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1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a method for forming an isolation, and more particularly to reduce a cap size in a trench isolation of an aspect ratio greater than a predetermined value.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIGS. 1a to 1c are cross sections of the conventional method for forming a trench isolation.
In FIG. 1a, a silicon substrate 101 is thermally oxidized to form a pad oxide layer 102, and a silicon nitride layer 103 is doped on the pad oxide layer 102 by chemical vapor deposition. A photoresist layer 104 is coated on the silicon nitride layer 103, and a pattern is defined by photolithography to expose an area for forming isolation. The silicon nitride layer 103 and the pad oxide layer 102 are sequentially etched using the photoresist layer 104 as a mask.
In FIG. 1b, the semiconductor substrate 101 is etched to form a trench 105 for defining an active region using the silicon nitride layer 103 and the pad oxide layer 102 as masks after the photoresist layer 104 has been removed. The trench 105 is thermally oxidized to form a thin silicon oxide layer to act as a lining oxide layer 107 on a bottom and a sidewall of the trench 105.
An oxide layer 108 is formed on the silicon nitride layer 103, and the trench 105 is filled with the oxide layer 108. The oxide layer 108 in the trench 105 has a cap 106 because the oxide layer 108 is difficult to fill into a small trench 105 particularly when the aspect ratio of the trench 105 is greater than 6.
In FIG. 1c, chemical mechanical polishing is performed on the oxide layer 108 to remove the excess silicon nitride layer 103 forming the isolation 108a.
In FIG. 1d, the silicon nitride layer 103 and the pad oxide layer 102 are sequentially removed to leave the isolation 108a.
The material employed to form the isolation 108a is similar to the pad oxide layer 102, and the isolation 108a is etched when the pad oxide layer 102 is removed by wet etching. The cap 106 is exposed, and the etching solution fills the cap 106. The size of the cap 106 increases because the isolation 108a is etched, thus the reliability of the element is reduced. | {
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Patients with low platelet counts often require platelet transfusion. This is particularly crucial in the treatment of patients with cancer or massive trauma. The use of platelet transfusions has increased dramatically since 1980s, but a safe, long-term platelet storage method remains unavailable. The demonstration of successful, refrigerated storage of platelets for extended lengths of time, for example, 7 days or longer, would dramatically change the current practice of platelet transfusion in the Western World. Approximately 3,000,000 doses of platelets are used in the United States every year, and account for sales of ˜$1.5 Billion annually. The current short shelf-life represents a major handicap to convert platelet products into effective commodities. Depending on the time of the year, month or even week, up to 20% of products can be wasted due to expiration. In the meantime, there are moments of platelets shortages due to unpredictable increased usage. The extension of platelet product shelf-life would strengthen the national inventory of platelets for oncological and trauma patients. An estimated 10-fold increase in the need of platelet and plasma products is expected by the US government in war casualties and massive trauma patients due to the 1 red cell: 1 platelet: 1 plasma product transfusion policy.
Current practice has platelets stored at 20 to 24° C. after preparation, which has a limited lifetime up to 5 days, primarily due to concerns about bacterial contamination. Bacterial contamination of platelet products for transfusion is a major safety problem in blood banking. The consequence of transfusion of contaminated products is increased morbi-mortality among a susceptible population of cancer patients (1). Different technologies have been developed aiming to minimize the risk of bacterial contamination including diversion pouches for collection, bacterial detection with automatic culture systems and pathogen reduction systems (2-6). While there has been a significant reduction in the number of cases of platelet transfusion associated sepsis, the risk of transfusion-associated sepsis ranges between 1 in 15,000 to 86,000 platelet transfusions (7, 8). Storage of platelets in cold temperatures, as is done for red cells, would reduce the proliferation of most bacteria and allow a longer period of storage (9), minimizing the current shortages (10) that the short storage time (5-day) for platelets approved by the FDA (11). Conventional cold storage of platelets, however, has been hampered by the discovery that the 24-hour recovery of chilled platelets was significantly reduced (14).
The development of a method to prevent platelet damage upon refrigeration is a much needed, and long sought after advance in blood banking. Such development would revolutionize the current method of platelet storage. The instant disclosure solves one or more of these deficiencies in the art. | {
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The present invention relates to a storage device for card-shaped data carriers with at least one storage unit in which the card-shaped data carriers are stacked on a vertically movable support bottom and from which the respectively uppermost data carrier is laterally removable through a dispensing slot by an individualization roller and a cooperating drive roller for transferring the data carrier to a processing unit or a dispensing unit arranged downstream.
Such storage devices for card-shaped data carriers are known in different embodiments, for example, for dispensing access cards for parking garages. In European patent application 96 110 551.7 a self-filling storage device for card-shaped data carriers is disclosed which is comprised of a plurality of storage units and allows an automatic filling and/or emptying of all storage units.
The invention has therefore the object to provide a storage device of the aforementioned kind with at least one storage unit which is constructively simple and thus inexpensive to produce and whose basic design allows a modular construction and also provides for high functional reliability so that the storage device can be adapted to various specifications. | {
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The present invention relates to an improvement in level shift circuits for level shifting a low voltage signal to a high voltage signal to perform a signal transfer between two different circuits which are operated by different power supply voltages.
Recent increasing demand for low-power electronic devices has caused the power supply voltage of LSI internal circuits to decrease to 3 volts, to 2.5 volts or to less than 2.5 volts. This produces some necessities. For example, if an LSI external circuit is operated by 5 volts in contrast with the fact that the power supply voltage of a corresponding LSI internal circuit is 3 volts or less, this results in the requirement that an amplitude of 5 volts be provided. To this end, it is required to provide a level shift circuit capable of shifting either an amplitude of 3 volts, an amplitude of 2.5 volts or an amplitude of less than 2.5 volts to an amplitude of 5 volts.
Referring first to FIG. 10, there is shown an example of a conventional level shift circuit. Reference numeral 301 designates a signal input terminal. The signal input terminal 301 receives a low voltage (3 volts) signal from an inverter (an external circuit) 20 which is operated by low voltages (e.g., 3 volts). 302 designates an output signal terminal at which a high voltage (5 volts) signal is output to an operating circuit (not shown in the figure) which is operated by higher voltages (e.g., 5 volts).
Referring still to FIG. 10, 401 designates a first power supply terminal which is coupled to a low voltage power supply (e.g., a 3-V power supply). 402 designates a second power supply terminal which is coupled to a high voltage power supply (e.g., a 5-V power supply). 304 designates an N-channel MOS (Nch) transistor having (i) terminals of which one is coupled to the signal input terminal 301 and (ii) a gate which is coupled to the first power supply terminal 401. 303 designates an inverter made up of an Nch transistor 306 and a P-channel MOS (Pch) transistor 307. The inverter 303 receives its operating voltage from the second power supply terminal 402. The inverter 303 has an input coupled to the other of the terminals of the Nch transistor 304. Further, the inverter 303 has an output coupled to the output signal terminal 302. 305 designates a Pch transistor having terminals, namely a drain, a source, and a gate, wherein the drain terminal is coupled to the input of the inverter 303, the source terminal is coupled to the second power supply terminal 402, and the gate terminal is coupled to the output of the inverter 303. 403 designates an intermediate node between the Nch transistor 304 and the inverter 303.
Referring to FIG. 11(a), the operation of the level shift circuit of FIG. 10 will be described below.
Upon application of a signal which changes in voltage level from LOW (0 volt) to HIGH (3 volts) at the signal input terminal 301, the intermediate node 403 is pulled up to a voltage level (3-Vtn) through the Nch transistor 304 in the ON state, where Vtn represents the threshold voltage of the Nch transistor 304. If the switching voltage of the inverter 303, Vo, is set lower than the voltage (3-Vtn), this causes the output signal terminal 302 to decrease from HIGH (5 volts) towards LOW (0 volt) by signal inversion.
Because of a gate potential drop, the Pch transistor 305 goes into the ON state from the OFF state, and the intermediate node 403 is pulled up to HIGH (5 volts). Accordingly, the potential of the output signal terminal 302 is decreased to a lower value, finally arriving at LOW (0 volt). The Nch transistor 304 comes to have a gate potential equal to or less than its source and drain potentials, as a result of which the Nch transistor 304 changes to the OFF state. Accordingly, there exists no current path extending from the high voltage power supply to the low voltage power supply, which makes it possible to perform a voltage level shifting operation in the steady state with direct currents cut off.
Next, upon application of a signal which changes in voltage level from HIGH (3 volts) to LOW (0 volt) at the signal input terminal 301, the gate potential of the Nch transistor 304 will relatively increase. The Nch transistor 304, therefore, changes to the ON state. The intermediate node 403 is decreased from HIGH (5 volts) towards LOW (0 volt). The Pch transistor 305 is in the ON state and the potential level of the intermediate node 403 is determined by the value of a sum of the ON resistance of the Nch transistor 304 and the ON resistance of the external circuit 20 which drives the signal input terminal 301 with respect to the ON resistance of the Pch transistor 305. That is, as the ON resistance of the Pch transistor 305 relatively increases, the potential level of the intermediate node 403 decreases. Accordingly, if the Pch transistor's ON resistance is set sufficiently greater than the aforesaid sum, this causes the intermediate node 403 to have a potential level below Vo (the inverter's 303 switching voltage) and signal conversion causes the output signal terminal 302 to increase from LOW (0 volt) towards HIGH (5 volts).
Because of such an operation, the Pch transistor 305 continues to be boosted in gate potential, and the ON resistance further increases. As a result, the potential of the intermediate node 403 is decreased to a lower value and the voltage of the output signal terminal increases. Finally, the Pch transistor 305 enters the OFF state and the intermediate node 403 arrives at LOW (0 volt) while the output signal terminal arrives at HIGH (5 volts). Also in this case, there exists no current path extending from the high voltage power supply to the low voltage power supply, which makes it possible to perform a voltage level shifting in the steady state with direct currents cut off.
Because of the foregoing operations, a signal of opposite phase to the input signal at the signal input terminal 301 appears at the output signal terminal 302. Such an inverted signal has an amplitude of 5 volts.
However, the above-described conventional level shift circuit has some drawbacks. One drawback is that both the possibility that the operating speed degrades and the possibility that the malfunction occurs increase when the low voltage power supply is decreased in voltage level to a further extent because of demands for lower power LSI circuits.
In the case the signal input terminal 301 makes a change in voltage level from LOW to HIGH, a voltage level drop occurring in the low voltage power supply results in a speed drop which pulls up the potential of the intermediate node 403, for the drain current is reduced because both the drive performance of the external circuit 20 for driving the signal input terminal 301 and the gate voltage of the Nch transistor 304 in the ON state fall.
The reachable potential of the intermediate node 403 will fall for an amount approximately corresponding to a voltage level drop in the low voltage power supply. If such a reachable potential does not exceed Vo (the switching voltage of the inverter 303), no signal inversion is carried out, which causes the output signal terminal 302 to remain at HIGH. As a result, a malfunction occurs. Such a malfunction may be avoided by reducing the switching voltage. To this end, the gate width of the Nch transistor 306 forming a part of the inverter is required to be set relatively greater than that of the Pch transistor 307. However, the Pch transistor 307 is, of course, required to maintain some drive performance (gate width) and a reduction of the switching potential results in an abrupt increase in LSI pattern area. Therefore, such arrangement cannot be employed.
In addition to the above, if the gate width of the Nch transistor 306 is increased, this results in a gate capacitance load increase. This is a factor of degrading the operating speed.
A drop in the voltage level of the low voltage power supply occurring when the signal input terminal 301 changes in voltage level from HIGH to LOW results in a decrease in operating speed because both the drive performance of the external circuit 20 for driving the signal input terminal 301 and the drive performance of the Nch transistor 304 fall.
Additionally, with respect to the ON resistance of the Pch transistor 305, the foregoing sum increases, which makes it difficult to decrease the level of the intermediate node 403 to a lower value. Accordingly, in this case, it is required to establish a higher switching voltage level in order to ensure that the inverter 303 performs a signal inversion operation. Such a requirement conflicts with the case in which the signal input terminal 301 changes in voltage level from LOW to HIGH. This shows that a voltage level drop in the low voltage power supply results in a reduction in entire operating margin. | {
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Field
The present disclosure relates to network management. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to a method and system for efficiently balancing multicast traffic over virtual link aggregations (VLAGs).
Related Art
The exponential growth of the Internet has made it a popular delivery medium for multimedia applications, such as video on demand and television. Such applications have brought with them an increasing demand for bandwidth. As a result, equipment vendors race to build larger and faster switches with versatile capabilities, such as multicasting, to move more traffic efficiently. However, the size of a switch cannot grow infinitely. It is limited by physical space, power consumption, and design complexity, to name a few factors. Furthermore, switches with higher capability are usually more complex and expensive. More importantly, because an overly large and complex system often does not provide economy of scale, simply increasing the size and capability of a switch may prove economically unviable due to the increased per-port cost.
As more time-critical applications are being implemented in data communication networks, high-availability operation is becoming progressively more important as a value proposition for network architects. It is often desirable to aggregate links to multiple switches to operate as a single logical link (referred to as a virtual link aggregation or a multi-chassis trunk) to facilitate load balancing among the multiple switches while providing redundancy to ensure that a device failure or link failure would not affect the data flow. A switch participating in a virtual link aggregation can be referred to as a partner switch of the virtual link aggregation.
Currently, such virtual link aggregations in a network have not been able to take advantage of the multicast functionalities available in a typical switch. Individual switches in a network are equipped to manage multicast traffic but are constrained while operating in conjunction with each other as partner switches of a virtual link aggregation. Consequently, an end device coupled to multiple partner switches via a virtual link aggregation typically exchanges all the multicast data with only one of the links (referred to as a primary link) in the virtual link aggregation. Even when the traffic is for different multicast groups, that multicast traffic to/from the end device only uses the primary link. As a result, multicast traffic to/from the end device becomes bottlenecked at the primary link and fails to utilize the bandwidth offered by the other links in the virtual link aggregation.
While virtual link aggregation brings many desirable features to networks, some issues remain unsolved in multicast traffic forwarding. | {
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Oral hygiene products, such as toothpastes, have been in use for many years. Toothpastes generally include an abrasive material which is dispersed in a gel or paste base. Abrasives remove stains and plaque, as well as polish teeth. Common abrasives include calcium phosphates, alumina, calcium carbonate, and silica. Toothpaste must be abrasive enough to remove plaque and stains, but should not be so abrasive as to damage tooth enamel.
Fluoride is typically added to toothpaste in order to reduce tooth decay. In particular, fluoride incorporates itself into tooth enamel to make teeth more resistant to acids produced by plaque bacteria, as well as acids found in fruit juices, soda and certain foods. Indeed, toothpastes containing fluoride hardens tooth enamel to make the entire tooth structure more resistant to decay and promote remineralization, which aids in repairing early decay. In toothpaste, fluoride is commonly found in the form of sodium monofluorophosphate, stannous fluoride, or sodium fluoride. Notably, due to the toxicity of fluoride, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regards any toothpaste containing fluoride as a drug. Accordingly, the FDA requires a warning on the label of any toothpaste containing fluoride stating “If you accidentally swallow more than used for brushing, seek professional help or contact a poison control center immediately.” Moreover, the American Dental Association (ADA) requires that toothpaste manufacturers include the following language on all ADA-Accepted toothpastes containing fluoride: “Do not swallow. Use only a pea-sized amount for children under six. To prevent swallowing, children under six years of age should be supervised in the use of toothpaste.” Clearly, toothpastes containing fluoride are not intended to, and should not, be swallowed.
Detergents may also be added to toothpastes to aid in cleaning. For example, detergents may be added to create a foaming action. Foam prevents toothpaste from dribbling out one's mouth during brushing. SLS (sodium lauryl sulfate) is a commonly used detergent.
Toothpastes may also include other ingredients such as, for example, humectants to prevent toothpaste from drying out, thickeners and preservatives to prevent the growth of microorganisms, flavoring agents, sweeteners, and coloring agents.
At least some portion of a serving size of toothpaste is swallowed during brushing, even if not intended. The portion of the toothpaste which is swallowed, including any dietary ingredient(s) therein, is digested in the gastrointestinal tract. Known toothpastes which include vitamins and/or minerals, however, fail to provide the vitamins and/or minerals such as, B-complex of vitamins, Vitamin C, and calcium, for example, in an amount sufficient to be considered a “significant source” of the dietary supplement(s) included therein.
The term “dietary supplement” was defined in the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA) of 1994. In short, a dietary supplement is a product taken orally that contains a dietary ingredient intended to supplement the diet. The dietary ingredients may include, for example, vitamins, minerals, herbs or other botanicals, amino acids, and substances such as enzymes, organ tissues, glandulars, and metabolites. Dietary supplements can also be extracts or concentrates, and may be found in many forms such as tablets, capsules, softgels, gelcaps, liquids, or powders. The DSHEA places dietary supplements in a special category under the general umbrella of foods, not drugs. In particular, if a product contains less than 2 percent of the reference daily intake (RDI) of a given dietary supplement, that product is not a “significant source” of that dietary supplement.
Therefore, what is needed on the market today is a toothpaste that provides a significant source of at least one dietary supplement, such as a vitamin and/or a mineral and does not include fluoride. That is, a non-fluoride toothpaste containing more than 2 percent of the reference daily intake (RDI) of a given dietary supplement that is safe to swallow and supplements the diet of a mammal when ingested is needed on the market today. The present invention provides such toothpaste and is further described in the sections below. | {
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The invention described herein is generally related to angular orientation sensors. More particularly, this invention relates to remote angular orientation sensors using digital serial encoding. Many applications require an angular orientation position sensor which can be read from a distant location. For example in many robotic systems it is necessary to monitor a tool position. With the advent of fiber optic technology, many remote angular orientation sensing applications are emerging. They include control of industrial processes and remotely piloted vehicles such as submersible marine vehicles.
Angle-sensing, and in particular remote angle sensing, traditionally has been performed primarily by electrical means. One type of sensor, a heading compass, manufactured by Digicourse of New Orleans, La., uses a remotely sensed magnetic compass with a digital code wheel and a ten bit parallel, Grey code digital mask acting as the compass card. A combination of miniature light emitting diodes (LED's) and photo detectors are used to sense the mask position and provide a bit-parallel electrical signal that can be decoded to indicate compass heading. The output of the sensor is an electrical signal that must be carried by wires. This device requires a data link composed of electrical wires that run to and from the sensor. Increasing the length of the data link in this system demands increased power consumption due to Joule heating, and requires a larger power supply.
One type of system that provides remote angle sensing but which does not require electricity at the sensor is described in Lewis, Norris, "Fiber Optic Sensors Offer Advantages For Aircraft," Optical Engineering Reports, June 1987. In this system, the position sensor is a reflective code wheel imprinted with a 10 channel digital mask pattern. "On" and "off" pulses corresponding to code wheel position are superimposed onto carrier light signals that pass through the code wheel to create encoded composite signals. The composite signals propagate through optical fibers to a remotely located position detecting circuit. This system requires expensive diffraction gratings and 10 channels to provide adequate resolution. Each channel requires separate hardware and results in a complex system with many components along with accompanying expense.
Still another remote angle sensing system is described in Varshneya, D., Maida, J. L. and Hakman, E. D., "Fiber Optic Rotary Position Transducer," Fiber Optic and Laser Sensors Vs. P. B. DePaula and E. Udd, ed. Proc. SPIE, 838 (1987). In that device, position sensing is accomplished by transmitting an optical signal via a single optical fiber to a fiber optic read head. Time division multiplexed light signals emitted from the read head interrogate a 10 channel digitally encoded reflective Grey-code encoder disc. Light signals reflect off the disc, reenter the read head, and then are propagated to an optical signal processor. Surface quality and flatness of the absorptive areas of the disc are important factors which affect signal-to-noise ratio and the threshold level of the optical signal processor. Successful operation of this device requires careful alignment of the disc surface and the fiber optic read head. Deviations from normal incidence between the path of the light signals emitted from the read head and the disc severely affect the operational characteristics of this system.
Another remote angle sensor that utilizes encoded optical signals to convey information regarding angular position has been described by Migliori, et al, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,577,414. Migliori teaches a remotely readable compass which operates by comparing the intensities of four light beams, two of which pass through a sheet polarizer. However, the Migliori device requires at least four channels to provide adequate resolution.
All of the remote angle sensing systems taught by the prior art are unduly complex and expensive because they require multiple channels to provide sufficient angular resolution. Each channel increases system complexity and requires additional components. Disadvantageously, those prior art systems which utilize reflective digital discs require critical positioning of the fiber optic read head with respect to the discs. Disc surface tolerances are also critical and increase manufacturing costs. Thus, a need exists for a simple, less expensive, and more easily manufactured remote angle sensing system. | {
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This invention relates to an optical positionalignment system for processing minute materials.
The theory, that Moire signals obtained from the light passing through or reflected from a pair of diffraction gratings can be applied to measuring and controlling the displacement of their relative positions, has been proposed by J. Guild in Diffraction Gratings as Measuring Scales issued by Oxford U.P. in 1960.
As one of the prior arts in regard to the alignment method by using the theory, there is means to control and reduce Moire signals to a minimum value. However, this means can obtain only restricted accuracy of the alignment because the art makes the alignment by using the point where the signal is naught with respect to the setting position.
As another prior art in regard to the alignment method by using the same theory, there is means to compare .+-. 1st order diffraction signals of Moire signals. Indeed this means can increase the alignment accuracy up to 20 nm by combining the technique of splitting two bundles of light and receiving the emitted modulation signals with the prior art, however the higher accuracy of alignment might be desired. | {
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Generally described, computing devices and communication networks can be utilized to exchange information. In a common application, a computing device can request content from another computing device via the communication network. For example, a user at a personal computing device can utilize a software browser application, typically referred to as a browser, to request a Web page from a server computing device via the Internet. In such embodiments, the user computing device can be referred to as a client computing device and the server computing device can be referred to as a content provider.
With reference to an illustrative example, a requested Web page or other content may be associated with a number of additional resources, such as images or videos, that are to be displayed with the Web page. These additional resources may be referred to as “embedded resources.” In one specific embodiment, embedded resources of a Web page are identified by a number of embedded resource identifiers, such as uniform resource locators (“URLs”) included in or associated with the Web page or network resource. In turn, software on the client computing devices, such as a browser, typically processes embedded resource identifiers to generate requests for the content. Accordingly, in order to satisfy a content request, one or more content providers will generally provide client computing devices data associated with the Web page as well as the data associated with the embedded resources.
In a typical embodiment, a client computing device may not request embedded resources associated with a requested Web page or other network resource until the Web page has been processed by the browser or other application to identify associated embedded resource identifiers. In many cases, the requirement that the client computing device request the network resource and associated embedded content sequentially can introduce inefficiency and delay in the service and processing of network content. For example, because a client computing device will not request embedded resources until it has obtained and processed the associated Web page, the presentation of the complete Web page to an end user can be delayed.
From the perspective of a user utilizing a client computing device, a user experience can be defined in terms of the performance and latencies associated with obtaining network content over a communication network, such as obtaining a Web page, processing embedded resource identifiers, generating requests to obtain embedded resources, and rendering content on the client computing device. Latencies and performance limitations of any of the above processes may diminish the user experience. Additionally, latencies and inefficiencies may be especially apparent on computing devices with limited network resources or connectivity such as netbooks, tablets, smartphones, and the like. | {
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The techniques of training or teaching through the use of subliminal audio signals is well known, as presented, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,060,795 to Corrigan and U.S. Pat. No. 3,278,676 to Becker. In such methodology an audio recording, typically on audiotape, is prepared with a recording of a desired spoken message at a first, low volume. This is the subliminal message signal. A second audio signal, typically music, is also impressed on the recording medium at a second, higher amplitude. The second signal masks the first such that the first cannot be perceived by the listener upon playback. The theory of subliminal perception states that while the first, subliminal signal cannot be perceived in the normal manner, its existence on the recording medium and playback at a subliminal level results in the unconscious receipt of the signal and a corresponding effect upon the listener. Depending on the content of the subliminally recorded message, such recordings have been used for a variety of training regimens, such as weight control, smoking cessation, memory development, and the like.
Because a subliminal recording, by definition, includes a message signal which is not intended to be consciously perceived by the listener in the normal manner, the listener is not likely to be consciously "aware" of the existence of a subliminal message in a recording. Despite some questions as to the actual effect of such signals, prohibitions exist against the use of such material in certain situations, such as in broadcast advertisements, to guard against the presentation of such material to those not consenting to its use.
On the other hand, the user of a subliminal recording has the vital concern that the intended subliminal message is in fact there. The user, having invested in the recording, properly has the interest that, for example, the stop-smoking tape he purchased does indeed have a motivation message to assist him or her in his quest. In addition, the user may wish to be assured that the content of the subliminal track is acceptable, and does not contain material which he or she would find objectionable or improper for the intended purpose. Since the very essence of a subliminal recording is that the subliminal message cannot be perceived normally, that quality serves as a bar to verification of its existence.
Other than at the master recording level, where the subliminal and supraliminal mask signals are blended together and thus can be identified, it's extremely difficult to confirm the existence of a subliminal message signal on a recording. This leaves the recording manufacturer with the risk of claims that the subliminal message is non-existent or other than what it is alleged to be, and places the user of the recording in the uncomfortable position of being unable to verify the legitimacy and suitability of the product he has obtained.
It is accordingly a purpose of the present invention to provide a subliminal recording bearing a subliminal message track, the presence of which can be verified using a minimal amount of equipment.
Another purpose of the present invention is to provide a subliminal message recording which can be verified by the user.
Yet another purpose of the present invention is to provide a subliminal message recording in which the level of the subliminal recording can be raised without damaging the subliminal nature of the track. | {
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The present invention relates apparatus for modulating the capacity of a rotary screw compressor. More particularly, the present invention relates an unloading arrangement for a refrigeration screw compressor which is characterized by the disposition of an unloading piston in a cylindrical bore which is remote from the compressor's working chamber but in flow communication with it through a series of non-overlapping unloader ports.
Screw compressor piston unloading arrangements of the type illustrated in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,042 310; 4,544,333; 4,565,508; and co-pending U.S. patent application No. 07/747,894, which is incorporated herein by reference and which is assigned to the assignee of the present invention, are unloading arrangements which employ an axially movable or rotatable unloading piston disposed within a cylindrical bore remote from the compressor's working chamber The bore communicates with the working chamber through a series of axially arranged unloader ports and is additionally in flow communication with a portion of the compressor which is at compressor suction pressure in operation.
When the unloading piston in such arrangements is positioned within the unloader bore so as to completely interrupt communication of the bore with the compressor's working chamber through the unloader ports the compressor operates fully loaded because the compression pockets defined in the working chamber are prevented from unloading to suction through the unloader ports and bore The unloading piston is moved axially or is rotated within the bore to fully or partially cover or uncover the unloader ports in a sequential manner thereby providing for the selective and variable communication of the compression pockets within the working chamber back to suction for the purpose of unloading the compressor.
With respect to the arrangement in assignee's copending patent application and referring to FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 herein which are, respectively, FIGS. 1, 5 and 6 in assignee's co.pending patent application. FIG. 1 is a partial cross-sectional side view of a screw compressor illustrating piston unloader apparatus associated with the male rotor of a screw compressor with the unloader piston in the full unload position. Compressor 10 is comprised of a rotor housing 12 and bearing housing 14. A motor 16, male rotor 18 and female rotor (not shown) are disposed in the rotor housing. Shaft 22 extends from the male rotor and motor rotor 24 is mounted thereon.
Suction gas enters rotor housing 12 through the suction end 26 of the compressor and passes through a suction strainer (not shown) prior to passing through and around motor 16 in a manner which cools the motor. In this regard, suction gas passing through and around motor 16 passes out of motor-rotor housing gap 28, rotor-stator gap 30 and into suction area 32 within the rotor housing. The gas next passes from suction area 32, through suction port 34 and into the working chamber 36 where it is enveloped in a chevron shaped compression pocket defined by the wall of the working chamber and the intermeshed lobes of male rotor 18 and the female rotor.
As the male and female rotors rotate, the pocket in which the suction gas is initially enveloped is closed off from suction port 34 and is circumferentially displaced toward high pressure end wall 38 of the compressor s working chamber. As such displacement occurs, the volume of the pocket is reduced and the gas contained therein is compressed until such time as the pocket opens to discharge port 40.
Rotor housing 12 defines a cylindrical bore 50 which is in flow communication with suction port 34 or some other area of the compressor or system in which the compressor is employed which is at suction pressure. Rotor housing 12 also defines a series of ports 52 which communicate between bore 50 and working chamber 36. Disposed in bore 50 is an unloader piston 54 which includes a control portion 56 disposed in a chamber 58 defined by the bearing housing. Unloader piston 54 is axially positionable within bore 50 so as to provide for the selective occlusion of ports 52.
Ports 52 are generally elongated axially running curvilinear slots defined in the wall of working chamber 36 of the rotor housing. Ports 52 overlap each other in the axial sense so as to provide, through their interaction with unloader piston 54, for an essentially continuous unloading path from the male rotor portion of the working chamber into bore 50. The length of that path and, therefore, the capacity of the compressor is determined by the position of piston 54 within bore 50 and the extent to which ports 52 are occluded by the unloader piston.
Piston 54 is preferably hydraulically actuated with chamber 58 being in flow communication with a source of pressurized fluid, such as the lubricant employed within the compressor, through passage 62 in which a solenoid operated load valve 64 is disposed. Chamber 58 is likewise in flow communication with passage 66 in which a solenoid operated unload valve 68 is disposed.
By porting oil which is at discharge pressure through load valve 64 with unload valve 68 closed, piston 54 is caused to move axially toward suction end 26 of the compressor thereby further loading the compressor through the occlusion of additional ones of ports 52 or a portion thereof. Contrarily, the opening of unload solenoid 68, with load valve 64 closed, places passage 66 in flow communication with a portion of compressor 10 which is at less than suction pressure thereby permitting discharge pressure gas, which is communicated through passage 70 into chamber 58 to act on the side of control portion 56 of piston 54 opposite from the side operated on by a pressurized fluid. This causes piston 54 to move away from the suction end of the compressor which causes the compressor to unload as additional ones or parts of unloader ports 52 are opened.
As is noted in assignee's co.pending U.S. Pat. application, unloading ports 52 effectively overlap each other, in the axial sense, so as to provide an essentially continuous unloading path from the male rotor portion of the working chamber into the unloader bore and for essentially continuous compressor unloading along that path. This essentially continuous unloading path results from the overlap of the unloading ports. The unloading piston has an essentially flat end face so that as soon as unloader 54 is moved to completely occlude or uncover a first unloader port any further movement of it will begin to occlude or uncover the next unloader port in its direction of travel. It is the interaction of this type of unloader piston with the overlapping unloader ports which permits the continuous unloading of the compressor.
It has been determined that the use of elongated overlapping unloader ports, such as those described in assignee's co-pending patent application with the unloader piston taught therein, while allowing for the essentially continuous unloading of a screw compressor, brings with it certain disadvantages in the form of a less formidable seal against leakage between adjacent ones of the unloader ports around the unloader piston. Such leakage together with the relatively large clearance volume of the elongated unloader ports, results in compressor efficiencies and capacities which can be improved upon.
Such improved efficiencies and capacities are necessary to make screw compressors with their very distinct advantage of being able to be unloaded over a continuous operating range, economically competitive with the other, less expensive compressor designs against which they must compete in lower capacity ranges. Therefore, the need to improve upon the unloading arrangement associated with the male rotor of the screw compressor in assignee's co-pending patent application and screw compressor unloaders in the general sense to achieve improved compressor efficiency and increased capacity was identified. | {
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to fine wire bonding employing ultrasonic energy applied to the fine wire by a bonding tool held and controlled by an automatic wire bonder. More particularly, the present invention relates to a system and a process of multi-frequency wire bonding wherein a plurality of different resonant frequencies are applied to the same transducer during a single wire bond operation.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Heretofore, ultrasonic transducers used for fine wire bonding were designed and manufactured for use at a single high efficiency resonance frequency. It was generally known that such transducers had one efficient resonant frequency, however, it was not known or appreciated that such transducers could be made which had two distinct resonance frequencies until disclosed in copending U.S. Ser. No. 08/349,251 filed Dec. 5, 1994 for a Multi Resonance Unibody Ultrasonic Transducer by Ali R. Safabakhah and assigned to the same assignee as the present invention.
Heretofore, it was generally known that fine wire bonds made at 60 Khz form in a different manner and display different shear strength characteristics from fine wire bonds made at 120 Khz. There is little or no available data defining the intermetallic structure and shear bond strength for wire bonds made at frequencies that dramatically differ from these frequencies and their closely associated frequencies. Lee Levine summarized the state of art theories concerning wire bonds made at these frequencies in his article "The Ultrasonic Wedge Bonding Mechanism: Two Theories Converge" presented at the International Symposium on Microelectronics (ISHM) Proceedings dated Oct. 24-26 , 1995 at pages 242 to 246.
Summarized, this article disclosed that wire bonds made at high frequencies (e.g. 120 Khz) cause the material at the interface of the wire bond to have high rates of strain hardening accompanied by slight deformation in the initial stages of forming a bond. All things being equal wire bonds made at low frequencies (e.g. 60 Khz) have lesser rates of strain hardening accompanied by greater squash and bond area resulting in stronger shear strength wire bonds.
It would be desirable to provide a system and a method for making fine wire bonds employing two or more resonance frequencies so as to take advantage of all the desirable characteristics which can be achieved using either high or low resonance frequencies. Multi-resonance frequency bonding transducers having two or more efficient resonance frequencies will now permit the incorporation of multi-resonance frequency methods and systems into a new automatic wire bonders as well as permitting retrofitting such systems into existing automatic wire bonders. | {
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Typical on-chip and inter-chip electrical interconnections are achieved using copper wires. Several problems result from the physical characteristics of electrical interconnections, including, for example, propagation delay, bandwidth limitations, and power requirements. Resistance and capacitance variations in the electrical interconnection wires create design concerns, such as circuit matching, mutual interference, and crosstalk issues. Electrical interconnections are also limited in their capability to provide point-to-multipoint connections. Optical interconnections have been suggested for use in place of some electrical interconnections to increase bandwidth, reduce parasitic resistance and capacitance, and minimize crosstalk, for example. However, optical interconnections add to manufacturing costs and increases design complexity.
The existing Cisco Catalyst 6500 Crossbar Switching Fabric, such as employed in the Cisco Catalyst 6509 and 6513, is an example of the current art. Eighteen individual fabric channels are apportioned across line card slots in a chassis. This arrangement provides a maximum of two fabric channel connections per line card. Each fabric channel is currently clocked up to 50 Gbps (i.e. 8×6.25 Gbps) full duplex. The maximum data rate out of the line card is 100 Gbps, and the data rate into the line card is 100 Gbps. The total dedicated rate provided is 18×50=900 Gbps. For full duplex operation, this equates to 900 Gpbs×2=1.8 Tbps.
Next generation switching requirements are expected to increase and will be around 3.6 Tbps, or so, with shared bus switching requirements around 1.8 Tbps. For a 50 Gbps link between two line cards, two 50 Gbps links into the switch fabric card are required. Data packets exchanged between the line cards must be routed through a switch Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC). The switch ASIC contains a routing table for routing the data packets between the transmitting and receiving line cards. The use of a switch ASIC requires two links to route packets from the transmitting line card to the receiving line card—one link from the transmitting card to the switch ASIC and a second link from the switch ASIC to the receiving line card. As a result, compared to a direct connection between line cards, twice the power is required and twice the delay is added. The use of a switch ASIC requires increased complexity and additional routing. Combined with the electrical interconnection limitations, it will be difficult to provide the expected future switching requirements. | {
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A plug connector of this type is known e.g. from DE 196 07 381 C2, which relates to a plug connector according to the Rast 5-Standard. Plug connectors of this type according to the invention can also be provided according to the Rast 2.5-Standard, which differ from the preceding plug connectors substantially only through the width of the contact pattern.
Plug connectors according to the Rast 5- or the Rast 2.5-Standard have become widely used in particular in electrical household- and kitchen appliances, heating system controls and internal system wiring solutions in the automotive industry.
Such plug connectors typically comprise a plug (second contact support) and a plug socket (first contact support), typically in a multi-pole configuration respectively. The term “plug” thus refers to the configuration of the “male” contact component, wherein the “socket” comprises “female” contact components. Since the socket is the component which is e.g. inserted into contact sections of a circuit board or onto a multi-pin strip in the major number of the Rast-plug connectors used on the market, the socket is subsequently designated as plug socket. Consequently, also circuit boards, multi-pin strips are similar are considered as plugs or plug devices according to the invention.
In order to assure an assembly of plug device and plug socket, which is safe against polarity reversal, both components comprise coding devices. In particular for a polarity safe attachment at circuit boards, their coding devices are configured as circuit board recesses or incisions in the contact portion of the circuit board, which vary with respect to their position, length and width. For each coding of a plug section of a circuit board, a mating plug socket is fabricated, whose housing forms coding walls mating with the recesses.
