(a) Technical Field
The present invention relates to an induction heating device for a fuel cell system. More particularly, it relates to an induction heating device for a fuel cell system, which can to rapidly heat coolant during cold start-up, control the power consumption depending on the voltage of a fuel cell stack, and ensure the insulation resistance by separating a heating unit, which is in contact with the coolant, from the outside.
(b) Background Art
A conventional fuel cell system comprises a fuel cell stack for generating electricity and heat in the form of reaction products via an electrochemical reaction. In a fuel cell system, the chemical energy of a fuel is converted into electrically energy. Typically, fuel cell systems include, for example, a hydrogen supply system for supplying hydrogen as fuel to the fuel cell stack, an oxygen (air) supply system for supplying oxygen-containing air as an oxidant required for the electrochemical reaction in the fuel cell stack, and a thermal management system (TMS) for removing reaction heat from the fuel cell stack to the outside of the fuel cell system, controlling operation temperature of the fuel cell stack, and performing water management function.
A fuel cell stack is consists of a plurality of unit cells. Each of these unit cells have an anode, a cathode and an electrolyte (electrolyte membrane). Hydrogen is supplied to the anode (“fuel electrode”) and oxygen-containing air is supplied to the cathode (“air electrode” or “oxygen electrode”).
The hydrogen supplied to the anode is dissociated into hydrogen ions (protons, H+) and electrons (e−) by a catalyst disposed in an electrode/catalyst layer. The hydrogen ions and electrons are transmitted to the cathode through the electrolyte membrane and a separator, to respectively. At the cathode, the hydrogen ions and electrons transmitted from the anode react with the oxygen-containing air supplied to the cathode to produce water. Electrical energy generated by the flow of the electrons is supplied to a load (e.g., a motor for driving a fuel cell vehicle) requiring the electrical energy through a current collector of an end plate.
The role of the thermal management system for the fuel cell system is particularly important in order to prevent the temperature of the fuel cell stack from increasing during operation of the fuel cell system and improve cold startability.
The conventional configuration of a thermal management system will be described with reference to FIG. 4 below. In FIG. 4, a water pump 16 is provided in a coolant circulation line 14, which is connected between a coolant outlet of a fuel cell stack 10 and an inlet of a radiator 18. The conventional thermal management system also has a coolant heating device 20 and a reservoir which are sequentially connected in the coolant circulation line 14.
Here, the coolant circulating through the coolant circulation line 14 functions as a cooling medium that cools the fuel cell stack 10 during operation and functions as a heating medium that is rapidly heated by the coolant heating device 20 and supplied to the fuel cell stack 10 to rapidly thaw the fuel cell stack 10 during cold start-up.
In conventional designs, the coolant heating device 20 includes a heater for heating the coolant. The heater is used to increase the temperature of the coolant, achieve more rapid temperature stabilization of the coolant during start-up of the vehicle, and reduce the to remaining voltage of the fuel cell stack during shutdown of the vehicle.
In FIG. 4, the conventional coolant heating device 20 has a structure, in which cartridge resistance heaters 24 are connected to a power unit provided in a housing 22, through which the coolant passes. However, this structure has the following disadvantages. First, there should be a predetermined distance between each of the heaters 24, which are high density heating elements. Thus, the volume of the housing 22 is significantly increased in conventional designs. Therefore, it is difficult to ensure a space for mounting the heating device which has such a large volume in a compact vehicle such as a fuel cell vehicle. Moreover, the complicated structure increases the manufacturing cost and reduces the assemblability and maintainability of this system. Furthermore, the cartridge resistance heaters are in direct contact with the coolant, and thus it is necessary to ensure the cartridge resistance heaters are insulated accordingly.
In addition, the cartridge resistance heaters penetrating the housing are typically sealed with O-rings, and thus when the temperature of the heaters is increased, the coolant may leak due to deformation of the O-rings, thus destroying the insulation.
FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing a conventional cold start-up system for a fuel cell. Referring to FIG. 5, a plurality of resistors R1, R2 and R3 and a plurality of switches L1, L2 and L3 are connected to a fuel cell stack 10 such that the resistance values are controlled step by step using the resistors R1, R2 and R3. As a result, it is possible to prevent the voltage of the fuel cell stack from dropping below a lower limit, thus enabling the cold start-up.
In detail, the plurality of resistors R1, R2 and R3 having different resistance values are connected in parallel to both ends of the fuel cell stack 10, and the plurality of switches L1, L2 and L3 for switching the circuit are connected to the resistors R1, R2 and R3, respectively, to change the resistance values applied to the both ends of the fuel cell stack 10 by on/off control of the switches L1, L2 and L3 such that the voltage of the fuel cell stack 10 is controlled between a predetermined lower limit for achieving cold start-up and an upper limit during cold start-up.
However, to control the power of the fuel cell stack during cold start-up, this system requires a heater at each resistor and a relay for controlling the heater, which imposes various limitations to the overall system.
The above information disclosed in this Background section is only for enhancement of understanding of the background of the invention and therefore it may contain information that does not form the prior art that is already known in this country to a person of ordinary skill in the art.


The present invention relates to parachutes and more particularly low altitude parachutes for use in both high velocity deployments as well as low velocity deployments.
The recovery of personnel resulting from low altitude ejections from military aircraft has become an increasingly difficult task. For many military applications the operational velocities are becoming greater causing the recoverable payloads such as ejection seats and ejectable capsules to become heavier due to the addition of protective equipment. The heavier payloads typically require larger parachutes so that they may be successfully recovered. The larger parachutes, however, take longer to inflate which may result in premature ground impact if deployed at low speeds and low attitudes.
Parachute opening speed is proportional to its deployment speed. This generates two major concerns which the recovery system must address. The two major concerns occur at the velocity extremes of the operational envelope. The first concern, as discussed above, is premature ground impact at low speeds due primarily to slow inflation. The second concern is the excessive opening forces that are present at high speeds.
At low speeds, the airflow surrounding the parachute is often too slow to fully inflate a large parachute in a relatively short time. This is due primarily to the inherently poor opening characteristic of standard parachutes which wastes or does not effectively utilize the available inflation air. There is often very limited time in which to inflate the parachute before ground impact. Thus in the low speed scenario, a major design goal is to speed up the inflation process of the parachute by capturing much of the available inflation air.
The opposite is true in the high speed regime, where the airflow velocity is sufficient to quickly inflate the parachute. The concern, however, is that the drag force caused by the parachute is proportional to the square of the deployment velocity multiplied by the effective drag area of the inflated parachute. Thus at high speeds when the parachute inflates very quickly, the drag forces can become excessive. If not controlled, these drag forces can exceed human tolerance limits or otherwise cause failures in the parachute, which is often equally fatal to the crew members. Therefore in the high speed regime, the design goal is to slow down or control the inflation process of the parachute in order to avoid excessive drag forces. Alternatively, one can attempt to control the drag forces by controlling the effective drag area so as not to exceed tolerable limits.
The related technology for speeding up the inflation of parachutes include a variety of techniques. The conventional methods for speeding up the inflation of a parachute include; reducing the permeability of the fabric or the porosity of the canopy or both. Also, one can close the vent of the parachute which prevents the trapped air from escaping. Yet another conventional method for speeding up the inflation of a parachute is to sew inflation pockets on the canopy around the outside of the skirt. These inflation pockets aid the spreading of the canopy by generating greater eddies of air around the parachute and contributing a small spreading force. These conventional methods, however, do not increase the opening speed of the parachute enough to warrant their use on low altitude military ejection applications.
One method currently used on some ejection seat parachutes to speed up inflation at low speed is a pull down vent line. This technique is also commonly known as pulling down the apex of the parachute. In this method a line attached to the vent area of the parachute is pulled down prior to deployment. When the parachute is deployed at low speed, the pulled-down vent forces the air entering the parachute to open the skirt quickly, allowing for a faster inflation. When the parachute is deployed at high speed, the pull-down vent line simply breaks allowing for normal inflation. The increase in opening speed of the parachute at low velocities is accomplished because the opening shape of the parachute is altered. However, by altering the shape of the parachute, the distribution of forces on the canopy are also altered. Altering the opening loads presents additional problems to those involved in parachute design.
Another way of speeding up inflation sufficient for use on ejection seat parachutes is with the use of a spreading gun. This gun explosively throws outward metal slugs that are attached around the perimeter of the parachute skirt. This spreading force acts to open the skirt very quickly. At high velocities this fast opening of the full canopy is undesirable because it can cause excessively high opening forces.
A third method used in this field for speeding up inflation is to use a cluster of smaller parachutes instead of one large parachute. While it is true that smaller parachutes will inflate faster, the increase in weight and complexity of such a system is viewed as a severe drawback.
On the other hand, the related technology for delaying the inflation of a parachute so as to avoid excessive opening forces is staged deployment systems. One such staged deployment system is a reefed parachute. This system employs a reefing line that prevents the parachute skirt from fully opening until a timed pyrotechnic line cutter severs the reefing line allowing the skirt to fully open. This type of staged deployment system distributes the opening forces in two or more smaller peak forces instead of one large peak force. Reefed parachutes and other staged deployment systems are not typically desireable during low velocity deployments. This is because any delay in inflation of the parachute can result in premature ground impact.
The present invention is a single parachute system which can recover a payload throughout virtually the entire performance envelope of military aircraft. That is to say, the regulated area parachute disclosed herein is capable of safely and successfully opening in both low speed situations as well as the high speed situations. The present invention is a significant advancement in recovery system technology which addresses the age old problem of minimizing the parachute inflation time while also minimizing the opening forces. This new parachute is especially effective in solving the problem of low altitude recovery of manned ejection seats and ejectable capsules.


