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Entities offering wager gaming may wish to track a gaming machine's play history and to recover or re-create aspects of past-played games based on the tracked play history. For example, a wager gaming machine offering video slot machine play may save a screen capture of each game play provided by the wager gaming machine. The screen captures may later be referenced to determine what game outcome was displayed on the gaming machine for various game plays. Some gaming machines may save multiple screen captures during a game play to capture various stages of play during the game play, such as initial wager, additional wagers, initial draws, additional draws, etc. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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1. Field of the Invention
Methods and apparatuses consistent with the present invention relate to a virtual memory system, and more particularly, to reducing a page fault rate in a virtual memory system.
2. Description of the Related Art
Due to the increase in the size of software, a system such as a computer or a laptop computer commonly employs a virtual memory system in which a portion of software is loaded into a memory instead of the entire software.
Further, because a built-in system included in a cellular phone, a smart phone, or a PDA (personal digital assistant) has many functions and is complicated, the type and size of software included in the built-in system are increasing. Therefore, the system increasingly employs a virtual memory technology. For example, in the case of a shadowing technique in which a software code is stored in a NAND (not and) flash memory and batch-loaded into a main memory when booting a system, capacity of the main memory should be increased in proportion to the size of the software. Therefore, there is a need for an effective alternative to execute large software at a reasonable hardware cost. Such an alternative is a virtual memory system that can execute large software by utilizing a minimum capacity of the main memory.
The virtual memory system is used to solve a problem due to an insufficient capacity of a main memory which is much smaller than the size of real software. Specifically, in the virtual memory system, address spaces for all tasks are not loaded into the main memory but address spaces absolutely required for executing present tasks are loaded into the main memory. The address spaces which are not stored in the main memory are stored in an auxiliary memory such as a NAND flash memory or hard disk. Accordingly, it is possible to solve the mismatch between the size of software and the capacity of the main memory.
An address space region which is necessary to execute a task may exist in an auxiliary memory. Therefore, the virtual memory system has a problem that there exists time overhead for loading a page existing in the auxiliary memory to the main memory. Since this time overhead is relatively large as compared with an access time with respect to a page in the main memory, it is very important for system performance to minimize a page loading frequency from the auxiliary memory.
In order to minimize the page loading frequency from the auxiliary memory, a page more likely to be referenced should be loaded into the main memory and a page less likely to be referenced should be stored in the auxiliary memory. That is, when a new page is loaded into the main memory, if the main memory does has enough empty space, a page least likely to be referenced in the immediate future should be replaced from the main memory among the existing loaded pages.
That is, in order to improve the system performance, it is very important to estimate reference probability of each page.
As shown in FIG. 1, a virtual memory system includes a CPU (central processing unit) 10, a cache memory 20, a TLB (translation lookaside buffer) 30, a main memory 40, an auxiliary memory 50, and a page table 45. A page necessary to execute a task is loaded into the main memory 40 so as to be executed and a cache memory 20 functions as a cache with respect to the main memory 40. The TLB 30 and the page table 45 serve to convert a virtual address to a physical address in the main memory. The page table 45 resides in the main memory and the TLB 30 functions as a cache of the page table 45.
In a related art virtual memory system, the CPU 10 accesses an arbitrary instruction or data in order to execute a program as follows.
(1) A CPU refers to a virtual address and performs indexing of a cache memory using the virtual address so as to determine whether or not desired data exists in the cache memory. If the desired data exists in the cache memory, the CPU fetches the data.
(2) If the corresponding data does not exist in the cache memory, the CPU performs indexing the TLB so as to detect a physical address of a page in which the desired data exist (2-1). If the physical address is detected in the TLB, the CPU accesses the page in the main memory and reads the desired data by using the corresponding information (2-2).
(3) If the physical address of data to read is not detected in the TLB, the CPU performs indexing a page table of the main memory so as to obtain the physical address of the data (3-1). At this moment, the data may exist in the main memory or in the auxiliary memory. If the data exists in the main memory, the CPU accesses the corresponding page and reads the data (3-2).
(4) If the data does not exist in the main memory, a page fault occurs. If a page fault occurs, a page fault handler is executed such that the corresponding page is loaded into the main memory from an auxiliary memory by using a virtual address of the page in which the page fault occurs. At this moment, if the main memory does not have an empty room enough to store a new page, a page having the lowest reference probability among the existing pages is replaced so as to store the new page in the room of the replaced page.
In a general system, hardware processes the procedures (1) to (3) except for the procedure (4) in which the page fault occurs among the above-described procedures (1) to (4). That is, generally, the procedures (1) to (3) are not performed by software. Therefore, software can not obtain information that indicates the page accessed by the CPU in the procedure (1) to (3) but only can obtain information that indicates a page in which the page fault occurs through the procedure (4). Accordingly, when evaluating the reference probability of each page, it is difficult to realize a LRU (least recently used) page replacement policy in which all of the page access information should be known.
Since the LRU policy can not be used in the virtual memory system as a page replacement policy, an NUR (not used recently) policy, such as a clock, is used. In order to use the NUR policy, an access bit is added in a page table entry as reference number 46 shown in FIG. 1. When an arbitrary page is accessed, hardware automatically sets the access bit of the corresponding page table entry to 1. By using this access bit, it can be known whether or not the page is recently accessed.
There are various NUR page replacement policies in which the access bit is utilized. For example, Mach operating system version 2.5 realizes the NUR policy by using two connection lists which include a page of access bit 1 or 2. Further, a clock page replacement policy realizes the NUR policy by using one connection list and two pointers.
FIG. 2 is a view showing a related art clock policy. In the clock policy, all of the pages in the main memory are managed as one circle list and there are two arms. A back arm 61 is used to replace a page and a front arm 62 is used to reset an access bit of the page. That is, when a page fault occurs, the back arm 61 detects pages stored in the main memory according to a round-robin method so as to replace a first page in which an access bit is 0. At this moment, the front arm 62 also accesses the pages according to the round-robin method and initializes the access bit of the accessed pages to 0. A predetermined value of an interval between the front arm 62 and the back arm 61 is always kept.
A clock replacement policy guarantees that a page recently referenced, that is, a page having an access bit of 1 is not replaced in the main memory during a predetermined period of time such that the clock replacement policy may show a similar function to the LRU. On the other hand, hardware which does not supply the access bit may emulate the access bit of the page table entry in software so as to realize NUR page replacement policy, such as the clock replacement policy.
A disadvantage of the page replacement policy in which the related art access bit is utilized or realized by emulating the access bit in software is that recently referenced information of a page in which the access bit is reset to 0 can be omitted.
For example, in the case that a clock page replacement policy is used, if an access bit of an arbitrary page is reset to 0 by the front arm, there is no modification with respect to a TLB entry of the corresponding page. Therefore, a procedure 2-1 shown in FIG. 1, that is, when a physical address of a page to be accessed is found in the TLB, the access bit of the corresponding page is not set to 1. When an entry is found in the TLB, the CPU does not access the page table, but accesses the main memory through procedure 2-2 such that there is no modification with respect to the page table.
FIG. 3 is a view showing an operation of the page replacement according to the related art.
In a block 71, while a predetermined page is replaced according to a page replacement policy, an access bit with respect to a page K included in a page table 47 is reset to 0 (S1).
In a block 72, when a CPU 11 attempts to read the page K, the CPU 11 refers to the TLB 31 (S2). Therefore, the CPU 11 does not modify the access bit of the page table 47 and directly accesses the page K (S3). As a result, even though the page K is accessed by the CPU 11, the access bit of the page table 47 remains as 0.
In a block 73, the page K is replaced according to the page replacement policy. Since the access bit of the page table 47 with respect to the page K is reset to 0, the page K is removed by the back arm. However, since the page K referred to in the block 72 is removed, the CPU 11 should read the page K again from the auxiliary memory when reading the page K afterward.
Recently, there is a problem that reference information of a recently referred page is omitted so that the recently referred page is replaced in the main memory. As a result, a page loading frequency from the auxiliary memory increases such that the entire system performance may be degraded. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to entertainment products, and particularly, to a boxing target and a compressible toy including a micro electrical mechanical system (MEMS) pressure sensing module.
2. Description of Related Art
In modern society, more and more people study boxing in their spare time. Unfortunately, a conventional boxing target is unable to provide an exact measurement of the force the user applies to a striking surface. As a result, the user is unable to adjust their striking force according to the impact applied to a striking target. People often strike a compressible toy for relaxation in their spare time too. However, a conventional compressible toy often can't provide an exact readout of the impact administered to a striking surface, which would give a user the knowledge and satisfaction from knowing when higher and higher levels of force are applied. Therefore, a boxing target and compressible toy capable of notifying the user of the impact of their striking force in real-time is desired. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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There have been many boat fenders in the past, both inflatable and resilient, which have been cylindrical and which have eyelets at the top or bottom thereof in order to be suspended from the superstructure of a boat such as a life line, hand rail or any convenient tying-off place. These fenders are usually suspended between a boat and the dock to which the boat is to be tied off and are usually set such that the contact between the dock and the fender is about mid-way up the fender. Note that these fenders are also used between boats which are "rafted" together.
The greatest problem with respect to these types of fenders is that they are not tied off top and bottom, but rather are tied off only at the top. Therefore they tend to pop out or pop up during either rough water conditions, the rise and fall of the tide, or indeed the mere boarding of a boat by persons utilizing the boat.
These fenders in general, are either inflatable or resilient and when pressure is applied by the dock the fender compresses unevenly and deforms so as to squish up and pop out from between the boat and the dock. This of course results in damage in terms of chaffing, rubbing, or even more severe damage, with there being no practical way of keeping the fenders in place when they are lowered over the side of the boat. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to semiconductor processing, and more particularly to apparatus and methods for packaging a semiconductor chip with a thermal interface material.
2. Description of the Related Art
Many current integrated circuits are formed as multiple die on a common wafer. After the basic process steps to form the circuits on the die are complete, the individual die are cut from the wafer. The cut die are then usually mounted to structures, such as circuit boards, or packaged in some form of enclosure.
One frequently-used package consists of a substrate upon which a die is mounted. The upper surface of the substrate includes electrical interconnects. The die is manufactured with a plurality of bond pads. A collection of solder bumps are provided between the bond pads of the die and the substrate interconnects to establish ohmic contact. After the die is mounted to the substrate, a lid is attached to the substrate to cover the die. Some conventional integrated circuits, such as microprocessors, generate sizeable quantities of heat that must be transferred away to avoid device shutdown or damage. The lid serves as both a protective cover and a heat transfer pathway.
To provide a heat transfer pathway from the integrated circuit to the lid, a thermal interface material is placed on the upper surface of the integrated circuit. In an ideal situation, the thermal interface material ideally fully contacts both the upper surface of the integrated circuit and the portion of the lower surface of the lid that overlies the integrated circuit. Conventional thermal interface materials include various types of pastes, and in some cases, a metal. Gel-type thermal interface materials consist of a polymeric matrix interspersed with thermally conductive particles, such as aluminum. More recently, designers have begun to turn to indium as a thermal interface material, particularly for high power-high temperature chips.
A metal thermal interface material like indium has favorable thermal properties that work well for high power-high temperature die. However, indium exhibits relatively poor adhesion to silicon. To facilitate bonding with indium, the backside of a silicon die may be provided with a metallization stack that includes a layer that readily adheres to silicon, a layer that readily wets indium and perhaps one or more intermediary barrier or other layers. An entire wafer of dice may be provided with respective metallization stacks en masse prior to dicing.
Not all dice on a given wafer clock natively at the same speed. Those chips that natively clock higher may be selected for high performance applications and markets. Those chips that natively clock out at slower speeds may still be quite useful in less intensive computing environments where the thermal environment is correspondingly less hostile. For the slower chips, a metal thermal interface material may not be necessary to carry the thermal load and may even be carry an economic penalty. In such circumstances, it may be desirable to use a gel-type thermal interface material.
Unfortunately, gel-type thermal interface materials do not adhere well with at least one conventional design for a backside metallization stack that uses a gold film as the top-most layer. Inevitable flexure of the die and package substrate can stretch the thermal interface material and cause delamination where there is poor adhesion with the gold film. Delamination causes the thermal resistance of the pathway from the chip to the lid to climb, perhaps to the point of thermal shutdown.
A conventional gel-type thermal interface material contains a small initial concentration of platinum that is designed to acts as a catalyst to improve bonding between a conventional gold film and the thermal interface material. The platinum particles are mixed into the gel prior to application to the gold film. Through mechanisms that are not well understood, the catalytic properties become poisoned by the gold film. Less than optimal bonding may occur and the risk of delamination remains.
The present invention is directed to overcoming or reducing the effects of one or more of the foregoing disadvantages. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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An image forming apparatus for forming an image by electrophotography includes a charging unit for uniformly charging the photosensitive surface of a photosensitive drum, a latent-image forming unit for forming an electrostatic latent image, which conforms to image information, on the charged photosensitive surface, a developing unit for developing the electrostatic latent image using toner, and a transfer unit for transferring the developed latent image to a printing sheet. The apparatus executes image forming processing successively while rotating the photosensitive drum.
Among the types of photosensitive drums that can be used, an amorphous silicon drum has a higher durability that than of an organic semiconductor drum employed generally in the prior art and has already found practical use in monochrome copiers. However, a characteristic of an amorphous photosensitive drum is that it exhibits sensitivity unevenness ascribable to a variance in the thickness of the photosensitive film, this being a problem related to manufacture. Sensitivity unevenness affects charging and the exposure characteristic and gives rise to irregular density in the image formed. Further, density unevenness in an image is produced not only by sensitivity unevenness of the photosensitive drum but also by a variance in the optical unit inside the image forming unit. The variance in the optical unit referred to here is attributed to the mounting precision of lenses and mirrors within the optical unit. With an optical unit that has a plurality of lasers, the variance manifests itself as a deviation in the images obtained by irradiation with the lasers and as a shift in the optical axis.
Such density unevenness has not posed much of a problem in the past but is now a problem that the market cannot allow owing to the demand for higher image quality in recent years.
In an effort to solve this problem, the conventional approach has been to suppress variance in the optical unit per se, i.e., to suppress variance by raising the mounting precision of the lenses and mirrors in the optical unit, or to select manufactured parts that satisfy certain conditions so that variance is held below a prescribed value, or to improve the finished precision of the component parts. Alternatively, as disclosed in the specification of Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 7-294837, polarized-light correcting means is provided within the optical unit and a correction is applied by the correcting means, thereby uniformalizing the amount of light in scanning so as to suppress density unevenness.
With these examples of the prior art, however, it is necessary to suppress the sensitivity unevenness of the photosensitive drum or to raise the precision of the optical unit and to perform the required adjustments and selections. The result is in increase in the cost of the apparatus. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an oil separator for separating oil from crankcase gases of an internal combustion engine.
2. Description of the Related Art
An internal combustion engine typically includes a combustion chamber, where a fuel air mixture is burned to cause movement of a set of reciprocating pistons, and a crankcase, which contains the crankshaft driven by the pistons. During operation, it is normal for the engine to experience “blow-by,” wherein combustion gases leak past the piston-cylinder gap from the combustion chamber and into die crankcase. These blow-by or crankcase gases contain moisture, acids and other undesired by-products of the combustion process.
An engine typically includes a Positive Crankcase Ventilation (PCV) system for removing harmful gases from the engine and prevents those gases from being expelled into the atmosphere. The PCV system does this by using manifold vacuum to draw vapors from the crankcase into the intake manifold. Vapor is then carried with the fuel/air mixture into an intake manifold of the combustion chambers where it is burned. Generally, the flow or circulation within the system is controlled by the PCV valve, which acts as both a crankcase ventilation system and as a pollution control device.
It is normal for crankcase gases to also include a very fine oil mist. The oil mist is carried by the PCV system to the manifold. The oil mist is then burned in the combustion chamber along with the fuel/air mixture. This results in an increase in oil consumption. A known method of removing oil from the crankcase gases is to use an oil separator. The crankcase gases flow through the oil separator. Localized high pressure areas in the oil separator promote separation of oil from the gases. The oil is re-introduced back to a sump via a drain device. The sump generally holds excess oil in the system.
It remains desirable to provide an improved oil separator that is more efficient than conventional oil separator designs in the removal of oil from crankcase gases. | {
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The present invention relates to a roll assembly for a fiber-web having at least at one end thereof a bearing assembly with a bearing housing, which bearing housing comprises a flexible and attenuating attachment arrangement, by means of which the roll can be attached in a flexible and attenuating manner on the frame or foundation of the fiber-web machine. The invention also relates to a method of attenuating the vibration of a fiber-web machine roll, in which method the roll is rotatably attached at its ends on a bearing assembly in bearing housings, which bearing housings are supported in a flexible and attenuating manner on the frame or foundation of the fiber-web machine.
Along with the increasing widths and higher speeds of fiber-web machines, the vibration of rolls is becoming an ever-increasing problem. The rolls in fiber-web machines are used, for instance, to guide the travel of the web and/or support fabric. As for the properties of the fibrous web, such operative positions of the rolls, in which the roll is involved in the processing of the web, such as roll nips, calender rolls, counter rolls for coating and winding drums or reeling drums are, however, the more essential. Especially, the winding drums and drums of slitter-winders used for web finishing are challenging objects in terms of vibration, since the winding of customer reels of different sizes and possibly containing various kinds of flaws will easily get disturbed due to excessive vibration. Traditionally, the rolls are attached onto foundations as rigidly as possible, especially when the drums of a slitter-winder are concerned.
Vibration is a problem particularly in two-drum or belt-type winders. A vibration problem occurring with drum winders arises when the harmonics of the rotational speed of a paper roll produced on drums excites the natural frequencies of the drums. The same type of a vibration problem occurs also with the reeling drums of reel-ups. The resonance vibrations during the operation of a machine or a device are often caused by insufficient damping, i.e. inadequate dynamic stiffness at the resonance frequency. It is often possible to improve the situation by directly modifying the resonating structure in order to increase its damping.
Publications WO9849394, WO0004227 and WO0004228 disclose solutions, in which an adjustable mass absorber is arranged in the bearing housing of a paper machine roll. In the solution according to the publications, the adjustability of the frequency of the vibration to be absorbed is realized by changing the position of the mass on a vibrating rod or alternatively, by changing the magnitude of the mass. Since the absorber is relatively easy to access, the tuning can be changed even during the operation of the machine. However, this kind of a solution is not always capable of providing sufficient attenuation of vibration. To provide efficient attenuation of vibration the vibrating mass should be very large, which is not advantageous e.g. in view of space utilization and also due to the solid support structures, which are then required.
F1 patent 94458 discloses a method and an apparatus for controlling the vibrations of paper machine rolls. According to the method, the locations of critical speed areas are changed during the operation. The critical speed is changed by adjusting the mass and/or the stiffness of the roll, and/or the attachment point of the roll. Amending the stiffness of the bearing assembly at the ends of the roll is suggested as an alternative. Intermediate pieces of elastic material may be placed between the base plate of the bearing housings of the end bearings and the frame. The stiffness of the attachment of the bearing housings can be adjusted by adjusting the force, by which the bearing housing presses the intermediate pieces against the frame. Said pressing force can be adjusted by means of a cylinder device or a screw.
JP patent publication 3082843 discloses an arrangement for attenuating vibrations of a roll. The drive motor of the roll is flexibly attached to the frame. The attachment includes a vibration-proof intermediate piece of rubber between the bottom plate of the securing part of the drive motor and the frame. The securing bolts of the bottom plate extend through the frame plate to a cylinder attached to the bottom surface of the frame plate, where they are secured to a piston in the cylinder. There are rubber sleeves under the heads of the securing bolts, whereby the attachment of the bottom plate is made floating. The inner surface of the cylinder is provided with an extension, which limits the movement of the piston upwards in the cylinder. There is a spring between the cylinder top and the upper surface of the piston, and a pressure space with pressurized air as the pressure medium between the bottom surface of the piston and the bottom of the cylinder. At first, the piston is taken pneumatically against the extension of the inner surface of the cylinder, whereby the intermediate rubber pieces and the sleeves are subjected to a minimum compression force. As soon as the pressure of the compressed air under the piston is decreased, the piston moves downwards by the force of the spring above the piston, whereby a larger compression force is exerted on the intermediate rubber pieces and the rubber sleeves. Thus, the stiffness of the roll attachment can be regulated by the pressure of the pressure medium under the piston.
F1 patent No. 118482 discloses a roll attachment in a paper or board machine, where the roll is rotatably attached at its ends on bearings in bearing housings, which bearing housings are supported on the frame or foundation of the machine by means of elastic intermediate pieces. In the publication, a specific advantageous range of variation is given to the spring constant of the intermediate pieces. In this arrangement, the damping capacity of a weakly dampened flexible structure is increased by changing the boundary conditions for the structure so that damping is introduced into the structure to be dampened through its attachment. Then, the static stiffness of the structure and its attachment is decreased, but the dynamic stiffness of the structure itself increases. Although the solution as such is advantageous and efficient, there has lately arisen a need to further improve the damping efficiency in order to provide enhanced vibration damping properties.
Slender rolls, in particular, bend more at their lowest natural frequency than the short and thick rolls. Thus, the relative movement between the bearing housing and the roll center is smaller with slender rolls. This weakens the efficiency of the damping solution according to F1 patent 118482 especially for slender rolls. The lowest natural frequency of slender rolls is even with a fixed bearing housing fairly close to the maximum natural frequency of the roll. Hereby, the optimum flexibility of the solution according to F1 118482 cannot necessarily be utilized, as the natural frequency of the roll may drop very close to the maximum rotational frequency of the roll. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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In agricultural planting, it has been found that crop rotation increases the ability to produce maximum crop yield. A corn and soybean rotation has been found to be one of the most common and profitable crop rotations. It also has been determined that the row spacing for maximum profit per acre is different for these two crops. Soybean crops produce better yield when planted in narrower rows than corn crops. For instance, the recommended and most commonly used row spacing for soybean crops is in the range of about 10 to 15 inches and the range for corn crops is about 30 to 36 inches. Moreover, not only is soybean yield increased through narrower rows, but weed control costs also are reduced because narrower rows are found to canopy much quicker than wider rows. Thus, it is very important that crops be planted in rows utilizing the known spacing for that particular crop to produce maximum yield.
Due to the known yield benefits from different row spacing between rotational crops, coupled with the high costs associated with farm implements, farmers typically are faced with a serious problem when deciding which type of implement to purchase for rotational type planting. One known solution has been to simply purchase separate equipment for each type of crop. For instance, one would purchase a conventional planter adapted for corn planting and another drill type planter adapted specifically for planting soybean crops in narrower rows. For most farmers, this is an undesirable option. Not only is this solution expensive in that it requires purchasing of two separate implements, experience has revealed that drill type planters do not populate planting as accurately as the typical conventional planter units. Thus, it commonly is preferred to use a conventional planter for planting both corn and soybean crops.
Some available planters, such as the 7100 John Deere planter, are capable of being mounted with additional planter units between the existing units to effectively reduce the row width by one half. More specifically, to plant narrower row crops, additional planter units can be mounted directly to the main tool bar in between the existing units because this space is unobstructed so to provide direct access directly to the main tool bar of the planter. For instance, a 10 unit planter set for 36-inch rows for corn crop planting could be converted in this manner to a 19 unit planter with reduced 18-inch rows by inter-mounting additional planter units for soybean crop planting. While this does not meet the desired spacing of 10 to 15 inches between rows, it has been an acceptable solution.
With other larger planters, such as the John Deere 7000 front fold planter, mounting of additional planter units between the existing units is not a viable option because this space is occupied with lift wheel assemblies for raising and lowering the planter. More specifically, a number of lift assemblies occupy the space between a number of the existing planter units and include components that extend above the main tool bar. As a result of these lift wheel assemblies, it is impossible to mount additional planter units directly to the main tool bar.
One known device directed to accommodate for planter lift wheel assemblies is a product referred to as the Wetherell Inter-Plant Bracket by Wetherell Mfg. Co. The Wetherell bracket consists primarily of a two member bracket system in which one member mounts directly to the main tool bar at the existing planter unit and angles into to the space between that planter unit and an adjacent existing planter unit and the second member connects to the first and carries an additional planter unit. In addition to angling laterally in between the existing planter units, the bracket also rises up and over the lift wheel assembly.
While the Wetherell device accomplishes providing additional planter units on planters with lift wheel assemblies between the existing planter units, a known shortcoming is the tendency to place increased stress on the bracket due to its angled reach between existing planter units. Accordingly, the bracket is made heavy and cumbersome to provide the necessary durability to support the additional planter unit during planting.
An additional shortcoming is that the two members of the bracket are joined with a number of bolts and, therefore, do not facilitate quick attachment and detachment of an additional planter unit for converting between wide and narrow row spacing. Experience has revealed that the time necessary to attach and detach the second member carrying the additional planter unit is unduly increased due to the bolt attachment. In fact, it has been found that to efficiently mount the planter unit with the Wetherell bracket it often takes more than one person to locate the planter unit, align the second bracket member with the first member and install and tighten the bolts. Moreover, since the Wetherell bracket is an angling bracket system, there is the need for brackets angling to the right and to the left for most conventional planters to narrow row spacing.
Thus, there is a desire for a more sturdy and reliable system for converting a multi-row planter quickly and easily between wide and narrow row spacing to facilitate efficient and effective crop rotation. The design must be capable of accommodating lift wheel assemblies and be sufficiently durable to withstand the rough terrain of typical fields. It also must be reliable to ensure accurate planting. Moreover, many planters include a number of planter units carried by wings that fold forward and inward for transport. The system also must be capable of mounting additional units to these wings in a manner that does not drastically increase the transport width. | {
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A computer system is generally defined in terms of three basic system elements: a central processing unit (CPU), memory, and input/output (I/O) peripheral devices. A typical computer system works with a computer program known as an operating system (OS). The OS is a program that manages all other programs in a computer, the user interface, the interface with peripheral devices, memory allocation, and so forth. Each OS is written for a variety of system configurations such as variable physical memory size, various numbers of peripherals connected to the system, etc. and thus it can remain ignorant of the actual system configuration.
On the other hand the basic input/output system (BIOS) is a computer program that uses the actual system configuration to manage data flow between the OS and attached memory and I/O peripherals. The BIOS can translate OS requests into concrete actions that the CPU can take in response. The BIOS is usually stored on a nonvolatile memory device such as a read-only memory (ROM) and may be programmed for the particular system configuration.
The BIOS also manages operation of the computer system after startup and before control is passed to the OS. The BIOS typically performs a memory check after power-on to determine whether the memory physically present in the system is operational and can be used by the OS. The BIOS first determines the amount of memory present in the system. It may use a so-called system management (SM) bus to interrogate the memory devices present in the system and thus to determine the nominal size of the memory. Then the BIOS performs a memory test to detect the presence of bad memory elements and to take corrective action if it finds any. Finally it passes control to the OS but thereafter is periodically called by the OS to perform system specific I/O functions.
Recently multiprocessor computer architectures have been introduced for such applications as servers, workstations, personal computers, and the like. In one such multiprocessor architecture the physical memory is distributed among multiple processor nodes, but the BIOS runs on a single processor (known as the boot strap processor), making the memory test significantly more complex. In known multiprocessor systems if any of the memory elements fail the memory test, the boot strap processor reports the failure on a startup screen and halts the power on sequence.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to have a BIOS that efficiently performs a memory test and takes corrective actions to allow the system to continue operating in a multiprocessor, distributed memory environment despite the presence of the bad memory element. These and other desirable features and characteristics of the present invention will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and the foregoing technical field and background. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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The invention relates to radar countermeasures particularly for radars that lobe, i.e. employ their tracking scan, on receive only.
Tracking radars usually employ a conical scan of the antenna lobe in which the axis of symmetry of the lobe makes a slight angle to the antenna boresight and rotates at a constant rate thereabout generating the surface of a cone. If there is an angular error between the antenna boresight and the target, the return signal has an amplitude modulation at the rotational frequency of the lobe the amplitude of which represents the magnitude of the error and the phase of which relative to a predefined reference phase represents the direction of the error. The antenna aiming system of the tracking radar uses this information to reduce the angular error between boresight and target to zero.
In order to make countermeasures more difficult and to reduce the effect of spurious signals in general on the antenna aiming system of the radar, the signal acceptance of the aiming circuits is limited to a very narrow band of frequencies centered on the lobing frequency, i.e. the rotational frequency of the conical scan. Consequently, the signal radiated by a countermeasure device for the purpose of achieving angle deception of the radar must contain the lobing frequency in order to influence the antenna aiming. Where the radar both transmits and receives on the conically scanning lobe the lobing frequency can be determined at the target from the amplitude modulation of the incident radiation. In a LORO radar, however, only the receiving lobe scans, the transmitting lobe remaining fixed and symmetrical to the antenna boresight at all times. This type radar therefore transmits no information about its lobing frequency which creates the problem for the countermeasure device of determining this frequency and radiating a signal containing energy at or very near this frequency for a sufficient interval of time to break the tracking lock of the radar. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a portable memory device and, more particularly, to an IC card with anti-ESD (Electrostatic Discharge) means.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIG. 3 is a side sectional view of a conventional portable memory device, for example, an IC card. The IC card 1 has a connector 2 engaged with a terminal device (not illustrated) at one end of the IC card 1. Conductive outer panels 4 with interior surfaces coated with an insulating material 3 are provided on the upper and lower surfaces of the IC card 1. The outer panels 4 are spaced apart by an IC card frame 5 at predetermined interval. A substrate 6 which includes peripheral ICs 8 such as chip parts 7 and a memory IC is disposed in the IC card 1. The ground of the substrate 6 is connected to a lead 10 (a ground pin) of a ground terminal of the connector 2 through a ground line 9 and other electric circuits are connected to a connector pin 11. The conductive outer panels 4 have the same electric potential since these panels are electrically connected to each other through conductive members 12 placed between the panels, such as a plate spring, a coil spring and so on. The IC card 1 includes a battery 13 which is electrically connected to each part on the substrate 6 through a positive electrode terminal 14 and a negative electrode terminal 15.
Conventional IC card 1 has a configuration as described above. The IC card 1 is supplied with electricity from the terminal device (not illustrated) when it is inserted into the terminal device, and inputs and outputs data. When the IC card 1 is withdrawn from the terminal device after the data has been written in it, the IC card 1 is supplied with electricity from the battery 13 and retains data even if the memory IC is a volatile memory IC. If the memory IC is a non-volatile memory IC, supplying of electricity from the battery 13 is not required.
If the above mentioned IC is electrostatically charged when inserted into or withdrawn from the terminal device, there arises a large electric field (electric potential difference) between the conductive outer panel 4 and the wiring, the chip parts 7, the peripheral ICs 8 or other parts on the substrate 6. This large electric field may generate a static discharge between such parts and cause latch up of the peripheral ICs, including the memory IC or change in data caused by a malfunction of the memory IC and the like. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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Heretofore burial vault lowering devices were heavy, bulky and inefficient as well as unsafe, often allowing the vault and casket to drop unrestrained to the bottom of the grave. In addition the vault lid on existing devices was not presented in a satisfactory manner and was difficult to assemble and release the clamps on said devices.
Accordingly an object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved, simple, safe and inexpensive burial vault lowering device and cover-handling apparatus for suspending burial vaults above the surface of a grave; and to efficiently allow one man to set-up and operate said device.
A further object of this invention is to provide a new and improved burial vault cover handling and clamping device which is more quickly attached than previous devices, and which properly holds and displays the vault cover and any engraving thereon.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a device which may be assembled and operated between adjacent tombstones where existing devices do not adequately function due to their size and bulkiness. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a multilayer printed wiring board for use in making electronic circuits and a process for manufacturing said wiring board.
2. Prior Art
A printed wiring board for use in making electronic circuits has heretofore been manufactured by impregnating a glass cloth with a thermosetting resin such as an epoxy resin and then making the thus impregnated resin semi-cured to obtain a prepreg, placing one copper foil facing to one side of the thus obtained prepreg and another copper foil facing to the other side thereof, pressing the. whole together under pressure and heat by the use of a press to prepare a copper foil-applied laminate, and then subjecting to thus prepared laminate to circuit formation by etching and to perforation.
In this case, there is used a copper foil which has been subjected to so-called unevenness or roughnss formation at one face of the copper foil in order to ensure secure adhesion of the copper foil to the prepreg.
The above copper foil-applied laminate is etched so as to form circuits respectively on both the sides of the laminate thereby to fabricate an inner-layer member. Copper foils are further adhered via the prepregs onto both the sides of the inner-layer member, respectively, and then etched to form outer-layer circuits whereby a multilayer printed wiring board is also manufactured as illustrated in FIG. 1 which is a schematic cross-sectional view of a multilayer printed wiring board having two inner circuits and two outer circuits.
In this case, the inner layer circuits (copper foils) formed in the inner layer member will not fully be adhered to the prepregs of the outer layer member since the exposed surfaces of the inner circuits are smooth surfaces (which are called "glossy face"). Thus, it is a common practice that the surface of the circuits (copper foils) of the inner layer member is subjected to black oxide treatment to ensure the secure adhesion of the inner layer member to the outer layer member and then a multilayer board is fabricated. The adhesiveness of the surface of the inner-layer circuits (copper foils) formed in the inner-layer member respectively to the prepregs of the outer-layer member in greatly enhanced by the black oxide treatment and, thus, the heat resistance and moisture resistance of the resulting multilayer printed wiring board will amount to a practically satisfiable level. The multilayer printed wiring boards produced by the above method have been used in various fields such as electrical and electronic fields.
Although the adhesion of the inner-layer circuits (copper foils) formed in the inner-layer member respectively to the prepregs of the outer-layer member is improved, various problems are raised in other aspects. According to "Technical Manual of Printed Circuits", p. 261, published by Nikkan Kogyo Newspaper Publishing Co.", the various problems include the oxide film is dissolved in hydrochloric acid or the like whereby haloing phenomena are presented and the insulation properties and inter-layer connection reliability are apt to be decreased. The problems also include difficulties in grinding or polishing thin inner-layer circuits (copper foils) and operational difficulties due to the use of a concentrated alkaline solution or the like for the black oxide treatment.
To solve these problems, another method such as one described in, for example, Japanese Patent Gazette No. Hei 4-19306 (or No. 19306/92) has been proposed as a substitute for the black oxide treatment; however, this substitute dose not come to be widely used since it needs specific chemicals and the like. As a method which dispenses with black oxide treatment, there is also known a method using so-called double-treat copper foils both the faces of which have been subjected to roughening treatment. The double-treat copper foils are not generally used since they need a complicated process for being produced, incur a higher cost and raise problem such as insufficient peeling-off of the photoresist therefrom at the time of formation of circuits due to close adhesion of a photoresist to the copper foils. | {
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A prior fuel injection system includes a common fuel rail and a plurality of fuel injectors in communication with the fuel rail for injecting fuel into a plurality of cylinders of an internal combustion engine. Each of the fuel injectors has an electronic control valve or solenoid for controlling fuel injection into a particular cylinder. An electronic control unit, or controller, is used to control the electronic control valves, as well as other aspects of the fuel injection system. The controller may include volatile and non-volatile memory, input and output driver circuitry, and a processor capable of executing one or more stored instruction sets. In operation, the controller determines an excitation or energizing duration for each control valve corresponding to current engine conditions. Energizing of a particular control valve causes the valve to open, which allows fuel injection to occur. However, imprecise determination of energizing durations may result in operating problems such as engine noise and excessive engine emissions.
A prior method for determining energizing durations by a controller involves determining a desired injection pressure and a raw injection duration, or raw pulse width, from two separate but interdependent look-up tables that each reference desired engine torque and engine speed. The raw injection duration is not based on time units, however, but rather is based on angular displacement of the engine crankshaft measured in degrees. The raw injection duration is then adjusted to establish a final injection duration based on injection pressure error, which is a function of desired injection pressure and observed or actual injection pressure. Finally, the final injection duration is converted from degrees to time to establish an energizing duration, and a corresponding control signal is sent to a particular fuel injector.
Because this method involves interdependent look-up tables for determining desired injection pressure and raw injection duration, calibration of the look-up tables and associated controller is difficult and time-consuming. Furthermore, desired injection pressure values, which are used to control a fuel pump, cannot be independently varied so as to optimally adapt injection pressure to variable operating conditions such as air temperature.
Several methods have been proposed to enhance fuel injection capabilities. One such method is known as split injection. Split injection consists of a first injection, called the pilot injection, followed by a delay, and then a second injection, referred to as the main injection. When performing split injection, precise determination of energizing durations for both the pilot injection and the main injection is essential. Many times, operating conditions at which split injection may be performed are restricted to lower engine speeds due to difficulties in establishing precise energizing durations.