Color coding is used as a supplement for said form of mechanical coding quite frequently. Color markings are disposed at the plug devices, which are configured as adhesive labels, color bars or as colored plug socket housings. Thus, it is indicated for the assembly process that plug sockets, which are identified accordingly, have to be inserted onto the plug devices, e.g. the circuit board, at a location with identical color. Thus, the color marking can be configured as a supplemental optical, quasi redundant coding for unmistakable joining of plug socket and plug device, or it can be used for coding mechanically identically coded plug sockets or plug devices for additional differentiation.
The mechanical coding and the color coding have proven to be particularly advantageous, since a quasi error free assembly, this means a polarity reversal safe assembly of plug device and plug socket is assured. Meanwhile, however, the perception is that the fabrication of such plug connectors requires improvement.
In production, respective batches with a certain mechanical and/or color coding are fabricated. Thereafter setup times are required at the fabrication equipment for fabricating a batch with a different mechanical and/or color coding. As long as the color coding is performed by means of adhesive labels or color bars, this is a process step in need of improvement as well. | {
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This invention relates to connectors for communication lines, particularly optical fiber cables.
Because of their great bandwidth, optical communications links seem likely to replace electrical lines for many applications. But optical links require transparent fibers for connections between stations, and such fibers in many ways are more difficult to work with than electrical wires.
Fibers suitable for optical communications applications are usually made of glass or plastic, and tend to be thin and relatively fragile. Therefore, in the design of optical fiber connectors, bend and strain relief are especially important considerations.
In addition, optical fibers which are coupled together must be maintained in both axial and angular alignment with each other to quite close tolerance if light losses are to be kept within acceptable limits.
This would be considerably less difficult to accomplish if it were a problem encountered only rarely and by trained physicists working in a sophisticated laboratory environment. But if optical fibers are to form the basis of a large scale communications network, they must be connected and disconnected often by ordinary personnel working in the field, without the benefit of sophisticated laboratory equipment.
The large number of such operations which will be required dictates that the connectors employed must be manufactured at high volume and low cost, but this must be accomplished without any sacrifice of alignment accuracy.
If these conflicting requirements cannot all be met simultaneously, then either higher cost or degradation of system performance must result. Consequently there is a need for an inexpensively mass-produceable optical fiber connector which is simple for installation and maintenance personnel to use in the field, but which nevertheless produces very accurate and reliable results in terms of fiber alignment.
To complicate the problem further, in many practical applications a number of optical fibers are grouped together in a cable, and should preferably be connected and disconnected as a group. It is too wasteful of time and space to connect and disconnect all the fibers of such a cable by means of individual connectors. Thus it is important that a single connector be able to handle a number of individual optical fibers, but without compromising alignment accuracy as to any of them.
Another problem encountered in the fiber optic connector field concerns the matter of fiber separation. The ends of two optically coupled fibers must approach each other very closely in order to reduce light losses to a minimum. But the two fibers must not be allowed to touch, because then they would grind against each other, destroying the planarity of the polished ends, and generating glass or plastic dust in the light path. Both lack of planarity and the presence of dust are factors which increase the scattering of light, thereby contributing to signal losses. Accordingly, it is necessary to closely control the spacing between the ends of each pair of optically coupled fibers.
Consideration must also be given to problems which may arise during times when the connector is disconnected; at such times the fragile polished ends of the optical fibers may be subjected to the risk of mechanical impact which could cause damage, or may be exposed to dirt or other environmental contaminants which can cut down severely on light transmission. Therefore it is desirable to have a protective cover readily available at all times.
Many prior art fiber optic connector devices employ a double-ended female socket or housing member and a pair of male fiber optic plugs, each of which is inserted within one end of the double-ended socket. Some examples of such connectors are seen in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,026,633 of Crick, 3,861,781 of Hasegawa, 4,158,477 of Fiebelkorn. But in the past, such double-ended socket connector designs have not gone far enough in combining high accuracy, low light loss, and economy of manufacture. And few, if any, connector designs appear to provide protection for the exposed plugs when they are temporarily disconnected (i.e. withdrawn) from their sockets. | {
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Postpartum tubal sterilization is a permanent method of birth control in which a portion of the fallopian tube is interrupted and either tied, cut, clipped, blocked, cauterized or removed after birth. Tubal sterilization is the most commonly used method of birth control, and provides a highly effective method for women choosing to permanently terminate their reproductive ability.
The anatomy of a postpartum uterus is different than the uterus before pregnancy. The uterus undergoes significant anatomical and physiological changes to support a pregnancy. Such changes have been shown to cause a postpartum uterus to become bulkier, heavier, wider and longer. Consequently, traditional surgical devices are not able to adequately perform certain procedures that a postpartum woman may desire, such as tubal sterilization, insofar as such devices are not designed to accommodate the above-mentioned anatomical changes in the uterus.
Indeed, while several devices for uterine manipulation have been described in the prior art, such devices are not adequate for use on a postpartum uterus. In many cases, the prior art devices were designed for use on a pre-pregnant uterus and, therefore, are not able to effectively accommodate the postpartum anatomical changes described above. Accordingly, a need exists for surgical devices that may be used to manipulate a postpartum uterus during a surgical procedure, including without limitation during a tubal sterilization procedure. | {
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a system for controlling the temperature of a fluid additive for an exhaust system of an internal combustion engine, in particular of a urea-water solution for an SCR catalytic converter system in a motor vehicle.
2. Background
In motor vehicle technology, in diesel engines in particular, use is made in part of so-called SCR (selective catalytic reduction) catalytic converters, with an aqueous, for example 32.5% urea water solution being used as a NOx-reducing additive. Here, it is a known problem that a urea-water solution, on account of a relatively high freezing point (approximately −11° C.), tends to freeze even at ambient temperatures which are not uncommon depending on weather conditions and geographical location.
EP 1 698 769 A2 therefore describes a method and a device for supplying an additive for exhaust-gas purification in a vehicle, with the additive being heated to a temperature above its freezing point for the reasons stated above. This may take place either by means of the heat of the engine coolant or by means of the heat loss from a so-called retarder. However, both of these heat sources are available only after the vehicle has been operating for a certain period of time, such that no heat or an insufficient level of heat is available during a cold start phase.
DE 198 18 649 A1 describes a vehicle air conditioning system in a particular use with a heating mode (“heat pump mode”) for heating the engine coolant, and therefore in the case of a cold start, for heating up the engine and the passenger compartment more quickly.
The object on which the present invention is based is that of creating a system of the generic type described in the introduction, by means of which the temperature of a liquid additive can be controlled particularly effectively, even during an engine cold start phase.
According to the invention, this is achieved by means for exchanging heat between the additive of the exhaust system and a refrigerant circuit of a practically arbitrary “refrigeration system”, such as in particular an air conditioning system. It is therefore possible in particular for an SCR reducing additive to be directly or else indirectly heated, or cooled by means of a “switchover mode” if required. The exchange of heat can take place very quickly and with a very high level of efficiency even after a start-up of the engine and of the refrigeration system. A refrigeration system may possibly also include a vehicle cold room system in the mode as a “heat pump”.
Further advantageous design features and special embodiments of the invention are described in the dependent claims and in the following description. | {
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1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to tumbling apparatus and, in particular, to improved vibrating tumbling machines for mixing materials and for cleaning or shake-out of parts to be processed, such as castings, moldings or bulk material with or without a working media.
2. The Problem and the Prior Art
It was found sometime ago that an improved finish could be obtained on cast or molded parts by adding a vibratory motion to the tumbling apparatus. In the early 1960's, I developed and patented under U.S. Pat. No. 3,157,004, an improved burnishing apparatus using a U-shaped tub mounted on trunnions. Vibratory force was applied directly to the U-shaped tub and passed through the center of gravity of the tub. When the tub was tilted about the trunnions, the vibratory force was used to discharge the media and parts from the tub.
Although improved burnishing of the parts resulted from the above use of vibratory motion through the center of gravity of the tumbling apparatus, problems continued with the balance of the machine, with the wear on bearings, and with the time it took to obtain the finish. | {
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It is often desirable to store files in a compressed file format to conserve memory. This is particularly beneficial on handheld devices that have limited memory. Data files stored together are often stored in a block-based file system. In a block-based system, small files take up a disproportionate amount of space because nearly a full block may be wasted for each stored file. It is also desirable to store a group of related files together with a way to access the files in a way so they appear as a block of files on a disk or in a directory. | {
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For a long time, the secret to more performance was to execute more instructions per cycle, otherwise known as Instruction Level Parallelism (ILP), or decreasing the latency of instructions. To execute more instructions each cycle, more functional units (e.g., integer, floating point, load/store units, etc.) have to be added. In order to more consistently execute multiple instructions, a processing paradigm called out-of-order processing (OOP) may be used, and in fact, this type of processing has become mainstream.
OOP arose because many instructions are dependent upon the outcome of other instructions, which have already been sent into the processing pipeline. To help alleviate this problem, a larger number of instructions are stored in order to allow immediate execution. The reason this is done is to find more instructions that are not dependent upon each other. The area of storage used to store the instructions that are ready to execute immediately is called the reorder buffer. The size of reorder buffers have been growing in most modem commercial computer architectures with some systems able to store as many as 126 instructions. The reason for increasing the size of the reorder buffer is simple: code that is spatially related tends also to be temporally related in terms of execution (with the possible exclusion of arrays of complex structures and linked lists). The only problem is that these instructions also have a tendency to depend upon the outcome of prior instructions. With a CPU's ever increasing amount of required code, the only current way to find more independent instructions has been to increase the size of the reorder buffer.
However, using this technique has achieved a rather impressive downturn in the rate of increased performance and in fact has been showing diminishing returns. It is now taking more and more transistors to achieve the same rate of performance increase. Instead of focusing intently upon uniprocessor ILP extraction, one can focus upon a coarser form of extracting performance at the instruction or thread level, via multithreading (multiprocessing), but without the system bus as a major constraint.
The ability to put more transistors on a single chip has allowed on-chip multiprocessing (CMP). To take advantage of the potential performance increases, the architecture cannot use these multiple processors as uniprocessors but rather must use multiprocessing that relies on executing instructions in a parallel manner. This requires the programs executed on the CMP to also be written to execute in a parallel manner rather than in a purely serial or sequential manner. Assuming that the application is written to execute in a parallel manner (multithreaded), there are inherent difficulties in making the program written in this fashion execute faster proportional to the number of added processors.
The general concept behind using multiple cores on one die is to extract more performance by executing two threads at once. By doing so, the two CPUs together are able to keep a higher percentage of the aggregate number of functional units doing useful work at all times. If a processor has more functional units, then a lower percentage of those units may be doing useful work at any one time. The on-chip multiprocessor lowers the number of functional units per processor, and distributes separate tasks (or threads) to each processor. In this way, it is able to achieve a higher throughput on both tasks combined. A comparative uniprocessor would be able to get through one thread, or task, faster than a CMP chip could, because, although there are wasted functional units, there are also “bursts” of activity produced when the processor computes multiple pieces of data at the same time and uses all available functional units. One idea behind multiprocessors is to keep the individual processors from experiencing such burst activity times and instead have each processor use what resources it has available more frequently and therefore efficiently. The non-use of some of the functional units during a clock cycle is known as “horizontal waste,” which CMP tries to avoid.
However, there are problems with CMP. The traditional CMP chip sacrifices single-thread performance in order to expedite the completion of two or more threads. In this way, a CMP chip is comparatively less flexible for general use, because if there is only one thread, an entire half of the allotted resources are idle and completely useless (just as adding another processor in a system that uses a singly threaded program is useless in a traditional multiprocessor (MP) system). One approach to making the functional units in a CMP more efficient is to use course-grained multithreading (CMT). CMT improves the efficiency with respect to the usage of the functional units by executing one thread for a certain number of clock cycles. The efficiency is improved due to a decrease in “vertical waste.” Vertical waste describes situations in which none of the functional units are working due to one thread stalling.
When switching to another thread, the processor saves the state of that thread (i.e., it saves where instructions are in the pipeline, which units are being used) and switches to another one. It does so by using multiple register sets. The advantage of this is due to the fact that often a thread can only go for so long before it falls upon a cache miss, or runs out of independent instructions to execute. A CMT processor can only execute as many different threads in this way as it has support for. So, it can only store as many threads as there are physical locations for each of these threads to store the state of their execution. An N-way CMT processor would therefore need to have the ability to store the state of N threads.
A variation on this concept would be to execute one thread until it has experienced a cache miss (usually a L2 (secondary) cache miss), at which point the system would switch to another thread. This has the advantage of simplifying the logic needed to rotate the threads through a processor, as it will simply switch to another thread as soon as the prior thread is stalled. The penalty of waiting for a requested block to be transferred back into the cache is then alleviated. This is similar to the hit under miss (or hit under multiple miss) caching scheme used by some processors, but it differs because it operates on threads instead of upon instructions. The advantages of CMT over CMP are CMT does not sacrifice single-thread performance, and there is less hardware duplication (less hardware that is halved to make the two processors “equal” to a comparable CMT).
A more aggressive approach to multithreading is called fine-grained multithreading (FMT). Like CMT, the basis of FMT is to switch rapidly between threads. Unlike CMT, however, the idea is to switch each and every cycle. While both CMT and FMT actually do indeed slow down the completion of one thread, FMT expedites the completion of all the threads being worked on, and it is overall throughput which generally matters most.
CMPs may remove some horizontal waste in and unto themselves. CMT and FMT may remove some (or all) vertical waste. However an architecture that comprises an advanced form of multithreading, referred to as Simultaneous Multithreading (SMT), may be used to reduce both horizontal and vertical waste. The major goal of SMT is to have the ability to run instructions from different threads at any given time and in any given functional unit. By rotating through threads, an SMT architecture acts like an FMT processor, and by executing instructions from different threads at the same time, it acts like CMP. Because of this, it allows architects to design wider cores without the worry of diminishing returns. It is reasonable for SMT to achieve higher efficiency than FMT due to its ability to share “unused” functional units among differing threads; in this way, SMT achieves the efficiency of a CMP machine. However, unlike a CMP system, an SMT system makes little to no sacrifice (the small sacrifice is discussed later) for single threaded performance. The reason for this is simple. Whereas much of a CMP processor remains idle when running a single thread and the more processors on the CMP chip makes this problem more pronounced, an SMT processor can dedicate all functional units to the single thread. While this is obviously not as valuable as being able to run multiple threads, the ability to balance between single thread and multithreaded environments is a very useful feature. This means that an SMT processor may exploit thread-level parallelism (TLP) if it is present, and if not, will give full attention to instruction level parallelism (LP).
In order to support multiple threads, an SMT processor requires more registers than the traditional superscalar processor. The general aim is to provide as many registers for each supported thread as there would be for a uniprocessor. For a traditional reduced instruction set computer (RISC) chip, this implies 32 times N registers (where N is the number of threads an SMT processor could handle in one cycle), plus whatever renaming registers are required. For a 4-way SMT processor RISC processor, this would mean 128 registers, plus however many renaming registers are needed.
Most SMT models are straightforward extensions of a conventional out-of-order processor. With an increase in the actual throughput comes more demands upon instruction issue width, which should be increased accordingly. Because of the aforementioned increase in the register file size, an SMT pipeline length may be increased by two stages (one to select register bank and one to do a read or write) so as not to slow down the length of the clock cycle. The register read and register write stages are therefore both broken up into two pipelined stages.
In order to not allow any one thread to dominate the pipeline, an effort should be made to ensure that the other threads get a realistic slice of the execution time and resources. When the functional units are requesting work to do, the fetch mechanism will provide a higher priority to those threads that have the fewest instructions already in the pipeline. Of course, if the other threads have little they can do, more instructions from the thread are already dominating the pipelines.
SMT is about sharing whatever possible. However, in some instances, this disrupts the traditional organization of data, as well as instruction flow. The branch prediction unit becomes less effective when shared, because it has to keep track of more threads with more instructions and will therefore be less efficient at giving an accurate prediction. This means that the pipeline will need to be flushed more often due to miss prediction, but the ability to run multiple threads more than makes up for this deficit.
The penalty for a misprediction is greater due to the longer pipeline used by an SMT architecture (by two stages), which is in turn due to the rather large register file required. However, techniques have been developed to minimize the number of registers needed per thread in an SMT architecture. This is done by more efficient operating system (OS) and hardware support for better deallocation of registers, and the ability to share registers from another thread context if another thread is not using all of them.
Another issue is the number of threads in relation to the size of caches, the line sizes of caches, and the bandwidth afforded by them. As is the case for single-threaded programs, increasing the cache-line size decreases the miss rate but also increases the miss penalty. Having support for more threads which use more differing data exacerbates this problem and thus less of the cache is effectively useful for each thread. This contention for the cache is even more pronounced when dealing with a multiprogrammed workload over a multithreaded workload. Thus, if more threads are in use, then the caches should be larger. This also applies to CMP processors with shared L2 caches.
The more threads that are in use results in a higher overall performance and the differences in association of memory data become more readily apparent. There is an indication that when the L1 (primary) cache size is kept constant, the highest level of performance is achieved using a more associative cache, despite longer access times. Tests have been conducted to determine performance with varying block sizes that differ associatively while varying the numbers of threads. As before, increasing the associative level of blocks increased the performance at all times; however, increasing the block size decreased performance if more than two threads were in use. This was so much so that the increase in the degree of association of blocks could not make up for the deficit caused by the greater miss penalty of the larger block size.
In an SMT processor that supports instructions from each thread executing concurrently, it is desirable for optimizing performance to have a means for each thread to complete instructions in the same cycle. The dynamic shared completion table (CT) prior art details a completion table structure that supports having instructions from each thread “in flight” at a given point in time, but does not describe a capability or means of completing groups of instructions for each thread in a single processor cycle.
There is, therefore, a need for a way to dynamically share a single group completion table (GCT) between two threads in an SMT system to allow for effective draining of the completion table, register file mappers, and outstanding load/store tags, such that a new instruction group may be allowed to dispatch and issue as soon as possible. | {
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to women's shoes and more particularly to a compact, expandable system for providing women with a desired complete line of footwear implementing interchangeable vamps and bases.
2. Background Information
Today, increasingly high standards for physical appearance in terms of style, clothing and the like have increased the need for a person to dress in a coordinated and stylish fashion. Thus, a person may require a great number of different types of various clothing.
Shoes, particularly women's shoes, have both functional characteristics and design characteristics. Functional characteristics include heel height and shape and the nature of the back of the shoe, i.e. whether open-back, sling-back or closed back. Design characteristics include color, material, and decorative elements such as buckles, piecing, stitching or other ornamental features. Matching both the functional and design characteristics of women's dress, business or fashion leisure shoes with women's dress, business or fashion leisure clothing can be difficult. Some occasions allow for an open toe configuration while others call for closed-toe shoes.
Thus providing a full wardrobe of shoes has proven to be expensive and challenging. The problem is multiplied in the case of travel, where multiple shoes to accommodate the distinct business and social environments expected in even a short trip often presents a relatively large burden during transport, particularly during onboard storage. Thus, traveling light is historically almost not an option for women who wish to have a reasonable range of shoes.
The prior art has made some attempts to increase the versatility of a single shoe through designs that provide for a single shoe base or heel with a series of interchangeable vamps or uppers. However, prior attempts to provide an interchangeable vamp or upper have often produced bulky or complex mechanisms unsuited for women's dress shoes.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,809,449, which is incorporated herein by reference, discloses an upper attached to the sole with a zipper-like slide fastener, which is generally unsuited for women's dress shoes.
Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 2,761,224, which is incorporated herein by reference, discloses a shoe with a hollow welt for a detachable upper, where the connecting mechanism is embedded into the welt and sole of the shoe, resulting in a thick sole and protruding welt.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,363,177, which is incorporated herein by reference, a channel inserted within the shoe base that does not make any provision for a closed toe and that requires a thick sole.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,439,935, which is incorporated herein by reference, discloses a convertible shoe upper comprised of an insole and vamp unit construction with a hook and loop fastener, a resulting design suitable only for a sandal.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,028,420, which is incorporated herein by reference, discloses a limited sandal-type shoe with a slot into which a reversible vamp is inserted.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,698,834, which is incorporated herein by reference, discloses a shoe with an interchangeable vamp in which the shoe base has a rim piece on the outer edge of the shoe base that interlocks with a protruding lip on the outer edge of the vamp except in the toe area, where the rim piece and vamp abut one another rather than interlocking, allowing the interchangeable vamp to have a closed toe.
Other prior art provides for certain design elements to be interchangeable, but the disclosed interchangeable device does not comprise the entire vamp or upper section, limiting the design characteristics that can be interchanged. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,887,795 discloses an interchangeable design element that is attached to the top of the vamp of the shoe. Similarly, in U.S. Pat. No. 2,583,826 discloses a system of interchangeable panels in a vamp, but the entire vamp is not interchangeable. U.S. Pat. No. 3,032,896 discloses a backless sandal with an arcuate vamp cover snapped to the shoe base. In addition to being suitable only for an open-toe shoe, the snapping mechanism prevents the shoe from having the sleek appearance necessary for women's dress shoes.
It is an object of the present invention to address these deficiencies of the existing prior art and to provide a cost effective, efficient, compact, expandable, shoe wardrobe system. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a two layer type air conditioner of a vehicle, and more particularly, to a two layer type air conditioner of a vehicle, which can easily drain water, such as rainwater, induced into a blower through an outside air intake to a condensed water outlet formed for draining condensed water generated from an evaporator to the outside, and can prevent backflow of water to a blower.
2. Background Art
In general, an air conditioner of an automotive vehicle incurs a great loss of fuel due to a heavy load of a compressor if only the outside air is discharged to the inside of the vehicle through an outside air intake of a blower when the air conditioner is operated. Moreover, the air conditioner causes a passenger's inconvenience due to pollution of the inside air of the vehicle if only the inside air is circulated through the inside air intake of the blower. Particularly, the air conditioner increases the passenger's inconvenience since it cannot rapidly heat the vehicle and cannot defrost windows of the vehicle at the same time when the air conditioner is operated in a heating mode by an outside air intake mode in winter.
Considering the above points, for instance, Japanese Patent Publication No. 1999-170841 discloses a two layer inside air and outside air flow air conditioner. In the two layer inside air and outside air flow air conditioner, the inside air of the vehicle previously heated in the heating mode is induced through an inside air intake of a blower and heated in a heater core, and then, discharged to the inside of the vehicle through a floor vent. After that, the outside air of a low humidity is induced through the outside air intake of the blower and heated, and then, discharged to the inside of the vehicle through a defrost vent.
As shown in FIG. 1, the two layer type air conditioner includes: the blower 10 for controlling the airflow of the air discharged to the inside of the vehicle by inhaling the inside air and outside air according to the air intake mode; and an air conditioning case 60 housing an evaporator 80 embedded therein for cooling the air blown from the blower 10 and a number of vents (not shown) mounted on an outlet for controlling the air flow of the air discharged to the inside of the vehicle. The air conditioning case 60 may further include a heater core (not shown) embedded therein for heating the air.
In more detail, the blower 10 includes: an intake duct 20 having at least one inside/outside air intake (in the drawing, one outside air intake 26 and two inside air intakes 22 and 24 are formed) and at least one door for controlling opening and closing of the inside/outside air intake (in the drawing, two doors 28 and 30 are formed); a double suction type scroll case 40 embedded in the intake duct 20 and divided into a first flow channel 44 and a second flow channel 46 by a partition plate 42; a blower fan 48 rotatably extending from the first flow channel 44 to the second flow channel 46; and a motor 50 for rotating the blower fan 48.
Furthermore, also the air conditioning case 60 is divided into two passages 66 and 68 by a partition plate 62 in correspondence with the first and second passages 44 and 46. A condensed water outlet 64 for draining condensed water generated from the evaporator 80 to the outside is formed on the bottom of the air conditioning case 60 corresponding to the evaporator. Furthermore, an insulator 70 serving as a cushioning material, seal material or insulating material is mounted between the air conditioning case 60 and the evaporator 80. The insulator 70 has a drain hole 72 for inducing the condensed water generated from the evaporator 80 to the condensed water outlet 64.
However, water is flown into the blower 10 from the outside air intake 26 due to various environments, for instance, when the vehicle travels on a waterway, travels in the rain, or is washed. When water is induced into the blower 10, the blower 10 cannot be operated due to a damage of the motor 50. Therefore, a technology to discharge water induced into the blower 10 to the condensed water outlet 64 has been disclosed.
That is, as shown in FIG. 1, when a drain pipe 90 is connected from the bottom of the intake duct 20 to the upper portion of the insulator 70 mounted on the air conditioning case 60, water induced into the intake duct 20 through the outside air intake 26 is induced to the upper portion of the insulator 70, so that the water can be drained to the outside through the drain hole 64 of the insulator 70 and the condensed water outlet 64.
However, the conventional two layer type air conditioner has several problems in that water and condensed water may flow backward to the blower 10 since static pressure directing to the evaporator 80 is higher than that directing to the bottom of the intake duct 20, and in that the flow channel for naturally draining water to the outside may be stopped due to its small area. Additionally, the blower 10 may be sealed in order to prevent backflow of water or condensed water to the blower 10. At this time, to improve sealing efficiency, a sealing rib (not shown) protrudes to the side surface of the air conditioning case 60, and a number of screws are used for enhancing its assembling performance, thereby the manufacturing costs of the conventional two layer type air conditioner is increased. Furthermore, in case where water induced into the blower 10 is drained to the drain hole, the number of components of the air conditioner is increased, and the system package of the air conditioner is increased in volume. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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1. Field of the Invention
This invention pertains to a process and an apparatus for the production of elongated pasta products, for example lasagna, wherein the pasta products are produced via a pasta production apparatus in parallel lines, that is in series, are dried and, when solidified, cut into packing length and readied for packaging.
With all forms of long pasta, particularly with lasagna, the form stability, the cutting to length and the manipulation of the product until packaging, present particular demands. The main difficulty resides in bringing the individual products from the pasta apparatus into a consumer package, undamaged, in the required length and number.
2. Discussion of the Background of the Invention and Material Information
Lasagna are elongated, thin, dried, pasta bands and due to this form are subject to greater danger of breakage. The so-called special products are, up to this time, most often still packed by hand, in portions, into the consumer package. The advantage therein lies in the careful manipulation of human hands and the simultaneous visual inspection for possible defects or qualitative deficiencies of the product. This hand packaging however limits the output of the installation and makes the end product more expensive. Depending upon the production process, often many defects occur, particularly with flat products, already prior to packaging, which disrupt packaging and annoy the consumer.
Many solutions for the automatic packaging of such special products have already been proposed. For example, noodles, as hollow products, are packaged similarly to spaghetti. For this however, the production apparatuses must be changed for the "handling" at each product change and adapted thereto at a relative great expenditure.
The only functioning automatic packaging of lasagna, which is known in the art, is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,769,975. Lasagna is prepared in series, corresponding in number to those hanging on a drying rod; cut by a noodle-cutting machine into two equal lengths while moving therethrough and transported by a pocket conveyor to a cutting unit end; transported from the upper surface of the conveyor to the lower surface of the conveyor and loaded, from there, into an intermediate magazine or storage area. The intermediate storage area has at least as many portion compartments as the number of pasta strips or bands that hang on one drying rod. Once the desired number for packaging into a consumer package has been located in the portion compartments, the entire series of portions is released to a packaging conveyor. During the filling phase of the intermediate storage area there is a sufficiently large time span wherein the packaging conveyor successively moves one portion compartment forwardly in a step basis, for the individual packaging of the portions at a transfer position at the end of the packaging conveyor. The usual lengths of the pasta strips, hanging on the drying rods, permit the production, during cutting, of two length of lasagna, next to each other, so that corresponding to the solution set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 4,769,975, includes adjacent, twin intermediate storage areas and a twin packaging conveyor.
The main deficiency of this solution lies in the difficulty of inspecting the products as well as in the concept of the single packaging. Even though the intermediate storage area permits a quasi continuous operation of the cutting apparatus, the single packaging finally limits the entire working capacity of the production line. Only even numbers of pasta products of each portion are possible. The problem of broken products is not solved. | {
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The present invention relates to a process for separating a liquid mixture of substances comprised of dissolved solid substances and liquid substances, in which the liquid substances are separated from the solid substances by countercurrent extraction in an extraction chamber with a solvent to form a solvent phase which is loaded with the liquid substances and an extraction phase. During the extraction process, the solvent, which, under standard conditions, is gaseous, is in a liquid or supercritical state. The solvent phase which is loaded with the liquid substances is removed from the extraction chamber, and subsequently, by pressure reduction and/or temperature changes, resolved into its component parts. Solvent is recovered during this resolving and the recovered solvent is returned to the extraction chamber. The present invention also relates to an apparatus for implementing this process.
A process of the type described above is known from DE-OS No. 3 229 041. There, a process is suggested to separate lecithin from mucilage, a by-product of the production of vegetable fats and oils, by extraction of the mucilage with a solvent which is gaseous under standard conditions. In this process, the mucilage is extracted under a pressure of 2.times.p.sub.k to 500 bar and at a temperature of 0.degree. C. to <T.sub.k, within 15 to 60 minutes. The loaded, compressed solvent phase which forms is first separated from the insoluble lecithin, and then the extracted liquid substances are separated from the loaded, compressed solvent phase. The gaseous solvent which is recovered is returned to the extraction chamber. The extraction phase which forms in the extraction chamber contains lecithin and solvent, and after the extraction phase is removed from the extraction chamber, the lecithin is recovered from the extraction phase in solid form by evaporation of the solvent. As used herein, the symbol p.sub.k =critical pressure of the solvent; the symbol T.sub.k =critical temperature of the solvent; and standard conditions=0.degree. C., 1 bar. Carbon dioxide, ethane and/or ethylene or a mixture of one or several of these gases with methane, propane and/or propylene are used as gaseous solvents. In this process, it is difficult to recover the solid substance (lecithin) consistently in powder form since in some charges, the recovered solid substance was in the form of blocks or large clumps which had a negative effect on the quality of the product. | {
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It is well known that the speed and power output capabilities of a variety of semiconductor devices are dependent upon the carrier mobility and transit time response of these devices. It is further well known that these latter characteristics are temperature dependent. Thus, when these devices are driven beyond their upper power limits or current ratings, they may heat up to in turn reduce the levels of carrier mobility and transit time therein and thereby cause a concurrent reduction in speed and power output of these devices, and in some cases device burn-out. Thus, when these devices are mounted on lead frames or headers and encapsulated in a package, good heat transfer and heat dissipation from these devices have always been primary considerations in package design.
In the past, the use of passive cooling methods having good heat transfer characteristics and thermal dissipation characteristics for lead frames, component headers and the like has frequently been adequate for providing satisfactory heat dissipation and heat transfer for electronic devices operating within certain prescribed and normal limits of power output and operational speed. However, with the recent rapid advances in the art of integrated circuit memories, for example, where several thousand transistors may be fabricated in a single semiconductor chip, there is a definite need to provide an active enhanced cooling capability for these devices in addition to the above types of passive cooling methods.
Thus, active cooling structures may be used to provide an additional kind and degree of cooling for these semiconductor devices. This enhanced cooling may be desirable, for example, to allow these semiconductor devices to operate at even greater speeds and higher powers (and higher speed-power-product figures of merit) than were heretofore possible. These devices not only include integrated circuits as indicated above having many thousands of transistors therein, but they may also include individual power transistors which, with the help of additional active cooling, would be capable of operating at significantly greater speeds and output powers than they are presently capable of operating using only passive cooling methods.
The specific type of cooling employed herein and the technical field of the present invention is that of Peltier cooling capable of using either metal-metal or metal-semiconductor Peltier junctions. These junctions produce either a cooling or heating effect at the metal-metal or metal-semiconductor interface, depending upon the direction of current flowing across this interface. More specifically, there is either an evolution or absorption of heat at the Peltier junction depending upon the direction of current flowing thereacross. This effect has been described in many prior art patents and publications and is based upon a discovery made by Jean Peltier in 1834.
Circuits using Peltier junctions have also been described in the prior art, and one such circuit is described for example in U.S. Pat. No. 4,685,081 issued to Jay L. Richman and incorporated herein by reference. The Richman circuit is used for the thermal control of a bubble memory device, and in significant contrast to the invention described below, the Richman circuit uses Peltier cooling junctions which are positioned outside the heat sink and semiconductor device package in which the cooled semiconductor device is mounted. This type of Peltier junction mounting arrangement is inefficient in its cooling because of its physical separation from the semiconductor device being cooled and further because it is not integrally formed with heat sink support members for the semiconductor device being cooled. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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Fiber cement composite siding is a high quality building material that has many advantages over vinyl, aluminum or wood siding. One major advantage is the significantly better durability of fiber cement siding. Fiber cement siding typically includes a substrate made from wood pulp or synthetic fiber mixed with silica, hydraulic cement and water. The mixture is pressed into board form and dried. One or both major surfaces of the siding may be profiled or embossed to look like a grained or roughsawn wood or other building product, or scalloped or cut to resemble shingles. A variety of siding styles or shapes are available, including lap siding, vertical siding, soffit panels, trim boards, shaped edge shingle replicas and stone or stucco replicas, all of which may be collectively referred to as “boards”. Fiber cement siding boards are also available in a variety of sizes and thicknesses. For example, vertical siding sheets typically have a width of about 1.2 m (4 ft), lengths of about 2.5 to 3 m (8 to 10 ft) and thicknesses of about 4 to 15 mm (0.16 to 0.59 in). Fiber cement siding boards may be prefinished (e.g., primed or painted) at the factory where they are made, stored in stacks (e.g., in a warehouse at the factory or at a distributor), and delivered to a job site ready for attachment to a building. The resulting prefinished board has a primed or painted appearance immediately upon attachment.
Unfortunately, however, fiber cement siding is a much heavier substrate compared to vinyl, aluminum or wood siding products. While builders and homeowners desire the beauty and convenience of fiber cement siding, the decorative surface of a prefinished board can be visually marred of damaged during storage. If the damaged preapplied finish is merely a primer, then the consequences are not so severe. After attachment to a building, the preprimed board can be coated with a final topcoat, a step that would have been carried out in any event. However, if the damaged preapplied finish is a final topcoat, then at least the damaged portion and often the entire board will have to be refinished. This defeats the purpose of manufacturing boards with a preapplied final topcoat.
One damage mechanism is caused when the heavy boards are stacked atop one other, and the accumulated board weight damages the finish. For example, the primed or painted peaks of an embossed siding surface can be crushed, and the flattened peaks can appear as glossy spots. Manufacturers attempt to reduce such damage by placing pairs of prefinished boards in face-to-face relationship with a protective plastic or paper liner between the prefinished face surfaces. The resulting board pairs may be stacked on a pallet, e.g., at a pallet height of about 30 to about 60 cm (about 1 to about 2 ft), and if the liner has sufficient thickness it may adequately protect the surface of boards within the pallet. However, in order to maximize warehouse capacity a manufacturer or distributor may also stack multiple pallets of siding boards directly atop one another, using spacing planks to provide forklift access between each pallet. The bottom boards in such a multiple pallet stack carry the weight of all the boards that are stacked above them. In tall warehouses the weight against the bottom boards may exceed 6, 8 or even 10 kg/cm2 (85, 113 or even 142 psi), and damage to the finish on such bottom boards can be severe despite the presence of the protective liner. Also, portions of the boards beneath the spacing planks may be subjected to a more concentrated load (viz., pressure) than portions not directly beneath the spacing planks, and localized finish damage may telegraph through one or more boards directly beneath the spacing planks.
From the foregoing, it will be appreciated that what is needed in the art is a pre-finished fiber cement siding product that maintains its factory appearance during storage in multiple pallet stacks, e.g., in tall warehouses. Such siding products and methods for preparing the same are disclosed and claimed herein. | {
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an interconnection structure for a high-speed electrical interconnection between a differential transmission line and a single-ended line and, more particularly, to a differential pair interconnection apparatus for providing differential signals on a printed circuit board (PCB) having signal paths for high-speed differential signals to an external circuit, or for providing signals inputted from the external circuit to the printed circuit board, without any signal distortion.
2. Discussion of Related Art
As technology advances, various types of integrated circuits (ICs) have been developed, and thus, an operating speed of the ICs has been also gradually increased. Recently, an IC capable of transmitting data with a data transfer rate in the range of 5 to 10 Gbps, or more, has been developed. However, in spite of such a technology, the data transfer rate may be limited by various factors, which may be generated in a signal transmission path. As for the major factors that confine the data transfer rate, there may be impedance mismatching and cross talk. Accordingly, as one method for solving such problems, a differential signal line operating by means of differential signals has been introduced. The differential signal line is comprised of two conductive paths located adjacent to each other, and the signals thereof are processed with a voltage difference between the two conductive paths. Since the two conductive paths have the same amount of electrical noises that may electromagnetically affect the differential signal line, common noise voltages generated in the two conductive paths does not affect the signals. Therefore, the differential signal line is less sensitive to cross talk than the single-ended signal line.
However, despite of employing the differential signal line, discontinuity and impedance mismatching in various interconnection structures have influenced on the signal transmission. In a general interconnection structure which transmits signals from one circuit board to the other circuit board or module, if a signal frequency increases, various problems may be occurred such as increases of parasitic components, impedance mismatching and so on. As one of representative conventional technologies related to the interconnection structure, there has been PCT Patent Publication No. WO2001/39332 (by TERADYNE Inc., published May 31, 2001). This International Patent provides a modular electrical connector that provides signal paths for differential signals between a motherboard and a daughter board or other electrical components. The electrical connector transmits a plurality of differential signals and includes a plurality of pair signal conductors with two signal paths, and the plurality of pair signal conductors may control cross talk by operating with a differential mode. Accordingly, the modular electrical connector is attached to a printed circuit board such as a motherboard, daughter board, or backplane, and has a configuration including differential signal lines on the printed circuit board.
