Author: claimsbot

1. An electromagnetically operable fuel injector for a fuel injection system of an internal combustion engine, said injector having a generally longitudinal axis, which comprises:
a) a ferromagnetic core;
b) a magnetic coil at least partially surrounding said ferromagnetic core;
c) an armature magnetically coupled to said magnetic coil and being movably responsive to said magnetic coil, said armature actuating a valve closing element which interacts with a fixed valve seat of a fuel valve and being movable away from said fixed valve seat when said magnetic coil is excited, said armature having a generally elongated shape and a generally central opening for reception of fuel from a fuel inlet connector positioned adjacent thereto; and
d) a fuel inlet connector extending generally longitudinally and positioned adjacent said armature and defining a central path for fuel to enter said inlet connector and to be directed toward said armature for further passage toward said fixed valve seat, said fuel inlet connector having a lowermost end portion spaced above said armature to define a working gap through which said armature is movable to open and close said valve, said lowermost end portion of said fuel inlet connector having a transverse cross-sectional dimension corresponding to the transverse dimension of an upper end face of said armature and facing said fuel inlet connector to define a substantially direct magnetic flux path between said armature and said fuel inlet connector.
2. An electrically operable fuel injector for a compressed natural gas fuel injection system of an internal combustion engine, said injector having a generally longitudinal axis, which comprises:
a) a ferromagnetic core;
b) a magnetic coil at least partially surrounding said ferromagnetic core;
c) an armature magnetically coupled to said magnetic coil and movably responsive to said magnetic coil, said armature being made of a ferromagnetic metal material and having a first upper end face and a lower end portion;
d) a valve closing element connected to said lower end portion of said armature and interactive with a fixed valve seat of a fuel valve to selectively permit fuel to pass through said valve seat as said valve closing element is moved to a valve open position by said armature;
e) a valve body at least partially surrounding said armature; and
f) a fuel inlet connector extending in a generally longitudinal direction and positioned adjacent said armature and being made of a ferromagnetic metal material, said armature defining a path for fuel to enter said inlet connector and to be directed toward said armature, said fuel inlet connector having a lowermost surface spaced adjacent and above said armature to define a working gap through which said armature is movable, said lowermost end portion of said fuel inlet connector defining with said armature and said valve body, a direct path for magnetic flux, said fuel inlet connector having a chamfered configuration along said lower end portion on the outer side thereof so as to reduce the thickness of said fuel inlet connector whereby said reduced thickness portion is in direct face-to-face relation with said opposed upper surface portion of said armature thereby providing a ferromagnetic metal-to-metal path for magnetic flux lines generated by said coil and thereby reducing leakage of the flux lines outside of the ferromagnetic metal-to-metal path.
3. The electromagnetically operable fuel injector according to claim 2, wherein said lower end portion of said fuel inlet connector is positioned adjacent said armature and has a generally chamfered configuration along the lowermost outer end thereof to reduce the effective surface area of the lowermost face of said fuel inlet connector to substantially match the upper end face of said armature.
4. The electromagnetically operable fuel injector according to claim 3, wherein said generally chamfered portion of said fuel inlet connector is arcuate in cross-section.
5. The electromagnetically operable fuel injector according to claim 4, wherein said valve-closing element is a valve needle adapted for selective engagement and disengagement with said fixed valve seat.
6. The electromagnetically operable fuel injector according to claim 5, wherein said valve needle is attached to said armature by crimped portions.
7. The electromagnetically operable fuel injector according to claim 6, wherein said fuel inlet connector and said armature are adapted to permit a first flow path of gaseous fuel between said armature and said magnetic coil as part of a path leading to said fuel valve.
8. The electromagnetically operable fuel injector according to claim 7, wherein said armature defines at least one first fuel flow aperture extending through a wall portion thereof to define a second flow path of gaseous fuel as part of a path leading to said fuel valve.