1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a PC Card input/output device for use with PC Cards and a PC Card connector, which are used for writing and reading data to and from a PC Card containing a number of storage elements, and, more particularly, to improvements in the convenience of PC Cards.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Referring next to FIG. 7, there is illustrated an external view of the outward appearance of a PC Card. In the figure, reference numeral 1 denotes a PC Card, 6 denotes a female connector formed on the front side of the PC Card 1 which is to be in the lead when inserted into a PC Card socket, and comprised of a plurality of female connecting terminals, 7 denotes a notch formed on the right (or upper) side and one lateral side of the PC Card 1 and extending along the length of the PC Card 1 from the front side of the PC Card 1 and, and 8 denotes a guide slit formed on the other lateral side of the PC Card 1 and extending along the length of the PC Card 1 from the front side of PC Card 1.
Referring next to FIG. 8, there is illustrated a block diagram showing the structure of a prior art input/output device for use with PC Cards and a peripheral circuit. In the figure, reference numeral 2 denotes a PC Card connecter into which the PC Card 1 gets inserted, having a male connector which is electrically connected with the female connector 6 of the PC Card 1, and 3 denotes an internal circuit which can be electrically connected with the PC Card 1 by way of the PC Card connector 2. Referring next to FIG. 9, there is illustrated a perspective view showing the structure of the prior art PC Card connector 2 shown in FIG. 8. In FIG. 9, reference numeral 9 denotes a socket portion into which the PC Card 1 gets inserted so that the female connector 6 of the PC Card 1 is electrically connected to the PC Card connector 2, 10 denotes a plurality of male connecting terminals projected from an inner wall of the PC Card connector 2 at the back of the socket 9, 11 denotes a guide rail which can be engaged with the guide slit 8 of the PC Card 1 so as to guide the guide slit 8 when the PC Card 1 gets inserted into the socket portion 9, and 19 denotes an insertion blocking member which can be engaged with the notch 7 of the PC Card 1 when the PC Card 1 gets inserted into the socket so as to prevent the PC Card 1 from being pressed against the inner wall of the PC Card connector 2 after the plurality of female connecting terminals of the PC Card 1 are surely engaged with the plurality of male connecting terminals 10 of the PC Card connector 2, respectively.
In operation, the PC Card 1 gets inserted into the socket portion 9 with the upper side of the PC Card 1 pointing upwards while the guide slit 8 of the PC Card 1 is engaged with the guide rail 11. Once the PC Card 1 is inserted into the socket portion 9 as far forward as possible until the notch 7 is engaged with the insertion blocking member 19, the PC Card 1 is stopped and the plurality of female connecting terminals of the connector 6 of the PC Card 1 are brought into contact with and therefore electrically connected to the plurality of male connecting terminals 10 of the PC Card connector 2, respectively.
As a result, the internal circuit 3 is connected to the plurality of female connecting terminals of the PC Card 1 by way of the PC Card connector 2, so that the PC Card 1 can furnish and receive data to and from the internal circuit 3 in response to reading and writing requests from the internal circuit 3.
It is clear from FIG. 9 that the PC Card 1 cannot get inserted into the socket portion 9 with the reverse or lower side of the PC Card 1 pointing upwards because the front edge of the PC Card 1 is brought into contact with the insertion blocking member 19 and therefore the insertion of the PC Card 1 is stopped on the way to the plurality of male connecting terminals 10. The plurality of female connecting terminals of the PC Card 1 thus cannot reach the plurality of male connecting terminals 10 of the PC Card connector 2.
As previously explained, when utilizing a PC Card 1 and a PC Card connector 2 which comply with the PC Card Standard, the PC Card 1 can get inserted into the socket portion 9 of the PC Card connector 2 only when making the upper side of the PC Card 1 point upwards. As a result, the PC Card 1 can be connected to the internal circuit while a certain connection between the PC Card 1 and the internal circuit is established.
While the combination of the above-mentioned prior art PC Card and the PC Card connector can prevent the user from inserting the PC Card while mistaking the lower side of the PC Card for the upper side of the PC Card, and therefore prevent improper electrical connections between the PC Card and the PC Card connector, there is a problem in that every time the user does an improper insertion the user has to insert the PC Card again by turning the PC Card upside down, resulting in reduction in the convenience of the PC Card. Especially, when the PC Card connecter is disposed such that its insertion opening is running longitudinally, it is difficult for the user to determine in which direction the upper and lower sides of the PC Card should be oriented, resulting in substantial reduction in the convenience of the PC Card.
Japanese Patent Application Laying Open (KOKAI) No. 6-155974 discloses an improved prior art PC Card to solve the above problem. Referring next to FIG. 10, there is illustrated a perspective view showing the outward appearance of the PC Card as disclosed in the reference. In FIG. 10, reference numeral 20 denotes a switch disposed on one lateral side of the improved PC Card 100 which is opposite to the other lateral side on which a notch 7 is formed. The switch 20 can slide on the lateral side of the PC Card 100 opposite in direction to the travel of the PC Card 100. The switch 20 extends such that its free end reaches the front side of the PC Card 100 which is to be in the lead when the PC Card 100 gets inserted into a PC Card socket. Reference numeral 21 denotes a connection switching unit connected between the female connector 6 and a memory disposed inside the PC Card 100, responsive to a switching signal from the switch 20, for changing the connection between the plurality of female connecting terminals of the PC Card 100 and the pins of the built-in memory. To be more specific, the connection switching unit 21 performs a switching in such a manner that the connecting target with which each of the pins of the built-in memory is to be connected is switched from one female connecting terminal of the PC Card 100 to another female connecting terminal symmetric to the former female connecting terminal with respect to the center C of the front side of the PC Card 100.
When the user inserts the PC Card 100 into the PC Card connector with the upper side of the PC Card pointing upwards, the PC Card 100 is properly mounted into the PC Card connector, like the above-mentioned prior art PC Card as shown in FIG. 9. On the other hand, when the user inserts the PC Card 100 into the PC Card connector with the reverse side of the PC Card pointing upwards, the free end of the switch 20 is brought into contact with the insertion blocking member 19. When the user further pushes the PC Card 100 into the back of the socket, the female connector 6 of the PC Card 100 is electrically connected to the PC Card connector 2. In the PC Card 100, the switch 20 then generates a switching signal in response to the travel of the switch 20, with the result that the connection switching unit 20 changes the connection between the plurality of female connecting terminals and the pins of the built-in memory in such a manner that the connecting target with which each of the pins of the built-in memory is to be connected is switched from one female connecting terminal to another female connecting terminal symmetric to the former female connecting terminal with respect to the center C of the front side of the PC Card 100.
Accordingly, even though such the prior art PC Card 100 is inserted improperly into a PC Card socket with the reverse side of the PC Card 100 pointing upwards, the improved PC Card 100 can be electrically connected to the PC Card connector while the connection between the built-in memory and the internal circuit 3 by way of the female connector 6 and PC Card connector 2 is established in the same manner as the case where the PC card 100 is properly inserted into the PC Card socket with the right side of the PC Card 100 pointing upwards because the electrical coupling between the plurality of female connecting terminals of the female connector 6 of the PC card 100 and the plurality of male connecting terminals 10 of the PC Card connector 2 has been changed and the connection between the plurality of female connection terminals of the PC Card 100 and the pins of the built-in memory has been changed similarly. Thus the PC Card 100 can receive and furnish data from and to the internal circuit 3 reliably in response to reading and writing requests from the internal circuit 3 regardless of how the PC Card 100 inserted into the PC Card socket is oriented.
While the improved PC Card enabling the improper insertion offers an advantage of allowing an internal circuit to read and write data from and to the PC Card inserted into a PC Card socket regardless of how the PC Card inserted is oriented, it cannot improve the operability of prior art PC Cards which have become widely available and which complies with the PC Card Standard, instead, there is a fear that the introduction of the improved PC Card on the market causes a state of disorder wherein the improved PC Cards enabling the improper insertion coexist with existing prior art PC Cards and therefore users are required to use both the improved PC Cards and prior art PC Cards each in its proper way, resulting in reduction in the general convenience of PC Cards.


Amplitude-shift-keyed modulation is a commonly known technique used to modulate rf and optical carriers for the transmission of data. A typical transmission involves sending bursts of carrier signals, the presence of a burst identifying a binary one or zero and the absence of a burst or carrier being representative of the opposite binary digit. Examples of patents describing various ASK modulations are U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,947,407, 4,860,320, and 4,829,560.
Techniques for improving detection of data signals detected with optical receivers are known in the art. In one such technique as shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,431,916 delayed versions of input signals are compared with undelayed versions to reproduce data signals. Threshold values are created from these signals. U.S. Pat. No. 4,507,795 describes an apparatus for locating leading and trailing edges of pulses derived from an RF input.
One problem associated with ASK receivers involves the large amplitude swings of incident RF or optical carrier signals. Such large swings tend to introduce undesirable variations in the output data pulse width. Such variations often are due to the receiver's bandpass filtering which causes sloping, rising and falling edges at the output of the logarithmic amplifier that is commonly used in receivers.