As another interconnection structure, there has been a high speed and density interconnection system for differential and single-ended transmission applications designed by NORTHROP GRUMMAN CORPORATION (U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/328,396, filed Oct. 12, 2001). The high density interconnect system has a configuration including a built-in coaxial cable that contains two inner conducting wires rather than one, and the two inner conducting wires provide two physical channels. This system has a latching mechanism for compression mount type electrical connectors, and provides a high speed and density electrical connector having a central twinax or coax portion and fuzz button contacts on opposite ends of the central twinax or coax portion.
As still another interconnection structure, there is a connector for interconnection between a strip line and a coaxial cable, provided by HEWLETT PACKARD Co. (U.S. Pat. No. 5,404,117, issued on Apr. 4, 1995). The patent provides an optimal configuration in a transition area so as to minimize a reflection problem and signal distortion in the transition area, which may be caused by signal transition from the coax cable to the strip line. If a frequency of a transited signal reaches several GHz or more and a signal rising time (tr) becomes pico-seconds, the signal is greatly distorted in an abrupt transition area. Accordingly, to solve this problem, a configuration having a cosine form has been proposed.
FIG. 1 shows an interconnection structure of conventional single-ended lines and SMA connectors.
Differential signal lines 101a and 101b are formed on a printed circuit board (PCB) 100 so as to transmit signals with no changes in differential impedance. The differential signal lines 101a and 101b are connected to SMA connectors 201a and 201b, respectively, for an interconnection with the general single-ended signal lines connected to an external circuit and an apparatus. The SMA connectors 201a and 201b are supported and fixed on the circuit board 100 by housings 202a and 202b, respectively, and central pins 203a and 203b are connected to the differential signal lines 101a and 101b on the circuit board 100 through the housings 202a and 202b.
The differential signal lines 101a and 101b should be placed closer each other for an interaction. However, since the aforementioned configuration does not have an enough space to interconnect with the SMA connectors 201a and 201b, the differential signal lines 101a and 101b must inevitably be separated by a predetermined distance or more, in order to interconnect the differential signal lines 101a and 101b to the SMA connectors 201a and 201b, whereby a bending of the differential signal lines 101a and 101b comes to be required. An isolation of the differential signal lines 101a and 101b causes a weakening of a cohesive force between signals, and thus, the signals are transmitted from a differential mode to the single-ended mode and also benefits obtained by the differential signal lines 101a and 101b cannot be retained anymore due to bending areas 102 and 103. Therefore, in order to minimize an influence caused by line widths or bending of the differential signal lines 101a and 101b, chamfered bend configurations 102 and 103, which cut certain areas of the differential signal lines 101a and 10b may be formed. However, in spite of such efforts, the differential signal lines 101a and 101b operate with the single-ended mode, so that discontinuity or impedance may occur. As a result, distortion of the signals occurs. Thus, for this reason, it is difficult to design and manufacture an interconnection apparatus capable of transmitting signals at a high speed of 5 Gbps or more. | {
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1. Technical Field
Example embodiments relate to a printed circuit board, and more particularly to a method of designing a printed circuit board, and a package test device having the printed circuit board.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, a memory device is tested by a memory test device and a pusher device. The memory test device includes an insert device, a test board, and a test socket. The actual memory device is inserted into the insert device. The pusher device presses the insert device to couple the actual memory device in the insert device to the test board through the test socket. When the actual memory device is coupled to the test board, the memory test device outputs test signals to the actual memory device, receives test result signals from the actual memory device, and judges whether the actual memory device is defective by analyzing the test result signals.
However, as the number of test-operations increases, an internal defect such as a defect of the test socket may be caused in the memory test device. As a result, due to the internal defect of the memory test device, the memory test device may misjudge whether the actual memory device is defective. However, conventional methods such as a method of analyzing shmoo data, a method of measuring socket impedance, etc may provide low detection accuracy because test signals inputted into the actual memory device are not exactly measured while the actual memory device is tested. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a transporting mechanism, a movable probe card transporting apparatus using a transporting mechanism, and a prober.
2. Description of the Related Art
Patent Reference 1 (Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 6-236909 (claim 1)) discloses an invention for changing probe cards automatically. A stocker which stores a plurality of probe cards and an apparatus which transports the probe cards are arranged in a prober. The transporting apparatus transports the probe cards from the stocker into a prober chamber.
According to the invention disclosed by Patent Reference 1, the stocker and the probe card transporting apparatus are arranged in the prober. This increases the footprint, leading to high cost. When one probe card is shared by some probers as well, the probe card must be transferred to this other prober.
In order to solve the above problems, the present applicant proposed a probe card transporting apparatus in Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 2003-051519. This probe card transporting apparatus has a probe card transporting mechanism and connection mechanism. The probe card transporting mechanism can move forward/backward. The connection mechanism connects the probe card transporting mechanism and a prober. The probe card transporting mechanism transports a probe card into the prober. The probe card transporting mechanism further has a carrying mechanism and elevating mechanism. When a probe card is to be transported into the prober, the carrying mechanism carries it to a card clamp mechanism in the prober. After that, the elevating mechanism lifts the probe card upward and attaches it to and detaches it from the card clamp mechanism.
When, however, the probe card transporting apparatus attaches the probe card to and detaches it from the card clamp mechanism, the probe card must be kept parallel to the card clamp mechanism. If the floor surface on which the probe card transporting apparatus is manipulated is slightly tilted, the probe card transporting mechanism and probe card are also tilted. As a result, the probe card may not be able to be transferred to the card clamp mechanism smoothly. | {
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Urea (also termed carbamide) is the chief nitrogen containing end product of the animal protein metabolism in addition to being synthesised on a large scale for use as a fertiliser and as a raw material in the manufacture of urea based plastics. Further applications of urea include use in the manufacture of drugs and importantly here for melting ice on runways, driveways, paths and the like.
When used within fertilisers and de-icing compositions it is know to store and dispense urea in the form of granules, including specifically prills, such granules or prills being dispensed onto an agricultural field or iced road via a mechanical spreading device such a device commonly being towed by a vehicle.
A first problem associated with the use of urea based granules is their tendency to cake (the sticking together of neighbouring granules) resulting in a large mass of undispensable urea. Caking of urea granules is particularly acute when stored in a humid environment, water being the contributor to the observed caking phenomenon. Within the art there are various attempts to solve the problem of urea granules caking, for example U.S. Pat. No. 3,299,132 discloses a process of tumbling a bed of urea within a pre-set temperature range for a pre-set time. Effectively, the urea granules are baked so as to provide a hardened outer surface, the resulting granules exhibiting reduced caking tendency. WO 95/21689 discloses a method for producing a free-flowing or non-caking granule urea in the presence of a conditioning agent. The conditioning agent being a diralent metal oxide such as calcium oxide, magnesium oxide or zinc oxide. Further additions include the use of a granulating aid being a trivalent metal salt such as aluminum or ferric sulphate. Further, U.S. Pat. No. 3,544,297 discloses an anti-caking treatment for urea using polymerised resins. The method disclosed uses a finely divided plastic material of a thermal-setting or thermal-plastic type added to the urea granules. The plastic material provides abrasive entities inter-dispersed within the urea granules so as to break down and/or prevent caking. CA 1,146,973 identifies various attempts to reduce caking including the addition of aqueous formaldehyde solution or of aqueous formaldehyde-urea condensates such as di-and trimethylol urea as disclosed in DE-OS 2,139,278 and DE-OS 2,825,039. However, use of formaldehyde solutions is in itself unsatisfactory as the production of urea granules involves the removal of water, water being present within the formaldehyde solutions. CA 1,146,973 according to its primary teaching discloses a method of treatment of urea granules by various additives including dicyandiamide so as to prevent granule caking.
A second problem associated with the treatment of urea granules so as to reduce granule caking when in storage is the reduction of the granules ice-melting property when in use. For example, of the prior art identified above U.S. Pat. No. 3,544,297, WO 95/21689 and CA 1,146,973 provide additives to or methods of treatment of granule urea for use in fertilisers to prevent granule caking in storage. The inventors have found that such prior art additives to or treatments of urea granules in order to reduce caking, being specific to the use of granule urea for fertilisers, reduces the ice-melting property of the urea granules below an exceptable effective level in order to de-ice a road, driveway, path or the like. Conversely, prior art associated with the ice-melting application of urea are directed to improving the ice-melting property whilst not addressing the problem of granule caking during storage, U.S. Pat. No. 5,482,639 being such an example.
A third problem associated with prior fertiliser specific anti-caking disclosures is the corrosive nature of the treated urea or the depositing of unwanted residues following the de-icing process. Moreover, the deposition of corrosive compounds following the ice-melting process is also common to prior art methods of urea based ice-melting formulations as disclose in U.S. Pat. No. 5,482,639.
What is required therefore is a urea based granule blend configured with enhanced ice-melting property when in use whilst retaining reducing granule caking properties when in storage. Further, there is a need for such a granule blend having said properties which is non-corrosive and does not deposit unwanted additives following ice-melting. | {
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1. Technical Field
The invention relates to azaadamantane derivatives, and more particularly ether- or amine-substituted azaadamantane derivatives, compositions comprising such compounds, methods of preventing or treating conditions and disorders using such compounds and compositions, processes for preparing such compounds, and intermediates obtained during such processes.
2. Description of Related Technology
Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) are widely distributed throughout the central (CNS) and peripheral (PNS) nervous systems. Such receptors play an important role in regulating CNS function, particularly by modulating release of a wide range of neurotransmitters, including, but not necessarily limited to, acetylcholine, norepinephrine, dopamine, serotonin, and GABA. Consequently, nicotinic receptors mediate a very wide range of physiological effects, and have been targeted for therapeutic treatment of disorders relating to cognitive function, learning and memory, neurodegeneration, pain, inflammation, psychosis, sensory gating, mood, and emotion, among other conditions.
Many subtypes of the nAChR exist in the CNS and periphery. Each subtype has a different effect on regulating the overall physiological function. Typically, nAChRs are ion channels that are constructed from a pentameric assembly of subunit proteins. At least 12 subunit proteins, α2-α10 and β2-β4, have been identified in neuronal tissue. These subunits provide for a great variety of homomeric and heteromeric combinations that account for the diverse receptor subtypes. For example, the predominant receptor that is responsible for high affinity binding of nicotine in brain tissue has composition (α4)2(β2)3 (the α4β2 subtype), while another major population of receptors is comprised of homomeric (α7)5 (the α7 subtype) receptors.
Certain compounds, like the plant alkaloid nicotine, interact with all subtypes of the nAChRs, accounting for the profound physiological effects of this compound. While nicotine has been demonstrated to have many beneficial properties, not all of the effects mediated by nicotine are desirable. For example, nicotine exerts gastrointestinal and cardiovascular side effects that interfere at therapeutic doses, and its addictive nature and acute toxicity are well-known. Ligands that are selective for interaction with only certain subtypes of the nAChR offer potential for achieving beneficial therapeutic effects with an improved margin for safety.
The α7 and α4β2 nAChRs have been shown to play a significant role in enhancing cognitive function, including aspects of learning, memory and attention (Levin, E. D., J. Neurobiol. 53: 633-640, 2002). For example, α7 nAChRs have been linked to conditions and disorders related to attention deficit disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), schizophrenia, Alzheimer's disease (AD), mild cognitive impairment, senile dementia, dementia associated with Lewy bodies, dementia associated with Down's syndrome, AIDS dementia, and Pick's disease, as well as inflammation. The α4β2 receptor subtype is implicated in attention, cognition, epilepsy, and pain control (Paterson and Norberg, Progress in Neurobiology 61 75-111, 2000) as well as smoking cessation or nicotine withdrawal syndrome.
The activity at both α7 and α4β2 nAChRs can be modified or regulated by the administration of subtype selective nAChR ligands. The ligands can exhibit antagonist, agonist, or partial agonist properties. Compounds that function as allosteric modulators are also known.
Although compounds that nonselectively demonstrate activity at a range of nicotinic receptor subtypes including the α4β2 and α7 nAChRs are known, it would be beneficial to provide compounds that interact selectively with α7-containing neuronal nAChRs, α4β2 nAChRs, or both α7 and α4β2 nAChRs compared to other subtypes.
FIGS. 5, 7, 9, and 11 were determined from the single cell crystal data of their respective compounds. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to an inkjet printer and a printing method using the inkjet printer.
2. Background Art
Conventionally, there is known an inkjet printer in which ink is ejected from a print head onto a print medium put on a platen while reciprocating the print head in a right-left direction so as to print the print medium. As one of such inkjet printers, there is a printer of a type ejecting ultraviolet curable ink (hereinafter, referred to as UV ink) having a property that it is cured when irradiated with ultraviolet light. Since the UV ink has excellent weather resistance and excellent water resistance, the UV ink allows printed matters to be used as outdoor advertising posters or the like. Therefore, the UV ink has the advantage that the use of printed matters printed with UV ink dramatically increases the range of purposes as compared to printed matters printed with water-soluble ink. Generally, such an inkjet printer of a type ejecting UV ink is provided with an ultraviolet light irradiation device for curing the UV ink deposited on a print medium. In recent years, an inkjet printer has been developed in which an ultraviolet light emitting diode (hereinafter, referred to as UVLED) is used as a light source for emitting ultraviolet light in the ultraviolet light irradiation device.
As an example of the conventional print unit, a print unit 500 is shown in FIG. 10A. For convenience of explanation, directions indicated by arrows shown in FIG. 10A will be defined as forward, backward, leftward, and rightward directions, respectively in the following description. The print unit 500 includes mainly a print head 510 which ejects UV ink, a right ultraviolet light irradiation device 520R, a left ultraviolet light irradiation device 520L, and a carriage (not shown) on which these are disposed. Inside the right ultraviolet light irradiation device 520R and the left ultraviolet light irradiation device 520L, UVLEDs are arranged so as to radiate ultraviolet light downwardly and are disposed and fixed on the right and left sides of the print head 510. The right ultraviolet light irradiation device 520R and the left ultraviolet light irradiation device 520L are designed to have a width in the front-back direction which is substantially the same as the width in the front-back direction of the print head 510. The print head 510 includes, for example, print heads for respective colors (not shown) such as a magenta print head, an yellow print head, a cyan print head, and a black print head.
To conduct printing on a printing line 508 of the print medium 501 by using the aforementioned print unit 500, UV ink droplets are ejected from the respective nozzles of the print heads for respective colors so that the UV ink droplets are superposed in predetermined patterns on a printing line 508 while reciprocating the print unit 500 above the printing line 508 a predetermined number of passes. During this, the right ultraviolet light irradiation device 520R and the left ultraviolet light irradiation device 520L emit ultraviolet light. The printing line 508 is irradiated with the ultraviolet light so as to cure the UV ink deposited on the printing line 508.
FIGS. 10B, 10C are sectional views showing states that LTV ink droplets ejected from the print head 510 are deposited on the printing line 508 as mentioned above. FIG. 10B shows a state that uncured UV ink droplets 512 are ejected and deposited at the current pass on completely cured UV ink droplets 511, which were ejected and deposited at the last pass on the printing line 508 and which were irradiated with ultraviolet light and thus completely cured. Since the UV ink droplets 511 are completely cured, the affinity of the uncured UV ink droplets 512 for the completely cured UV ink 511 are poor so that the uncured UV ink droplets 512 are deposited in a raised shape like beading because of surface tension. After the uncured UV ink droplets 512 are deposited in a beading state, the uncured UV ink droplets 512 spread very little before irradiation with ultraviolet light because of poor affinity and is then completely cured in this state by irradiation with ultraviolet light.
On the other hand, FIG. 10C shows a state that uncured UV ink droplets 514 are ejected and deposited at the current pass on uncured UV ink droplets 513, which were ejected and deposited at the last pass on the printing line 508 and which were not cured (or cured very little). The affinity of the later uncured UV ink droplets 514 for the prior uncured UV ink droplets 513 are good so that, after the later uncured UV ink droplets 514 are deposited in a beading state, the later uncured UV ink droplets 514 are mixed with the prior uncured UV ink droplets 513 and thus bleed. The later uncured UV ink droplets 514 and the prior uncured UV ink droplets 513 are mixed so as to form a mixed UV ink 515. The mixed UV ink 515 is irradiated with ultraviolet light and is thus completely cured. To prevent UV ink from bleeding as mentioned above, for example, JP-A-2004-276584 discloses an arrangement in which, after the surfaces of ink droplets deposited on a recording medium 2 are cured by ultraviolet light emitted from first light irradiation devices 17, 18, 19, and 20, the ink droplets are completely cured by ultraviolet light emitted from a second light irradiation device 21.
By the way, for printing on the print medium 501 by the print unit 500, it is preferable that UV ink droplets deposited and superposed on the print medium 501 are not mixed and thus do not bleed, but the UV ink droplets spread and are thus leveled. In this case, the print medium 501 with desired printing (desired printed matter) can be obtained. However, when the uncured UV ink droplets 512 are superposed on and adhere to the completely cured UV ink droplets 511 as shown in FIG. 10B, the completely cured UV ink droplets 511 and the uncured UV ink droplets 512 are not mixed and thus do not bleed, but the completely cured UV ink droplets 511 reject the uncured UV ink droplets 512 so that the uncured UV ink droplets 512 may be cured by irradiation with ultraviolet light in the state remaining a raised shape like beading on the surface of the completely cured UV ink droplets 511. As compared to the desired printed matter, the printed matter in which UV ink droplets are cured in the state remaining the beading shape may have poorer print quality because reflection of light from the printed matter may differ so as to cause difference in vision.
When the later uncured UV ink droplets 514 are superposed on and adhere to the prior uncured UV ink droplets 513 as shown in FIG. 10C, the later uncured UV ink droplets 514 may be mixed with the prior uncured UV ink droplets 513 and thus bleed so that the UV ink droplets may be cured by irradiation with ultraviolet light in the mixed and bleeding state. As compared to the desired printed matter, the printed matter in which UV ink droplets are cured in the mixed and bleeding state may have poorer print quality because a mixed and bleeding portion of the printed matter has different color in vision. | {
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Cutaneous burns are one of the most destructive insults to the skin, causing damage, scarring and even death of the tissue. It has been reported that burns alone account for over 2 million medical procedures every year in the United States. Of these, 150,000 refer to individuals who are hospitalized and as many as 10,000 die (Bronzino, 1995, The Biomedical Engineering Handbook (CRC Press: Florida)). Despite the large number of annual burn cases, the accurate assessment of burn severity remains a problem for the burn specialist. The ability to distinguish between burns that will heal on their own versus those that will require surgical intervention is particularly challenging. Generally, the depth of a burn injury determines and is inversely related to the ability of the skin to restore and regenerate itself. Burns involve damage to the dermis in varying amounts, reducing the dermal blood supply and altering the skin hemodynamics. Highly destructive burns have only a marginal residual blood supply to the dermis that may result in ischemia and ultimately necrosis of the dermis, as the re-epithelialization of the tissue depends on the viable dermis below the burned tissue. Thermal injuries are clinically classified according to the depth of the injury as superficial (epidermal), partial thickness (epidermal and varying levels of dermal) and full thickness (epidermal and dermal). Superficial burns are mild burns whereby the tissue is capable of regenerating the epidermis. Partial thickness injuries destroy a portion of the dermal layer, although sufficient dermis usually remains for re-epithalization to occur with adequate vasculature. Deep partial and full thickness injuries involve destruction of the dermal layer and what little if any remains of the dermis is insufficient to regenerate due to a reduced dermal blood supply. Currently, the diagnosis is usually done by visual inspection and is based on the surface appearance of the wound.
As a research tool, biopsies followed by histological examination remain the gold standard for gauging burn depth (Chvapil et al, 1984, Plast Reconstr Surg 73: 438-441). However, the major drawback of this technique is that it provides a static picture of the injury reflecting the extend of tissue damage at the time the biopsy was taken. Since burn injuries are dynamic and change over the early postburn period, a single biopsy taken at the initial assessment of the injury may not accurately predict outcome. For this reason, biopsies are not generally relied upon in the clinical assessment of burn injuries.
Fluorescent dyes, such as indocyanine green, have also been used to assess the severity of burns. This invasive method, which is used specifically to monitor tissue perfusion, requires that a fluorescent dye be injected into the systemic circulation of a patient (Gatti et al, 1983, J. Trauma 23: 202-206). Following the injection of dye, vessels that are intact and have a functional blood supply will fluoresce when illuminated by the appropriate wavelength of light. The presence or absence of dye fluorescence therefore acts as an indicator of tissue perfusion. While this method has demonstrated success in distinguishing superficial from full thickness burns (i.e. presence or absence of fluorescence), it cannot easily differentiate those burn types that are between the two extremes. Furthermore, the extended washout times of the dye limit the frequency with which it can be used to assess a dynamic injury. As a result, indocyanine green has not yet met with clinical acceptance even though it has been available for burn diagnosis for over a decade. Other techniques, including thermography (Mason et al, 1981, Burns 7: 197-202), laser Doppler (Park et al, 1998, Plast Reconstr Surg 101: 1516-1523), ultrasound (Brink et al, 1986, Invest Radiol 21: 645-651) and light reflectance (Afromowitz et al, 1987, IEEE Trans Biomed Eng BME34: 114-127) have also been developed to assess burn injuries.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,701,902 describes the use of fluorescence excitation and simultaneous IR spectroscopy to characterize burns. Specifically, in this method, the fluorescence of elastin, collagen, NADH and FAD are analyzed, and the total amount of hemoglobin and relative amounts of oxygenated hemoglobin and reduced hemoglobin as well as the water reflectance are also determined. The data is then compared to data from similar skin types in a database which is in turn used to characterize the burn. As can be seen, this process is invasive as it requires the injection of fluorescent dyes and also relies on the use of a database for characterizing the burn injury.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,170,987 teaches a medicinal skin diagnosis method which uses a rotating mirror and three detectors (IR, red and green) onto which the same pixels of the patient's skin sampled in the line scan are simultaneously imaged. From the respective three associated stored digital values per pixel, ratio numbers are then formed which can be displayed on a color monitor as a false-color image or can be printed.
Canadian Patent Application 2,287,687 teaches a device for generating data for the diagnosis of the degree of injury to a patient's skin tissue wherein a halogen lamp is used to illuminate a skin portion. The remitted light from the skin surface is recorded by a multispectral camera and the spectral images are analyzed pixelwise using suitable software. Classification of the skin injury is carried out by specific ratio formations and comparison values of degrees of injury to known skin tissue patterns.
As discussed above, the most widely used diagnostic method for diagnosing burn injuries remains visual evaluation by an experienced physician. The prior art methods described above either provide a static picture of a burn injury or rely on databases for assistance in diagnosing burn injuries. Clearly, the need exists for a reliable, non-subjective, and easy to handle technique to evaluate burn injuries in the early post-burn period that provides diagnostic as well as prognostic information on the severity of the injury. | {
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Generally available microwave ovens comprise a real oven means or cavity in which foodstuff or beverages may be introduced for heating, a closing means shaped as an oven door having among other things the aim of preventing leaking microwaves during operation and a load zone comprising a load carrier, frequently shaped as a rotating bottom plate, for carrying said foodstuff or beverages in the oven.
These prior art ovens have the drawback that it is difficult to obtain access to a foodstuff or a beverage being in the oven. In turn, the consequence thereof is that the cooking vessel containing said foodstuff or beverage must be brought out from the oven in order to check, stir the contents of said vessel or to obtain access to the same of other reasons.
With regard to special purpose ovens having cavities which have been shaped for receiving packages or containers of predetermined dimensions, it is a further requirement that the cavity dimensions shall have a diviation from the package dimensions which is as small as possible. From the use of such a design follows consequently that gripping of the package in a way that eliminates risks of dropping the same when it is brought out from the oven will be extremely difficult. Specifically this is the case if furthermore the temperature of the package requires a use of some kind of a heat-shield between skin and package.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,943,319 discloses a microwave oven for heating of foodstuff or beverages, comprising an oven cavity, means for supplying microwaves to the oven cavity, a control unit for controlling the generation of the microwaves supplied to the oven cavity, a load zone in the cavity, an oven front lying on an inclined plane, a horizontal load carrier arranged in said load zone for carrying said foodstuff or beverage being heated in the oven, a stationary cavity part comprising said oven front and a movable cavity part for closing the cavity by adjoining said oven front, said moveable cavity part and said stationary cavity part forming together said oven cavity, and said load carrier being arranged in said stationary cavity part.
WO 94/08459 discloses an oven with a heated interior volume and a door having a concave interior space adjacent the heated interior volume.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,147,068 discloses a vending machine provided with a microwave oven for heating and cooking foodstuff contained in trays-shaped containers. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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It is desirable to control an air handling system of an internal combustion engine, particularly during transient events, to provide for a responsive air handling system capable of responding appropriately to transient operating conditions. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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(a) Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a file folder rack for holding a plurality of file folders and more particularly, but not by way of limitation, to a vertical file folder rack for mounting on a wall and holding various sizes and shapes of files.
(b) Discussion of Prior Art
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,344,030 to Evenson, an expandable modular wall file having identical pockets is disclosed. The pockets are placed one on top of the other and secured to a side of a wall for receiving files and the like therein. In U.S. Pat. D452,976 to Carpenter, a design of a panel wall organizer is illustrated for attaching to a wall. In U.S. Pat. D349,131 to Nystrom et al., stackable trays are shown adapted for mounting on a wall. In U.S. Pat. No. 6,161,704 to Stravitz, a file folder rack is illustrated having recesses at different heights for receiving files. In U.S. Pat. D495,007 to Stravitz, a multilevel sorter is described attached to a wall for holding files at different heights. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,049,127 to Alexander, a hanging file folder with support frame is described. This patent is an example of many issued patents related to hanging file folders for file drawers.
None of the above mentioned patents disclose or teach the unique features, objects and advantages of the subject vertical file folder rack as described herein. | {
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This invention relates to football kicking tees of the type used for support of a standard, ellipsoidal football during kickoffs, on-side kicks, field goals, and extra points, as well as the practice of the same. In the sport of football, the football is typically supported by a kickoff tee during kickoffs and on-side kicks. Additionally, at the high school level or below, the football is placed atop a placement tee during field goals and extra points.
Several kicking techniques have been developed with respect to both kicking off and placekicking, and various kicking tees have been designed to accommodate the different techniques. For example, some kickoff and placement tees are designed for a kicker using a so called “straight-away” kicking style, where the kicker approaches the football from directly behind the football and the kicking tee. The kicker then makes contact with the football with the toe portion of his foot and kicks the football using a kicking motion in which his leg more or less follows the intended trajectory of the football. Other tees in the prior art have been designed specifically for kickers using a so called “soccer” kicking style. Kickers who have adopted the soccer kicking style typically approach the ball from an angle behind the football and the kicking tee. The kicker then makes contact with the ball with the instep of his foot, a portion on the inside of the foot between the toe and the ankle. Both the straight-away and soccer kicking styles are suitable for kickoffs, on-side kicks, and placement kicks.
Regardless of a kicker's kicking style, a kicking tee must be suitable for both supporting a football prior to the kick and releasing a football kicked therefrom. Many tees in the prior art that concentrate on providing additional support to a football prior to the kickoff sacrifice a free release of the football from the tee. Conversely, many tees that emphasize a free release of the football provide poor support for the football prior to the kick. Additionally, kicking tees that have been designed with straight-away kickers in mind are not suitable for soccer style kickers and, conversely, kicking tees designed for soccer style kickers are not ideal for straight-away kickers.
Thus, there is a need for improved kicking tees, including both kickoff tees and placement tees, that are suitable for use in conjunction with a variety of kicking techniques, provide adequate support for a football prior to a kick, and provide a free release of the football from the tee following the kick. | {
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The present disclosure relates to burner assemblies, and particularly to oxygen-fuel burner assemblies. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to pulverized solid fuel combustion systems. Many types of coal and other solid fuels can be burned successfully in pulverized form. Coal is pulverized and delivered to fuel-burning equipment and then combusted in a furnace to produce heat for various industrial purposes. A burner is used to “fire” pulverized coal and other solid fuels.
Oxy-fuel combustion is a facilitating technology in the overall plan to reduce greenhouse gases produced from the burning of fossil fuels. Utilizing pure or nearly pure (>90% v/v) oxygen instead of atmospheric air for combustion, removes atmospheric nitrogen (78% v/v) from the fuel burning process and significantly reduces the exhausted combustion products volume by over 75% for an equivalent fuel input. The elimination of atmospheric nitrogen from the exhaust gases concentrates the produced H2O and CO2 in the exhaust stream. This facilitates CO2 capture through various means such as compression. (Exhaust products of combustion are also known as flue gases, or furnace gases throughout industry).
Coal fired power plants also utilize large volumes of blower driven atmospheric air for transport of the pulverized coal particles to the burner. The term for this transport air in the industry is “primary air”. In the overall effort to eliminate atmospheric nitrogen from the process, it is also desired to eliminate the use of this atmospheric air for transport of the pulverized fuel. By substituting conditioned recycled flue gas for the primary air, the pulverized fuel would be transported by a blower driven stream of gases composed mostly (>75% v/v) of CO2. The recycled flue gas would be mostly inert, therefore, having the fuel transported and mixed with an inert gas, increases the possibility of flame instability, poor combustion performance and unacceptable pollutant emissions.
The flue gas from oxy-fuel combustion, conditioned and cleaned in preparation for recycle use, would contain over 75% carbon dioxide (CO2). CO2 is an inert gas and is commonly used in fire extinguishers. Its presence in the burner mixing and flame zones could create flame instability, poor combustion performance, unacceptable percentages of unburned fuel or complete extinction of the flame. In addition, the transport CO2 would lower peak flame temperatures which would reduce the radiant energy transmitted from the flame to the radiant section of the boiler.
A burner designed to operate with recycled flue gas while maintaining flame stability, increased peak flame temperature and producing industry accepted performance, is required to advance carbon capture technology for fossil fuel fired applications.
According to the present disclosure, a burner assembly is provided for combining oxygen and fluidized, pulverized, solid fuel to produce a flame. The burner assembly includes a primary oxygen supply tube adapted to receive a stream of oxygen and a solid fuel conduit arranged to extend through the primary oxygen supply tube to convey a stream of fluidized, pulverized, solid fuel into a flame chamber.
Oxygen flowing through the primary oxygen supply tube passes through a first set of oxygen-injection ports formed or otherwise installed within in the solid fuel conduit and then mixes with fluidized, pulverized, solid fuel passing through the solid fuel conduit. The first set of oxygen-injection ports is arranged so that oxygen flowing there through enters the solid fuel conduit substantially tangential thereto.
Oxygen flowing through the primary oxygen supply tube may also pass through a second set of oxygen-injection ports formed or otherwise installed in the solid fuel conduit and then mix with the fluidized, pulverized, solid fuel passing through the solid fuel conduit. The second set of oxygen-injection ports is arranged so that oxygen flowing there through enters the solid fuel conduit predominantly tangential thereto but with a radial component.
Thus, an oxygen-fuel mixture is created in a downstream portion of the solid fuel conduit and discharged into the flame chamber. This mixture is ignited in the flame chamber to produce a flame.
In illustrative embodiments of the disclosure, the solid fuel conduit extends into and through the primary oxygen supply tube to define an annular primary oxygen flow passage extending around and along an annular exterior surface of the solid fuel conduit in a direction toward the flame chamber. Oxygen flows through this annular primary oxygen flow passage to reach inlets of the oxygen-injection ports in the annular exterior surface of the solid fuel conduit.
In one embodiment, the solid fuel conduit includes a solid-fuel conduit and an oxygen-fuel nozzle coupled to or integral with the solid-fuel conduit and formed to include the oxygen-injection holes. Oxygen and fluidized, pulverized, solid fuel are mixed in the nozzle to create a combustible mixture that is then discharged into the flame chamber and ignited to produce a flame.
In illustrative embodiments of the disclosure, means is provided for mixing some of the oxygen extant in the primary oxygen flow passage provided in the primary oxygen conduit with the oxygen-fuel mixture that is discharged from the solid fuel conduit into the flame chamber. In this case, a first portion of the oxygen flowing through the primary oxygen flow passage is mixed with the stream of fluidized, pulverized, solid fuel just before that fuel exits the solid fuel conduit. A remaining portion of the oxygen flowing through the primary oxygen flow passage is mixed with the oxygenated stream of fluidized, pulverized, solid fuel in a region located outside the solid fuel conduit and near an oxygen-fuel outlet opening formed therein to provide supplemental oxygen to that oxygenated fuel stream and to sweep the end of the oxygen-fuel outlet of ash and the like that may form or be deposited there.
In other illustrative embodiments, a secondary oxygen conduit is provided about the primary oxygen supply tube, forming a secondary oxygen passage therebetween. In such embodiments, oxygen flowing through the secondary oxygen passage is mixed with the oxygenated steam of fluidized, pulverized, solid fuel in a region located outside the solid fuel conduit and near the oxygen-fuel outlet opening formed in the solid fuel conduit to provide supplemental oxygen to that oxygenated fuel stream.
Additional features of the present disclosure will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the following detailed description of illustrative embodiments exemplifying the best mode of carrying out the disclosure as presently perceived. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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Thermosetting coating compositions containing one or more thermosettable polyesters, an aminoplast resin crosslinking agent and a curing catalyst consisting of a strong acid are well known. Such prior art compositions may be used as printing inks by incorporating pigments and appropriate solvents therein. It has now been found that if a functional, i.e. reactive, copolymer of a thermosettable polyester and a type of polysiloxane is used instead of the polyester, the resultant ink composition possesses improved pigment wetting, reduced initial shear viscosity, lower contact angle and lower surface tension. The printing ink compositions of the present invention also exhibited improved transfer and laydown, higher gloss and increased color strength.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,370,441 discloses a coating composition containing three components: an essentially nonfunctional organic solvent-soluble silicone resin reaction product of a highly branched, low molecular weight hydroxy-functional polyester with an hydroxy or alkoxy-functional polysiloxane; a second component consisting of an organic solvent-soluble, essentially linear, low molecular weight, hydroxy-functional polyester and a heterocyclic aminoplast resin for curing the second component.
The compositions of the aforesaid '441 patent are prepared such that, upon curing, no significant combination of the nonfunctional polyester-silicone reaction product with either the reactive polyester or the aminoplast resin will occur, i.e. stratification of the coating will occur and the silicone will rise to the coating surface to provide the desired weather resistance. In contrast thereto, the compositions of the present invention are prepared such that the polyester-silicone copolymer is functional, i.e. reactive in nature, and such copolymer will combine with the crosslinking agent. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a chip structure with bumps and testing pads. More particularly, the invention relates to a chip structure, wherein the bumps will not be traumatized by testing probes during testing because the testing probes do not poke the bump. In stead, it contacts the testing pads for testing the chip structure.
2. Description of the Related Art
Information products are playing important roles in today's competitive society. With the evolution of the information products and the introduction of the concept of integrating various circuit designs, the latest single chip, generally, provides more functions than the former one. After integration, the dimension of the circuits is reduced and the majority of the signals are being transmitted within a single chip. As a result, paths for transmitting signals are reduced and the performance of the chip is improved.
Moreover, in the flip-chip technology, multiple bumps can be formed on the chip for connecting the chip to a substrate. Because the bumps can be formed on all area of the active surface of the chip, the chip can provide more layouts to connect with external circuitry than those suited only for a wire-bonding process. Compared to the connection of merely using a wire-bonding process to electrically connect a chip with a substrate, the connection of using bumps to electrically connect a chip with a substrate is advantageous in that it transmits signals in a shorter and wider path. Therefore, the electrical performance of the package using a flip-chip technology is considered a high-quality one.
After the bumps are formed on the chip, a testing step proceeds. Testing probes are used to contact the bumps and then the chip can be tested. Moreover, the testing probes generally contact the bumps repeatedly during the testing step. As a result, the bumps are subjected to be traumatized by the testing probes. In a serious consequence, some damaged bumps will not provide the reliable bond between the chip and the substrate, often calling in extra work of reworking, if the problem is still revocable. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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Macro-scale structures formed from concentrically-layered nanoscale or microscale fibers (“core-sheath fibers”) are useful in a wide range of applications including drug delivery, tissue engineering, nanoscale sensors, self-healing coatings, and filters. On a commercial scale, the most commonly used techniques for manufacturing core-sheath fibers are extrusion, fiber spinning, melt blowing, and thermal drawing. None of these methods, however, are ideally suited to producing drug-loaded core-sheath fibers, as they all utilize high temperatures which may be incompatible with thermally labile materials such as drugs or polypeptides. Additionally, fiber spinning, extrusion and melt-blowing are most useful in the production of fibers with diameters greater than ten microns.