9. The electromagnetically operable fuel injector according to claim 8, wherein said armature defines at least one second aperture in a wall portion to define a third flow path of gaseous fuel as part of a path leading to said fuel valve.
10. The electromagnetically operable fuel injector according to claim 9, wherein said at least one-second aperture is oriented at a generally acute angle with respect to the longitudinal axis.
11. The electromagnetically operable fuel injector according to claim 10, further comprising a valve body positioned downstream of said armature and having at least one aperture in a wall portion thereof for reception of fuel from at least two of said flow paths of gaseous fuel from said armature and said fuel inlet connector.
12. The electromagnetically operable fuel injector according to claim 11, wherein said fuel inlet connector is positioned above said armature and is spaced from said armature by said working gap, said fuel inlet connector defining a central opening for directing fuel toward said armature and said fixed valve seat.
13. The electromagnetically operable fuel injector according to claim 12, wherein said fuel inlet connector comprises an upper end portion adapted for reception of gaseous fuel from a fuel source, and a lower end portion for discharging gaseous fuel, said lower end portion having a lower surface which faces an upper surface of said armature, said lower surface of said fuel inlet connector having a plurality of radially extending raised pads defined thereon, said pads having recessed portions therebetween to permit fuel to flow therethrough and across, working gap defined between said fuel inlet connector and said armature.
14. The electromagnetically operable fuel injector according to claim 13, wherein said fuel inlet connector further includes a fuel filter at an upper end portion thereof for filtering fuel.
15. An electromagnetically actuable fuel injector for an internal combustion engine, said injector defining a generally longitudinal axis, which comprises:
a) an outer housing;
b) a fuel inlet connector positioned in the upper end portion of said outer housing for reception of fuel therein;
c) an armature made of a ferromagnetic metal material and positioned below said fuel inlet connector and defining a generally elongated central opening to receive fuel flow from said fuel inlet connector, said armature having a valve closing element positioned at the lower end portion which interacts with a fixed valve having a valve seat associated with said housing to selectively permit fuel to flow through a valve aperture associated with said fixed valve seat;
d) a magnetic coil system having a magnetic coil for selectively magnetically moving said armature and said valve closing element away from said fixed valve seat and toward said fuel inlet connector when said magnetic coil system is energized so as to permit fuel to flow through said fixed valve seat;
e) a resilient device to cause said armature and said valve closing element to move toward said fixed valve seat when said magnetic coil system is deenergized; and
f) a fuel inlet connector made of a ferromagnetic metal material and extending in a generally longitudinal direction above said armature and defining a path for fuel to enter said inlet connector and to be directed toward said armature, said fuel inlet connector having a lowermost surface spaced adjacent and above said armature to define a working gap through which said armature is movable, said lowermost end portion of said fuel inlet connector defining with said armature and said valve body, a direct path for magnetic flux, said fuel inlet connector having a chamfered configuration along said lower end portion on the outer side thereof so as to reduce the thickness of said inlet connector whereby said reduced thickness portion is in direct face-to-face relation with the upper surface portion of said armature, thereby providing a metal-to-metal path for magnetic flux lines generated by said coil and thereby reducing leakage of the flux lines outside of the metal-to-metal path.
16. The electromagnetically operable fuel injector according to claim 15, wherein said fuel inlet connector and said armature are adapted to permit a first flow path of gaseous fuel between said armature and said magnetic coil as part of a path leading to said fuel valve.
17. The electromagnetically operable fuel injector according to claim 16, wherein said armature defines at least one first fuel flow aperture extending through a wall portion thereof to define a second flow path of gaseous fuel as part of a path leading to said fuel valve.
18. The electromagnetically operable fuel injector according to claim 17, wherein said armature defines at least one second aperture in a wall portion to define a third flow path of gaseous fuel as part of a path leading to said fuel valve.
19. The electromagnetically operable fuel injector according to claim 18, wherein said at least one-second aperture is oriented at a generally acute angle with respect to the longitudinal axis.