1. Field
Embodiments of the invention relate to prosthetic products, and more particularly to systems and methods for decreasing build height of prosthetic products.
2. Description of the Related Art
Millions of individuals worldwide rely on prosthetic and/or orthotic devices to compensate for disabilities, such as amputation or debilitation, and to assist in the rehabilitation of injured limbs. Orthotic devices include external apparatuses used to support, align, prevent, protect, correct deformities of, or improve the function of movable parts of the body. Prosthetic devices include apparatuses used as artificial substitutes for a missing body part, such as an arm or leg.


(i) Technical Field
The present invention relates to image pickup devices and focal plane shutters.
(ii) Related Art
Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication Nos. 2010-181522 and 2008-256844 disclose a focal plane shutter driving a shutter by use of an electromagnet.
In a case of using the actuator as a drive source for driving the shutter, a change in temperature of a coil of the actuator also changes the resistance value of the coil. This might cause an exposure period to vary.


The present invention relates to a screen-type printing stencil having therein holes arranged in a pattern.
Screen printing, whether of the type employing flat-bed printing stencils or of the type employing cylindrical screen printing stencils in rotary screen printing machines, requires that the boundary areas between the different printed colors be smeared as little as possible.
The object of the present invention is accordingly to provide a screen-type printing stencil having therein openings patterned to reduce smearing.
This object is achieved according to the present invention by providing that the pattern of the openings or holes is formed by repetition of a primary pattern or pattern period formed by at least three holes none of which can be brought into coincidence or superimposition by rectilinear shifting toward each other.
In this connection it is of advantage if the pattern period includes holes of at least two different geometrical shapes and/or different sizes.
A particularly advantageous embodiment of a screen-type printing stencil according to the present invention is obtained when the pattern period has at least one hole which is equilateral and at least two elongated holes or six pentagonal holes.
When at least two elongated holes are provided, it is advantageous if the equilateral hole is hexagonal and if there are present three elongated, congruent, rhomboidal holes, the longitudinal axes of which extend at an angle of 60.degree. with each other. The sides of each rhomboidal hole extend in directions parallel with respective sides of the hexagonal hole.
When six pentagonal holes are provided, it is of advantage that the equilateral hole be a regular hexagon and that the six pentagonal holes be shifted with respect to each other by 60.degree. symmetrically around the hexagonal hole. Each side of the hexagonal hole faces a parallel side of equal length of one of the pentagonal holes. The mutually facing sides of adjacent of the pentagonal holes are always parallel with each other, and the outer sides adjacent thereto are always aligned with each other and jointly form a regular hexagon.
The above features of the screen-type printing stencil of the invention avoid the occurrence of intervals, which would otherwise exert a disadvantageous effect on printing, especially the printing of fine line patterns.
Further, a particular advantage of the invention is that the screen-type printing stencils of the invention produce sharper pattern outlines, since the inner tensions of the photolacquer exert their effect in an advantageous manner, i.e. the photolacquer does not pull back in the area of holes, which would lead to irregular edges.


Field
Aspects of the present disclosure relate generally to wireless communication systems, and more particularly, to physical uplink control management in long term evolution (LTE)/LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) communication systems with unlicensed spectrum.
Background
Wireless communication networks are widely deployed to provide various communication services such as voice, video, packet data, messaging, broadcast, and the like. These wireless networks may be multiple-access networks capable of supporting multiple users by sharing the available network resources. Such networks, which are usually multiple access networks, support communications for multiple users by sharing the available network resources. One example of such a network is the Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (UTRAN). The UTRAN is the radio access network (RAN) defined as a part of the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), a third generation (3G) mobile phone technology supported by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). Examples of multiple-access network formats include Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) networks, Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) networks, Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA) networks, Orthogonal FDMA (OFDMA) networks, and Single-Carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA) networks.
A wireless communication network may include a number of base stations or node Bs that can support communication for a number of user equipments (UEs). A UE may communicate with a base station via downlink and uplink. The downlink (or forward link) refers to the communication link from the base station to the UE, and the uplink (or reverse link) refers to the communication link from the UE to the base station.
A base station may transmit data and control information on the downlink to a UE and/or may receive data and control information on the uplink from the UE. On the downlink, a transmission from the base station may encounter interference due to transmissions from neighbor base stations or from other wireless radio frequency (RF) transmitters. On the uplink, a transmission from the UE may encounter interference from uplink transmissions of other UEs communicating with the neighbor base stations or from other wireless RF transmitters. This interference may degrade performance on both the downlink and uplink.
As the demand for mobile broadband access continues to increase, the possibilities of interference and congested networks grows with more UEs accessing the long-range wireless communication networks and more short-range wireless systems being deployed in communities. Research and development continue to advance the UMTS technologies not only to meet the growing demand for mobile broadband access, but to advance and enhance the user experience with mobile communications.


The present invention relates to a metallization technique of a semiconductor device, more specifically to a semiconductor device having a wiring or plug of a suitable structure for high integration and a method for fabrication of the semiconductor device.
As LSIs increase their scales, further micronization of the devices is sought. To realize semiconductor integrated circuits having gates, wirings and contact holes of more micronized dimensions, photolithography resolutions have been improved conventionally by making exposure wavelengths shorter.
While the minimum resolution dimensions are thus made smaller, device structures which permit alignment margins between lithography steps to be smaller have been studied, and an attempt has been made to reduce device dimensions without reducing dimensions of patterns to be formed therein. Such device structures are exemplified by self-aligned contact (herein after called SAC), borderless contact (herein after called BLC), and so forth.
The conventional SAC will be explained in comparison with a structure which does not use SAC.
In the structure as shown in FIG. 30A in which two gate electrodes 40 are formed on a semiconductor substrate 10, and an inter-layer insulation film 20 is also formed. In opening a contact hole 22 between the two gate electrodes 40 down to the semiconductor substrate 10, it is necessary to position the gate electrodes 40, considering beforehand the alignment precision for opening the contact hole 22.
That is, an interval a between the contact hole 22 and the gate electrodes 40 must be secured to be at least above the alignment precision so that when a conducting film is buried into the contact hole 22, the conducting film and the gate electrodes 40 are not short-circuited (FIG. 30B). Thus, the interval between the gate electrodes 40 is dependent on the contact hole 22, which makes further micronization impossible.
In SAC as shown in FIG. 30C, gate electrodes 40 are covered with an inter-layer insulating film 20 and an etching selective insulating film 38. This keeps the insulating film 38 from being etched when the inter-layer insulating film 20 is etched, and when a conducting film is buried in a contact hole 22, no short-circuit takes place between the conducting film and the gate electrodes.
Accordingly, when a misalignment takes place in a lithography step for forming the contact hole 22, the opening of the semiconductor substrate 10 is determined only by the gate electrodes 40 and the insulating film 38, which enables the gate electrodes 40 and the contact hole 22 to be arranged without considering alignment as shown in FIG. 30D. This makes micronization of devices possible.
Examples of SAC are disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 292323/1986, Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 106929/1992 and '94 Symp. VLSI Tech., Tech. Dig., pp. 99-100.
Next, the conventional BLC will be explained in comparison with a structure which does not use BLC.
In the structure as shown in FIG. 31A in which a device isolation film 12 is formed on a semiconductor substrate 10, and an inter-layer insulation film 20 is formed, in opening a contact hole 22 near the device isolation film 12, the contact hole 22 and the device isolation film 12 must be spaced from each other so that the contact hole 22 is not positioned on the device isolation film 12 even when misalignment takes place.
That is, when the contact hole 22 is positioned on the device isolation film, the device isolation film 12 is adversely etched in opening the contact hole 22, and when a conducting film 24 is buried in the contact hole 22, a junction short circuit takes place between the conducting film 24 and the semiconductor substrate 10 (FIG. 31B).
In contrast to this, in the BLC as shown in FIG. 31C, an inter-layer insulation film 20 is formed of insulation films 16, 18 having etching selectivity different from each other. By forming the insulation film 16 in contact with the device isolation film 12 of a material having sufficient etching selectivity with respect to the device isolation film 12, the device isolation film 12 is not etched when a contact hole 22 is opened to expose the surface of the semiconductor substrate 10. A junction short circuit between the conducting film buried in the contact hole 22 and the semiconductor substrate 10 can be prevented.
Thus, in the BLC, even when the device isolation film 12 and the contact hole are overlapped, a junction short circuit can be prevented, and it is not necessary to consider an allowance for alignment between the device isolation film 12 and the contact hole 22. The contact hole 22 can be positioned as exemplified in FIG. 31D. This makes device micronization possible.
Semiconductor devices having the above-described conventional BLC, however, have the following problems.
In etching the insulation film 16, it is preferred that wet etching is used to allow a good selectivity between the insulation film 16 and the device isolation film 12, but because wet etching is isotropic and adversely etches the insulation film 15 below the isolation film 18, a cavity is adversely formed. (FIG. 32A). The thus, formed cavity 30 cannot be covered by conventional sputtering and remains even after the conducting film 24 is deposited (FIG. 32B). When a plug 26 is formed in the next step of forming a contact, made by burying tungsten (W), then WF.sub.6, which is a source gas for tungsten, intrudes through the cavity 30 to cause substrate erosion called a worm hole. Junction spiking adversely occurs within a source/drain diffused layer 14 (FIG. 32C).
In addition, when using Al (aluminum) deposited by CVD as wiring material, in place of the above-described W plug, the Al and the semiconductor substrate directly contact each other in the cavity 30, and the Al and the semiconductor substrate react with each other by means of heat treatments in later steps, with a result that junction spiking takes place in the source/drain diffused layer 14 (FIG. 33A).
In addition, the above is true for a case in which Cu is used as a wiring material. Cu especially forms a deep energy level in the forbidden band when it is diffused in the semiconductor substrate which result much degrades the characteristics of the transistors. In addition, Cu is apt to diffuse in the silicon oxide film, and if the Cu reaches the gate oxide film 34, the Cu may add to leak current between the gate electrode 40 and the semiconductor substrate 10 (FIG. 33B).
In addition, in a semiconductor device shown in FIG. 34, which includes a contact plug 206 buried in an inter-layer insulation film 202 on a semiconductor substrate 200, it is often a case that when the BLC structure is used in opening a via-hole for connection to a wiring layer 210, an insulation film 220 is etched immediately onto the inter-layer insulation film 202 due to misalignment in opening the via-hole, etc., and a contact plug 208 is exposed in a cavity 224 formed when etching the etching stopper film 216, with a result that a contact plug 230 short-circuits with the contact plug 208.
In addition, when an etching stopper film 112 is removed without forming a cavity 124 using an anisotropic reactive ion etching, it is difficult to secure selectivity with respect to a ground film.
That is, in the structure of FIG. 35A, when the etching stopper film 112 in a wiring groove 118 is etched under conditions which secure a sufficient selectivity with respect to an inter-layer insulation film 104, a sufficient selectivity with respect to a contact plug 110, and the contact plug 110 is sometimes etched (FIG. 35B).
Opposite to this, when the etching stopper film 112 is etched under conditions which secure a sufficient etching ration with respect to the contact plug 110, a sufficient selectivity with respect to the inter-layer insulation film 104, and the inter-layer insulation film 104 is sometimes etched (FIG. 35C).
Thus, in etching the etching stopper film 112, it is difficult to concurrently secure etching selectivity with respect to both the contact plug 110 and the inter-layer insulation film 104. Contact characteristics are degraded, which affects reliability of the semiconductor device.
In addition, when the BLC structure is used in forming a contact plug 144 on a wiring layer 122 buried in an inter-layer insulation film 114, the wiring layer 122 is exposed in a cavity 138 formed by retreating an etching stopper film 130. When a plug 142 is buried, a raw material gas of the plug 142 reacts with the wiring layer 122 to form a high-resistance reaction product 146, which sometimes deteriorates contact characteristics between the contact plug 144 and the wiring 122 (FIG. 36).
The inventors have found a new problem which had not been discovered, in studying semiconductor devices of the above-described conventional structures.
That is, in the SAC as exemplified in FIG. 37A in which a gate electrode 40 and a contact hole 22 overlap each other, and a step is formed in the contact hole, it has been found that when the contact hole 22 is opened in an inter-layer insulation film 20 formed of an insulation film 18 and an insulation film 16 which are formed of SiN film, the SiN film is more worn at the shoulder of the step in etching the insulation film 18. As a result, when the worn SiN film is removed using the conventional technique, even an insulation film 38 directly below the SiN film is adversely etched as shown in FIG. 37A by the dotted line, and a gate electrode 40 is adversely exposed.
When phosphoric acid and fluorine radicals are used in the etching to thereby raise etching selectivity between the SiN film and the oxide film to suppress the above-described wearing of the oxide film, as shown in FIG. 37B, the etching horizontally advances in the insulation film 16, and a cavity 30 is adversely formed. Subsequently when a conducting film 24 is deposited, the conduction film 24 is not deposited in the cavity 30. In the next step of forming a contact by burying W, WF.sub.6 intrudes through the cavity 30 to cause substrate erosion called a worm hole. Junction breakdown adversely takes place near a source/drain diffused layer 14.
Also in the case in which a self-aligned silicide (salicide) is formed on the source/drain diffused layer 14, a semiconductor substrate 10 is not sufficiently covered with the silicide layer 44 at the edge of the device isolation film 12, and a worm hole is caused at the edge which results in junction breakdown (FIG. 38).