Core-sheath fibers can be produced by electrospinning in which an electrostatic force is applied to a polymer solution to form very fine fibers. Conventional electrospinning methods utilize a charged needle to supply a polymer solution, which is then ejected in a continuous stream toward a grounded collector. After removal of solvents by evaporation, a single long polymer fiber is produced. Core-sheath fibers have been produced using emulsion-based electrospinning methods, which exploit surface energy to produce core-sheath fibers, but which are limited by the relatively small number of polymer mixtures that will emulsify, stratify, and electrospin. Core-sheath fibers have also been produced using coaxial electrospinning, in which concentric needles are used to eject different polymer solutions: the innermost needle ejects a solution of the core polymer, while the outer needle ejects a solution of the sheath polymer. This method is particularly useful for fabrication of core-sheath fibers for drug delivery in which the drug-containing layer is confined to the center of the fiber and is surrounded by a drug-free layer. However, both emulsion and coaxial electrospinning methods can have relatively low throughput, and are not ideally suited to large-scale production of core-sheath fibers. To increase throughput, coaxial nozzle arrays have been utilized, but such arrays pose their own challenges, as separate nozzles may require separate pumps, the multiple nozzles may clog, and interactions between nozzles may lead to heterogeneity among the fibers collected. Another means of increasing throughput, which utilizes a spinning drum immersed in a bath of polymer solution, has been developed by the University of Liberec and commercialized by Elmarco, S.R.O. under the mark Nanospider®. The Nanospider® improves throughput relative to other electrospinning methods, but it is not currently possible to manufacture core-sheath fibers using the Nanospider®. There is, accordingly, a need for a mechanically simple, high-throughput means of manufacturing core-sheath fibers. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a process for the formation of a leafing type aluminum flake-containing metallic multi-layer coating film.
2. Description of Related Art
There has already been known a technique to form, on a substrate such as an automobile body panel, a multi-layer coating film, by applying an aluminum flake pigment-containing metallic coating on said substrate, and then applying, on the resultant coated surface, a clear coating which is capable of forming a transparent film.
The aluminum flake pigment to be compounded in a metallic coating is classified into a leafing type and a non-leafing type. In a metallic coating film which contains a leafing type aluminum flake pigment, the aluminum flake pigment floats up to the surface of said coating film (which phenomenon is called leafing) to form a continuous and dense aluminum plane which is oriented substantially parallel to the coated surface, resulting in the achievement of special effects such as a chrome plating-like finish, glittering brightness and strong flip-flop properties.
This metallic coating film per se is, however, inferior in chemical resistance such as acid resistance since aluminum flake pigment floats up to the surface of said coating film. In order to overcome this defect, the coated surface of said metallic coating film is usually coated with a clear coating. However, when a clear coating is applied onto the coated surface of a metallic coating film while the metallic coating is uncured, the orientation of leafing type aluminum flake is disturbed, resulting in the deterioration of a chrome plating-like finish (which phenomenon is called mottling). On the other hand, when a clear coating is applied after the metallic coating film is heat-cured, the interlayer adhesivity between the metallic coating film and the clear coating film is caused to be insufficient. Hence, it has been impossible to fully produce the above-mentioned various advantageous effects of a leafing type aluminum flake-containing metallic coating film.
As for a non-leafing type aluminum flake, it is uniformly dispersed in the whole of a coating film without causing leafing. Hence, when a clear coating is applied onto the surface of a metallic coating, there occurs neither mottling nor the reduction in interlayer adhesivity. However, the brightness and flip-flop effects of the film are weak, and, moreover, it is difficult to achieve a metallic coating film having a chrome plating-like finish.
In view of the above situation, the inventors of this invention studied how to improve the interlayer adhesivity between a metallic coating film and an adjacent film, without causing reduction in the above-mentioned special effects (e.g., dense metallic appearance of the coated surface, a chrome plating-like finish, strong brightness and flip-flop effects) possessed by a leafing type aluminum flake pigment-containing metallic coating film. | {
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} |
Autism is a developmental disorder that exhibits retardation in development of sociality and communication skills. In Japan, it is said that an incidence of autism is 1 to 2 in every 1000 people, though this figure may vary depending on how to define a scope of autism. According to announcements from Autism Society Japan, it is estimated that 360,000 people across Japan are affected by autism, and that 1.2 million people have autism when including high functioning autism (Asperger disorder) and the like, which are not accompanied by mental retardation or speech disturbance.
Various causes such as lack of affection, brain disorders, and environmental factors (mercury accumulation) have been proposed as to development of autism. Currently, the most widely accepted theory is that a genetic predisposition is responsible for autism, and many genetic factors are considered to participate therein. For information, schizophrenia, which is supposedly regarded as a genetic disease, affects both monozygotic twins with an incidence of 50%. By contrast, autism affects both monozygotic twins with an incidence of 90%, and familial clustering thereof is also observed.
For example, it has been reported that a HOXA1 gene is highly probably associated with development of autism (Ingram et al., Teratology. 2000 December; 62 (6): 393-405). HOXA1, which is a transcription factor-encoding gene located on chromosome 7, has been found to be important for neuronal differentiation and development. Autistic individuals have a high probability of mutations seen in repeat polymorphism sites in this gene. In addition, it has also been reported that genes associated with autism with developmental regression are located on chromosome 7 and chromosome 21 (Molloy et al., Mol Psychiatry. 2005 August; 10 (8): 741-746).
Recently, attention has been paid to association of pituitary hormone oxytocin with psychiatric disorders. Oxytocin, which is a 9-amino-acid long peptide hormone, has been known to have effects of promoting lactation and promoting uterine contraction, and its receptors are also present in central nervous system and present even in males. For example, it has been reported that some autistic individuals have lower plasma oxytocin levels (Modahl et. al. Biol. Psychiatry. 1998 February; 43 (4): 270-277) and that oxytocin receptor-knockout mice exhibit social behavior abnormalities (Takayanagi et al., Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 2005 Nov. 1; 102 (44): pp 16096-16101). Fehr et al. have reported that when 194 students received intranasal administration of oxytocin or placebo and then played an “investment game”, the group receiving oxytocin invested more money and more frequently invested a maximum allowable than the placebo group (Kosfeld et al., Nature. 2005 Jun. 2; 435 (7042): pp 673-676). This result indicates that administration of oxytocin increases trust in others and individual's willingness to accept risks, that is, oxytocin promotes prosocial behaviors.
CD38, a 45-kDa single-transmembrane protein, is an ectoenzyme whose catalytic activity (NAD degrading activity) is located on an extracellular domain. CD38 has been known to be expressed on activated T and B cells, NK cells, monocytes, plasma cells, and medullary thymocytes, and this expression has been considered to depend on differentiation and activation of the cells. CD38 is widely used as a marker in studies of T and B cell activation and also clinically utilized in diagnosis of hematologic malignancies and in diagnosis of autoimmune diseases, AIDS, and aplastic anemia. Other various reports have been made on the activity and nature of CD38, particularly in the field of control of immune responses. However, no document has reported its association with psychiatric disorders or oxytocin release. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
The properties of ocean waters affect the planning and execution of numerous underwater applications, both military and civilian. One important property is the speed of sound in ocean waters.
The transmission and reception of sound under water is used in many military and civilian applications. Knowledge of the sound speed structure can be of particular importance since it has a direct impact on the way sound energy travels through the ocean. For example, military applications such as underwater sonar and other sensor systems depend on sound energy as the primary method of detecting and locating submarines and mines. Active sonar systems send pulses of sound outward into the water and listen for the returned echo that “bounces” off a target. Passive sonar systems do not actively send out sound signals but instead listen for sound that is transmitted from the target itself, such as the sounds generated by a submarine. In both cases, the structure of the sound speed environment can significantly affect the path and other characteristics of the sound energy, and thus, knowledge of the sound speed structure can be critical to the ability to detect and locate the desired targets. Many civilian industries such as commercial shipping and fishing also utilize sonar in their operations, and thus knowledge of the sound speed structure is equally essential to civilian operations as it is to military ones.
The speed of sound in seawater at any point in the water is dependent on the water's temperature, salinity, and pressure at that point. However, in many parts of the ocean salinity of the water is generally related to its temperature, so that if the temperature of the water and the local temperature-salinity relationship are known, its salinity also can be determined. In addition, sound speed is less sensitive to typical variations in salinity than it is to typical variations in temperature and pressure. For this reason, sound speed in the ocean is often represented as a function of temperature and pressure alone, since salinity can be viewed as being part of the temperature characteristic. As the temperature of the water decreases, so does the speed of sound as it travels through the water. On the other hand, as the water's pressure increases as the depth increases, the speed of sound will increase. However, over typical ranges of upper ocean temperature and pressure variability, the effect of temperature on sound speed is greater than the effect of the pressure.
In addition, there is a depth in the upper ocean, known as the Sonic Layer Depth (SLD), where the sound speed reaches a local maximum. In a simplified representation of the ocean as a warm isothermal surface layer that transitions to a cool deep layer, the SLD is at the base of the isothermal surface layer where sound speed increases due to increasing pressure. In a more complex ocean situation, there may be multiple local maxima and various criteria for identifying a depth as the SLD. Knowing the location of the SLD is important because acoustic energy is refracted away from the SLD, i.e., is refracted upwards above the SLD and refracted downwards below the SLD. Thus, acoustic energy above the SLD tends to stay above that depth, while acoustic energy below tends to stay below. Acoustic energy trapped in a surface duct, i.e., between the surface and the SLD, tends to travel much greater horizontal distances than acoustic energy that spreads into the deep ocean. Consequently, more accurate estimates of the SLD will allow more accurate prediction of ranges of civilian or military acoustic communication and detection.
In addition, the SLD at any point has a corresponding Minimum acoustic Cutoff Frequency (MCF) which affects the behavior of sound between the surface and the SLD. The speed of sound c is related to its frequency f and wavelength λ by the relation f=c/λ. If an SLD exists, then some wavelengths are short enough (frequencies are high enough) to fit in the surface duct above the SLD, while some wavelengths are too long (frequencies too low) to fit in the surface duct. This relationship is generally expressed as an MCF (See, e.g., R. Helber et al., “Evaluating the sonic layer depth relative to the mixed layer depth,” J. Geophys. Res., Vol. 113, C07033, doi:10.1029/2007JC004595, 2008), which depends on the vertical variations of sound speed above the SLD. If the frequency f of a sound is greater than the MCF, its wavelength λ is short enough to fit in the surface acoustic duct between the surface and the SLD. If the frequency of a sound is less than the MCF, then its wavelength will be too long to be trapped, and the sound will penetrate the SLD boundary, where it will attenuate from its source by spherical spreading, with its intensity I decreasing as the inverse square of the distance from the source, i.e.,
I = 1 d 2 ,where d is the horizontal distance from the source. On the other hand, if the sound is “trapped” in the acoustic duct between the SLD and the surface (i.e., the frequency f>MCF), it will spread cylindrically, with its intensity decreasing as the simple inverse of the distance, i.e.,
I = 1 d . Consequently, higher-frequency sound will travel farther horizontally within an acoustic duct than lower-frequency sound, while the lower-frequency sound is free to spread through the vast ocean below the SLD. Since the MCF is dependent on the SLD, having an accurate profile of the location and characteristics of the SLD can be an important factor in knowing and working within the upper ocean's acoustic environment.
Since the SLD is a local sound speed maximum, it may also be the upper bound for an intermediate sound channel or the deep sound channel, sometimes called the Sound Fixing and Ranging (SOFAR) channel. These subsurface channels trap acoustic energy based on downward refraction above and upward refraction below. There is a minimum frequency that can be trapped in the subsurface sound channel, and while this minimum frequency depends on the thickness of and sound speed structure in the subsurface channel, the formulation differs from the surface duct that has reflection from the ocean surface. Identification of intermediate or deep sound channels is important because acoustic energy trapped in the channels travels much greater horizontal distances than acoustic energy at frequencies too low to be trapped.
The SLD defines the base and many other characteristics of the surface acoustic duct, and may also define the location of the upper boundary of the possible intermediate or deep sound channels. Knowing the location and properties of an acoustic duct can influence many decisions relating to underwater operations, and particularly can influence decisions regarding the placement of objects underwater.
For example, this knowledge can be an important aspect determining the placement of underwater acoustic sensors. Sensors will best detect sound emanating from their targets if they are placed on the same side of the SLD boundary (i.e., temperature interface) as the target. On the other hand, if the goal of object placement is to “hide”the object, such as may be the case with determining the travel path of a submarine, the object is best placed on the opposite side of the SLD boundary, since the SLD boundary can act to insulate the sound from detection, for example, from surface-based sensors. Conversely, knowing the SLD at any particular point in the ocean, and thus the MCF at that point, can permit operators to “tune” their equipment to the appropriate frequency to enable detection or hiding of an object, as the case may be. Acoustic communication is affected in the same manner as acoustic detection. Thus, for all of these reasons, it is highly desirable to obtain accurate information regarding the SLD and the vertical and horizontal structure of sound speed in the water.
Another important characteristic of the ocean is its Mixed Layer Depth (MLD). The MLD is the thickness of the water's surface layer that has a nearly constant temperature, salinity, and density due to turbulent mixing at the top of the layer and shear at the bottom. Information regarding the MLD can be obtained by direct sensing, for example, as measured by Conductivity-Temperature-Depth (CTD) recorders on a variety of platforms throughout the global ocean. Information regarding the MLD can also be estimated by use of ocean models such as the LDNK06 or KRH00 ocean models, which can estimate the MLD based on measured readings of temperature, salinity, or both. See, e.g., R. Helber et al., “Evaluating the sonic layer depth relative to the mixed layer depth,” J. Geophys. Res., Vol. 113, C07033, doi: 10.1029/2007JC004595, 2008.
Other ocean models also are used to provide estimates of ocean properties when accurate real-time data are available. The modular ocean data assimilation system (MODAS) has been developed to meet the U.S. Navy's need for rapid estimates of present and near-term ocean conditions, particularly in situations where little or no in situ data are not available. MODAS comprises a collection of programs and utilities for combining remotely sensed data and in situ measurements to create a synthetic profile of ocean conditions such as temperature and salinity and of derived aspects such as density, sound speed, and mixed layer depth. D.N. Fox et al., 2002, “The Modular Ocean Data Assimilation System,”Oceanography, Vol. 15, pp. 22-28; D.N. Fox et al., 2002, “The Modular Ocean Data Assimilation System (MODAS),” J. Atm and Oceanic Tech., Vol. 19, pp. 240-252.
MODAS synthetic profiles are produced based on climatological average temperature, climatological relationships between temperature and salinity, real-time estimates of sea surface temperature (SST), real-time estimates of sea-surface height (SSH), and climatological regression coefficients used in a polynomial that expresses a temperature difference at a series of depths as a function of SSH and SST. The mean temperature profile and regression coefficients are defined at up to 36 standard depths at each point in a variable horizontal grid from one to ⅛ degree spacing in latitude and longitude. The coefficients are defined using a regression model to minimize the expected squared errors of temperature. The regression coefficients, climatological averages and coefficients to predict salinity from temperature are defined every-other month based on minimizing the expected squared errors using the synthetics to model millions of historical observations.
Ocean modeling systems such as MODAS can also be used to estimate the SLD of an area of interest using synthetic profiles of the ocean's temperature and salinity for that area. However, modeled estimates of the SLD based on such synthetic profiles lead to a shallow bias in the estimates of the sonic layer depth and a corresponding high bias in estimates of the minimum cutoff frequency of acoustic signals propagated in the surface acoustic duct. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the reproduction of an optical image, and particularly to a reflection mask for X ray illuminated by reflected illumination having the wavelength (about 2-100 nm) of a soft X ray range.
2. Related Background Art
A mask used for photoetching or the like has heretofore been formed with a predetermined pattern comprising reflecting portions and non-reflecting portions for illuminating light. This pattern has been projected onto the surface of photosensitive film by a mirror optical system (see, for example, J. Vac. Sci. Technol. B7 (1989), p. 1648).
It is known that when a pattern provided on such a projected type reflection mask (hereinafter referred to as the reflection mask) is projected by a mirror, there is a limit of resolution in the projected reproduced image due to a diffraction phenomenon. In this case, a cut-off frequency as an ideal limit value is 2 NA/.lambda. (lines/mm) for incoherent illumination and NA/.lambda. (lines/mm) for coherent illumination when the numerical aperture of the projection mirror is NA and the wavelength of illuminating light used is .lambda.. Accordingly, to enhance the resolution for illuminating light having a certain wavelength, it has been necessary to make the numerical aperture NA of the projection mirror great.
Generally, however, a mirror optical system is greater in aberration than a lens optical system and if the numerical aperture thereof is made greater than a certain value, the expanse of an image by aberration will exceed the resolution limit by diffraction. Therefore, even if an attempt is made to make the numerical aperture of the mirror system in order to a desired resolution, the magnitude of the numerical aperture has been limited.
FIG. 6 of the accompanying drawings shows a schematic cross-section of a prior-art reflection mask (for visible light) and the state of the amplitude distribution of the light of a projected image by this reflection mask. As shown, in the projected image of a prior-art ordinary reflection mask 9, comprising reflecting portions 1 and non-reflecting portions 2 alternately arranged on a base plate 8, the light from the reflecting portions 1 spreads to the regions corresponding to the non-reflecting portions 2 due to a diffraction phenomenon. Therefore, there is created a limit in the spacing .DELTA. between the reflecting portions 1 which can be discriminated. Such a phenomenon is to be found not only in visible light but also in X ray. Therefore, a similar problem has also arisen in a reflection mask for X ray. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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Retail environments such as supermarkets employ shelving systems for displaying merchandise for sale. Due to the ever changing nature of products sold by stores, shelving systems employing adjustable shelving are the dominant and most common type of shelving systems used in this area. This is because a retailer may wish to reconfigure one or more sections of the shelves to accommodate products that would otherwise not fit in the pre-existing shelving fit out.
Adjustable shelves often are supported by a single pair of shelving posts which differentiate them from those shelving systems that incorporate four posts and rectangular shelves attached to all four posts. The utilisation of just a single pair of posts at the rear of the shelves allow for more unimpeded access to the products on the shelves.
However the utilisation of a single pair of posts to support shelves brings with it a set of problems in how to support the shelves which may have to bear considerable amount of heavy products. For this reason, and others, the usual manner of constructing a shelving post is to utilise rectangular hollow section (RHS) or square hollow section (SHS) steel members which have apertures cut into them for receiving the connecting lugs that are connected to the shelf to be supported by the post. Due to the structural requirement for supporting heavy loads, the cross section of the RHS or SHS sections are often considerable. This leads to a significant disadvantage which is that the width and depth of the SHS or RHS steel posts reduces the available shelving space. In particular it often means that there is a rear section of the supported shelf that extends between the posts that is of a reduced width when compared with the width of the front section of the shelf. Due to the depth of the posts, this restricted rear area of the shelf can be significant. For retailers, who tend to line products up in lines extending from the front of the shelf right to the rear of the shelf, this means that there will be product lines at either side of the shelf that can hold lesser quantities of product. More often than not, retailers leave a gap at each side of the shelf in front of the shelving posts. Considering that rows and rows of shelves are placed side by side, the loss of valuable retail space along a supermarket aisle due to the posts can be considerable.
Similarly, in some cases the shelf support arms that hook into conventional shelving posts are tapered such that there is little vertical extent to the portions of the arms that reach the front of the shelf and more often than not, quite a significant vertical extent to the support arms at the rear of the shelf where they hook into the posts. The significant vertical extent of the support arms at the rear of the shelf often means that product cannot be stacked below the shelf support arms due to their size.
It is an object of the present invention to produce a shelving post for utilisation within a shelving system that obviates or at least lessens the losses of retail space around the shelving posts or below the shelf support arms. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a fixing device and a guide mechanism included therein, and more particularly, to a fixing device for use in an image forming apparatus, such as a photocopier, facsimile machine, printer, plotter, or multifunctional machine incorporating several of these features, and a mechanism for guiding movement of a rotatable pressure member included in the fixing device.
2. Background Art
In electrophotographic image forming apparatuses, such as photocopiers, facsimile machines, printers, plotters, or multifunctional machines incorporating several of these features, an image is formed by attracting developer or toner particles to a photoconductive surface for subsequent transfer to a recording medium such as a sheet of paper. After transfer, the imaging process is followed by a fixing process using a fixing device, which permanently fixes the toner image in place on the recording medium with heat and pressure.
In general, a fixing device employed in electrophotographic image formation includes a pair of generally cylindrical looped belts or rollers, one being heated for fusing toner (“fuser member”) and the other being pressed against the heated one (“pressure member”), which together form a heated area of contact called a fixing nip. As a recording medium bearing a toner image thereupon enters the fixing nip, heat from the fuser member causes the toner particles to fuse and melt, while pressure between the fuser and pressure members causes the molten toner to set onto the recording medium.
Various methods have been proposed to provide a fast, reliable fixing process that can process a toner image with short warm-up time and first-print time without causing image defects even at high processing speeds.
For example, a known belt-based fixing device employs an endless flexible fuser belt looped into a generally cylindrical configuration, with a stationary fuser pad disposed inside the loop of the belt. Opposite the fuser belt extends a pressure roller that presses against the fuser pad via the belt to form a fixing nip therebetween. The pressure roller is connected with a rotary driver via a gear train, including an output gear and its mating, idle gear, from which torque is transmitted to rotate the pressure roller to in turn rotate the fuser belt in frictional contact with the roller at the fixing nip.
Optionally, the fuser assembly is equipped with a tubular holder of thermally conductive metal, or heat pipe, disposed inside the loop of the fuser belt for heating the fuser belt through conduction. A heater is disposed inside the heat pipe, from which heat is imparted to the entire circumference of the fuser belt looped around the heat pipe. A generally flat, reinforcing plate is provided in contact with the fuser pad to reinforce the fuser pad.
In this fixing device, a releasable biasing mechanism is provided to move the pressure roller away from the fuser belt to release pressure between the pressure roller and the fuser belt. Releasing nip pressure prevents deformation of the fuser belt and the pressure roller, which would occur where the fixing members are continuously subjected to a substantial nip pressure for an extended period of non-operation, while facilitating removal of jammed recording media from between the fuser belt and the pressure roller.
The inventors have recognized that releasing nip pressure through movement of the pressure member, although generally successful for its intended purpose, may create difficulties in the fixing device.
Specifically, one approach to releasing nip pressure is to move the pressure roller away from the fuser belt in a straight direct path along a load direction in which the pressure roller exerts pressure against the fuser belt. Such movement of the pressure roller does not require a substantial space for accommodating the moving roller, while entailing a risk of sudden disengagement of the output gear from the idler gear, which would result in damage and other adverse consequence to the gear train where adjacent gear teeth strike each other during movement of the pressure roller.
Another approach is to move the pressure roller away from the fuser belt in a curved, circumferential path around a given rotational axis. Compared to straight movement, curved movement of the pressure roller can maintain proper engagement between the mating gears, thereby eliminating failure due to interference between gear teeth. However, this approach requires an extensive space for accommodating the moving roller. Moreover, increasing the range of movement of the pressure roller would cause increased interference of the pressure roller with its surrounding structure. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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The present invention relates to the oxidation of cyclohexane for the production of cyclohexanol and cyclohexanone and most particularly to the use of liquid oxidation reactors using pure oxygen or oxygen enriched air and operating at temperatures which are somewhat lower or with reaction contact times which are shorter than conventionally used in cyclohexane oxidizers.
Most of the worldwide production of caprolactam and adipic acid, which are used in the manufacture of synthetics such as nylon, is based on the air oxidation of cyclohexane. The air oxidation of cyclohexane produces cyclohexanol and cyclohexanone and a variety of potential cyclohexanol and cyclohexanone precursors such as hydroperoxides which are then thermally and/or catalytically decomposed to produce additional cyclohexanol and cyclohexanone. The cyclohexanol and cyclohexanone are then used to produce either the caprolactam or adipic acid. The prior art processes for oxidizing cyclohexane employ air and operate at temperatures in the range of 130 to 180.degree. C. in bubble columns or autoclaves. At the lower temperatures, 130 to 160.degree. C., the reaction rates tend to be lower although the selectivity for the desired precursors is higher. At higher temperatures, the reaction rates increase but the selectivity is lower and more lower valued byproducts are produced.
The reaction rate and selectivity would be increased by raising the partial pressure of the O.sub.2 above 21% but that cannot be done using conventional oxidizing systems because of safety problems. If the oxygen concentration is increased, to any significant degree, the oxygen level in the gas phase above the liquid increases and can readily reach a flammability limit which is usually above about 1% oxygen. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electromagnetic actuator that can be suitably used for active vibration damping devices such as a vibration damping mount, damper or the like that exhibits an active damping effect.
2. Description of the Related Art
In order to reduce vibration in members subject to vibration damping such as an automobile body or the like for which vibration reduction is viewed as important, there are typically employed vibration damping devices such as vibration damping means utilizing attenuation effect of a shock absorber, a rubber elastic body or the like, and vibration insulation means utilizing spring effect of a coil spring, a rubber elastic body or the like. These known vibration damping devices exhibit passive vibration damping effects, so that these known devices are not able to exhibit desired vibration damping effect when frequency characteristics of vibration to be damped varies, or when a higher level of vibration damping effect is required. In light of this, typically used are active vibration damping devices, which are designed to apply excitation or oscillation force to members subject to vibration damping, thereby attenuating vibration in the subject member in an active or cancellation fashion.
The aforementioned active type vibration device needs an actuator for generating oscillation force. To obtain an excellent vibration damping effect, it is important to control the actuator with high precision in terms of frequency and phase of the generated oscillation force. To meet this end, an electromagnetic actuator may be effectively used for the actuator for generating the oscillation force. This electromagnetic actuator typically includes: a stator having a coil with a central through hole and a yoke member disposed around the coil to form a magnetic path; and a movable member having an oscillation rod disposed extending through the through hole of the coil while being movable relative to the stator in the axial direction. Upon energizing the coil, drive force is generated in the axial direction between the stator and the movable member.
When a large impact or the like acts as the external force on the active vibration damping device equipped with this kind of electromagnetic actuator, the movable member may displace excessively, possibly striking against the housing or the like. This striking of the movable member may possibly cause undesirable noise or impacts, leading to undesirable noise or damage of actuator itself.
In order to eliminate the problems of this kind of striking of the movable member on the housing or the like, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 7,066,454 and JP-A-2005-172202 or other documents propose a constitution wherein a rubber sheet for shock absorption is placed on the inner surface of the housing arranged facing the oscillation rod of the electromagnetic actuator. However, this kind of simple rubber sheet may not realize sufficient shock absorption, when a large shock load is applied on the active vibration damping device. Further, the repeated striking of the movable member against the housing may deteriorate the durability of the rubber sheet, leading to damage of rubber sheet it self.
Furthermore, due to reasons of the actuator assembly steps or reasons such as the work when doing various adjustments on the actuator, such as adjustment of the oscillation rod axial direction position or the like, an adjustment hole that pierces through in the axial direction is formed at the portion at which the rubber sheet is placed on the electromagnetic actuator. Through this adjustment hole, if foreign matter such as dust or water or the like penetrates from the outside, smooth excitation displacement of the movable member is deterrent, making it impossible to obtain the initially generated oscillation force, or leading to a deterioration of durability or the like due to erosion or the like. Therefore, it is important that the opening of the adjustment hole is closed fluid-tightly. To meet this end, U.S. Pat. No. 7,066,454 discussed above teaches an installation of an O ring for sealing at part of the outer peripheral surface of a lid member (stopper) fixed by screwing inserted within the through hole of the coil, thereby providing a fluid tight sealing between the lid member and the inner peripheral surface of the through hole. However, this kind of sealing constitution needs a separate sealing rubber, thereby increasing the number of components, possibly leading to a problem of a reduction in productivity and the like. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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A large and complex supply chain typically involves multiple entities each maintaining information about a portion of the supply chain. For example, a supplier may maintain information about when its products will become available for shipment to a customer. Entities may be faced with difficulties in obtaining products from or providing products to various other entities in the supply chain. For example, customers and suppliers may have logically or geographically distributed computer systems that maintain information about the supply chain. The distributed computer systems may make it difficult for any customer or supplier to gain visibility into the supply chain. A lack of detailed visibility into extended supply chain operations often prevents suppliers from quoting accurate delivery dates and meeting customer orders in a timely manner. Even when there is adequate visibility, a lack of integration between front-end and back-end business objectives may result in lower margin products using up capacity, important market channels receiving worse service than less important market channels, and other sub-optimal commitments. In addition, once delivery dates and other commitments have been made, it may be necessary to monitor the commitments throughout the production and logistics execution process to determine the effect of unexpected supply and demand changes. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
The hazardous industry sector including oil & gas, alcohol, paper, wood, coal, plastic etc. inherently is engaged in handling highly inflammable substances in both indoor and outdoor conditions. The fires involving these substances have a tendency to spread fast and get out of control very quickly, causing enormous damage to life and property. There is ever increasing demand to enhance the safety of personnel and valuable assets from accidental fires.
Early and reliable detection of fires can be effective in controlling the spread of fire. For example, the FLAMEVision FV300 flame/fire detector can reliably detect fires as fire clusters with practically no false alarms. The FV300 or other video-based sensor systems (hence forth collectively referred to as spatially resolved fire detectors) provide an indication of the detected fire on (a planar) two-dimensional (2D) reference system. The fire detectors can output data which represent the center of the fire cluster as well as size of the fire cluster to thereby provide fire location information in the 2D plane of the sensor array.
Combining two-dimensional fire cluster center data from at least two fire detectors which have a common field of view of a fire can produce depth information which can be used to calculate a fire location on a three-dimensional grid. The estimated position of the fire can be used by control systems which can drive suppression devices (e.g., monitors) to deploy water/foam jets towards the fire. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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A virtual machine (VM) is a portion of software that, when executed on appropriate hardware, creates an environment allowing the virtualization of an actual physical computer system (e.g., a server, a mainframe computer, etc.). The actual physical computer system is typically referred to as a “host machine” or a “physical machine,” and the operating system of the host machine is typically referred to as the “host operating system.”
A virtual machine may function as a self-contained platform, executing its own “guest” operating system and software applications. Typically, software on the host machine known as a “hypervisor” (or a “virtual machine monitor”) manages the execution of one or more virtual machines, providing a variety of functions such as virtualizing and allocating resources, context switching among virtual machines, etc.
A virtual machine may comprise one or more “virtual processors,” each of which maps, possibly in a many-to-one fashion, to a central processing unit (CPU) of the host machine. Similarly, a virtual machine may comprise one or more “virtual devices,” each of which maps to a device of the host machine (e.g., a network interface device, a CD-ROM drive, etc.). For example, a virtual machine may comprise a virtual disk that is mapped to an area of storage (known as a “disk image”) of a particular storage device (e.g., a magnetic hard disk, a Universal Serial Bus [USB] solid state drive, a Redundant Array of Independent Disks [RAID] system, a network attached storage [NAS] array, etc.) The hypervisor manages these mappings in a transparent fashion, thereby enabling the guest operating system and applications executing on the virtual machine to interact with the virtual processors and virtual devices as though they were actual physical entities. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a paint composition whose storage stability is high. Moreover, it relates to a wear-resistant coating film which uses the paint composition and is good in terms of the adherence, and a process for producing the wear-resistant coating film.
2. Description of the Related Art
Plastic materials are lightweight, can be formed with ease, and are good in terms of the shock-resistance and transparency. Accordingly, they offer a wide range of applications. However, since they are likely to be damaged by wear, they lose the glossiness and transparency in service. Hence, as a method for reforming the surface of plastic materials, it has been carried out forming coating films on the surface of plastic materials by treating with hard coating agents. Among the hard coating agents, silicone hard coating paints containing a variety of silicone compounds have been well known.
Many silicone hard coating paints have been developed so far. For example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (KOKAI) No. 8-238,683 discloses a hard coating agent in which a silane compound and/or the hydrolyzed products serve as a binder, and which contains surface-coated fine particles of titanium oxide and aluminum perchlorate. Moreover, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (KOKAI) No. 62-195,061 discloses a primer which is produced by co-polymerizing titanium alkoxide and a silane compound.
However, when silicone hard coating paints are produced by partially hydrolyzing silane compounds or metallic alkoxides and condensing them by dehydration to synthesize oligomers with appropriate sizes, it is difficult to inhibit the resulting oligomers from growing furthermore. Accordingly, the oligomers grow with time to such a size that they are not applicable to paints. Thus, conventional silicone hard coating paints generally exhibit poor storage stability. Moreover, when metallic alkoxides are hydrolyzed and condensed by dehydration, the hydrolysis and dehydration condensation accompanies dealcoholization. However, since the resulting alcohols have a non-negligible volume with respect to molecules making paints, they cause the cure shrinkage which sharply reduces the volume of paints after curing, and are accordingly the causes of come-off or cracked paint films. The cure shrinkage occurs remarkably when the thickness of paint films is thicker. On the contrarily, when the thickness of paint films is thinner, paint films have a problem with the strength.
Moreover, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (KOKAI) No. 6-200,034, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (KOKAI) No. 7-126,396 and Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (KOKAI) No. 9-241,380 disclose layer organic-inorganic composites. The layer organic-inorganic composites can be used as coating materials, and have the characteristics of inorganic materials and organic materials simultaneously. However, since layer organic silicone polymers are cured by reacting and bonding organic functional groups, the coating materials are limited in view of the hardness. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
The present invention is directed to a method of and apparatus for operating a focused microwave sample digestion system such that, once set up, human intervention is not required. More particularly, the present invention is directed to a method of and apparatus for automatically operating a focused microwave sample digestion system in which a plurality of prepared samples are moved through a focused microwave digestion system and then placed in a storage rack after each of the samples has been processed, all in an automatic manner, without the need for human intervention.
During the process of testing for the presence of trace metals in certain organic samples, such as tobacco or paper samples, it is necessary to destroy all of the organic material contained in the sample. Such destruction is typically performed by adding an acid, such as concentrated nitric acid, to a vessel containing the sample and then cooking or digesting the sample at a very high temperature.
Typically, the sample and nitric acid combination is digested in a microwave oven, in order to prepare the sample for trace analysis by an inductively coupled plasma optical emission instrument. Recently, however, focused microwave-based systems have become available which allow speeded-up digestion times. One such microwave digestion oven is the CEM STAR 6 Focused Microwave System, which is available from CEM, Inc., of Matthews, N.C. Using the STAR 6 Focused Microwave System, it is possible to digest a sample in approximately 15 minutes, with six samples being digested at one time. Thus, for example, in order to digest 24 samples, one hour is required. Additional time is necessary, however, to load and unload the samples. Using prior microwave technology, it takes about 4.5 to 5.0 hours to digest 24 samples.
However, even though using the STAR 6 Focused Microwave System speeds up the cooking process, it still requires the full attention of a lab analyst who must load the sample tubes into the microwave oven system, start the microwave oven system, and monitor the system while it is digesting samples. It would, however, be advantageous to perform the digestion process and loading and unloading operations on an automated basis such that lab personnel would be freed up for performing other tasks. In addition, if the digesting process were automated, it could be operated unattended after business hours, which would likewise serve to increase the sample capacity throughput. That would allow the laboratory utilizing the automated system to keep pace with increased testing demands. In addition, more uniform results could be obtained if the steps involved in performing the acid digestion were uniformly applied under computer control, rather than being performed on an as-needed basis by a laboratory technician. | {
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Memory is sometimes implemented in electronic systems, such as computers, cell phones, hand-held devices, etc. There are many different types of memory, including volatile and non-volatile memory. Volatile memory may require power to maintain its data and may include random access memory (RAM), dynamic random-access memory (DRAM), static random-access memory (SRAM), and synchronous dynamic random-access memory (SDRAM). Non-volatile memory may provide persistent data by retaining stored data when not powered and may include NAND flash memory, NOR flash memory, nitride read only memory (NROM), phase-change memory (e.g., phase-change random access memory), resistive memory (e.g., resistive random-access memory), or the like. Hard disc drives (HDDs) may be an example of another type of memory and may include magnetic tapes and/or optical discs.
Some electronic systems may include a processor (e.g., for controlling the electronic system). For example, some processors may include SRAM. In some examples, a processor may include a cache memory that may be an SRAM or a DRAM.
The processor may be coupled to data storage devices, such as solid-state-data-storage devices (e.g., sometimes called solid-state drives (SSDs)) and/or hard disc drives. For example, a solid-state-data-storage device might include NAND flash memory, NOR flash memory, and/or NROM.
In some examples, a NAND memory may include groups (e.g., strings) of series-coupled (e.g., one-transistor) non-volatile memory cells. The series-coupled memory cells in a string, for example, may be between a data line (e.g., a bit line) and a source. For example, the memory cells in a string may be coupled in series source to drain. Memory cells at common locations in the strings, for example, may be commonly coupled to an access line, such as a word line. | {
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The present invention relates to a data transfer control device adaptable for transferring display data to a liquid crystal drive circuit for directly driving a liquid crystal display unit of a dynamic drive type.
FIG. 1 shows a prior liquid crystal drive circuit with a duty ratio of 1/4 and with 8-segment outputs. In the drive circuit, a closed loop is formed including four 8-bit shift registers 1.sub.0 to 1.sub.3 connected in a cascade fashion, an inverter 2 for AC-driving a liquid crystal display 6 unit to be described later, and a multiplexer 4. An output signal from a parallel/serial converter circuit 3 for converting parallel data into serial data is transferred to the multiplexer (selector) 4.