20. The electromagnetically operable fuel injector according to claim 19, further comprising a valve body positioned downstream of said armature and having at least one aperture in a wall portion thereof for reception of fuel from at least two of said flow paths of gaseous fuel from said armature and said fuel inlet connector.
21. The electromagnetically operable fuel injector according to claim 20, wherein said fuel inlet connector is positioned above said armature and is spaced from said armature by said a working gap, said fuel inlet connector defining a through passage for directing fuel toward said armature and said fixed valve seat.
22. The electromagnetically operable fuel injector according to claim 21, wherein said fuel inlet connector comprises an upper end portion adapted for reception of gaseous fuel from a fuel source, and a lower end portion for discharging gaseous fuel, said lower end portion having a lower surface which faces an upper surface of said armature, said lower surface of said fuel inlet connector having a plurality of radially extending raised pads defined thereon, said pads having recessed portions therebetween to permit fuel to flow therethrough and across, working gap defined between said fuel inlet connector and said armature.
23. The electromagnetically actuable fuel injector according to claim 22, wherein said valve needle is connected to the lower end portion of said armature by crimped portions.

The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.

1. A printing apparatus with a cutter mechanism, comprising:
a conveying path along which a roll-type recording paper is conveyed;
conveying means that conveys the recording paper along the conveying path;
printing means that prints on the recording paper that is conveyed along the conveying path;
cutting means including a fixed blade and a movable blade that are disposed so as to be opposed to each other across the conveying path, the movable blade including a V-shaped cutting edge; and
a movable paper-conveyance guiding member provided in a movable-blade receiving area into which the movable blade slides in a process of cutting the recording paper,
the paper-conveyance guiding member including two guide members defining a projecting portion, the paper-conveyance guiding member urged such that the projecting portion projects toward the conveying path beyond a cutting edge of the fixed blade when the cutting process is not performed,
the paper-conveyance guiding member being moved away from the conveying path when the cutting process is performed,
a controller configured to control the conveying means to feed the recording paper forward toward a downstream side in a conveyance direction by a first predetermined amount and then feed the recording paper backward toward an upstream side in the conveying direction by a second predetermined amount during the time from when the recording paper is cut to when a printing operation is started,
wherein the two guide members are pivotable around a rotation shaft in opposite directions with respect to each other so as to form a V-shape when the paper-conveyance guiding member is pushed by the movable blade.
2. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:
a paper-conveying-locus regulating member positioned downstream of the paper-conveyance guiding member in a conveying direction, the paper-conveying-locus regulating member including an inclined surface that is inclined from an upstream side toward a downstream side in the conveying direction, an upstream portion of the inclined surface being on the movable-blade side relative to the position of the projecting portion of the paper-conveyance guiding member when the cutting process is not performed, and a downstream portion of the inclined surface being on the fixed-blade side relative to the position of the projecting portion of the paper-conveyance guiding member when the cutting process is not performed.
3. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the paper-conveyance guiding member includes an inclined surface gradually sloping from an edge of the inclined surface near the fixed blade toward the projecting portion provided downstream in a conveying direction.
4. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the movable blade slides in the movable-blade receiving area when the cutting process is performed.
5. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:
an actuator that moves the paper-conveyance guiding member.
6. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the cutting edge of the movable blade has a V-shape in plain view.
7. A printing apparatus with a cutter mechanism, comprising:
a conveying path along which a roll-type recording paper is conveyed;
printing means that prints on the recording paper that is conveyed along the conveying path;
cutting means including a fixed blade and a movable blade that are disposed so as to be opposed to each other across the conveying path; and
a movable paper-conveyance guiding member provided in a movable-blade receiving area into which the movable blade slides in a process of cutting the recording paper,
the paper-conveyance guiding member including a projecting portion that projects toward the conveying path beyond a cutting edge of the fixed blade when the cutting process is not performed, and
the paper-conveyance guiding member being moved away from the conveying path when the cutting process is performed,
wherein a small gap is provided between the paper-conveyance guiding member and the fixed blade, a dimension of the gap in a thickness direction being larger than the maximum paper thickness of the recording paper for which the operation of the printing apparatus can be guaranteed.