Three-dimensional vertical NAND strings having one bit per cell are disclosed in an article by T. Endoh et al., titled “Novel Ultra High Density Memory With A Stacked-Surrounding Gate Transistor (S-SGT) Structured Cell”, IEDM Proc. (2001) 33-36.
Fluorine diffusion between word lines and insulating layers in an alternating stack of layers of a three-dimensional memory device can adversely impact reliability of the three-dimensional memory device by forming voids in the insulating layers, causing migration of materials, and forming electrical shorts. Fluorine diffusion needs to be suppressed in order to provide a reliable three-dimensional memory device.


The present invention relates to speech processing apparatus and methods. More particularly, the present invention relates to apparatus and methods for use in automatic speech recognition applications and research.
Speech, as it is perceived, can be thought of as being made up of segments or speech sounds. These are the phonetic elements, the phonemes, of a spoken language and they can be represented by a set of symbols, such as International Phonetic Association symbols.
These segments are linguistic units and have their bases in speech as it is perceived and spoken. All of the syllables and words of a language are made up of a relatively small number of phonetic elements. For example, in the case of English, textbooks in phonetics may list as few as 25 consonants and 12 vowels for a total of 37 phonemes. If the finer phonetic distinctions are included, then the list of distinguishable speech sounds or phones may lengthen to as high as 50 or 60.
It has been proposed that the phonemes of a spoken language can be understood in terms of a small set of distinctive features numbering about 12. These features have their bases in articulatory, perceptual, and linguistic analyses. A feature approach is often used in textbooks on phonetics as the phones and phonemes are described in terms of place of articulation and manner of articulation.
There are several theories of how the human listener processes an incoming acoustic waveform of speech and translates that waveform into a series of linguistic elements such as phonemes or words. The exact mechanisms and processes involved in the perception of speech are not yet fully understood. Finding simple and reliable acoustic-auditory correlates of the phones, phonemes and presumed features has proved elusive.
Research on speech perception has led to complicated, highly conditioned statements of relations between acoustic- auditory patterns and perception of phonemes, and even these statements are often of narrowly circumscribed generality. For example, the problem of how the listener can divide the acoustic input into segments relevant to linguistic perception is not understood. Even if a solution of this segmentation problem were available, the auditory-acoustic expression of a phoneme or feature seems to depend on the phonetic context, the particular talker, and the rate of speaking.
As a result of these problems there are several viable theories of speech perception. All of the current theories can be cast into a generic three-stage model, with the acoustic input undergoing three stages of processing in a bottom-up sequence. Stage 1 is an auditory-sensory analysis of the incoming acoustic waveform whereby representation of the signal is achieved in auditory-sensory terms. Stage 2 is an auditory- perceptual transformation whereby the spectral output of stage 1 is transformed into a perceptual form relevant to phonetic recognition. Here the spectral descriptions are transformed into dimensions more directly relevant to perception. For example, in various theories the perceptual form may be related to articulatory correlates of speech production or auditory features or pattern sequences. Finally, there is stage 3 in which the perceptual dimensions of stage 2 are transformed by a phonetic- linguistic transformation into strings of phonemes, syllables, or words. Stages 2 and 3 also are influenced by top-down processing wherein stored knowledge of language and events and recent inputs, including those from other senses as well as language, are brought into play.
Some work in automatic speech recognition has involved a narrow-band spectral analysis performed on a time-windowed speech waveform. In one system described in "Recognizing continuous speech remains an elusive goal" by R. Reddy et al., IEEE Spectrum, Nov., 1983, pp. 84-87, incoming digitized signals are broken into centisecond slices and spectrally analyzed. Each slice is compared with a collection of sound prototypes and the prototype closest to each slice is entered into a sequence. The prototype sequence is then used to roughly categorize the initial sound of the word, which in turn is used to produce word hypotheses. Each word is then tested by creating a probability matrix and a cycle of operation repeats for the next word until an entire sentence is identified.
Diphthongs, glides, and r-colored vowels are speech sounds that are all generically referred to as glides herein. Analysis of these sounds continues to pose difficult problems among the many faced in the field of automatic speech recognition. A paper which discusses some of these types of speech sounds is "Transitions, Glides, and Diphthongs" by I. Lehiste et al., J. Acoust. Soc. Am., Vol. 33, No. 3, March, 1961, pp. 268-277.