The multiplexer 4, controlled by a control signal a supplied from a central processing unit (CPU) (not shown), selects the data from the parallel/serial converter circuit 3 and the inverter 2. The shift register 1.sub.0 is connected at the 8-bit output terminals to a latch/driver circuit 5. The latch/driver circuit 5 converts the parallel data derived from the shift register 1.sub.0 into segment signals SEG.sub.0 to SEG.sub.7 for directly driving a liquid crystal display unit 6. The liquid crystal display unit 6 is connected to the output terminals of the latch/drive circuit 5. The 8-segment liquid crystal display 6 displays four figures at the duty ratio of 1/4 under control of common electrode drive signals COM0 to COM3 generated from a common signal generator 7 to specify a segment to be displayed.
A clock signal generator 8 generates clock signals .phi.T and .phi.L and applies them to the shift register 1.sub.0 and the latch/driver 5. The clock generator 8 is made up of a frequency divider 11 and an AND gate 12, as shown in FIG. 4. Fundamental clock signals .phi.1 and .phi.2 are generated by another clock signal generator (not shown). The clock signal .phi.1 is applied to one of the input terminals of the AND gate 12. The clock signal .phi.2 is applied in an inverted state to the frequency divider 11, and is appplied in a non-inverted state to the shift register 1.sub.0. The signals at different frequencies are applied from the frequency divider 11 to the remaining input terminals of the AND gate 12. The AND gate 12 responds to the clock signal .phi.1 to produce the clock signal .phi.L for transferring to the latch/driver 5. One clock signal .phi.L is produced every time eight pulses of the clock signal .phi.T are produced.
FIG. 5 shows an example of the common signal generator 7 for generating common electrode drive signals COM0 to COM3. The common signal generator 7 includes p-channel MOS transistors TR7 and TR8 and n-channel MOS transistors TR9 and TR10, all of which have the current paths which are connected in series between power source terminals VD and VL. Generator 7 also has p- and n-channel MOS transistors TR11 and TR12 connected in parallel between a node coupled to a resistor R2 and a resistor R3 and a node coupled to the MOS transistor TR8 and the MOS transistor TR9. NAND gate 121 applied with a first common electrode select signal d0 and a blanking signal BLK.
The gates of the MOS transistors TR7 and TR10 are connected through an inverter 122 to a control terminal WCLT. The gates of the MOS transistors TR8 and TR12 are connected together to the output terminal of the NAND gate 121. The gates of the MOS transistors TR9 and TR11 are connected through an inverter 124 to the output terminal of the NAND gate 121 having as inputs a first common electric signal do and a blanking signal BLK.
A 0-th common electrode drive signal COM0 is produced from a node between the MOS transistors TR8 and TR9. The circuit arrangements of the remaining circuit sections 125, 126 and 131 are each substantially the same as that of the circuit section 127. These circuit sections 125, 126 and 131, respectively, produce the first to third common electrode drive signals COM1 to COM3 in response to the output signals from NAND gates 128, 129 and 132 which receive at the first input terminals a blanking signal BLK and at the second input terminals the first to third common electrode select signals d1 to d3.
FIG. 6 shows a time-division control circuit in which four D-type flip-flops 21.sub.0 to 21.sub.3 connected in a cascade fashion make up a ring counter. In the figure, the Q output terminal of the flip-flop 21.sub.0 is connected to a D input terminal of the succeeding stage flip-flop 21.sub.1 of which the Q output terminal is connected to the D input terminal of the succeeding flip-flop 21.sub.2. The Q output terminal of the flip-flop 21.sub.2 is connected to the D input terminal of the flip-flop 21.sub.3. The Q output signals from the flip-flops 21.sub.0 to 21.sub.3 are sent as common electrode select signals d0 to d3. The signals d0 to d2 of these common electrode select signals are supplied through an OR gate 22 and an inverter 25 to the D input terminal of the flip-flop 21.sub.0.
The clock signal .phi.L is applied to the clock terminals CK of the flip-flops 21.sub.0 through 21.sub.3 and a clear signal is applied to the clear terminals CL of the same flip-flop.
The time division control circuit under discussion is further provided with a circuit for generating a PHASE signal and a polarity inverting signal W. An output signal CTL of the OR gate 22 is applied to one of the input terminals of a XNOR gate 24. The output signal from the XNOR gate 24 is produced as the PHASE signal and is also applied to a D-type flip-flop 23. The clear terminal CL and the clock terminal CK of the flip-flop 23 are supplied with the clear signal and the clock signal .phi.L, respectively. The polarity inverting signal W is derived from the Q output terminal of the flip-flop 23 and is applied to the other input terminal of the XNOR gate 24.
FIGS. 7A to 7F show timing diagrams of input signals applied to the time division control circuit and output signals produced from the same circuit. At the timing of the clock signal .phi.L shown in FIG. 7B, the CTL signal shown in FIG. 7D, after being inverted by the inverter 25, is applied to the D input terminals of the flip-flops 21.sub.0 through 21.sub.3, thereby to provide the signals d0 to d3 shown in FIG. 7C. The CTL signal is at a high level so long as the signals d0 to d2 are logic "1". When the signal d3 is logic "1", the signals d2 through d0 are all logic "0". These signals are applied to the OR gate 22, so that the CTL signal as the output signal from the OR gate 22 is at low level, as shown in FIG. 7D. As a result, the CTL signal at a low level is applied to one of the input terminals of the XNOR gate 24 and the polarity inverting signal at low level, after being inverted, is applied to the other input terminals of the XNOR gate 24. Therefore, the XNOR gate 24 produces the PHASE signal at high level.
The output signal from the XNOR gate 24 is further latched in the flip-flop 23. When any one of the common electrode select signals d0 to d2 is at high level, the CTL signal is at high level. Accordingly, the XNOR gate 24 produces a PHASE signal at high level, so that the PHASE signal as shown in FIG. 7E is obtained. As a result, the inverting signal W becomes a signal as shown in FIG. 7F which is the PHASE signal delayed a fixed time. The common electrode select signals d0 through d3 are applied to the common electrode drive signal generator circuit of FIG. 5, thereby forming the common electrode drive signals COM0 to COM3 as shown in FIGS. 7G through 7J.
FIG. 2 shows another example of a prior art liquid crystal drive circuit. In this example four shift registers 1.sub.0 to 1.sub.3 are connected in a cascade fashion. Multiplexers 4.sub.0 through 4.sub.3 are provided so as to write data of 4 bits from the CPU to the shift registers 1.sub.0 to 1.sub.3. One-bit signals are applied to each of the input terminals of these multiplexers 4.sub.0 through 4.sub.3. The output signals from the shift register 1.sub.3 are applied to the other input terminal of the multiplexer 4.sub.0 ; the output signal from the shift register 1.sub.2 to the other input terminal of the multiplexer 4.sub.1 ; the output signal from the shift register 1.sub.1 to the other input terminal of the multiplexer 4.sub.2 through the inverter 2; the output signal from the shift register 1.sub.0 to the other input terminal of the multiplexer 4.sub.3.
The shift register 1.sub.0 is connected through the latch/driver circuit 5 to the liquid crystal display unit 6. The fundamental clock signal .phi.T is applied to the shift registers 1.sub.0 through 1.sub.3 and the clock signal .phi.L is supplied to the latch/driver circuit 5. The common electrode drive signals COM0 to COM3 are applied from the common electrode drive signal generator 7 to the liquid crystal display 6. A control signal al for selecting the data from the CPU or the data from the shift registers 1.sub.0 through 1.sub.3 is applied to the multiplexers 4.sub.0 to 4.sub.3.
FIG. 8 is a block diagram illustrating an interconnection of the liquid crystal drive circuit shown in FIG. 2 with a microcomputer (CPU) 31 for supplying display data to the liquid crystal drive circuit. In the figure, the common electrode drive signal generator 32 transfers a display data transfer ready signal l shown in FIG. 10G to the CPU 31 and a transfer data inverting control signal K to the multiplexer 33. Further, the circuit 32 transfers the common electrode drive signals COM0 to COM3 to the liquid crystal (LC) display 6, through transfer lines 35.
FIG. 9A illustrates a figure including eight segments a to h of a digit used in the display unit 6. FIG. 9B shows a format of a segment specifying buffer containing fields for specifying the data representing the segments of the figure shown in FIG. 9A. Since the present examples use a 4-bit microprocessor, two stages of 4-bit segment specifying buffer are used for specifying the 8-segment data. As shown, bit 0 corresponds to the common electrode drive signal COM0; bit 1 to the drive signal COM1; bit 2 to the drive signal COM2; bit 3 to the drive signal COM3.
As shown in FIGS. 10A to 10J, when the common electrode select signals d0 to d2 are at low level and the select signal d3 is at high level, the data transfer ready signal l shown in FIG. 10G is at high level. As a result, the data transfer signal as shown in FIG. 10I is produced. The CPU 31 acknowledges the reception of the transfer ready signal l, and at the time of the high level of the signal d3, transfers the data corresponding to the signal COM0 to the shift register 1.sub.0, the data corresponding to the signal COM1 to the shift register 1.sub.2, the data corresponding to the signal COM2 to the shift register 1.sub.2, and the data corresponding to the signal COM3 to the shift register 1.sub.1. Thus, in the prior liquid crystal drive circuit, a fixed timing relationship is established between the common electrode drive signals COM0 to COM3 and the transfer data. This fixed timing relationship frequently hinders correct LC display operation. In other words, there is poor flexibility in setting up the transfer timing of the display data. Therefore, when the frame frequency shown in FIG. 10A is 100 Hz, the CPU must wait a maximum of 10 ms till data transfer is permitted. | {
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The present disclosure generally relates to emissive electrodes and methods of manufacture. In particular, the present disclosure generally relates to emissive electrodes comprising a barium neodymium oxide, lamps comprising same, and methods of manufacture.
There are a number of known methods and types of light sources or lamps. One type of fluorescent lamp is based on ionization of gaseous mercury held at low pressures, usually in the presence of a noble gas fill within an electrode discharge space, to generate UV and/or visible light. Traditionally, mercury-containing fluorescent lamps have been widely used because of their excellent efficiency and good color rendering. Recently, though there are attempts to replace mercury fluorescent lamps by new designs because of the perceived adverse environmental effect of mercury.
Newer methods have been proposed to either replace mercury with other environmental friendly chemicals or to decrease Hg concentration. One method of preparing an essentially mercury-free fluorescent lamp typically utilizes a mixture of gallium halides and/or gallium metal. Other metals and mixtures now employed comprise, e.g., zinc and/or indium, and their iodides and/or chlorides. It is believed that these metal halides offer advantages in that the reasonable vapor pressure of the metal halides can enhance the relatively low vapor pressure of metals in the temperature range of 20-200° C. In operation, these metal halides are excited and either emit UV/visible photons or chemically decompose upon the excitation energy. Furthermore, their products of decomposition emit their characteristic UV/visible spectra in the discharge. It is believed that, during lamp operation and between operation periods, there are metal halides, metal atoms, and halogen molecules/atoms in the gas phase of the lamp.
However, unfavorable interactions have been observed between the different lamp parts (e.g., glass envelope, lead wires, or emissive mixtures, etc.) and the ionized “halide plasma”, which contains many chemically strongly reactive species. Such unfavorable chemical interactions have resulted in the formation of colored precipitates on envelope walls, and evaporation of components of the emissive mixtures leads to reduced lamp lifetime. Colored deposits on envelope walls also can decrease light output by its own absorption and can chemically bind the dosed metal and/or halide. Furthermore, in discharge lamps, hot spot temperature can reach 1000-1200° C., and a tungsten wire filament itself can reach 600-700° C., both of which can result in a slow evaporation of components of the emissive mixture material. For instance, a key limiting fact in the use of known Ba/Ca/Sr triple oxides/carbonates emissive mixtures in such systems, is evaporation of Ba. In such mixtures, a relatively high Ba content is applied because of its work function-lowering effect; yet, Ba starts to evaporate at a lower temperature than the other components.
Therefore, despite the efforts described, there remains a need to develop improved emissive materials having lessened chemical interactions between the emissive mixture and the gaseous environments in lamps, and decreased evaporation of components of the emissive mixture. | {
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The present invention relates to a method of control, and more particularly, to a method of real time control of a plurality of power output apparatus for providing a demanded quantity of desired output power at optimal cost versus the fuels used, the fuel including waste fuels.
There is a type of boiler used for the generation of steam called a "hog fuel boiler" which burns items for fuel such as bark, peanut shells, and sometimes used in conjunction with gas or other common fuels to insure that the total fuel mixtures burns better. Oftentimes however, plants have bark stored in storage yards, and a steady influx of bark to the plant. Also bark is being drawn from the stock pile and fed into the furnaces of the boilers.
Presently, the bark is being burned at a predetermined rate, using gas to make up the difference of fuel required to maintain a predetermined steam load.
Generally, it is known what the steam demand is going to be over a period of time (e.g., through the day) or is readily predictable. There is provided by the present invention a method for optimizing cost versus the amount of fuel used over a period of time based on expected steam demand, given that a predetermined amount of bark (i.e., waste fuel) is desired to be burned over the time period.
Thus there is provided by the present invention a method for determining the allocation of waste fuel (bark) supplied to the boilers for predetermined time intervals over the total time period. | {
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Industry and legislative initiatives have, in recent years, increasing focused on the need to reduce exhaust emissions from internal combustion engines. Industry efforts have led to the introduction of catalytic converters, particulate filters and other technologies to reduce emissions and increase fuel economy. There is a continuing advantage to keep those components in repair to ensure that the environmental goals of industry and legislatures are met during the operating life of a vehicle. Warranty issues are reduced when the vehicle is kept in repair, and environmental goals are addressed when the exhaust emissions are controlled.
The present invention relates to a method for verifying the functionality of the components of a diesel a particulate filter system.
The present invention further relates to a method to perform rationality checks on sensors in an exhaust system of a diesel engine, particularly the diesel particulate filter system, to determine whether the sensors are transmitting accurate sensor readings.
The present invention further relates to a method to perform rationality checks on the sensors in a diesel particulate filter system to determine whether they are transmitting accurate data signals and that the exhaust system is in compliance with emissions requirements. If the sensors are determined to be inaccurate, a fault is logged in the engine control unit and a warning indicator may be activated alerting the operator of the need to service the vehicle. | {
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1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a wafer, and more particularly to a wafer having a common spare through silicon via (TSV) and a method of improving a yield rate thereof.
2. Background
In a through silicon via (TSV) technique, a hole is first drilled on a wafer by etching or laser, then a conductive material is filled into the hole to connect a circuit. Next, the wafer or a die is thinned for stacking and bonding. The TSV technique is adopted as a stacking technique for signal transmission between wafers.
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a TSV of a conventional wafer. Referring to FIG. 1, in a cross-sectional view, a circuit unit 101 inside a wafer 100 is coupled to a TSV 102 and a pad 105 via a front metal FM of the wafer 100. Moreover, the circuit unit 101 is also coupled to a pad 104 via the front metal FM of the wafer 100, the TSV 102, and a back metal BM of the wafer 100. The circuit unit 101 is capable of transmitting signals with circuit units (not shown) inside wafers of upper and lower layers via the TSV 102 and the pads 104 and 105. Therefore, a die stack is achieved using the TSV technique.
However, the die stack using the TSV technique for three-dimensional integration has a higher throughput in a wafer-to-wafer process than other processes in a bonding method. A yield of the die stack not only depends on a quality of the wafer itself, but is also closely related to the TSV technique. Although the yield product of the die stack can be enhanced by operating various techniques, such as improving system defects or selecting known good dies (KGDs) with smaller location differences, the last obstacle still regards to the yield of the TSV technique.
Comparing to through holes connecting every metal layer inside the wafer, the TSV needs to penetrate a substrate of the wafer, thus has a deeper depth and a higher failure rate.
In addition, a function of the TSV is generally categorized into four types: signal transmission, power delivery, thermal conduction, and input/output port connection. Inherent design demands of the latter three types include an application of a plurality of (more than one) bonds or a preference of adopting a TSV with a greater diameter, thus have small effects on the yield and reliability. However, the TSV for signal transmission does not have the same design demands. The TSV for signal transmission have higher interconnection density, so the yield of the die stack is easily affected by the yield thereof. Hence, the yield needs to be improved by laying out spare TSVs.
It should be noted that the diameter of the TSV ranges from few micrometers to tens of micrometers. Comparing to the semiconductor process technique with a nanometer scale, the diameter of the TSV is obviously much greater. Since failures happen randomly, it is necessary for every normal TSV to have a spare. As a result, the yield is increased and the reliability is enhanced, but an area of the wafer is increased as well. Nevertheless, in the numerous TSVs, only a few would fail and require repairment. When the spare TSVs are not being used, they are redundancies that occupy the wafer area. If only a portion of the TSVs are provided with the spare TSVs, an overall yield is still affected by the failure rate of a portion of the TSVs not provided with the spare TSVs.
FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating a TSV of another conventional wafer with a spare TSV 203. Referring to FIG. 2, a wafer 200 applies a one-to-one sparing manner, so that the spare TSV 203 is added beside each normal TSV 202. A circuit unit 201 is coupled to the TSV 202 and the spare TSV 203 via a front metal FM of the wafer 200. Besides, the circuit unit 201 is also coupled to a back metal BM of the wafer 200 via the front metal FM of the wafer 200, the TSV 202, and the spare TSV 203. | {
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The invention relates to a dosing mechanism for an injection device, by means of which a preferably liquid product, in particular a medicament, can be administered or discharged. In particular, the invention also relates to an injection device comprising such a dosing mechanism. By means of the dosing mechanism, a dose to be administered can be set. The dosing mechanism can be part of a drive mechanism, so that it can preferably also be a dosing and drive mechanism. The mechanism can prevent the setting of a dose, which, for example, exceeds the quantity of a product to be administered in a product container of the injection device.
The term “medicament” here covers any free-flowing medicinal formulation that is suitable for controlled administration through a means such as, for example, a cannula or a hollow needle, comprising, for example, a liquid, a solution, a gel or a fine suspension containing one or more medicinal active substances. A medicament can be a composition with a single active ingredient or a premixed or co-formulated composition with several active ingredients from a single container. Medicaments include drugs such as peptides (for example, insulin, insulin-containing medicaments, GLP-1-containing as well as derived or analogous preparations), proteins and hormones, biologically obtained or biologically active ingredients, active ingredients based on hormones or genes, nutrient formulations, enzymes, and other substances both in solid (suspended) or liquid form, but also polysaccharides, vaccines, DNA or RNA or oligonucleotides, antibodies or parts of antibodies as well as suitable base, auxiliary and carrier substances.
In particular, the invention relates to a dosing mechanism that prevents the setting of a dose to be administered higher than a predetermined value. Thus, the setting of a dose can be prevented even when sufficient quantities for further injections are still present in the product container. As a result, it is advantageously possible to predetermine a desired dischargeable product quantity by means of the device and not by way of the total quantity contained in the product container.
From the prior art, numerous dosing mechanisms are known, which prevent the setting of a dose exceeding the medicament quantity in a reservoir of an injection device.
By means of injection devices known from the prior art, product doses can be set with a dosing mechanism and subsequently discharged from the product container. The case can occur in which a larger dose was set with a dose-setting element than can be discharged from the product container, since the product container contains a smaller product quantity than the dose that had been set. This can lead to the discharge of less product than had been set, which, depending on the discrepancy, can lead to varying degrees of problems for the patient.
For example, in the published, unexamined application WO 2004/078226 A2, a drive mechanism for drug administration apparatuses is described. This drive mechanism contains a housing, a dose-setting sleeve and a two-part piston rod. In an embodiment, a drive sleeve extends downward along an inner portion of the piston rod, when a dose is selected. The distance covered here corresponds to the discharge stroke of the piston needed for the dose. If a subsequent dose is selected, the drive sleeve continues to move along the piston rod. The position of the drive sleeve thus corresponds to the medicament quantity still contained in the cartridge. When the drive sleeve then reaches the end of a thread pitch on the inner portion of the piston rod and as a result cannot rotate further, this corresponds to an empty cartridge.
Another example is described in the published, unexamined application U.S. Pat. No. 6,582,404 B1, which shows a limitation mechanism for drug administration apparatuses, which prevents the setting of a dose that exceeds the residue remaining in the cartridge. The administration device has a dose-setting element, which, when a dose is set by turning relative to a driver, is moved away from a fixed abutment.
The dose-setting element is connected here to the driver in such a manner that it can be turned in a direction without also moving said driver. The dose is administered by turning the dose-setting element back, and the dose-setting element then also moves the driver. The turning driver causes a discharge movement of the piston rod. The driver is connected to a track whose length corresponds to the medicament quantity nominally contained in the cartridge. In this track, a track follower runs, which is connected to the dose-setting element. Each time a dose is selected, the track follower continues to move in the track. When the track follower has reached the end of the track, the dose-setting device cannot be turned further, and a dose-setting higher than the residue still remaining in the cartridge is prevented.
Another example of such an apparatus is described in EP 0 554 996 A1 and shows an injection device for administering liquid such as insulin into body tissues. This injection device contains a dose-setting mechanism, which has a units counter ring and a tens counter ring. A transmission member is provided in order to selectively couple the units counter ring to the tens counter ring, so that they turn together only in selected sections during the dose setting. The dose set is indicated by means of numbers on the rings. Furthermore, the injection device comprises a dose limiting mechanism, which limits the movement of a guide spindle for the provided piston movement in the cartridge, wherein protuberances in the plunger reach the end of grooves along the guide spindle and prevent further movement. The dose limiting mechanism is provided separately from the dose-setting mechanism.
Finally, WO 2006/086983 A1 shows an example of a dose-setting device for self-injection apparatuses with a dose limiting mechanism, which comprises two turning parts, wherein the first part turns continuously during the setting of a dose, and, after a certain rotation position has been reached, the second part in each case also turns in some sections via a selective coupling device. The result is that the second part turns discontinuously over a smaller angle than the first part. The turning of the second part is then limited by an abutment fixed to the housing, which prevents a dose-setting higher than the residue still remaining in the cartridge.
From WO 2010/149209 A1, an injection device is known, which comprises a dose-setting device and coupled to the latter an element, which, during a dose setting, can be rotated relative to another, second element and, which, during a dose discharge, is fixed in rotation relative to the second element. The first element and the second element are connected via a coupling member, which can be spherical, annular, nut-shaped or segment-shaped, for example. Furthermore, a stop abutment is provided, wherein, during a dose setting, the coupling member executes a movement to a stop position, wherein, in the stop position, the coupling element prevents the setting of a dose.
WO 2013/170392 A1 describes a dosing mechanism, which prevents the setting of a dose to be administered above a predetermined value in a reliable and space-saving manner. For this purpose, during the dose setting, a first and a second stop means can run in each case through a path. The paths described by the first and second stop means are self-enclosed and can be run through repeatedly by the first stop means and/or second stop means until, at the stop position, the stop means come in mutual abutment, as a result of which, during the dosing movement, a blocking of the movement of the limiting means relative to one another is achieved. | {
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Dental handpieces for use for drilling, burnishing and other dental operations are widely used today with high speed rotation of a tool held in a head of a dental handpiece by a chuck. Dental handpieces widely used today employ bearing systems that utilize expensive precision rolling element bearings that are subject to wear, cause damaging high frequency noise and require frequent lubrication. The ongoing wear process requires that the user frequently send handpieces out for repair or rebuilding. This requires the user to have a multiplicity of handpieces available to continue dental practice as faulty units are being repaired or rebuilt. The requirement for lubrication of rolling element bearings after any autoclave and/or cleaning process is counter to the requirement that the tooth preparation surface be impeccably clean and oil free in order for dental preparations to adhere to the tooth surface. | {
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The image resolution that can be achieved from conventional infrared focal plane arrays (IR FPA), even with the most favorable optics, are generally limited by the pixel pitch. In the most advanced conventional FPAs, the smallest pixel pitch dimensions are 12 microns for mid wavelength (MW) IR with a nominal cutoff wavelength of 5 microns. In the long wavelength (LW) IR bands with cutoff wavelengths of around 10 microns, the smallest pixel pitch observed by the applicant for conventional FPAs is 15 microns.
To enhance and further optimize image resolution, the pixel pitch of an FPA for an imaging device or photodetector needs to be comparable to the wavelength of radiation being detected. Among the primary limitations in reducing the pixel pitch of conventional imaging devices or photodetectors are the architecture of the FPA and associated readout circuit contacts and the fabrication technique for electrical interconnection of the FPA to the unit cells of the associated readout circuit. These limitations are especially compelling for the shorter wavelength IR bands with cutoff wavelengths of 2.5 microns or less.
Using high density vertically integrated photodiode (HDVIP®, a trademark of DRS Technologies, Inc.) architecture, a pixel pitch as small as 6 microns and via diameters as small as 2 microns are practically feasible. With these dimensions, fill factors of approximately 90% may be realized. FIG. 1 shows the variation in fill factor versus pixel pitch for an FPA implementing pixels with HDVIP® architecture and having one of three different values of via diameters. As shown in FIG. 1, for smaller pixel pitches (e.g., less than 6 microns), the fill factor drops rapidly even for a via diameter of 2 microns and, thus, compromises the overall photodetector performance.
There is therefore a need for an FPA with associated readout circuit contact architectures and fabrication techniques that enables the realization of imaging devices with pixel pitches approaching the wavelength of radiation to be detected without compromising the fill factor of each photodetector. This is especially a stressing requirement for the short wavelength or SWIR spectral band with cutoff wavelengths ≦2.5 microns. In addition to image resolution, smaller pixel pitch IR FPAs enable reduced size of optics, reduced cooling requirements, which in turn leads to a smaller package, lower power consumption and reduced overall weight. | {
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In wavelength division multiplexed (WDM) optical communication systems, a number of different optical carrier wavelengths are separately modulated with data to produce modulated optical signals. The modulated optical signals are combined into an aggregate signal and transmitted over an optical transmission path to a receiver. The receiver detects and demodulates the data.
One data modulation scheme used in optical communication systems is phase-shift keying (PSK). In a PSK modulation scheme, the phase of an optical carrier is modulated such that the phase or phase transition of the optical carrier represents symbols encoding one or more bits. A variety of PSK schemes are well-known. In a binary phase-shift keying (BPSK) modulation scheme, for example, two phases may be used to represent 1 bit per symbol. In a quadrature phase-shift keying (QPSK) modulation scheme, four phases may be used to encode 2 bits per symbol. Other phase shift keying formats include differential phase shift keying (DPSK) formats and variations of phase shift keying and differential phase shift keying formats, such as return-to-zero DPSK (RZ-DPSK).
Polarization multiplexing (POLMUX) may be implemented with a PSK modulation format to double the spectral efficiency of the format. In a POLMUX format, two relatively orthogonal states of polarization of the optical carrier are separately modulated with data, e.g. using a PSK modulation format, and then combined for transmission. For example, in a POLMUX-QPSK signal, orthogonal polarizations of the same optical carrier are modulated with different data streams using a QPSK modulation format.
During transmission of the modulated signals over the transmission path, non-linearities in the path may introduce transmission impairments, such as chromatic dispersion (CD), polarization mode dispersion (PMD) and polarization dependent loss (PDL), into the signals. In general, chromatic dispersion is a differential delay in propagation of different wavelengths through the transmission path, and polarization mode dispersion is a differential delay in propagation of different polarizations through the transmission path. Polarization dependent loss is a differential attenuation for different polarizations through an optical path.
At the receiver, coherent detection with polarization diversity may be used to detect POLMUX-PSK modulated optical signals. In the coherent receiver, the incoming signal from the transmission path has an arbitrary state of polarization (SOP) that is separated into linear x- and y-polarization components with a polarization beam splitter (PBS) and each of the components is mixed with a linearly polarized local oscillator (LO) to measure the complex amplitudes of the x- and y-components. However, in a POLMUX system, each of the outputs of the polarization-diversity coherent receiver includes both of the polarizations on which data is modulated, i.e. the electrical output of the receiver is still polarization multiplexed.
Digital signal processing (DSP) may be applied to the outputs of the coherent receiver to de-multiplex the POLMUX signals, compensate for transmission impairments such as PMD, PDL and other residual impairments, and demodulate the data. It is known to perform polarization de-multiplexing in DSP using a two-by-two matrix and a constant modulus algorithm (CMA). In general, the CMA uses the assumption that the signal has a constant modulus (i.e. amplitude for a PSK signal) to filter the digitized versions of signals using the input to the CMA and feedback from the output of the CMA to provide outputs representing the data modulated on each of the respective data modulated polarizations of the transmitted signals.
One known disadvantage of using a CMA in this application is that the outputs of the CMA may converge together, even though the inputs to the CMA are different. This convergence is sometimes referred to as the “singularity problem.” A discussion of CMA convergence is discussed, for example, in Performance Analysis of Polarization Demultiplexing Based on Constant-Modulus Algorithm in Digital Coherent Receivers by Kikuchi, published in Optics Express, vol. 19, No. 10, pp 9868-9880, May 9, 2011, which indicates that convergence can be avoided by applying unitary constraint in the CMA. Unfortunately, applying a unitary constraint in the CMA results in a performance penalty, especially with the presence of PDL and high order PMD. | {
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There continues to be a demand for a higher degree of integration for electronic devices that mount semiconductor devices. To meet such goals, there has been a corresponding demand for the reduction in the size of individual semiconductor device packages. One type of semiconductor device package that has been proposed is the “chip size package (CSP)”.
FIG. 12 shows a semiconductor device disclosed in U.S. Patent Application Publication 2001/00048116 A1. In this device, a metal plate is provided that is slightly larger than a semiconductor chip 101. The metal plate is processed to have a dish-like shape (e.g., a recessed portion) and the semiconductor chip 101 is mounted in a concave portion 111 of the metal plate (hereinafter referred to as metal base 110).
A semiconductor chip 101 in this example is a metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) transistor chip. A drain electrode (not shown) is formed on the rear surface of the semiconductor chip 101 and is fixed directly to the bottom surface of the concave portion 111. The space surrounding the semiconductor chip 101 in the concave portion 111 is filled with a resin 113 for sealing. A gate electrode 107 and a source electrode 108 are formed on the surface of the semiconductor chip 101 to be coplanar with the surface of the metal base 110. Regions within a peripheral portion 112 on the surface of the metal base 110 serve as drain connection electrodes 115.
The semiconductor device is mounted face down onto a mounting substrate (not shown in the drawing) so that drain connection electrodes 115 in peripheral portions 112 of metal base 110 are connected to drain connection electrode pad portion provided on the mounting substrate. At the same time, the gate electrode 107 and source electrode 108 are connected to a gate electrode pad portion and source electrode pad portion (also not shown in the drawing).
The above publication also proposes, as shown in FIG. 13(a), a structure in which a concave portion 121 is formed leaving portions 122 on both sides of a metal base 120. The surfaces of both side portions 122 are used as drain electrodes 125. In addition, as shown in FIG. 13(b), the publication shows a structure in which, instead of both side portions, one side portion 132 of a metal base 130 is left to form a concave portion 131. Grooves 133, as deep as the entire thickness of the metal base 130, are formed in several locations along the length of the one side portion 132. The surfaces of the regions separated by grooves 133 are used as drain electrodes 135.
A technique similar to the one shown in FIG. 13(a) is disclosed in Japanese publication 08-78657 A (the illustration of which is not included herein). In this technique, a concave portion is formed leaving both side portions. A semiconductor chip is mounted in the concave portion. The device is mounted face down, with the surfaces of both side portions being coplanar with electrodes on the surface of the semiconductor chip.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,133,634 discloses a semiconductor device that is almost identical to the semiconductor device shown in FIG. 14. In this semiconductor device, a metal base 140 receives press work, or the like, to form a concave portion 141 and leaving a peripheral portion 142. A semiconductor chip 101 is fixed in the concave portion 141. The surface of the peripheral portion 142 of the metal base 140 is substantially coplanar with electrodes 102 that are formed on the semiconductor chip 101. Solder balls 103 are formed on the surface of the peripheral portion 142 and on the electrodes 102 on the surface of the semiconductor chip 101. This device is mounted face down.
In the above conventional devices, the metal base is slightly larger in surface area than the semiconductor chip, and the total thickness is the sum of the thickness of the semiconductor device and the thickness of the metal base (at the bottom of a concave portion). Furthermore, there is no need to bond a metal wire, or the like, to the semiconductor device, and resin is not necessary for sealing the package. This makes it possible to reduce the size and thickness of a semiconductor device chip holding package. Further, such a relatively simple structure can be easy to manufacture. Another advantage can be heat dissipation. When such structures are mounted, the metal base can function as a heat sink, thereby dissipating heat.
However, inspections by the inventors of the present invention are believed to show latent problems inherent in the above structures. In a device in which a concave portion is formed that leaves a peripheral portion of a metal base, such as that of FIGS. 12 and 14, such a concave portion is obtained through press work or etching of the metal base. Finishing a device with such a relatively complicated process can make it difficult to form a desired shape with a high degree of precision. Thus, such metal base forming techniques present an obstacle to cost reduction. The semiconductor devices shown in FIGS. 13(a) and 13(b) are superior in this regard (i.e., size and/or cost reduction), because both side portions (or one side portion) can be formed by bending or cutting. Thus, achieving higher processing precision can be relatively easy. Additionally, such approaches can have improved heat dissipation capabilities and improved mechanical strength, despite being smaller and/or thinner.
However, in a semiconductor device like that of FIG. 13(a), a drain connection electrode 125 has a larger area than the gate electrode 107 and source electrode 108, because the side portions 122 of metal base 120 have flat surfaces and the entirety of the flat surfaces are used to form the drain connection electrode 125. This means that when the device is mounted face down, the heat capacity of the drain connection electrode 125 is larger than that of the gate electrode 107 and source electrode 108. Therefore, it can be necessary to supply a larger amount of solder to drain connection electrodes 125 than the solder amount for gate electrode 107 and source electrode 108 when mounting the device to a mounting substrate with solder. As a result, the solder density on the mounting substrate can be uneven. Further, heat capacitance of the solder is irregular.
Accordingly, higher temperatures at the drain electrodes 125 can be necessary during a solder reflow step, and such a higher temperature can bring thermal damage to a part of the semiconductor device. In particular, damage may occur at a portion where the semiconductor chip is connected to the metal base. Further, such higher temperatures can reduce the reliability of a connection to gate electrode 107 and source electrode 108 when the solder amount is low. This can ultimately lower the reliability of the mounting.
Another drawback to an approach like that of FIG. 13(a) can be the substantially coplanar arrangement of the drain connection electrodes 125 with the surfaces of the gate electrode 107 and the source electrode 108. When the semiconductor device is mounted face down onto the mounting substrate, the gate electrode 107 and source electrode 108 can collide against the surface of the mounting substrate, and cause mechanical damage to such electrodes and/or to other parts of the semiconductor chip 101.
It is noted that the semiconductor devices like those shown in FIGS. 12 and 14 can be subject to the same above drawbacks, as the drain connection electrodes for such structures like that of FIG. 13(a).
Similarly, the semiconductor device shown in FIG. 13(b) includes a drain connection electrode 135 having a larger area than a gate electrode or source electrode. The device thus suffers from similar problems, including varying solder amounts, arising from variances in heat capacity, accompanying thermal damage, and lowered reliability in a solder connection.
If drain connection electrodes 135 are reduced in area, heat capacity of the individual drain connection electrodes during a mounting process can be reduced, and can address the above drawbacks. However, drain connection electrodes 135 are in regions separated by grooves 133 as deep as the entire metal base 130. Thus, in order to separate drain connection electrodes 135, each of the drain connection electrodes 135 would be cantilevered with respect to the metal base 130. This can lower the mechanical strength of the drain connection electrodes 135 and weakens the metal base supporting strength when the device is mounted on the mounting substrate. Thus, such a modification can present another factor to lower the mounting reliability.
Still further, like the device of FIG. 13(a), in the device of FIG. 13(b) drain connection electrodes 135 can have a surface essentially level with that of the gate electrode 107 and source electrode 108. Thus, an approach like that of FIG. 13(b) can also suffer from mechanical damage when mounting takes place.
In light of the above, it would be desirable to arrive at a semiconductor device having an improved mounting reliability with respect to conventional approaches. In particular, it would be desirable to arrive at such a result by improving soldering upon mounting such a device. | {
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The present invention relates to image processing systems and methods and, more particularly, to image registration systems that combine two or more images into a composite image. The present invention finds particular application in the field of medical imaging, however, it will be appreciated that the present invention is also applicable to other types of imaging systems in which multiple images are correlated and :combined into a composite image.
The acquisition of volume images via a variety of imaging modalities is well known in the medical field. Such modalities include, for example, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques, x-ray computed tomography (CT), nuclear imaging techniques such as positron emission tomography (PET) and single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), ultrasound, and so forth. Volume images so acquired are typically stored digitally, e.g., in a computer memory, as arrays of voxel values. Each voxel is associated with a location in 3D space (e.g., x, y, and z coordinates), and is assigned a color value, typically a gray scale intensity value.