Another method for determining pilot and main energizing durations is similar to the method previously described. The method involves determining a desired injection pressure based on a desired engine torque output and engine speed; determining a raw pilot injection duration, or raw pilot pulse width, based on a desired pilot engine torque output and engine speed; and determining a raw main injection duration, or raw main pulse width, based on a desired main engine torque output and engine speed. As in the above method, the raw injection durations are not based on time units, but rather are represented in degrees of rotation of the crankshaft. Furthermore, the desired injection pressure and the raw injection durations are determined in parallel from separate, but interdependent, look-up tables. The raw pilot injection duration and the raw main injection duration are then adjusted to establish a final pilot injection duration and a final main injection duration, respectively, based on injection pressure error. Next, the final pilot injection duration and the final main injection duration are converted from degrees to time to establish a pilot energizing duration and a main energizing duration, respectively, and corresponding control signals are sent to a particular fuel injector. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to assays and more specifically to binding assays, such as antibody/hapten or DNA interactions, using nanoporous membranes for increasing the local concentration of the analyte, to improve the overall sensitivity of the assay. This technique can be used with a wide range of labeling schemes, including radio labeling and labeling with magnetic beads.
2. Description of the Related Art
Binding assays, for example immunoassays, are widely used in the food, medical, and pharmaceutical industries as diagnostic tests for a wide range of target molecules. Many binding assays have been produced and marketed since the principle was first developed.
Immunoassays typically exploit the binding capabilities of antibodies. Antibodies are protein molecules which are frequently considered fighters of infections. They fight infections by binding to the infectious material in a specific manner, forming a complex. This is a signal to the organism to reject that complex. Antibodies may also be produced to specifically bind to a wide range of compounds, as a key fits a lock. However other molecules (e.g., chelators, strands of polynucleic acids, receptors including cellular receptors) that are capable of recognizing and selectively binding other molecules may be employed to detect a wide range of species, such as polynucleic acids (DNA or RNA), polypeptides, glycolipids, hormones, polymers, metal ions, and certain low molecular weight organic species including a number of illegal drugs. To be useful in an assay, this recognition event must generate a signal that is macroscopically observable. The method employed to generate such a signal is one way of distinguishing the various types of immunoassays.
The first immunoassay used radioactive labeling. This radioimmunoassay (RIA) is quite sensitive and widely used, but the hazards, expense, and restrictions associated with handling radioactive material makes alternative immunoassays desirable. Recently, enzyme and fluorescence assays have replaced radioimmunoassays. The present inventors and others have developed techniques using magnetic beads as labels for immunoassays. Other known immunoassay labeling techniques use colloids or fluorescent dyes.
An ongoing goal of immunoassay development is improving the lower limit of detection (LLD). Likewise, it is an ongoing goal of immunoassay development to shorten processing time. This is particularly true in order to counter threats of biological warfare and terrorism, as well as other field applications.
Solid supports are used in many immunoassays, typically as adsorbent layers. Many of these, such as nylon and nitrocellulose membranes have pore sizes greater than 25 nm, to amplify the signal by increasing the surface area of the assay.
Some microbiological assays use membranes to separate and concentrate bacteria. These membranes are typically on the order of 200 nm pore size.
Viruses have been identified with aluminum ultrafiltration membranes with 20 nm pores. Organisms immobilized on these membranes have been identified using both specific and nonspecific dyes.
Chemically selective membranes are used in some chemical sensors to pass the analyte through the membrane. Larger molecules are not allowed to pass through the membrane into the internal sensing solution.
Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to selectively detect a wide range of target species, with a high degree of sensitivity.
It is a further object of this invention to selectively detect a wide range of target species, with a short processing time.
It is a further goal of this invention to improve sensitivity to 100 to 1000 times that of the current laboratory standard enzyme-linked immunosorbant assay (ELISA), with processing times at least 10 times shorter than ELISA.
These and additional objects of the invention are accomplished by the structures and processes hereinafter described.
An aspect of the present invention is a sensor for a selected analyte in a test sample having (a) a semipermeable membrane with pores for retaining the analyte, where the membrane has been chemically modified by attachment of membrane modifiers; (b) immunoassay labels which have label binding ligands where these label binding ligands will have a binding affinity for the membrane modifiers in the presence of the analyte, and a measurably different binding affinity for the membrane modifiers in the absence of the analyte; and (c) a label detecting system, for detecting the presence of the labels on the membrane.
Another aspect of the invention is a method for detecting an analyte in a test sample, having the steps: (a) modifying a side of a semipermeable membrane, the membrane having pores for retaining the analyte, with membrane modifiers; (b) placing the test sample in contact with the membrane on the side of the membrane with the membrane modifiers; (c) drawing the test sample through the membrane, osmotically or with the application of differential pressure across the membrane, so that any analyte present in the test sample is drawn towards the modified membrane surface; (d) disposing immunoassay labels on the side of the membrane with the membrane modifiers, where these labels have label binding ligands where these label binding ligands will have a binding affinity for the membrane modifiers in the presence of the analyte, and a measurably different binding affinity for the membrane modifiers in the absence of the analyte; and (e) detecting the presence of the immunoassay labels on the membrane. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the alleviation of charge buildup on integrated circuit components during dry plasma etching of semiconductor interconnect feedthrough structures.
2. Brief Description of the Background Art
In the quest for ever-higher circuit densities in modem very large scale integrated circuit semiconductors, engineers have moved from conventional chip layouts, in which interconnects between active regions on the chip are formed by metallic, generally aluminum, conductors in the plane of the devices, connected layer-to-layer mostly at the outer edges, to dual damascene architecture. In a dual-damascene structure, multiple layers of active devices are separated by layers of dielectric material, which are traversed within a given layer by trenches filled with conductive materials, which in turn are connected layer-to-layer by interconnects formed by filling through-openings with conductive materials. These contact openings, typically referred to as vias, are etched through the intervening dielectric layer or layers.
These trenches and contact openings are etched in the dielectric layers by means of dry etching, utilizing a plasma generated by exposing appropriate etchant source gases, often halogen-comprising gases, to powerful electromagnetic fields. The resultant plasma consists of free electrons, positively charged ions, and various high energy species of the plasma source gas. The workpiece to be etched typically has a desired pattern superimposed upon it in some form of mask. The mask is generally formed photolithographically upon an organic photoresist material, which is developed to provide open areas where etching is desired.
To achieve anisotropic etching, that is, etching which is generally unidirectional, so that positively charged active species travel vertically downward through the opening in the resist layer toward the etch front within the deepening etched feature, the workpiece is maintained at a negative electrical potential. This serves to accelerate positively-charged species toward the target surface, but leaves the electrons in the plasma less able to penetrate to the bottom of the etched feature.
This phenomenon, the ability of only positively charged high energy species to penetrate to the lower regions of the etch front, while electrons accumulate near the top of the opening, is called electron shading. The electron shading effect is self-perpetuating, since the accumulation of electrons near the opening creates a local electric field which further repels electrons from entering, but continues to easily permit the positively charged high energy species, such as ions, accelerated by the electrical potential, to penetrate to the full depth of the etched feature. When the resultant positive charge near the bottom of the feature becomes sufficiently high, it results in a tunneling current which can do severe damage to underlying layers.
The aspect ratio of a feature typically refers to the ratio of the depth of the feature to its smallest horizontal cross-sectional dimension. The electron shading effect, and the resultant charging damage to the structure, begin to be significant in etched features having an aspect ratio greater than about 2. The electron shading effect gets worse as the aspect ratio increases, since the electron accumulation near the opening and top sidewalls of the feature makes it increasingly difficult for anything but the positively charged high energy species to get past that entrance and any distance down into the deepening etched feature.
FIGS. 1A-1G show a typical set of process steps for creating a dual damascene structure. Electron shading effects are often a serious problem during fabrication of dual damascene structures.
In FIG. 1A, a conductor 102, such as copper or aluminum or alloys thereof, is embedded in a dielectric 100. An upper portion of the conductor is contacted at sidewall 103 by a layer of a first dielectric hardmask 104. The upper surface 105 of dielectric hardmask layer 104 and the upper surface 107 of conductor 102, are covered by an etch stop layer 106, which is typically a dielectric such as Si3N4, SiON, or SiC. A layer of dielectric 108, which is typically a low-k dielectric overlies the etch stop layer 106, and is itself overlain by a second dielectric hardmask layer 110. (A xe2x80x9clow-k dielectricxe2x80x9d is one with a relative dielectric permitivity, xcexa, less than that of SiO2, or less than about 3.9.) A via or other contact opening 116 has been etched through dielectric hardmask layer 110 and dielectric layer 108, to the etch stop layer 106.
In FIG. 1B, a layer of photoresist material 118 has been applied covering the surface of the structure, and partially filling in the contact opening 116.
In FIG. 1C, the photoresist layer 118 has been developed, providing a patterned mask for etching of a trench which will overlie the contact opening 116.
In FIG. 1D, anisotropic etching is being performed to form trench 120 through dielectric hardmask layer 110 and partly into dielectric layer 108. It is at this point in the prior art etching process to produce trench 120 that the problem of electron shading arises, as illustrated in FIG. 1D. Accumulations of excess electrons 130 form an unbalanced negative charge near the entrance 126 and on the upper sidewalls 128 of contact opening 116, and to a lesser extent on the upper sidewalls 124 of developing trench 120. As positively charged energetic species 132 continue to reach the bottom 117 of contact opening 116, but few if any electrons 130 are able to do so, a corresponding accumulation of excess positive charge builds up there, causing a tunneling current 134 which can do serious damage to the underlying conductor 102. Such damage is illustrated by numerals 136 in FIGS. 1E through 1G.
In FIG. 1E, trench 120 has been etched, directly over contact opening 116, through dielectric hardmask layer 110 and dielectric layer 108. At the same time, the bottom 117 of contact opening 116 has been etched down at least partially through etch stop layer 106.
Subsequently, the residue of photoresist layer 118 has been removed, as illustrated in FIG. 1F. Finally, in FIG. 1G, the remainder of the etch-stop layer 106 at the bottom of contact opening 116 has been removed, to permit electrical contact with the conductor 102, as illustrated in FIG. 1G. Contact opening 116 and trench 120 are subsequently filled with conductive material to form the interconnect between the lower and upper layers of devices. This process can be repeated as desired to form a multilayered structure in which the active layers are electrically interconnected by conductive fill material placed in the contact openings and trenches.
Various techniques have been used in an attempt to reduce or eliminate charging damage to semiconductor devices occurring during the etching process. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,468,341, to Samukawa (See Abstract.), discloses a method and apparatus wherein pulse modulation of the electric fields producing the etching plasma are controlled to produce a pulse interval shorter than about 10 xcexcsec. This is said to provide advantageous process conditions, including a reduction in charge accumulation. U.S. Pat. No. 5,441,849, to Shiraishi, et al (See abstract.) discloses a method of solving a distinct but similar problem of electrical charge accumulation During the formation of the latent image in a photoresist layer, the photoresist is exposed to a charged particle beam, where electrical charge accumulation causes positional deviation of the imaged pattern. By using a bottom-resist layer of material which can be rendered conductive by simultaneous exposure to actinic radiation (such as ultraviolet light, X-ray, or infrared light), the charge accumulation is alleviated.
The present invention reduces the amount of charging damage caused by electron shading during the process of plasma etching a trench overlying an existing electrical contact opening. This is accomplished by introducing a processing step that adds a protective layer of conductive material, generally a metal, conductive metal nitride, conductive metal oxide, or a combination thereof, lining the contact opening. This layer provides a conductive path for maintaining charge balance in the etched structures during the etching process. This protective conductive layer greatly reduces or eliminates the charge buildup caused by electron shading, and the damage done to the layers at or near the bottom of the contact opening by the tunneling current induced by such charge buildup, during trench etching. To the extent that the protective conductive layer also remains present between the dielectric layer being etched and a photoresist layer defining the trench, that protective conductive layer acts to equalize charge laterally at the top of the dielectric layer.
For purposes of describing an embodiment of the invention, FIGS. 2A through 2I illustrate a method of reducing plasma-induced charging damage during etching of a trench in a dielectric layer which forms part of a dual damascene semiconductor structure. For example, the method comprises:
a. providing a semiconductor structure including an electrical contact opening through a dielectric layer overlying an etch stop layer, which etch stop layer overlies a conductive region in the semiconductor structure;
b. applying a protective layer of a conductive material over surfaces of the electrical contact opening and over exposed horizontal surfaces adjacent the contact opening;
c. applying a layer of photoresist material over the upper surface of the semiconductor structure;
d. patterning the layer of photoresist material; and
e. etching a trench overlying the electrical contact opening and through a portion of the dielectric layer, wherein charging damage to the semiconductor structure which occurs during etching is reduced by the presence of the layer of protective conductive material.
Subsequent processing steps are carried out to remove photoresist residue and an etch stop at the bottom of the contact opening. The resultant dual damascene structure exhibits a contact opening having sidewalls lined with the protective conductive layer material, ready for filling of the trench and contact opening with a conductive material. Additional steps may then be carried out to add additional layer or layers of materials to provide a particular semiconductor device.
When the protective conductive layer comprises a material which can also serve as a diffusion barrier layer for the conductive fill material used to fill the trench and contact opening, additional processing steps to add such a barrier layer may be avoided.
In instances where the conductive protective layer can function as an anti-reflective coating (xe2x80x9cARCxe2x80x9d) during fabrication of the trench overlying the contact opening, separate application of an ARC layer may be avoided. | {
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One of the two atrio-ventricular valves in the heart is the mitral valve, which is located on the left side of the heart and which forms or defines a valve annulus and valve leaflets. The mitral valve is located between the left atrium and the left ventricle, and serves to direct oxygenated blood from the lungs through the left side of the heart and into the aorta for distribution to the body. As with other valves of the heart, the mitral valve opens and closes predominantly due to the fluid forces exerted on the leaflets by the changing pressures within the chambers of the heart.
The mitral valve includes two moveable leaflets that open and close in response to differential pressures on either side of the valve. Ideally, the leaflets move apart from each other when the valve is in an open position, and meet or “coapt” when the valve is in a closed position. However, problems can develop with valves, which can generally be classified as either stenosis, in which a valve does not open properly, or insufficiency (also called regurgitation), in which a valve does not close properly. Stenosis and insufficiency may occur concomitantly in the same valve. The effects of valvular dysfunction vary, with mitral regurgitation or backflow typically having relatively severe physiological consequences to the patient. Regurgitation, along with other abnormalities of the mitral valve, can increase the workload placed on the heart. The severity of this increased stress on the heart and the patient, and the ability of the heart to adapt to it, determine the treatment options that are available for a particular patient. In some cases, medication can be sufficient to treat the patient, which is the preferred option when it is viable; however, in many cases, defective valves have to be repaired or completely replaced in order to adequately restore the function of the heart.
One situation where repair of a mitral valve is often viable is when the defects present in the valve are associated with dilation of the valve annulus, which not only prevents competence of the valve but also results in distortion of the normal shape of the valve orifice. Remodeling of the annulus is central to these types of reconstructive procedures on the mitral valve. When a mitral valve is repaired, the result is generally a reduction in the size of the posterior segment of the mitral valve annulus. As a part of the mitral valve repair, the involved segment of the annulus is diminished (i.e., constricted) so that the leaflets may coapt correctly on closing, and/or the annulus is stabilized to prevent post-operative dilatation from occurring. Either result is frequently achieved by the implantation of a prosthetic ring or band in the supra annular position. The purpose of the ring or band is to restrict, remodel and/or support the annulus to correct and/or prevent valvular insufficiency. Such repairs of the valve, when technically possible, can produce relatively good long-term results.
However, valve repair is sometimes either impossible, undesirable, or has failed, leaving valve replacement as the most viable option for improving operation of the mitral valve. The two general categories of valves that are used for mitral valve replacement are mechanical valves and bioprosthetic or tissue valves. A wide variety of mechanical valves are available that accommodate the blood flow requirements of the particular location where they will be implanted; however, the use of these mechanical devices in the body can increase the risk of clotting in the blood stream, which can lead to a heart attack or stroke. Thus, mechanical valve recipients must take anti-coagulant drugs for the rest of their lives to minimize the potential of blood clots. The use of tissue valves advantageously eliminates the need for such anti-coagulant drugs; however, tissue valves do not typically last as long as mechanical valves and may need to be replaced at some later point in the patient's life. To implant either mechanical or tissue valves, a surgical procedure is typically used that involves opening the patient's chest to access the mitral valve through the left atrium, and then implanting the new valve in position.
To simplify surgical procedures and reduce patient trauma, there has been a recent increased interest in minimally invasive and percutaneous replacement of cardiac valves. Such a replacement of a heart valve typically does not involve actual physical removal of the diseased or injured native heart valve, but instead includes delivery of a replacement valve in a compressed condition to the native valve site, where it is expanded. One example of such a replacement procedure for a pulmonary valve includes inserting a replacement pulmonary valve into a balloon catheter and delivering it percutaneously via the vascular system to the location of a failed pulmonary valve. There, the replacement valve is expanded by a balloon to compress the native valve leaflets against the right ventricular outflow tract, thereby anchoring and sealing the replacement valve. In the context of percutaneous pulmonary valve replacement, a replacement pulmonary valve may be implanted to replace native pulmonary valves or prosthetic pulmonary valves located in valved conduits.
The percutaneous valve implantation procedures described above typically involve the movement of a compressed valve through at least some portion of the vasculature of the patient to the delivery site, and are therefore particularly well-suited for implanting relatively small valves, such as pulmonary valves or aortic valves. Similarly, reaching the area of the mitral valve percutaneously to reshape, repair, or replace the mitral valve can be difficult due to the challenging path through which repair devices must travel in order to reach the mitral valve area. However, there is a continued desire to be able to be able to improve mitral valve replacement devices and procedures to accommodate the physical structure of the heart without causing undue stress to the patient during the operation on the heart, such as providing devices and methods for repairing or replacing the mitral valve percutaneously. In addition, there is a desire to provide similar repair and/or replacement devices and procedures for areas of the heart other than the mitral valve, such as the annulus of any of the other valves of the heart or any similar orifice having a rim of tissue to which a device can be delivered percutaneously. | {
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The present invention refers to an equipment assembly meant to promote the hanging, locking and sealing of a submarine oil-well tubing.
It is the scope of the present invention to provide a set of pieces of equipment for the support, locking and sealing of the tubing of a submarine oil-well, the two last functions being performed by a double hydraulic packer (for production), besides establishing a method for the use of the referred set.
To make the oil produced by an oil-well flow it is necessary to perform several operations from the beginning of the drilling until its effective production. Several pipings are installed in the well, by operations the experts call pipe running (in-hole running).
These pipes carry out the lining of the well, in this case called "casing", or serve to lead the oil to the set of equipments existing on the sea bed, where the wellhead and the Christmas-tree are located.
Simply speaking, the purpose of the wellhead is to support the load of the several hangers where the well casing and the production tubing are fixed on and also provides means of sealing the well to prevent leaks, and also as a support for the set of valves, seals and control devices that enable the connection of the well with the piping which takes the oil to the storage- or processing place. This last set is called Christmas-tree by the specialists. In the case of submarine producing oil-wells the experts denominate these sets as "Submarine wellhead" and "Wet Christmas-tree".
The operations of preparing an oil-well for production are called "completion" by the technical people. Among the completion operations one is highlighted for presenting a large amount of failures, causing large losses to the operations, which is the placing of the tubing hanger. The tubing hanger basically has the functions of supporting the tubing, to lock the tubing against axial movements and, finally, to provide the sealing at the casing hanger where it is sustained.
The large amount of failures on the tubing hangers is due to their locking and their sealing being performed by elements with relatively small dimensions as compared to the size of the referred tubing hanger which makes this latter easily subjected to damages. This is worsened by the fact that very often debris from the sea bed settle on the surface of the casing hanger, where the tubing hanger will be supported in order to be locked and sealed, making the success of these operations more difficult. The settlement of debris is unavoidable because it results from the turbulence caused by placing the pieces of equipment on the wellhead, which stirs the debris in the vicinity of the well.
Another factor to be taken into consideration is the complexity of the tubing hanger hydraulic running tool, which needs for its operation the use of a complex piece of equipment the specialists call "completion riser". The hydraulic running tool will need up to four hydraulic functions to place the tubing hanger, which means a piece of equipment of difficult maintenance due to its high number of components.
The above-mentioned problems cause large loss of time and, as a consequence, rising of costs due to the high number of steps needed to perform the operation of placing the tubing hanger, not mentioning the cost of unforeseen extra operations to correct failures that may occur.
It is clearly seen that the current art, besides not providing the needed safety for the tubing hanger placing operation, frequently leads to an increase in the final costs of the operations due to the necessity of not scheduled operations for correction of problems. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a semiaromatic polyamide resin composition which exhibits excellent anti-creeping property under high temperature and high humidity conditions, causes less contamination to the metal mold (mold deposit) during the molding operation, and can make a molded parts easy to be ejected from the mold.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There have heretofore been proposed a variety of semiaromatic polyamides having shock resistance. For example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 108855/1992 discloses a method of producing a polyamide composition comprising:
a semiaromatic polyamide having; PA1 a modified elastic copolymer. PA1 (A) a polyamide copolymer in which a main constituent component unit is a polyamide formed of a recurring unit of a dicarboxylic acid component unit and a diamine component unit, at least not less than 45 mol % of said dicarboxylic acid component unit being a terephthalic acid component unit, and said diamine component unit comprising a straight-chain alkylenediamine component unit having 4 to 18 carbon atoms and/or an alkylenediamine component unit having a side-chain alkyl group and 4 to 18 carbon atoms; PA1 (B) an aliphatic polyamide containing, as a constituent unit, at least the one selected from the group consisting of (i) a unit derived from a lactam having 12 carbon atoms, (ii) a unit derived from an aminocarboxylic acid having 12 carbon atoms and (iii) a unit derived from a dodecanoic diacid and a diamine; and PA1 (C) at least one kind of graft-modified product selected from the group consisting of a graft-modified ethylene/.alpha.-olefin copolymer, a graft-modified product of an aromatic vinyl compound/conjugated diene copolymer, and a graft-modified product of a hydrogenated product of the graft-modified aromatic vinyl compound/conjugated diene copolymer; PA1 1. the polyamide copolymer (A) has a melting point over a range of from 280 to 330.degree. C. as measured by DSC; PA1 2. the polyamide copolymer (A) contains an aromatic carboxylic acid unit other than the terephthalic acid and/or an aliphatic dicarboxylic acid unit having 4 to 20 carbon atoms in an amount of not larger than 55 mol % per the whole dicarboxylic acid units; PA1 3. the polyamide (B) has a flexural modulus of elasticity of not smaller than 1300 MPa as measured in the form of a test piece obtained by the injection molding in compliance with ASTM D 790; and PA1 4. the graft-modified product (C) has a density over a range of from 0.85 to 0.95 g/cm.sup.3.
(a) a dicarboxylic acid unit comprising 50 to 100 mol % of a terephthalic acid unit and 0 to 40 mol % of aromatic dicarboxylic acid other than terephthalic acid or a straight-chain aliphatic dicarboxylic acid unit having 6 to 18 carbon atoms; and PA2 (b) an alkylenediamine unit; and
It has also been known that the composition comprising such a semiaromatic polyamide and a modified elastic polymer, features excellent heat resistance and shock resistance (Japanese Unexamined Patent Publications (Kokai) Nos. 41318/1990 and 98152/1993).
Such polyamides are very excellent with respect to shock resistance, heat resistance, mechanical properties, and chemical and physical properties, but often precipitate a white powder in the metal mold when they are injection-molded repetitively by using a metal mold. When used for electronic equipment, furthermore, these polyamides fail to exhibit satisfactory anti-creeping property under high temperature and high humidity conditions, leaving room for improvement.
The present inventors have analyzed the powder and have discovered that the powder comprises unreacted monomer, low grade oligomer component and decomposed product of polymer. The unreacted monomer, low grade oligomer and decomposed product of polymer become a cause of problem, impairing the appearance and dimensional precision when the electronic parts are to be molded and, particularly, when fine parts are to be molded such as connectors. Besides, the white powder formed in the metal mold clogs the vent holes of the metal mold. Therefore, the molding operation must be interrupted to clean the metal mold.
The present inventors have previously proposed a semiaromatic polyamide resin composition comprising a particular polyamide copolymer and a modified ethylene/.alpha.-olefin copolymer (Japanese Patent Application No. 52273/1998). This resin composition effectively improves the above-mentioned problem, exhibits excellent mechanical strength such as rigidity, shock resistance and bending strength, exhibits excellent anti-creeping property, exhibits excellent chemical and physical properties such as shock resistance and heat resistance, causes little contamination to the metal mold (mold deposit) during the molding operation for a long time, little cause the vent in the metal mold to be clogged, and makes it possible to obtain precisely molded articles having excellent appearance, which are excellent advantages.
However, the previously proposed resin composition has a problem in that it requires a large force for being ejected from the metal mold after molded. When articles such as connectors are to be molded, for example, metal molds having complex structures are used, and the molded articles are poorly parted, still leaving much room for improvement. | {
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In accordance with the developments of recent years, there is a need for small-sized and highly dense memories. For example, such memory needs are required for magnetic recording units, which are designed with high density magnetic recording and downsizing development objectives. For realizing the high density recording objective, it is necessary to provide a recording medium having a highly coercive force sufficient for the minute magnetic domains that are recorded to stably exist, and a high-performance magnetic head formed from a material capable of achieving such recording on the medium. In order to magnetize the highly coercive medium sufficiently for recording the signals, it is necessary to use a magnetic head material having a high saturation magnetization capable of establishing an intense magnetic field. This magnetic material has conventionally been a Co-series amorphous alloy, an FeAlSi series (Sendust) alloy or the like.
At present, the magnetic material proposed to have such a high saturation magnetization is exemplified by an Fe--C alloy or an Fe--N alloy. These magnetic materials are subjected to a heat treatment at a constant temperature in an inert gas flow of argon or nitrogen, while being exposed to a magnetic field of about 3 to 10 KOe, if necessary, so that the soft magnetic properties may be developed. In case the magnetic head is the metal-in-gap (MIG) type head, its manufacturing process includes a glass bonding step at a bonding temperature that determines the temperature of the heat treatment. Since the soft magnetic properties of the magnetic film depend upon the small sized crystal grains to separate out, the crystal grain size has to be controlled in order to form a magnetic film having excellent soft magnetic properties. Moreover, since, these magnetic materials are composed mainly of Fe, they react with oxygen and moisture in the atmosphere to produce hydroxides or oxides that cause the magnetic properties to fluctuate, especially the coercive force and/or saturation magnetization properties. Accordingly, the performance of the magnetic head deteriorates.
When a magnetic head formed of the aforementioned magnetic material is used in practice, it is necessary to suppress fluctuations in its magnetic properties. As a result, magnetic alloys have been proposed that contain a relatively large concentration of C, as expressed by a composition formula of Fe(Ti, Zr, Hf, Nb, Ta, Mo, W)C, and as disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 20444/1991, or a relatively large concentration of Fe(Zr, Hf, Ti, Nb, Ta, V, Mo, W)N, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 275605/1991. | {
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In many military applications as well as some commercial applications, welding is to be performed by a SMAW electrode in a manner to produce a high yield strength. The electrode used in these applications must produce a yield strength in the general range of 85 ksi to 125 ksi. To accomplish such high yield strength, the coating of the stick electrode must have substantial amounts of alloying agents, such as nickel, manganese and molybdenum. The yield and tensile strength for any given alloy are determined by the cooling rate, as it relates to the continuous cooling transformation curve (CCT) of the particular steel alloy. The strength of the weld metal bead as well as the cooling rate sensitivity relates to the composition, as well as the carbon content of the steel and the actual cooling rate for the molten and solidified weld metal. It has been found that the cooling rate changes drastically according to the thickness and preheat of the workpiece and the amount of electrical energy used in the shielded metal arc welding process. It is desirable to minimize the yield strength sensitivity to the different cooling rates, while maintaining the alloy composition of the weld metal so that the high yield strength in the range of 85 ksi to 125 ksi can be assured in the resulting weld. Consequently, there is a need to create a stick electrode that minimizes the cooling rate sensitivity so the resulting weld is within the high yield strength specification for both an extreme high cooling rate and an extreme low cooling rate.
Additionally, currently all high strength electrodes used for welding high strength steels, have chromium (Cr) added to the electrode composition to increase the tensile and yield strength of the weld. However, because Cr is added to the electrode composition, Cr is emitted as fume during the welding operation. This Cr emission can be hazardous, thus causing the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and American Welding Society (AWS) to mandate limits on the amount of hexavalent Cr present in the welding fumes. Therefore, there is a need for a welding electrode which is capable of being used for creating high strength welds, which has no Cr added to the electrode composition. | {
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1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a method and system for combining a 2D image and a 3D model and a storage medium thereof, and more particularly to a method and system for combined display of a 2D image and a 3D model and a storage medium thereof which are particularly applicable to a telemedicine system.
2. Related Art
Currently, display of a person, object or space on a network or an application program is still dominated by a 2D image, and in order to enable a viewer to view the person, object or space to be displayed from different angles/positions, usually several 2D images shot at different angles are provided. However, the disadvantage is the lack in stereoscopic feeling and senses of positions. In addition, when a plurality of 2D images at different angles exists, the viewer can only search one by one. When selecting the image to be viewed, the viewer is unable to select a specific position to view instinctively, and also, when viewing a certain 2D image, the viewer also has to imagine or judge from which position to view the 2D image by oneself. For example, in a telemedicine system, when a face of a patient is viewed in a mode of remote video medical consultation, both the doctor and the patient should be on line at the same time, and the doctor is unable to operate as he/she needs to select the angle to view and has to instruct the patient to turn around by himself. Alternatively, when the doctor and the patient are not on line at the same time, the patient can shoot a plurality of photos and send the photos to a system end for doctor diagnosis, and the plurality of photos can only be viewed one by one, such that the doctor is unable to look the patient like as if he/she is on-site diagnosing the patient.
In order to achieve the objective of 3D perspective, conventionally a 3D imaging technology is adopted to establish a 3D model of a person or an object. However, special instruments are needed for the 3D imaging of the 3D space, and the model establishment for a “specific object” has a high cost and is time-consuming, and also has a distortion problem. In commonly seen Panorama, Google Street View services, and Photo Tourism, instead of surrounding views at angles of all positions for the specific object, an external image is viewed circumferentially with positioning points.
For a Panorama, the major technical measure is image stitching, and only simple space relations can be processed, such that an object can't be viewed in different angles through a 3D model. The Google Street View services require special equipment to acquire images and space information to establish space correlation between images. The Photo Tourism (Photo synth) has to use 3D modeling to establish image space, and searches pictures by using relative positions of feature points.
Additionally, in Taiwan, R.O.C. Patent Application No. 098139045, entitled “SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR ESTABLISHING CORRELATION FOR A PLURALITY OF IMAGES AND RECORD MEDIUM THEREOF”, pictures are searched according to space correlation, and the technical measure includes establishing image maps to decide abutting relations for space correlation searches. The disadvantage is that if no matching feature point is found between the two images, the abutting relation correlation is unable to be established. Only the abutting relations among images can be known, and images of specific positions are unable to be directly selected.
In addition, in all the conventional technologies, although a relation between a 2D graphic and a 3D model can be established, computer programmers having professional techniques are required to perform data processing, which has a high cost and is time-consuming, and an ordinary people without any processional technique is unable to establish a relation between the 2D graphic and the 3D model by himself. | {
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a wireless base station detection technique, and more particularly, to a system and method for detecting wireless base stations on the information-processing platform.
2. Description of Related Art
In the conventional node detection technique, the detection request is repeatedly sent so as for the information-processing platform (computer) to detect beacons or wireless base station within a short time, and the detection request often halts on every channel, and the wireless base station responds with packets to continuously return the detection response. However, in the conventional technique, it is difficult to reduce the number of the base stations required and detections sent by base stations in terms of issuing of detection requests and to lower the wasted traveling time required by the packets due to continuous detections. Further, since the bandwidth is occupied over a long period of time due to continuous detections, the downloading and uploading efficiencies of the WLAN are decreased significantly.
In addition, the detection requests to be transmitted and the detection responses to be received are increased in response to the increased number of the wireless base stations, thereby disadvantaging the integrations of packets and leading to insufficient network bandwidth.
Furthermore, even if more information-processing platforms are added, each information-processing platform still repeatedly sends the detection request to the wireless base station and its corresponding channel, and the wireless base station in turn returns the detection response to the information-processing platform. Therefore the cost is increased due to the time spent on the above repeating procedure.
In order to overcome the above-mentioned problem, Taiwan Patent No. 12854487 discloses a system and method for expanding the service range of the wireless base station. FIG. 1 illustrates the conventional switching system in a wireless base station, wherein the wireless LAN Card, with the embedded switching system and method, expands the wireless base station service range. Idle wireless LAN card switches itself to function as a wireless network repeater in order to expand the service range of the wireless base station.
As shown in FIG. 1, the information-processing platform 10′ includes a wireless LAN Card 17′, wherein the information-processing platform 10′ are connected to the wireless base station 20′ via the wireless LAN Card 17′. The information-processing platform 10′ is a computer, personal digital assistance (PDA) or other equivalent data equipment. On the information-processing platform 10′, the wireless LAN Card 17′ with software upgrade provides a switching system, so as for the wireless LAN Card 17′ to switch between functions of wireless network repeater and wireless LAN Card in accordance with the actual situation.
The conventional switching system includes a detection module 11′, a switch module 13′ and a software module 15′, wherein the detection module 11′ judges whether the internal operating system 19′ of the information-processing platform 10′ contains software applications to provide Internet services. The application is one selected from a group consisting of web browser, e-mail applications and other software using the wireless LAN Card. The state (IDLE/ACTIVE) of the wireless LAN Card 17′ is obtained according to the judgment generated by the detection module 11′. The switch module 13′ provides the wireless LAN Card 17′ with a switching system based on the judgment of the detection module 11′, so as for the wireless LAN Card 17′ to switch between the functions of wireless network repeater and wireless LAN Card in accordance with the actual situation.
The Internet application software is switched by the wireless LAN Card 17′ to the function of the wireless network repeater when the wireless LAN Card 17′ is idle without the need to connect to the Internet via the wireless LAN Card 17′, thereby extending the service range of the wireless base station 20′. However, as the user requires wireless network connection via the wireless LAN Card 17′ again, then the software corresponding to the wireless LAN Card 17′ is resumed to perform various functions of the wireless LAN Card 17′. Therefore when the detection module 11′ determines that the current information-processing platform 10′ is executing applications for providing the Internet service, the switch module 13′ switches the wireless LAN Card 17′ to use the wireless LAN Card software 153′. When the detection module 11′ determines that the current information-processing platform 10′ is not executing the applications for providing the Internet service, the switch module 13′ switches the wireless LAN Card 17′ to use the wireless network repeater software 151′. Hence, the software is switched by the wireless LAN Card 17′ without any manual operations, so as to switch the wireless LAN Card 17′ between the wireless LAN Card 17′ and the wireless network repeater.
The above-mentioned patent invention indeed switches the wireless LAN Card 17′ to a state in which the wireless network repeater software 151′ is used and achieves the switching efficiency of the wireless base station. However, when establishing a connection with the wireless base station, it is difficult to achieve speedy and hardly interrupted connection, as the above-mentioned prior art involves repeating transmissions of the detection request to the wireless base station 20′ and waiting for the detection response, thereby wasting time and resources in packet transmissions. Also, the above-mentioned prior art does not solve the problem of bandwidth occupation.
Therefore, it has become a highly urgent issue in the wireless base station field to effectively solve the above conventional disadvantages, and to reduce the number of the wireless base stations installed as well as the time and resources required in detecting packet transmissions by the wireless base stations, so as to more efficiently use the network bandwidth. | {
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WO02067906A1 (US20030064036A1) describes a coating and binding agent with improved storage stability, consisting essentially of (a) a copolymer, consisting of radically polymerized C1- to C4-alkyl esters of acrylic or methacrylic acid and other alkyl(meth)acrylate monomers which comprise functional tertiary amino groups, the copolymer being in the form of a powder with an average particle size of 1-40 μm, (b) 3-15 wt. %, based on (a), of an emulsifier with a HLB value of at least 14, (c) 5-50 wt.-%, based on (a), of a C12-C18-monocarboxylic acid or a C12-C18-hydroxyl compound.
One of the beneficial effects of the invention is that the vapour permeability is reduced. Compound (a) is preferably EUDRAGIT® EPO. A preferred compound (b) in the examples is Na-laurylsulfate, which can be used together with lauric acid, stearic acid or lauryl alcohol as compound (c). Dispersion processing times of the inventive examples are around 3 to 6 hours. | {
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This invention relates to a firing jig for an electronic element, which has a long life and allows production with a low cost.
The surface of a firing jig for an electronic element used in firing functional ceramics has been coated with a dense and less reactive coating material for preventing deterioration in properties of a material to be fired due to reaction of a component in the firing jig with the material or absorption of a component in the material in the firing jig.
A frequently used substrate for a firing jig is based on Al2O3xe2x80x94SiO2. The material is inexpensive and also highly resistant to thermal shock to allows a firing jig to have a longer life, so that it has been widely used as a substrate of a firing jig for an electronic element.