1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to vegetable shelling apparatus and, in particular, to a vegetable shelling apparatus wherein the separated vegetables pass outwardly from a basket volume in a circumferential direction.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Vegetables, such as peas or beans, when harvested, are encased within a typically dry or membranous outer protective covering known generally as the shell. In order to further process the vegetables it is necessary to separate the vegetable from its protective shell. However, care must be exercised to avoid damage to the vegetables during the husking, or shelling, operation.
Of course, vegetables may be manually shelled, but such a process is burdensome, time-consuming and expensive. Therefore, the prior art provides several vegetable shelling devices, these devices being generally groupable into two main classes.
The first class of shelling apparatus provides an enclosed mesh or otherwise perforated basket, usually cylindrical in shape, into which the vegetables to be shelled are introduced. A suitable agitator is provided within the volume of the basket to break the shells and eject the vegetables therefrom. The openings in the mesh or perforations of the basket are usually sized to permit the shelled vegetables to pass therethrough, while the spent, empty shells are retained within the basket volume. The shelled vegetables pass radially outwardly (relative to the axis of the cylindrical basket volume) and may be collected in a tray, basket, or other receptacle disposed beneath the basket. Although the basket is usually rotated in a predetermined angular direction (no specified direction being optimum), in theory, the only movement required is the agitation of the husked vegetables, for once the shells are broken, the vegetables fall by their own weight through the openings in the perforated basket. Exemplary of such prior art devices are U.S. Pat. Nos. 496,206 issued to Placide, 421,244 issued to Chisholm et al., and 457,538 issued to Moulton.
A variation on the basic theme is provided in U.S. Pat. No. 3,825,018, to Ferrars, which provides means for radially clearing the openings in the mesh or perforated basket to prevent the unwanted accumulation of spent shells from blocking the egress passages for the shelled vegetables. In the same vein is U.S. Pat. No. 3,041,486 issued to Farmer, Sr., which extends needle-like elements through the mesh or perforations to keep them clear and open. U.S. Pat. No. 3,087,499 issued to Carmichael, Jr., et al., describes a resilient mesh basket structure. U.S. Pat. No. 3,084,696, issued to Carmichael, Jr., relates to an agitator operatively connected to the basket which acts to prevent clogging of the mesh or perforated openings.
A second class of prior art shelling apparatus is that exemplified by U.S. Pat. No. 3,238,950 issued to Taylor. This type of apparatus utilizes closely spaced, stacked roller elements which cause the vegetables to be ejected from their shells by the compression of the shells between the rollers. Such operation is analagous to the wringer operation commonly used on now-outdated washing machine apparatus. One disadvantage of the structure exemplified by the last-mentioned patent occurs due to the requirement that the vegetables be oriented so that the shells enter the rollers substantially perpendicular to their axes of rotation. It is also apparent that a portion of the vegetables being shelled may be squashed or otherwise destroyed with apparatus of the second general classification.
In view of the foregoing, it is advantageous to provide a vegetable shelling apparatus wherein the vegetables to be husked, or shelled, are inserted or deposited within a volume within a basket member such that agitation thereof causes the vegetables and the spent shells to collect in the radially outer regions of the interior of the basket. It is also of advantage to move strainer elements through the collected vegetables and their shells so that the vegetables pass circumferencially through the strainers and out of the basket while the shells are retained therein. Further advantage may be provided by the disposition of the strainer elements in radial gaps between the basket itself and the leading edges of arcuate segments projecting into the basket region. Still further advantage may be provided by rotation of the basket and the agitator at predetermined speeds, so as to maximize the ejection and separating of the vegetables from their shells.


A typical container refrigeration apparatus disclosed, for example, in Patent Document 1 cools air in a container used for marine transportation, for example.
Plants (e.g., bananas and avocados) in such a container still breathe even after harvest by absorbing oxygen in the air and releasing carbon dioxide. These breathing plants consume nutrients and water stored in the plants themselves, and the plants significantly deteriorate as their respiration rate increases. Thus, oxygen concentration in the container is preferably low to the degree that the plants do not develop a breathing problem.
Patent Document 1 discloses an internal environment control system to reduce oxygen concentration of air inside a container by generating nitrogen-enriched air higher in nitrogen concentration than atmosphere and supplying this nitrogen-enriched air into the container. When the internal environment control system reduces the oxygen concentration of the inside air, a respiration rate of plants in the container decreases, curbing deterioration of the plants.


With development of science and technology, an electronic product with a biometric identification function gradually enters people's life and work. Due to uniqueness and invariability, a fingerprint may be used for personal identification. Therefore, a fingerprint identification technology has attracted much attention.


Gear transmission speed change devices are capable of high torque but are complex to manufacture, exhibit backlash, gear noise, and typically require multiple stages to achieve high reduction ratios.
Traction drive speed change systems offer certain advantages but typically produce less torque then a geared speed change device of the same size.
Generally speaking, with traction drive systems it is desirable, for many applications, to provide pure rolling contact between torque transmitting members for low friction, high efficiency, long service life, and increased traction. Furthermore, is desirable for the contact forces between the torque transmitting members to increase automatically as torque increases, so high loads are only generated between traction components when necessary to allow increased torque output. This would provide the benefit of increased service life and efficiency by reducing wear surface loading when the actuator is not transmitting high torque.
Other desirable characteristics of a rotary actuator are zero backlash, backdriveability, low vibration, non-cogging output, high rigidity, and quiet operation. High torque capacity for size and weight are also desirable, as are a wide range of speed change ratio possibilities (including very high speed change ratios) high input speed capability (to allow the use of low torque input drive systems) low input inertia, and a relatively large center thru-hole for interned wiring (or possibly to allow an integrated electric w other type of rotary drive motor within (or partially within) the inner diameter (ID) of the actuator.


Field
This disclosure relates generally to implants, and, more specifically, to hydrogel joint implants and various tools, devices, systems, and methods related thereto.
Description of Related Art
Implants can be used to replace deteriorated or otherwise damaged cartilage within a joint. Such devices can be used to treat osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, other inflammatory diseases, generalized joint pain, joints damaged in an accident, while damaged participating in athletics, joints damaged due to repetitive use, and/or other joint diseases.


1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a zoom lens, and more particularly, to a zoom lens which is suitable for a still-picture camera, which includes a wide-angle range, and which has a high varifocal ratio.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Recently, zoom lenses have generally been used as interchangeable lenses for single-lens reflex cameras. This tendency is a result of the high performance, size reduction and low price of zoom lenses. Zoom lenses which have greater varifocal ratios, and which are even more compact, hereafter also will be required. In the field of compact cameras, where lenses are built into the camera, zoom lenses which have greater varifocal ratios and which are more compact also will be required.
Furthermore, in accordance with the popularity of autofocus cameras, optical systems suitable for an autofocusing operation also are required. Hence, it has become required that the amount of movement, weight, diameter and the like of a focus-moving lens have smaller values.
Zoom lenses having high varifocal ratios mainly are used for single-lens reflex cameras and have been disclosed, for example, in Japanese Patent Publication No. 58-33531 (1983) and Japanese Patent Laid-open Application (Kokai) Nos. 59-198214 (1984) and 60-39613 (1985). So-called rear-focusing zoom lenses, in which focusing is performed by lens groups other than the front lens group also have been disclosed, for example, in Japanese Patent Laid-open Application (Kokai) Nos. 58-136012 (1983); 58-143312 (1983); 61-138228 (1986); 63-205628 (1988); 63-205629 (1988); 63-266414 (1988); 63-266415 (1988) and 1-154014 (1989).
These zoom lenses have the configuration of five groups having positive, negative, positive, negative and positive refractive powers, arranged from the object side, in order to efficiently perform a varifocal operation and to provide a small size. However, these efficiencies are still insufficient. While the diameter of a front lens can be reduced by adopting a rear-focusing configuration, such a configuration is so complicated that the response speed of an autofocusing operation becomes insufficient.


1. Field of the Disclosure
The invention is directed to a process, system and device to provide service technicians with augmented reality service information and, in particular, augmented reality service information that provides the internal and external configurations, schematics and details of components of vehicles and the like.
2. Related Art
Currently service technicians must use hard copy diagrams or computer-based diagrams in order to schematically view various internal aspects of a vehicle for repair purposes. Currently there is no solution to provide the service technician with the ability to move a computer with respect to a vehicle and have the schematics and diagrams change in conjunction with the location of the computer with respect to the vehicle. Moreover, there is no solution to provide the service technician with the ability to move a computer with respect to a vehicle and have the schematics and diagrams change in conjunction with the location of the computer with respect to the vehicle such that they are superimposed over the vehicle image as shown in the computer.
Accordingly, there is a need for a computer that can provide schematics and diagrams in response to movement of computer with respect to a vehicle to improve the repair process.


The subject matter disclosed herein generally relates to the field of control systems, and more particularly to a method and apparatus for a configurable sever system.
Critical embedded controllers typically include sever logic that disables controller outputs when normal processing functions of the controller have malfunctioned. Sever logic varies between controller designs and is typically customized in a fixed format for a desired end use or application.


The present invention is related to the field of optical switches and, more particularly, to optical switches in which the switching function is effected by electromechanical devices.
In a 1.times.N optical switch, a single optical fiber forms an optical path with an optical fiber selected from N optical fibers. Thus a signal on the single optical fiber is transmitted to the selected fiber. Similarly a signal on the selected fiber is passed to the single optical fiber. A switch permits the optical connection to be changed from the selected fiber to another of the N fibers.
In electromechanical 1.times.N optical switches, the switching operation is effected by the movement of an end of the single optical fiber relative to the ends of the N optical fibers. To form an optical path, the end of the single optical fiber is aligned with the end of the selected fiber from the N fibers. In such systems alignment of the fiber ends is critical and the much effort is required with the electromechanical drive devices, such as motors and their movements, to ensure precise and reproducible alignment of the single fiber with each of the N optical fibers. Nonetheless, performance of such switches has remained poor with use restricted to multimode optical fibers. In present day optical networks it is often desirable to use single mode optical fibers.
The present invention presents an electromechanical 1.times.N optical switch with high optical performance. Moreover, with the present invention single mode optical fibers may be used.