Image fusion, or the combination of multiple associated images to form a composite image integrating the data therefrom, is often desirable in a clinical setting. In many cases, combined images might provide insights to the diagnostician that could not be obtained by viewing the images separately. Multi-modality image fusion is often useful since different imaging modalities provide information that tends to be complimentary in nature. For example, computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance (MR) imaging primarily provide anatomic or structural information while single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) and positron emission tomography (PET) provide functional and metabolic information. The combination of a functional or metabolic image with a structural or anatomical image aids in localizing the functional image, thus improving diagnostic accuracy. For example, in the area of oncology, precise positioning of localization of functional images enables a clinician to assess lesion progression and/or treatment effectiveness. Also, such diagnostic studies are used in surgical and/or radiotherapeutic planning, where precise positioning is necessary to minimize the effect on healthy cells surrounding the target cells. It is also desirable at times to combine images from the same modality. For example, it may be desirable to combine the results of multiple MR scans, such as an MR angiograph, a contrast-enhanced MR image, or a functional MRI (fMRI) image, with another MR image, such as an anatomical MR image.
For the meaningful integration of data from multiple images, it is important that the images be properly registered. Image registration involves bringing the images into spatial alignment such that they are unambiguously linked together. A number of image registration techniques are known in the art.
One image registration technique requires that an individual with expertise in the structure of the object represented in the images label a set of landmarks in each of the images that are to be registered. The two images are then registered by relying on a known relationship among the landmarks in the two images. One limitation of this approach to image registration is that the registration accuracy depends on the number and location of landmarks selected. Selecting too few landmarks may result in an inaccurate registration. Selecting too many landmarks does not necessarily guarantee accurate registration, but it does increase the computational complexity of registration. Also, the manual operations required are time consuming. Furthermore, it is not always possible to identify appropriate structural landmarks in all images.
Recently, two different imaging modalities have been combined in a single imaging device. This integrated hardware approach to image registration is a less than optimal solution to the problem of image registration due to cost and logistical reasons. In many cases, hardware registration is impractical or impossible and one must rely on software-based registration techniques. For example, such a hardware approach is not applicable to the registration of images acquired at different times or from different subjects, e.g., when monitoring treatment effectiveness over time, or for applications involving inter-subject or atlas comparisons. Software registration would also be necessary in some cases, even if a hardware-based approach to registration is used. For example, software registration would be needed for the correction of motion that occurs between sequential scans taken on the same machine, such as transmission and emission scans in PET and SPECT, and for the positioning of patients with respect to previously determined treatment plans.
In recent years, full volume-based registration algorithms have become popular since they do not rely on data reduction, require no segmentation, and involve little or no user interaction. More importantly, they can be fully automated and provide quantitative assessment of registration results. Entropy-based algorithms, the mutual information approach in particular, are among the most prominent of the full volume-based registration algorithms. Most of these algorithms optimize some objective function that relates the image data from two modalities. However, these techniques are limited because they lack a systematic way of taking into account a priori knowledge of the image pairs to be registered and for combining multiple prior estimations.
Cross-entropy (CE), also known as relative entropy and Kullback-Leibler distance, is a measure quantifying the difference between two probability density functions of random variables. Although cross-entropy has been applied to areas including spectral analysis, image reconstruction, biochemistry, process control, non-linear programming, and electron density estimation, among many others, cross-entropy as a measure has not heretofore been applied to image registration.
Accordingly, the present invention contemplates a new and improved image processing system and method which overcome the above-referenced problems and others.
In accordance with a first aspect, a method for registering first and second volume images, each image comprising a three-dimensional array of gray scale voxel values, is provided. One or more prior voxel value joint probability density functions are determined for the first and second images to provide a corresponding one or more prior pdf estimates. A transform defining a geometric relationship of the second image relative to the first image is selected and a measure of the cross-entropy for the selected geometric relationship is calculated using the one or more prior pdf estimates. The cross-entropy calculation is then repeated in iterative fashion for a plurality of different transform until an optimal transform, corresponding to a geometric relationship providing an optimized measure of the cross-entropy, is calculated.
In another aspect, an image processing system for registering first and second volumetric images includes a registration processor and associated memory for storing a plurality of volumetric image representations to be registered, the registration processor (1) determining one or more prior joint probability density functions for the first and second images to provide a corresponding one or more prior probability density function (pdf) estimates; (2) calculating a measure of the cross-entropy for a plurality of geometric relationships between the first and second images using the one or more prior pdf estimates; and (3) optimizing the measure of the cross-entropy to find an optimal transform defining a geometric relationship between the first and second images. The image processing system further includes a memory coupled to the registration processor for storing parameters representative of the optimal transform and a display system for forming a composite image representation from the first and second images.
In another aspect, a computer readable medium having contents for causing a computer-based information handling system to perform steps for registering a first volumetric image and a second volumetric image, the steps comprising: determining one or more prior joint probability density functions for the first and second images to provide a corresponding one or more prior probability density function (pdf) estimates; selecting a first transform defining a geometric relationship of the second image relative to the first image; calculating a measure of the cross-entropy for the geometric relationship using the one or more prior pdf estimates; selecting a different transform defining a geometric relationship of the second image relative to the first image; and iteratively repeating the steps of calculating a measure of their cross-entropy and selecting a different transform until an optimal transform corresponding to a geometric relationship providing an optimized measure of the cross-entropy is calculated.
One advantage of the present invention is that it does not use data reduction and requires no segmentation or user interactions.
Another advantage of the present invention is that it provides flexibility in the number and kinds of prior probability density function estimations that can be used.
Another advantage of the present invention is that its accuracy and robustness are comparable to, and in some cases better than, prior art techniques.
Still further advantages and benefits of the present invention will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon reading and understanding the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments. | {
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A. Field Of The Invention.
The present invention relates to gauges used to measure the level of fuel in a fuel tank where the tank contains a gas/oil mixture. The gauge of the present invention provides information relating to how to refill such a tank with a specified gas/oil mixture of fuel.
B. Description Of The Art.
Various engines use a mixture of gas and oil as their fuel. For example, engines in lawn mowers, snow blowers, outboards, motorcycles, tractors, chain saws and golf carts often use a 50:1 gas/oil fuel. With such ratios, relatively small errors in mixing gas and oil can affect engine performance and wear. Further, even where the gas and oil are correctly mixed it is difficult to correctly estimate the amount of fuel required to fill the tank.
In practice, greater than the needed amount of fuel is often mixed and the excess must then be separately stored (thereby creating a safety hazard and/or taking up space) or wasted. Moreover, the typical means of mixing the fuel involves using a separate mixing container. This leads to waste (as well as to pollution problems if the mixing container is cleaned out).
Purchasing a commercially mixed gas/oil fuel is a possibility, but this leads to storage problems and to a lack of flexibility where different engines use different ratio fuel. More importantly, consumers often prefer to be able to mix the fuel from readily available supplies of gas (which many consumers store anyway for use with their automobile).
The art has developed a fuel tank dip stick which has along its side a conversion scale to provide information as to the amount of oil to be added prior to refilling the tank with gas. While this system is an improvement, it has its own problems. For example, the user should preferably wipe off the dip stick to obtain the most accurate reading, with the resulting undesirable residue on the wiping cloth. Further, differences in fuel viscosity, the manner that the dip stick is pulled out and inserted, and splashing can lead to inaccuracies. Also, the system is awkward and requires the user to leave the tank open longer than necessary while reading the dip stick. This is of concern from an air pollution standpoint.
It can therefore be seen that a need has existed for an improved means for filling a tank with a selected gas/oil ratio fuel mixture. | {
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1. Technical Field
The present invention relates generally to a method, system, and computer program product for memory management. More particularly, the present invention relates to a method, system, and computer program product for improving memory utilization of sparse pages.
2. Description of the Related Art
Data processing systems include memory devices for storing, processing, and moving data. A memory device, or physical memory, is generally a physical component of a data processing system configured to store data. Overall memory in a data processing system may also include logical components, such as a space on a hard disk designated to be used as a part of the system's memory.
A data processing system includes a set amount space in the physical memory. An operating system allows applications, processes, and threads (collectively, process) to access a portion of that physical memory for performing their functions.
Physical memory is addressed using physical addresses that point at locations in the physical memory. The physical addresses belong to a physical address space configured in the data processing system. A virtual address is an address that has to be mapped to a physical address to access the data stored in the location corresponding to the physical address.
A process executing in the data processing system does not reference the physical memory using physical addresses. The process can only use virtual addresses from a virtual address space that is specified and configured for use by the process. Other processes similarly use virtual addresses from other virtual address spaces to access physical memory.
The virtual address to physical address mapping allows an operating system, or a memory management subsystem thereof, to offer more memory in virtual form to the processes that execute in the data processing system than is physically available in the data processing system. Furthermore, the virtual address to physical address mapping allows an operating system, or a memory management subsystem thereof, to share some memory space amongst processes where the processes share common data, and keep the processes' individual data separate from other processes.
A page-size is a size of data that is read or written together into memory. When a process changes even a bit in a page, the entire page is deemed to have changed. When a process requests even a byte of data within a page the entire page has to be read from memory. If the page of the requested data is not available in memory, the memory management subsystem brings the entire page into memory from a secondary data storage unit, such as a hard disk drive, via a mechanism called page fault.
A commonly used page-size is 4 kilobytes (KB), which was established in the early days of computers, when physical memory available in computers was of the order of KB or megabytes (MB), significantly smaller than physical memories being configured in presently available computing systems. For example, presently, data processing systems having gigabytes (GB) of physical memory are commonplace, and systems with terabytes (TB) of physical memory are not uncommon. Modern operating systems allow addressing using addresses that are 64 bits long, allowing for pages that can be larger than 4 GB.
Pages or page frames of up to 4 KB are called small frames. Pages of size larger than 4 KB are called large frames. For example, some presently available data processing systems allow frames of 16 MB, which are four thousand times larger than the 4 KB small frames.
A process requests a page from a heap when the process needs memory to read or write data. A page in the heap is a virtual page. The size of virtual pages is determined by a configuration in the kernel, such as by a frame size parameter in the kernel. The virtual page maps to a physical page in physical memory via a page table. A process reads or writes data in the virtual page. The data is actually read or written in a physical page via the virtual page-physical page mapping in the page table. | {
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The present invention relates to a gas filling apparatus and method for a gas shock absorber; and, more particularly, to an apparatus and method capable of filling a gas into a base shell assembly of the gas shock absorber before calking, wherein the apparatus and method eliminate the necessity to punch a hole for filling the gas at a circumference surface of the base shell assembly.
In general, a vehicle has a suspension system so as to block a shock propagating from ground to a vehicle driver and protect a vehicle body.
The suspension system includes a spring and a gas shock absorber, wherein the spring absorbs the shock transferred from the ground and the shock absorber damps vibration generated from the spring, thereby suppressing the expansion of the spring.
As shown in FIG. 1, the gas shock absorber includes a base shell assembly 75, a rod assembly 71, a rod guide 73, and a oil seal 74, wherein the base shell assembly 75 has a cylinder structure; the rod assembly 71 is built inside the base shell assembly in order to perform a reciprocating motion, wherein the inside of the base shell assembly 75 is filled with an oil and a gas.
Meanwhile, the gas filling method in a prior art is as follows.
First of all, a hole for filling gas is formed by punching at a circumference surface of the base shell assembly 75. The oil is poured in a tube assembly and the base shell assembly 75 through the punched hole. Thereafter, the rod assembly 71 is fixed in the tube assembly and the rod guide 73 and the oil seal 74 are combined in the base shell assembly 75 and thereafter top of the base shell assembly 75 is calked by a calking device.
After completely sealing the top of the base shell assembly 75 through the calking device, the gas is filled therein through a gas filling hole. Thereafter, the gas filling hole is completely welded.
The gas filling method in the prior art, however, has an inconvenience in that the extra hole needs to be punched at the circumference surface of the base shell assembly. This has a problem in that the base shell assembly is damaged and the durability thereof is deteriorated.
To solve the problem mentioned above, a gas filling apparatus and method was suggested by the present applicant, wherein an extra hole needs not to be punched at the base shell assembly and gas is filled into the gas shock absorber through a gap located between a rod and a rod guide by using a filling jig and then top portions of the base shell assembly is calked.
However, this had a problem in that either the surface of the rod or the oil seal is damaged while the filling jig is inserted therebetween.
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a gas filling apparatus and method for the gas shock absorber in which there is no need to punch an extra hole on the base shell assembly and also a rod and an oil seal is not damaged during gas filling process.
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a gas filling apparatus for filling a gas in a base shell assembly of a shock absorber, including: an assembly location correction unit for putting a tube assembly and a rod guide at predetermined positions, respectively, in the base shell assembly by pushing a rod lifted by oil pressure filled in the base shell assembly; and a gas filling unit including a rod chucking unit, a calking jig, an oil seal pushing unit, and a jig housing, wherein the gas filling unit is capable of sealing top of the base shell assembly by calking temporarily after the gas is filled therethrough.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a gas filling method, including the steps of: correcting an assembly location of a tube assembly and a rod guide in order to fix a position thereof; clamping a base shell assembly transferred to a gas filling unit; lowering the gas filling unit primarily for sealing the top of the base shell assembly by a calking jig; lowering a rod chucking unit for entering a bolt portion of the rod in a collet; lowering a collet housing device for chucking the bolt portion of the rod by the collet; making an oil seal deviate from the top of the base shell assembly, thereby lifting the rod chucking unit; filling a gas between the oil seal and the top of the base shell assembly; lowering the gas filling unit secondarily for inserting the oil seal into the top of the base shell assembly and simultaneously, calking primarily the top of the base shell assembly by a calking projection projected on inside of the calking jig; and calking secondarily the base shell assembly calked primarily, thereafter separating it from the gas filling unit. | {
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Consider a power control system for light emitting diodes (LED) as shown in FIG. 1 (which depicts an embodiment to be discussed below). The purpose of this system is to provide controlled current for operation of the N LED strings STR denoted as 10 through 12. To this end, a multiplicity of N current sinks I1 through In denoted as 1, 2, and 3 are used to control the current through the LED strings. These current sinks may have different values, or may be operating at different times, without affecting the considerations being discussed below. A series combination of a current sink 1, a switch 4, and an LED string 10, for example, is denoted as a channel. The voltage source V1 is optimally chosen to have a value just large enough that all of the current sinks operate correctly. If the channel voltages VCH1, VCH2, through VCHn are of sufficient magnitude, the current sinks are able to control the current flowing through the associated LED string. Practical realization of the power control system is usually done by an integrated circuit as known in the state of the art, associated with a few external components.
For normal operation, all the LED strings STR1 through STRn will have similar voltage drops for the amount of sink current flowing through the strings. In this case, power dissipation in the current sinks caused by the channel voltages VCH1 through VCHn will be relatively small, giving efficient production of light output by the LEDs without wasting input power.
During normal operation, a voltage detector circuit 14 is used to determine the channel which has the minimum value of VCH, and uses that voltage to provide minimum voltage feedback to control the power source 13 for all the LEDs. In this way, the channel with the lowest value of voltage across its current sink is provided just sufficient voltage so that the current sink works correctly. All other channels have higher voltages for VCH, so their current sinks also work correctly. Normal statistical variations in the operating voltage drops of the LEDs will cause the channel voltages VCH to vary among the channels, with the lowest channel voltage controlling the power source 13 to generate an optimum voltage V1.
Operation of the LED strings begins with the channel enable signals 17 being turned on, so that a memory device in the control memory 16 associated with each LED string 10 to 12 is turned on, thereby closing the switches SW1 through SWn. When these switches are closed, current from the voltage source 13 can flow through the LED strings 10 to 12 to the current control sink circuits 1 to 3.
One objective of this disclosure is to discuss a means for performing the voltage detection in block 14 so as to find and disconnect failed LED strings, thereby preventing damage to the integrated circuit system. A further object is to provide a means for improving the power efficiency of the LED system by minimizing power dissipated, thereby reducing the total power consumed in production of a given amount of light output from the LEDs. If the integrated circuit system is dissipating excessive power as heat, this power does not contribute to the light output of the LEDs, but it will reduce the operating lifetime of a battery power source.
In an adverse operating condition, one or more of the LED strings may have one or more failed LEDs, said LED having either a larger or a smaller voltage drop than normal. If this causes the voltage across one or more channel current sinks to be too large, the power lost in the current sinks will cause excessive device heating. In this case, some means must be provided for determining which of the LED strings has the failed device and removing the string from usage.
The voltage detector 14 has several sets of outputs. The signals CHH tell which of the channel voltages VCH is the highest, signals CHL tell which of the channel voltages VCH is the lowest, and signal SNO tells whether the fault is likely to be due to an excessively high or low voltage. These signals go to a fault logic block 21, where logical combinations of the above signals are used to determine which LED channel is faulty so it can be turned off. The fault logic block 21 provides a set of outputs 15 denoted ERS, typically on separate wires, which can denote the presence of a failed LED string and assist in turning it off. These outputs are used to connect to a control memory block 16, which receives the channel enable signals 17 denoted CHEN together with a trigger signal TR on 20 and generates the control signals CHON on 18 to the switches 4 through 6 in each channel. An active CHEN signal initially turns on the current sink for an LED channel, and an active TR signal indicates that a fault is present and the power dissipation needs to be reduced. When the CHON signal is active, the corresponding LED channel is allowed to operate. If the CHON signal is not active, then the current sink for the LED channel is turned off, and the channel voltage VCH is no longer used to help control the voltage V1 of the power source 13. The control memory block typically contains a memory device for each channel, so that once a channel is recognized as having a failure, that channel can be turned off and the presence of the failure will be remembered.
Consider the case when an LED string has a device which has a large operating voltage drop, or is an open circuit, causing the corresponding channel voltage VCH to drop towards zero. The minimum voltage feedback value to the power source 13 will correspondingly fall to zero, causing the power source 13 to increase its output V1 until the minimum channel voltage is brought back to its desired value. As a result, the value of VCH for all other channels will be increased, causing the power dissipation in the current sinks of all other channels to increase. This can lead to excessive power dissipation in the overall system used to create the current sinks, damaging the integrated circuit. In the case where an open device is present, the voltage source 13 may increase its output V1 until some device in the system suffers breakdown and damage due to excessive applied voltage. This can result in catastrophic failure of the entire LED illumination system. Usually a separate, independent circuit is used to limit the voltage excursion of the voltage source 13 under these conditions to prevent catastrophic failure.
Therefore, one objective of the voltage detector 14 is to be able to determine if a large voltage drop string STR is present, and isolate it from the operation of the remainder of the system to prevent power loss, overheating, or catastrophic damage.
Now consider the case where an LED string has one or more devices which have less voltage drop than normal or even are shorted out and having no voltage drop. If a sufficient number of these devices are present in a particular string, then the corresponding current sink (1, for example) would have excessive power dissipation. If several LEDs have failed, this power dissipation can become sufficient to endanger the continued operation of the integrated circuit system. In this case the voltage detector 14 would cause the fault logic block outputs 15 to indicate which of the channels has excessive voltage VCH present at its current sink 1. The information is then used by the control memory block 16 to remember which string has the fault, and the control memory sends a signal on one of the wires 18 to turn off the switch which is associated with the failed string. As an example, if some of the LEDs in string STR1 (item 10) have less voltage drop than normal, the voltage VCH1 may cause excessive power dissipation. In this case, the voltage detector 14 would send a signal on one of the wires 15 to cause the memory device in the control memory 16 associated with switch SW1 (item 4) to turn off. The string STR1 would then not draw power or cause excessive power dissipation in current sink I1 (item 1).
Therefore another objective of the voltage detector 14 is to be able to determine if an LED string STR has less voltage drop than the remaining strings, and isolate it from the operation of the remainder of the system to prevent power loss, overheating, or catastrophic damage.
The question of whether a fault condition exists is determined by other circuitry not shown here, which may typically operate to declare a fault condition if the integrated circuit temperature becomes excessive, if the voltage VCH on any individual wire becomes more than a predetermined value, or if the power source 13 has an output voltage V1 greater than a safe value. Other criteria for presence of a fault may also be used. The purpose of the circuit discussed here is to determine without ambiguity which of the LED channels has the fault. If a fault is judged to be present, the trigger wire TR becomes active to cause the error detection and control circuitry to turn off the defective LED channel.
Determination of which channel has the fault can be done by a voltage detector with a block diagram as shown in FIG. 2, in conjunction with the fault logic which will be shown later in FIG. 7. This circuit works by determining the maximum, minimum, and average values of the active channel's VCH inputs taken as a group, and performing computations with those values to determine which of the inputs is responsible for the error. The output signals from this voltage detector are then used by the fault logic 21 and the control memory 16 to take action to turn off the faulty channel. The fault logic and control memory will be detailed separately later. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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Flexible pipe is useful in a myriad of environments, including in the oil and gas industry. Flexible pipe may be durable and operational in harsh operating conditions and can accommodate high pressures and temperatures. Flexible pipe may be bundled and arranged into one or more coils to facilitate transporting and using the pipe.
Coils of pipe may be positioned in an “eye to the side” or “eye to the sky” orientation. When the flexible pipe is coiled and is disposed with its interior channel facing upwards, such that the coil is in a horizontal orientation, then the coils of pipe are referred to as being in an “eye to the sky” orientation. If, instead, the flexible pipe is coiled and disposed such that the interior channel is not facing upwards, such that the coil is in an upright or vertical orientation, then the coils of pipe are referred to as being in an “eye to the side” orientation.
The flexible pipe may be transported as coils to various sites for deployment (also referred to as uncoiling or unspooling). Different types of devices and vehicles are currently used for loading and transporting coils of pipe, but usually extra equipment and human manual labor is also involved in the process of loading or unloading such coils for transportation and/or deployment. Such coils of pipe are often quite large and heavy. Accordingly, there exists a need for an improved method and apparatus for loading and unloading coils of pipe. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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Public venues such as shopping centres, parking lots and train stations are increasingly subject to surveillance using large-scale networks of video cameras. Application domains of large-scale video surveillance include security, safety, traffic management and business analytics. In one example application from the security domain, a security officer may want to view any video feed containing a particular suspicious person in order to identify undesirable activities. In another example from the business analytics domain, a shopping centre may wish to track customers across multiple cameras in order to build a profile of shopping habits.
A task in video surveillance is rapid and robust object matching across multiple camera views. In one example, called “hand-off”, object matching is applied to persistently track multiple objects across a first and second camera with overlapping fields of view. In another example, called “re-identification”, object matching is applied to locate a specific object of interest across multiple cameras in a network with non-overlapping fields of view. In the following discussion, the term “object matching” will be understood to refer to “hand-off”, “re-identification”, “object identification” and “object recognition”.
Robust object matching is difficult for several reasons. Firstly, many objects may have similar appearance, such as a crowd of commuters on public transport wearing similar business attire. Furthermore, the viewpoint (i.e. the orientation and distance of an object in the field of view of a camera) can vary significantly between cameras in the network. Finally, lighting, shadows and other photometric properties including focus, contrast, brightness and white balance can vary significantly between cameras and locations. In one example, a single network may simultaneously include outdoor cameras viewing objects in bright daylight, and indoor cameras viewing objects under artificial lighting. Photometric variations may be exacerbated when cameras are configured to use automatic focus, gain, exposure and white balance settings.
One object matching method extracts an “appearance signature” for each object and uses the model to determine a similarity between different objects. Throughout this description, the term “appearance signature” refers to a set of values summarizing the appearance of an object or region of an image, and will be understood to include within its scope the terms “appearance model”, “feature descriptor” and “feature vector”.
One method of appearance-based object re-identification models the appearance of an object as a vector of low-level features based on colour, texture and shape. The features are extracted from an exemplary image of the object in a vertical region around the head and shoulders of the object. Re-identification is based in part on determining an appearance dissimilarity score based on the ‘Bhattacharyya distance’ between feature vectors extracted from images of candidate objects and the object of interest. The object of interest is matched to a candidate with the lowest dissimilarity score. However, the appearance dissimilarity may be large for the same object viewed under different photometric conditions.
In one method for appearance matching under photometric variations, a region of interest in an image is divided into a grid of cells, and the average intensity, horizontal intensity gradient and vertical intensity gradient are determined over all pixels in each cell. For each pair of cells, binary tests are performed to determine which cell has greater average intensity and gradients. The test results over all cell pairs are concatenated into a binary string that represents the appearance signature of the image region. A region of interest is compared to a candidate region by determining the Hamming distance between respective appearance signatures of the regions. However, the average intensity and gradients are not very descriptive of the distribution of pixels values within a region. Further, binary differences are sensitive to noise in homogeneous regions, and do not characterize the magnitude of the difference between pairs of regions.
Another method for appearance matching under photometric variations relies in part on determining self-similarity. In this self-similarity method, the central patch of a region of interest is correlated with a dense sampling of patches over the entire region. The resulting correlation surface is spatially quantized into a small number of representative correlation values that represent the appearance signature. A region of interest is compared to a candidate region by determining the sum of differences between respective appearance signatures of the regions. This self-similarity method characterizes the geometric shape of a region independently of photometric properties. However, this self-similarity method may not discriminate different objects with similar shape, such as people. Further, this self-similarity method may not match articulated objects under large changes in shape.
Another method for modelling appearance under photometric variations is used to classify image regions as objects or background in thermal infrared images. A region of interest is divided into a regular grid of cells, and average pixel intensity is determined for each cell. The pairwise average intensity difference between each cell and a predetermined representative cell are concatenated to determine an appearance signature. A binary classifier is trained to discriminate objects from background using appearance signatures from a training set of labelled regions. However, the determined appearance signature is sensitive to the unpredictable content of the predetermined reference cell and to changes in overall contrast in the region. | {
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The present invention relates to a reflection sheet, particularly a reflection sheet disposed so as to surround a straight tube type fluorescent lamp provided along the edge of a light guide plate in an edge type back light device among back light devices of liquid crystal display panels, and a reflection sheet disposed on the reverse side of the light guide plate.
In an edge type back light device among back light devices of liquid crystal display panels, a straight tube type fluorescent lamp is disposed along the edge of a light guide plate. Part of light emitted from the fluorescent lamp on the light guide plate is directly guided to the light guide plate. The remainder of the light is reflected by a reflection sheet disposed so as to surround the fluorescent lamp and then enters the light guide plate. The light guided to the light guide plate is reflected by a light diffusing layer, which has been printed in a dot form on the reverse side of the light guide plate, and then leaves the surface of the light guide plate (illuminating surface). On the other hand, the light directed to the reverse side of the light guide plate through between the light diffusing layers is reflected by the reflection sheet disposed on the reverse side of the light guide plate. The light diffusing layer is generally formed of a white pigment ink with glass beads optionally dispersed therein.
Many proposals on the light diffusing layer have hitherto been made as means for increasing the brightness of the illuminating surface. Japanese Examined Patent Publication (Kokoku) No. 4-66519 discloses a light diffusing layer having fine cells formed by foaming or a light diffusing layer formed by screen printing of a plastic balloon powder. Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 4-76593 discloses a light diffusing layer formed by screen printing of a balloon polymer, having a diameter of 0.1 to 20 xcexcm, of an acrylic resin. Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 5-273552 discloses a light diffusing layer formed by screen printing of fine transparent beads or reflective beads including a white pigment. Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 5-303017 discloses a light diffusing layer formed by mixing an acrylic binder with ultrafine particulate titanium oxide coated with an organic fluorescent material to prepare an ink and forming a dot gradation pattern using the ink by screen printing. Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 6-94923 discloses a light diffusing layer formed by printing a foamable coating and forming fine cells.
All of the above means for improving the brightness utilize a light diffusing layer provided on the reverse side of the light guide plate by screen printing or the like, and attempts have been hardly made to improve the brightness by improving components constituting the back light device. In order to enhance the brightness, a polyester film with silver deposited thereon is, in some cases, used as the reflection sheet disposed so as to surround the fluorescent lamp. This type of reflection sheet, however, involves problems including that a high frequency current leaks from the fluorescent lamp, resulting in increased current consumption. In recent years, a 75 xcexcm-thick white polyester film or the like has become used as the reflection sheet. Further, a 188 xcexcm-thick white foamed polyester film has been used on the reverse side of the light guide plate. The inventions described in the above patent documents too use the white foamed polyester film. The white foamed polyester film has a lower reflectance than the polyester film with silver deposited thereon, resulting in about 10% or more lowering of the brightness when the white foamed polyester film is built in the back light device.
For this reason, as shown in FIG. 2, a reflection sheet comprising a 75 xcexcm-thick white foamed polyester film 5 of the type described above, a white ink coating layer 6 provided on the reverse side of the polyester film, and a reflecting layer 7, formed of barium sulfate and an acrylic binder, provided on the reflecting surface side has been developed and used as an improved reflection sheet having an enhanced brightness (RW75C manufactured by Kimoto Co., Ltd.). For this reflection sheet, however, the improvement in brightness over the brightness for the conventional reflection sheet is unsatisfactory, i.e., only 3 to 5%.
In recent years, a reduction in thickness of liquid crystal panels has been desired in the art, leading to a reduction in diameter of the fluorescent lamp. The 75 xcexcm-thick foamed polyester film which has been used up to now has a problem that, when the film is built in a back light device so as to surround the fluorescent lamp, due to excessively high stiffness, the work efficiency is so low that the productivity cannot be increased. Further, the foamed polyester film often poses a problem that it pushes out seams in the body of the liquid crystal panel, creating a gap through which light leaks. This results in lowered brightness. On the other hand, reducing the thickness of the white foamed polyester film for the purpose of lowering the stiffness causes a problem that the brightness lowers with a reduction in the film thickness.
For the above reason, in order to provide a screen having higher brightness, the development of a high-reflectance, low-stiffness reflection sheet has been desired in the art. An object of the present invention is to provide such a reflection sheet.
The present invention provides a reflection sheet comprising: a film support, such as polyester, and, applied on one side of the support, a reflective paint coat comprised of a mixture of a resin binder of a (meth)acrylate (the term xe2x80x9cmethacrylatexe2x80x9d referring to acrylate or methacrylate; the same shall apply hereinafter) copolymer with a small particle balloon.
The particle diameter of the small balloon may be in the range of from about 0.05 to 10 xcexcm. When the particle diameter is less than about 0.05 xcexcm, it is difficult to prepare such a small balloon by emulsion polymerization. Even though the small balloon could be successfully prepared, the capability of scattering light is low, resulting in lowered brightness. When the particle diameter is more than about 10 xcexcm, the capability of scattering light is lowered except for the case where a number of small empty spaces are present within the particle, i.e., where the empty space is not of a single spherical type. The inside empty diameter to particle diameter ratio is preferably in the range of from 0.2 to 0.9. When this ratio is less than 0.2, the proportion of the empty space within the particle balloon after the formation of a reflective coating layer (hereinafter often referred to as a xe2x80x9creflective layerxe2x80x9d) becomes very small, resulting in lowered brightness. On the other hand, when the ratio exceeds 0.90, the strength of the small particle balloon becomes so low that the particle balloon, when dried, cannot maintain its spherical shape and is crushed or collapsed, here again resulting in lowered brightness.
The small particle balloon may be formed of an organic material or an inorganic material. Regarding the small particle balloon formed of an inorganic material, there is a glass balloon. However, the small particle balloon is preferably formed of an organic material because it is difficult to provide particle balloons having the above particle diameter from the inorganic material. The organic small balloon may be prepared by emulsion polymerization or suspension polymerization of an acrylic monomer or a styrene monomer. Details relating to the production of the organic particle balloon are known and described, for example, in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 62-127336 and Japanese Examined Patent Publication (Kokoku) No. 3-9124.
The mixing ratio of the small particle balloon to the binder comprised of a (meth)acrylate copolymer also influences the brightness. The amount of the small particle balloon added is preferably 20 to 800 parts by weight, more preferably 100 to 300 parts by weight, based on 100 parts by weight of the binder. When it is less than 20 parts by weight, the brightness is lowered, while when it exceeds 800 parts by weight, the layer forming property of the reflective paint becomes so poor that the resultant reflective paint coat is very brittle.
Preferably, the binder used in the present invention is highly transparent and can maintain optical properties even after use for a long period of time, and a (meth)acrylate copolymer is suitable. Specific examples of the (meth)acrylate copolymer include (meth)acrylate/(meth)acrylic ester copolymer, (meth)acrylate/(meth)acrylic ester/styrene copolymer, and silicone-grafted (meth)acrylic ester copolymer. Among these resins, a resin having an average light transmittance of not less than 80% in the wavelength range of from 400 to 800 nm as measured in a 50 xcexcm-thick film form at 23xc2x0 C. is preferred. When the transmittance is less than 80%, the brightness becomes unfavorably small. The glass transition temperature (Tg) of the resin is preferably in the range of from xe2x88x9275 to 30xc2x0 C. When the (meth)acrylate copolymer has a Tg below xe2x88x9275xc2x0 C., the cohesive force is unsatisfactory. Consequently, the surface of the reflective layer becomes tacky, causing the reflective layer likely to be soiled. On the other hand, when the Tg exceeds 30xc2x0 C., the adhesion of the reflective layer is lost, causing the reflective layer to be easily cracked or delaminated when the reflective sheet is curved.
The influence of the transmittance of the binder on the brightness is greater than the influence of the refractive index of the binder on the brightness, and the transmittance after aging is particularly important. When the binder is such that the transmittance is lowered after hot aging although high brightness is initially attained, the brightness is unfavorably lowered after use for a long period of time. Regarding properties of the binder other than the brightness, the layer forming property and the adhesion to the substrate are also important. When these properties are unsatisfactory, there is a possibility that a serious problem of delamination of the layer after use for a long period of time occurs. The results of evaluation of the binder are given in Table 1. The data shown in Table 1 are single point data.
Note
Refractive index: It was measured with an Abbe refractometer.
Transmittance: It was measured using U-4000 type autographic spectrophotometer (manufactured by Hitachi, Ltd.). 50 xcexcm-thick films were prepared from the above binders, and the transmittance was measured at a wavelength of 400 nm. In the wavelength range of from 400 to 800 nm, the transmittance is minimum at 400 nm for all the binder films.
Hot aging conditions: 100xc2x0 C., 180 hr
Brightness: Reflection sheets composed of reflective layer, support layer and white ink layer were prepared in the same manner as in Example 14 below, except that the above binders and a small particle balloon (MH5055; manufactured by Nippon Zeon Co., Ltd.) were mixed together in a ratio of 100:200 (weight ratio). The reflection sheets were then used to measure the brightness. The brightness was expressed in terms of the value (%) of the brightness relative to that of RW75C (initial) manufactured by Kimoto Co., Ltd. The brightness of a hot-aged sample of RW75C was not measured.
Adhesion of reflective layer: For a reflection sheet made the same as the sheet for which the brightness was measured, the adhesion of reflective layer was observed.
*: Reflection sheet but not binder.
In the above test, the reflection sheet prepared using SX-8307A04 gave rise to delamination after hot aging. This problem can be overcome by primer treatment or the like.
The reflection sheet can be produced by a process comprising steps of applying a support with a flowable reflective paint, comprising a mixture of a water dispersion of a small balloon with an aqueous acrylic binder; and drying the resultant coating. Said applying of a support with a flowable reflective paint includes coating and spraying. Temperatures at the time of the drying are preferably from 90xc2x0 C. or above to below the melting or softening point of the support. The reflective paint can be prepared by dispersing a commercially available small particle balloon in a powder form in a solvent and incorporating a binder in the dispersion. Mixing a water dispersion with an aqueous acrylic binder is preferred from the viewpoint of productivity because a reflective paint can be easily prepared at low cost. The thickness of the reflective paint after drying is preferably in the range of from 10 to 100 xcexcm. When it is less than 10 xcexcm, the brightness is low. On the other hand, when it exceeds 100 xcexcm, problems associated with coating occur such as cracking of the surface of the resultant paint coat and lowered coating speed. When an aqueous reflective paint is used, the drying temperature should be 100xc2x0 C. or above and, at the same time, dimensional stability should be ensured. For this reason, in this case, the use of a polyester film or a foamed white polyester film as the support is preferred.
Examples of films usable as the substrate include oriented polypropylene, polyester, nylon, polycarbonate, polysulfone, polyethersulfone, polyetheretherketone, polyphenyl sulfide, polyallylate, polyethylene naphthalate, polyester ether, and polyvinyl chloride films, an acrylic film, and a polymethylterpene resin film. As described above, the thickness of these films is preferably less than 75 xcexcm. When the film thickness is not less than 75 xcexcm, the workability of the film for its incorporation in a back light device so as to surround a fluorescent lamp is so low that the productivity cannot be increased. Further, in this case, an additional problem often occurs such that the reflection sheet surrounding the fluorescent lamp in a back light device becomes incomplete in the surrounding, and light leaks, resulting in lowered brightness. On the other hand, in the case of an excessively thin film, the resilience of the film is so low that the reflection sheet is cockled when the reflection sheet is built in the back light device, making it impossible to dispose the reflection sheet in an exact arc form when built in the back light device so as to surround the fluorescent lamp. This results in lowered brightness. For this reason, the thickness of the polyester film is preferably in the range of from 25 to 50 xcexcm. The work efficiency in the incorporation of reflection sheets with varied polyester film thickness is given in Table 2.
A white paint, containing titanium oxide, having high opacifying power may be coated on the reflection sheet remote from the reflective layer or between the support and the reflective layer. The provision of such a white opacifying layer prevents the transmission of light, contributing to an improvement in brightness. In FIG. 1, a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of the present invention is shown. In this figure, 1 is a support layer, 2 is a reflective paint coat layer and 3 is a white ink layer.
