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HaMifratz Central railway station (, Taḥanat HaRakevet Merkazit HaMifratz) is an Israeli railway passenger station in Haifa, Israel co-located with the Haifa Bay central bus station. It serves Lev HaMifratz Mall (, Heart of the Bay Mall), one of Haifa's largest malls, and the surrounding Haifa Bay industrial zone in the northeast of the city.

Location
The station is situated on the north–south coastal railway and the Jezreel Valley railway and is located in the southern part of the Haifa-Bay industrial zone. The station is one of two railway stations serving this district (the other being Hutzot HaMifratz railway station), although it is much larger in terms of passenger numbers and trains serving it. The station is also one of six railway stations within Haifa's municipal borders.

History

The station was constructed during the summer of 2001 and officially opened on October 8, 2001. It was the first public railway station whose construction was entirely funded by a private enterprise (the adjacent shopping mall). A bridge connects the mall's second floor (where a small station structure exists) with the Coastal Railway's platforms on ground level just west of it. Until December 2019 the only way for passengers to access the Coastal Railway's platforms was through the mall (although access to the Jezreel Valley railway platform, completed in 2018, was only possible through the nearby bus station building). However, in December 2019 access to the railway platforms was also made possible directly from the main building of the Haifa Bay central bus station which is located just west of the mall. As such, the entire complex serves as a major public transportation interchange hub serving the region. The mall and bus station also have a separate pedestrian bridge completed in 2018 which allows access between them to non-ticketed passengers.

During the 2006 Lebanon War train service to the station was suspended after a Hezbollah Katyusha rocket hit a train depot in Haifa on July 16, 2006, killing eight Israel Railways workers. It was restored 29 days later, on August 14, two days after the ceasefire went into effect.

Train service
HaMifratz Central is a station on the main north–south coastal line of Israel Railways Nahariya–Haifa–Tel-Aviv–Modi'in/Be'er Sheva Inter-City Service), the suburban line serving Haifa's northern suburbs – The Krayot (Haifa–Kiryat Motzkin Suburban Service) and the Jezreel Valley railway. The coastal railway platforms are located to the north of the central bus station building, while the platform serving the Jezreel Valley railway is located to the west of the building. Access between the two rail lines is available through the building. The station is situated between Hutzot HaMifratz railway station to the north and Haifa Center HaShmona railway station to the south.

Station layout
Platform numbers increase in an East-to-West direction for the Coast Line section of the station. The Emek Line section of the station contains a single platform.

Ridership

Public transport connections
The railway station is co-located with HaMifratz Central Bus Station, which constitutes the public transport gateway to Haifa from the North. It is the terminus for all Egged bus lines between Haifa and its northern suburbs, as well as other cities in northern Israel. The bus terminal also serves the Metronit BRT as well as the terminus for several intracity bus lines within Haifa, operated by Egged. Apart from buses, the station is served by sherut (shared) taxis passing along Highway 4.

Construction
As of 2019, a terminal for an aerial tramway connecting the public transportation complex with the Technion University on Mount Carmel and points in between is being constructed on the site.

In the future, an additional platform serving the Jezreel Valley railway, plus additional platforms serving the Coastal railway are expected to be built at the station, as well as platforms for the proposed Haifa–Nazareth tram-train line.

References

External links
Israel Railways website

2001 establishments in Israel
Railway stations opened in 2001
Railway stations in Haifa
Railway Station


