reduce the opening/closing time of valves in accordance with increased frequency of valve opening/closing.
Examples of prior art devices and methods employed for addressing the problem of the generation of a water hammer include: (a) Patent Document 1. Toku-Kai-Hei No. 7-190235, which describes a valve control device; (b) Patent Document 2 Toku-Kai No. 2000-10602, which describes a PID control method and its controller; and (c) Patent Document 3 Toku-Kai No. 2002-295705, which describes a motor-operated valve for preventing water hammer, and its controlling method.
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{
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1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a transport apparatus enabling loading, transport, and unloading an aircraft such as, but not restricted to, a rotary wing aircraft, commonly known as a helicopter.
2. Background Information
Helicopter transport trailers for moving helicopters relatively short distances at relatively low speeds, i.e. walking speeds, on an airfield are known to the trade. As the purchased costs of helicopters has increased over the years, better helicopter transport trailers are needed. Also, existing helicopter transport trailers are not suited for highway transport. The current method of transporting a multimillion dollar military helicopter is to use a flatbed truck. The helicopter is loaded by a crane.
To recover a helicopter from the field currently requires a crane and specialized sting and rigging. The operation using a sling requires several people to guide the helicopter onto a flatbed trailer to avoid damage and to release the sling.
As will be seen in the subsequent description of the preferred embodiments of the present invention, the present invention overcomes shortcomings of prior art.
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The present invention relates to a communication apparatus, a transmission apparatus and a reception apparatus. More particularly, the present invention relates to a communication apparatus, a transmission apparatus and a reception apparatus, which are used for transmitting and receiving streaming data to and from a network.
In the past, some transmission protocols were proposed suitable for transferring video data including moving-picture data, audio data and auxiliary data to a destination by way of a network and streaming to reproduce the data in a real-time manner. The RFC 1889 has recommended an RTP (Real-time Transport Protocol), which is one of the proposed transmission protocols, as a transport protocol for realizing a real-time transport application for transmitting/receiving sounds and moving pictures in a real-time manner by way of an IP network such as the Internet.
In general, the RTP is adopted in conjunction with an RTCP (Real-time Transport Control Protocol) for controlling the RTP on a UDP (User Datagram Protocol), which is a connectionless protocol. While the RTP is a protocol for transmitting sound and moving-picture data, the RTCP is a protocol for implementing a function to check information such as a transmission delay and line quality as well as a function to notify an application adopting the RTP of the information. For example, an RTCP packet transmitted by a sender transferring RTP data includes an SR (Sender Report) including a timestamp and the number of transmitted RTP packets and an RR (Receiver Report). On the other hand, an RTCP packet transmitted by a receiver of RTP data includes an RR including an RTP loss factor, the number of lost RTP packets and an average value of jitters of arrival-time gaps. For this reason, it is necessary for the transmitter of RTP data to manage sender information and receiver information. The sender information includes the number of RTP packets transmitted in the transmission of the RTP data. On the other hand, the receiver information includes the number of RTP packets lost in the reception of the RTP data.
Since it is necessary to manage these pieces of information, traditionally, RTP/RTCP communications are implemented by carrying out software processing by using a process in a host such as a personal computer.
In addition, in order to process data at an even higher speed, processing to packetize and depacketize data by RTP is carried out by using an external apparatus instead of executing a process in the host. An example of such an external apparatus is data communication hardware connected to a PCI bus. For details, refer to patent reference 1 or other documents.
FIG. 24 is a diagram showing the configuration of the conventional communication apparatus. The communication apparatus shown in the figure is explained as an apparatus on the transmission side. In the conventional communication apparatus, data generated by an encoder 310 is packetized by an RTP process unit 500, and a network device 330 transmits the packet to an apparatus on the reception side. The processing function of the RTP process unit 500 is implemented by software. To be more specific, a control unit such as a CPU executes a program of the software. In order to transmit an RTP packet to an apparatus on the reception side, sender information is recorded in an RTP information management database 501 in advance. As a time to transmit the RTCP packet to an apparatus on the reception side is reached, the RTCP packet is generated on the basis of the sender information, and the network device 330 transmits the RTCP packet.
A communication apparatus disclosed in patent reference 1 is further connected to an RTP card 610, which carries out transmissions and receptions of RTP packets by using hardware. The RTP process unit 500 forms a judgment as to whether the RTP process unit 500 or the RTP card 610 is to transmit an RTP packet to an apparatus on the reception side. If the RTP process unit 500 is determined to be the unit to transmit an RTP packet, the procedure described above is followed. If the RTP card 610 is determined to be the unit to transmit an RTP packet, on the other hand, the RTP packet is transmitted by updating an RTP information management database 611 of the RTP card 610 in advance. As a time to transmit the RTCP packet to an apparatus on the reception side is reached, the contents of the RTP information management database 611 are copied to the RTP information management database 501 of the host and the RTCP packet is generated on the basis of information acquired from the RTP information management database 501. Then, the RTP card 610 transmits the RTCP packet to an apparatus on the reception side. In processing to receive an RTCP packet, data is extracted from the RTCP packet along a route opposite to the transmission process described above.