The brightness can be improved also by incorporating an inorganic white pigment or a relatively large diameter glass balloon (at present it is technically difficult to make a glass balloon having a particle diameter less than 10 xcexcm) as a third component into the reflective paint. Examples of the inorganic white pigment include titanium oxide, zinc sulfide, barium sulfate, aluminum silicate, and acrylic beads containing titanium oxide. The incorporation of titanium oxide, zinc oxide or the like among the above inorganic white pigments into the reflective paint can provide high brightness even when no opacifying layer is formed.
It is also possible to further coat, on the reflective layer of the reflection sheet, a reflective paint comprising a (meth)acrylate copolymer and an inorganic white pigment incorporated therein. In such a case, the surface strength can be increased without detriment to the brightness by coating the reflective layer with a reflective paint prepared by mixing 100 parts by weight of an acrylic resin having a good layer forming property and a high transmittance with about 100 parts by weight of an inorganic white pigment to form a 1 to 10 xcexcm-thick layer (called a xe2x80x9ctop coatxe2x80x9d).
Since the reflection sheet is arranged to surround the fluorescent lamp, the sheet deteriorates in the influence of an infrared light and heat emitted from the fluorescent lamp, which, according to the use conditions of the sheet, lowers the optical characteristics, especially, brightness. In order to prevent these troubles, it is preferable to add 0.01 to 5 wt % of an antioxidant, ultraviolet light absorber or ultraviolet light stabilizer to the reflection sheet. Examples of the antioxidant include 2,4-bis[(octylthio)methyl]-o-cresol, iso-octyl-3-(3,5-di-t-butyl-4-hydroxyphenyl)propionate, etc. Examples of the ultraviolet light absorber include methyl-3-[3-t-butyl-5-(2H-benzotriazole-2-il)-4-hydroxyphenyl]propionate-polyethylene glycol, hydroxydiphenyl benzotriazol derivative, etc. Examples of the ultraviolet light stabilizer is bis(2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-4-piperidil)sebacate, bis(2,2,6,6-pentamethyl-4-piperidil)sebacate, etc. These can be used singly or as a mixture. It is also effective to increase the weather resistance of the reflection sheet to add an ultraviolet light absorber or an inorganic filler having an ultraviolet light sheltering effect. Since a main cause of the deterioration by the ultraviolet light is the small particle balloon including styrene, it is also effective to increase the weather resistance of the reflection sheet to substitute an inorganic filler for the small particle balloon. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to a mechanism used to remove hair and other small debris from fabric surfaces. In one aspect, the invention relates to a hair collection element in the form of a brush. Another aspect of the invention relates to a hair collection element on a vacuum cleaner.
2. Description of the Related Art
Pet hair from shedding animals, such as dogs and cats, can easily get trapped in fabrics, such as carpets, rugs, upholstered furniture and other similar items. While a vacuum cleaner can suction up some of the hair, a good portion of the hair can become trapped within the fibers of the fabric such that the vacuum cleaner alone cannot suction up the hair. Vacuum cleaners also have similar problems suctioning up other small debris.
Heretofore, carpet rakes, such as the device disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,930,862 to Garrett, have been used to rake carpets by pulling the rake over the surface of the carpet to collect the hair on the carpet and gather it into a pile. Typically, these carpet rakes include a plurality of bristles to rake the hair on the carpet towards the user of the rake, wherein the user then has to pick up the pile of collected hair. However, a more effective hair removal apparatus is desired.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,907,370 to Schoeller discloses a hair and thread gathering nozzle attachment for a vacuum cleaner. The nozzle comprises a wood or metal slider with longitudinal air passages that lead to a suction aperture. The nozzle attachment further comprises strips of non-felting material, such as crepe rubber, that loosen hairs and threads during movement of the nozzle attachment. The hairs and threads are removed through the suction apertures. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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Example embodiments relate generally to semiconductor integrated circuits, and more particularly to memory devices and circuits, and methods of reading data in memory devices.
Semiconductor memory devices include a plurality of memory cells that are arranged in a matrix form of a plurality of rows and a plurality of columns. In a non-volatile memory device, the memory cells are coupled between a plurality of source lines and a plurality of bit lines. Each bit line is coupled to the memory cells that are selected by the respective word lines. In a read operation, one memory cell is selected among the memory cells commonly coupled to the same bit line, and a sensing current flows from the bit line to the source line via the selected memory cell where the sensing current depends on the state, that is, the stored data of the selected memory cell. The stored data may be read out based on the sensing current or a voltage change due to the sensing current. In such read operation, the bit line voltage may be affected by leakage currents by the unselected memory cells coupled to the same bit line, and thus reliability of the read operation or the read data may be degraded. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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The present invention generally relates to a copying machine and, more particularly, to a copying machine having a capability of reproducing images at different magnifications one at a time within a predetermined range.
Japanese Laid-open patent publication No. 57-68868 discloses a copying machine having a capability of reproducing images at different magnifications one at a time by detecting the size of an original and that of a copying paper and selecting an optimum magnification ratio from a plurality of available magnification ratios.
Since the prior art machine is a system wherein an appropriate copying ratio is selected from a combination of the size of the original and that of the copying paper, data to be selected have to be stored in the form of a table. This means that, when the number of the sizes of copying papers useable in the machine and the number of the available magnification ratios increase, the capacity of a storage device must be correspondingly increased for storing the table. In addition, there has been found a problem residing in that, when the number of the available magnification ratios is small, the magnification at which the image on an A-4 sized original is reproduced on a B-5 sized copying paper is, for example, treated as applicable to the magnification at which the image on a B-4 sized original is reproduced on an A-4 sized copying paper. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a flow cell for measuring the color properties of a liquid, such as paint, having liquid flow passages of substantially constant surface area.
2. Description of the Art
Pigment dispersions and tints are widely used in formulating high performance liquid coating compositions. Such compositions are used, for example, as exterior finish paints for automobiles and trucks.
Dry color measurement of such liquid compositions is believed to be the most accurate indication of the composition's color properties. Such measurement is usually made manually by taking an aliquot of the composition being prepared. The composition is sprayed as a coating onto a panel and the panel is baked and dried. One or more color properties of the dried coating may be measured against a reference using a colorimeter or spectrophotometer. Based upon the measurement the batch under preparation is adjusted in an effort to obtain a closer match to the reference. Manual color measurements are very time consuming, primarily due to the long preparation and drying times. Also, the procedure may have to be repeated numerous times before the desired color property is achieved.
It is believed that manufacturing efficiencies may be achieved through the ability to measure the color properties of a liquid composition while in a wet state. However, to be effective, any wet color measurement must accurately predict the color of the composition when dried. This goal has proved elusive.
Instruments employing a reflectance spectrophotometer have been used to obtain a free surface reflectance measurement of a wet liquid dispersion. Representative of these instruments are the devices described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,583,878 (Hustert), U.S. Pat. No. 6,292,264 (Voye et al.) and German Patent DE 25 25 701 (Langer). These instruments all employ a free surface reflectance measurement of a wet coating film utilizing a spectrophotometer. The measurements taken from these instruments thus embody the best representation of the color of the coating film that could be correlated with the measurements of the same film in its dry state. However, surface non-uniformities of such wet coatings, as well as viscosity variations, settling, and flocculation could still lead to erroneous results and unacceptable measurement variability.
It is believed that further efficiencies can be achieved by coupling such a device to a manufacturing process. However, coupling such devices as just described to a continuous process has its own encumbering difficulties, including but not limited to, operation of said device in the presence of volatile flammable solvents emitted from the sample surface as well as cleaning.
To couple a color measurement device to a manufacturing process, in light of the aforementioned possible presence of volatile flammable solvents, as well as taking into consideration that many processes operate at super-ambient pressures, it is standard practice to contain the fluid sample flow through the device in a closed system, separated from the illumination source and spectral detector by a window of sufficient strength, and therefore thickness, to withstand said pressure. The thickness T required of such a window is given by the equation:
T = zPD ′ 2 σ
where z is a shape factor for the window; P is the pressure being contained; D′ is the unsupported diameter, and σ is the maximum design stress (pressure) for the window material.
Instruments which measure the absorbance and/or scattering properties of a liquid contained in a closed system have been proposed for standard spectrophotometric measurements, including both laboratory and process applications, either in transmission or reflectance mode. Some of these instruments also purport to measure the color of the liquid in reflectance mode through a sight glass into the process stream or within a sample cell employing a window between the sample and the detector. U.S. Pat. No. 4,511,251 (Falcoff et al.) and U.S. Pat. No. 6,288,783 (Auad et al.) are representative of this class of instrument.
The instrument described in the last referenced patent employs a variable pathlength measurement cell to measure properties of liquids, including color. The instrument employs a closed path for the flow of the liquid to be measured, thus allowing it to be placed in hazardous classification areas within a manufacturing plant environment. However, this particular instrument has multiple moving parts which are part of the liquid path, which can cause difficulty in cleaning, and are difficult to maintain. Another disadvantage is that the instrument requires high volumes of liquid sample to take proper readings. Moreover, while the instrument can measure in both reflectance and transmission modes, it employs 0/0 geometry for each. As a result, in transmission mode no information is provided about scattered light from the fluid being analyzed. In reflection mode unmitigated backscattered light from the source washes out the color sensitivity.
Ultimately, the single most significant issue to overcome in the measurement of the color of a liquid in intimate contact with the window of the flow cell is the disruption of light on its way back to the detector that occurs because of the presence of the window itself. Causes of such disruption of the light include, but are not limited to, reflection, refraction, total internal reflection, and loss or escape of said light with reference to the various surfaces of the window. As a result of such disruption the light ultimately either never reaches the detector or is modified by the surfaces of the window with which it interacts, such that spectral information presented to the detector is no longer truly representative of the sample being measured.
A liquid in intimate contact with a viewing window looks different to the human eye when viewed through that window than the color of the same liquid when viewed in a free surface fashion, i.e., with nothing between the eye and the free surface of the wet liquid.
FIG. 1 is a stylized diagrammatic representation of the optical phenomena occurring at the interface between a liquid L and a window W. The window W may form part of a flow cell or a probe. The liquid L is flowing past the window in a flow direction G at some predetermined fluid pressure. The liquid L is in contact with the window W. The light scattering pigments of the liquid composition are usually dispersed in a solvent vehicle that has an index of refraction close to the index of refraction of the window material.
To gain a better understanding of the optical effects that occur when a liquid is viewed through a window, consider the situation depicted in FIG. 1. As a light ray R propagates through a medium M (e.g., air) it impinges upon the exterior surface E of the window W. The material of the window W refracts the ray R. The refracted ray R′ propagates through the window W toward the window/liquid interface. If the indices of refraction of the window and the solvent are substantially equal (i.e. within about 0.2 refractive index units of each other) no optical interface exists between the liquid and the window and the ray continues along substantially the same path.
The light ray R′ that enters the liquid and strikes a suspended pigment particle is both specularly reflected and diffusely scattered into a solid hemisphere of 2π radians emanating from a scatter site X. (It is noted that although the scattering occurs within the liquid the scatter site X is illustrated in FIG. 1 at the window/liquid interface). The scattered specular rays, e.g., the ray S, impinges against the window surface E at an angle θS (measured with respect to a normal to that surface) that is less than the critical angle θc of the window/medium interface. Such a scattered specular ray S exits the window (at point Q) into the field of view F presented to a detector.
However, some diffusely scattered rays, e.g. the ray U, which emanate from the scatter site X, impinge against the window surface E at an angle θU that is greater than the critical angle θc. Such a diffusely scattered ray U is totally internally reflected within the window (at point V). The diffusely scattered ray U propagates back toward the window/liquid interface where it may undergo a secondary scattering impact at site X′, at which point its scattering angle may change direction.
The secondary scattering impact at site X′ itself produces specular and diffuse scatterings. Such a scenario is repeated several times within the window material. At each scattering impact some of the light is reflected at angles which would render its direction at the window surface E greater than the critical angle for the window/air interface while some of the light is reflected at angles which would render its direction at the window surface E less than the critical angle for the window/air interface.
The distance d between the initial impact site X and a secondary impact site X′ depends on the thickness T of the window W according to the relationship:d=2·T tan θu, where θu is the angle that the diffusely scattered ray U makes with the normal to the surface E.
Owing to the fact that, as discussed earlier, the window must be thick enough to withstand the pressure of the sample stream it may be the case that there is insufficient lateral distance available for a diffusely scattered ray U to undergo a statistically significant number of secondary impacts before being scattered at an angle with respect to the normal to the surface E that is less than the critical angle for the window/air interface. In that case the ray U is more likely to exit through the peripheral surface P of the window W, as indicated at point Z. This energy is outside of the field of view F and is lost to the detector.
The effect caused by total internal reflection of diffusely scattered rays is twofold. Firstly, the intensity of the scattered light ultimately reaching the detector is diminished. This makes the liquid appear darker in color. Secondly, total internal reflection causes the body of the window to exhibit a “glow” effect. This increases the background against which detected radiation is measured.
The diminution in received intensity coupled with an increase in background intensity produces a flattening of the waveform of the intensity/wavelength curve or detected reflectance spectrum. When standard colorimetric calculations are carried out to calculate L*, a* and b* according to the CIELab76 formalism, the net effect of this is to produce a loss of chroma (C*ab=[a*2+b*2]1/2), and to skew the determination of perceived color properties. Moreover, since the intensity undergoes different range distortions in different localized wavelength domains, the problem cannot be expeditiously cured by merely scaling the resulting intensity waveform. Furthermore, if the light is disrupted on its way back to the detector in a way that misrepresents measurement of the true color of the sample, it follows that making adjustments to that color, such as may be required in a manufacturing process, may also be in error.
Accordingly, in view of the foregoing it is believed advantageous to provide an apparatus and a method which mitigates the disruption of light, and hence the loss of chroma, during color measurement of a liquid material using reflectance spectroscopy. It is also believed advantageous that such liquid measurements correlate well to measurements made on the material in its dry state.
It is believed to be of further advantage that the apparatus and method be able to operate in the environment of a pressurized liquid without alteration of the color measurement.
It is believed to be of still further advantage to provide an apparatus where pressurized liquid is introduced into a measurement region without undergoing any flow discontinuity so that a laminar flow of pressurized liquid flow is maintained past the window.
It is believed to be of yet further advantage to provide an apparatus that is able to be cleaned rapidly (e.g., within one or two minutes) so that the cycle time of the measurement is extremely small compared to process changes; that affords easy (including automatic) delivery of a sample to the analysis cell so that measurements of color can be made rapidly; and which can be placed in a potentially hazardous environment, such as a plant floor. | {
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A large number of consumer goods and services has fueled the growth of promotional systems to advertise these products. Advertisers with limited advertising dollars are required to capture consumer attention with affordable promotional displays which are visually unique and exciting. Novelty promotional and advertising systems which involve components which fold flat and convert from two dimensional to three dimensional objects when activated or assembled are visually attractive, eye-catching and have the added benefit of increasing the surface area on which to print advertising material.
Although many advertising/promotional displays have been created that convert flat advertising/promotional displays to three dimensional systems these systems frequently involve complex folding systems, elastic bands and flexible materials which is difficult to assembly, costly to produce and prevents the use of rigid, non-flexible materials. Oftentimes, they fail to generate the desired interest by the consumer and fail to justify the production cost to the advertiser.
Other advertising/promotional displays have attempted to generate consumer interest with unique images or indicia as part of the display. However, these advertising/promotional displays fail to generate sufficient consumer interest when the consumer is not involved in the activation of the promotional item.
Additionally, increasing consumer demand requires promotional/advertising products which are unique and produce a surprising visual result.
What is needed, therefore, is a visually attractive, interest generating pre-printed advertising/promotional product which can be reproduced at a reasonable cost. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for the thermal treatment of objects in a heating unit, especially semiconductor wafers in a rapid heating unit, according to which the objects are thermally treated with a prescribed temperature course, and the temperature of the object is regulated with an appropriate temperature regulation, e.g. a PID regulation and a forward-acting control that is based upon a simulation model of heating apparatus and object.
Such methods and apparatus are known in the art. For example, in the semiconductor industry for the manufacture of electronic components, it is customary to thermally treat disk-shaped semiconductor substrates via heat lamps having high heating rates of more than 100xc2x0 C. per second. In this connection, the thermal treatment generally follows a prescribed chronological temperature profile. To achieve this temperature profile, a regulation of the heating power emitted from the lamps is necessary. Since the heating lamps are controlled with a prescribed power profile, the wafer temperature follows a specific temperature curve. However, in this connection one must take care that between the radiated power given off from the lamps and the temperature of the wafer there is no linear relationship, which is attributable to different effects, in particular the Stefan-Boltzmann principle, (as described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,761,538), but also, for example, the shape of a process chamber, the arrangement of various elements within the process chamber, the position of the wafer relative to the heating lamps, etc. Therefore, a simple control of the temperature profile via a prescribed control of the lamps is not possible.
For this reason, there is effected a constant monitoring of the wafer temperature at any given time along with simultaneous readjustment thereof if there is a deviation from a theoretical temperature value. In this connection, two different regulating processes are utilized, namely a closed temperature regulating circuit, e.g. a PID regulation on the one hand, and a so-called forward-acting control on the other hand.
In the following, one should speak of regulation if at least one parameter of a system should be brought to a value (or within an interval about this value), whereby this parameter is conveyed back to a regulating apparatus so that the regulating apparatus can adjust the desired value as optimally as possible as a function of the observed parameter of the system. In this connection, the parameter can be detected directly in the system, for example by measurement, although it can also result, for example, from a model that reproduces the system in as good a manner as possible. Here one speaks of model-based regulation. Similarly, with systems that are regulated with regard to several parameters, a combination of model-based and first-mentioned return of the parameters can be present. In general, one designates the return of such parameters as feedback coupling.
In contrast to the regulation, with the control the parameters of the system that are to be controlled are not returned to a control device. The parameters that are to be controlled are determined with the control device, e.g. by a model, and/or are controlled via some other parameter than the parameter that is to be controlled.
With a closed temperature regulating circuit, the actual value of the wafer temperature at any given time is compared with a prescribed theoretical or desired value. If deviations occur between the two values, a regulating apparatus becomes effective and takes care of an adjustment of the two values by more or less controlling, for example, the heating lamps. The greater the regulating difference is, the greater is the readjustment. Drawbacks of this regulation are a) that the regulating device is not informed about future changes of the theoretical value, and b) that the wafer characteristics are not taken into consideration, which can vary during the regulating process, for which reason such a regulation cannot react in an anticipatory manner.
These drawbacks are compensated for by a forward-acting control that in addition to a previous development, namely the theoretical value and the actual value at any given time, also draws in the future development of the theoretical value into the regulating process. As a consequence, the adaptation of the actual value to the theoretical value becomes more precise, since the regulating apparatus draws in future changes of the theoretical value into the regulation.
For an even more precise regulation, a future property of the theoretical value is calculated in advance, and in particular with the aid of a simulation model comprising heating apparatus and object or wafer that is to be treated. In this case, one speaks of forecast-regulated processes. Since the thermal capacities of individual chamber components are known, and it is known which lamp power is radiated into the chamber, the wafer temperature, as well as its future development, can be estimated in advance by the forecast of the simulation model as a function of the progress of the profile of the heating power.
This estimation, which up to now was effected upon a rigid simulation model, is, however, very difficult, since the different components in the process chamber, including the heating apparatus and the object that is to be treated, represent a non-linear system. Despite these difficulties, with this method the adaptation of the course of the wafer temperature to the threshold profile can be improved.
As already mentioned, such simulation models treat the chamber with all of its individual components and the wafer together as one system. There is no distinction between individual system components. Furthermore, the previously known simulation models are established one time and are subsequently not altered, especially not during a process, i.e. while the object experiences a temperature-time treatment. Alterations within the system, for example during the treatment of different wafers (objects) having different optical characteristics, cannot be taken into account. In particular, alterations caused by process progress and/or by aging, such as, for example, the radiation given off by a heating lamp or other alterations within the chamber, cannot be taken into account. Changes caused by the progress of the process are, for example, heating up of the process chamber, which is made, for example, of quartz glass, and the thermal radiation that additionally results therefrom and that is in a wavelength spectrum that in general differs from that of the lamp radiation.
Proceeding from this state of the art, it is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a method and an apparatus for the thermal treatment of objects in a heating unit that enables a better regulation of a temperature profile of an object that is to be treated.
Pursuant to the present invention, this object is realized in that the simulation model includes at least one individual model that includes components of the heating apparatus and/or of the object, and in that at least one parameter of at least one of the individual models is monitored during the thermal treatment and in that the simulation model is adapted to at least one of the monitored parameters. This results in the advantage that the simulation model can be dynamically adapted to varying operating conditions, such as, for example, alteration of the heating power of the lamp due to age, objects having different optical characteristics, etc. Due to the adaptation of the simulation model, a more precise regulation of the temperature curve of the object that is to be treated is in particular also possible for the reason that advantageously alterations that are due to the progress of the process, such as, for example, the aforementioned heating up of, for example, process chamber (especially also the quartz components contained therein) can also be taken into consideration during the temperature regulation. This can be utilized advantageously, for example, for the reduction of the so-called xe2x80x9cfirst waferxe2x80x9d effect. This involves the influence of the process chamber temperature upon the process result during the processing of wafers if, for example, during the processing of the first wafer the process chamber has not yet reached its average xe2x80x9coperating temperaturexe2x80x9d. This effect always occurs at the beginning of, for example, a mass production, or if between the processing of individual wafers there is so much time that the process chamber can cool off to temperatures that are below that of, for example, mass production. As a result, due to the equipment, the process results can be a function of the throughput of the wafers, which of course is not desired. Pursuant to one preferred embodiment of the invention, the object is irradiated with at least one heating lamp of a heating device. An individual model having at least one monitored parameter is preferably provided for at least one heating lamp of the heating device, and operating parameters of the heating lamp, in particular the irradiated heating power in relation to the control power, are monitored in order to discover alterations and if necessary adapt the simulation model.
Pursuant to a further preferred embodiment of the invention, an individual model is provided for the object that is to be treated, and parameters of the object that is to be treated, especially optical characteristics thereof, are monitored in order to undertake, if necessary, an adaptation of the simulation model. Of particular significance are the absorption characteristics (or in general the optical characteristics such as transmission, absorption or reflection) of the object that is to be treated or the coupling to the heat radiation at different temperatures, which can greatly influence the regulation, especially a forward-acting control, since these characteristics are greatly temperature dependent for, for example, Si wafers. The parameters are preferably separately determined from one another on opposite sides of the object.
For a further optimization of the overall model, the data transmission times and/or the computing times are determined and individual models provided herefor are adapted to the determined values. With some measuring devices, such as, for example, pyrometers, a temperature determination of the object is not possible, or is only possible with great difficulty, below 400xc2x0 C. Therefore, the temperatures of the object under 400xc2x0 C. are preferably calculated at a later stage with the aid of the simulation model, and this calculated information is taken up in the regulation.
The object of the invention is also realized with an apparatus for the thermal treatment of objects, especially semiconductor wafers, with a heating device, especially a rapid heating device, a regulating unit having a temperature regulator, and a forward-acting control that utilizes a simulation model of heating apparatus and object, in that a monitoring unit is provided for the sensing of parameters of components of the heating device and/or of the object, which parameters are relevant for the simulation model, for the comparison of the measured parameters with the parameters of the simulation model and for the adaptation of the parameters of the simulation model to the measured parameters. With this apparatus there result the advantages already mentioned above with reference to the method. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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For a number of years lipolytic enzymes have been used as detergent enzymes, i.e. to remove lipid or fatty stains from clothes and other textiles.
Lipolytic enzymes include, but are not limited to, lipases and esterases. Lipases are versatile biocatalysts that can perform innumerable different reactions. Unlike other hydrolases that work in aqueous phase, lipases are unique as they act at the oil/water interface. Besides being lipolytic, lipases also possess esterolytic activity and thus have a wide substrate range.
A need exists for novel lipolytic enzymes having improved washing and/or dishwashing properties, and the object of the present invention is to prepare such enzymes
Although lipolytic compositions have been previously described, there remains a need for new and improved lipolytic compositions for use in household detergents, or laundry detergents, etc. Lipases that exhibit improved performance are of particular interest. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a chip package structure, and in particular relates to a chip package structure formed by a wafer-level process and a manufacturing method thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
Along with tendency towards light, thin, short, and small electronic devices, semiconductor chip package structures accordingly tend to be multi-chip package (MCP) structures to achieve requirements of multi-function and high performance. Multi-chip package (MCP) structures integrate a variety of semiconductor chips in a single package, such as logic chips, analog chips, control chips, or memory chips.
Multi-chip package structures may be fabricated by a wafer-level packaging process. For example, different kinds of semiconductor wafers may be stacked and bonded to each other to form a wafer stacking structure. Then, the wafer stacking structure is cutted to form a plurality of multi-chip package structures. However, because the portion of the wafer contacting the cutting knife is easy to be damaged due to high stress, edges of chips of the multi-chip package structures usually suffer problems of damaged vertex or cracks. | {
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TRP channels are a class of ion channels found on the plasma membrane of a variety of human (and other animal) cell types. There are at least 28 known human TRP channels which are broken into a number of families or groups based upon sequence homology and function. TRPA1 is a non-selective cation conducting channel that modulates membrane potential via flux of sodium, potassium and calcium. TRPA1 has been shown to be highly expressed in the human dorsal root ganglion neurons and peripheral sensory nerves. In humans, TRPA1 is activated by a number of reactive compounds such as acrolein, allylisothiocyanate, ozone as well as unreactive compounds such as nicotine and menthol and is thus thought to act as a ‘chemosensor.
Many of the known TRPA1 agonists are irritants that cause pain, irritation and neurogenic inflammation in humans and other animals. Therefore, it would be expected that TRPA1 antagonists or agents that block the biological effect of TRPA1 channel activators would be useful in the treatment of diseases such as asthma and its exacerbations, chronic cough and related maladies as well as being useful for the treatment of acute and chronic pain. Recently, it has also been shown that products of tissue damage and oxidative stress, e.g. 4-hydroxynonenal and related compounds, activate the TRPA1 channel. This finding provides additional rationale for the utility of small molecule TRPA1 antagonists in the treatment of diseases related to tissue damage, oxidative stress and bronchial smooth muscle contraction such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), occupational asthma, and virally-induced lung inflammation. Moreover, recently findings have correlated activation of TRPA1 channels with increased pain perception (Kosugi et al., J. Neurosci 27, (2007) 4443-4451; Kremayer et al., Neuron 66 (2010) 671-680; Wei et al., Pain 152 (2011) 582-591); Wei et al., Neurosci Lett 479 (2010) 253-256)) providing additional rationale for the utility of small molecule TRPA1 inhibitors in the treatment of pain disorders. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to DC-to-DC power converter circuits for regulating central processing unit (CPU) core voltages, and more particularly, to the determination of load current and power consumption by a CPU core without use of a sense resistor.
2. Description of Related Art
Switched mode DC-to-DC power converters are commonly used in the electronics industry to convert an available direct current (DC) level voltage to another DC level voltage. A switched mode converter provides a regulated DC output voltage by selectively storing energy by switching the flow of current into an output inductor coupled to a load. A synchronous buck converter is a particular type of switched mode converter that uses two power switches, such as MOSFET transistors, to control the flow of current in the output inductor. A high-side switch selectively couples the inductor to a positive power supply voltage while a low-side switch selectively couples the inductor to ground. A pulse width modulation (PWM) control circuit is used to control the gating of the high-side and low-side switches. Synchronous buck converters generally offer high efficiency and high power density, particularly when MOSFET devices are used due to their relatively low on-resistance.
Synchronous buck converters are particularly advantageous for use in providing power to electronic systems, such as microprocessors having demanding power requirements. Conventional microprocessors, or core CPU's, generally require a voltage (VCC) of 1 to 1.5 volts with current ranging from 40 to 60 amps and can have highly transient power demands. When the core CPU executes certain operations, current demand can ramp up as much as 50 amps at a slew rate of approximately 1 amp per nanosecond. The current demand can also ramp down just as quickly after the microprocessor operations are completed. This rapid change in current draw has a direct effect upon the output voltage. Specifically, when there is a rapid demand for current, this pulls the output voltage downward, a phenomenon known as “voltage droop.” Conversely, when the current demand is curtailed, the output voltage swings upward. Conventional core voltage regulators make use of active voltage positioning, a method in which the regulated output voltage decreases linearly with an increase in load current. The load-line defines voltage input (VCC) as a function of current draw (ICC) for an integrated circuit product such as a microprocessor. The ratio of change in voltage with respect to the change in load current is referred to as the load-line slope.
In some applications, it is necessary to provide real-time measurement of CPU current as well as power consumption. There are several known ways to measure the output load current. One such approach is to include a sensing resistor in series with the output inductor and to monitor the voltage drop across the sensing resistor. The sensing resistor must have a resistance value large enough to keep the sensed voltage signal above the noise floor, as the voltage drop can be measured more accurately with a higher resistance value. A significant drawback of this approach is that the sensing resistor wastes the output energy and thereby reduces the efficiency of the synchronous buck converter. Moreover, the sensing resistor generates heat that must be removed from the system.
Another approach to measuring the load current is to place the sensing resistor on the input side of the converter in series with the drain of the high-side switch (i.e., MOSFET) and monitor the voltage drop across the sensing resistor as in the preceding approach. In this position, the amount of energy dissipated by the sensing resistor is substantially less than in the aforementioned position in series with the output inductor. A drawback of this approach is that the high-side switch changes state at a relatively high rate (e.g., greater than 250 KHz) and, as a result, the high-side switch current is discontinuous. When the high-side switch turns on, the current through the switch and the sensing resistor starts at zero and increases rapidly before settling and then returning to zero when the high-side switch turns off. The information obtained from sampling the voltage across the sensing resistor must therefore be utilized during a subsequent switching cycle, making it necessary to include “sample and hold” circuitry to store the sampled information from cycle to cycle. Not only does this add complexity to the converter, but there is also a time delay in regulating the output current that diminishes the stability of the converter. Additionally, this approach becomes difficult to implement and hence impractical at very high switching rates (e.g., approximately 1 GHz) due to bandwidth requirements.
It is also known to use the internal resistance (RDSON) of the MOSFET switches as a sensing resistor. The advantage of this method is that there is no additional loss in energy by using the RDSON as the sensing resistor since this energy loss is already an inherent part of converter operation. Due to the low duty cycle of the MOSFET switches, it is generally necessary to use the low-side switch as the sensing resistor. The voltage drop across the low-side switch is measured and averaged using a slow time loop to sense the output current. While this approach provides an accurate measurement of output current, it is generally too slow to provide effective information for current load control.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide real-time output current and power measurement for a CPU core powered by a DC-to-DC power converter having active voltage positioning without these drawbacks of the prior art. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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In semiconductor technology, due to their characteristics, Group III-Group V (or III-V) semiconductor compounds are used to form various integrated circuit devices, such as high power field-effect transistors, high frequency transistors, or high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs). A HEMT is a field effect transistor incorporating a junction between two materials with different band gaps (i.e., a heterojunction) as the channel instead of a doped region, as is generally the case for metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistors (MOSFETs). In contrast with MOSFETs, HEMTs have a number of attractive properties including high electron mobility, the ability to transmit signals at high frequencies, etc.
From an application point of view, enhancement-mode (E-mode) HEMTs have many advantages. E-mode HEMTs allow elimination of a negative-polarity voltage supply, and, therefore, reduction of the circuit complexity and cost. Despite the attractive properties noted above, a number of challenges exist in connection with developing III-V semiconductor compound-based devices. Various techniques directed at configurations and materials of these III-V semiconductor compounds have been implemented to try and further improve transistor device performance.
Frequently, layers of a semiconductor are doped in the manufacturing process. Magnesium (Mg) is a common dopant for a P-type gallium nitride (p-GaN). Mg diffuses into active layers and impacts performance, specifically in the 2-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) and current density of HEMT devices.
Therefore, the process for making semiconductor structures containing HEMT and MISFET devices need to be improved continuous to ensure high level performance and production yield. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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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 integrated circuits (ICs). In that instance, a patterning device, which is alternatively referred to as a mask or a reticle, may be used to generate a circuit pattern to be formed on an individual layer of the IC. This pattern can be transferred onto a target portion (e.g. comprising part of, one, or several dies) on a substrate (e.g. a silicon wafer). Transfer of the pattern is typically via imaging onto a layer of radiation-sensitive material (resist) provided on the substrate. In general, a single substrate will contain a network of adjacent target portions that are successively patterned. Known lithographic apparatus include so-called steppers, in which each target portion is irradiated by exposing an entire pattern onto the target portion at one time, and so-called scanners, in which each target portion is irradiated by scanning the pattern through a radiation beam in a given direction (the “scanning”-direction) while synchronously scanning the substrate parallel or anti-parallel to this direction. It is also possible to transfer the pattern from the patterning device to the substrate by imprinting the pattern onto the substrate.
It has been proposed to immerse the substrate in the lithographic projection apparatus in a liquid having a relatively high refractive index, e.g., water, so as to fill a space between the final element of the projection system and the substrate. The point of this is to enable imaging of smaller features since the exposure radiation will have a shorter wavelength in the liquid. (The effect of the liquid may also be regarded as increasing the effective numerical aperture (NA) of the system and also increasing the depth of focus.) Other immersion liquids have been proposed, including water with solid particles (e.g., quartz) suspended therein.
However, submersing the substrate or substrate and substrate table in a bath of liquid (see for example U.S. Pat. No. 4,509,852, hereby incorporated in its entirety by reference) means that there is a large body of liquid that must be accelerated during a scanning exposure. This requires additional or more powerful motors and turbulence in the liquid may lead to undesirable and unpredictable effects.
One of the solutions proposed is for a liquid supply system to provide liquid on only a localized area of the substrate and in between the final element of the projection system and the substrate (the substrate generally has a larger surface area than the final element of the projection system). One way which has been proposed to arrange for this is disclosed in PCT patent application no. WO 99/49504, hereby incorporated in its entirety by reference. As illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3, liquid is supplied by at least one inlet IN onto the substrate, preferably along the direction of movement of the substrate relative to the final element, and is removed by at least one outlet OUT after having passed under the projection system. That is, as the substrate is scanned beneath the element in a −X direction, liquid is supplied at the +X side of the element and taken up at the −X side. FIG. 2 shows the arrangement schematically in which liquid is supplied via inlet IN and is taken up on the other side of the element by outlet OUT which is connected to a low pressure source. In the illustration of FIG. 2 the liquid is supplied along the direction of movement of the substrate relative to the final element, though this does not need to be the case. Various orientations and numbers of in- and out-lets positioned around the final element are possible, one example is illustrated in FIG. 3 in which four sets of an inlet with an outlet on either side are provided in a regular pattern around the final element. | {
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The invention relates generally to wet chemistry processing systems and methods and, more particularly, to batch processing systems and methods that are utilized in conjunction with semiconductor wafers.
Mechanized transfer systems used in industrial multi-stage wet chemistry processes generally fall into one of two categories: (1) in-line processing, and (2) batch processing. Since the present invention relates primarily to batch processing, various prior-art batch processing systems and methods will now be considered. The systems used in batch processing are divided into two sub-categories: (i) mass transfer mechanisms, and (ii) free ranging hoist mechanisms. By way of introduction, the principles involved in each of the two aforementioned categories will now be described, and the disadvantages of each category will be set forth in greater detail.
Although the principles of the present invention may be applied to many industries and many mechanized transfer processes within these industries, an ophthalmic lens multi-stage critical cleaning system preceding a vacuum will be discussed for purposes of illustration.
A. Mass Transfer Technique:
Using a single hoist or walking beam, batches of substrates (in this example, lenses), racked in carrier baskets, are simultaneously transferred from one position (for example, fluid tank) to another position from an initial load position through washing, rinsing, and drying stages. Finally, batches of the substrates are transferred to an unload position, where the carriers of clean and dry lenses are then transferred by hand or conveyor, to the next desired processing location. The next location could implement, for example, a vacuum coating or dip coating process.
Since all workloads in the line-up of process tanks are transferred simultaneously in the mass transfer method, transfer is fast and a maximum number of workloads (carriers of lenses) are processed in a given time period. However, this technique also presents a number of disadvantages. The time that workloads must remain in each process position is the same for all positions. The workloads cannot be processed for different times in each position. This can be a serious handicap for many process requirements, since different times are frequently required at different stages of the process. Instead, the processes themselvesxe2x80x94ultrasonic power, chemistry, temperature, etc., have to be adjusted until all positions require the same processing time. Another disadvantage is that the center-to-center distance between consecutive processing stages must be uniform. Yet another disadvantage is that the processing sequence must be truly sequentialxe2x80x94in other words, this technique has no ability to skip any processing stage.
B. Free Ranging Transfer Hoist Technique:
A free ranging transfer hoist is an electronically programmed transfer hoist with the capability of moving freely in both horizontal and vertical axes. The hoist transfers workloads from tank to tank, one workload at a time, and at differing time intervals, as required for each processing stage. This technique is advantageous in that it offers a flexibility of motion approximating that of a human operator. The free-ranging hoist is able to transfer workloads forward or backward to any desired processing stage, and to comply with whatever process time and transfer requirements each particular stage demands. Moreover, the physical spacing between the centerlines of sequential stages need not be identical. The free-ranging hoist is able to address spacing variations as dictated by differences in design of the various processing stages.