However, although the outer surface of the jig is coated with a dense coating film, repeated firing may cause penetration of SiO2 component in the substrate through the film structure and may remain in the surface of the jig. Thus, the SiO2 component may contaminate a material to be fired and then may adversely affect the properties of an electronic element.
In an alumina-based firing jig, as an Al2O3 content increases, a coefficient of thermal expansion increases, so that the jig becomes less resistant to thermal shock, leading to a shorter life.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-158081 has disclosed that a zirconia flame coating film as a coating film may be formed to a thickness of 300 xcexcm on the surface of an Al2O3xe2x80x94SiO2-based substrate with an Al2O3 content of 65% or higher to improve durability; specifically, detachment of the flame coating layer in the jig may be reduced even after repeated cycles of heating and cooling as a firing jig. Such a configuration may prevent detachment of the flame coating layer, but properties of the electronic element placed and fired on the firing jig may be unstable, resulting in little or no increase in a jig life.
In view of the problems in the prior art described above, an objective of this invention is to provide a reliable firing jig for an electronic element by forming two or more spray coating layers on the surface of the substrate in the firing jig and defining some factors such as the contents of required materials for the substrate and individual spray coating layers for improving durability of the firing jig and stabilizing performance of the electronic element placed and fired on the firing jig.
This invention provides a firing jig for an electronic element comprising a substrate made of a ceramic and a spray coating layer made of a material less reactive to a material to be fired on the substrate, wherein two or more spray coating layers are formed on the surface of the substrate, and at least a spray coating layer adjacent to the substrate and a spray coating layer adjacent to the material to be fired are made of different materials.
In a firing jig for an electronic element according to this invention, it is preferable that the substrate is mainly based on Al2O3xe2x80x94SiO2, Al2O3xe2x80x94SiO2xe2x80x94MgO or SiC; the spray coating layer adjacent to the substrate is mainly based on Al2O3xe2x80x94SiO2, Al2O3xe2x80x94MgO, Al2O3xe2x80x94ZrO2 or Al2O3; and the spray coating layer adjacent to the material to be fired is mainly based on ZrO2, Al2O3 or Al2O3xe2x80x94MgO. An Al2O3 content is preferably 70 to 95 wt % for the substrate, 98 wt % or more for the spray coating layer adjacent to the substrate and 72 to 96 wt % for the total in the substrate and the spray coating layer adjacent to the substrate.
An SiO2 content is preferably 0.5 wt % or less for the spray coating layer adjacent to the substrate and 0.05 to 0.5 wt % for the spray coating layer adjacent to the material to be fired.
In a firing jig for an electronic element according to this invention, a porosity in each of the spray coating layers is preferably 16% or less. The spray coating layers preferably have a crack penetrating each of these layers with a width of 1 to 5 xcexcm. The total thickness of the spray coating layers is preferably 50 to 1000 xcexcm. A particle size in each of the spray coating layers is preferably 300 xcexcm or less.
This invention also provides a firing jig for an electronic element comprising a substrate made of a ceramic and a spray coating layer, wherein a surface adjacent to the substrate is the spray coating layer and the surface of the spray coating layer is a flame coating layer.
A firing jig for an electronic element according to this invention is based on an alumina-silica material, in which performance of the electronic element to be placed and fired on the firing jig may be stabilized by forming two or more spray coating layers on the surface of a substrate and defining the contents of the components required for the substrate and the individual spray coating layers to minimize the amount of SiO2 entering into the coating layer. This invention will be described with reference to, but of course not limited to, embodiments below.
The term, xe2x80x9ca firing jig for an electronic elementxe2x80x9d as used herein means a member used for firing of an electronic element made of a ceramic such as a ceramic capacitor, a thermistor and ferrite, which may comprise, for example, a setter, a case, and a plate for placing a material to be fired.
A firing jig of this invention comprises two or more spray coating layers on the surface of a substrate, where these layers are made of different materials. Thus, the surfaces adjacent to the surface of the substrate and to the material to be fired are spray coating layers with a smaller porosity than that in a flame coating layer to prevent a component adversely affecting a work property or deteriorating the substrate from transferring. Furthermore, if forming a flame coating layer, it may be formed by coating with melted ceramic particles, and thus the layer is a solid hard layer so that expansion or shrinkage cannot be absorbed in the layer, causing detachment. On the other hand, in a spray coating layer, particles are mutually sintered to form a soft layer, allowing intralayer relaxation. When a spray coating layer is formed on the surface of the substrate, the layer can prevent a reactive component in the substrate from being in contact with the material of the electronic element, allowing a silica-alumina material including silica adversely affecting the properties of the electronic element to be used as a substrate.
The term xe2x80x9cspray coatingxe2x80x9d as used herein refers to a process of preparing a ceramic powder slurry for spraying or applying the slurry on the surface of the substrate before firing. The term xe2x80x9cwork propertyxe2x80x9d refers to dispersion of a dielectric constant generated in an electronic element when firing the electronic element using the firing jig. A good work property in a firing jig means that dispersion property of a dielectric constant is good in an electronic element fired using the firing jig.
The spray coating layers are preferably mainly based on Al2O3xe2x80x94SiO2, Al2O3xe2x80x94SiO2xe2x80x94MgO or SiC. It is preferable that the spray coating layer adjacent to the substrate is mainly based on Al2O3xe2x80x94SiO2, Al2O3xe2x80x94MgO, Al2O3xe2x80x94ZrO2 or Al2O3 while the spray coating layer adjacent to the material to be fired is mainly based on ZrO2, Al2O3 or Al2O3xe2x80x94MgO. Such a configuration may provide a firing jig comprising a substrate with good spall resistance and vent resistance, an intermediate layer preventing a component adversely affecting a material to be fired from transferring and the outer layer less reactive to the material to be fired.
In this invention, an Al2O3 content is preferably 70 to 95 wt % for the substrate. If the Al2O3 content of the substrate is less than 70%, a thermal conductivity of the substrate is so reduced that a temperature in the firing jig may significantly vary, leading to an uneven work property on the jig. If the Al2O3 content of the substrate is more than 95%, a thermal expansion coefficient of the substrate is so increased that a stress due to temperature variation may be significantly increased, leading to crack formation. An Al2O3 content is preferably 98 wt % or more for the spray coating layer adjacent to the substrate, and the total Al2O3 content of the substrate and the spray coating layer adjacent to the substrate is preferably 72 to 96 wt %. Furthermore, as described later with reference to Examples, an alumina content of less than 70 wt % in the substrate may improve heat resistance, but relatively increased silica component may adversely affect the properties of an electronic element as a material to be fired. The other alumina contents may be limited within the above range to stabilize the properties of the electronic element.
In the present invention, an SiO2 content is preferably 0.5 wt % or less for the spray coating layer adjacent to the substrate, and 0.05 to 0.5 wt % for the spray coating layer adjacent to the material to be fired. Thus, dispersion of a component adversely affecting a material to be fired by passing through the layer adjacent to the substrate as an intermediate layer can be prevented. Furthermore, the SiO2 content in the layer adjacent to the material to be fired as the outer layer may be limited within the above range so that absorption of SiO2 contained in the material to be fired as a firing aid into the firing jig may be prevented.
In particular, the spray coating layer adjacent to the material to be fired must be made of a material less reactive to the material for the electronic element, but may depend on the type of the electronic element. For example, since the ceramic condenser is made of barium titanate, zirconia less reactive to the material is preferably selected. In this invention, the main component for the coating layer is preferably one or more selected from the group consisting of non-stabilized ZrO2, Y2O3 stabilized ZrO2, Y2O3 partially stabilized ZrO2, CaO stabilized ZrO2 and CaO partially stabilized ZrO2.
In this invention, a porosity in each of the spray coating layers is preferably 16% or less. Thus, penetration of a component which may deteriorate a substrate by reacting with the substrate after being dispersed from the work may be blocked by the spray coating layers, and dispersion of SiO2 from the substrate to the outer surface may be prevented in firing of a ceramic capacitor, resulting in improved stability in an electronic element.
The spray coating layers preferably have a crack penetrating each of these layers with a width of 1 to 5 xcexcm. In firing of a ceramic capacitor or ferrite, whose outer surface is often made of zirconia, as the number of passing through a kiln increases, residual expansion characteristic in zirconia may be generated. Since it may cause curving or detachment in a firing jig, it is effective that a crack as defined above exists as a room for absorbing such residual expansion.
The total thickness of the spray coating layers is preferably 50 to 1000 xcexcm. Furthermore, as described later in Examples, if the thickness is less than 50 xcexcm, properties of an electronic element fired on the firing jig may vary, while if it is more than 1000 xcexcm, detachment between layers in the firing jig may be often caused when firing an electronic element using the firing jig. The layer adjacent to the substrate must firmly adhere to the substrate. It is preferable that the surface of a lower layer is coarser for firm adhesion of the lower layer to the layer adjacent to the material to be fired, and coarse particles may be appropriately added to the layer adjacent to the substrate as an intermediate layer to make the surface rough, which is suitable to stably hold a layer deposited on the surface layer. However, if an excessive amount of coarse particles or excessively large particles are used, an adhesive strength in the intermediate layer may be reduced, causing detachment. Furthermore, when the layer adjacent to the material to be fired as the outer layer is spray-coated, the use of excessively large particles is not preferable because it may reduce an adhesive strength with the lower layer and detachment may be caused as described above. A particle size in each of the spray coating layers is preferably 300 xcexcM or less.
In this invention, an intermediate layer is baked during spray coating and thus blasting of a substrate or preheating before forming the intermediate layer may be not necessarily required for preventing detachment of the intermediate layer from the substrate.
In a firing jig for an electronic element comprising a ceramic substrate of this invention, the surface adjacent to the substrate may be a spray coating layer, whose surface may be a flame coating layer. In this jig, the surface layer is a flame coating layer while the surface adjacent to the substrate is a spray coating layer. Thus, thermal expansion or shrinkage of the substrate and the flame coating layer may be absorbed. It may prevent deformation of the basedue to detachment of the flame coating layer or residual expansion in the flame coating layer.
The term xe2x80x9cflame coatingxe2x80x9d as used herein refers to a process for forming a flame coating film by melting metal or ceramic fine powder (hereinafter, referred to as xe2x80x9cflame coating materialxe2x80x9d) by heating and then spraying it onto an object. There may be variations such as gas flame coating using flame and arc flame coating using arc depending on a heating method. In this invention, it is preferable to form an outer flame coating film by plasma flame coating using a plasma jet.
In this invention, particularly preferable plasma flame coating is water-stabilized plasma flame coating. The minimum film thickness of a flame coating film by gas plasma flame coating is about 20 to 50 xcexcm because a thick coating film with the minimum film thickness of about 100 xcexcm may be formed by water-stabilized plasma flame coating. Since water-stabilized plasma flame coating may form a coating film with a relatively porous and coarse surface, it is also preferable in terms of improvement of adhesiveness to the surface of the spray coating layer adjacent to the substrate.
This invention will be more specifically described with reference to, but not limited to, Examples. | {
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This application is a national stage application of International Application No. PCT/SE98/01437, filed on Aug. 5, 1998.
The present invention relates to a device for cleaning air from electrically charged particles (aerosols), said device including at least one precipitator panel, said panel including at least one precipitator unit having at least two electrode elements or at least two groups of electrode elements, said elements being located alternately relative to each other by a an internal gap distance, said electrode elements being suitably connected to respective terminals of a high voltage source, said device being located in an air flow duct or in immediate connection with an air flow duct.
Particle filters for use in ventilating applications or so called duct filters are usually designed around mechanical so called barrier filters. The separating capacity with regard to particle separation varies widely for these filters depending on the structural design (the filter class), i.e. coarse filters, fine filters and micro filters. Characterising for these filters are among other things an substantially increasing pressure drop in relation to the ability to separate micro particles. This disadvantage gives rise to a need for powerful air transporting fans, said fans having a high noise level and of course unnecessary high energy consumption together with expensive installation costs. Also, the increasing demands for improved indoor air and demands for clean ventilating ducts have increased the use of higher filter classes.
Mechanical filters of electrically charged fibres, so called electret filters, have initially better operation characteristics than other types of barrier filters. However, these characteristics are not operationally stable and decrease eventually.
The use of the traditional electro filter technique, i.e. using precipitators of metallic electrode elements instead of mechanical filters has up to now not been successful to any higher degree. This depends on high installation costs and complicated and expensive service. The recent development of the electro filter technique using filter cassettes of paper has up to now not been used in ventilating duct applications since also this technique has its limitations, especially in such a demanding environment as ventilating ducts, said environment having a temperature and a humidity that varies widely and an air flow velocity that is several times higher than in air cleaners, said air cleaners being the devices that the technique in question basically is developed for.
The reasons for said limitations are the following. The precipitator designed out of board (cellulose based material), i.e. high ohmic material, is affected by dust that bridges the gap between adjacent electrode elements, i.e. electrode elements connected to respective terminal of a high voltage source. This affection increases by increasing air humidity and decreases dramatically the particle separating capacity of electro filters. The bridging dust between adjacent electrode elements deflects namely the electrical charging from the surfaces of the electrode elements, the effect of this is that the potential between said surfaces decreases and consequently that the particle (aerosols) separation capacity decreases.
The aim of the present invention is to eliminate said limitations and thus create a practical and economical alternative for a new type of ventilating filter or duct filter of electrostatic character. In this connection the expression duct filter defines, apart from filters for domestic ventilation, i.e. filters for supply air and/or exhaust air, also other applications, e.g. filters for coupes of motor cars, i.e. integrated in the ventilating device of the motor car, and also other industrial applications having relatively high air flow velocities. It is of course also possible to use the technique in other circumstances, e.g. when designing air cleaners, cooker hoods etc. The most important advantages with the new type of filter are the high separating capacity of micro particles also in combination with simultaneous separation of heavier particles, this being effected by an extremely low pressure drop and simple service using a vacuum cleaner or replacement of the filter. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an automatic clothes drying machine and the method of drying clothes and more particularly to an improved structure in such machines for effecting the drying of small loads of clothing and the method of drying the same.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Many clothes dryers utilize a horizontal axis rotatable drum for containing the clothes while they are subjected to the drying operation. The clothes are placed in the drum of the clothes dryer and the drum is rotated such that the clothes will be tumbled while heated air flows through the drum and clothes to thereby reduce the moisture content of the clothes.
Clothes dryers have timer arrangements for automatically controlling the machine during its drying run time. Typically a clothes dryer during a drying run has the temperature within the drum remaining relatively low because there is "loose" water readily available to be evaporated by the hot, dry air flowing through the clothes dryer drum. Near the end of the drying run the final moisture in the clothes is retained by capillary action and takes time to come to the surface of the clothes where it is available for evaporation by the hot, dry air. During this time in the drying cycle the temperature within the drum rises. At a present temperature a thermostatic switch is actuated to turn off power to the heaters. The clothes and interior of the drum are then cooled by unheated air flowing through the drum and continues until a reset temperature of the thermostatic switch is reached whereupon the heaters are turned on again. This cycling repeats itself until a present time is used up on the timer. During this cycling period some of the sensible heat in the air flowing through the drum is wasted and eventually vented outside the machine and has thus been unused for drying the clothes.
To save electrical energy and yet accomplish good clothes drying characteristics it is desirable to decrease the volume of the air flowing through the drum the portion of the drying cycle wherein the thermostatic switch is cycling as described above, and at the same time also decrease the temperature at which the air is heated by reducing electrical power to the heaters.
By this invention the above described desirable characteristics of a clothes dryer and the method to accomplish the same may be achieved. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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It is known to use an optical fiber to sense an external disturbance or other effect external to the fiber. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,459,486 is directed to a sensing system in which an interferometer system is used to detect a time varying disturbance. In such a system, the disturbance causes a phase shift in sensing signals carried by the waveguide, which phase shift can then be detected interferometrically. However, if the event creates only a weak disturbance to the fiber, the resulting phase shift is also likely to be weak, with the result that the disturbance may be difficult to detect. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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In recent years, region based in-loop and out-loop filters, such as interpolation filters, de-blocking/de-artifacting filters, pre/post processing filters, loop filters, and so forth, are emerging in video coding to improve coding efficiency and perceptual quality. Such filters usually partition a video frame into multiple regions based on content or rate-distortion (RD) cost. Then the filter structure and/or parameters can adapt to the local content characteristics of each region. This approach works well for non-stationary video signals. However, the region based filter usually has to spend overhead bits to code the partitions/segmentations, which would degrade the overall performance brought by the adaptation. This is especially true when multiple region based filters exist at the same time in an encoder/decoder, and the segmentation is independently done for each filter. The bits paid for coding the segmentations of all filters would be demanding and can take away the gain obtained from these filters.
Block Adaptive Loop Filter (BALF)
In a first prior art approach, a block based adaptive loop filter is proposed, wherein a reconstructed frame is restored towards the original frame by a Wiener filter. The coefficients of the Wiener filter are estimated at the encoder and sent to the decoder as side information. Although a Wiener filter can restore the reconstructed frame to the original frame globally, there are degraded pixels locally. Since the degraded areas reduce the predictive efficiency for future coding frames, not filtering these areas will improve the coding performance. In BALF, the frame is partitioned into equal-size blocks, and a switch flag is used for each block to control whether or not the block is filtered. In a second prior art approach, a quad-tree scheme is introduced to indicate whether or not a variable-size block of a frame is filtered. When using the variable-size block scheme, the overhead for coding the sizes and locations of blocks is demanding although the filter performance is better than the equal-size block scheme.
Spatio-Temporal Adaptive Loop Filter (STALF)
Inspired by sparsity-based de-noising techniques, a nonlinear in-loop filter has been proposed in a third prior art approach. The nonlinear in-loop filter averages multiple de-noised estimates which are obtained by thresholding the coefficients in an over-complete transform domain. For de-artifacting work, the choice of filtering parameters such as, for example, threshold, is important. The applied threshold plays a crucial part in controlling the de-noising capacity of the filter as well as in computing the averaging weights used in emphasizing the better de-noising estimates. In the third prior art approach, thresholds that are selected per pixel class based on quantization parameter (QP) and coding mode information are encoded and transmitted as side information to the decoder. The threshold does not adapt based on the video content.
A block based filter parameter adaptation scheme has also been proposed for use in improving the performance of the above sparsity based de-artifacting filter in video compression. More specifically, the adaptation of the filter parameters is based, not only on the quantization parameter and coding information, but also on the regions of the video sequences, which achieves the spatio-temporal adaptation. In each region, the filter parameters (e.g., threshold) are selected based on a rate-distortion cost, since the region information and the parameters need to be signaled.
Multiple Region Based Filters
When there is more than one region based filter existing in an encoder/decoder, the partition or segmentation of a frame is performed independently for each filter. The partition information also needs to be sent to the decoder for each filter, which is redundant because the segmentation usually has a strong correlation to the video content. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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Combined cycle electrical generating systems using solar and gas turbine units are probably known as illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 5,444,972. In addition it is believed that Bechtel Corporation of San Francisco, Calif. have designs that have added to a standard General Electric gas turbine power plant (which by the way also used high pressure and low pressure steam turbines), a solar evaporator. However, in both of the above installations, there was no specific effort to optimize the overall system. Rather the solar energy portion of the system was merely added to the combined cycle, utilizing the original gas turbine steam generation equipment and cycle layout as originally designed for fuel firing. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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The present invention is generally directed to a mechanical system having a rotary drive speed-torque conversion device. More particularly, the present invention is directed to a robotic harmonic flex-drive.
Conventional modular robotic systems enable single degree-of-freedom rotary joint modules in arrangements suited for specific automation tasks. Each joint module contains a control processor, a drive motor and a speed reduction gear mechanism. These devices all work together in coordination with other joints to move a payload along a specified trajectory with precisely controlled position, velocity and torque. The reduction gear mechanism has previously been provided by commercial harmonic drive assemblies and is illustrated in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3A-3C. Several important properties of such a harmonic drive assembly includes small size, moderate weight, high efficiency, zero backlash, and high torque.
FIGS. 1, 2 and 3A-3C illustrate a conventional harmonic drive assembly 10 which includes three major components: a circular spline 12; a flex spline 14; and a wave generator 16. The circular spline 12 is a rigid circular structure with a set of gear teeth 18 disposed along the inside diameter of the circular spline 12. The flex spline 14 is a cup-shaped structure with a set of gear teeth 20 around an upper outside surface 22 of the flex spline 14. As shown in FIG. 2, the flex spline 14 further includes a tube 24, a diaphragm 26 and a flange 28. The wave generator 16 is an elliptical ball bearing assembly having a plurality of ball bearings 30, a hub 32, a plug 34 and an Oldham coupling 36. The flex spline 14 is positioned coaxially inside of the circular spline 12, which has a larger inside diameter than the outside diameter of the flex spline 14. The circular spline 12 has two more gear teeth 18 relative to the quantity of gear teeth 20 of the flex spline 14.
The elliptical wave generator 16 is also positioned on a common axis 38 with the circular spline 12 and the flex spline 14. The wave generator 16 fits inside the flex spline 14 and has a major axis width 40 (FIGS. 3A-3C) sufficient to deflect an upper edge 42 and a lower edge 44 of the flex spline 14 outward, causing the outside gear teeth 20 of the flex spline 14 to engage the inside gear teeth 18 of the circular spline 12 at two diametrically opposite contact points 46, 48. The wave generator 16 is typically driven by an electric motor, not shown. Rotation of the wave generator 16 causes simultaneous rotation of the flex spline 14 and the engaged circular spline 12 via the engaged gear teeth 18, 20. Although, the flex spline 14 and the wave generator 16 rotate at different speeds relative to one another. The difference between the quantity of the inside gear teeth 18 of the circular spline 12 relative to the outside gear teeth 20 of the flex spline 14 causes a rotational displacement between the circular spline 12 and the flex spline 14. In general, for a circular spline 12 that has N inner gear teeth 18, the wave generator 16 needs to rotate N/2 times to cause one complete rotation of the flex spline 14. Thus, the conventional harmonic drive assembly 10 provides a speed reduction of N/2 from the wave generator 16 to the flex spline 14. Such a reduction in speed induces a corresponding increase in torque within the harmonic drive assembly 10.
The core principle of operation of the conventional harmonic drive assembly 10 derives from the deformed cylindrical geometry of the flex spline 14, not from the engagement of the inside gear teeth 18 of the circular spline 12 with the outside gear teeth 20 of the flex spline 14. The engagement of the gear teeth 18, 20 only serves to prevent slippage to prolong the life span of the harmonic drive assembly 10 and to provide more efficient operation. The degree of deflection in the flex spine 14 as illustrated in FIGS. 3A-3C is exaggerated to demonstrate the operation of the harmonic drive assembly 10. The actual deflection is much smaller than shown and is well within the material fatigue limits for infinite service life. As shown in FIG. 3A, the elliptical wave generator 16 deflects the upper edge 42 of the flex spline 14 such that the outside gear teeth 20 of the flex spline 14 engage the inside gear teeth 18 of the circular spline 12 along the major axis 40 at the diametrically opposed contact points 46, 48. The inside gear teeth 18 of the circular spline 12 are fully disengaged from the outside gear teeth 20 of the flex spline 14 along a minor axis 50. Most of the relative motion between the inside gear teeth 18 and the outside gear teeth 20 occurs along the minor axis 50. The rigid circular spline 12 is commonly rotationally fixed. FIGS. 3B and 3C illustrate rotation of the wave generator 16 by ninety and one hundred eighty degrees, respectively. An example of a conventional harmonic drive assembly is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 2,906,143 to Musser.
The primary failure mechanism of the conventional harmonic drive assembly 10 derives from the rigidity of the circular spline 12, which, under heavy load, deforms enough to allow gear tooth slippage. Slippage also increases the risk of backlash. Gear slippage is therefore often destructive to the gear teeth 18, 20. This problem has been addressed by increasing the thickness of the circular spline 12. Consequently, and undesirably, increased thickness significantly increases the weight and size of the entire harmonic drive assembly 10. Additionally, increased thickness increases the cost of the components, which are already expensive to fabricate. These additional costs significantly increase the manufacturing cost of the entire robotic arm assembly.
Accordingly, there is a need for a harmonic drive assembly that significantly improves on the prior art described above. Such a harmonic drive assembly should improve on properties that include, without limitation, small size, moderate weight, high efficiency, zero backlash, high torque and the like. Such a harmonic drive assembly should include an inner spline with outside gear teeth and an outer spline with inside gear teeth that are engaged by a rotational wave generator having multiple roller bearings for deflecting the splines together. Accordingly, such a harmonic drive assembly can be smaller in size, have decreased weight, have an increased efficiency, include zero backlash, and be capable of receiving higher torques without risk of failure. The present invention fulfills these needs and provides other related advantages. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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Research is commonly performed on experimental animals that are housed in cages. Typically, these experimental animals are small mammals, such as mice or rats. The research may involve, for example, a drug test, a nutritional test, a genetic test, a test of a surgical procedure, an optogenetics test, or another observation of a physiological or behavioral response to a change in environmental condition or other stimulus. The experimental animals may be divided into a control group and one or more experimental groups. The cages in which the animals are housed may be arrayed, such as in racks.
The housed animals are typically checked in at least two ways: husbandry checks and experimental checks. Husbandry refers to serving the physiological needs of the animals. Husbandry may include observing the wellbeing of the animals, such as, for example, a health check once or twice a day to make sure that none of the animals has developed any symptoms of disease or has died. Health checks may involve looking at the animals through the transparent cage walls in situ without moving the cages, or alternatively pulling the cages partially or completely out of their racks to visually inspect the animals. Experimental checks, meanwhile, are performed to obtain data for the research being conducted. Experimental checks may involve closer examination of the animals than husbandry checks, such as involving opening the cages and removing the animals from the cages. Experimental checks may involve, for example, looking for clinical symptoms in the animals. Experimental checks may also include behavioral tests, such as, for example, water maze or hole board tests, extractions of blood or tissue from the animals, or measurements, such as imaging of the animals.
However, physically contacting the animals, such as through opening the animals' cages, removing them from their cages, and performing measurements on them—or even just approaching the cage to view the animal through the bidirectionally transparent wall, or partially sliding the cage containing the animal out of a rack—can physiologically or psychologically perturb the animals. The consequences of these types of perturbations are often not well understood. Furthermore, there may be inconsistencies in the perturbations, such as differences in when and how the human technicians perform checks across different individual animals. The animals' physiological states and behavior may therefore be altered in ways that are difficult to predict and inconsistent between distinct animals. Thus, these measurement techniques can interfere significantly with the quality of the data obtained from the experiment.
The process of checking the experimental animals may also cause contamination of the animal's living space or the testing equipment. This contamination may, in turn, exacerbate the differences in conditions under which the animals are housed. For example, one human technician may introduce one particular foreign odor into one living space, while another human technician introduces a different odor into another living space. The human technicians who are handling animals from different cages, or using common equipment, may also cause cross-contamination between animals in different cages. In addition, a substantial amount of resources, such as the time and labor of skilled technicians, is expended to monitor the animals. This can account for a significant amount of the total cost of running such an experiment.
Thus, it is desirable to perform checks on experimental animals to experimental animals in a way that yields rich, high-resolution, and reliable data in relation to the number of animals. It is also desirable to avoid physical contact with the animals, inconsistent perturbations of the animals, and cross-contamination between animals in different cages when the animals are checked. Moreover, it is desirable to reduce the amount of time and labor that is expended on running animal experiments.
Thus, it would be desirable to have processes and systems to determine physiological characteristics of experimental animals without or with minimal human technician effort, time, and handling and/or direct observation of experimental animals. It would be desirable for such processes and systems to be efficient, reproducible, and/or relatively inexpensive.
Experimental animals may be monitored, at least in part, by various image capture devices within or outside cages. However, providing image capture devices within cages presents potential issues regarding possible contamination of, decreased lifespan of, and/or increased repair or maintenance such image capture devices. And, providing a set of image capture devices for each cage may be expensive, decreasing the economic efficiency of monitoring experimental animals via image capture devices en masse. Furthermore, certain plastic and other type of cages commonly used to house and monitor experimental animals may include walls that are transparent to visible light, but not transparent to infrared light.
Thus, it would be desirable to have experimental animal cages and monitoring systems that are, at least in part, transparent to infrared light, while at the same time are efficient to use, reproducible, and/or relatively inexpensive. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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This invention relates generally to pyrotechnic squibs and, particularly, to a pyrotechnic squib having an improved bridgewire circuit that addresses both all-fire and no-fire requirements.
In an electrically controlled explosive system, including a pyrotechnic system, an electro-explosive device translates an electrical signal into a pyrotechnic signal for selectively beginning the detonation of an explosive material. Depending on the particular industry in which they are used, such devices are referred to by various names including squibs, initiators, ignitors and electric matches. Moreover, the pyrotechnic signals provided by the devices may take several forms (e.g., gas pressure, a flame front or a shock wave) depending on the particular use. As used herein, the term "squibs" refers to electro-explosive devices collectively.
A conventional squib includes a bridgewire that heats up in response to an electrical current. In turn, the heat generated by the bridgewire initiates detonation. The bridgewire is a resistive component, such as a wire or filament, coated or otherwise in contact with a flammable or explosive composition. This pyrotechnic composition is typically the first in a sequence of compositions of decreasing sensitivity, increasing mass and increasing energy (i.e., a pyrotechnic or explosive train). Typically, the bridgewire components are enclosed in a metal, plastic, or paper housing for maintaining the proper juxtaposition of the components. The housing also protects the pyrotechnic composition from humidity and other environmental effects. A squib operates when the current heats the bridgewire until it reaches a temperature high enough to start a chemical reaction (e.g., burning or exploding) in the first composition of the pyrotechnic train. It is to be understood that the bridgewire need not be in the actual form of a wire and may be a metal, an alloy (e.g., nichrome or tungsten) or another conducting material (e.g., semiconductor).
One shortcoming of presently available squibs is their inability to simultaneously meet fairly precise all-fire and no-fire specifications. All-fire requirements specify a minimum current and duration at which all squibs of a particular design are expected to fire (i.e., ignite to begin detonation). On the other hand, no-fire requirements specify a maximum current and duration that can be applied to the particular squibs without causing them to activate. A squib is needed that is sensitive enough to meet the former all-fire requirements but insensitive enough to meet the latter no-fire requirements. The problem is complicated by the fact that the response of a conventional squib varies with temperature, pressure, acceleration and other environmental factors. Presently available squibs can be, for example, sufficiently sensitive to meet all-fire specifications at a minimum required operating temperature but too sensitive to meet no-fire specifications at a maximum operating temperature.
Squibs are useful in ignitors, pin pullers, pin pushers, wire cutters, exploding nuts, explosive bolts, detonators, explosive bolts, rocket motors, gas generators, thermal batteries, signal flares, safe-and-arm apparatus, pressure cartridges, pyro switches, pyro valves, bellows actuators, piston actuators, perforators, air bag inflators, seat belt tensioners, and the like. | {
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With the development of thin film transistor liquid crystal displays (Thin Film Transistor Liquid Crystal Display) towards high integration and low cost, a gate-driver on array (Gate-driver on Array, GOA for short) technology appears, namely a gate driving circuit is prepared on an array substrate to reduce the cost of a product on the material cost and the manufacturing process.
The gate driving circuit includes multiple stages of shift register units, and each stage of shift register unit is used for outputting a gate driving signal to a row of gate line on the array substrate. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a shift register unit of an existing gate driving circuit; and FIG. 2 is a time sequence diagram of each signal input to the shift register unit shown in FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the gate driving circuit is prepared on an array substrate, and each stage of shift register unit 1 of the gate driving circuit includes a pull-up module, an output module and a pull-down module, wherein the pull-up module is used for controlling the turn-on of the output module through a pull-up node PU, the output module is used for outputting a first clock signal CLK as a gate driving signal during turn-on, and the pull-down module is used for controlling the turn-off of the pull-up module and/or the output module through a pull-down node PD. The pull-up module includes a first transistor 201, a second transistor 202, a seventh transistor 207 and a first capacitor C1; the output module includes a third transistor 203, a fourth transistor 204 and a signal output terminal OUTPUT; and the pull-down module includes a ninth transistor 209, a fifth transistor 205, an eighth transistor 208, a sixth transistor 206, a tenth transistor 210 and an eleventh transistor 211. The connection relation of the first transistor 201 to the eleventh transistor 211 and the first capacitor C1 is shown as FIG. 1. In the shift register unit, besides the input CLK signal serving as the gate driving signal, a CLKB signal is also input as a second clock signal, an STV signal is input as a start signal, an STV1 signal is input as a correction signal, a RESET signal is input as a reset signal, and a VGL signal is input as a low voltage signal.
In the shift register unit, the size of the active layer of each transistor (mainly the third transistor) is a key factor influencing the display effect of the TFT LCD; if the active layer in the third transistor is too small, the driving capability of the shift register unit may be insufficient, particularly at a low temperature, the carrier mobility is reduced, the driving capability of the shift register unit is seriously insufficient, and then abnormal display of the TFT LCD is caused; and if the active layer in the third transistor is too large, when the CLK is of a high level, the pull-up node PU may be coupled to increase the voltage of the pull-up node PU, so that the shift register unit outputs multiple signals (Multi outputs) to the outside, and then abnormal display of the TFT LCD is caused. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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Metabotropic glutamate receptors are classified pharmacologically into three groups. Of these, group II (mGluR2/mGluR3) bind with adenylcyclase, and inhibit the accumulation of the Forskolin stimulation of cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) (see Trends Pharmacol. Sci., 14, 13, 1993 (non-patent document 1 mentioned below)). Thus it is suggested that compounds that antagonize the action of group II metabotropic glutamate receptors are effective for the treatment and prevention of acute and chronic psychiatric disorders and neurological diseases. A 2-amino-bicyclo[3.1.0]hexane-2,6-dicarboxylic acid derivative is a compound that has a strong antagonistic effect on group II metabotropic glutamate receptors. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to taps and refers more specifically to a double ended tap, both ends of which may be used for the purpose of cutting threads, and a tool holder for holding the tap by either end thereof and imparting torque thereto to effect cutting therewith.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the past, taps have been single ended tools including threads on one end and a shank on the other. With such structure, the shanks are especially designed to be held in tool holders which impart rotation to the taps for effecting cutting of threads with the threaded end of the tap.
Such taps having particular configurations at the opposite ends for cutting threads and to promote holding of the tap by a tool holder while torque is imparted to the tap are wasteful of material and machining time in the manufacture thereof and are therefore expensive. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a laminated optical film, and a liquid crystal panel and a liquid crystal display apparatus using the laminated optical film. More specifically, the present invention relates to a laminated optical film having a polarizer and two optical compensation layers, and a liquid crystal panel and a liquid crystal display apparatus using the laminated optical film.
2. Description of Related Art
Various optical films each having a polarizing film and an optical compensation layer in combination are generally used in an image display apparatus (such as a liquid crystal display apparatus) so that optical compensation is performed.
In general, a circularly polarizing plate which is one type of the above-mentioned optical films can be produced by combining a polarizing film and a λ/4 plate. However, the λ/4 plate has characteristics providing larger retardation values with shorter wavelengths, so-called “positive wavelength dispersion characteristics”, and the λ/4 plate generally has high positive wavelength dispersion characteristics. Thus, the λ/4 plate has a problem in that the plate cannot exhibit desired optical characteristics (such as functions as the λ/4 plate) over a wide wavelength range. In order to avoid the problem, there has been, in recent years, proposed a retardation plate having wavelength dispersion characteristics providing larger retardation values with longer wavelengths, so-called “reverse dispersion characteristics”, such as a modified-cellulose-based film and a modified-polycarbonate-based film. However, those films have a problem with cost.
At present, the following method is employed: a λ/4 plate having positive wavelength dispersion characteristics is combined with a retardation plate providing larger retardation values with longer wavelengths or a λ/2 plate, to thereby correct the wavelength dispersion characteristics of the λ/4 plate (see Japanese Patent No. 3174367, for example). However, according to those technologies, the enhancement of a screen contrast and the reduction in a color shift are insufficient. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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Tire performance is an important concern. Manufacturers and tire developers, as well as others in the industry, find that the methods for testing (1) tire characteristics; (2) performance of tire-vehicle systems, and (3) performance of components of tire-vehicle systems are of substantial interest.
The footprint of a tire has a substantial influence on tire performance, including tire wear, driving stability, noise, and ride comfort. Accordingly, there is interest in measurement of the qualities of the footprint of a tire.