Contaminated water exists in ever increasing quantities. Some of these waters contain low levels of organic compounds such as 2,4-dinitrotoluene, 1,4-dioxane, ethylene glycol, trinitrotoluene, phenols, anilines and pentachlorophenol. These compounds are susceptible to oxidation and/or photooxidaton processes. By such reactions, these organic compounds can be oxidized to carbon dioxide and water and, in the case of nitro or chloro compounds, NO.sub.3.sup.- and Cl.sup.-.
Accordingly, when oxidizable compounds are present in relatively low concentrations, less than 10,000 ppm, the water may be treated by the addition of one or more oxidizing agents accompanied, in some instances, with irradiation. Oxidizing agents which result in the production of hydroxyl and hydroperoxy radicals are typically employed. These radicals are very strong oxidizing agents and, in addition, they indiscriminately oxidize all organic compounds. Typical sources of such oxidizing radicals are ozone and hydrogen peroxide. The irradiation is normally conducted by using ultraviolet light having a wave length of from about 200 to about 300 nm. The choice of oxidizing agent and the use of ultraviolet light will depend upon various factors including the concentration of oxidizable contaminants in the water stream, the required amount of oxidizing radical and the pH of the water.
The oxidation/photooxidation treatment may be conducted to any stage of completion which is required. If the only contaminants present in the water are oxidizable contaminants, the water may be treated so that it meets environmental requirements for use or disposal. Alternatively, the water may be recycled or, if other non-oxidizable contaminants are present, subjected to further treatment.
Typically, waters can be held in holding tanks prior to the oxidation/photooxidation treatment. In such cases, the water is exposed to carbon dioxide. As a result of this exposure, carbonate and bicarbonate ions are formed. These ions compete for the oxidizing hydroxyl radicals. As a result of this competition, the amount of oxidizing agents to be added to the solution may have to be increased if the treatment rate is not to be greatly diminished. However, if ozone is being used, then it may not be possible to increase the flow rate of ozone to the oxidation reaction without increasing the size of the ozone plant. There is therefore a need for an efficient method to control the competition for the oxidizing radicals by the carbonate and bicarbonate ions.


1. Field of the Invention
Bisphosphonates--synthetic compounds containing two phosphonate groups bound to a carbon and two additional groups R.sub.1 and R.sub.2, respectively (see formula A herebelow)--bind strongly to calcium crystals, inhibit their growth, suppress bone resorption and are used in the treatment of a variety of disorders of calcium and bone metabolism. It is generally considered that the "bone hook" (P-C-P with R.sub.1) is responsible for the binding of these molecules to mineralized matrices, while, in turn, the R.sub.2 group is primarily responsible for its effect on bone resorption. ##STR2##
2. Description of the Related Art
U.S. Pat. No. 4,054,598 discloses a method with sequestering agents, especially for alkaline earth metal ions, having the formula 1-hydroxy-3-amino-alkane-1,1-bisphosphonic acids, useful for the treatment of disturbances of calcium or phosphate metabolism characterized by abnormal deposition of difficultly soluble calcium salts or the abnormal dissolution of hard tissues causing losses of hard bone substance, which cannot be replaced or only by incompletely crystallized tissues, such as Paget's disease, lithiasis, arthritis and others. Spanish Patent No. P910088 discloses pharmaceutical liposome preparations containing bisphosphonates as active compounds. The use of olpadronate as an anabolic agent for the treatment of osteoporosis and other bone metabolism disorders is claimed in the Applicant's earlier PCT application PCT/EP95/05142.
A number of 1,3-diaminoalkane-1,1-bisphosphonic acids including, amongst others, 1-amino-3-(N,N-dimethylamino)-propyliden-1,1-bisphosphonic acid are disclosed in DE-A1-25 34 390. Several applications (medical and non-medical), unrelated to the claimed methods of use of the present application, are mentioned, without giving any specific advantages for 1-amino-3-(N,N-dimethylamino)-propyliden-1,1-bisphosphonic acid.
DE-A1-18 13 659 is directed to compositions for the inhibision of deposition and mobilisation of calcium phosphate in tissues with an effective, but non-toxic content of various polyphosphonates. However, the specific compound of the present application is not mentioned.
In Eur. J. Clin. Invest. 1970, Vol. 1 (1) pp. 12-18 (Fleisch et al.) the inhibitory effect of phosphonates on the formation of calcium phosphate crystals in vitro and an aortic and kidney calcification in vivo is described. However, the specific compound of the present application is not mentioned.
DE-C1-10 02 355 is directed to processes for the production of various bisphosphonates. However, the specific compound of the present application is not mentioned. Moreover, no specific applications for the described compounds are given.
Z. Anorg. Allg. Chem. 389, pp. 119-128 (1972) (Ploger et al.) is directed to different processes for the production of various bisphosphonates, however without mentioning the specific compound of the present application or any specific application of the described compounds at all.
CA-A1-21 20 538 discloses the use of bisphosphonic acid derivatives for promoting bone repair. Although the general formula would also cover the specific compound of the present application, this compound or any related advantages are not mentioned in the description.
It is the object of the invention to provide for specific new medical applications of 1-amino-3-(N,N-dimethylamino)-propyliden-1,1-bisphosphonic acid or its monosodium or other pharmaceutically acceptable salt.


1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for producing an L-amino acid such as L-cysteine. More precisely, the present invention relates to a bacterium suitable for production of an L-amino acid and a method for producing an L-amino acid utilizing such a bacterium. L-Amino acids are used in various fields, for example, as seasonings, food additives, animal feed additives, chemicals, drugs, and so forth.
2. Background Art
L-Amino acids are industrially produced by fermentation using microorganisms belonging to the genus Brevibacterium, Corynebacterium, Escherichia, or the like. In such methods, strains are used which are isolated from nature or artificial variants of such strains. Furthermore, microorganism strains can be used which are modified by recombinant DNA techniques so that the activity of a basic L-amino acid biosynthesis enzyme is increased, and so forth (EP 0643135 B, EP 0733712 B, EP 1477565 A, EP 0796912 A, EP 0837134 A, WO01/53459, EP 1170376 A, WO2005/010175, WO96/17930, WO2006/013807).
Furthermore, L-cysteine, for example, is obtained by extraction from substances containing keratin, such as hair, horns, and feathers. L-cysteine can also be obtained by converting the precursor DL-2-aminothiazoline-4-carboxylic acid using a microbial enzyme (Sano, K. et al., Appl. Environ. Microibol., 34, 806-810 (1977)).
Furthermore, L-cysteine has also been produced by fermentation utilizing a bacterium. For example, a method has been disclosed for producing L-cysteine using an Escherichia bacterium with a suppressed L-cysteine decomposition system and a serine acetyltransferase (EC 2.3.1.30, henceforth also referred to as “SAT”) with attenuated feedback inhibition by L-cysteine is attenuated (Japanese Patent Laid-open (Kokai) No. 11-155571). Furthermore, coryneform bacteria or Escherichia bacteria attenuated or deleted activity of cystathionine-β-lyase (Japanese Patent Laid-open (Kokai) No. 11-155571), tryptophanase (Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 2003-169668), or O-acetylserine sulfhydrylase B (Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 2005-245311) are examples of bacteria with an enhanced ability to produce L-cysteine by suppressing the decomposition of L-cysteine. A method for producing L-cysteine by using a bacterium in which L-cysteine metabolism is decontrolled by using a DNA sequence coding for SAT that has a specific mutation for attenuating feedback inhibition by L-cysteine is also known (National Publication of Translated Version in Japan (Kohyo) No. 2000-504926).
Furthermore, it is known that the ydeD gene which encodes the YdeD protein (Dabler et al., Mol. Microbiol., 36, 1101-1112 (2000)), and the yfiK gene which encodes the YfiK protein (Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 2004-49237), participate in secretion of the metabolic products of the cysteine pathway. Techniques are also known for enhancing the L-cysteine-producing ability by increasing expression of the mar-locus, acr-locus, cmr-locus, mex-gene, bmr-gene, or qacA-gene, which encode proteins responsible for secreting toxic substances from cells (U.S. Pat. No. 5,972,663), or emrAB, emrKY, yojIH, acrEF, bcr, or cusA genes (Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 2005-287333).
Moreover, a method has been reported for producing L-cysteine using a bacterium which overexpresses a gene coding for a protein responsible for releasing an antibiotic or a substance toxic to a bacterium directly from a cell (Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 11-56381).
Moreover, it is known that production of L-amino acids by bacteria, not only L-cysteine, can be improved by increasing expression of an L-amino acid secretion protein. It is known that, in coryneform bacteria, L-lysine production is improved by increasing expression of an L-lysine secretion carrier, named LysE (Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 2000-189180). Furthermore, for Escherichia bacteria, several membrane proteins are known to be amino acid secretion carriers. For example, it has been reported that, by increasing the copy number of a gene named rhtB, resistance to a high concentration of L-homoserine, L-threonine, L-alanine, L-valine, and L-isoleucine is improved, and the product of this gene is a secretion carrier of these L-amino acids (Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 2000-189180).
The yeaS gene belongs to the family of the aforementioned rhtB gene, the product of which is presumed to be a membrane protein, and it has been reported that, by increasing expression of this gene, resistance to a high concentration of L-threonine, L-homoserine, L-lysine, L-glutamic acid, L-histidine, L-proline, and α-aminobutyric acid is improved as compared to a control strain, and by increasing expression of this gene in an L-amino acid-producing bacterium, production of L-valine, L-isoleucine, L-alanine, L-proline, and L-histidine is improved (EP 1013765 A1).
As described above, the effect of increasing yeaS gene expression on the production of various amino acids has been investigated (Kutukova et al., FEBS Lett., 579, 4629-4634 (2005)). However, mutations of the yeaS gene which improve L-amino acid productivity have not been previously reported.