Next, the RTP process unit 500 is explained in detail. FIG. 25 is a diagram showing the configuration of the RTP process unit 500 employed in the conventional communication apparatus.
In this case, in accordance with the RFC 2250, an RTP packet having an MPEG-2 transport stream (referred to hereafter simply as an MPEG2-TS) as a payload is required to include an RTP timestamp field in the RTP header having a value synchronized to the data stored in a PCR (Program Clock Reference) field of a TS packet, which is enclosed in the RTP packet as a portion of the RTP payload.
In the RTP process unit 500, when a TS packet generated by an MPEG-2 encoder 311 is supplied to an encoder interface (I/F) 312, the TS packet is passed on to a TS header checker 502, which checks the header of the TS packet to detect a PCR field. The TS header checker 502 stores the detected PCR field in PCR registers 504 and temporarily stores the TS packet in a TS buffer 505. A packet transmission control unit 503 manages information such as the number of input TS packets. As conditions for a packet transmission are all satisfied, the packet transmission control unit 503 issues a request for a transmission of an RTP packet to a packet synthesis unit 506. At this request, the packet synthesis unit 506 generates a timestamp from the value of the PCR field stored in the PCR registers 504. The packet synthesis unit 506 also generates the RTP packet including an RTP payload and an RTP header. The RTP payload includes the TS packets stored in the TS buffer 505 and the RTP header includes the generated timestamp in the RTP timestamp field of the RTP header.
Patent reference 1: Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 2001-320407
However, the conventional communication apparatus has a problem in that it is difficult to maintain a streaming quality for some states of the conventional communication apparatus serving as a host. In addition, the conventional communication apparatus has another problem in that it is hard to make the scale of the circuit compact in order to maintain a predetermined streaming quality.
As shown in FIG. 24, in the conventional communication apparatus, a control unit in the communication apparatus serving as a host carries out the processing to packetize and depacketize data in and from an RTCP/RTP packet by execution of software. Even if the RTP card 610 for carrying out the RTP processing is employed as an additional unit, the control unit in the host forms a judgment as to whether the RTP processing is to be carried out by using the software or the hardware.
For the reason described above, in dependence on the processing state of the host or the condition of the network, it may be impossible to assure sufficient precision for a measured packet arrival time or for a determined timing to pass real-time data to a protocol at a higher level. In general, in measuring time by using software, the arrival of a packet interrupts the host, which then carries out an interrupt-handling process to measure a time. However, an interrupt latency (defined as a period of time between the generation of an interrupt signal and the implementation of the interrupt-handling process) of the host varies in dependence on the processing state of the host. In a reception process, the arrival time of a packet must be measured at the precision of an RTP timestamp. By the same token, the timing to pass real-time data to a protocol at a higher level must be determined also at the precision of an RTP timestamp. In the case of an MPEG2-TS serving as an object of processing, a resolution of 90 KHz (or about 11.11 microseconds) is required. Thus, if the reception process is entirely carried out by using software, in some cases, sufficient precision cannot be assured because of reasons such as the fact that the measured time and the determined timing lag behind their respective correct values.
If the measured arrival time has a lack of precision, it is impossible to estimate a QoS (Quality of Service) on the network with a high degree of accuracy. Thus, information cannot be reported correctly. As a result, the condition of the network cannot be improved on the basis of the incorrectly reported information.
In addition, a communication apparatus on the reception side controls a timing to pass data extracted from an RTP packet to a protocol at a higher level by referring to an RTP timestamp set by the communication apparatus on the transmission side in the header of the RTP packet. To put it in detail, the data is temporarily stored in the buffer and then passed to a protocol at a higher level as soon as the time obtained as a result of adding jitters to an RTP timestamp of the RTP packet is reached. For this reason, it is necessary to synchronize a timer employed in the communication apparatus on the transmission side to a timer employed in the communication apparatus on the reception side. As described above, however, it is impossible to assure sufficient precision for timings determined by the communication apparatus on the transmission and reception sides. Thus, a problem is raised in that it is difficult to synchronize the timer employed in the communication apparatus on the transmission side to the timer employed in the communication apparatus on the reception side. Assume for example that the timer employed in the communication apparatus on the transmission side is proceeding in a manner lagging behind the timer employed in the communication apparatus on the reception side. In this case, the speed to pass data extracted from RTP packets to a protocol at a higher level is low with respect to the speed at which the RTP packets are received. As a result, an overflow occurs in a buffer for temporarily storing the data.