Various tests have been designed to determine the footprint of a tested tire. These tests involve means of observing or sensing the footprint as it rolls over the measurement surface. Tests conducted outdoors on vehicles driving over measurement surfaces require expensive test instrumentation and may have limited repeatability due to the variability of driving conditions. Such testing is therefore expensive and time consuming. In order to avoid the expense and time of outdoor tire test procedures, some indoor tire test equipment has been developed. Indoor test equipment has mostly been limited to footprint testing of non-rolling tires or at low rolling speeds. Tire operation, however, may be at speeds other than at low speeds, such as, without limitation, high speeds, such as, without limitation, highway speeds. The current methods and apparatuses are not readily adaptable to use at different speeds or use at different operating conditions, such as highway speed. It remains desirable to develop apparatuses and methods for measurement of the qualities of the footprint of a tire at high speeds. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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It is important for photopolymer compositions utilized in making printing plates to have a high degree of clarity so that ultra-violet light which is transmitted through a photographic negative can penetrate the composition and initiate cure. It is also critical for the photopolymer composition to exhibit a high degree of water swell which allows for easy scrub-off of that part of the printing plate which was not cured. There are also certain mechanical requirements needed from such photopolymer compositions.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,045,231 discloses the utilization of polystyrene-polybutadiene-polystyrene triblock polymers in printing plates. U.S. Pat. No. 4,162,919 discloses the employment of styrene-isoprene diblock polymers and styrene-isoprene diblock polymers in flexographic printing plates. U.S. Pat. No. 5,344,743 discloses flexographic photosensitive printing plates which are made with formulations comprising triblock polymers of poly(vinylpyridine)-poly(butadiene) or poly(isoprene)-poly(vinylpyridine).
Certain carboxylated nitrile rubbers, such as Chemigum.RTM. NX775 carboxylated nitrile rubber which is sold by The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, offer most of the physical requirements needed from a base polymer for printing plate photopolymer compositions. However, such carboxylated nitrile rubbers do not have adequate clarity and are too water resistant for utilization in such applications. It is also important for carboxylated nitrile rubbers utilized in such applications to have a Mooney ML-4 viscosity of less than about 80.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,415,690, U.S. Pat. No. 4,435,535, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,452,936 disclose techniques for preparing carboxylated nitrile rubbers which are suitable for utilization in making printing plate photopolymer compositions but for their inadequate clarity and water swell characteristics. U.S. Pat. No. 4,415,690 discloses the utilization of succinic anhydride derivatives as scorch inhibiting agents. U.S. Pat. No. 4,435,535 discloses the utilization of adipic acid as a scorch inhibiting agent, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,452,936 discloses the utilization of oligomerized fatty acids as scorch inhibiting agents. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
Ink jet printing has become recognized as a prominent contender in the digitally controlled, electronic printing arena because, e.g., of its non-impact, low-noise characteristics, its use of plain paper and its avoidance of toner transfer and fixing. Ink jet printing mechanisms can be categorized by technology as either drop on demand ink jet or continuous ink jet.
The first technology, “drop-on-demand” ink jet printing, provides ink droplets that impact upon a recording surface by using a pressurization actuator (thermal, piezoelectric, etc.). Many commonly practiced drop-on-demand technologies use thermal actuation to eject ink droplets from a nozzle. A heater, located at or near the nozzle, heats the ink sufficiently to boil, forming a vapor bubble that creates enough internal pressure to eject an ink droplet. This form of ink jet is commonly termed “thermal ink jet (TIJ).” Other known drop-on-demand droplet ejection mechanisms include piezoelectric actuators, such as that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,224,843, issued to van Lintel, on Jul. 6, 1993; thermo-mechanical actuators, such as those disclosed by Jarrold et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,561,627, issued May 13, 2003; and electrostatic actuators, as described by Fujii et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,474,784, issued Nov. 5, 2002.
The second technology, commonly referred to as “continuous” ink jet printing, uses a pressurized ink source that produces a continuous stream of ink droplets from a nozzle. The stream is perturbed in some fashion causing it to break up into uniformly sized drops at a nominally constant distance, the break-off length, from the nozzle. A charging electrode structure is positioned at the nominally constant break-off point so as to induce a data-dependent amount of electrical charge on the drop at the moment o break-off. The charged droplets are directed through a fixed electrostatic field region causing each droplet to deflect proportionately to its charge. The charge levels established at the break-off point thereby cause drops to travel to a specific location on a recording medium or to a gutter for collection and recirculation.
Continuous ink jet (CIJ) drop generators rely on the physics of an unconstrained fluid jet, first analyzed in two dimensions by F. R. S. (Lord) Rayleigh, “Instability of jets,” Proc. London Math. Soc. 10 (4), published in 1878. Lord Rayleigh's analysis showed that liquid under pressure, P, will stream out of a hole, the nozzle, forming a jet of diameter, dj, moving at a velocity, vj. The jet diameter, dj, is approximately equal to the effective nozzle diameter, dn, and the jet velocity is proportional to the square root of the reservoir pressure, P. Rayleigh's analysis showed that the jet will naturally break up into drops of varying sizes based on surface waves that have wavelengths, λ, longer than πdj, i.e. λ≧πdj. Rayleigh's analysis also showed that particular surface wavelengths would become dominate if initiated at a large enough magnitude, thereby “synchronizing” the jet to produce mono-sized drops. Continuous ink jet (CIJ) drop generators employ some periodic physical process, a so-called “perturbation” or “stimulation”, that has the effect of establishing a particular, dominate surface wave on the jet. This results in the break-off of the jet into mono-sized drops synchronized to the frequency of the perturbation.
The drop stream that results from applying a Rayleigh stimulation will be referred to herein as creating a stream of drops of predetermined volume. While in prior art CIJ systems, the drops of interest for printing or patterned layer deposition were invariably of unitary volume, it will be explained that for the present inventions, the stimulation signal may be manipulated to produce drops of predetermined multiples of the unitary volume. Hence the phrase, “streams of drops of predetermined volumes” is inclusive of drop streams that are broken up into drops all having one size or streams broken up into drops of planned different volumes.
In a CIJ system, some drops, usually termed “satellites” much smaller in volume than the predetermined unit volume, may be formed as the stream necks down into a fine ligament of fluid. Such satellites may not be totally predictable or may not always merge with another drop in a predictable fashion, thereby slightly altering the volume of drops intended for printing or patterning. The presence of small, unpredictable satellite drops is, however, inconsequential to the present inventions and is not considered to obviate the fact that the drop sizes have been predetermined by the synchronizing energy signals used in the present inventions. Thus the phrase “predetermined volume” as used to describe the present inventions should be understood to comprehend that some small variation in drop volume about a planned target value may occur due to unpredictable satellite drop formation.
Commercially practiced CIJ printheads use a piezoelectric device, acoustically coupled to the printhead, to initiate a dominant surface wave on the jet. The coupled piezoelectric device superimposes periodic pressure variations on the base reservoir pressure, causing velocity or flow perturbations that in turn launch synchronizing surface waves. A pioneering disclosure of a piezoelectrically-stimulated CIJ apparatus was made by R. Sweet in U.S. Pat. No. 3,596,275, issued Jul. 27, 1971, Sweet '275 hereinafter. The CIJ apparatus disclosed by Sweet '275 consisted of a single jet, i.e. a single drop generation liquid chamber and a single nozzle structure.
Sweet '275 disclosed several approaches to providing the needed periodic perturbation to the jet to synchronize drop break-off to the perturbation frequency. Sweet '275 discloses a magnetostrictive material affixed to a capillary nozzle enclosed by an electrical coil that is electrically driven at the desired drop generation frequency, vibrating the nozzle, thereby introducing a dominant surface wave perturbation to the jet via the jet velocity. Sweet '275 also discloses a thin ring-electrode positioned to surround but not touch the unbroken fluid jet, just downstream of the nozzle. If the jetted fluid is conductive, and a periodic electric field is applied between the fluid filament and the ring-electrode, the fluid jet may be caused to expand periodically, thereby directly introducing a surface wave perturbation that can synchronize the jet break-off. This CIJ technique is commonly called electrohydrodynamic (EHD) stimulation.
Sweet '275 further disclosed several techniques for applying a synchronizing perturbation by superimposing a pressure variation on the base liquid reservoir pressure that forms the jet. Sweet '275 disclosed a pressurized fluid chamber, the drop generator chamber, having a wall that can be vibrated mechanically at the desired stimulation frequency. Mechanical vibration means disclosed included use of magnetostrictive or piezoelectric transducer drivers or an electromagnetic moving coil. Such mechanical vibration methods are often termed “acoustic stimulation” in the CIJ literature.
The several CIJ stimulation approaches disclosed by Sweet '275 may all be practical in the context of a single jet system However, the selection of a practical stimulation mechanism for a CIJ system having many jets is far more complex. A pioneering disclosure of a multi jet CIJ printhead has been made by Sweet et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 3,373,437, issued Mar. 12, 1968, Sweet '437 hereinafter. Sweet '437 discloses a CIJ printhead having a common drop generator chamber that communicates with a row (an array) of drop emitting nozzles. A rear wall of the common drop generator chamber is vibrated by means of a magnetostrictive device, thereby modulating the chamber pressure and causing a jet velocity perturbation on every jet of the array of jets.
Since the pioneering CIJ disclosures of Sweet '275 and Sweet '437, most disclosed multi jet CIJ printheads have employed some variation of the jet break-off perturbation means described therein. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,560,641 issued Feb. 2, 1971 to Taylor et al. discloses a CIJ printing apparatus having multiple, multi jet arrays wherein the drop break-off stimulation is introduced by means of a vibration device affixed to a high pressure ink supply line that supplies the multiple CIJ printheads. U.S. Pat. No. 3,739,393 issued Jun. 12, 1973 to Lyon et al. discloses a multi jet CIJ array wherein the multiple nozzles are formed as orifices in a single thin nozzle plate and the drop break-off perturbation is provided by vibrating the nozzle plate, an approach akin to the single nozzle vibrator disclosed by Sweet '275. U.S. Pat. No. 3,877,036 issued Apr. 8, 1975 to Loeffler et al. discloses a multi jet CIJ printhead wherein a piezoelectric transducer is bonded to an internal wall of a common drop generator chamber, a combination of the stimulation concepts disclosed by Sweet '437 and '275
Unfortunately, all of the stimulation methods employing a vibration some component of the printhead structure or a modulation of the common supply pressure result is some amount of non-uniformity of the magnitude of the perturbation applied to each individual jet of a multi jet CIJ array. Non-uniform stimulation leads to a variability in the break-off length and timing among the jets of the array. This variability in break-off characteristics, in turn, leads to an inability to position a common drop charging assembly or to use a data timing scheme that can serve all of the jets of the array. As the array becomes physically larger, for example long enough to span one dimension of a typical paper size (herein termed a “page wide array”), the problem of non-uniformity of jet stimulation becomes more severe.
The construction of large arrays of CIJ jets also involves some form of drop selection and deflection apparatus that acts to differentiate among drops used for printing or patterning and drops discarded (guttered) to a liquid fluid supply recirculation system. The difficulty of creating drop selection and deflection apparatus that perfectly operates on all drops of all liquid streams in a consistent and equal fashion adds additional sources of drop placement error to those caused by non-uniform jet stimulation. Drop stimulation apparatus that has the capability of adjustment in the parameters of jet break-off on an individual jet basis may be able to provide some compensation for non-uniformities in the drop selection and deflection apparatus in addition to providing for predictable drop break-off characteristics.
Many attempts to achieve uniform CIJ stimulation using vibrating devices may be found in the U.S. patent literature. However, it appears that the structures that are strong and durable enough to be operated at high ink reservoir pressures contribute confounding acoustic responses that cannot be totally eliminated in the range of frequencies of interest. Commercial CIJ systems employ designs that carefully manage the acoustic behavior of the printhead structure and also limit the magnitude of the applied acoustic energy to the least necessary to achieve acceptable drop break-off across the array. A means of CIJ stimulation that does not significantly couple to the printhead structure itself would be an advantage, especially for the construction of page wide arrays (PWA's) and for reliable operation in the face of drifting ink and environmental parameters.
The electrohydrodynamic (EHD) jet stimulation concept disclosed by Sweet '275 operates on the emitted liquid jet filament directly, causing minimal acoustic excitation of the printhead structure itself, thereby avoiding the above noted confounding contributions of printhead and mounting structure resonances. U.S. Pat. No. 4,220,958 issued Sep. 2, 1980 to Crowley discloses a CIJ printer wherein the perturbation is accomplished an EHD exciter composed of pump electrodes of a length equal to about one-half the droplet spacing. The multiple pump electrodes are spaced at intervals of multiples of about one-half the droplet spacing or wavelength downstream from the nozzles. This arrangement greatly reduces the voltage needed to achieve drop break-off over the configuration disclosed by Sweet '275.
While EHD stimulation has been pursued as an alternative to acoustic stimulation, it has not been applied commercially because of the difficulty in fabricating printhead structures having the very close jet-to-electrode spacing and alignment required and, then, operating reliably without electrostatic breakdown occurring. Also, due to the relatively long range of electric field effects, EHD is not amenable to providing individual stimulation signals to individual jets in an array of closely spaced jets.
An alternate jet perturbation concept that overcomes all of the drawbacks of acoustic or EHD stimulation was disclosed for a single jet CIJ system in U.S. Pat. No. 3,878,519 issued Apr. 15, 1975 to J. Eaton (Eaton hereinafter). Eaton discloses the thermal stimulation of a jet fluid filament by means of localized light energy or by means of a resistive heater located at the nozzle, the point of formation of the fluid jet. Eaton explains that the fluid properties, especially the surface tension, of a heated portion of a jet may be sufficiently changed with respect to an unheated portion to cause a localized change in the diameter of the jet, thereby launching a dominant surface wave if applied at an appropriate frequency.
Eaton mentions that thermal stimulation is beneficial for use in a printhead having a plurality of closely spaced ink streams because the thermal stimulation of one stream does not affect any adjacent nozzle. However, Eaton does not teach or disclose any multi jet printhead configurations, nor any practical methods of implementing a thermally-stimulated multi-jet CIJ device, especially one amenable to page wide array construction. Eaton teaches his invention using calculational examples and parameters relevant to a state-of-the-art ink jet printing application circa the early 1970's, i.e. a drop frequency of 100 KHz and a nozzle diameter of ˜25 microns leading to drop volumes of ˜60 picoLiters (pL). Eaton does not teach or disclose how to configure or operate a thermally-stimulated CIJ printhead that would be needed to print drops an order of magnitude smaller and at substantially higher drop frequencies.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,638,328 issued Jan. 20, 1987 to Drake, et al. (Drake hereinafter) discloses a thermally-stimulated multi jet CIJ drop generator fabricated in an analogous fashion to a thermal ink jet device. That is, Drake discloses the operation of a traditional thermal ink jet (TIJ) edgeshooter or roofshooter device in CIJ mode by supplying high pressure ink and applying energy pulses to the heaters sufficient to cause synchronized break-off but not so as to generate vapor bubbles. Drake mentions that the power applied to each individual stimulation resistor may be tailored to eliminate non-uniformities due to cross talk. However, the inventions claimed and taught by Drake are specific to CIJ devices fabricated using two substrates that are bonded together, one substrate being planar and having heater electrodes and the other having topographical features that form individual ink channels and a common ink supply manifold.
Also recently, microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), have been disclosed that utilize electromechanical and thermomechanical transducers to generate mechanical energy for performing work. For example, thin film piezoelectric, ferroelectric or electrostrictive materials such as lead zirconate titanate (PZT), lead lanthanum zirconate titanate (PLZT), or lead magnesium niobate titanate (PMNT) may be deposited by sputtering or sol gel techniques to serve as a layer that will expand or contract in response to an applied electric field. See, for example Shimada, et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 6,387,225, issued May 14, 2002; Sumi, et al., in U.S. Pat. No. 6,511,161, issued Jan. 28, 2003; and Miyashita, et al., in U.S. Pat. No. 6,543,107, issued Apr. 8, 2003. Thermomechanical devices utilizing electroresistive materials that have large coefficients of thermal expansion, such as titanium aluminide, have been disclosed as thermal actuators constructed on semiconductor substrates. See, for example, Jarrold et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,561,627, issued May 13, 2003. Therefore electromechanical devices may also be configured and fabricated using microelectronic processes to provide stimulation energy on a jet-by-jet basis.
Consequently there is a need for a liquid stream break-off control system that is generally applicable to a liquid drop emission system having jet stimulation apparatus capable of individually adjusting stimulation, hence break-off, parameters on an individual jet basis. There is an opportunity to effectively employ the extraordinary capability of thermal or other microelectromechanical stimulation to change the break-up process jets individually, without causing undesirable jet-to-jet crosstalk, and to change the break-up process within an individual jet in ways that compensate for anomalies in the drop selection, deflection and guttering subsystem hardware, thereby achieving higher drop placement precision, i.e. higher liquid pattern quality, and overall system reliability. Further there is a need for an approach that may be economically applied to a liquid drop emitter having a very large number of jets. | {
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Tar sands, also referred to as oil sands and bituminous sands, contain a heavy oil usually referred to as bitumen.
There are tar sand deposits, in the Athabasca region of Alberta, which are today being commercially exploited. In connection with these operations, the tar sand is first mined and the bitumen is then extracted from the mined tar sand by a process called the hot water process. The extracted bitumen is subsequently upgraded by refinerytype processing, to produce synthetic crude.
The tar sand is a mixture of sand grains, connate water, fine minerals of the particle size of clay, and bitumen. It is commonly believed that the connate water envelopes the grains of sand, the fine solids are distributed in the water sheaths, and the bitumen is trapped in the interstitial spaces between the water-sheathed grains.
The hot water process is now well described in the patent and technical literature. A schematic of the circuit is shown in FIG. 3.
In broad summary, this process comprises first conditioning the tar sand, to make it amenable to flotation-sedimentation separation of the bitumen from the solids. Conditioning involves feeding mined tar sand, hot water (180.degree. F.), an alkaline process aid (usually NaOH), and steam into a rotating horizontal drum, wherein the ingredients are agitated together. Typically, the amounts of reagents added are in the following proportions:
tar sand--3250 tons PA1 hot water--610 tons PA1 NaOH--4 tons (20% NaOH) PA1 14.44%--bitumen PA1 0.36%--water PA1 85.2%--total solids PA1 7.56%--bitumen PA1 0.5%--water PA1 91.84%--total solids. PA1 adjust the rate of NaOH addition; or PA1 adjust the rate of water addition to the conditioning or flooding steps; or PA1 blend some better quality tar sand in with the lean tar sand, to provide a blended feed; or PA1 vary the residence time or temperature in the conditioning drum. PA1 withdrawing a sample from the middlings dragstream and measuring the sample viscosity with an appropriate instrument; or PA1 lowering a sampler into the middlings, taking a grab sample, and measuring the sample viscosity with an appropriate instrument; or PA1 applying density measurements to either of the foregoing samples and assuming that the viscosity varies proportionately with the density. PA1 (1) that the viscosity varies strikingly at various depths in the middlings in the PSV; PA1 (2) that while the in situ-measured viscosity in the PSV may vary significantly, the density of the middlings when measured in connection with grab samples may vary very little--therefore there does not appear to be a useful correlation between the two that may be relied on; and PA1 (3) that the viscosity measurements obtained in situ vary significantly from those obtained by taking grab samples at the same depth in the PSV and measuring the viscosity of the grab samples in a conventional instrument external of the PSV.
Enough steam is added to ensure an exit temperature of the mixture from the drum of about 180.degree. F. The residence time in the drum is typically about 4 minutes.
During conditioning, the mined tar sand (in which the bitumen, connate water and solids are tightly bound together) is converted into an aqueous slurry of porridge-like consistency, wherein the components are in loose association.
The slurry leaving the drum is screened, to remove oversize material, and then flooded or diluted with additional hot water. The diluted slurry typically comprises 7% by weight bitumen, 43% water, and 50% solids. Its temperature is typically 160.degree.-180.degree. F.
The diluted slurry then is transferred to the primary separation step, wherein it is temporarily retained in a large separation vessel having a cylindrical upper section and conical lower section. (This vessel is hereafter referred to as the "PSV"--for `primary separation vessel`.) The vessel is similar to a thickener and has a rake system in its lower end, to assist in discharging the sand bed which accumulates there. The slurry is retained in the PSV for about 45 minutes in a quiescent condition.
During this interval, air bubbles, incorporated into the dilute slurry during conditioning, attach themselves to the bitumen, which is in the form of flecks or globules. Most of the aerated globules are buoyant and they rise through the slurry, to collect at the upper surface in the form of a froth. This froth is referred to as primary froth.
Most of the coarse solids, primarily being sand particles, sink through the slurry, are concentrated in the conical bottom end of the vessel, and are discharged through a bottom outlet. This stream is discarded as tailings (known as the `primary tailings`).
Not all of the bitumen becomes sufficiently aerated so as to rise and join the primary froth. Some of this non-buoyant bitumen is lost with the primary tailings. Most of it, together with a large part of the fines, collects in the mid-section of the PSV. This aqueous mixture is termed "middlings".
A dragstream of the middlings is withdrawn from the vessel and is fed into subaerated flotation cells, wherein secondary separation is practised. Here the middlings are subjected to vigorous agitation and aeration. Bitumen froth, termed "secondary froth", is produced.
Typically, the primary and secondary froths have the following compositions:
______________________________________ Primary (% by weight) Secondary (% by weight) ______________________________________ Bitumen 66.4 23.8 Solids 8.9 17.5 Water 24.7 58.7 ______________________________________
It will be noted that the secondary froth is considerably more contaminated with water and solids than the primary froth. One seeks to minimize this contamination, as the froth stream requires downstream treatment, to remove solids and water, before it can be fed to the upgrading process.
It is therefore desirable to operate the process so that as much of the bitumen as possible reports to the primary froth.
In summary then, the contents of the PSV may be described as existing in the form of three sequential layers. At the base, one has the tailings--this is primarily sand with some water and a minor amount of bitumen entrained therein. Above this layer, one has the middlings--this is water containing fines and insufficiently buoyant bitumen. But passing downwardly through the middlings are many coarse sand particles and rising through the layer are some buoyant bitumen globules. And at the top, one has the froth.
Of particular interest are the well-aerated bitumen globules, which should rise and form the primary froth, which is the main commercial product of the process. These globules must make their way up through the middlings.
If the middlings are too viscous, the well-aerated bitumen globules may fail to achieve the needed upward velocity, and may end up being discharged with the primary tailings or being withdrawn with middlings for treatment in the secondary separation circuit. If the globules exit with the primary tailings, they are lost entirely from the process. If they are removed to secondary recovery, they will be recovered in the form of poor quality froth.
At this point, it is appropriate to point out: (1) that the nature of the tar sand feed is variable; and (2) that the capability of the hot water process to extract the contained bitumen is significantly affected by the nature of the tar sand feed.
More particularly, the tar sand may contain a relatively high content of bitumen and a relatively-low content of fines. This type of feed is referred to as "rich" tar sand. Alternatively, the tar sand may be relatively low in bitumen and high in fines. Such a feed is referred to as "lean" tar sand.
Typically, a "rich" tar sand can have a composition as follows:
Typically, a "lean" tar sand can have a composition as follows:
The percentage fine solids (-44.mu. solids in the total solids) can range from 5% for rich tar sands to as high as 25% for some lean tar sands.
In general, the rich tar sand feeds yield high primary froth recoveries. The lean feeds give low primary froth recoveries. Stated otherwise, the lean feeds are difficult to process with the hot water extraction procedure; they do not contain much bitumen and such bitumen as they do contain is difficult to extract.
This is partly because the lean feeds contain many fines, which interfere with the flotation-sedimentation separation taking place in the middlings layer of the PSV. In addition, the flecks or globules of bitumen which appear in the PSV middlings, when lean tar sand is the feed, are minute compared to the globules that are there when the tar sand feed is rich. These minute flecks do not rise as readily as the larger flecks.
If the fines content in the middlings becomes high, the flotation mechanism can literally become inoperative. There is so little primary froth being produced that the process performance is unacceptable. In this instance, the contents of the PSV may have to be jettisoned and the process started up again.
There are a number of courses of action open to the operator by which he may adjust and alleviate undesirable process conditions in the PSV arising from the nature of the tar sand feed. For example, he can:
A crucial matter, though, is to know when to make these adjustments and to what extent the adjustment should be made. This requires that a process parameter be monitored, which parameter gives the operator a useful guide on which to base the adjustments.
It has heretofore been broadly taught in the prior art that the viscosity of the middlings can be monitored and maintained within staged ranges, to optimize the primary bitumen froth recovery from the PSV. This teaching appears in Canadian Pat. No. 889,823, filed by Graybill et al. Also of interest are Canadian Pat. Nos. 889,825 and 841,581.
However, in accordance with conventional practise, the viscosity has been monitored in one of the following ways:
Now, there are certain shortcomings associated with these prior art practises.
If one samples the middlings dragstream, one must assume that this sample--taken at one level of the PSV (there is usually only a single outlet in the PSV wall)--is representative of the entire column of PSV middlings.
When one attempts to measure the viscosity of this sample, one is dealing with a mixture of sand, oil, clay, and water. The sand and oil begin to settle and rise instantaneously. In addition, the mixture is not static. It is impossible to duplicate the flow and turbulence conditions which exist within the PSV.
Perhaps for these reasons, the industry has moved toward measuring the density of the sample and assuming that the trend of viscosity will follow the trend of density. | {
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus and an image forming method, and more particularly to an apparatus for reading an original image optically and converting it to digital image data, and then forming an image on a sheet in an electrophotographic method according to the image data.
2. Description of Related Art
Recently, in a field of electrophotographic copying apparatus, image processing is digitized for carrying out multifunctional image edit and full color image formation. In such digitization, a print head of a laser printer is used as image writing means for writing an image on a photosensitive member. In this print head, a laser diode is modulated according to image data, and a laser beam which is emitted from the laser diode is deflected by a polygonal mirror and is scanned on the photosensitive member line by line. This is called main scanning. Sub scanning is carried out by rotation of the photosensitive member. An image is printed on the photosensitive drum two-dimensionally by the main and the sub scanning. In this print head (a laser beam optical scanning apparatus), dot-by-dot modulation can be done easily, and a line in the main scanning direction can be formed to have less irregularity. Also, the beam diameter can be easily changed. Additionally, the print head can be composed at a low cost.
On the other hand, a print head of a digital copying machine requires high performances compared to the laser printer. One of the required performances is accuracy of a printing position. In the digital copying machine, since an error probably occurs in an image reading unit (an image scanner unit), performances such as magnification in the main scanning direction and uniformity of pitch in the main scanning direction are required to be higher than those of the laser printer. High accuracy of a printing position in the sub scanning direction is also required. Irregularity of the printing position appears as periodical unevenness of density (nonuniformity of pitch). This irregularity is caused by periodical movement of the printing position in the sub scanning direction, which results from an error in perpendicularity of deflecting facets of the polygonal mirror and vibration of the polygonal mirror. A tolerance of irregularity in the printing position in the sub scanning direction is smaller in the digital copying machine compared to the laser printer.
An area gradation method, a density gradation method or a many-valued dither method which is the middle of the above two methods can be used to express a half tone. In the area gradation method, several dots are considered as one unit, and the gradation is expressed by changing the number of printed dots in the unit to change a written area. In the density gradation method, the gradation is expressed by changing the density of every single dot. The density gradation method surpasses the area gradation method in expressing the half tone. However, the density gradation method is sensitive to the irregularity of the printing position in the sub scanning direction, and the tolerance of the irregularity is small. In the area gradation method, if the correction factor is about one-several decades, the irregularity of the printing position in the sub scanning direction becomes about several .mu.m which is no problem. However, in the density gradation method, the accuracy which is 1 .mu.m or less is required. Therefore, the perpendicularity of the deflecting facets of the polygonal mirror is needed to be improved or an optical system of high correcting performance is needed to be used.
Improving the accuracy in the perpendicularity of the deflecting facets of the polygonal mirror raises the manufacturing cost of the polygonal mirror itself. Thus, an optical system which can correct the perpendicularity of the polygonal scanner effectively is needed to be used. In an optical system for correcting the perpendicularity of the deflecting facets of the polygonal mirror, an area around a deflecting point and a scanned surface (a photosensitive member) are conjugate in the sub scanning direction, and the smaller the magnification is, the more effective the correction is. Therefore, an optical system which has small magnification in the sub scanning direction is needed to be used. Assumed that the focal distance of a f .theta. lens is fixed, the diameter of a lens near the scanned surface must be larger, in order to reduce the magnification in the sub scanning direction.
On the other hand, in the print head of the digital copying machine, the beam diameter is preferably small in order to improve the tone expression. Also, curvature of field and distortion needs to be small. Thereby, more lenses are necessary, and this causes a raise of the cost. In order to solve this problem, it is possible that aspherical lenses are used to decrease the number of necessary lenses, using plastic, not glass, as the material. However, plastic may change its shape and its reflection factor with a change of temperature, and this causes a change of a focal distance. The change of the focal distance appears as a change of magnification or blooming (a change of the beam diameter).
In order to adjust the blooming caused by the change of the focal distance, the following way is possible: the laser beam is lead into a slit and is detected by a photoelectric transfer element at position optically equivalent to the photosensitive member; and the focal distance is adjusted based on the detected beam diameter. However, if the slit is formed extending parallel with the main scanning direction, the photoelectric transfer element can not detect the beam diameter in the main scanning direction. Moreover, if the incident beam is shifted even in a small degree in the sub scanning direction, the detection of the beam diameter becomes impossible. Also, since focusing is conducted separately in the main scanning direction and the sub scanning direction, the blooming may occur in the sub scanning direction while the focus in the main scanning direction is adjusted. | {
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1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a chemical analysis apparatus for applying a sample material to a chemical analysis slide, i.e. a slide type chemical analysis device, provided with a single reagent layer or a plurality of reagent layers, maintaining the chemical analysis slide at a predetermined temperature (i.e. conducting incubation) for a predetermined time, and then optically measuring the degree of color formation in the chemical analysis slide for analysis of the sample material.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Qualitative or quantitative analysis of a specific chemical constituent in a liquid sample is generally conducted for various industrial purposes Particularly, it is very important in biochemical and clinical categories to quantitatively analyze chemical constituents or physical constituents in body fluid such as blood or urine.
In recent years, as disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Publication No. 53(1978)-21677 and Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 55(1980)-164356, there has been developed and put into practice a dry type chemical analysis slide for quantitatively analyzing a specific chemical constituent or a specific physical constituent contained in a sample solution simply by applying a droplet of the sample solution With the chemical analysis slide, it is possible to analyze a sample solution more simply and more quickly than when the conventional wet type analysis method is used. Therefore, the use of the chemical analysis slide is desirable particularly in medical organizations, research laboratories, or the like where many samples are to be analyzed.
In order to analyze a chemical constituent or the like contained in a sample solution by use of the chemical analysis slide, a measured amount of the sample solution is put on the chemical analysis slide and is maintained at a predetermined temperature (i.e. incubated) for a predetermined time in an incubator to cause a color reaction, and the reflection optical density is measured by exposing the chemical analysis slide to measuring light having a wavelength selected in advance in accordance with the combination of the constituent of the sample solution with a reagent contained in the reagent layer of the chemical analysis slide. In this manner, it is possible to achieve quantitative analysis of the chemical constituent or the like.
In the medical organizations, research laboratories or the like, since many samples are to be analyzed, it is desirable that the analysis be conducted automatically and continuously. To satisfy this need, there have been proposed various chemical analysis apparatuses for carrying out sample analysis automatically and continuously by use of the aforesaid chemical analysis slides.
For example, it has been proposed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 56(1981)-77746 to constitute a chemical analysis apparatus so that chemical analysis slides are disposed in an equally spaced relation to each other in the circumferential direction between two rotatable disks provided with an incubation heater for conducting incubation by the heater, the chemical analysis slide incubated for a predetermined time is positioned by rotation of the disks to face a read-out head disposed below the disks, and exposure of the chemical analysis slide to measuring light and measurement of reflection optical density are conducted by the read-out head via an opening in the bottom surface of the disk. With the proposed chemical analysis apparatus, it is possible to dispose a plurality of the chemical analysis slides in the circumferential direction between the two disks, and therefore to conduct analysis efficiently and quickly. However, the proposed chemical analysis apparatus has the drawbacks that the configurations of the disk rotation system and the control system for controlling the disk rotation system become complicated and the chemical analysis apparatus cannot be made very small and cheaply.
Also, as disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 58(1983)-21566, there has been proposed a chemical analysis apparatus wherein a conveyance path in a U-shaped form or the like is formed in an incubator, a plurality of chemical analysis slides supported by a carrier having a predetermined shape are sequentially fed into the conveyance path and conveyed along the conveyance path, and exposure of the chemical analysis slide, which has been incubated for a predetermined time in the conveyance path, to measuring light and measurement of reflection optical density are conducted by a read-out head disposed midway of the conveyance path. Also with the proposed chemical analysis apparatus, it is possible to conduct analysis efficiently and quickly by use of a plurality of the chemical analysis slides. However, since it is necessary to provide the mechanism for conveying the carriers supporting the chemical analysis slides along the conveyance path, the proposed chemical analysis apparatus is not completely suitable for making the apparatus small and decreasing the cost. Further, the proposed chemical analysis apparatus is not easily adaptable for measurement of the change rate of the reflection optical density conducted by measuring the reflection optical density of the same chemical analysis slide many times at predetermined time intervals.
In a different example of the chemical analysis apparatus, chemical analysis slides are sequentially fed and stacked in an incubator. After a predetermined time has elapsed, the stacked chemical analysis slides are sequentially fed out starting with the lowest slide and subjected to measurement of the reflection optical density. With this configuration, since the chemical analysis slides are stacked in the incubator, it is easy to conduct incubation and the incubator may be made small. However, the chemical analysis apparatus has the drawback that gas generated by the color reaction between a reagent of the chemical analysis slide with a sample applied to the chemical analysis slide while the chemical analysis slide is being incubated adversely affects the color reactions in the other chemical analysis slides, and the analysis accuracy becomes low. Also, with the chemical analysis apparatus, since the chemical analysis slides are sequentially fed out and subjected to the measurement after a predetermined time has elapsed, it is not always possible to conduct the measurement midway during the incubation. Therefore, the chemical analysis apparatus is not suitable for the measurement of the change rate of the reflection optical density. | {
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As electronic components continue to be miniaturized, portable electronic devices are being provided with increased complexity and functionality. As examples, modern portable electronic devices often include one or more cameras, high-resolution displays, wireless transmitters/receivers, and powerful processors. At the same time, these portable electronic devices are becoming more affordable, and thus, more prevalent in the marketplace. As such, users are increasingly operating these portable electronic devices in daily interactions with other users. The interactions are not limited to basic communication, but may be more complex activities such as multiplayer gaming and video conferencing. In this context, it would be desirable to provide new technologies to enhance interactive experiences between users of portable electronic devices. | {
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Various rubber compositions for components for various products, such as for example tires, contain particulate reinforcement comprised of a combination of precipitated silica with a silica coupling agent for the silica as well as rubber reinforcing carbon black. Coupling agents are used for coupling the precipitated silica to diene-based elastomers contained in the rubber composition.
Representative of such coupling agents are, for example, bis(3-trialkoxysilylalkyl) polysulfides which contain an average of from about 2 to about 4 connecting sulfur atoms in their polysulfidic bridge, such as for example those comprised of bis(3-triethoxysilylpropyl) polysulfide, and alkoxyorganomercaptosilanes.
However, use of such polysulfide based coupling agent, particularly such coupling agent which contains an average of from about 3 to about 4 connecting sulfur atoms in its polysulfidic bridge, can tend to liberate free, or otherwise make available, sulfur and to thereby promote a degree of premature crosslinking of the rubber with an attendant increase in its viscosity during elevated temperature mixing of the uncured rubber. Such phenomenon is well known to those having skill in such art.
It is desired herein to utilize a bis(3-trialkoxysilylalkyl)polysulfide, or alkoxyorganomercaptosilane, as a coupling agent for precipitated silica in a diene-based elastomer composition in a manner which provides a lower rubber viscosity for the resultant rubber composition product obtained from the internal rubber mixer.
In practice, the diene-based elastomer compositions typically contain a processing aid in a form of a fatty acid salt. Such fatty acid salt may be, for example, a fatty acid salt formed in situ within the rubber composition as a reaction product of zinc oxide and at least one long chain fatty carboxylic acid such as, for example, stearic acid, palmitic acid and oleic acid and particularly fatty acid comprised of a mixture of stearic acid, palmitic acid and oleic acid.
Alternatively, it is envisioned that the fatty acid salt may be introduced into the rubber composition as a pre-formed fatty acid salt as a composite of a fatty acid anion and cation such as, for example, zinc, calcium, magnesium and aluminum. For example, such fatty acid salt may be a calcium fatty acid salt or zinc fatty acid salt.
Historically, one method of providing a lower viscosity rubber composition from an internal rubber mixer is to simply significantly increase the aforesaid fatty acid salt processing aid content of the rubber composition.
However, the inclusion of a significantly increased fatty acid salt content in the rubber composition is envisioned herein as tending to dilute, or otherwise degrade, various physical properties of the rubber composition, particularly various physical properties of the eventually sulfur cured rubber composition.
While the mechanism might not be fully understood, it is envisioned herein that the fatty acid salt tends to be absorbed onto the porous precipitated silica surface to thereby inhibit some of the coupling agent promoted coupling taking place between the silica and diene-based elastomer.