8. A printing apparatus with a cutter mechanism, comprising:
a conveying path along which a roll-type recording paper is conveyed;
conveying means that conveys the recording paper along the conveying path;
printing means that prints on the recording paper that is conveyed along the conveying path;
cutting means including a fixed blade and a movable blade that are disposed so as to be opposed to each other across the conveying path; and
a movable paper-conveyance guiding member provided in a movable-blade receiving area into which the movable blade slides in a process of cutting the recording paper,
the paper-conveyance guiding member including a projecting portion that projects toward the conveying path beyond a cutting edge of the fixed blade when the cutting process is not performed,
the paper-conveyance guiding member being moved away from the conveying path when the cutting process is performed,
a controller configured to control the conveying means to feed the recording paper forward toward a downstream side in a conveyance direction by a first predetermined amount and then feed the recording paper backward toward an upstream side in the conveying direction by a second predetermined amount during the time from when the recording paper is cut to when a printing operation is started,
wherein a small gap is provided between the paper-conveyance guiding member and the fixed blade, a dimension of the gap in a thickness direction being larger than the maximum paper thickness of the recording paper for which the operation of the printing apparatus can be guaranteed.

1. An apparatus comprising:
a bulk substrate;
a fin structure in direct contact with and extending from the bulk substrate;
an oxide layer formed over the fin structure and over the bulk substrate, wherein the oxide layer is in direct contact with both the fin structure and the bulk substrate and wherein a top surface of the oxide layer is substantially planar over both the fin structure and the bulk substrate; and
a semiconductor body formed on the oxide layer proximate to and in alignment with the fin structure, wherein the semiconductor body and the fin structure are both formed from the same material as the bulk substrate and wherein the oxide layer isolates the semiconductor body from the fin structure.
2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the material comprises silicon.
3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the material comprises silicon alloyed with a second material selected from the group consisting of germanium, indium antimonide, lead telluride, indium arsenide, indium phosphide, gallium arsenide, and gallium antimonide.
4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the oxide layer comprises silicon dioxide.
5. An apparatus comprising:
a bulk substrate;
a fin structure in direct contact with and extending from the bulk substrate;
an oxide layer formed atop the fin structure; and
a semiconductor body formed atop the oxide layer, wherein the oxide layer is formed by a thermal oxidation process that consumes a portion of the fin structure.
6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the fin structure comprises silicon, the bulk substrate comprises silicon, the semiconductor body comprises silicon, and the oxide layer comprises silicon dioxide.

The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.

1. A method for generating a random number, comprising the steps of: deriving from an input signal to a flip-flop a marking signal including decorrelating said marking signal to noise, wherein said input signal has a first binary value and a second binary value and wherein a value of said marking signal is said first binary value for approximately half of occurrences of said first binary value in said input signal and is said second binary value for approximately half of occurrences of said first binary value in said input signal; operating said flip-flop in a meta-stable state; and generating a random bit from the marking signal based on the occurrence of the meta-stable state.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein said decorrelating is performed by at least one linear feedback shift register.
3. The method of claim 2, wherein said linear feedback shift register provides a sufficient number of bits to decrease the chance of correlation.
4. The method of claim 2, wherein said linear feedback shift register (LFSR) provides a sufficient number of bits to reduce any bias in the LFSR output.
5. The method of claim 2, wherein said linear feedback shift register has a compensation circuit that removes bias from the generated random bits.
6. The method of claim 1, wherein said decorrelating is performed by a collection of linear feedback shift registers.
7. The method of claim 1, wherein said flip-flop is placed in said meta-stable state by violating a set-up time of said flip-flop.