The combustion of coal in a boiler, as in a pulverized coal-fired electric power generating plant, produces flyash. The composition of the flyash varies depending, for example, on the composition of the coal and the combustion conditions. Generally, flyash is a fine, solid, noncombustible mineral residue, which is distinct from bottom ash, cinders, or slag. Flyash can have widely varying particle size, density, shape, porosity, internal structure, and surface chemistry. It is typically composed of oxidized silicon, aluminum, calcium, iron, titanium, magnesium, sodium, potassium, sulfur, etc.
The sources of flyash from coal can generally be classified into two categories: mineral inclusions, i.e., extraneous minerals; and, organically associated inorganic elements ("OAI's" or inherent minerals). Inherent minerals are the components of the coal, such as sulfur, sodium, calcium, and potassium, which are not present as mineral inclusions in the coal matrix, but are actually associated with the chemical structure of the complex hydrocarbons which make up the coal's combustible component. The mineral inclusions are the solid, generally crystalline, compounds that are found in salt, rock, clay, and iron pyrites, for example.
The formation of flyash during coal combustion generally depends upon the transformation of minerals during the pyrolytic process of combustion, and the release of inorganic elements on an atomic or near atomic scale from the hydrocarbon matrix that comprises the structure of the coal itself. The inorganic elements released from the organically associated inorganics form a "fume," i.e., a suspension of particles in a gas, with an average particle size of about 1 micron or less. In some instances, the minerals which form the fume will be such as to exist in the vapor state, at least when the fume is the hottest. This may be the case, for example, for sodium and potassium oxides. Typically, the fume is composed of oxides of such elements as sodium, calcium, potassium, and magnesium.
Mineral associated flyash, i.e., ash formed from the mineral inclusions, commonly exists in a fairly wide range of particle sizes. Generally, however, it is most often between about 1 micron and about 100 microns in size (diameter). That is, the particle size distribution of the flyash formed from the mineral inclusions is typically such that the bulk of it, by weight, is of particles about 2 to 70 microns in diameter. In flyash, such materials are often generated from coal as glassy cenospheres.
Disposition of flyash from coal-burning installations such as power generating plants is an increasingly difficult problem. Strict environmental restrictions pertaining to air quality standards and the handling and final placement of flyash have combined to make flyash a source of escalating processing costs and environmental concerns common to nearly all coal-burning plants. To meet the environmental standards, flyash is generally removed from the exiting coal combustion off-gases by such arrangements as scrubbers or baghouses. In a typical example, the gas is fed through a shower of water, such as droplets in a venturi scrubber (or aqueous scrubber). The flyash is collected by the water as the gas passes therethrough. The gas is thereby cleansed and the particulate matter in the water is collected or settled in a pond.
Stack "opacity" is a government regulated flyash emission parameter. It generally concerns definition of the "clarity" of stack emission; i.e., percent transmission through a volume of stack emissions. The greater the opacity, the more contaminated the emissions. Extreme stack opacity values can limit the types of coal and/or amount of power that can be produced at a generating unit. That is, certain types of coal cannot be burned without extremely efficient scrubber systems or reduced power output because they generate a large amount of particulate matter, which contributes to opacity. Therefore, some coal-burning facilities are limited in the types of coal that can be burned in order to meet particulate emission standards.
What has been needed is still further systems and methods for reduction in the amount of flyash emissions from combustion processes. Such systems and methods would allow a wider range of coals to be burned without penalty, resulting in a more aggressive coal fuel purchasing strategy, and reduced cost of electricity production. The particulate emissions can be reduced; and, the power plant can regain a greater total power output (within opacity limits), if it was "opacity limited." Other advantages may result, such as reduced sulfur and/or flyash output from the plant as a result of the properties of the new coal used.
In addition to flyash emission problems, coal-burning facilities are faced with ash fouling problems. This is because coal-burning facilities have become more efficient by increasing the temperature of the steam produced in the boiler. Boilers, and the tubing (heat exchange surfaces) in the boilers, have also been improved so as not to be the limiting factor in obtaining these high temperatures. However, if the boiler tubes (or heat exchange surfaces) are so hot that they exceed the fluxing temperatures of the flyash which is being transported through the tubes along with the combustion off-gases, the flyash can adhere to the tubes. The flyash deposits can then build up in the tubes and interfere with the movement of off-gases and the rate of steam production. This detrimentally effects the efficiency and capacity of the boiler.
Certain types of coal that produce a relatively low amount of flyash upon combustion can be burned, with concomitant reduction in this ash buildup, i.e., ash fouling, problem. However, this is not always economically efficient. It has also been suggested that vermiculite can be added to the gases and flyash produced during a combustion process. This method, however, does not prevent the formation of flyash deposits. The vermiculite actually combines with the flyash to form ash deposits. Although these deposits are easier to remove than pure ash deposits due to the ability of the vermiculite to expand when exposed to elevated temperatures, they must still be removed by the application of jets of steam or soot blowers. It is, therefore, generally desirable to develop a system and method that reduces the amount of flyash buildup in the boiler system.


For example, an image forming apparatus such as a color copying machine or a printer includes an exposing device. The exposing device includes a laser diode as a light source, a polygon mirror, a deflection lens (an fθ lens), and a reflection mirror. The exposing device may be referred to as a laser scanning unit or an optical scanning device. For example, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,700,687 B1, a light source, a polygon mirror, a deflection lens, a reflection mirror, and the like are housed in a casing. A laser beam emitted from the light source is transmitted through the deflection lens via the polygon mirror and reflected by the reflection mirror to travel to a photoconductive drum.
The reflection mirror has a body square-bar-shaped in section and a reflection layer formed by depositing aluminum on the body. The mirror has a first surface on which the reflection layer is formed, second and third surfaces perpendicular to the first surface, and a fourth surface on the opposite side of the reflection layer. One end in an axial direction (a longitudinal direction) of the mirror is supported by one mirror supporting section provided in the casing. The other end in the axial direction of the mirror is supported by the other mirror supporting section provided in the casing. The exposing device of this type needs to reflect the laser beam at a predetermined angle with respect to the photoconductive drum. Therefore, the exposing device includes an adjusting mechanism for adjusting an angle of the mirror.
For example, the exposing device in the past, one mirror supporting section for supporting one end of the mirror has a positioning protrusion that comes into contact with the first surface of the mirror and an adjusting screw provided beside the positioning protrusion. A distal end of the adjusting screw is in contact with the first surface. A first flat spring is in contact with the fourth surface of the mirror with elastic energy stored therein. The first flat spring urges an end of the mirror toward the positioning protrusion. A positioning section that comes into contact with the second surface of the mirror is provided in one mirror supporting section. A second flat spring is in contact with the third surface of the mirror with elastic energy stored therein. The second flat spring urges one end of the mirror toward the positioning section. The other end of the mirror is elastically supported by a flat spring and a positioning protrusion provided in the other mirror supporting section.
To adjust an angle of the mirror, a projecting amount of the adjusting screw with respect to the mirror is changed by rotating the adjusting screw. For example, when the projecting amount of the adjusting screw is increased, while bending of the first flat spring increases, the mirror rotates in a first direction with the respective positioning protrusions as fulcrums. When the projecting amount of the adjusting screw is decreased, the mirror rotates in a second direction with the positioning protrusions as fulcrums with the repulsion of the first flat spring.
In the adjusting mechanism in the past, it is difficult to keep the balance of loads between the flat springs and the adjusting screw. For example, if the repulsion of the flat spring is too strong, when the projecting amount of the adjusting screw is increased, force larger than necessary force is applied to the mirror. This causes breakage of the mirror and shift of a position of the mirror from a predetermined position. Conversely, if the repulsion of the flat spring is too weak, when the projecting amount of the adjusting screw is reduced, the flat spring cannot push back the mirror. Therefore, the mirror cannot be rotated in a desired direction. Further, if the repulsion of the flat spring is weak, for example, a position of the mirror is not stabilized and the mirror moves when impact is applied to the mirror. In particular, when “permanent set in fatigue” due to aged deterioration of the flat spring is taken into account, it is difficult to properly keep the balance of loads between the repulsion of the flat spring and the adjusting screw.
Both the ends of the mirror are supported by a supporting section of the casing of the exposing device. Besides the mirror, a light source, a polygon mirror, a polygon motors a motor driver, and the like are housed in the casing. These act as heat generation sources during the operation of the exposing device. The casing of the exposing device may be affected by heat generated from peripheral apparatuses.
A casing of synthetic resin can be easily molded in a desired shape, light in weight, and low in cost compared with a casing of metal. However, the casing of synthetic resin has small thermal conductivity compared with the casing of metal. Therefore, a thermal expansion amount near a mirror supporting section close to a heat source and a thermal expansion amount near a mirror supporting section distant from the heat source may be different. This causes an adverse effect on a quality of an image in an exposing device including plural mirrors that are used in a color copying machine.
For example, in a mirror supporting section in a position close to a light source, since a thermal expansion amount is large, positional deviation of a mirror is large. An amount of shift of a beam reflected by the mirror is large. On the other hand, in a mirror supporting section in a position distant from the light source, since a thermal expansion amount is small, positional deviation of a mirror is small. An amount of shift of a beam reflected by the mirror is small. As a result, the amount of shift of the beams is different for each of the mirrors. This causes color drift on a photoconductive member. In that case, adjustment work is necessary for measures against the color drift. Therefore, for example, printing is unfavorably interrupted.
If the casing is integrally molded by using a material having high thermal conductivity such as an aluminum alloy, the thermal expansion difference between the mirror supporting sections can be reduced. However, the casing of metal is high in cost compared with the casing of synthetic resin. As another measure, it is also conceivable to fix a press-formed sheet metal member to the casing of synthetic resin. This sheet metal member is formed in a predetermined shape by pressing a metal plate. A mirror supporting member is provided in the sheet metal member. However, in the sheet metal member in which a bent section and the like are formed by pressing, it is difficult to highly accurately form the mirror supporting section in terms of a position and a shape.