For this invention it has been observed, and is considered herein a discovery that, by delayed and divided inclusion of a fatty acid salt, whether as a pre-formed fatty acid salt addition or as a fatty acid salt formed in situ within the rubber composition, which contains precipitated silica reinforcement and coupling agent, during the mixing process, the final viscosity (Mooney viscosity) of the mixed rubber composition can be reduced to create a rubber composition with various of its physical properties improved.
For this invention, it has been found and observed that the delayed fatty acid salt inclusion may be different from an initial and divided inclusion of a fatty acid salt in the preparation of the rubber composition, which is a particular benefit for the practice of this invention in producing a beneficial rubber composition.
In practice vulcanized elastomer products are typically prepared by thermomechanically mixing unvulcanized rubber and various compounding ingredients in a step-wise manner to form a compounded rubber followed by shaping and curing the compounded rubber at an elevated temperature to form a vulcanized product.
Initially, the elastomer (rubber) and various compounding ingredients, typically exclusive of sulfur and sulfur vulcanization accelerators, are typically blended in one or more what are generally referred to as being non-productive thermomechanical mixing stages, or steps, in a suitable internal rubber mixer, in the absence of sulfur and sulfur cure accelerators. Such non-productive mixing is usually conducted at high shear mixing conditions at an elevated temperature in a range, for example, of about 140° C. to 190° C. and often in a range of about 150° C. to 180° C.
Following such non-productive mixing of the rubber composition, sulfur and sulfur vulcanization accelerators (curatives), are mixed with the rubber composition in a final mixing stage, which is often referred to as being a productive mixing stage, or step, also in an internal rubber mixer, to a significantly lower mixing temperature in a range of about 100° C. to about 120° C. to prevent premature curing of the rubber composition.
The rubber composition is typically allowed to cool between the aforesaid various mixing steps, for example, to a temperature below 50° C.
Such non-productive mixing steps and final productive mixing step are well known to those having skill in the rubber mixing art.
For this invention, it is proposed to evaluate a blending of the precipitated silica and diene-based elastomer(s) in at least one preliminary, non-productive mixing step in an internal rubber mixer in the presence of less than 50 percent of fatty acid salt processing aid to minimize initial contact of the precipitated silica with the fatty acid salt processing aid and to thereafter blend the remainder of greater than 50 percent of the fatty acid salt processing aid such processing aid(s) with the silica-containing rubber composition to achieve an enhanced silica-reinforced rubber composition after an initial reaction between the silica and coupling agent.
In such manner, not only would inclusion of a major portion of the fatty acid salt be delayed but the overall inclusion of the fatty acid salt would be divided with only a minor portion of the fatty acid salt being provided together with the silica and silica coupling agent which is believed to be a significant departure from past practice.
Such evaluation is to therefore evaluate what effect would occur if a partial, divided, delayed addition (delayed addition) of greater than 50 percent of the fatty acid salt processing aid would be made after addition of, and therefore after an initial reaction of, the silica and silica coupling agent, to the rubber composition and the resultant silica-containing rubber composition.
Such evaluation is to further evaluate an inclusion of an initial fatty acid salt to the rubber composition coincident with or prior to addition of the precipitated silica and silica with a delayed different fatty acid inclusion to the rubber composition subsequent to the addition of, and in a separate mixing step from, said initial fatty acid salt to the rubber composition in which the later, delayed inclusion of the different fatty acid salt constitutes the major (at greater than 50 percent) portion of the overall fatty acid salt addition to the rubber composition.
The term “phr” as used herein, and according to conventional practice, refers to “parts of a material per 100 parts by weight of rubber, or elastomer”.
In the description of this invention, the terms “rubber” and “elastomer” if used herein, may be used interchangeably, unless otherwise prescribed. The terms such as “rubber composition”, “compounded rubber” and “rubber compound”, if used herein, are used interchangeably to refer to rubber which has been blended or mixed with various ingredients and materials and “rubber compounding” or “compounding” may be used to refer to the mixing of such materials. Such terms are well known to those having skill in the rubber mixing or rubber compounding art. | {
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Nebulizers, or atomizers as they are sometimes called, are devices that generate a fine spray or aerosol from a liquid. A particularly useful application for nebulizers is to provide a fine spray containing a dissolved or a suspended particulate drug for administration to a patient by inhalation.
Piezo-mesh based nebulizers are commonly used to generate aerosols in such drug delivery apparatus, whereby a piezoelectric element vibrates the liquid or a mesh or nozzle plate to produce the fine aerosol spray. In the latter case, droplets dispensed on the nozzle plate are vibrated by the piezoelectric element to create the spray.
FIG. 1 shows an exemplary nebulizer 2. The nebulizer 2 comprises a body 4 having an inlet 6 and an outlet 8 arranged so that when a user of the nebulizer 2 inhales through the outlet 8, air is drawn into and through the nebulizer 2 via the inlet 6 and outlet 8 and into the user's body. The outlet 8 is typically provided in the form of a mouthpiece or a facial or nasal mask or in a form that is suitable for connection to a separate replaceable mouthpiece or facial or nasal mask.
The nebulizer 2 comprises a reservoir chamber 10 between the inlet 6 and outlet 8 for storing a liquid 12, for example a medication or drug, to be nebulized (i.e. to be turned into a fine mist or spray). The nebulizer 2 is configured such that fine droplets of the nebulized liquid 12 combine with the air drawn through the nebulizer 2 when the user inhales to deliver a dose of the medication or drug to the user.
An actuator 14 such as a piezoelectric element is provided for agitating or vibrating the liquid 12 stored in the reservoir chamber 10 along with a nozzle plate 16 for nebulizing the liquid 12 when the liquid 12 is vibrated.
The nozzle plate 16 is typically in the form of a mesh or membrane having a plurality of small holes or nozzles through which small amounts of the liquid can pass.
In order for a particular medicine to be therapeutically effective when inhaled, the aerosol droplet size of the medicine must be within a narrow therapeutic range. This narrow range requires droplet sizes that are generated across the surface of the nozzle plate 16 to be substantially uniform. The size of the droplets is determined by the size of the nozzles in the nozzle plate 16. Ideally, each nozzle in the nozzle plate 16 should have the same size. Therefore, there are very fine tolerances on the size of the nozzles. Typically, it is desirable for the nozzles to have a diameter of 2.5 μm with a tolerance of +/−0.25 μm. There can be of the order of 5000 nozzles in a typical nozzle plate 16.
FIG. 2 is diagram illustrating the fabrication of a nozzle plate 16 according to a conventional fabrication process. The nozzle plate 16 is fabricated by depositing or growing a material 18 (such as a metal) on a substrate 20 around a plurality of mandrels 22 (only one of which is shown in FIG. 2). Metal 18 is deposited on the substrate 20 until it ‘spills over’ the top of each mandrel 22 (the ‘spill over’ portions being labeled 18′ and 18″) and forms a nozzle 24 generally in the middle of the mandrel 22. The mandrel 22 and substrate 20 are removed leaving a nozzle plate 16.
It can be seen that the size (diameter d) of the nozzle 24 obtained by the fabrication process is dependent on the thickness t of the metal 18 over the top of the mandrel 22, and therefore small variations to the growth of the metal layer 18 from a desired amount can result in large variations in the size of the nozzle 24. In addition, there can be local variations in the growth of the metal layer 18 across a nozzle plate 16 and also across multiple nozzle plates 16 on a substrate 20.
For example, if a typical overgrowth thickness t of the metal layer 18 on the mandrel 22 is 30 μm and a target diameter for the nozzle 24 is 2.5 μm, a 2% error in local thickness will result in a nozzle diameter variation of twice 2% of 30 μm, which is 1.2 μm. This equates to a relative error in the size of the nozzle 24 of (1.2/2.5)=48%, which is not acceptable. In fact, in practice it is difficult to achieve just a 2% variation in local thickness t.
To mitigate these difficulties, conventional techniques exert precise control over the processing conditions and attempt to equalize these conditions for all nozzles being formed on a substrate. However, even with this precise control, the production yield of a nozzle plate fabrication process is only around 10%.
There is therefore a need for a method for improving the yield of a nozzle plate fabrication process and an apparatus for implementing the same. | {
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In general, a solid polymer electrolyte fuel cell employs a solid polymer electrolyte membrane. The solid polymer electrolyte membrane is a polymer ion exchange membrane. The fuel cell includes a membrane electrode assembly (MEA) where an anode and a cathode are provided on both sides of the solid polymer electrolyte membrane. Each of the anode and the cathode includes a catalyst layer (electrode catalyst layer) and a gas diffusion layer (porous carbon). In the fuel cell, the membrane electrode assembly is sandwiched between separators (bipolar plates). A predetermined number of the fuel cells are stacked together to form a fuel cell stack. In use, for example, the fuel cell stack is mounted in a vehicle as an in-vehicle fuel cell stack.
In some cases, the membrane electrode assembly has structure where components of the MEA (stepped MEA) have different sizes, i.e., the surface area of one of gas diffusion layers is smaller than the surface area of the solid polymer electrolyte membrane, and the surface area of the other of the gas diffusion layers is the same as the surface area of the solid polymer electrolyte membrane.
Normally, in the fuel cell stack, a large number of membrane electrode assemblies are stacked together. In order to reduce the cost, there is a demand to produce the membrane electrode assembly at low cost. Therefore, in particular, for the purpose of reducing the amount of expensive material used for the solid polymer electrolyte membrane, and simplify the structure of the solid polymer electrolyte membrane, various proposals have been made.
For example, as shown in FIG. 18, a membrane electrode assembly disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2007-066766 includes an electrolyte membrane 1, a cathode catalyst layer 2a provided on one side of the electrolyte membrane 1, an anode catalyst layer 2b provided on the other surface of the electrolyte membrane 1, and gas diffusion layers 3a, 3b provided on both sides of the electrolyte membrane 1.
The surface area of the gas diffusion layer 3b of the anode is equal to the surface area of the electrolyte membrane 1, and larger than the surface area of the gas diffusion layer 3a of the cathode. A gasket structure body 4 is provided in an edge area of the membrane electrode assembly (MEA), and the outer end of the electrolyte membrane 1 adjacent to the gas diffusion layer 3a is joined to the gasket structure body 4 through an adhesive layer 5. | {
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This invention relates to improvements in an apparatus for predicting a load in the car of an elevator.
In a group-supervisory elevator system, when a hall call has been registered, a car most suited to respond to the hall call is selected on the basis of information required for the group supervision, and the hall call is assigned to this car. In assigning the hall call, it is necessary to consider that the car will not pass any floor due to the full capacity of passengers. To this end, how a load in the car changes must be predicted during the operation of the elevator system.
There has been proposed a measure wherein the calculation of the predicted load in the car is performed in accordance with the destination floor percentages of waiting passengers. The percentages of the waiting passengers of respective halls and in respective directions are evaluated for frontward floors (i.e. floors located frontwards in the running direction of the car with respect to the particular floor where the car lies) in advance, and the predicted number of passengers get on the car by hall calls on the respective halls and in the respective directions and are distributed in accordance with the destination percentages concerning the frontward floors; the predicted number of passengers are subtracted in conformity with the distribution proportions at the frontward floors, whereby the predicted loads in the car at the respective floors are calculated. This will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3 used for explaining the prior-art system for predicting the load in the car of an elevator.
In FIG. 1, numerals 1 to 8 indicate first to eighth floors, respectively. Symbols 4a and 6a denote the up calls of the fourth and sixth floors assigned to a car 9, respectively, while symbol 7b denotes the down call of the seventh floor. FIG. 2 shows a table 10 of destination floor percentages (for up scanning), and FIG. 3 a table 11 of destination distribution (for up scanning).
It is now assumed that the car 9 be ascending at the second floor 2 and respond to the up calls 4a, 6a of the fourth and six floors. The number of people who get on the car at the fourth floor 4 [or an in-car load factor (the percentages of getting-on passengers with respect to the capacity of the car)] is predicted from past data to be equal to three. Then, the number of persons in the car 9 is predicted to be three at the fourth floor 4. Next, the three people at the fourth floor are distributed to the frontward floors by multiplying the number of people by the percentages of the column of the getting-on floor 4 in the destination floor percentage table 10, the percentages being based on data outputted from a statistics unit (not shown). The results become as indicated in the column of the getting-on floor 4 in the destination distribution table 11. Likewise, when the number of people who get on the car at the sixth floor 6 is predicted to be two, the distributed numbers of people become as indicated in the column of the getting-on floor 6 in the destination distribution table 11. The calculated results are stored in a predetermined memory. At the fifth floor, 3-0.6=2.4 (persons) remain in the car. (2.4-0.45)+2=3.95 (persons) remain at the sixth floor 6 because two persons get in here. The number of persons in the car is similarly predictively calculated to be (3.95-0.9)-1=2.05 (persons) at the seventh floor 7, and (2.05-1.05)-1=0 at the eighth floor 8.
With the above prediction apparatus, however, the data of the frontward floor destination percentages are required for the respective floors and for the respective directions, and the predictive loads need to be calculated on all the frontward floors for the respective floors and the respective directions, so that the period of time for the calculations inevitably becomes long. More specifically, although only the destination percentages of the eight floors in the up direction are listed in FIG. 2, actually the destination percentages thereof in the down direction are also necessary. When the apparatus is applied to a many-storied building having a still larger number of floors, more destination percentages are required accordingly. Therefore, a memory of large capacity is required. On the other hand, in predictively calculating the loads in the car, all the distributed numbers of people are computed for the respective floors as indicated in FIG. 3. That is, the predictive calculations are possible for the first time after the results (values 0, 0.6, 0.45, . . . etc. listed in FIG. 3) have been obtained. Therefore, the calculating period of time becomes long. In consequence, the determinations of the cars are made while calls having developed during the calculating operation are neglected, and a car assignment conforming to the real situation might not be performed. | {
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A number of electrical and/or electronic components in motor vehicles is continuously increasing. This trend is due to attempts, firstly, to improve comfort for occupants of the motor vehicle, and, secondly, to improve safety during operation of the motor vehicle. Particularly for the purpose of increasing safety, ever more complex assistance systems are used. These assistance systems assist a driver of the motor vehicle and intervene in dangerous situations in order to prevent accidents. In principle, the assistance systems are also able to control the motor vehicle completely and without intervention by the driver, so that autonomous driving is possible.
As the number of electrical or electronic components increases, more installation space is accordingly required, but installation space is very scarce in a motor vehicle. Attempts are therefore made to also accommodate at least some of the electrical and/or electronic components in locations where they have not been arranged or have been arranged only in specific cases to date. Increasingly, a windshield is at least sometimes used to arrange the electrical and/or electronic components in the vehicle. Up until recently, only an interior rearview mirror was fastened, for example via a suction cup, to that side of the windshield that faces an interior compartment of the motor vehicle. However, the interior rearview mirror had no functions that would make cabling of the interior rearview mirror to the on-board electronics system of the motor vehicle necessary. However, modern interior rearview mirrors have electrical and/or electronic functions. Electronically dimmable mirrors exist for example.
For example, it is known in a case of taxis that a current price of the taxi journey is displayed in the interior rearview mirror. Furthermore, the interior rearview mirror can be connected to a reversing camera of the motor vehicle, as a result of which a separate display in the dashboard of the motor vehicle can be dispensed. The reversing camera is usually activated and its image signals displayed only during reversing. However, it is also feasible to display the image signals from the reversing camera permanently in the interior rearview mirror. In this way, the traffic situation behind the motor vehicle in question can also be observed by the driver when the motor vehicle in question is heavily loaded and therefore the view through the rear windshield is obscured. A measure of this kind is also suitable for transporters that do not have a rear windshield and therefore there is no option of observing the traffic situation behind the motor vehicle in question via the interior rearview mirror.
Further electrical and/or electronic components that can be arranged in a region of the windshield are rain sensors and cameras, where the cameras serve, in particular, to identify road signs, as a result of which, for example, a speed of the vehicle can be accordingly adjusted.
In order to be able to arrange the electrical and/or electronic components in the region of the windshield, housings that usually have at least two housing parts are used. A housing of this kind is known from DE 20 2006 020 938 U1. A first housing part has a fastening area that the housing part in question bears against that side of the windshield that faces the interior compartment of the motor vehicle and can be connected thereto, for example by adhesive bonding. The other housing part is mounted, for example, onto the first housing part and fastened by means of a latching connection. In the process, the first and the second housing part surround a cavity in which the electrical and/or electronic components can be arranged. If one or more of the components has to optically interact with the surrounding area, as is the case in rain sensors and cameras for example, the housing part which bears against the windshield can have a corresponding cutout.
The electrical and/or electronic components have to be conductively connected to the on-board electronics system of the motor vehicle in order to be supplied with electrical energy and/or to be able to interchange signals with the on-board electronics system. To this end, the electrical and/or electronic components are connected to the on-board electronics system by way of corresponding electrical cables and also plugs and corresponding sockets.
Attempts are made to design the housing, in which the electrical and/or electronic components are arranged in the region of the windshield, to be as small as possible. One reason for this, amongst others, is that the view through the windshield, in particular for the driver, should be impaired as little as possible. In addition, the design of the interior compartment of the motor vehicle should be determined by the housing as little as possible. Consequently, the cavity available for this purpose should be of very narrow dimensions, as a result of which assembly and, in particular, cabling is relatively complicated and manufacture is made more expensive. | {
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1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a paper inverting apparatus that inverts the front and back of paper by transporting the paper through a paper inverting path that inverts the front and back of the paper.
2. Related Art
Electronic devices such as printers provided with a dual-side automatic print function, scanners, facsimiles, and the like provided with dual-side automatic reading functions, and so on are known. Such electronic devices are provided with paper inverting apparatuses for automatically inverting the front and back of recording paper, an original document, or the like. To be more specific, using a printer provided with a dual-side automatic print function as an example, after recording has been executed on the front surface of a piece of recording paper, the recording paper passes through a paper inverting path, thereby inverting the front and back of the recording paper; the recording paper is then once again transported to a recording execution unit, and recording is carried out on the back surface of the recording paper (for example, see JP-A-2006-298605).
An apparatus in which the paper temporarily protrudes from a discharge opening during the process of transporting the paper to the paper inverting path is known as an example of a general paper inverting apparatus. Such a paper inverting apparatus has an advantage in that it is comparatively easy to reduce the size of an electronic device that is provided with that paper inverting apparatus. However, with such a paper inverting apparatus, there is a disadvantage in that when the paper temporarily protrudes from the discharge opening, there is a risk that a user will mistake that paper as paper that has been discharged and touch that paper with his/her hand.
Meanwhile, an apparatus in which the paper does not protrude to the exterior of the apparatus at all during the process for transporting the paper to the paper inverting path is also known as an example of a general paper inverting apparatus. Such a paper inverting apparatus is advantageous in terms of safety because there is no risk that a user will touch the paper during the process for transporting the paper to the paper inverting path. However, such a paper inverting apparatus has a disadvantage in that it increases the size of the electronic device in which that paper inverting apparatus is provided.
Finally, an electronic device provided with a paper inverting apparatus that includes both a paper inverting path in which the paper temporarily protrudes from a discharge opening during the process for inverting the front and back of the paper and a paper inverting path in which the paper does not protrude, and is configured so as to switch between the paper inverting paths based on the length of the paper, is known (for example, see JP-A-2006-298605).
In recent years, there is an increased demand, in electronic devices such as printers, scanners, facsimiles, and the like, to further increase the speed at which recording is executed, documents are read, and so on. This applies to printers provided with a dual-side automatic print function, scanners, facsimiles, and the like provided with dual-side automatic reading functions, and so on as well. However, it is necessary to set the path length of a circulation path in the paper inverting path of the paper inverting apparatus in accordance with the length of the maximum size of the paper that the electronic device can handle. Accordingly, the length of the circulation path is greater than necessary with respect to paper of smaller sizes. In other words, paper of a size that is smaller than the maximum size of the paper that can be handled by the electronic device undergoes front to back inversion by passing through a circulation path whose path length is longer than necessary, and thus the front to back inversion requires more time than is necessary. As a result, past paper inverting apparatuses are problematic in that the throughput in electronic devices such as printers provided with a dual-side automatic print function, scanners, facsimiles, and so on provided with dual-side automatic reading functions, drops with respect to paper of a size that is smaller than the maximum size of the paper that the electronic device can handle. | {
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1. The Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to an electrical interconnection for attachment to a substrate. More specifically, the present invention is directed to an electrical interconnection between a contact area of a substrate and a contact area of a die and a method of forming the same.
2. Present State of the Art
Integrated circuits have for years been universally used in computer applications, as well as other high-tech applications such as communications and military technologies. A primary concern with integrated circuits has long been the electrical interconnection between the bond pad of a die and the bond pad of a semiconductive substrate. In the context of this document, the term xe2x80x9csemiconductive substratexe2x80x9d is defined to mean any construction comprising semiconductive material, including but not limited to bulk semiconductive material such as a semiconductive wafer, either alone or in assemblies comprising other materials thereon, and semiconductive material layers, either alone or in assemblies comprising other materials. The term xe2x80x9csubstratexe2x80x9d refers to any supporting structure including but not limited to the semiconductor substrates described above. In the context of this document, the term xe2x80x9cdiexe2x80x9d is defined as a chip or other electronic component part, either passive or active, discrete or integrated.
Bond pads have typically been used to provide electrically conductive metal contact areas on semiconductor substrates in integrated circuits. Bond pads used in integrated circuits have historically been composed of an aluminum-copper alloy, wherein the copper typically comprises less than about 0.5% of the alloy. Aluminum is an excellent metal for bond pad formation due to its superior adhesion qualities, high thermal stability, and ease of workability (i.e., in etching processes). Although aluminum bond pads are the semiconductor industry standard, aluminum readily oxidizes, even at room temperature, to form aluminum oxide (Al2O3). Oxides of conductive metals, whether it be aluminum, copper or other conductive metals, sharply increase the contact resistance of the metal and decrease the electrical connection and the efficiency of the bond pad. Hence, while aluminum bond pads exhibit excellent electrical conductivity, unprotected aluminum bond pads readily react to form aluminum oxide which exhibits very high contact resistance and results in a poor interconnection between the bond pad of a die and the bond pad of a substrate.
Several processes have been proposed for removing aluminum oxide from aluminum bond pads in electrical interconnect formation. For instance, it is known to clean aluminum oxide off of aluminum bond pads by sputter-etching in a vacuum tight sputtering chamber and then sputtering a barrier metal, such as TiW, TiN and NiCr, onto the clean aluminum bond pad. A noble metal, such as gold, is then sputtered onto the barrier metal to provide an inert, oxide free surface. While this metallization scheme successfully removes the oxide formed on the aluminum bond pad, this process unfortunately requires the semiconductor die pads and bond pads to be extensively handled. Extensive handling often results in contamination of, and damage to, the electrical connection. Furthermore, the gold plating of the semiconductor die pad is an elaborate process that is difficult, expensive and time consuming.
Another process commonly referred to as the xe2x80x9czincate processxe2x80x9d activates the aluminum bond pads using a xe2x80x9czincate solutionxe2x80x9d and then deposits a layer of nickel and a layer of gold on the bond pad to preserve the electrical connection. The zincate solution, consisting of zinc oxide and sodium hydroxide, dissolves an aluminum oxide formed on the aluminum bond pad to clean the same, and also deposits a thin layer of zinc over the clean aluminum bond pad. A thin nickel phosphorous barrier layer is then deposited over the zinc. A layer of gold is added to the surface of the nickel phosphorous layer to provide an oxide free surface. Although the zincate process effectively reduces the contact resistance stemming from oxide formation, the zincate process is considered to be too expensive for typical mass production processes.
In view of the drawbacks of the presently used electrical interconnection between the bond pad of a chip and the bond pad of a substrate, it is readily apparent that there exists a need for an affordable, reliable, highly conductive electrical interconnection for attachment to a substrate and an affordable method for forming an electrical interconnection for attachment to a substrate.
In accordance with the invention as embodied and broadly described herein, there is provided an electrical interconnection for attachment to a substrate and a method for forming an electrical interconnection to a substrate. The electrical interconnection in the present invention comprises a first metal layer, a first diffusion barrier layer on the first metal layer, a second metal layer on the first diffusion barrier layer, an organometallic layer on the second metal layer, and an electrical interconnect layer on the organometallic layer.
Once the oxide formed on the first metal layer is removed, a first diffusion barrier layer is formed on the first metal layer. The first diffusion barrier layer prevents diffusion of the first metal layer and the second metal layer therethrough. In a preferred embodiment, the first metal layer is composed of aluminum and the second metal layer is composed of copper. The first diffusion barrier layer prevents the aluminum and the copper from diffusing and adversely effecting the electrical interconnection.
The organometallic layer is preferably formed by contacting the second metal layer with an organic material to form a organometallic layer. The organometallic layer formed is preferably a copper azole such as Cu+(azolexe2x88x92) and Cu++(azolexe2x88x92)2). The organometallic layer prevents oxidation of the second metal layer which is preferably copper.
The electrical interconnection device of the present invention may be combined with an additional substrate to form an electrical interconnection between a first substrate and a second substrate, for example, as in an integrated circuit. The electrical interconnect of the present invention has a low contact resistance and creates a good electrical interconnect to bond a die to another substrate, such as a supporting substrate. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
The present invention relates to metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFET), and more specifically, to fin-type field-effect transistors (FinFET).
The MOSFET is a transistor used for amplifying or switching electronic signals. The MOSFET has a source, a drain, and a metal oxide gate electrode. The metal gate is electrically insulated from the main semiconductor n-channel or p-channel by a thin layer of insulating material, for example, silicon dioxide or glass, which makes the input resistance of the MOSFET relatively high. The gate voltage controls whether the path from drain to source is an open circuit (“off”) or a resistive path (“on”).
The FinFET is a type of MOSFET. The FinFET is a double-gate silicon-on-insulator (SOI) device that mitigates the effects of short channels and reduces drain-induced barrier lowering. The “fin” refers to the narrow channel between source and drain regions. A thin insulating oxide layer on either side of the fin separates the fin from the gate. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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1. Field of the invention
The present invention relates to a money receiving and disbursing machine for receiving and disbursing bank notes, more specifically to so called a money circulation type machine in which a predetermined denomination of bank note received in the machine is adapted to be used as a money to be disbursed.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Conventionally, there has been known a money circulation type money receiving and disbursing machine in which moneys received in the machine are used as moneys for disbursing.
Japanese Patent Public Disclosure No. 60-100283, laid open to the public on June 4, 1985, discloses a circulation type machine. According to the disclosure, in money receiving operation, moneys received in the machine are discriminated to be introduced into a temporary storage box through a money receiving route thereafter to be picked from the storage box one by one to be sorted and stored in respective money boxes by denomination thereof, such as a ten thousand yen bill box, five thousand yen bill box, and one thousand yen bill box. In disbursing operation, the moneys are picked out of the money boxes one by one in accordance with a customer's request and introduced into a bank note outlet for being disbursed through a disbursing route.
It should however be noted that the above money receiving and disbursing machine is disadvantageous in that the respective money boxes, the money disbursing route, the storage box, and mechanisms for taking the moneys out of the boxes should be arranged not to interfere with one another to make the structure of the machine complicated. As a result, the machine is tend to be bulky. In addition, the above machine has a problem in noise during operation.
Moreover, the machine disclosed in the Japanese Public Disclosure is disadvantageous in that when a specific denomination of bank notes in one of the money boxes are disbursed out, the denomination of bank notes are necessary to be supplied to the one of the money boxes for maintaining a proper money disbursing operation with regard to the respective money boxes by denomination. This makes the management of the money disbursing operation complicated.
According to the conventional machine, when a trouble occurs during a disbursing operation, a bank note in the disbursing route is transferred to the money receiving route. However, when the money receiving route is under an operation for bank notes received in the machine, the bank note in the disbursing route cannot be introduced into the money receiving route from the disbursing route. Therefore, the money disbursing process cannot be initiated until the money receiving process is finished. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
This disclosure relates to pressure relief valves, and more particularly, to pressure relief valves suitable for use in cryogenic applications. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
Conventional technology pertaining to certain embodiments of the present invention is described in the following publications inter alia:
Spatial Array Processing, Murat Torlak, The University of Texas at Austin, available on the World Wide Web
An Overview of Adaptive Antenna Systems, Hafeth Hourani, Helsinki University of Technology, available on the World Wide Web
An Overview of Adaptive Antenna Technologies For Wireless Communications, Chris Loadman, Dr. Zhizhang Chen & Dylan Jorgensen, Dalhousie University, available on the World Wide Web
Optimal MIMO Transmission Schemes with Adaptive Antenna Combining in the RF Path, Santamaria et al., European signal processing conference 2008, available on the World Wide Web
Smart Antenna Design for Wireless Communication using Adaptive Beamforming Approach, Susmita Das, National Institute of Technology, Rourkela, India, available on the World Wide Web
An Examination of the Processing Complexity of an Adaptive Antenna System for WiMAX, Li et al., DSPEnabledRadio Conference, 2005, available on the World Wide Web
U.S. Pat. No. 5,363,111 to Murphy, entitled “Apparatus and method for spatial nulling of interfering signals”
Adaptive Antenna Systems, Widrow et al., IEEE proceedings, 1967, available on the World Wide Web
3GPP TS 36.300—Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA) and Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN); Overall description; Stage 2, available on the World Wide Web 3GPP TS 36.302—Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA); Services provided by the physical layer, available on the World Wide Web
Imposing pattern nulls on broadband array responses, Peter Kootsookos et al., Journal Acoustical Society of America, 105 (6), June 1999
Digital Beamforming in Wireless Communications, John Litva and Titus Kwok-Yeung Lo, Artech House, 1996
Smart Antennas, Lal Chand Godara, CRC Press, 2004
Smart Antennas for Wireless Communications, Frank Gross, McGraw-Hill, 2005
WiMAX Technologies, Performance analysis, and QoS, Syed Ahson and Mohammad Ilyas, CRC Press, 2008
“Null-steering LMS Dual-Polarised Adaptive Antenna Arrays for GPS”, W. C. Cheuk, M. Trinkle & D. A. Gray, Journal of Global Positioning Systems (2005), Vol. 4, No. 1-2: 258-267
The disclosures of all publications and patent documents mentioned in the specification, and of the publications and patent documents cited therein directly or indirectly, are hereby incorporated by reference. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
1. Field Of The Invention
The invention relates to a method of and apparatus for monitoring waste influent streams to a secondary treatment biological basin containing active microorganisms to determine whether or not such influent streams contain levels of materials that are injurious to the microorganisms in the biological basin in ample time to take preventive measures to avoid substantial damage to the vitality of the active microorganisms in the basin. The method and apparatus of this invention directly compare the actual effect of a sample of the waste influent on the oxygen uptake of a sample of mixed liquor taken from the biological basin against the oxygen uptake of a control sample of mixed liquor taken from the biological basin and indicate the presence of materials toxic to the active microorganisms or the presence of highly degradable materials that can cause undue oxygen depletion and thus injury to the active microorganisms or a reject signal in the event of a malfunction or error.
2. Description Of The Prior Art
Biological waste treatment involves the oxidation of chemical compounds by active microorganisms to innocuous end products. Both the rate and the extent of oxidation are dependent upon the "health" of the microorganisms and the various properties of the influent waste. A common method for treating sewage to remove pollutants is by the activated sludge process. According to this process, the sewage, with or without primary clarification, is thoroughly mixed with oxygen-containing gas in the presence of aerobic bacteria in a basin of active microorganisms commonly called a secondary treatment basin. The organic matter contained in the sewage is absorbed and biologically oxidized by the bacteria. Subsequently, the bacteria are separated, e.g., by gravity settling, the purified effluent is decanted and discharged into a receiving stream or body of water with or without prior disinfection with chlorine or ozone.
The problems encountered in treating industrial wastes are more complex, especially in the secondary treatment, than with domestic wastes. Many synthetic industrial compounds produced by process units are inhibitory to the respiration of the biological microorganisms in the secondary waste treatment units. Therefore, a method of detecting potentially inhibitory conditions before the waste reaches the secondary unit is needed to protect the microorganisms in the secondary treatment units from large concentrations of highly toxic materials. Of equal importance, detection of highly degradable materials that can cause oxygen depletion in secondary biological basins is needed to prevent bulking and loss of the microorganisms in the final clarifier effluent. Control of these potential upsets is required to avoid severe damage to the secondary treatment basin, to avoid pollution of the stream or body of water receiving the effluent from the secondary treatment basin, and so that the treatment plant can conform to public waterway discharge permits. Inhibitory materials can either be low to high concentrations of potentially toxic compounds or high concentrations of readily degradable organic compounds. In the case of inhibitory toxic compounds, a percentage of the biological organisms are killed, thus reducing the efficiency of the secondary biological waste treatment or even rendering it ineffective. Readily degradable organics, on the other hand, can cause oxygen starvation and depletion in the biological basins, resulting in lowered efficiency and a loss of microorganisms from the final clarifiers because they will not settle out and are carried away with the effluent.
Previously, the secondary treatment unit was protected by detection systems inside the primary treatment boundaries. Many abnormal influent waste conditions were detected too late for correction or diversion. Commercially available oxygen uptake monitors are typically installed in the biobasin and measure the respiration of the biomass after influent waste water has been pumped into the aerobic biological basin. No positive corrective measures can be initiated at this point and it is usually too late to avoid damage and loss. Examples of prior art which measure the respiration of the biomass after the influent waste water has been pumped into the aerobic biological basin include U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,342,727; 3,348,409; 3,426,899; 3,510,407; 3,557,954; 3,731,522 and 3,740,320. U.S. Pat. No. 3,684,702 discloses a method and apparatus for determining the biochemical decomposability of sewage wherein various combinations of sewage and activated sludge are diluted with water and analyzed for BOD to determine the amount of activated sludge to be recycled to the aerating tank to provide optimum decomposition. This patent also describes a laboratory technique for determining toxic sewage waters wherein one analysis fermenter is continually supplied with sewage water, bacteria and additional nutrient while a second analysis fermenter contains only bacteria and the additional nutrient. If the oxygen consumption per time unit is smaller in the first fermenter than in the second, an impediment or poisoning of the bacteria is stated to exist. The different consumptions of oxygen can be utilized for releasing an alarm installation or for indicating countermeasures.
No prior art is known which discloses, teaches or suggests a method of or apparatus for measuring the actual effect of incoming sewage on mixed liquor obtained from the biological basin or lagoon of a secondary treatment unit before it enters the basin. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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This invention relates to a recording medium cartridge of the type which includes a memory for storing information concerning signals recorded on the recording medium, and more particularly is related to a manner of storing information in the memory of such a recording medium cartridge so as to promote higher efficiency in the management and retrieval of the information stored in the memory and of the signals recorded on the recording medium.
In a known type of recording medium cartridge, such as a magnetic tape cassette, information concerning the magnetic tape, such as the thickness, the type, the length, the grade, etc., of the magnetic tape, can be determined on the basis of a plurality of detection holes (hereinafter referred to as “recognition holes”) that are provided at a corner of the rear face of the cassette.
However, as the size of cartridges has been reduced, it has become increasingly difficult both to provide locations for the recognition holes and to provide a desired amount of information using the number of recognition holes which are available.
Moreover, in order to determine what materials are recorded on the magnetic tape, it is necessary to advance or rewind the magnetic tape to reach the position on the tape at which the material of interest is recorded. This often requires a significant period of time.
To overcome these problems, it has been proposed to include in a recording medium cartridge a memory, separate from the magnetic tape, for storing information with respect to the cartridge and the materials recorded on the tape. Such a recording medium cartridge is disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,338,644 and 4,383,285.
With a recording medium cartridge of the type just described, having a memory for storing information concerning the materials recorded on the recording medium, it is important that the information stored in the memory accurately reflect the materials recorded on the recording medium and also that the information stored in the memory be managed efficiently. However, the prior art fails to disclose any system for managing the information stored in the memory. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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Mechanical couplings for joining pipe elements end-to-end find widespread use throughout a broad spectrum of industries such as the chemical industry, the petroleum industry and mining, as well as in municipal water service and fire suppression systems for buildings and other structures.
An example of a prior art coupling currently in use is provided in U.S. Pat. No. 7,086,131, which discloses a coupling having a pair of coupling segments joined end-to-end by fasteners received in lugs at each end of the segments. A sealing member is positioned between the segments. The coupling is pre-assembled at the factory. The segments are designed and sized to receive pipe elements in the field which are inserted directly between the coupling segments in the pre-assembled state, without the need to disassemble and reassemble the coupling. After insertion of the pipe elements, the fasteners are tightened to effect a fluid-tight, mechanically restrained joint between the pipe elements.