8. The method of claim 1, wherein said flip-flop is placed in said meta-stable state by violating a hold time of said flip-flop.
9. The method of claim 1, wherein said generating step further comprises the step of generating a mistake signal if an output of said flip-flop does not match an applied input.
10. The method of claim 9, wherein to mistake signal causes a random bit to be acquired based on the marking input.
11. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of synchronizing an output of said flip-flop with a local clock source.
12. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of collecting a plurality of said random bits to produce a random number.
13. The method of claim 1, wherein said first binary value is zero and said second binary value is one.
14. The method of claim 1, wherein said first binary value is one and said second binary value is zero.
15. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of releasing collected bits from a shift register to generate said random bit.
16. A method for generating a random number, comprising the steps of: deriving from an input signal to a flip-flop a marking signal, including decorrelating said marking signal to noise, wherein said input signal has a first binary value and a second binary value and wherein a value of said marking signal is said first binary value for approximately half of occurrences of said first binary value in said input signal and is said second binary value for approximately half of occurrences of said first binary value in said input signal; operating said flip-flop in a meta-stable state; and generating a random bit from the marking signal based on the occurrence of said meta-stable state.
17. The method of claim 16, wherein said decorrelating is performed by a linear feedback shift register.
18. The method of claim 17, wherein said linear feedback shift register provides a sufficient number of bits to decrease the chance of correlation.
19. The method of claim 17, wherein said linear feedback shift register (LFSR) provides a sufficient number of bits to reduce any bias in the LFSR output.
20. The method of claim 17, wherein said linear feedback shift register has a compensation circuit that removes bias from the generated random number.
21. The meted of claim 16, wherein said decorrelating is performed by a collection of linear feedback shift registers.
22. The method of claim 16, wherein said generating step further comprises the step of generating a mistake signal if an output of said flip-flop does not match an applied input.
23. The method of claim 16, further comprising the step of collecting a plurality of said random bits to produce a random number.
24. A random number generator, comprising: a flip-flop operated in a meta-stable state; a marking circuit for deriving from an input signal to a flip-flop a marking signal, including at least one linear feedback shift register that decorrelates said marking signal to noise, wherein said input signal has a first binary value and a second binary value and wherein a value of said marking signal is said first binary value for approximately half of occurrences of said first binary value in said input signal and is said second binary value for approximately half of occurrences of said first binary value in said input signal; and means for generating a random bit from the marking signal based on the occurrence of the meta-stable state.
25. The random number generator of claim 24, wherein said first binary value is zero and said second binary value is one.
26. The random number generator of claim 24, wherein said first binary value is one and said second binary value is zero.
27. The random number generator of claim 24, wherein said one or more linear feedback shift registers provide a sufficient number of bits to decrease the chance of correlation.
28. The random number generator of claim 24, wherein said one or more linear feedback shift registers (LFSRs) provide a sufficient number of bits to reduce any bias in the LFSR output.
29. The random number generator of claim 24, wherein said one or more linear feedback shift registers has a compensation circuit that removes bias from the generated random number.
30. A random number generator, comprising: a flip-flop operated in a meta-stable state; a marking circuit for deriving from an input signal to a flip-flop a marking signal, including one or more linear feedback shift registers that decorrelate said marking signal to noise, wherein said input signal has a first binary value and a second binary value and wherein a value of said marking signal is said first binary value for approximately half of occurrences said first binary value in said input signal and is said second binary value for approximately half of occurrences of said first binary value in said input signal; and means for generating a random bit from the marking signal based on the occurrence of the meta-stable state.
31. The random number generator of claim 30, wherein said one or more linear feedback shift registers provide a sufficient number of bits to decrease the chance of correlation.
32. The random number generator of claim 30, wherein said one or more linear feedback shift registers (LFSRs) provide a sufficient number of bits to reduce any bias in the LFSR output.
33. The random number generator of claim 30, wherein said one or more linear feedback shift registers has a compensation circuit that removes bias from the generated random number.