Thus, if the measured arrival time has a lack of precision or if the timer for setting an RTP timestamp in the communication apparatus on the transmission side is not synchronized to the timer for interpreting the same RTP timestamp in the communication apparatus on the reception side as described above, it is impossible to set the timing to pass data to a protocol at a higher level with a high degree of accuracy. Assume for example that the protocol at the higher level is a decoder. In this case, a reproduction timing of the decoder will be greatly affected by the timing to pass data from the RTP process unit 500 to the decoder unless a buffer employed in the decoder has a sufficiently large size. The quality of the reproduction result of the stream data will be greatly affected as well. In order to solve this problem, it is necessary to provide a margin to the size of the buffer employed in the decoder. In this case, however, the circuit will be inevitably designed in a wasteful manner.
On the other hand, in order to synchronize the RTP timestamp to the value stored in the PCR field of a TS packet received from a protocol at the higher level in the apparatus on the transmission side, the TS packet is stored in the TS buffer 505 and the value stored in the PCR field is managed by using the PCR registers 504. Therefore, the number of TS packets managed in the TS buffer 505 is limited to the number of PCR registers employed in the PCR registers 504. Since a ratio of the number of TS packets each including a PCR field to the amount of data passed by the protocol at the higher level is dependent on the condition of the protocol at the higher level, it is difficult to estimate the ratio at the design stage. It is therefore necessary to provide a margin to the design of the PCR registers 504 and the TS buffer 505. In consequence, the circuit will be unavoidably designed in a wasteful manner.
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1. Field of Invention
Embodiments exemplarily disclosed herein generally relate to semiconductor devices and methods of fabricating the same, and more particularly, to a phase change memory device and a method of fabricating the same.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
A phase change memory device stores data by using a stable state of a phase change material. The phase change material can stably exhibit one of two states depending upon a temperature applied thereto. After heating the phase change material at a temperature higher than a melting temperature of the phase change material and then cooling it down, the phase change material layer exhibits a substantially amorphous state. After heating the phase change material at a temperature higher than a crystallization temperature and lower than the melting temperature and then cooling it down, the phase change material layer exhibits a substantially crystalline state.
The electrical resistivity of the phase change material layer exhibiting a substantially amorphous state is higher than the electrical resistivity of the phase change material layer exhibiting a substantially crystalline state. Accordingly, the logic state of a memory cell formed of phase change material can be differentiated as either logic 1 or logic 0 by detecting a current that flows through the phase change material layer during a read mode.
A cell of a typical phase change memory device includes one access transistor and one phase change element. FIG. 1 is an equivalent circuit of a cell array in a conventional access transistor-type phase change memory device.
Referring to FIG. 1, an access transistor Tx and a phase change device R are connected between word lines WL and bit lines BL. A gate of the access transistor Tx is connected to the word line WL, its drain is connected to the bit line BL, and its source is connected to the phase change device R.
In the device shown in FIG. 1, a unit cell has a structure similar to that of DRAM. In a case of a NOR cell array structure, the size of a cell may have an 8F2 structure, which is 8 times of a minimum feature size F. However, when using the minimum size access transistor, a sufficient current may not be supplied for phase change. Therefore, a big size transistor of 15 through 20F2 structure is required.
Recently, diode-type access phase change memory devices have been proposed. FIG. 2 is an equivalent circuit of a cell array in a conventional access diode-type phase change memory device.
Referring to FIG. 2, the cell array includes a structure where an access diode Dx and a phase change device R are connected in series between word lines WL and bit lines BL. In this structure, the access diode Dx and the phase change device R are connected in series between the word lines WL and bit lines BL such that the size of a memory cell can be reduced as compared to the size of the memory cell shown in FIG. 1.
FIG. 3A is a plan view of a conventional phase change memory device. FIG. 3B is a sectional view of the conventional phase change memory device, taken along line I-I′ of FIG. 3A.
Referring to FIGS. 3A and 3B, a word line 10 extends toward one direction and is disposed on a semiconductor substrate. A first conductor pattern 12 and a second conductor pattern 14 are sequentially stacked on the word line 10. The word line 10 is typically formed as an impurity diffusion layer having a first conductivity type, and the first conductor pattern 12 and the second conductor pattern 14 are formed as an impurity diffusion layer having a second conductivity type. For example, the word line 10 is formed of an n-type impurity diffusion layer, and the first and second conductor patterns 12 and 14 are formed of a p-type impurity diffusion layer. The word line 10 and the first conductor pattern 12 constitute PN-junction to form a diode.
A bottom electrode 16 is formed on the second conductor pattern 12 and a heater 18 is formed on the bottom electrode 16. A phase change layer 20 and a bit line 22 are formed on the heater 18. The bit line 22 corresponds to the top electrode and extends along a direction perpendicular to the word line 10.
When forming the word line 10 and the bit line 22 having a minimum line width, the area occupied by a unit cell may be two times the minimum line width. Accordingly, this improves the degree of integration as compared to traditional transistors. However, when the area occupied by the PN junction of the word line 10 and the first conductor pattern 12 is F2. As a result, a sufficient current to induce phase change within the phase change layer 20 cannot be applied. Therefore, the degree of integration of the phase change memory device is reduced as the size of cell increases.
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