While it is advantageous to pre-assemble such couplings because it saves time and thereby cost during construction, power tools are often used to tighten the fasteners for convenience, as they are faster and less fatiguing. Power tools are of limited value, however, where no source of electrical power or compressed air is available, even those tools which are battery operated. Furthermore, power tools which cause electrical sparking may not be used in environments, such as mines, where explosive conditions may exist. It would be advantageous to provide a pipe coupling which can be pre-assembled (and thereby secure the cost advantages and convenience of such couplings) while being easily manually tightened by workmen installing the couplings. It is further advantageous to decrease the stiffness of the joint formed by the coupling for certain applications. This can be accomplished by employing couplings according to the invention. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
An image forming apparatus forms a latent image (electrostatic latent image) on a photoconductive drum by forming an image by light emitted from LED arrays, on the photoconductive drum, of one row or a plurality of rows in which an operation of turning on and off according to image data (print data) for printing is performed through an optical component (lens mirror array) configured in a line shape. The image forming apparatus attaches toner (developer) to the latent image formed on the photoconductive drum, forms a toner image on a paper sheet by transferring the toner of the latent image onto a paper sheet, and forms an image on the paper sheet by fixing the toner image.
In addition, the image forming apparatus forms an image by reflected light radiated on the paper sheet through the lens mirror array, on an image sensor configured in one row or a plurality of rows in a line shape. The image forming apparatus obtains an image of the paper sheet by converting charges accumulated in the image sensor into a digital signal to be read.
The lens mirror array includes a structure in which a plurality of optical elements are arranged, an optical element including a first lens surface on which light is incident, a first mirror surface that reflects the light incident on the first lens surface, a second mirror surface that reflects the light reflected by the first mirror surface, and a second lens surface that emits the light reflected by the second mirror surface. In addition, a lens mirror array, is disclosed in JP-A-2016-138947, in which a light blocking surface for preventing the light incident on the first lens surface in a certain optical element from entering other optical elements is provided. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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Use of the throttle as the primary ground speed control of a mobile earth working machine, such as a wheel loader, is generally precluded by the need to maintain full engine power to the auxiliary hydraulic equipment at low speeds. For example, if the throttle were reduced to slow the machine as the bucket enters a pile of material, there might be insufficient power available to lift the bucket though the pile for loading. Accordingly, ground speed has conventionally been controlled by braking and operation of a "left pedal", which mechanically disengages a clutch between the engine and transmission.
Manually controlling the degree of clutch slip needed to achieve a desired ground speed can be tiring for the operator. Further complicating the task is the need for the operator to simultaneously steer the machine and operate the hydraulic implement controls. It is therefore not surprising that various forms of assisted ground speed control have been found to contribute significantly to overall productivity and operator comfort.
It is further desirable to assist the operator with full throttle directional shifts, whereby the direction of rotation of the transmission output is reversed while the engine remains at close to full throttle. As the new gear and impeller clutch are fully engaged, uneven deceleration/acceleration often results in unacceptable levels of jerk, causing machine wear and operator discomfort, which can be reduced to some extent by first manually braking the machine.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,040,648 to Mitchel et al., the impeller of a hydrodynamic torque converter is selectively engaged to the engine by hydraulically actuated impeller clutch discs, in order to adjust the ground speed at full throttle. An electrohydraulic system supplies pressurized fluid to the impeller clutch, for controlling the torque transmitted to the drive train in proportion to an impeller pedal position. Depression of the impeller pedal beyond a predetermined point may also progressively supply pressurized fluid to the service brakes for further reductions in ground speed. It remains difficult however, to maintain a controlled ground speed using such open loop control due to changes in torque on the drive train caused by obstacles, wheel slip and uneven terrain.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,509,520 to Evans et al. discloses a controller which utilizes proportional-integral (PI) closed loop control of an impeller clutch and brakes to maintain a desired ground speed. A reference ground speed is stored at the moment the impeller pedal is depressed and used to calculate a desired speed as a function of the impeller pedal position. An error signal based upon a comparison of desired speed with the current ground speed is fed back to the controller for generation of impeller clutch and brake pressure command signals to reduce the speed error.
PI control is very sensitive to modeling and measurement errors, and can not guarantee stability with varying drive train dynamics. While the aforementioned PI control is adequate for steady state conditions, it is slow to respond to transient conditions due to the low gain levels selected to avoid overshoot and chatter (caused by rapid switching between the brake and impeller clutch). Furthermore, system delays or dead time, such as fill times for the hydraulic actuator valves, may cause excessive wind-up in the integrator and result in unacceptable jerk as the valve engages abruptly.
The present invention is directed to overcoming one or more of the problems as set forth above. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a recording apparatus that can perform high quality image recording. Recording performed by the present invention involves the application of ink to ink supports, such as cloth, paper, and sheet material. The present invention is applicable both to various data processing apparatuses and to printers that serve as output devices that perform the above recording.
2. Related Background Art
As personal computers, word processors, and facsimiles are widely used in offices, various types of recording apparatuses have been developed as output devices for them. Recording apparatuses that employ the ink jet system are especially widely used because they are compact and produce less noise while recording.
Recently, high recording quality has also begun to be required for recording apparatuses for personal use. The recording quality is determined by such factors as image density, density irregularities, and the sharpness of images. The reason is as follows.
In an ink jet recording apparatus, a recording head has a plurality of ink nozzles in perpendicular to a direction of feeding a recording medium, and ink ejects perpendicular to the face of a recording medium.
The ink ejection direction is supposed to be identical for all the nozzles, but in actuality, the directions from the nozzles may vary. FIG. 22 is a specific diagram for explaining the occurrence of a fuzzy image due to a variation in the direction ink is ejected from a recording head, which is employed in an ink jet recording apparatus. FIG. 23 is a specific diagram for explaining the occurrence of a fuzzy image due to different ink ejection speeds. For example, as is shown in FIG. 22, although ink should originally be ejected in the direction indicated by the dotted arrow A, the nozzles that emit ink face in the direction indicated by the solid line arrow B. When the interval between an ink ejection face 300a of a recording head 300 and a recording medium 301 is D1, the actual ink discharge point Q is shifted from the original ink discharge point P by a distance represented by the interval L1. This shift reduces image sharpness and degrades the recording quality. When the interval between the ink ejecting face 300a and the recording medium 301 is D2, for example, the shift is increased from L1 to L2 (L1<L2).
Besides the variance in the directions ink is ejected from the nozzles, differences in the speeds at which ink is ejected cause the fuzzy images. For example, ink droplets that are discharged from the nozzles are called main droplets, satellites, and micro dots, in order of size from the greatest. The ejection speeds for these ink droplets differ. Therefore, as is shown in FIG. 23, with the combination comprising the ink ejection speed V1 and the moving speed element VH for the recording head 300, ink is ejected in the direction indicated by the solid line arrow C; while with the combination comprising ink ejection speed V2 (V1<V1) and the moving speed element VH, ink is ejected in the direction indicated by the dotted line arrow D. The ink discharge directions are different and the sharpness of an image is deteriorated. The shift increases as the interval between the ink ejection face 300a and the recording medium 301 increases.
To improve the recording quality, it is demanded that an ink jet recording apparatus maintain a constant minimum interval between an ink ejection face and a recording medium.
In response to such a request, a conventional ink jet recording apparatus employs a recording medium pressing means for forcing down a recording medium so as to maintain the interval between the ink ejection face and the surface of the recording medium.
However, when the recording medium pressing means is separated from the recording medium at the time a recording medium jam occurs, or during the feeding of a continuous recording medium, the recording medium pressing means must provide a greater interval between the ink ejection face and the recording medium.
The arrangement of a conventional ink jet recording apparatus will now be explained in further detail while referring to FIGS. 24, 25A and 25B.
FIG. 24 is a perspective view illustrating the structure of a conventional ink jet recording apparatus, and FIGS. 25A and 25B are side views of a paper pressing mechanism of the conventional recording apparatus. In FIG. 24, an external cover C1 and an internal cover C2 are either opened or removed. In this recording apparatus, the recording medium 301, such as a normal sheet or a plastic sheet, is inserted through an insertion port 302, a motor (not shown) rotates a feeding roller 303, and the sheet is guided by paper pressing plates 304, which are the recording medium pressing means, and is fed toward a recording position. The recording head 300, which is a serial print type recording means, is mounted on a carriage 305. The carriage 305 engages a lead screw 306, and as the lead screw 306 rotates the carriage 305 reciprocates in the directions indicated by the arrow a in FIG. 24. The directions indicated by the arrow a are perpendicular to the direction in which the recording medium is fed.
In synchronization with the reciprocal movement of the carriage 305, the recording apparatus 300 on the carriage 305 moves in consonance with an image signal and discharges ink to the recording medium 301 to perform predetermined recording.
The structure and function of the paper pressing plates 304 that prevents the recording medium 301 from separating from the surface of the feeding roller 303 will now be described.
As is shown in schematic diagrams in FIGS. 25A and 25B, each of the paper pressing plates 304 is formed with an almost cylindrical bearing 304a, and a long arm 304b and a short arm 304c, both of which extend from part of the bearing 304a. A pinch roller 307 is rotatably attached to the distal end of the arm 304b. A release shaft 308 is rotatably provided in the bearing 304a. The arc portions of the release shaft 308 are regularly cut off longitudinally at predetermined intervals and the notched portions have D-shaped cross sections. One end 309a of a pressure spring 309 can abut upon the notched portion and the arched portion of the release shaft 308, or the short arm 304c of the paper pressing plate 304. The other end of the pressure spring 309 is fixed to the bottom of a chassis 310.
As is shown in FIG. 25A, when the release shaft 308 rotates and the end 309a of the pressure spring 309 contacts the notch of the release shaft 308, the rotation of the release shaft 308 is halted and the short arm 304c of the paper pressing plate 304 is forced by the pressure spring 309 in the direction indicated by the arrow b. The paper pressing plate 304 is rotated on the release shaft 308 and the pinch roller 307 presses against the surface of the feeding roller 303. As the feeding roller 303 is rotated, the pinch roller 307 is rotated in the direction opposite to that of the feeding roller 303.
When the release shaft 308 is rotated further and the end 309a of the pressure spring 309 contacts the arc of the release shaft 308, as is shown in FIG. 25B, the pressure spring 309 is pushed down in the direction indicated by the arrow c and the force exerted on the short arm 304c of the paper pressing plate 304 by the pressure spring 309 is released, so that the pinch roller 307 is separated from the surface of the feeding roller 303.
The separation of the paper pressing plate 304 from the feeding roller 303, i.e., the release of the pressure exerted by the pressure spring 309, can be performed as needed by manipulating a release lever 311 shown in FIG. 24 to rotate the release shaft 308.
In the above described embodiment, however, when the paper pressing plate 304 is released from the feeding roller 303 by manipulating the release lever 311, the paper pressing plate 304 is positioned closer to the recording head 300, as is shown in FIG. 25B, and the paper pressing plate 304 interferes with the approach of the recording head 300 to the recording head 301.
In the modern information society, a variety of recording media are supplied that cannot simply be classified only as normal paper, fanfold paper, and postcards. In addition to those, there are plastic sheet material, such as OHP film, cloth, threads, and a variety of other various ink support media on which ink is applied and that are supplied as recording media.
A recording apparatus example that can feed this plurality of recording medium types is disclosed in the specifications for U.S. Pat. No. 5,158,380.
The arrangement of the disclosed recording apparatus will now be described while referring to FIGS. 26A and 26B.
FIGS. 26A and 26B are cross sectional views for explaining the state when a cut sheet supply mode is selected, and FIG. 26B is a cross sectional view for explaining the state when a continuous sheet supply mode is selected.
In FIG. 26A, single sheets of paper 401 are supplied either from the bottom or the top of the apparatus. For paper supplied from the bottom of the apparatus, a cut sheet 401 is fed through a paper supply port 404 that is formed by a guide roller 407 and a friction roller 408. The friction roller 408 is held against a pressure spring 424 by a hub 423, one end 424a of the pressure spring 424 is driven by a cam 419 on a release shaft 421 to forcibly press the friction roller 408 against the guide roller 407. The cut sheet 401 that is held by the friction roller 408 and the guide roller 407 is fed to a recording position 414 in consonance with the rotation of the guide roller 407, and recording is performed on the cut sheet 401 by a recording head 415.
To supply the cut sheet 401 from the top of the apparatus, it is fed through a paper supply port 404 that is formed by the guide roller 407 and a friction roller 409. The friction roller 409 is supported by a bearing 425 that rides on a plurality of leaf springs 426. One end 426a of each of the leaf springs 426 is supported by a support plate 427 and the other end 426b is supported by a cam 420 on a release shaft 422 so as to exert sufficient force to press the friction roller 409 against the guide roller 407. The cut sheet 401 that is held between the friction roller 409 and the guide roller 407 is fed to the paper supply port 404, in consonance with the rotation of the guide roller 407, and is then fed to the recording position 414, in the same manner as is performed for the above described bottom paper supply, and recording is performed by the recording head 415.
In FIG. 26B, continuous paper 2 is supplied via a paper supply port 406 by a push tractor 412 from the rear or the back of the apparatus. The release shafts 421 and 422 are respectively rotated in the directions indicated by the arrows, and the force exerted by the pressure spring 424 and the leaf spring 426 on the respective friction rollers 408 and 409 is released or decreased. Accordingly, a paper feeding failure due to the perforations on the continuous paper can be prevented.
In the above described embodiment, however, paper is supplied through the paper supply port 404 or 406, some recording media are fed while adhering to the guide roller 407 while other recording media are fed along a sheet guide 418a of a body frame 418. A print start position in a paper feeding direction therefore varies from recording medium to recording medium.
Further, when feeding a thick recording medium, such as a post card, the forward edge of the recording medium may abut upon the paper guide 418a and cause the recording roller 409 to slip, so that a sheet supply failure occurs. To overcome this shortcoming, the pressure with which the friction roller 409 is pressed against the guide roller 407 has to be increased, so that even though paper feeding is possible, a greater than normal load accelerates the wear of the bearing 425 of the friction roller 409 and decreases its useful life span.
In addition, the interval between the surface of a fed recording medium and the ejection face of an ink jet head must be determined while considering the distortion of the surface of the recording medium that may occur due to a phenomenon called cockling. Cockling is a phenomenon where ink permeates the fibers of paper, etc., and expands the fibers so that the surface of the recording medium is distorted and undulating. | {
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The present invention relates to a method and a device for controlling a brake system.
A method and a device for controlling a brake system are known. For example, SAE Paper 960991 describes an electrohydraulic brake system in which a braking command input of the driver is derived from the actuation of the brake pedal by the driver. This input is converted into setpoint braking pressures for the individual wheel brakes, optionally taking into account other braking variables. The setpoint braking pressures are adjusted for each wheel by pressure closed-loop control circuits as a function of the prescribed setpoint pressure and the actual braking pressure as measured in the area of the wheel brake. In a hydraulic brake system of this type, an accumulator is provided which is charged by an electrically controllable pump for supplying pressure to the brake system. Since the functioning of this pressure supply is essential for the operational readiness of the electrohydraulic brake system, the correct function of the pressure supply must be monitored. In addition, provision must be made for measures which permit the driver to apply the brakes of the motor vehicle equipped with the brake system, even in the case of a failure of the pressure supply.
An object of the present invention is to provide measures by which the operativeness of the pressure supply of an electrohydraulic brake system can be reliably determined. In addition, measures are to be provided which assure reliable operation of the brake system even in the case of failure of the pressure supply of the electrohydraulic brake system.
A reliable operating procedure for monitoring the operativeness of the pressure supply of an electrohydraulic brake system is made available. In this context, the recognition of failure occurs very quickly and accurately as a result of the evaluation of gradients. It is not necessary to wait for a complete charging cycle of the pressure supply accumulator. It is particularly advantageous that various sources of failure can be isolated.
It is advantageous that, for the pressure change, setpoint values are formed in which the prevailing operating state of the pump is taken into account. This contributes to the accuracy, the speed, and the reliability of fault detection.
It is a further advantage that the monitoring of the operativeness of the pressure supply is limited to operating states in which the accumulator pressure is to be built up or maintained, so that it is not necessary (i.e., need not be observed) to monitor the correct accumulator level during a braking intervention (which is very unreliable and difficult), during which volume is removed from the accumulator.
In this context, monitoring the accumulator pressure takes place by means of sensing a preselected absolute minimal pressure PSY.
In addition, it is advantageous that in the event of a fault, as a result of switching to a purely hydraulic brake system, the braking of the motor vehicle equipped with the electrohydraulic brake system is assured. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to a mounted splined fitting system that permits mounting of a variety of accessories to a supporting framework or structure of a marine vessel. More specifically, to an accessory ready assembly that is mounted to a structure of a marine vessel for holding fishing rods or other accessories.
2. Description of the Related Art
Marine vessels typically have multiple accessories such as fishing rod holders, antennas, cup holders, spotlights, speakers, wakeboard racks, cutting boards & barbeques pre-installed to the vessel during construction or are later attached by the user for the purpose of improving the vessel as desired by the owner.
These accessories are typically either welded permanently in place or attached by a clamping and bolting method to a supporting framework or the side paneling bodywork of the vessel so as to position the accessories in an ideal or suitable position as required by the particular accessory.
A fishing rod holder is typically positioned on a tubular section of the vessels framework for the purpose of supporting a removable fishing rod while fishing. The original mounted position on the tubular section of the rod holder typically dictates the positioning angle of the fishing rod relative to the vessel and surrounding water of the vessel. The position cannot readily be changed without hand tools being used to adjust them or cut off and re-welded elsewhere on the framework.
A rod holder typically serves as a rigid support for the fishing rod so as to be able to store the fishing rod in a safe position when not in use in order to prevent injury to occupants of the vessel. The rod holder also positions the fishing rod and its tip end at a suitable angle relative to the water for enabling fishing line and bait to be deployed from the fishing rod for the intended purpose of catching fish by what in one particular practice is termed “trolling”.
Often times a fishing rod needs to be repositioned relative to the vessel's structure while in use to allow the fishing rod line to be deployed at a different angle relative to the water and boat in order to space the multiple lines of the fishing rods in the water to prevent tangling during fishing.
Other accessories such as speakers, antennas, flag poles and spot lamps all sometimes are also mounted onto a vessel's structure, which sometimes need to be adjusted around at least one axial fixed plane.
Pre-installed rod holders and other multiple accessories are quite often not positioned on the supporting structure according to an end user's particular preference. Often the choice and color of the rod holders or accessories offered by the manufacturer on and included with the vessel or framework structure is not acceptable to the end user. Furthermore, sometimes damage occurs during freight to pre-installed mounted accessories the item has had to be replaced, which quite often is not practical as they are usually welded to a support structure.
Existing welded-on rod holders or accessories prevent any adjustment at all as these rod holders have to be cut off and repositioned and welded back on to suit the mounting position preference of the end user of the vessel. This practice is time consuming and not practical.
Also, welded-on rod holders, accessories and support structures often have a weld bead visible to the naked eye and often times has visible surface weld flaws and joints that are not cosmetically appealing. This is because the welded joint is poorly welded or spray-painted after welding for corrosion protection, which does not always match the structures original color.
Existing rod holders and accessories are usually axially adjustable along and around a supporting tubular framework section of the vessel, which permits a change of angle. However, this requires hand tools to perform the adjusting task by unbolting, repositioning and retightening. This is not a practical and easy task to undertake if the vessel is in use out on the ocean at the time.
Other existing bolt-on rod holders do permit adjustment in two axial planes either by utilizing a serrated tooth mid-section coupling method of connecting two halves of a rod holder to one another. This requires a user's hand to either unscrew a mid-section barrel that unlocks the serrated end teeth to permit change of the rod holder angle for one axial plane. Hand tools are required to change the other axial plane position on the structures tubular mounting surface. The mid-section adjustable type rod holder is difficult to adjust as the hand can slip while unscrewing the mid-section locking component due to the often wet and greasy boating and fishing environment which can cause the rod holder to not be totally secure.
Other various existing bolt-on rod holders and accessories require that hand tools be used for changing both axial plane mounting positions of the rod holder or accessory on the mounting structure of the vessel which is more impractical than the existing bolt-on type holders.
The disadvantages of the rod holders as described above are that the rod holder are permanently affixed to a support structure and do not allow for a practical adjustment of the rod holder. Moreover, any changes to the positioning of the rod-holders is time consuming, labor intensive, and cannot be easily made while fishing. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
The present invention relates to track-following a servo track during writing operations in a longitudinal tape system, and more particularly, to recovering from a stop write state after track-following is interrupted.
Current longitudinal tape drives, such as IBM® LTO Generation 5 tape drives, IBM® Jaguar 4 tape drives and later, among others, have methods to detect if the track following servo is getting off track, for whatever reason, and then shuts down the writing and track following activities to prevent the drive from over writing data in adjacent tracks. The shutdown is performed by monitoring a position error signal (PES) and detecting when the PES value exceeds a threshold value, commonly referred to as a “stop write” limit, for obvious reasons. If the PES value ever exceeds the stop write limit, the tape drive halts the write operation and stops track-following the servo track. When the PES value moves into an acceptable range, e.g., a range where the PES values are below the stop write limit by a certain amount, the drive re-acquires track-following lock and allows write operations to continue. This process stopping track-following and then later to recover from the stop write state and re-acquire track-following may take some time. And with the new flangeless tape paths of current tape drives, the process of re-acquiring track-following may be problematic and may require additional time to re-acquire the track-following state.
During this time when the tape drive is in the stop write state, the tape is still moving but data is not being written to tape, since the tape drive is in the stop write state. This, obviously, consumes tape storage capacity corresponding to the length of tape that passes by the head while the tape drive is in the stop write state. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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Many exchanges throughout the world now support electronic trading. Generally, an electronic exchange provides a matching process between traders, or simply buyers and sellers. Some well known exchanges include Eurex, London International Financial Futures Exchange (“LIFFE”), Euronext, Chicago Mercantile Exchange (“CME”), Chicago Board of Trade (“CBOT”), Xetra, and Island. Traders are typically connected to an electronic exchange by way of a communication link to facilitate electronic messaging between the trader and the exchange. For instance, the trader might submit buy or sell orders to an electronic exchange and later obtain status or fill information from the exchange. Among other things, ease of submitting buy or sell orders has made electronic exchanges a successful venue for trading. Accordingly, an increasing number of people across the world are actively participating in a market at any given time. The increase in the number of potential market participants has advantageously led to, among other things, a more competitive market and greater liquidity.
A trader can connect to an exchange, for example, using a client device, and the exchange can serve as a host. Once connected, software running on the client allows the trader to log onto one or more exchanges and participate in one or more markets. Some clients run software that creates specialized interactive trading screens. In general, the trading screens enable traders to enter orders into the market, obtain market quotes, and monitor positions. The range and quality of features available varies according to the specific trading application.
Using the trading application, a trader may place orders within the markets supported by the exchange. In placing an order, the trader typically specifies a price and a quantity for the order. Some trading application programs, however, allow a trader to pre-configure the trading application with a default order quantity. Then, the trader may place an order by simply selecting a price level, and the trading application automatically uses the default order quantity without requiring the trader to enter a quantity for that order.
The trader, however, may wish to place successive orders for varying quantities. In that case, the trader may have to manually clear the default quantity, enter a different quantity for the order and then place the order. For successive orders, this can be a time consuming process, and it can limit the speed with which the trader can place the orders.
In the following detailed description, a trading application and trading interface for order quantity entry are described. These tools provide advantages, as described below, to a trader in an electronic trading environment. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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The preferred embodiments of the present invention generally relate to an adjustable patient table for supporting patients during medical procedures. More particularly, the preferred embodiments of the present invention relate to a telescoping cover that encloses the moving parts of the table while affording a full range of motion to the medical patient support system.
Adjustable patient tables exist in a wide range of medical patient support systems for medical applications, each designed to be used for specific medical procedures. The medical patient support system typically includes two or three essential components, namely a patient support surface that is attached to a support apparatus and an adjustable mechanism that moves the patient table in various directions, including up and down and/or side to side. The adjustable mechanism may be manually operated or may be power assisted. The ability to position patients quickly and accurately during medical procedures is important to clinicians, because stopping a procedure to reposition a patient can be time consuming and sometimes even dangerous.
Conventional medical patient support systems typically provide two degrees of freedom corresponding to lateral roll and tilt. The adjustable mechanism usually includes moving parts that may be dangerous if exposed. There is a need therefore for a system that covers the adjustable mechanism. Additionally, a need has existed for a cover system that does not restrict the patient support system""s operation. A need has also existed for a cover system that is safe, is easy to clean, and is aesthetically acceptable.
Although cover systems have been provided for covering the adjustable mechanism of medical support systems, such cover systems do so at the expense of safety, cleanability and aesthetics. For example, one cover system has been proposed that uses bellows to cover the entire adjustable mechanism. A bellows design, however, is very difficult to clean because it does not provide hard, flat surfaces. A bellows design is also aesthetically unacceptable. Another system has been proposed that uses sheet metal covers that move with the adjustable mechanism. A sheet metal design, however, is unsafe because the metal covers could potentially pinch the patient or care taker""s skin in between the metal covers when the system is moving. A sheet metal system is also aesthetically unacceptable.
A need, therefore, exists for an improved medical patient support system that provides a patient table permitting a full range of motion of the patient table while enclosing the adjustable mechanism in a safe, easy to clean and aesthetically acceptable way.
In accordance with at least one preferred embodiment of the present invention, a medical patient support system is provided comprising a patient support surface, a support mechanism, a base and a cover system for enclosing the support mechanism. The cover system includes telescoping cover panels. The cover system encloses the support mechanism as the support mechanism moves the patient table up and down and tiltably left or right.
One aspect of a preferred embodiment of the present invention is the use of spring loaded telescoping rods to achieve the desired movement of the cover panels. Another aspect of a preferred embodiment of the present invention includes stop limits on the telescoping rods.
One aspect of a preferred embodiment of the present invention is the use of cover panels having flat rectangular surfaces. Another aspect of a preferred embodiment of the present invention includes a smooth material on the inside of the cover panel.
These and other features of the preferred embodiment are discussed or will become apparent in the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments of the present invention. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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The present invention relates to a mobile tamping machine for tamping ballast under a main track, which comprises a machine frame supported on undercarriages running on the main track for moving the machine frame in an operating direction, the main track defining a track plane, a ballast tamping unit mounted on the machine frame between the undercarriages, a main track lifting and lining unit vertically and transversely adjustably mounted on the machine frame immediately ahead of the ballast tamping unit in the operating direction, drive means for vertically and transversely adjusting the main track lifting and lining unit, an auxiliary lifting unit mounted on the machine frame for lifting a branch track branching off the main track at a track switch, and a measuring system for controlling lifting of the track switch.
U. S. Pat. No. 4,905,604 discloses a machine of this type. According to the patent, a special reference system is required to control the lifting of the branch track. The references system comprises a measuring axle running on the main track and a measuring axle running of the branch track. The two measuring axles are coupled together by a rod carrying a cross level. This enables an operator remote-controlling the auxiliary branch track lifting unit to conform the lifting of the branch track accurately to that of the main track by monitoring the cross level.
It is the primary object of this invention to provide a tamping machine of the indicated type which enables an exact conformity between the lifting of the main and branch tracks at a switch to be effected in a simple manner.
This and other objects are accomplished in a machine of the first-described structure according to the invention by providing a common measuring system including an emitter of a light beam forming a reference line extending parallel to the track plane, the light beam emitter being positioned at a fixed distance from the main track, and a receiver of the light beam recording the reference line, the light beam receiver being positioned at a fixed distance from the branch track.
The fixed distance may be zero, if desired, i.e. the light beam emitter and receiver may contact the main and branch tracks, respectively.
Such a common measuring system automatically and accurately coordinates the lifting of the main and branch tracks at the switch. In this way, an accurate and swift track position correction can be effected without any problems even in track switches which have long ties with elastic joints. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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As is known, the use of pneumatic (i.e. air-inflated) tires in mounted assemblies for handling vehicles or power lift trucks generates instabilities particularly if these vehicles are piled up vertically.
To remedy this disadvantage it is known practice for such applications to fit non-pneumatic tires (i.e. tires that have no inflation valve on the rim that accepts this tire) with an elastomer insert obtained by the axial juxtaposition of two lateral halves that are substantially in the shape of a half torus, each having a multitude of mutually parallel and evenly spaced circumferential channels, these channels being airtight and filled with gas such as air at standard pressure at the time of manufacture of these insert halves.
Of the other types of mounted assembly that exist for handling vehicles or power lift trucks, mention may, for example, be made of those that use an insert made of a cellular material (e.g. made of polyurethane foam) which fills the inside of the tire, this having the disadvantage of generating problems with uniformity of filling and also of undesirable heating of the tire during use.
Document U.S. Pat. No. 1,401,507 discloses a mounted assembly having a one-piece wheel rim on which a pneumatic tire is mounted and which incorporates a torus-shaped elastomer insert with a circumferential cavity that can be inflated via the wheel valve, this insert being mounted in such a way that it does not bear on the wheel rim and having the body of this valve pass through it for inflating this cavity. The latter in axial section is “∞”-shaped, making it likenable to an airtight air chamber formed of two lateral half-chambers of small lateral thickness which are joined together by a portion of reduced radial height, which means under run-flat conditions that this insert with air chamber collapses radially, together with the pneumatic tire that it supports, thus making this mounted assembly ill-suited to being fitted to handling vehicles or power lift trucks.
Document DE-A1-27 48 886 discloses an insert for supporting a pneumatic car tire consisting of a honeycomb cellular framework which has no cavity internal to the insert and which can be inflated via the wheel valve, and which is not suited to being fitted to a power lift truck or to a handling vehicle.
Document DE-U1-84 32 017 discloses an insert for supporting a pneumatic tire which likewise is not suitable for being fitted to such a truck or vehicle. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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1. Field of the Invention:
The present invention relates to a rubber composition based on hydrocarbon rubber which exhibits improved processability over hydrocarbon rubber used alone but has no bad influence on the physical properties and heat resistance of its vulcanizate.
2. Description of the Prior Art:
Hydrocarbon rubber has some disadvantages. That is, it is insufficient in adhesion, it has an excessively high viscosity, it winds around the roll during processing, and it gives a vulcanizate poor in adhesion.
A common practice to cope with this situation has been to incorporate the hydrocarbon rubber with a tackifier, which includes coumarone resin, phenolic resin, petroleum resin, terpene resin, and rosin derivative.
Although a tackifier improves hydrocarbon rubber in processability, it adversely affects the vulcanizate in physical properties and heat resistance. Moreover, there is a knotty problem that a tackifier hinders crosslinking with a peroxide (which is often used for EPDM).
The present invention was completed to solve the above-mentioned problem. It is an object of the present invention to provide a rubber composition based on hydrocarbon rubber which exhibits improved processability over hydrocarbon rubber used alone but has no bad influence on the physical properties and heat resistance of its vulcanizate.
In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the present inventors carried out a series of researches which led to the finding that a rubber composition based on hydrocarbon rubber exhibits improved processability over hydrocarbon rubber used alone but has no bad influence on the physical properties and heat resistance of its vulcanizate, if it is incorporated with a specific resin as a tackifier. The present invention is based on this finding. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
Previous edge enhancement methods use a max-min refinement search circuit to detect maximum and minimum turning points closest to the center of the process window and use these turning points to determine values and locations of maximum and minimum pixels of the edge. With these determined maximum and minimum pixels, the input pixel is enhanced by a predefined enhancement curve controlled by a selective edge control.
In these methods, the maximum and minimum pixels of the edge are determined by the turning points. The turning points are detected by sign of the first derivative of three neighbor pixels. However, the use of turning point detection is sensitive to noise and will create a “striped noise” artifact, which is an unexpected striped noise observable between two narrow edges, in the enhanced result. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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With the rapid growth of the Internet overlay networks have been increasingly used to deploy network services. Examples of such services include application-layer multicast (ALM) services, peer-to-peer to file sharing and overlay path routing services. However, to provide such services to a high standard it is important to know the topology of the underlying network. For example, in the case of ALM services it has been shown that topology-aware ALM can achieve substantially lower end-to-end delay, low physical link stress and high-tree bandwidth.
Various methods have been proposed to infer the topology of an underlying network. In particular, traceroute-like tools are often used to extract router-level path information between a pair of hosts. Traceroute is a widely used and well-defined measurement tool in the Internet. The specification of traceroute is defined in G. Malkin, “Traceroute Using an IP Option”, IETF RFC 1393 (January 1993), available at filing from http://www.ietforg/rfc/rfc1393.txt?number=1393. Traceroute is implemented using ICMP (Internet Control Message Protocol) messages that are sent from a source to a destination. The source transmits to a destination an IP datagram with a certain TTL (time-to-live) value and each router that handles the datagram is required to decrement the TTL value by one. When a router receives an IP datagram whose TTL is 1, the datagram is thrown away and the router returns an ICMP “time exceeded” error message back to the source. This error message includes the router name, router IP address and round-trip-time (RTT) to the source. The source therefore sends out to the destination a succession of IP datagrams with increasing TTL values and each datagram can identify one router in the path. In addition, if the datagram arrives at the destination with an unused port number (usually larger than 30,000) the destination's host UDP module generates an ICMP “port unreachable” error message that is returned to the source. Using these return messages the router-level path can be identified.
However, some routers process ICMP messages differently from each other. Some do not return ICMP error messages at all and consequently such routers appear as unknown and are conventionally indicated by the symbol “*” in the traceroute results. Other routers may return ICMP error messages only when their workload is light such that on some occasions the router appears in the traceroute results as a normal router, while on other occasions the router is unknown. Other routers may simply discard the ICMP messages and therefore all subsequent routers in the path appear as unknown. In this application routers that do not return ICMP messages at all are referred to as “type-1 routers”, routers that return ICMP messages only when their loading is light are referred to as “type-2 routers”, and routers that simply discard ICMP messages are referred to as “type-3 routers”.
Traceroute results therefore provide details of router with known IP addresses and these are conventionally called known routers. Unknown routers without an explicit IP address are referred to as anonymous routers.
FIG. 1 shows in Table I an example of typical traceroute results obtained from three experimental trials conducted from a server at The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology with www.sohu.com as the destination. The names, IP addresses and round-trip delays (including transmission delay, propagation delay, router processing delay and queuing delay) of the intermediate routers are all shown, but it will be seen that the third router is an anonymous router about which no information is known other than its presence in the path.
Topologies can be inferred from such traceroute results. To infer an underlying topology from traceroute results each occurrence of an anonymous router can be considered to be unique (ie each anonymous router corresponds to a different router) however this leads to high inflation of anonymous routers in the resulting inferred topology. This can be seen from the example of FIG. 2(a) that shows an example of an actual path topology. Here hosts are labeled as 1, 2, 3 and 4. R1 is a known router while *1 and *2 are anonymous routers of the type that never return time exceeded error messages. FIG. 2(b) shows the topology that is inferred with pair-wise traceroutes among the four-hosts assuming the paths are symmetric. It will be seen that the two actual anonymous routers become nine anonymous routers in the inferred topology.
Various proposals have therefore been made in the past to reduce this problem by merging anonymous routers in inferred topologies while meeting a number of consistency requirements, including: (a) trace preservation, the inferred topology should agree with all the traceroute paths; and (b) distance preservation, the length of the shortest paths between two nodes in the inferred topology should not be shorter than the traceroute results. Such prior proposals have however been found to be very complex to implement and require very high computational complexity. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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Baths containing heavy metals such as copper, nickel, cobalt and the like in soluble form are widely used commercially in plating, etching and other processes. The disposal of waste from such baths in an environmentally safe manner presents a challenge. The first step of many disposal processes generally involves electrolytic deposition of at least a major portion of the heavy metal content, followed by treatment of the remaining bath liquid to remove other constituents. The removal of heavy metals from waste baths by electrolytic deposition in this manner is referred to hereinafter as electrowinning of the metal.
The treatment of etchant baths containing copper forms a special instance of such an electrowinning process since, in many cases, such baths can be regenerated for further use as etchants by electrowinning of a portion of the copper content therefrom. The etching of copper is a step carried out in a variety of production processes. A particular example is found int he manufacture of circuit boards which generally begins with a non-conducting substrate such as a phenolic or glass reinforced epoxy sheet laminated on one or both sides with a layer of copper foil. An etch resist image in the shape of a desired circuit pattern is applied to the copper foil and the foil so imaged is subjected to the action of an etchant, by spraying or immersion, to remove the copper not covered by the etch resist. The resist-covered copper circuit pattern is thereby caused to stand out in vertical relief.
The etchants most widely used commercially are cupric chloride alkaline ammoniacal solutions because they provide high etch rates. A major drawback of this type of etchant lies int he difficulty of treating and disposing of the waste therefrom. Electrolytic attempts to recycle or regenerate such baths directly have hitherto been largely unsuccessful due to the corrosive nature of the etchant and the large amounts of chlorine gas which are generated.
Efforts have been made to employ cupric sulfate alkaline ammoniacal etchants since these can be regenerated by electrolytic means without generating chlorine gas. However, these sulfate-based baths suffer from low etch rates. Cordani et al U.S. Pat. No. 4,784,785 reviews prior attempts to increase the etch rate of these baths and describes the use of organic thio compounds to accelerate the etch rate. However, the accelerated rate so achieved is still significantly less than that of chloride-based etchants.