As functional complexity increases, or business rules change, the backbone process of computer programs deprecate, made useless by dependencies between decision-logic and task-logic, or made useless by alterations to the data signature that allows interactions between programs.
The current state of the art is starting from scratch with a completely new set of programs, leaving the defects and deficiencies of legacy programs behind, while creating a completely new set of the same. Typically, the protocols for program organization are centered on the naming of programs and program properties.
Programs are generally written to account for “logical steps” of a given process, which gives rise to the tendency to write lengthy programs consisting of decision-logic mixed with task-logic. Alterations to the expected programming process may mandate rewriting entire sections of code.
An alteration to a single business rules may indicate the need to rewrite one ore more logical processes, to account for the correct implementation of a process series, or sequence, of decisions and related tasks. The convolution of programming logical steps is compounded by the need for cross-program communications, a need usually handled by a series of parameters in the originating program handled by a series of matching parameters in the receiving program. Any change to the expected programming process may also affect the content, sequence, and naming of parameters used in program communication.
Adding new functionality to an existing application is a concept referred to as layering programs. This means new programs need to be inserted at specific points in the process, and some existing programs may need to be updated. The way to implement a new “layer” is to begin the process of rewriting logical steps represented by one or more program modules, accounting for alterations to parameters between programs, and accounting for alterations to the sequence of program execution.
The long term benefits of the traditional approach to computer programming fail to materialize when attempting to integrate legacy program applications with newly developed modules.


1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an antenna duplexer mainly used for a high-frequency circuit or the like of a radio system to share an antenna by a transmitter and a receiver.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Because mobile communication has recently advanced, an antenna duplexer is used for a lot of portable telephones and automobile telephones. An example of the above conventional antenna duplexer is described below while referring to the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 13 shows an exploded perspective view of a conventional antenna duplexer. In FIG. 13, symbols 1301 to 1306 denote dielectric coaxial resonators, 1307 denotes a coupling board, 1308 denotes a metallic case, 1309 denotes a metallic cover, 1310 to 1312 denote series capacitors, 1313 and 1314 denote inductors, 1315 to 1318 denote coupling capacitors, 1321 to 1326 denote coupling pins, 1331 denotes a transmission (hereafter TX) terminal, 1332 denotes an antenna terminal, 1333 denotes a receiving (hereafter RX) terminal, and 1341 to 1347 denote electrode patterns formed on the coupling board 1307.
The dielectric coaxial resonators 1301, 1302, and 1303 and the series capacitors 1310, 1311, and 1312, and inductors 1313 and 1314 constitute a TX band rejection filter. Moreover, the dielectric coaxial resonators 1304, 1305, and 1306 and coupling capacitors 1315, 1316, 1317, and 1318 constitute a RX band pass filter.
One end of a TX filter is connected to the TX terminal 1331 electrically connected with a transmitter and the other end of the TX filter is connected with one end of a RX filter and also connected to the antenna terminal 1332 electrically connected to an antenna. The other end of the RX filter is connected to the RX terminal 1333 electrically connected with a receiver.
Operations of the antenna duplexer constituted as described above are described below.
First, the TX band rejection filter shows a small insertion loss for a TX signal in a TX frequency band and makes it possible to transfer the TX signal from the TX terminal 1331 to the antenna terminal 1332 almost without attenuating the TX signal. Moreover, the TX band rejection filter shows an operation that RX signals input through the antenna terminal 1332 return to the RX band pass filter because the TX band rejection filter shows a large insertion loss for the RX signals in a RX frequency band and most input signals in the RX frequency band are reflected.
However, the RX band pass filter shows a small insertion loss for a RX signal in a RX frequency band and makes it possible to transfer the RX signal from the antenna terminal 1332 to the RX terminal 1333 almost without attenuating the RX signal. Moreover, the RX band pass filter shows an operation that TX signals coming through a TX filter are sent to the antenna terminal 1332 because the RX band pass filter shows a large insertion loss for TX signals in a TX frequency band and most input signals in the TX frequency band are reflected.
An antenna duplexer used for a high-frequency band of mobile communication has wide band characteristics. Therefore, to secure a necessary attenuation value in a wide band, it is necessary to further increase the number of stages of cascaded dielectric coaxial resonators.
In the case of the above structure, however, when the number of stages of resonators is increased to increase the attenuation value, the loss in a signal pass band width increases. To avoid the bad effect, it is considered to increase the unloaded Q of a dielectric coaxial resonator. However, to increase the unloaded Q, it is necessary to increase the size of the dielectric coaxial resonator. This is reciprocal to the recent antenna-duplexer downsizing trend.


1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method to measure, install and fix an object, particular a method to measure, install and fix a toilet seat.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Currently, an ordinary toilet seat or a computerized toilet seat to be installed on a flush toilet should make a holder fixed at two mounting holes of the flush toilet with bolts, washers and nuts by a worker using a wrench or a screw driver in an inconvenient or time-consuming course of assembling or disassembling the toilet seat or the computerized toilet seat that may be unseparated in the case of bolts or nuts rusted.
In addition, a holder of any toilet seat or computerized toilet seat being available in the market and featuring its particular specifications should be lifted gently to check secure fastening after the toilet seat or the computerized toilet seat was installed on a flush toilet. In order to provide a mounting base of the computerized toilet seat available to any flush toilet made by an unspecified manufacturer, some tolerances have to be designed on a holder's mounting holes for flexible adjustment within certain extents. However, it is possible to open more mounting holes by a user in the case of two mounting holes' positions beyond the tolerances; otherwise, the toilet seat fails to be assembled.


The present invention relates to an access method and apparatus for rapidly retrieving desired information from a high density record medium which stores information signals thereon, and more particularly to an access method and apparatus which rapidly and optically retrieves desired information from a rotating optical disk on which information signals are recorded concentrically or spirally at a high density.
The optical disk has a number of concentric or spiral tracks formed thereon at a predetermined pitch, and a number of sectors for delimiting data are formed for each track. In order to record external information at any position or reproduce or erase information recorded at any position, one of the tracks on the disk is sought and one sector on the track is then sought. That is, a macro-seek control (i.e., speed control and position control) in which a light spot is rapidly moved to a neighborhood of a target track, a tracking servo in which the light spot is maintained at a center of the track, and a micro-seek control (for example, jump control) in which a deviation from the target track is corrected are necessary. The access operation in such an optical disk storage is disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication Nos. 58-91536 and 58-169370 (corresponding to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 06/443,399, continuation application Ser. No. 06/736,125, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,607,358 and EPC Patent Application No. 82110907.1). In the optical disk storage, the positioning of the light spot is controlled by cooperation of a coarse actuator, such as a linear motor and a fine actuator, such as a galvanomirror. The coarse positioning of the optical head is carried out by the course actuator and an external scale as a position detector, and the fine positioning to the track is carried out by the fine actuator by detecting an address signal recorded on the track. A scale pitch of the external pitch is a multiple of the track pitch.
The macro-seek operation for positioning the optical head to an approximate target position by using the external coarse scale usually effects speed control to reduce an access time. However, since the macro-positioning is carried out by using the external scale which is independent from the track eccentricity, the deviation from the target track varies significantly due to the eccentricity. As a result, the distance of movement of the light spot in the next micro-seek control (for example, jump control) is large and the access time increases. In order to control the speed, a means for detecting the speed of the head is necessary. However, when a separate detector (such as a tachometer) for detecting the speed is mounted, the weight of the head increases and an oscillation at a low frequency may be generated depending on the length of the tachometer. In addition, the cost increases. Accordingly, it is prederable to detect the speed by using the output of the external linear scale. A pulse frequency of a zero-crossing detection signal is proportional to the speed of the head. Accordingly, the zero-crossing detection signal is frequency-voltage converted so that the speed is detected based on a voltage. However, the frequency-voltage conversion does not provide an accurate conversion output when the frequency is low (head speed is low), because the pulse interval of the zero-crossing detection signal increases and the speed change in the interval cannot be detected. Accordingly, when the speed is controlled by using the output of the frequency-voltage conversion, the control is unstable when the speed is low and the system may overrun.