The free ranging transfer hoist technique presents a number of shortcomings. Transfer of workloads, one at a time, is very time-consuming. For process sequences involving a number of stages, a single transfer hoist is not able to keep up with the number of transfers required for a given processing cycle. When, due to a large number of processing positions, or limitations in travel speed, or short processing time requirements, or a combination of these factors, the travel time becomes equal to or larger than the process time, then the transfer system itself becomes the throughput-limiting factor (the bottleneck) in the system. The use of multiple robots, with an attendant increase in system cost, then becomes necessary.
For simple wet chemistry processing systems having few stages and not more than one kind of recipe or processing sequence, such as simple cleaning systems or low throughput systems, one of the two prior art work transfer systems described in the foregoing paragraphs may be quite adequate. However, for more complex processing requirements, or for applications requiring higher throughput capability, the compromises involved in prior art methods creates significant difficulties.
A primary object of the present invention is to provide a mass transfer system that offers the simultaneous transfer and time-saving efficiencies of prior art mass transfer techniques, while also offering some or all of the flexibility of prior-art free ranging hoist techniques. This object is achieved by equipping a mass transfer mechanism and an associated software control mechanism with the ability to retract a plurality of lifting arms (6), in a manner so as to select which of the processing stages (2) the lifting arms (6) will address for each transfer step, while omitting those steps for which transfer is not yet required. Thus, for example, a carrier basket (1) (also commonly referred to as a xe2x80x9cworkloadxe2x80x9d) may be moved from a spray-rinsing tank after only thirty seconds, to make room for another workload, while carrier baskets (1) in some other positions may not be transferred for several more minutes. The end result of this novel technique is that the overall throughput efficiency of the prior art mass transfer method is preserved, while the capabilities of the free ranging hoist to address various and multiple processing steps or recipes is accommodated. | {
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Typical methods of combining a standard two dimensional map or aerial image with a high definition (HD) three dimensional content map may produce less than desirable results. Typically, the three dimensional content is overlaid on the two dimensional images, such as a map or aerial image, which may obscure the two dimensional image. This may be particularly true in an instance in which the context map is a high definition (HD) three dimensional road content map, due to the lane modeling and complex intersections. In these instances the road geometry is larger than the simple centerline road models.
In some examples, the two dimensional image and the three dimensional content may not align, for example the shape of the roads may differ slightly, even in idealized presentations. This misalignment may cause the transitions between the two dimensional image and the three dimensional content to be abrupt, detracting from the rendered map.
Further, in some instances the two dimensional image may contain too much detail, which may detract from the three dimensional content of the rendered map. | {
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Semiconductor memory devices have increasingly been used in a wide variety of electronic devices. Non-volatile semiconductor memory devices are now common in smart phones, tablet computers, personal digital assistants, digital cameras, audio recorders, digital video camcorders, and USB flash drives, to name a few. Such flash memory devices are among the most popular non-volatile semiconductor memories. As electronic devices get smaller and smaller, it becomes desirable to increase the amount of data that can be stored per unit area on an integrated circuit memory element, such as a flash memory unit. Efforts of the semiconductor fabricating industry to produce continuing improvements in miniaturization and packing densities has seen improvements and new challenges in the semiconductor fabricating process.
Flash memory is typically made up of an array of floating gate transistors, commonly referred to as memory cells. One or more bits of data can be stored as charge by each memory cell. FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary memory cell 100 utilizing a floating gate 102 that is positioned above and insulated from a channel region 104 in a semiconductor substrate 106. In one embodiment, the floating gate 102 is positioned between a first source/drain region 108 and a second source/drain region 110. A control gate 112 is placed over and insulated from the floating gate 102. A threshold voltage of the transistor is controlled by an amount of charge that is retained on its floating gate. The minimum amount of voltage that must be applied to the control gate 112 before conduction occurs between the first source/drain region 108 and the second source/drain region 110 is controlled by a level of charge on the floating gate 102. When conduction occurs between the first source/drain region 108 and the second source/drain region 110, the channel region 104 forms in the semiconductor substrate 106 between the first source/drain region 108 and the second source/drain region 110, and immediately beneath the floating gate 102.
FIG. 2 illustrates a typical two-dimensional array of floating gate memory transistors, or memory cells. FIG. 2 comprises several strings, known as NAND strings of floating gate memory transistors 210. Each transistor 210 of the NAND string is coupled to a next transistor 210 in the NAND string by coupling a source of one transistor 210 to a drain of a next transistor 210 to form bit lines BL1-BLn. Each NAND string illustrated in FIG. 2 includes a select transistor 212, 214 on either end of the string of memory cells. The drain side select transistor 212 connects the NAND strings to respective bit lines (BL1-BLn) and the source side select transistor 214 connects the NAND strings to a common source line 216. FIG. 2 also illustrates a plurality of word lines WL1-WLn running perpendicular to the NAND strings. As illustrated in FIG. 2, each word line (WL1-WLn) connects to the control gate 218 of one memory cell 210 of each NAND string.
In one embodiment, before programming a flash memory device, its memory cells are erased. In one embodiment, memory cells can be erased as part of a batch erase where all the memory cells existing in the memory cell array are erased at the same time. In another method, a memory device can be erased through a block erase, where a block consists of a group of NAND cells arranged in a row direction and sharing a common word line. As described herein, when a memory cell or a plurality of memory cells are erased, electrons are discharged into a semiconductor substrate from floating gates of the selected memory cells and threshold voltages of the selected memory cells are shifted in a negative direction.
In one embodiment, a flash memory device may be programmed by applying a program voltage to the control gate of the target memory cell and placing its bit line to ground. Electrons from the substrate channel may then be injected into the floating gate through a process known as tunneling. When electrons accumulate on the floating gate, the floating gate may become negatively charged and the threshold voltage of the memory cell raised so that the memory cell is in a programmed state. In the case of a NAND-type memory cell, the threshold voltages after data erase are normally “negative” and defined as “1.” The threshold voltages after data write are normally “positive” and defined as “0.”
When the threshold voltage is negative and a read is attempted, the memory cell will turn on; indicating logic “1” is stored. When the threshold voltage is positive and a read operation is attempted, the memory cell will not turn on; indicating logic “0” is stored. A memory cell can also store multiple bits of digital data, such as in exemplary Multi-Level Cell Architecture (MLC) devices. The range of possible threshold values may determine a number of possible levels of data. For example, if four levels of information are stored, there may be four threshold voltage ranges assigned to the data values “11,” “10,” “01,” and “00.” In one example of a NAND-type memory, the threshold voltage after an erasure may be negative and defined as “11.” In one embodiment, positive threshold voltages may be used for the states of “10,” “01,” and “00.”
When a memory cell is programmed (with a program signal), all of the memory cells on the same wordline may also receive the program signal. Even though the bit lines on their NAND strings are set to a supply voltage Vcc (e.g. 3-5 V), and inhibited, it may still be possible for another memory cell on the same wordline to be inadvertently programmed (e.g., disturbed). In particular, the memory cell adjacent to the memory cell selected for programming may be especially vulnerable to program disturb.
FIG. 2 illustrates a programmed memory cell S on a wordline WL3 along with inhibited memory cells Q on the same wordline WL3. As illustrated in FIG. 2, the selected bitline BL1 is set to ground and the inhibited bitlines B12-BLn are set to Vcc. The program signal Vpgm is applied to the selected wordline WL3 and is applied to the control gates 218 of the memory cells 210 along the wordline WL3 (e.g., memory cells S and Q). This places the program signal Vpgm on memory cells 210 in both the selected bitline BL1 (memory cell S) and the unselected bitlines BL2-BLn (memory cells Q). As discussed herein, the unintentional programming of an unselected memory cell Q on the selected wordline WL3 is called “program disturb.”
There have been many attempts to limit or prevent program disturb. Conventional self-boosting is an exemplary method whereby the unselected bitlines may be electrically isolated and a pass voltage applied to the unselected wordlines during programming. FIG. 3 illustrates conventional global self-boosting. A supply voltage Vcc (e.g. 3-5 V) is applied to both drains 302 and control gates 304 of the unselected drain side select transistors 212 to turn off the unselected drain side select transistors 212, and thereby electrically isolate the unselected bitlines. A pass voltage Vpass (e.g. 10 V) may be applied to the unselected wordlines (WL1, WL2, and WL4-WLn). The unselected wordlines (WL1, WL2, and WL4-WLn) capacitively couple to the unselected bitlines BL2-BLn, causing a voltage (such as about 6 volts) to exist in the channel of the unselected bit lines BL2-BLn, which may reduce program disturb. Self-boosting may reduce the potential difference between channels of the unselected bit lines BL2-BLn and the program signal Vpgm that is applied to the selected wordline WL3. The end result may be reduced voltage across the tunnel oxide and therefore reduced program disturb, especially in the memory cells Q in the unselected bitlines BL2-BLn on the selected wordline WL3.
However, conventional global self-boosting does have its disadvantages. A NAND string is typically programmed from the source side to the drain side. When all but the last few memory cells have been programmed, if all or most of the memory cells on the NAND string being inhibited were programmed, then there may be a negative charge in the floating gates of the previously programmed cells. Because of this negative charge on the floating gates, the boosting potential may not get high enough and there may still be program disturb on the last few wordlines. As illustrated in FIG. 4A, when programming one particular memory cell S, if memory cells B on a source side wordline and adjacent to inhibited memory cells Q on the selected wordline, were already programmed, the negative charge on their floating gates may limit the boosting level of the self-boosting process and possibly cause program disturb on the memory cell Q adjacent to the programmed memory cell S.
Conventional global self-boosting can also suffer from uneven channel voltage. In conventional global self-boosting, channel voltage may not be uniformly distributed if any cell in the string is programmed. Channel voltage on the drain side, with pre-charging, may be higher than the source side. That is, memory cells on the source side may be vulnerable to program disturbs. In other words, when there is non-uniform channel voltage, the voltage is different through the channel. The differences in channel voltage on either side of the programmed memory cell may continue to grow as more memory cells are programmed. Further, there is pattern dependent channel voltage, such that channel voltage may be different from bit line to bit line due to their varying programming/erasure patterns. The channel voltage is boosted in different amounts depending on the threshold voltages of the cells. As a result, when data is written into the selected memory cell in the selected NAND string, the stress due to the programming voltage applied to all the memory cells on the wordline may cause a disturbance in the previously programmed memory cells. | {
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The present invention relates to hydraulic machines, such as water turbines, pumps and reversible pump-turbines, and particularly to the method of operating a hydraulic machine when it is desired to have the runner rotated within compressed air, which compressed air will depress the water level within the draft tube so that the runner chamber will be filled with compressed air, when the guide vanes are closed.
In operations such as condenser operation, turning reserve operation and starting operation as a pump, the runner of the hydraulic machine is rotated within compressed air filling the runner chamber. In order to prevent heat elevation due to idling of the runner, it has been thought that a large quantity of cooling water must be fed between the rotating portion and the stationary portion of the hydraulic machine during such operation. In order to feed this large quantity of cooling water between such portions by leaking a large quantity of water from the side gaps of the guide vanes, the water pressure within the casing of the hydraulic turbine has heretofore been maintained at a value much larger than the pressure of the air introduced into the runner chamber, and a feed pipe has been provided to supply the cooling water. At the same time, in order to prevent air admission into the casing during the depression of the water level with compressed air within the runner chamber, the hydraulic machine has been provided with a water feed pump or a bypass with a valve between the upper and lower reaches of the penstock, with respect to the inlet valve within the penstock.
Such large quantities of water supplied to the peripheral portion of the runner brings about a cooling effect, however at the same time, it also generates a large quantity of heat due to the torque loss resulting from such a large quantity of water engaging the runner; therefore, adjustment of the quantity of water supplied has become more difficult as the peripheral velocity of the runner becomes larger, based upon a higher head and larger capacity of the machine. Furthermore, due to such a large torque loss related to the large quantity of cooling water, it has been necessary to provide such a hydraulic machine with a starting motor that has a very large output. | {
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Traditional filling processes and containers have long been encumbered by a simple phenomenon that has exasperated consumers for decades--settling. Settling, as any purchaser of a bag of potato chaps knows, means the bag is never completely filled when opened. This occurs due to the settling of the product inside during its filling and shipment. This simple settling phenomenon causes tremendous economic waste each year due to the wasting of storage space and container materials. This has been particularly true in the storage, transportation, and dispensation of flowable materials in semi-bulk quantities such as grains, chemicals and other bulky substances stored in flexible, bulk containers, such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,143,796 and 4,194,652.
It has long been known that the settling process is caused by the natural aeration of flowable materials as the materials are placed inside a container. As the container is shipped to its final destination, the air is displaced from the aerated material mixture causing the product to compact and reduce in volume. Thus, when the container is opened, the flowable material has settled to the bottom of the container, i.e. the bag of potato chips is only half full.
Any process or system, such as the present invention, for deaerating the flowable material prior to filling a container for shipment that allows more of the container to be filled with product and reduces the excess air results in an enormous cost savings. Indeed, the shipment of smaller sized containers using vacuum sealed packages such as, e.g., vacuum sealed coffee containers, has alleviated many of the above problems of cost and time.
The present invention substantially eliminates settling and the inherent problems associated therewith by deaerating flowable material prior to filling a container for shipment. Use of the present invention thus allows more product to be transported in the same size container than is possible using prior techniques. Thus, by utilizing all of the container space, the present invention allows for the far more efficient total use of all of the container materials and space. | {
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This invention relates generally to a fire extinguishing sprinkler valve and, more particularly, to an on-off fire extinguishing sprinkler valve.
One type of known on-off sprinkler head employs a temperature responsive actuator to control the pressure in a pilot volume disposed on one side of a piston valve and communicating with a water supply applying pressure to the opposite side of the valve. In response to variations in ambient temperature the pressure in the pilot volume changes relative to the supply pressure and thereby causes desired opening and closing operation of the valve. Examples of pilot volume actuated on-off sprinkler heads are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,702,160; 3,746,098; 3,748,176; 3,757,866 and 4,359,098. Individual and collective disadvantages of pilot volume valves include structural complexity, leak prone movable seals, dependence on differential pressure actuation, etc.
Another type of on-off sprinkler head employs a temperature responsive actuator such as a wax motor to directly operate a flow valve. Examples of directly operated sprinkler heads are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,734,191; 3,802,510 and 3,911,940. Disadvantages of directly actuated heads include a requirement for spring members to effect valve closures and a relatively slow response of the direct actuators. The latter deficiency can be obviated by a sprinkler head disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,924,687 and which used a conventional fusible link actuated straight on valve in series with a directly actuated on-off sprinkler valve. By selecting a melting temperature for the fusible link that is higher than the actuation temperature of the direct actuator, the on-off valve can be made to positively and completely open prior to opening of the straight-on valve. The sprinkler head disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,924,687 exhibits the cost and complexity disadvantages inherent in a head employing two distinct valves. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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Many situations arise today where a customer seeking to buy a particular product in a store discovers that the particular store does not have the desired product. However, to make the sale and satisfy the customer, a representative of the store will search an inventory management database of the store operator to determine if another store within a reasonable distance has the desired product in stock. If so, the customer may be willing to travel to the other store to purchase and/or pickup the available product.
In these situations, it is desirable to provide directions from the store where the product is not available to the one that has the product, to make it easy and convenient for the customer to travel from one store to another. For example, the representative may obtain and print directions to the other store, e.g. from an on-line service, and provide them to the customer. In other scenarios, a potential customer may go on-line to research and identify a store having a desired product and then obtain directions to the store for printout, for example, from a retailer's website or from a mapping service website. However, printed directions are not always convenient to use, for example, to read in real time as the customer drives a vehicle herself to the second store. | {
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This invention relates to a deflecting method for scanning and a deflector for deflecting a charged particle beam such as an ion beam with scanning. This invention particularly relates to a deflecting method and a deflector suitable for deflecting a charged particle beam with a relatively large current or a charged particle beam with a relatively large diameter. The charged particle beam with the relatively large diameter represents, for example, a charged particle beam having a flattened cross-sectional shape in which its horizontal width is greater than its vertical width. Note that “horizontal” which will hereinafter be referred to represents one axis in a plane in a direction perpendicular to a center axis of a beam trajectory and does not necessarily represent a horizontal axis. Likewise, “vertical” represents one axis in the plane in the direction perpendicular to the center axis of the beam trajectory and does not necessarily represent a perpendicular or vertical axis, and specifically represents the axis that is perpendicular to the foregoing axis of the horizontal direction in the plane in the direction perpendicular to the center axis of the beam trajectory. This invention is suitable for application to an ion implantation method and an ion implantation system but is not limited thereto.
Description will be briefly given about a structure of the ion implantation system. In this specification, an ion beam falls under the category of a charged particle beam and the charged particle beam may hereinafter be referred to simply as a “beam”.
As is well known, in the ion implantation system, a beam is extracted from an ion source through an extraction electrode. The extracted beam is analyzed by a mass analysis electromagnet device and a mass analysis slit. As a result of the mass analysis, only a necessary ion species is selected. The selected ion is implanted into a substrate such as a silicon wafer.
Normally, the ion implantation system is provided with a deflector for deflecting the beam in order to scan the surface of the substrate with the beam. Deflectors of this type include a magnetic deflector and an electrostatic (electrical field) deflector. Description will be briefly given about structures, merits and demerits of the magnetic deflector and the electrostatic deflector.
The magnetic deflector comprises an electromagnet composed of at least two magnetic pole pieces confronting each other through a gap defined therebetween and a coil. A current supplied to the coil generates in the gap a magnetic field that deflects the beam. By changing the current supplied to the coil, the beam passing through the gap is magnetically deflected. The magnetic deflector has a merit of facilitating uniform generation and distribution of a magnetic field over a wide region as compared with the electrostatic deflector. However, the magnetic deflector has a demerit that a structure thereof tends to be large and complicated and further the power consumption thereof is large. In addition, the magnetic deflector also has a demerit that the magnetic field tends to leak and, as a scanning frequency increases, it becomes more difficult to generate the magnetic field. Moreover, in the magnetic deflector, there is an instant when a deflection angle of the beam becomes zero (i.e. the beam goes straight on) and, in this instant, the magnetic field disappears. While the magnetic field disappears, secondary electrons neutralizing the beam are dispersed so that a diameter of the beam increases. As a result, the beam diameter differs between when the deflection angle is zero and when the deflection angle is other than zero.
On the other hand, the electrostatic deflector comprises at least two opposite electrodes confronting each other through a gap defined therebetween. A scanning voltage is applied across the two opposite electrodes. The scanning voltage generates in the gap an electrical field that deflects a beam passing through the gap. By changing the scanning voltage, the beam passing through the gap is electrostatically deflected (e.g. see JP-A-2003-513419). The electrostatic deflector has a merit that it can be more compact in structure and requires less power consumption as compared with the magnetic deflector. However, the electrostatic deflector has a demerit that a uniform electrical field is difficult to generate and the beam after deflection is inferior in quality as compared with that in the magnetic deflector.
Incidentally, in the deflection of the beam, when a beam current is large or the beam has a flattened cross-sectional shape, i.e. a cross-sectional shape that is horizontally elongated, it is difficult for the conventional electrostatic deflector to cope with it and, therefore, improvement in performance of the deflector is essential.
Specifically, when a beam having a horizontally elongated cross-sectional shape is deflected in its major-axis direction (horizontal-width direction), it is required that the beam be deflected at substantially the same deflection angle at any portions of the cross-section of the beam. Note that even if variation in deflection angle occurs in the deflection of the beam, it is assumed that no problem is raised when the variation is sufficiently small or can be easily corrected. | {
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1. The Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to methods and apparatus for delivering dental agents to tooth surfaces. More particularly, the present invention is ideally suited for applying a highly filled, thixotropic sealant to tooth surfaces in a manner which minimizes polymerization shrinkage and water absorption, and which provides for a stronger and more durable sealant so as to more effectively prevent tooth decay.
2. The Prior Art
Most dentists understand the value of using sealants as a prophylactic measure with emerging dentition. Sealants have proven to be an important adjunct to patient care. However, many clinicians avoid the usage of sealants due to products which fail to produce predictable, consistent results. This is due in significant measure to two factors. First, low-filled or unfilled resins have been the materials of choice to date, since low viscosity is necessary to maximize resin penetration into fissures. However, the problems with using low-filled or unfilled resins include shrinkage, increased water absorption, less strength, and less durability of the sealant.
On the other hand, to date, utilization of highly filled resin sealants e.g., those which contain approximately fifty percent (50%) filler has not been practical because the filler makes delivery using conventional delivery tips virtually impossible due to the high viscosity. For example, my prior U.S. Pat. No. 4,997,371, discloses a syringe-type dispenser with a removable applicator tip having bristles at the distal end thereof. The bristles are in communication with the syringe-type dispenser, thereby allowing a dental agent to be continuously applied to tooth surfaces without the need to stop the dental procedure and rewet the applicator. This device has proven to be highly effective with respect to the delivery of a number of different kinds of dental agents.
On the other hand, attempts to use this device for delivery of other dental agents that are more viscous or which are constituted of highly filled resins have proven unsatisfactory. For example, the bristles which are held by the applicator tip are primarily held by the frictional grip which occurs at the distal end of the tip. This causes the bristles to act as a filter, particularly with respect to any filler particles that are contained in the dental agent. Such filtering may change the physical properties of the dental agent as it is delivered to the tooth surface. For example, in the case of a bonding agent, filtering of the filler particles may make the actual bond weaker. Sometimes, such filtering can even tend to choke off the delivery tip, thus preventing flow of material. With some types of materials, such as highly filled sealants, it is virtually impossible to deliver the dental agent since the resistance to flow is simply too great and attempting to force the flow of the material through the applicator tip may actually cause the tip to be blown off, expelling undesired quantities of the material into the patient's mouth.
Accordingly, while it would be highly desirable to provide sealants which are highly filled (e.g., containing approximately fifty percent (50%) filler) so as to provide a sealant capable of greatly minimizing polymerization shrinkage and water absorption, while increasing strength and durability, to date there have not been adequate methods or apparatus available for accomplishing this result. | {
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Websites and other online and offline entities often require user authentication through use of a password or a PIN. These entities may have differing requirements for password security, requiring some passwords to be longer and more complicated than others. Individuals who have a significant online presence may be required to remember numerous passwords. It is not uncommon for individuals to store their passwords in unsecure manners (for example, written in unencrypted files stored on their computers) to remember which password is tied to which site. Such practices significantly undermine the security of online systems.
What is needed are systems, methods and apparatuses for the secure storage and release of passwords such that a user is only required to remember association(s) with one or more prompts. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an image forming apparatus adapted to form an image on recording sheets sent to a predetermined position in order from a sheet tray, and more particularly to an image forming apparatus capable of forming an image in an accurate position on each of the recording sheet even when a tab and the like is provided at a front end of the recording sheet sent to the mentioned position.
2. Background Art
In an image forming apparatus adapted to form an image on a recording sheet, especially, in an image forming apparatus adapted to form a visible image on a recording sheet by selectively depositing a powdered toner on a latent image formed owing to an electrostatic potential difference, a means for regulating the recording sheet sending time so as to form an image in an accurate position on the recording sheet is employed. In an electrophotographic image forming apparatus adapted to form an image by using a toner image, and, in an electrostatic recording type image forming apparatus, a toner image is formed on an image carrier, and then sent forward by the movement of a circumferential surface of the image carrier. This toner image is then transferred onto a recording sheet directly or via an intermediate transfer member. During this time, the time at which the recording sheet is sent forward is regulated with respect to the movement of the member on which the toner image is supported, and the recording sheet is brought into contact with an accurate portion of the member on which the toner image is supported. This time regulation is conducted generally by using resist rolls which will be described below.
As shown in FIG. 4, on the upstream side of a transfer unit 101 in which the toner image is transferred onto the recording sheet, two resist rolls 102 arranged in parallel with each other and engaged each other under pressure are provided. When a recording sheet P is sent from a sheet tray 103, a front end of the recording sheet is made to impinge upon pressure engaged portions of the two resist rolls 102 stopped in advance. During this time, after the front end of the recording sheet contacts the resist rolls 102, further upstream side sending rolls 104 feed out the recording sheet P by a predetermined length, and stop with a rear portion of the recording sheet P gripped. As a result, flexure occurs between the sending roll 104 and resist rolls 102 as shown in FIG. 4, and the front end of the recording sheet is pressed against the resist rolls 102 by an elasticity restoration force of the recording sheet itself. Even though the recording sheet is sent in an inclined state during this time, the recording sheet P has a marginal length between the sending rolls 104 and resist rolls 102, so that the front end of the recording sheet P is pressed against the resist rolls 102 with the recording sheet extending at right angles to the axes of the resist rolls.
The driving of the resist rolls 102 is then started in accordance with the time at which the toner image is sent thereto, to send the recording sheet P forward. During this time, the front end of the recording sheet is held between the two resist rolls 102 at right angles to the axes thereof, i.e., the recording sheet is fed forward with a diagonal posture thereof corrected. The recording sheet is brought into contact with an accurate portion of the toner image being sent thereto, and the toner image is transferred onto the recording sheet.
However, the recording sheets used have been diversified in recent years, and a recording sheet the front end of which does not extend straight at right angles to the direction in which the front end is sent is used in some cases. In a case where such a recording sheet is used, hindrance to the sending of the recording sheet occurs. For example, when a so-called tab sheet on which a tab for putting an index thereon is provided in a projecting state is made to impinge upon the resist rolls with the tab projecting from a front end of the tab sheet, the tab sheet which has theretofore been sent forward accurately starts being sent diagonally due to the projecting tab. Moreover, the time during which the recording sheet is sent forward is delayed by a period of time corresponding to the length of the tab, so that an image cannot be transferred onto an accurate portion of the recording sheet.
In order to deal with such problems, when the forming of an image is done by not disposing the edge, on which the tab is provided, of the tab sheet on the forward side, inconveniences do not occur. However, when images are formed on both surfaces of a tab sheet, the direction in which the tab sheet is sent is reversed. Therefore, in order to transfer an image onto the rear surface of the tab sheet, the tab sheet is sent with the edge thereof on which the tab is provided directed forward, though the tab was positioned at the rear end of the tab sheet during the formation of an image on an outer surface of the tab sheet. When a tab sheet is sent so that the tab is positioned on the lateral side thereof, inconveniences occur in a certain case where after-treatments, such as hole making operations and sheet binding operations are carried out continuously.
Other means for solving the above problems are disclosed in JP-A-2003-226448 and JP-A-2003-122223. In the image forming apparatuses disclosed in these publications, an image is formed in accordance with a predetermined portion of a recording sheet being sent, and the image is transferred onto the mentioned portion of the recording sheet. Therefore, stopping the recording sheet temporarily and regulating the time for feeding the recording sheet again becomes unnecessary. In short, these apparatuses are adapted to form an image in accordance with the time at which a recording sheet is sent out, and transfer the image onto an accurate portion on the surface of the recording sheet. Therefore, even when a tab and the like is provided on a front end of the recording sheet, inconveniences do not occur during the sending of the recording sheet. | {
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Semiconductor devices are used in a variety of electronic applications, such as personal computers, cell phones, digital cameras, and other electronic equipment, as examples. Semiconductor devices are typically fabricated by sequentially depositing insulating or dielectric layers, conductive layers, and semiconductive layers of material over a semiconductor substrate, and patterning the various material layers using lithography to form circuit components and elements thereon.
The semiconductor industry continues to improve the integration density of various electronic components (e.g., transistors, diodes, resistors, capacitors, etc.) by continual reductions in minimum feature size, which allow more components to be integrated into a given area. These smaller electronic components also require smaller packages that utilize less area than packages of the past, in some applications.
Package on package (PoP) technology is becoming increasingly popular for its ability to allow for denser integration of integrated circuits into a small overall package. PoP technology is employed in many advanced handheld devices, such as smart phones and electronic tablets.
Corresponding numerals and symbols in the different figures generally refer to corresponding parts unless otherwise indicated. The figures are drawn to clearly illustrate the relevant aspects of the various embodiments and are not necessarily drawn to scale. | {
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} |
A contact assembly for a plug-type connector assembly for use in automotive technology or other applications for electrical is connections mounted at the end of an electrical wire and housed in a plug-type connector assembly housing, The assembly has at least one locking clip for positioning and fixing the two parts together. Such assemblies, in addition to use in motor vehicles for hooking up the various electrical and electronic devices are also used in communication, and household appliances, or for other electrical plug-in connections.
Such known contact assemblies normally comprise a plug subassembly and a mating socket subassembly and are designed in such a way that, in addition to meeting electrical requirements such as the transmission of power and signals, they also meet mechanical requirements such as the application of transverse contact forces or electrical contacting of the wire (by means of a crimp connection or insulation displacement contact technology, for example), but also positioning and fixing the conductor of the plug in the socket. With regard to the requirements for currently known contact systems, there is a conflict between low longitudinal insertion forces during connection of the plug and socket on the one hand and high transverse contact forces (to ensure reliable contacting for power or signal current transmission) on the other hand. Namely, the enabling of low insertion forces results in low transverse contact forces, and vice versa. If the contact regions of the connector parts are coated with expensive substances such as gold or silver to avoid corrosion and thus high transition resistances, initial damage to these surfaces may result in complete system failure, particularly when very small currents or voltages are conducted through the plug-type connector assembly.
Another embodiment of a plug-type connector assembly is known from U.S. Pat. No. 6,736,682. The advantage of this known plug-in connection is that there is no terminal being mounted on the end of the electrical conductor for the wire. To absorb the plug-in forces when the plug and electrical connector are joined, both the end region of the electrical wire and the exposed electrical conductor are fixed in place by the connector housing. The embodiment according to FIG. 2 of U.S. Pat. No. 6,736,682 reliably provides strain relief for the wire by the fact that the wire is surrounded by the connector housing, in particular by extrusion coating. However, manufacture of such a design is extremely complex, since in the extrusion coating process care must be taken that the end region of the wire is completely extrusion-coated with plastic, while on the other hand the exposed electrical conductor must be only partially extrusion-coated with the plastic of the connector housing, since the electrical conductor must likewise be fixed in the connector housing, and in addition a portion of the electrical conductor must remain exposed so that electrical contact may be made with the complementary end region of the electrical conductor for the electrical connector. Such a design for a plug-type connector assembly can be implemented only with great difficulty, since coordination during the injection molding process, in particular for multiconductor plug-type connector assemblies, is extremely complicated and therefore very costly. Other systems described in German patent documents 42 35 245 and 101 02 137 and in U.S. Pat. No. 5,788,536 have similar problems.
In commonly owned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/654,405 filed 17 Jan. 2007 a connector assembly is disclosed having a housing formed with a passage receiving a wire having a conductive core and an insulating sheath. The housing has an end region surrounding a stripped end of the wire where the conductor is exposed and an intermediate region surround an adjacent portion of the sheath of the wire. An element in the intermediate region fixed to the sheath secures the wire in the housing against any movement relative thereto. In other words, the plug-type connector assembly housing is no longer directly molded around the end region of the wire, but instead, these means may be inserted into the passage as an additional component or components, and/or the means are molded onto the plug-type connector assembly housing, which has a one- or multi-part design. Thus, during manufacture of the plug-type connector assembly no direct interaction is necessary between the extrusion coating of the plug-type connector assembly housing and the end region of the wire, thus enabling a significantly simpler and less complicated coordination of the affected components with one another, as well as a considerable cost reduction. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
Combustion engines that run on fossil fuels generate exhaust gases. The exhaust gases typically include oxygen as well as various undesirable pollutants. Non-limiting examples of undesirable pollutants include nitrogen oxide gases (NOx), unburned hydrocarbon gases (HC), and carbon monoxide gas (CO). Various industries, including the automotive industry, use exhaust gas sensors to both qualitatively and quantitatively sense and analyze the composition of the exhaust gases for engine control, performance improvement, emission control and other purposes, such as to sense when an exhaust gas content switches from a rich to lean or lean to rich air/fuel ratio. For example, HC emissions can be reduced using sensors that can sense the composition of oxygen gas (O2) in the exhaust gases for alteration and optimization of the air to fuel ratio for combustion.
A conventional high temperature gas sensor typically includes an ionically conductive solid electrolyte material, a porous electrode on the sensor's exterior exposed to the exhaust gases with a porous protective overcoat, a porous electrode on the sensor's interior surface exposed to a known gas partial pressure, an embedded resistance heater and electrical contact pads on the outer surface of the sensor to provide power and signal communication to and from the sensor. An example of a sensor used in automotive applications uses a yttria-stabilized, zirconia-based electrochemical galvanic cell with porous platinum electrodes to detect the relative amounts of oxygen present in an automobile engine's exhaust. When opposite surfaces of this galvanic cell are exposed to different oxygen partial pressures, an electromotive force (emf) is developed between the electrodes on the opposite surfaces of the electrolyte wall, according to the Nernst equation.
Exhaust sensors that include various flat-plate ceramic sensing element configurations formed of various layers of ceramic and electrolyte materials laminated and sintered together with electrical circuit and sensor traces placed between the layers, and embedded resistance heaters and electrical contact pads on the outer surface of the sensor to provide power and signal communication to and from the sensors have become increasingly popular. These flat-plate sensors generally have a sensing portion or end, that is exposed to the exhaust gases, and a reference portion or end, that is shielded from the exhaust gases providing an ambient reference. Gas sensors that employ these elements generally use high temperature electrical connectors for the electrical connection to contact pads on the reference end of the sensor to provide the necessary power and signal communication between a vehicle controller and the gas sensor. These electrical connectors are exposed to the extreme operating temperatures of internal combustion engine exhaust systems, which may include temperatures at the connector of greater than 200° C. and up to about 350° C. Thus, these connectors generally have connector bodies made from high temperature materials, such as ceramics.
These connectors also include conductive terminals which are generally disposed within the ceramic body portions and provide both contact portions to make the necessary electrical contact with the contact pads a termination portion for attachment to wires for communication with the controller. The connectors, including the ceramic body portions and terminals, must be designed so as to receive the ceramic gas sensor with a relatively low insertion force, but to have a relatively higher contact force in operation to ensure the reliability of the communications between the controller and the sensor. One such connector has proposed a clamshell configuration where opposing halves of a ceramic connector body open in a clamshell configuration to receive the gas sensor, whereupon the halves of the sensor are closed to establish electrical contact between conductive terminals disposed on the respective connector halves and the contact pads on the gas sensor. Upon closing the connector halves, a solid metal connector retaining ring is disposed around them to retain the connector body portions and establish the operating contact force between the terminals and the contact pads.
While various high temperature electrical connector configurations have been proposed, there remains a desire for improved high temperature connectors, including those having improved ceramic connector bodies and associated body portions. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
Conventionally, in a load sensor measuring a surface pressure, wirings crossing each other at right angles are arranged on two surfaces of a sensing rubber that is a film shape, and a load detection is executed based on a change of a resistance of the sensing rubber at a crossing point where a load is applied by using a change of a thickness of the sensing rubber at the crossing point. However, since the load sensor is a simple matrix structure in which the wiring crossing each other at right angles in a matrix shape on the two surfaces of the sensing rubber and executes a load detection by using the simple matrix structure, the load detection is more easily affected by a change of a resistance at another crossing point in a case where a total number of measurement points becomes larger. In this case, an S/N ratio (signal noise ratio) becomes smaller, a measurement accuracy is deteriorated, and a peripheral circuit becomes more complicated in a case where a high-speed measurement is necessary and may be used in a robot.
JP2009-31045A discloses that a horizontal transistor including an organic semiconductor film made of an organic semiconductor material is applied to a load sensor, so as to solve the above matters. The horizontal transistor using the organic semiconductor film executes the load detection based on a change of a current Ids flowing between a drain electrode and a source electrode which is generated due to a change of a thickness of a gate oxidation film generated according to a load applied to the horizontal transistor. Since a current flows through the horizontal transistor until a gate is turned on, in the load sensor using the horizontal transistor, the horizontal transistor is not affected by other horizontal transistors adjacent to the horizontal transistor, the S/N ratio CaO be properly increased, and the measurement accuracy can be improved.
The current Ids is obtained by an expression based on a mobility μ, a gate capacity C, a gate width W, a gate length L, a gate voltage Vg, and a threshold voltage Vth. According to the above expression, when a thickness of the gate oxidation film is changed, parameters including the mobility μ, the gate capacity C, and the gate length L are affected. Therefore, the current Ids flowing between the drain electrode and the source electrode is changed in a non-linear relationship.
Ids = W × μ × C 2 × L ( Vg - Vth ) 2
In this case, to apply the horizontal transistor to the load sensor, a reference load is applied to the horizontal transistor, and the current Ids is measured and is established to a map and a table. That is, the current Ids of when a load is applied to the horizontal transistor is measured, a stored load in the table corresponding to the current Ids is loaded to measure the load. As the above description, when the current Ids is changed in a non-linear relationship to the load, it is necessary to establish a table by measuring the reference load, and a manufacturing of a product becomes complicated. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
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