Attempts to regenerate chloride-based etchants using processes which do not generate chlorine gas are reviewed in Lee U.S. Pat. No. 4,915,776, the teachings of which are incorporated herein by reference. These various attempts include electrolytic recovery of the copper content by indirect techniques. The '776 patent is also directed to a process of treating spent etchant. The process involves precipitating copper as a copper hydroxide sludge by reaction with calcium hydroxide. The ammonia gas which is also generated in the reaction is then reacted with the aqueous calcium chloride solution (remaining after the precipitation) and carbon dioxide gas to generate an aqueous solution of ammonium hydroxide and ammonium chloride and a precipitate of calcium carbonate. After separation of the latter, the remaining solution is used to formulate a fresh etchant bath. This process requires high initial investment in complex equipment, as well as further treatment to recover metallic copper from the hydroxide precipitate.
Furst et al U.S. Pat. No. 4,564,428 describes a process for regenerating a sulfate-based ammoniacal copper etchant bath by electrolytic means in the presence of a small amount of ammonium chloride. The oxygen generated at the anode is said to prevent evolution of chlorine gas.
It has now been found that heavy metals can be recovered from baths containing the same by electrowinning using a novel bipolar cell having significantly improved efficiency as will be described in detail hereafter. It has been found further that the novel cell in question has the additional advantage in that it can be used to regenerate chloride-based ammoniacal copper etchant baths by direct electrolytic means without generating of any significant amount of chlorine gas. The copper is recovered from the etchant bath in the form of ductile sheets which can be stripped from the cathode. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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1. Technical Field
The disclosure relates to mounting apparatuses for data storage devices, and particularly to a mounting apparatus that readily secures or removes a data storage device to or from a computer enclosure.
2. Description of Related Art
Generally speaking, a bracket is often used for attach a data storage device in a computer enclosure with screws. The process of attaching can be tedious and time-consuming. Moreover, in this process, one or more screws can easily fall into the crowded interior of the computer enclosure, thus requiring a difficult retrieval. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a finder optical system in a camera, and more particularly to a finder optical system in which an eyepiece is constituted with a single lens element.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In general, finder magnification of a finder optical system is defined as fo/fe, wherein fo represents a focal length of an objective lens and fe represents a focal length of an eyepiece. Accordingly, in order to increase the finder magnification, the focal length of of the objective lens has to be made larger or the focal length fe of the eyepiece has to be made smaller. In a lens shutter camera, the objective lens in the finder optical system and a photo-taking lens are separated from each other, and therefore if the focal length fo of the objective lens is lengthened, the total length of the finder optical system is also lengthened, which makes it difficult to attain the compactness of the whole finder optical system. Thus, the finder magnification of the lens shutter camera is generally small compared with that of a single lens reflex camera, and therefore an image in the finder becomes difficult to be seen clearly. For this reason, in various conventional lens shutter cameras, the finder magnification is intended to be made as large as possible by shortening the focal length fe of the eyepiece.
Further, it is usual that the eyepiece of the lens shutter camera consists of the combination of a negative lens element and a positive lens element, whereby achromatization is performed so as to correct chromatic aberration.
In view of the space, position accuracy, surface accuracy and cost, it is more advantageous to constitute the eyepiece with a single lens element. However, since achromatization is not performed, axial chromatic aberration becomes difficult to be corrected effectively by such simple constitution of the eyepiece. Particularly, as the focal length fe of the eyepiece is made smaller, the axial chromatic aberration turns for worse extremely. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a hose clamp device used when automotive parts are assembled together, typically when rubber hoses are connected to associated pipes. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
Existing solutions for scroll and navigation key mechanics of small/miniature user input devices for computing or communication devices, such as for mobile phones, are not fulfilling design and conceptual or usability requirements.
What is still needed is a flexible and miniature-sized control solution for all kinds of smaller computing or communication devices, and especially hand-held computing or communication devices. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
The present invention relates to fluid controllers of the type used to control the flow of fluid from the source of pressurized fluid to a fluid pressure operated device, such as a steering cylinder.
A typical fluid controller of the type to which the present invention relates includes a housing which defines various fluid ports, and further includes a fluid meter and valving, and an arrangement for imparting follow-up movement to the valving in response to flow through the fluid meter. The flow through the controller valving is directly proportional to the area of the main variable flow control orifice, which, in turn, is proportional to the rate at which the steering wheel is rotated. Furthermore, the area of the main variable flow control orifice has a know relationship to the displacement of the controller valving.
Therefore, it has long been an object of those skilled in the art to provide a steering system, including a fluid controller, in which the total flow through the steering system is substantially greater than the flow through the controller, but with the overall system flow being related to the flow through the controller in a known manner. See for example U.S. Pat. No. 4,052,929 in which the controller receives fluid from one pump and generates a pilot signal to control a pilot operated valve which receives fluid from a second pump. The total steering flow comprises the flow through the pilot operated valve plus the flow from the controller. Such a system is theoretically satisfactory, but the cost of such a system becomes nearly prohibitive because of the addition of the pilot operated valve and the second pump.
More recently, there has been an attempt to provide a flow to the steering cylinder which is greater than the flow through the fluid meter by having the full amount of desired steering flow enter the controller, with one portion flowing through the controller valving and fluid meter in the normal manner, and the remainder of the fluid flowing through a pressure regulating device and a bypass throttle. These two portions of fluid recombine within the controller and flow to the steering cylinder. See U.S. Pat. No. 4,566,272. It is possible that the performance of a controller made in accordance with U. S. Pat. No. 4,566,272 would be satisfactory, however, the addition of a pressure regulating valve within the controller, and the associated structure would still add substantially to the cost of the controller, and in many applications would require substantial redesign of at least the controller housing in order to accommodate the addition of such a valve.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,759,182, assigned to the assignee of the present invention, discloses a fluid controller in which the valving defines an amplification fluid path, including a variable amplification orifice in parallel with the main fluid path. Thus, the amplification fluid path provides an amplification ratio which can be made to vary, in any desired manner, as a function of valve displacement. It has been discovered, however, that when the amplification fluid path of U.S. Pat. No. 4,759,182 is applied to fluid controllers which are capable of a manual steering operation, any attempts to manually steer the vehicle are unsuccessful. More specifically, rotation of the steering wheel does not result in the buildup of pressurized fluid which is communicated to the steering cylinder to effect the manual steering operation. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
Conventionally, the following method has been used for isolating and culturing cells derived from human and animal sources. Firstly, a culture solution is prepared by adding nutrient such as glucose, a growing agent for promoting growth of a cell, antibiotics for preventing proliferation of miscellaneous bacteria, or the like, into a physiological saline solution. Then, cells are scattered in the culture solution at a predetermined concentration. Then, the culture solution containing cells is placed in a container such as a plane culture dish. Thereafter, the culture dish is set in an environment maintaining device (generally referred to as an incubator) capable of maintaining a surrounding environment. With the environment maintaining device, temperatures, carbon dioxide concentrations, and oxygen concentrations as the surrounding environment of the culture dish are kept at predetermined values and allowed to stand for two to three days so as to wait for division and proliferation of the cells.
The proliferation rate of a cell varies depending upon types, states and environments of a cell. In, for example, RBL (Rat Basophilic Leukemia), the cell concentration becomes about 10 times after three days have passed. At this time, the cell absorbs nutrient necessary for proliferation from a culture solution around the cell and, at the same time, the cell exhausts waste matters. Therefore, the state of the culture solution in the culture dish is largely changed as cell proliferation proceeds. Furthermore, in, for example, CHO (Chinese Hamster Ovary), cells proliferate while they adhere to a plane part of the culture dish. Therefore, when a space to which the cells adhere is lost in the plane part of the culture dish, the proliferation of cells stops. In this way, when the proliferation of cells proceeds, the density of cells in the culture solution is increased, and further proliferation is not carried out. Therefore, after the culture of cells proceeds to some extent, the cells and the culture solution are recovered from the culture dish, and the cells are separated from the culture solution by using a centrifugal separator. Then, an old culture solution is removed, and the cells are scattered on a new culture solution at an appropriate concentration. Thus, cells are newly cultured. This operation is generally called subculture.
In particular, it is important for cell culture that the subculture is appropriately carried out according to a state of a cell. However, in particular, in a case of adhesive cells, in a culture dish having a plane part, the lower parts of the cells are closely attached to the plane part. Consequently, it may be difficult to maintain an environment surrounding cells, in particular, an environment surrounding cells on the surface that is brought into contact with the culture dish.
In order to solve such problems, for example, it is proposed that the contacting degree between a culture dish and cells be reduced by forming a group of minute protrusions on a plane part of a culture dish, thus controlling the close attaching degree (for example, PTL 1 and PTL 2).
Alternatively, it is proposed that a plurality of spherical protruding portions, which have been subjected to water-repellent treatment, are arranged on a rectangular plate with an appropriate spacing, and the protruding portions hold a liquid droplet and a cell be cultured in the liquid droplet (for example, PTL 3).
Cells are sensitive to changes of their surrounding environment. Therefore, as mentioned above, failing to exchange culture solutions or maintain a surrounding environment may cause changes in pH or an oxygen concentration of a culture solution, or may cause waste matters to accumulate in a predetermined place. Thus, the activity of cells in the surrounding in which an undesirable change of environment occurs is lost. Therefore, maintaining of the surrounding environment of a cell is an extremely important factor for cell culture. However, in a conventional plane culture dish, the working efficiency mentioned above is not good. Accordingly, in a cell culture substrate having a conventional configuration and a cell culture method using the same, working efficiency of cell culture is not good.
Each of the techniques shown in PTLs 1 to 3 is one of methods for solving such problems, but has limitations on improvement of working efficiency. In the techniques disclosed in PTLs 1 and 2, a group of protrusions are formed by transferring convex and concave patterns on a substrate by pressing a mold provided with minute convex and concave patterns on a substrate as a culture dish. A so-called nano-imprinting technique is used. Therefore, each of the formed group of protrusions is independent from each other. Consequently, a shape in which protrusions are connected to each other cannot be formed. Furthermore, since a group of protrusions formed by the above-mentioned transfer method can be formed only on the plane of the substrate, only a group of protrusions extending in the direction perpendicular to the plane of the substrate can be configured.
Alternatively, in the technique disclosed in PTL 3, similarly, since a rectangular plane substrate is used as a base material, only protrusions extending in the direction perpendicular to the plane of the substrate can be configured. Therefore, formation of protrusions in minute concave and convex patterns formed on the substrate plane of a culture dish has limitations on improvement in the percentage of voids of the protrusions. | {
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Fin Field Effect Transistors (FinFETs) are becoming increasingly attractive due to their good control of short channel effects. FIG. 1 is a perspective view schematically showing a FinFET by way of example. As shown in FIG. 1, the FinFET comprises a bulk Si substrate 100, a fin 101 formed on the bulk Si substrate 100, a gate stack 102 crossing the fin 101 and including, for example, a gate dielectric layer and a gate electrode layer (not shown), and an isolation layer (e.g., SiO2) 103. In this FinFET, under the control of the gate electrode, conductive channels are formed in the fin 101, and specifically, in three side surfaces (i.e., a left side surface, a right side surface, and a top side surface as shown in the figure) of the fin 101. That is, a portion of the fin 101 under the gate electrode serves as a channel region, and source and drain regions are located at both sides of the channel region, respectively.
In the example shown in FIG. 1, the FinFET is formed on the bulk semiconductor substrate. Alternatively, a FinFET can be formed on other types of substrate such as a Semiconductor On Insulator (SOI) substrate. Furthermore, the FinFET shown in FIG. 1 has the channel formed in all the three side surfaces of the fin 101, and thus is referred to as a 3-gate FinFET. On the other hand, a 2-gate FinFET can be formed by, for example, providing an isolation layer (e.g., nitride) between the top surface of the fin 101 and the gate stack 102, in which case the top surface of the fin 101 will not be subject to the control of the gate electrode and thus will have no channel formed therein.
In the following, a conventional flow for manufacturing a FinFET is described with reference to FIGS. 2(a)-2(f).
As shown in FIG. 2(a), a bulk Si semiconductor layer 100 is provided, and an oxide (silicon oxide) layer 104 and a nitride (silicon nitride) layer 105 are formed sequentially thereon. For example, the oxide layer 104 may have a thickness of about 2-5 nm, and the nitride layer 105 may have a thickness of about 10-50 nm. The oxide layer 104 and the nitride layer 105 can sever as a hard mask layer in a later process. Further, a layer of patterned photo resist 106 is formed on the nitride layer 105. The patterned photo resist 106 is positioned where a fin is to be formed.
Next, as shown in FIG. 2(b), the hard mask layer (including the nitride layer 105 and the oxide layer 104) is patterned. Specifically, the nitride layer 105 is etched by means of, for example, Reactive Ion Etching (RIE), using the patterned photo resist 106 as a mask. The etching can be stopped on the oxide layer 104. Then, the oxide layer 104 is further etched by means of, for example, RIE, resulting in the patterned hard mask layer 104, 105. Finally, the photo resist 106 is removed.
Then, as shown in FIG. 2(c), the semiconductor layer 100 is patterned by means of, for example, RIE, using the patterned hard mask layer 104, 105 as a mask, to form a fin 101 on the semiconductor layer 100. Here, the height of the fin 100 may be controlled by setting process parameters during RIE, such as etching time and the like.
After the formation of the fin, as shown in FIGS. 2(d) and 2(e), an isolation layer is formed on both sides of the fin 101 over the semiconductor layer 100. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 2(d), firstly an oxide layer 103, such as a High Density Plasma (HDP) oxide layer (e.g., SiO2), is deposited on the entire arrangement. The oxide layer 103 has its bottom portions thicker than its portions on side walls of the fin 101. Then, as shown in FIG. 2(e), the oxide layer 103 is etched isotropically to expose the side walls of the fin 101, resulting in the isolation layer 103.
Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 2(f), a gate dielectric layer 102-1 and a gate electrode layer 102-2 are formed to cross the fin 101, and thus constitutes a gate stack. After that, the process can proceed conventionally, to manufacture source/drain regions, metal interconnections to finish a final device.
In the above conventional process, the height of the fin 101 may be controlled by means of the etching process parameters during the patterning of the fin 101, and thus the channel width of the final device can be controlled. However, in this way the fin height is indirectly controlled by means of the process parameters, without direct control on the fin height. Therefore, such control is not sufficiently accurate.
Therefore, there is a need for a semiconductor device and a method for manufacturing the same, by which it is possible to control a height of a fin in a more accurate way. | {
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for curing dental resins for the purpose of obtaining dental normal-temperature polymerizable resins, which are remarkably improved in terms of transparency, color stability and physical properties.
2. Statement of the Invention
About fifty years ago, that is in 1936, that one started to use polymethyl methacrylate mainly in dentistry and stomatoplasaty. Representative of synthetic resins resulting from the polymerization of polymerizable compounds having ethylenically unsaturated double bonds is polymetyl methacrylate. The application of methyl methacrylate and polymethyl methacrylate to dentistry has had its origin in the invention of the powder/liquid blending technique established in 1936. This technique has the advantage that the reactive catalyst can be supplied in two portions, viz., a powder portion and a liquid portion.
In general, the polymerization of methyl methacrylate is broken down into thermal polymerization and normal-temperature polymerization. The thermal polymerization involves the activation of peroxides by heat, and gives polymers through a succession of reactions of initiation, growth and interruption. In the normal-temperature polymerization, on the other hand, the action of promotors becomes important rather than the action of heat. The promotors, which were discovered in 1941 for the first time, have been used up to date and little improvement has been made since. Among others, the combination of dimethyl p-toluidine that is an aromatic tertiary amine with benzoyl peroxide that is an organic peroxide is found to be of the most general-purpose properties. However, this combination has the following grave disadvantages.
The first disadvantage is that the reaction product remaining in the cured synthetic resin turns yellow upon exposure to light.
The second is thata discoloration or coloration of the cured product occurs due to contacting sputum or exposure to the mouth temperature or in the intramouth environment including food refuses.
The third is that unreacted part of the promotor and derivatives not formed in the chainlike molecules act together as a plasticizer which causes a lowering of the physical properties of the polymerized synthetic resin.
The fourth is that the heat of polymerization is high.
The fifth is that the cured product is deficient in transparency.
The first disadvantage may be eliminated to some extent by the addition of an ultraviolet absorber. Not until now, however, is the second disadvantage practically overcome. What is more, the second disadvantage involves the coloration of the cured product which is originally caused by the inherent properties of the promotor and the so-called discoloration that is a gradual change in color. In an effort to overcome the third disadvantage, the plasticizer effect of the residual promotor is improved by making use of various types of polymers, in particular, methyl ester polymers in an increased amount. However, such an effort has still its own limit.
For normal-temperature polymerizable resins for dental purposes, certain combinations of benzoyl peroxide with aromatic tertiary amines have generally been used as catalysts. However, the obtained dental resins are poor in color stability and, in particular, suffer from noticeable yellowing. For instance, when the oral cavity restoration material obtained by this method is inserted into the mouth of a paatient, it has to be adjusted to a color as natural as her or his intramouth environment with much effort. Nonetheless, yellowing is initiated within a short period of time with the result that the restoration material assumes a quite unnatural color and loses aesthetic properties. Further, the so-called plasticizer effect of the residual promotor causes a lowering of the physical properties of the restoration material due to large amounts of the unreacted benzoyl peroxide or aromatic tertiary amines remaining therein. The fourth defect is that when the polymerizable compounds having at least one ethylenically unsaturated double bond are polymerized into a rebasing material applied directly in the mouth in the presence of the conventional catalyst, viz., a benzoyl peroxide/aromatic tertiary amine combination, the polymerized or cured product causes irritative pain to the mouth of a patient because of a large amount of heat generated during polymerization. The fifth defect, insufficient transparency of the cured product, remains substantially unsolved. | {
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1. Technical Field
The present disclosure herein relates to a display apparatus and light source packages employed therein.
2. Discussion of Related Art
Display apparatuses may be categorized as, for example, liquid crystal display (LCD) apparatuses or electrophoretic display (EPD) apparatuses. A liquid crystal display apparatus employs a liquid crystal material as a display material, and the electrophoretic display apparatus employs a colloid material as a display material. Liquid crystal material and colloid material do not have light emitting properties. Accordingly, the LCD apparatus and the EPD apparatus need a light source, for example, a back light unit, to obtain brightness of a display panel of a display apparatus.
A back light unit may include a light source generating light and a light guide plate (LGP) directing the light from the light source to the display panel of the display apparatus. Back light units have employed light emitting diodes (LEDs) mounted on a printed circuit board as the light source. The light emitting diodes may be spaced apart from the light guide plate to prevent the light guide plate from being deformed due to heat from the light emitting diodes. That is, the light guide plate may be spaced apart from a printed circuit board on which the light emitting diodes are mounted. Thus, there may be some limitations in fabricating a thin and slim display apparatus. | {
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This invention is an improved striker for a friction game call, such as a friction turkey call. The typical friction turkey call striker comprises a single peg. The peg may be relatively long (4 to 8 inches, as in U.S. Pat. No. 4,988,325 or U.S. Pat. No. 4,904,221) or relatively short (as in U.S. Pat. No. 2,958,157). Striker pegs are traditionally made of wood, but may also be made of graphite, plastic or other suitable materials. The peg is moved across a plate, which is traditionally flat and made of slate, but may also be made of fiberglass, aluminum, plastic, or other suitable materials. The sound made by the call as the peg is moved across the plate will vary based on the material and dimensions of the pegs (as well as the material of the plate), and other factors. The friction of the striker peg against the plate creates the call sound. This type of game call is sometimes called a “slate” call since slate was one of the original materials used for the plate of this call. The peg used with a slate call has traditionally been called a “striker.” While this invention is primarily related to an improvement in the traditional striker, the multiple peg feature of this invention can be used in any friction call application, and the term “striker” is to be interpreted broadly as any game call component that is moved against a plate to make a call sound.
The sound made by a typical slate turkey call is fairly realistic, but is a single tone. The actual sound made by a turkey is typically a simultaneous combination of different pitches and is more of a multiple pitch, or “chord,” sound. | {
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Advances in polymerization and catalysis have resulted in the capability to produce many new polymers having improved physical and chemical properties useful in a wide variety of superior products and applications. With the development of new catalysts the choice of polymerization-type (solution, slurry, high pressure or gas phase) for producing a particular polymer has been greatly expanded. Also, advances in polymerization technology have provided more efficient, highly productive and economically enhanced processes. Especially illustrative of these advances is the development of technology utilizing bulky ligand metallocene-type catalyst systems. Regardless of these technological advances in the polyolefin industry, common problems, as well as new challenges associated with process operability still exist. For example, the tendency for a gas phase or slurry phase process to foul and/or sheet remains a challenge.
For example, in a continuous slurry process fouling on the walls of the reactor, which act as a heat transfer surface, can result in many operability problems. Poor heat transfer during polymerization can result in polymer particles adhering to the walls of the reactor. These polymer particles can continue to polymerize on the walls and can result in a premature reactor shutdown. Also, depending on the reactor conditions, some of the polymer may dissolve in the reactor diluent and redeposit on for example the metal heat exchanger surfaces.
In a typical continuous gas phase process, a recycle system is employed for many reasons including the removal of heat generated in the process by the polymerization. Fouling, sheeting and/or static generation in a continuous gas phase process can lead to the ineffective operation of various reactor systems. For example, the cooling mechanism of the recycle system, the temperature probes utilized for process control and the distributor plate, if affected, can lead to an early reactor shutdown.
Evidence of, and solutions to, various process operability problems have been addressed by many in the art. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,792,592, 4,803,251, 4,855,370 and 5,391,657 all discuss techniques for reducing static generation in a polymerization process by introducing to the process for example, water, alcohols, ketones, and/or inorganic chemical additives; PCT publication WO 97/14721 published Apr. 24, 1997 discusses the suppression of fines that can cause sheeting by adding an inert hydrocarbon to the reactor; U.S. Pat. No. 5,627,243 discusses a new type of distributor plate for use in fluidized bed gas phase reactors; PCT publication WO 96/08520 discusses avoiding the introduction of a scavenger into the reactor; U.S. Pat. No. 5,461,123 discusses using sound waves to reduce sheeting; U.S. Pat. No. 5,066,736 and EP-A1 0 549 252 discuss the introduction of an activity retarder to the reactor to reduce agglomerates; U.S. Pat. No. 5,610,244 relates to feeding make-up monomer directly into the reactor above the bed to avoid fouling and improve polymer quality; U.S. Pat. No. 5,126,414 discusses including an oligomer removal system for reducing distributor plate fouling and providing for polymers free of gels; EP-A1 0 453 116 published Oct. 23, 1991 discusses the introduction of antistatic agents to the reactor for reducing the amount of sheets and agglomerates; U.S. Pat. No. 4,012,574 discusses adding a surface-active compound, a perfluorocarbon group, to the reactor to reduce fouling; U.S. Pat. No.5,026,795 discusses the addition of an antistatic agent with a liquid carrier to the polymerization zone in the reactor; U.S. Pat. No. 5,410,002 discusses using a conventional Ziegler-Natta titanium/magnesium supported catalyst system where a selection of antistatic agents are added directly to the reactor to reduce fouling; U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,034,480 and 5,034,481 discuss a reaction product of a conventional Ziegler-Natta titanium catalyst with an antistat to produce ultrahigh molecular weight ethylene polymers; U.S. Pat. No. 3,082,198 discusses introducing an amount of a carboxylic acid dependent on the quantity of water in a process for polymerizing ethylene using a titanium/aluminum organometallic catalysts in a hydrocarbon liquid medium; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,919,185 describes a slurry process using a nonpolar hydrocarbon diluent using a conventional Ziegler-Natta-type or Phillips-type catalyst and a polyvalent metal salt of an organic acid having a molecular weight of at least 300.
There are various other known methods for improving operability including coating the polymerization equipment, for example, treating the walls of a reactor using chromium compounds as described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,532,311 and 4,876,320; injecting various agents into the process, for example PCT Publication WO 97/46599 published Dec. 11, 1997 discusses feeding into a lean zone in a polymerization reactor an unsupported, soluble metallocene-type catalyst system and injecting antifoulants or antistatic agents into the reactor; controlling the polymerization rate, particularly on start-up; and reconfiguring the reactor design.
Others in the art to improve process operability have discussed modifying the catalyst system by preparing the catalyst system in different ways. For example, methods in the art include combining the catalyst system components in a particular order; manipulating the ratio of the various catalyst system components; varying the contact time and/or temperature when combining the components of a catalyst system; or simply adding various compounds to the catalyst system. These techniques or combinations thereof are discussed in the literature. Especially illustrative in the art is the preparation procedures and methods for producing bulky ligand metallocene-type catalyst systems, more particularly supported bulky ligand metallocene-type catalyst systems with reduced tendencies for fouling and better operability. Examples of these include: WO 96/11961 published Apr. 26, 1996 discusses as a component of a supported catalyst system an antistatic agent for reducing fouling and sheeting in a gas, slurry or liquid pool polymerization process; U.S. Pat. No. 5,283,278 is directed towards the prepolymerization of a metallocene catalyst or a conventional Ziegler-Natta catalyst in the presence of an antistatic agent; U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,332,706 and 5,473,028 have resorted to a particular technique for forming a catalyst by incipient impregnation; U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,427,991 and 5,643,847 describe the chemical bonding of non-coordinating anionic activators to supports; U.S. Pat. No. 5,492,975 discusses polymer bound metallocene-type catalyst systems; U.S. Pat. No. 5,661,095 discusses supporting a metallocene-type catalyst on a copolymer of an olefin and an unsaturated silane; PCT publication WO 97/06186 published Feb. 20, 1997 teaches removing inorganic and organic impurities after formation of the metallocene-type catalyst itself; PCT publication WO 97/15602 published May 1, 1997 discusses readily supportable metal complexes; PCT publication WO 97/27224 published Jul. 31, 1997 relates to forming a supported transition metal compound in the presence of an unsaturated organic compound having at least one terminal double bond; and EP-A2-811 63,8 discusses using a metallocene catalyst and an activating cocatalyst in a polymerization process in the presence of a nitrogen containing antistatic agent.
While all these possible solutions might reduce the level of fouling or sheeting somewhat, some are expensive to employ and/or may not reduce fouling and sheeting to a level sufficient to successfully operate a continuous process, particularly a commercial or large-scale process.
Thus, it would be advantageous to have a polymerization process capable of operating continuously with enhanced reactor operability and at the same time produce new and improved polymers. It would also be highly beneficial to have a continuously operating polymerization process having more stable catalyst productivities, reduced fouling/sheeting tendencies and increased duration of operation. | {
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The opportunity to personalize features in a mobile vehicle is ever increasing as the automobile is being transformed into a communications and entertainment platform as well as a transportation platform. Many new cars will be installed with some type of telematics unit to provide wireless communication and location-based services. These services may be accessed through interfaces such as voice-recognition computer applications, touch-screen computer displays, computer keyboards, or a series of buttons on the dashboard or console of a vehicle.
Currently, telematics service call centers, in-vehicle compact disk (CD) or digital video display (DVD) media, web portals, and voice-enabled phone portals provide various types of location services, including driving directions, stolen vehicle tracking, traffic information, weather reports, restaurant guides, ski reports, road condition information, accident updates, street routing, landmark guides, and business finders.
For example, traffic and driving directions may be accessed through a voice portal that uses incoming number identification to generate location information based on the area code or prefix of the phone number, or to access location information stored in a user's profile associated with the phone number. Users may be prompted to enter more details through a voice interface. Other examples are web and wireless portals that offer location-based services such as maps and driving directions where the user enters both start and end addresses. Some of these services may have a voice interface.
Some users want to interface their personal portable wireless communication devices, such as cellular phones or PDAs with the telematics unit in order to access some of the telematics system features. With such an interface, the user can place their cell phone on the passenger seat and use the speaker system in the vehicle to talk on the cell phone. This interface also allows the user to access other the telematics features including dialing numbers one digit at a time, using a phonebook or contact list, accessing calendar appointments, storing data such as contact information, bookmarking radio stations and more.
Currently, a user can pay the up-front costs required to install the software and hardware for a permanent system to support a short-range wireless connection between the portable wireless communication device and telematics unit. The user pays up-front, since there is no currently established method to monitor the time usage of the short-range wireless connection with a telematics unit. If the user infrequently utilizes the short-range wireless connection feature, the cost for each usage is expensive for the user.
It is desirable, therefore, to offer the user a short-range wireless connection as a feature available within the software and hardware of the telematics unit that overcomes these and other disadvantages. | {
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an airflow guiding structure for a heat-dissipating fan.
2. Description of Related Art
FIG. 1 of the drawings illustrates a typical heat-dissipating fan including a casing 10, an air inlet 11 defined in a side of the casing 10, an air outlet 12 defined in the other side of the casing 10, a base 13, and a plurality of ribs 14. The base 13 is secured by the ribs 14 in the air outlet 12. A stator (not shown) and an impeller (not shown) are mounted to the base 13. When the impeller turns, air is sucked into the casing 10 via the air inlet 11 and exits the casing 10 via the air outlet 12 to dissipate heat from an object such as a fin or a central processing unit.
Although the above-mentioned heat-dissipating fan provides a certain heat-dissipating effect, the heat-dissipating operation can only be performed on an object directly below the air outlet 12, as the airflow can only flow along an axial direction of the casing 10. In a case that the object is not located directly below the air outlet 12, the airflow cannot flow through the object in a uniform manner, resulting in non-uniform heat dissipation and poor heat-dissipating effect. On the other hand, since the object is generally mounted in a limited space such as in a notebook type computer (or a laptop computer) in a position not directly below the base 13 or outside the area of air outlet, the heat-dissipating effect is adversely affected. The heat-dissipating effect is also adversely affected if the object is too large to be completely within an area directly below the heat-dissipating fan. Further, turbulence tends to occur when the airflow is passing through the ribs 14. Noise is thus generated while having a lower heat-dissipating effect. | {
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The DVB (Digital Video Broadcasting) standard defines a service as a set of digital data managed by an operator and broadcasted in a transport stream through terrestrial broadcast or via satellite or via a cable towards a plurality of receivers/decoders. These data correspond generally to television or radio programs, specific information (commercial promotions, stock exchange, weather, events, etc.) or to any other multimedia application usable one line or after downloading on an appropriate medium.
The transport stream contains data of a service consisting of for example an audio/video content accompanied by additional data such as sub-titles, teletext, or interactive applications and information on the service such as the content description, the broadcasting time schedule, access conditions etc.
The document EP1464176 describes a method allowing using data provided by the Digital Video Broadcasting-Services Information Event Information Table (DVB-SI EIT) for accessing to a stream broadcasted in IP (Internet Protocol) mode. A proposed event is associated to at least two sources and the system allows a transparent access to this event whatever the source is. An adequate receiver comprises means of information on the services allowing using event information data for accessing to the content broadcasted according to the Internet Protocol. These means of information use announcement and services description protocols for linking the services channels made available by the digital content provider and by the IP stream broadcasting services.
The document FR2864869 discloses a system for broadcasting DVB services via an IP network wherein signalization information describing the network and the offered services are separated from the services themselves. A receiver connected to a bidirectional network detects services by starting connection to a first stream for extracting localization information on the network. This information comprise on one hand data on the streams transporting the content of these services and on the other hand data on the separated streams transporting information on these services. During a final step, the receiver uses this information for establishing a list of services available on the network.
The document US2003/0078687 describes a method and a system of automatic configuration of a listening environment for an optimal sound reproduction based on the characteristics of the transmitted audio signal and of the service currently received. These characteristics as for example the broadcasting of the signal in mono or stereo mode are transmitted via standardized Event Information Table (EIT) used for building the Electronic Program Guide EPG. At reception of this information, the receiver configures itself, if allowed by the hardware and the system, according to the best mode, i.e. in stereo mode and this without any intervention of the user. According to an embodiment, the database of the program guide and the one of the channel list are combined and stored in a memory outside of the receiver as for example in a local server of the system (head end). A partial program guide accompanying the audio signal can thus be transmitted to the receiver which will extract the information necessary for a configuration leading to an optimal functioning.
The document EP1207698, describes a receiver for digital audio video programs comprising a first and a second reception unit receiving each programs respectively from a first and a second broadcasting network. These two networks are distinct, as for example a satellite or a terrestrial broadcasting network and an Internet broadcasting network. A program received by at least one of the two reception units is accompanied, at predetermined periods, by switching instructions for determining the reception of a program by one or the other of two units of the receiver. The user stores into the receiver information such as for example a list of favorite programs. At reception of a switching instruction the receiver connected to the satellite broadcasting network switches to Internet when it detects for example the URL (Uniform Resource Locator) address of one of the favorite programs of the list. This detection is carried out thanks to Internet selection data (URL for example) extracted from the Program Map Table (PMT) which Packet Identifier (PID) is located in the Network Information Table (NIT) transmitted with the audio video content of the program.
The document EP1411723 describes a method for obtaining information on the programs broadcasted in a transport stream. This information is obtained from Internet links or complete or partial URL contained in the Services Information (SI) or in Program Specific Information (PSI) comprising Program Map Tables (PMT) or Event Information Tables (EIT). The receiver rebuilds, if necessary, the complete path or URL from the receiver attribution identification data stored therein in order to download, from the content server thus defined, the information relative to one or several programs broadcasted in the stream.
In the systems of these documents, the receiver is in charge to exploit the services available on the network and to extract from the different tables the information necessary for building a program list. This list is stored in the receiver and made available to an Electronic Program Guide EPG displayed on a screen and working as an interface between the user and the receiver.
In certain configurations, the receiver or decoder also called set-top-box is connected on one hand to a cable or an antenna and one the other hand to a bidirectional IP network for receiving DVB services streams. These two broadcasting networks comprising each their own parameters, lead to a specific processing of the services information by the receiver. This local processing can occur an overloading of the receiver particularly when the number, the diversity of the proposed services and the complexity of their parameters become important. | {
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Patent Application US 2014/0291065 A1 discloses a loudspeaker having an external extension that includes an enclosure, at least one speaker, and a port formed in a surface of the enclosure so as to communicate with a hollow extension extending from the port outwardly. The configuration of this loudspeaker is designed to reproduce low range frequencies only, damping or lowering both middle and high frequencies. In other words, this patent application is aimed to damp intermediate and high frequencies in order to emphasize low frequencies only.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,457,341 B2 discloses a sound reproduction system, in the form of a horn, having one or more drivers coupled to a sound barrier. Different frequency responses are obtained by altering areas and lengths of the system. As disclosed, the configuration of this patent is designed to reproduce, for example, only low frequencies, damping or lowering both middle and high frequencies.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,194,905 B1 discloses an apparatus comprising a high frequency horn placed within a low frequency horn, so that the emitted sounds are time aligned, and the sounds overlapping at the same frequencies do not cancel or cause significant interference or sound distortion. This technique uses two or more speakers.
Prior art traditional loudspeakers are basically made up of three main elements or parts.
1.-Dynamic speaker(s);
2.-Frequency dividers or crossover filters;
3.-Loudspeaker enclosures.
The dynamic speaker is an electroacoustic transducer, as its function is to transform electrical energy from an audio amplifier into acoustic energy perceivable by the human ear. Usually, said prior art technique uses three speakers in order to cover all of the frequencies that the human ear is able to hear. A low-frequency reproducing speaker (bass), middle-frequency reproducing speaker (mids), and high-frequency reproducing speaker (highs). These three speakers cover together, in theory, all of the frequencies that the human ear is able to hear, namely from about 20 Hertz up to 20,000 Hertz. In some cases, said technique uses more than one speaker for each “pathway”. This means that in said technique there are loudspeakers with two or more low-frequency reproducing speakers (bass), two or more middle-frequency reproducing speakers (mids), and two or more high-frequency reproducing speakers (highs).
Given that the signals from an audio amplifier contain all of the audible frequencies (20 Hertz to 20,000 Hertz), it is necessary to separate, in a certain way, the frequencies that each of the speakers are able to reproduce.
In order to achieve this, said technique uses frequency dividers or crossover filters. This means that in the entrance of the frequency dividers we have the signal from the audio amplifier, and in the exit of the frequency divider we have three outputs. This makes possible that the low-frequency reproducing speaker (bass) only receives low frequencies (first output), that the middle-frequency reproducing speaker (mids) only receives middle frequencies (second output), and finally, that the high-frequency reproducing speaker (highs) only receives high frequencies (third output). There are well known techniques for designing these kinds of frequency dividers based on the characteristics of the speakers used.
Lastly, said technique uses different kinds of enclosures to accommodate therein the three speakers or more, along with the frequency dividers. Below, two traditional basic forms of constructing loudspeaker enclosures using said technique are mentioned.
Hermetically Sealed Loudspeaker Enclosure
A completely-sealed, rectangular enclosure made from pressed sawdust “MDF” accommodating speakers and frequency dividers.
Bass-Reflex Enclosure Having a Vent
Enclosure containing one or more vents generally located in the front surface thereof. Said loudspeaker enclosures are made from pressed sawdust “MDF”. The vent(s) can be simply a port in the front cover of the enclosure or can be made with one or more plastic ducts, with specific length and diameter. This vent makes possible to tune the loudspeaker enclosure to the natural resonance frequency of the low-frequency reproducing speaker. This tuning is achieving by using Helmholtz resonance. By tuning the loudspeaker enclosure atresonance frequency of the low-frequency reproducing speaker (bass), the loudness of the bass response is emphasized just for that resonance frequency.
In said technique, usually the two types of loudspeaker enclosures are filled inside with an acoustic absorbent material. Typically fiberglass wool to avoid to some extent, the undesirable wave reflections produced inside thereof.
The fact that speakers of said technique are not sufficiently efficient to reproduce by themselves all of the frequencies that we can hear, forces to modify the original signal from the audio amplifier. This is because the original signal from the audio amplifier has to be divided or separated in three signals of different frequency in order to lead these signals to each of the speakers. The original signal from the audio amplifier is not the same anymore; low range frequency, middle range frequency and high range frequency are taken out from the original signal to send them all afterwards to each speaker. This separation has to be done by using frequency dividers or crossover filters.
When a frequency divider is interposed between the original signal from the audio amplifier and the speakers, various problems affecting the final reproduction of the sound emitted by the speakers of the system as a whole are presented.
Frequency dividers or crossover filters have inevitably electrical energy losses. So, from the total energy of the original signal from the audio amplifier entering them, only a portion will eventually reach the speakers
Moreover, the elements used in frequency divider such as coils, electrical resistances and capacitors modify the original signal introducing “electric noise” or current and voltage distortion in the form of harmonics. The original signal from the audio amplifier now has harmful elements that not presented before at the crossover filter output.
In other words, passive electrical elements used to separate or divide the original signal from the output amplifier into three different frequency ranges, damage and draw energy from the original signal.
Another disadvantage of frequency dividers used in said technique is that they produce the well-known “phase” distortion. This distortion is due to the time delay existing between the input signal to the frequency divider and the output signal therefrom, that will reach the speakers certain time later. This “phase” distortion produced by frequency dividers in the prior art affects the final audible quality of loudspeakers.
Another disadvantage of said technique is related with what occurs inside loudspeaker enclosures, either sealed or with vent, when the speakers are working. The low-frequency reproducing speaker (bass) generates significant air compressions and depressions inside the acoustic loudspeaker enclosures when the cones thereof move. They behave similar to a piston. The compression and depression generated inside the loudspeaker enclosure reaches the cones of the other speakers of the system, in opposite “phase”, restricting its correct operation, mainly the operation of the middle-frequency reproducing speaker. Namely, when the electrical signal from the frequency divider makes the low-frequency speaker cone move forward, depression or vacuum is generated inside the loudspeaker enclosure. Said depression inside the loudspeaker enclosure “pulls” backward the middle-frequency speaker cone, but in that moment, the middle-frequency speaker also receives an electrical signal from the frequency divider, which tries to move it forward. Similarly, when the electrical signal from the frequency divider makes the low-frequency speaker cone move backward, a pressure inside the loudspeaker enclosure is generated, said pressure “pushes” forward the middle-range speaker cone, but in this moment, the middle-frequency speaker also receives an electrical signal from the frequency divider which tries to move it backward, so there are opposite forces in the cones of the low-frequency speaker and middle-frequency speaker, caused by this operation form. These opposite speaker cone forces diminish significantly the total system efficiency that finally results in a significant acoustic distortion and therefore, in a poor audible quality.
Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an acoustic resonator having a single high-efficiency, full range speaker, which can reproduce with high definition almost all of the sound frequencies that humans are able to hear, unlike the three or more speakers used by the prior art. Additionally, the frequency divider filters used in the prior art are eliminated. The rectangular loudspeaker enclosures made from pressed “MDF” wood, which house speakers in the prior art are also eliminated. | {
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of repairing a pattern using a photomask pattern repair device capable of eliminating a drawback caused when a reference point for detecting an amount of drift of the orbit of a charged particle beam is confirmed.
2. Description of the Related Art
A prior art method of repairing a pattern using a photomask pattern repair device, including a process of forming a glass mask, will now be described, with reference to the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 1 is a plan view showing the whole of a mask pattern and an enlarged view showing a part thereof.
A mask 19, shown in FIG. 1, is obtained by applying a thin film, which contains chromium as the principal ingredient and serves as a shield member, to a quartz glass substrate (not shown) by sputtering or the like.
For example, an EB(Electron Beam) resist is uniformly applied onto the mask 19 and dehydrated. A pattern is drawn on the resist by using an EB pattern drawing apparatus in accordance with pattern data, and then developed. Using the pattern formed on the resist as a mask, the metallic thin film is etched.
After the pattern is completed by the etching of the metallic thin film, the resist is removed, and the resultant structure is washed. After that, registration and critical dimension are measured, and the shape and appearance of a defect in the pattern are inspected. It is only the wafers passed in these measurements and inspections that are placed in a stepper for exposure.
A main pattern section 20, enlarged in FIG. 1, includes a glass substrate 7 and a pattern 5 formed of chromium on the substrate 7 and having a clear defective portion 2. The clear defective portion 2 is detected through a defect shape inspection and repaired by using a carbon or metallic thin film.
The conventional method of repairing a defect in pattern is classified roughly into the following three methods: a lift-off method, a laser repair using a laser beam, and an FIB (Focus Ion Beam) pattern repair using a focus ion beam. The FIB pattern repair includes a method of removing a defect in pattern by etching using an ion beam and a method of repairing a defect in pattern by forming a light shield film so as to cover the defect which is sprayed with a deposition gas and irradiated with an ion beam.
A generally-known FIB pattern repair device is disclosed in, for example, Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publications No. 58-56332. One example of the FIB pattern repair device is shown in FIG. 2.
When a pattern formed on a glass substrate 7 placed on a stage 18 is in need of repair, an ion beam 6 is emitted from an ion source 11 and focused upon the substrate 7 through a limiting aperture 12, thereby removing or repairing a defect in the pattern. The focus position of the ion beam can be arbitrarily changed by deflecting the orbit thereof by means of a deflector 14.
A gas gun 15 is provided to generate gas when a protection film serving as a light shield film is formed on a Cr (chromium) film of a pattern member. A Cr secondary ion detector 16 detects a Cr secondary ion 13 generated from the Cr film while a charged particle beam is scanning. An Si secondary ion detector 17 detects an Si secondary ion 13 generated from the glass substrate 7 which is an underlying member of a through hole formed in the protection film and corresponding to a reference point.
The pattern repair using the conventional FIB pattern repair device mentioned above, is performed as follows.
FIG. 3 is a view of a portion of the main pattern section 20 shown in FIG. 1.
In order to repair the defective portion 2 of the pattern member 5 constituted by the Cr film, the portion 2 is irradiated with an ion beam and then sprayed with a gas from the gas gun 15, thereby forming a repairing carbon film 1 covering the defective portion 2.
However, the use of the ion beam sometimes causes a beam drift and makes the beam unstable since the beam source is thermally changed.
The shift in orbit of the ion beam is corrected by detecting a position of the beam with respect to the reference point and changing the orbit based on the mount of drift corresponding to the detected position. According to this correction, which is disclosed in, for example, Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 1-309245, a hole is formed, by the ion beam, as a reference point 3 in that part of the pattern member 5 which is in the vicinity of the defective portion 2. The hole is usually formed such that it penetrates the pattern member and reaches the glass substrate.
The repairing carbon film 1 as a repairing area is formed around the defective portion 2 on the basis of the reference point 3 to start repairing the defective portion 2. In order to confirm whether the orbit of an ion beam varies or not during the repair, it is confirmed whether a distance from the orbit position of the currently emitting ion beam to the reference point 3 is maintained or not. A reference point confirmation area 4 is scanned with the ion beam at regular intervals to confirm that the reference point 3 is located in the center of the area 4.
FIG. 4 is an enlarged plan view showing the reference point 3 and reference point confirmation area 4 formed in the pattern member 5, and FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line V--V of FIG. 4.
The reference point confirmation area 4 is scanned with the ion beam at regular intervals of, e.g., a few minutes to several tens of minutes. If the reference point 3 falls within the scanning range, an Si secondary ion having a steep waveform, as shown in FIG. 6, is generated from only the hole of the reference point 3, thereby confirming the position of the reference point.
If the reference point 3 is shifted from the center of the reference confirmation area 4, the shift is corrected as an amount of drift correction. This correction operation is repeated at regular intervals during the repairing operation.
However, the conventional pattern repairing method described above, has the following drawback.
To confirm the position of the reference point 3, the reference point confirmation area 4 is repeatedly scanned several times by several times at regular intervals and, consequently, the Cr film of the reference point confirmation area 4, shown in FIG. 5 is extremely thinned. If, therefore, the number of scans is large, a light leak causes when the pattern is transferred to a wafer, and a new defect is likely to occur on the wafer.
FIGS. 7 and 8 show an example wherein, even if the defective portion 2 of the pattern member 5 is repaired by the repairing carbon film 1, a new defective portion 23 occurs on the repaired transfer pattern 21 since the Cr film of the reference point confirmation area 4 is thinned by scanning the area 4 with the charged particle beam.
The reference point 3, which is not currently in question, is transferred onto the wafer as a pattern, indicated by reference numeral 22 in FIG. 8, as the limit of transfer to the wafer (the resolution of resist) improves in future, with the result that the reference point itself is likely to be formed as a new defect.
In order to eliminate the above drawback, a method of limiting the total number of scans for confirming the reference point is adopted. However, when the reference point is difficult to confirm, the total number of scans reaches a predetermined limit before the repair is completed, and the original repairing operation cannot be continued any longer.
If there is no pattern member of a Cr film for forming a hole serving as the reference point 3 in the vicinity of a defective portion, the foregoing repairing method cannot be employed.
In the prior art repairing method described above, the mass of the Si secondary ion, which is generated as a reference signal from the hole of the reference point 3, is lighter than that of Cr. If foreign substances 8 each having a mass similar to that of Si is present near the reference point 3 as shown in FIG. 9, other secondary ions due to the substances 8 are detected even at positions 9 other than the reference point 3 as shown in FIG. 10, with the result that the correct position of the reference point 3 cannot be determined.
As described above, the prior art repairing method has the drawback wherein a different secondary ion, which has a mass similar to that of Si and is unstable as a reference signal, is easy to be detected by mistake. | {
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Backing absorbers for ultrasonic transducers are typically comprised of metal particles and other binder composites. U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,973,152, 4,090,153, 4,582,680, and 6,814,618 describe such prior art backing absorbers. U.S. Pat. No. 3,973,152 describes a pressure applied to a multilayer metallic foil that performs as an absorber. However, such structures and techniques are deficient in several aspects. For example, ultrasonic waves do not propagate through relatively small gaps (e.g. gaps on the order of about 0.01 micrometer (um) or greater) between surfaces. Rather, ultrasonic waves are transmitted only through the small areas where the metal layers actually contact or are fused to one another.
Because the metal surface is not ideally flat and microscopic roughness exists, the actual or real contacting area represents a small fraction of the total surface area, and ultrasonic waves propagate through mostly in these small spots where absorption of acoustic waves takes place. This is the mechanism of attenuation of ultrasonic waves in pressurized multiple layers of metal foils. In order to cause the metal foils to be in substantially uniform contact without the aforementioned relatively small gaps, high pressure (e.g. about 50,000 psi (350 MPa) or more) has to be applied to permit acoustic waves to go through most of the boundary area. However, such a structure does not provide appropriate absorption. Therefore, the pressure has to be at a certain value which yields multiple spots of contact thereby providing appropriate attenuation to the waves. However, it is difficult to control the application of pressure in a constant and reproducible manner within this environment. For example, when applying high pressure, metal is usually fatigued and pressure decreases in time, thereby causing the absorption to decrease over time.
A further problem with the known multilayer backing absorber concerns the difficulty in designing the pressurizing structure. Piezoelectric materials such as PZT or crystal are brittle and easily broken by the applied pressure, and yet multiple layers of metallic foils have to be pressed against the piezoelectric layer. This requires that the piezoelectric material hold the pressure. If only the periphery of the multi layer foil is pressurized and the main central region is bonded to piezoelectric material, appropriate pressure cannot appear on each boundary of the multi layer structure. It is difficult to design such a structure, particularly when the size of the piezoelectric layer is thin (less than 0.5 mm) and large (more than 5 mm). Furthermore, the pressurizing structure, which typically includes screws and a holder, make the device bulky. Still further, the absorption and impedance cannot simply be designed to a specified value.
Backing absorbers are relatively difficult to manufacture and control the absorption and acoustic impedance of these devices. Many absorbers are comprised of heavy metal particles mixed with epoxy or polymer as a binder. The density difference makes sediment and thus requires thorough mixing. Moreover, casting must occur immediately after mixing to place the absorber in the desired shape. Such processes are difficult to control. Furthermore, mixing with correct ratios requires accurate weight measurements.
Such problems of difficulty in design, reproducibility and reliability are commonly seen for any absorber including the aforementioned examples. Alternative absorber structures and methods of making absorber structures are desired. | {
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The present invention relates to a dental handpiece, in particular, a dental handpiece of a motor driven type which can be sterilized conveniently.
Tools and instruments used for dental treatment are sterilized after use for each patient in order to prevent cross infection between patients. Such sterilization is usually performed with, for example, boiling water, high-pressure steam (autoclaving or chemi-claving), EOG (ethylene oxide gas), ultraviolet, or alcohol. Among them, sterilization of dental handpieces is mainly carried out with high-pressure steam or EOG.
Sterilization of motor-driven dental handpieces by the above-mentioned way often causes deterioration of brushes in the motor due to the steam intrusion. Further, since such sterilization is carried out at an elevated temperature, sensors in brushless motors tend to be damaged by heat. Therefore, it is desirable to take the motor away from the handpiece before sterilization of the handpiece.
However, the motor is integrally and undetachably built in the handpiece driving section. Thus, it is hard to remove only the motor from the handpiece, nor is it practical to do this after use for each patient.
Accordingly, with a handpiece which can be divided into a handpiece body and a driving section, only the handpiece body is conventionally subjected to the sterilization such as autoclaving, while the driving section accommodating the motor is merely wiped with alcohol.
This driving section accommodates a variety of fluid passages, and is exposed to direct contact with users such as dentists. Therefore, it is desirable to sterilize the driving section sufficiently by autoclaving and the like method. | {
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Erbium Doped Fiber Optical Amplifier (EDFA) modules and/or subassemblies used in optical communication networks generally include multiple elements such as erbium doped fiber, isolators, monitor taps, photo detectors, pumps, wavelength division multiplexers or combiners, splitters, etc. In order to properly control module and/or subassembly based on difference system configurations, the module and/or subassembly must have calibration data, configuration data, and the like. There are two conventional methods to achieve properly EDFA module and/or subassembly control—a “smart” EDFA module and/or subassembly with a built-in control circuit and a “dumb” EDFA module and/or subassembly without a control circuit. The smart EDFA module and/or subassembly with the built-in control circuit has all calibration data stored within the module and/or subassembly. A communication interface such as an RS232 serial data link or an Inter-Integrated Circuit (I2C) provides communication between a host module (system) and the module and/or subassembly. The host module, based on a system configuration, sets a desired control power level command. The smart EDFA module and/or subassembly, based on the command, accesses the data retaining device to retrieve the corresponding data to finish power level control. The dumb EDFA module and/or subassembly without the control circuit requires the host module for accessing data. In this method, the host module (system) stores all calibration data and a circuit on a host board accesses the data retaining device to retrieve the corresponding data to finish power level control.
In actual implementations, the smart EDFA module and/or subassembly, for different suppliers, the implementations significantly differed between suppliers thereby leading to difficulty in EDFA controlling behaviors. This makes system validation more complicated and in some cases software and hardware defects can take several years to show up and become fully understood. For systems-based integrators and manufacturers, the dumb EDFA implementation is more suitable since integrators and manufacturers define the system and integrators and manufacturers more clearly understand the system requirement. The dumb EDFA implementation can minimize hardware and software defects. A mistake can be easily and quickly found. The hardware and software design can be inherited for future EDFA modules and/or subassemblies.
However, dumb EDFA implementation is very labor intensive especially for advanced optical system where multi-pumps, multi-photo-detectors, and multi-variable-optical-attenuators are used. This can lead to several hours required to fully calibrate the EDFA. A dumb gain block purchased from supplier typically already has been tested and some calibration data is available in a database but not with a dumb EDFA module and/or subassembly. | {
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1. Field
This disclosure relates to a semiconductor device, in particular, to High Electron Mobility Transistors (HEMTs), and a method of making the same. This disclosure describes an improved device and an improvement to a process for fabrication of ohmic contacts to GaN/AlGaN HEMTs using a novel two step resist process to fabricate the ohmic contacts.
2. Description of the Related Art
A semiconductor in which the concentration of charge carriers is characteristic of the material itself rather than of the content of impurities and structural defects of the crystal is called an intrinsic semiconductor. In an ideal intrinsic semiconductor, mobility is determined by lattice scattering; that is, collisions between lattice waves (phonons) and electron waves (electrons). In an actual intrinsic specimen there are always some atomic impurities that may dominate scattering at low temperatures when phonons are quiescent, but at higher temperatures lattice scattering, particularly by optical phonons, is dominant. At cryogenic temperatures (e.g., T=4° K to 77° K) ionized impurity scattering does indeed dominate mobility. In addition, the theory of Brooks and Herring predicts, and experimentation confirms, that as a result of electron-electron scattering at a given temperature, mobility decreases with increasing impurity concentration, and for each doping level there is a theoretical maximum mobility.
The prior art, known to the inventors, that is improved by this invention is the current process for fabricating GaN HEMT ohmic contacts. In the prior art, GaN HEMT ohmic contact fabrication process, the baseline GaN HEMT structure shown in FIG. 1, consists of, starting at the substrate 10, a 10-20 nm thick AIN or AlyGa(1-y)N nucleation layer 11a, a 250 nm to 4000 nm thick GaN layer 11b and a 10 nm to 40 nm thick strained AlGaN Schottky barrier layer 11c. The Al content x in a ternary AlxGa(1-x)N Schottky barrier layer 11c could be any value between 0.1 and 0.4. For the purpose of the following discussion of the prior art, an x value of 0.3 and a Schottky barrier 11c thickness of 30 nm is chosen. The mobile two dimensional electron gas (2DEG) charge at the AlGaN/GaN interface is obtained by piezoelectric and spontaneous polarization due to lattice mismatch induced strain between the GaN 11b and the AlGaN Schottky barrier layer 11c, and not by doping. The electron charge density is roughly proportional to Al content x in the Schottky barrier layer 11c (strain) and thickness of the Schottky barrier 11c, (due to less surface charge depletion). It was empirically established that the best combination of the 2DEG sheet charge and specific ohmic contact resistance is obtained for x values between 0.15 and 0.3 and Schottky barrier 11c thickness between 20 nm and 40 nm. The upper value of x and the thickness of the Schottky barrier 11c is limited by the fact that barriers with an x value higher than 0.3 give poor ohmic contacts, and that strained barriers thicker than 40 nm can not be grown due to strain relaxation.
The fabrication process of the prior art is discussed as follows. In a first fabrication process, the source and drain contact pad areas are defined into a first photoresist using an image reversal process. FIG. 2 shows a typical layout of source 12 and drain 13 pads of a GaN power HEMT. The separation between the source 12 and drain pads 13 shown in the prior art process is 2 μm. An image reversal process is used to obtain under-cut of the photoresist 14 as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. The photoresist ledge 15 that is created by the undercut acts as a shadow mask during high vacuum metal evaporation and prevents metal from depositing onto the photoresist side-walls 16. The photoresist profile undercut obtained by the prior art process is approximately 0.25 μm.
During the next fabrication step, as shown in FIG. 3, the Schottky barrier layer 11c is etched by Chlorine plasma in a Reactive Ion Etching (RIE) system to reduce the Schottky barrier thickness. This step is called ohmic recess etching, and regions in which the Schottky barrier is etched are called recessed areas 17. It was empirically established that ohmic contact resistance is minimized when the Schottky barrier layer 11c is thinned to between 7.5 nm and 10 nm. The cross section of the device structure formed by the steps up to this point is shown in FIG. 3. A structure with a thinner 7.5 nm to 10 nm thick Schottky barrier that would not require a RIE etching step is, unfortunately, not suitable for fabrication of GaN HEMTs, because its 2DEG sheet charge is too low for semiconductor device applications. By using the ohmic recess etch process, the 2DEG sheet charge is reduced only in recessed areas 17.
The semiconductor structure, after ohmic recess etching, is loaded into a high vacuum e-beam evaporator and ohmic metals 18 are evaporated in the following sequence: 20 nm Ti, 200 nm Al, 50 nm Ni and 50 nm Au. The cross section of the device structure after this step is shown in FIG. 4. This figure also illustrates that the prior art process provides for unprotected recessed areas 17a, which is its major flaw. The unprotected recessed areas 17a are not covered by the ohmic metals 18. The unprotected recessed areas 17a have adverse effects on performance and reliability of GaN HEMTs because 2DEG sheet charge in these areas is by almost a factor of three lower than sheet charge in areas not etched by Cl plasma. The low 2DEG sheet charge in unprotected recessed areas is too low to support high current densities typical for GaN HEMTs. It is reasonable to assume that high electric fields and electron velocity saturation arise in these areas at high current densities, just as they do underneath the gate of the device. The presence of the second high field region in a HEMT degrades frequency response, power-added efficiency, and power handling capability of the device. It also contributes to needless heating of the device, and hence accelerates device degradation. Device performance would be improved by elimination of unprotected recessed areas.
The photoresist 14 is lifted off by a 1-hour soak in a mild photoresist stripper at 100° C. and rinsing in DI water. Photoresist residues are not completely removed during the lift-off process. The presence of photoresist residues after ohmic metal lift-off is the second major weakness of the prior art ohmic contact fabrication process. Attempts to completely remove these residues by extended soak in a mild photoresist stripper are unsuccessful. A soak in a harsh photoresist stripper removes these residues, but it unfortunately attacks the ohmic metal.
The fabrication of ohmic contacts 19, is concluded by a 30 second rapid thermal anneal (RTA) at 875° C. in nitrogen as shown in FIG. 5. In FIG. 5, the device cross section after RTA is shown. During this high temperature anneal, according to current theories of n-type GaN ohmic contacts, an AlTiN alloy with low Schottky barrier height is converted to heavy n-type AlGaN through a chemical reaction between ohmic metal and underlying semiconductor films. The formation of ohmic contacts is facilitated by the fact that GaN and AlGaN layers underneath the ohmic metal are due to loss of nitrogen converted to heavy n-type material 20, as nitrogen vacancies become donors in these Group III V semiconductors. The electrical properties of GaN HEMT layers not covered by the ohmic metal during high temperature anneal are, due to absence of the chemical reaction, not significantly altered during this step. Photoresist residues, mentioned above, melt and flow during high temperature annealing and leave residues in the active area of the device. These residues get buried underneath the gate metal during subsequent processing steps. It is not clear at this moment how presence of these residues under the gate metal affects performance of the devices. However, it is well documented in the literature that impurities underneath the gate metal adversely affect the performance of field effect transistors (FETs).
The disadvantages of the prior art process include incomplete coverage of the recessed areas by the ohmic metals. The low 2DEG sheet charge in unprotected recessed areas 17a is too low to support high current densities typical for GaN HEMTs. It is reasonable to consider that high electric fields and electron velocity saturation arise in these areas at high current densities, just as they do underneath the gate of the device. The presence of a second high field region in a HEMT degrades frequency response, power-added efficiency, and power handling capability of the device. It also contributes to needless heating of the device, and hence accelerates device degradation. Furthermore, this prior art process leaves photoresist residues in the active areas of the device. It is common knowledge, for people skilled in the art of semiconductor devices, that impurities underneath the gate metal adversely affect the performance of field effect transistors (FETs). | {
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Metro rail systems have to undergo regular maintenance which may be performed on specific train tracks (lines) having neighbouring tracks which do not require maintenance. In some cases two such tracks are divided by a row of steel universal columns (UC) (generally tunnels constructed via a ‘cut and cover’ method). If a track is closed for maintenance but a neighbouring track remains in use, safety barriers may be positioned between the neighbouring tracks to prevent maintenance workers from accidentally walking onto the track that is in use.
In most metro rail systems, particularly underground metro rail systems, there is limited space available for deploying structures such as safety barriers. Therefore, it is desirable to provide a barrier support assembly for the safety barriers which makes use of existing structures in such environments. It is also desirable to provide a barrier support assembly which may be deployed more easily in environments where construction in or around new or existing structures is being carried out. | {
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1.Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a total reflection type X-ray diffraction micrographic method and an apparatus for implementing the same method, and in particular, to a total reflection type X-ray diffraction micrographic method and apparatus suitable for detecting crystal defects present on and within the surface of a semiconductor wafer.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a semiconductor wafer such as a single crystalline silicon wafer, crystal defects present therein or thereon (for example, voids, interstitial atoms, dislocations, random stacking, depositions, segregations or the like) can exert adverse effects on the characteristics of a semiconductor device produced from this semiconductor wafer. In view of this problem, numerous methods have been developed to detect and evaluate the crystal defects present in the interior or on the surface of semiconductor wafers.
As one of such methods, there has been available a method called X-ray diffraction microscopy or X-ray topography which utilizes a diffraction phenomenon of X-rays. FIG. 1 is a layout plan view illustrating an arrangement implemented when a silicon (100) wafer is measured in accordance with this method. Incident X-ray beam 51, which is generated by an X-ray tube or the like and is formed into a thin and elongated beam by using a slit, is made monochromatic by means of a monochromater comprising spectroscopic analyzing crystal 52. Here, the glancing angle of incident X-ray beam 51 is made small so that it may come incident to the surface at an angle close to the surface of analyzing crystal 52 and, further, the orientation of analyzing crystal 52 is appropriately selected. As a result, monochromatic X-ray beam 53 emitted from analyzing crystal 52 becomes a widely spaced parallel light beam with an emitting angle which is nearly perpendicular to the crystal surface, and thereby comes incident to a wide area of the surface of silicon (100) wafer 54, the sample to be evaluated. The X-ray beam which enters silicon (100) wafer 54 is diffracted in accordance with Bragg's effect within wafer 54 and emitted from wafer 54. Diffracted X-ray beam 55 then strikes photographic film 56. If no crystal defects exist on or within wafer 54, the diffracted image formed on photographic film 56 is uniform, and, if otherwise, some turbulence will be apparent in this diffracted image. Therefore, the crystal defects existing on and within sample wafer 54 can be detected and evaluated by exposing film 56 to diffracted X-ray beam 55, developing exposed film 56, and finally, examining the diffraction image on the developed film by means of a microscope or the like. According to this method, the incident depth of the monochromatic X-ray beam which comes incident to the sample is on the order of several micrometers, and this range allows extensive information to be obtained regarding the sample as viewed in the direction of its depth.
In recent years, numerous semiconductor devices having a shallow junction have been in practical use. It is important to obtain information regarding crystal defects in the close neighborhood of the surface (within several nanometers in depth) of the semiconductor wafers making up these devices. However, according to the above-described conventional X-ray diffraction micrography, the incident depth of the X-ray beam into the specimen is too great to obtain the information regarding the close neighborhood of the surface. | {
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1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an improved electrical ignition system for a pilot burner of a fuel burning apparatus, such as a cooking apparatus or the like, and to a method of making such an electrical ignition system.
2. Prior Art Statement
It is known to provide an ignition system for a pilot burner of a cooking apparatus wherein the pilot burner has means for issuing fuel out of an outlet means thereof and being supplied thereto from a source of said fuel and an electrical probe has an end spaced from the outlet means of the pilot burner to provide a spark gap therewith and through which an electrical sparking is adapted to take place to ignite the issuing fuel when the probe is interconnected to a source of electrical energy and the fuel is issuing from the outlet means.
The end of the probe is disposed above the outlet means of the pilot burner so that once a continuously burning flame is created at the outlet means of the pilot burner through the previous electrical sparking, the continuously burning pilot flame provides an ionization of the air between the grounded pilot burner and the end of the probe to continuously dissipate a capacitor which originally had the charge build up to cause the sparking from the probe end so that further sparking of the probe does not take place as long as the pilot flame exists. However, should the flame cease, the capacitor is then permitted to build up its charge in a manner to cause a resparking from the end of the probe to the grounded pilot burner to reignite the issuing fuel.
A similar arrangement is provided in the patent to Wolfe et al, U.S. Pat. No. 3,511,588 except that the ignition probe is interconnected to a piezoelectric crystal element means which when squeezed or impacted will provide a sparking potential. However, the probe end is disposed above the outlet of the pilot burner which directs its fuel vertically upwardly to be deflected by a flame shield toward the ignition probe, the ignition probe creating a spark gap with a diffusion tang at the free end of the flame shield.
It is also known to provide a pilot burner that creates a small stand-by pilot flame which will be increased to a large heater flame by a control device so that the large heater flame is sensed by a sensor of a safety valve means which only opens when such large flame exists at the pilot burner means and thereby permits a fuel flow to the main burner means that is ignited by the pilot burner means. Thus, as long as the large flame exists at the pilot burner means, fuel is permitted to flow to the main burner means, the large flame at the pilot burner means being under the control of a thermostatically operated control device that is set to the desired temperature that is to be maintained in a cooking oven or the like.
For example, see the following U.S. patent
(1) U.S. patent to Riehl, U.S. Pat. No. 3,308,871
It is also known to provide an ignition electrode disposed beneath a main gas burner of an oven or the like.
For example, see the following U.S. patent:
(2) U.S. patent to Ensign et al, U.S. Pat. No. 2,545,945
It appears in FIG. 9 of Item (2) above, that an ignition electrode is disposed beneath a main gas burner. | {
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1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a lock device which can easily lock any bottle to prevent unauthorized children and adults from using it.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Intending to lock any bottle to prevent unauthorized persons from using it, my prior invention Household Safety Lock, U.S. Pat. No. 5,515,634 disclosed a bottle lock device. It includes an open ended cylindrical connecting part with screw threads and a ditch on its interior surface, another connecting part casted to the bottle with same screw threads and a ditch on its exterior surface, a fixing pin for preventing movement of both connecting parts when they are engaged, and a cylinder cap with a regular lock. This lock device can lock many items not only bottle. But each item needs to be casted or added a screw threads connecting part on it. So its usage is limited. The instant invention discloses a bottle lock device on the same principle but using a chuck device instead of the screw threads connecting parts. Any locked bottle no longer needs to be casted or added a screw threads connecting part. The problem is solved.
Industrial chuck device and keyless chuck device of the electric drills are well-known, for quick and easy bit changes. An outer movable turning ring with screw threads on its interior surface makes three movable screw threaded bars forward to hold the bit, or backward to slip the bit. There is not any lock device in chuck device to stop turning of the outer movable turning ring. So its usage is limited. The instant invention discloses a device to stop turning of the outer movable turning ring of chuck device. There are two groups of holes located separately on outer turning ring and inner fixing ring. Two holes of different groups may form a joint ditch. A fixing pin will cross the joint ditch to prevent any movement of outer movable turning ring. Although the instant invention still uses a chuck device to hold the bottle, the chuck device is not the same one of the prior art. | {
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Microelectronic capacitors are widely used in microelectronic devices. For example, microelectronic capacitors are widely used to store information in a Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM).
As the integration density of DRAMs continues to increase, the surface area of a memory cell tends to decrease. This may cause a decrease the capacitance of the cell capacitor, which may result in a lower performance and increased soft error rate. Therefore, it is generally desirable to maintain a large cell capacitance, notwithstanding the decreasing size of the DRAM cell.
Many techniques have been used to increase the capacitance in a given unit area. In particular, as is well known, capacitance C of a capacitor is given by: ##EQU1## where .di-elect cons..sub.0 is the dielectric constant of free space, .di-elect cons..sub.r is the relative dielectric constant of a dielectric film, A is the effective area of an electrode, and d is the thickness of the dielectric film. Accordingly, from the above equation, the capacitance can be increased by varying one or more of three parameters: the dielectric constant of the dielectric film, the effective area of the capacitor and/or the thickness of the dielectric film.
It has been proposed to increase the effective area of the capacitor by increasing the effective area of a capacitor electrode. In particular, a capacitor electrode with ridges and valleys may be formed to thereby increase the surface area of the electrode. It has been proposed to use Hemispherical Grain (HSG) silicon film having a rugged surface. This may be used in combination with a three dimensional capacitor structure such as a stack, a trench and/or a cylindrical structure to increase the effective area of the electrode per unit area of the microelectronic substrate.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,385,863 to Tatsumi discloses a technique for increasing the effective area of the capacitor electrode using an HSG silicon film. In particular, a capacitor electrode of polysilicon film is formed. The polysilicon film is formed by depositing an amorphous silicon film on an insulating film covering a substrate, generating a plurality of crystal nuclei on the amorphous silicon film and growing the crystal nuclei into mushroom or hemisphere-shaped crystal grains, thereby converting the amorphous silicon film into the polysilicon film.
Unfortunately, it may be difficult to maintain the amorphous film in a clean condition. Contamination of the surface by foreign materials or crystallization of an area of the amorphous silicon film may suppress the surface migration of the silicon atoms in the amorphous silicon film, and may thus reduce or prevent crystal nucleation and growth. Accordingly, poor quality HSG films may be produced.
FIGS. 1A and 1B are scanning electron microscope (SEM) photos showing the result of forming HSG films on a partially crystallized amorphous silicon film on a semiconductor substrate. As noted from the figures, HSGs are normally formed on amorphous silicon, while no growth of nuclei is observed in a crystallized portion due to the absence of activation energy of silicon.
Similarly, when the amorphous silicon surface is contaminated by foreign materials and thus the amorphous silicon atoms are combined with foreign atoms, it may be difficult for the silicon to migrate. The amorphous silicon surface thus may be further contaminated, and crystal nucleation and growth may end if the foreign materials are accumulated to a predetermined thickness.
A publication by H. Watanabe et al. entitled "A New Cylindrical Capacitor Using Hemispherical Grained Si (HSG--Si) for 256MB DRAMs", IEDM, 1992, pp. 259-262, describes the fabrication of a cylindrical electrode structure of a p-doped amorphous silicon film. A native oxide on the electrode surface is removed by a diluted HF solution. HSG--Si is then formed on the amorphous silicon surface using seeding method, Si.sub.2 H.sub.6 molecule irradiation and annealing at 580.degree. C. in an ultra-high vacuum chamber. | {
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Dye forming couplers are developed as intermediates of information recording materials such as silver halide photographic light-sensitive materials, color forming reagent compositions, filters, paints and inks or dyes for printing. Especially, in the field of silver halide photographic light-sensitive material, it is well known that an aromatic primary amine color developing agent when oxidized with an oxidizing agent of an exposed silver halide reacts with a coupler to give indophenol, indaniline, indamine, azomethine, phenoxazine, phenazine or a like dye, to thereby form a color image. In such a photographic system, a subtractive color photographic process is employed, where color images are formed with yellow, magenta and cyan dyes.
For forming yellow color images, acylacetanilide or benzoylacetanilide couplers are employed. For forming magenta color images, 5-pyrazolone, cyanoacetophenone, imidazolone, pyrazolobenzimidazole or pyrazolotriazole couplers are employed. For forming cyan color images, phenol or naphthol couplers are employed.
Almost all the magenta couplers which have hitherto been studied are 5-pyrazolone compounds. However, as the dyes to be derived from the couplers have some unfavorable absorption in the vicinity of 430 nm, they extremely lower the color reproducibility of the couplers.
In order to overcome this problem, pyrazolobenzimidazole skeletons disclosed in British Patent 1,047,612, indazolone skeletons disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,770,447, and pyrazolotriazole skeletons disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,725,067 and British Patents 1,252,418 and 1,334,515, have been proposed. Among them, the dyes to be derived from the pyrazolotriazole couplers are almost free from the unfavorable absorption in the vicinity of 430 nml, and therefore, they are favorable to the color reproducibility.
However, these couplers have other problems. For example the process of producing the couplers requires many reaction steps or the yield of the couplers by the process is poor. Additionally, they have further problems in that the coupling reaction activity in the reaction between the couplers and developing agents is low and the dyes formed from the couplers by the coupling reaction have a poor light-fastness.
On the other hand, the phenol or naphthol couplers which have heretofore been employed as the cyan coupler give dyes which have some unfavorable absorption in the region of a green color and therefore have a problem that the couplers extremely lower the color reproducibility.
In order to overcome the problem, 2,4-diphenylimidazole couplers described in European Patent 249,453 has been proposed. The dyes formed from the couplers are almost free from the unfavorable absorption in the region of a green color and therefore are favorable to the color reproducibility of the couplers.
However, the couplers have some problems that the coupling activity thereof is low and the dyes formed therefrom have an extremely poor fastness to heat and light. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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Networks used to deliver video content can have strict performance requirements. These performance requirements can be stricter than those relating to, for example, voice and data services. Nonetheless, the complex network structures used to deliver video content can present challenges for content providers to ensure that the video content provided to consumers meets an expected level of quality. These challenges can increase when content providers attempt to identify quality problems prior to customer complaints. Hence, there is a need for an improved system and method of managing video content quality. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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