This invention relates to a liquid crystal display with improved contrast ratio, switching performance, reflectivity at the Dmin state and structural integrity, and methods for its manufacture. The liquid crystal display of the present invention comprises microcups as display cells, wherein the microcups are formed from a microcup composition and filled with a liquid crystal composition.
This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 10/718,990, filed Nov. 21, 2003 now U.S. Pat. No. 7,141,279, which claims the priority under 35 USC 119(e) of US Provisional Applications No. 60/429,177, filed on Nov. 25, 2002. The entire contents of both applications are incorporated into this application by reference.
This invention relates to a liquid crystal display with improved contrast ratio, switching performance, reflectivity at the Dmin state and structural integrity, and methods for its manufacture.
A polymer dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC) display usually comprises two transparent plates with electrodes placed opposing each other, separated by using spacers. A thin film of PDLC is enclosed between the two plates. The PDLC film may be up to 200 microns thick, but usually having a thickness of between 2 microns and 50 microns. The liquid crystal filled cell is hermetically sealed in order to eliminate oxygen and moisture, both of which may chemically attack the liquid crystals. A thorough review of the PDLC technologies can be found in "Liquid Crystal Dispersions" by P. S. Drzaic (1995).
A PDLC typically consists of micron-size droplets of low-molecular-weight nematic liquid crystals dispersed in a polymer binder. The nematic droplets strongly scatter light and the material has a white opaque or translucent appearance ("off" state). When a voltage difference is imposed between the two electrodes ("on" state"), the electric field aligns the droplets such that the ordinary refractive index of the liquid crystals nearly matches that of the isotropic polymer matrix, substantially reducing the scattering power of the droplets, thus allowing light to transmit through. As a result, the cells appear clear or transparent in the "on" state and opaque in the "off" state.
In a guest-host PDLC display, a dye, particularly a pleochroic or dichroic dye, is added as a guest to the liquid crystals to produce a high color contrast display. For example, the dye molecules may have a property to orientate themselves parallel to the liquid crystal molecules. Therefore if a dichroic dye having a bar-shaped structure is added to the liquid crystals, the direction of the dye molecules also changes if the molecular direction of the liquid crystals is changed by applying an electric field on the opposing electrodes. Because the dyes are made colored or do not depend on the orientation direction, it is possible for them to switch between a colored state ("off" state) and a colorless state ("on" state) by applying a voltage on the two electrodes. The use of dichroic or pleochroic dyes in guest-host PDLC displays to improve the contrast ratio is known in the art.
A PDLC display may be transmissive and/or reflective. A transmissive PDLC display has an internal illumination source. Imposing a voltage on the two electrodes allows light to pass through the liquid crystal filled cells. A typical example of a transmissive PDLC display is a PDLC overhead projector. Reflective PDLC displays typically contain a reflective black or colored filter which becomes visible in the transparent state. Reflective PDLC displays may be found in PDA (personal digital assistant) devices. Transmissive and reflective PDLC displays are particularly attractive because polarizers are eliminated. Polarizers substantially reduce light and decrease brightness of both direct view and projection displays. The absence of polarizers also gives a better viewing angle.
The PDLC displays prepared by processes previously used have many shortcomings. For example, the polymer dispersed liquid crystals typically have droplets of a very broad particle size distribution, which results in significant hysteresis, higher operation voltage, poor contrast ratio, undesirable red bleedthrough and low level of multiplexing. However, the hysteresis of PDLC films must be low to show reproducible gray scales, and low voltage operation and high contrast ratio of the device are essential for most PDA applications. Monodispersed liquid crystal particles in the micron size range have been disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,835,174, (Clikeman, et al.), U.S. Pat. No. 5,976,405 (Clikeman, et al.) and U.S. Pat. No. 6,037,058 (Clikeman, et al.) to reduce the hysteresis and operation voltage and to improve the level of multiplexity. The contrast ratio of the PDLC device prepared from the monodispersed particles remains low for most applications. To improve the contrast ratio without trade-off in the thickness of the PDLC film and operation voltage, guest dyes, preferably pleochroic dyes or dichroic dyes, are needed. However, the processes do not allow for the precise enclosure of a high concentration of guest dyes in the liquid crystal phase during manufacture, such that only a low concentration of dyes may be encapsulated in the monodispersed polymer particles. Some guest dyes may be left outside of the particles, thereby resulting in an increase in Dmin (the minimum optical density of the background) and a lower contrast ratio. In all cases, the process previously used involves a costly process to separate and purify particles from an aqueous phase followed by a process to re-disperse the particles in an organic binder.
An improved liquid crystal display was disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,795,138 (corresponding to WO02/56097), the content of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. The improved liquid crystal display comprises isolated cells formed from microcups of well-defined shape, size and aspect ratio and filled with a liquid crystal composition optionally comprising guest dye(s). The filled cells are individually sealed with a polymeric sealing layer, preferably formed from a composition comprising a material selected from the group consisting of thermoplastics, thermoplastic elastomers, thermosets and precursors thereof.
The microcup structure enables a format flexible and efficient roll-to-roll continuous manufacturing process for the preparation of liquid crystal displays. The displays can be prepared on a continuous web of a conductor film (such as ITO/PET) by, for example, (1) coating a radiation curable composition onto a conductor film, (2) forming the microcup structure by, for example, a microembossing or photolithographic method, (3) filling a liquid crystal composition into the microcups and sealing the filled microcups, (4) laminating the sealed microcups with another conductor film, and (5) cutting the display to a desirable size or format for assembling.
One advantage of this type of liquid crystal displays is that the liquid crystals are enclosed in the microcups. In one embodiment, the microcups may be of uniform size and shape. This significantly reduces the hysteresis and the reorientation field strength. In addition, before being filled with a liquid crystal composition, the microcups may be surface treated or modified to alter the surface properties for optimum contrast ratio and response rate.
The other advantage of this type of liquid crystal displays is that the microcup wall is in fact a built-in spacer to keep the top and bottom substrates apart at a fixed distance. The mechanical properties and structural integrity of microcup-based displays are significantly better than traditional dispersed liquid crystal displays. Moreover, the microcups may be sequentially filled with liquid crystal compositions of different specific properties such as colors and switching rates, and isolated by a sealing layer. Unlike the Clikeman's process of preparing monodispersed liquid crystal particles, guest dyes may be incorporated easily into a microcup-based liquid crystal display without involving time-consuming or costly procedures.
In traditional dispersed liquid crystal displays, the formulation window of compositions of both the liquid crystal and polymer phases is quite limited. In contrast, the two phases may be optimized independently in the microcup-based liquid crystal displays. Moreover, the microcups may be surface-treated, if necessary, to modify the interaction between the liquid crystals and the microcup walls to achieve optimal electro-optical response for various applications.
The whole content of each document referred to in this application is incorporated by reference into this application in its entirety.
The present application is directed to a novel dispersed liquid crystal display (LCD) structure having improved contrast ratio, switching performance and structural integrity, and its manufacture.
The first aspect of the invention is directed to a microcup composition comprising liquid crystals for the preparation of microcup-based liquid crystal displays. In one embodiment, the liquid crystal concentration is no greater than its solubility limit in the hardened microcup composition. The composition may be an embossable composition.
The second aspect of the invention is directed to a composition for the preparation of microcups used in a liquid crystal display which composition comprises a speed enhancing monomer or oligomer to improve the switching rate and reduce operation voltage or reorientation field.
The third aspect of the invention is directed to a composition for the preparation of microcups used in a liquid crystal display which composition comprises a speed enhancing filler material.
The main component of the compositions of the first, second and third aspects of the invention may be an embossable material such as a material selected from the group consisting of thermoplastics, thermosets and precursors thereof.
Combinations of two or three aspects of the invention as described above are also encompassed within the scope of the present invention.
Either one of the three microcup compositions described above may also be used in a liquid crystal display having a single layer or multilayer of microcup array.
The microcup compositions are optimized such that the isotropic refractive index of the microcup composition after curing is matched to the ordinary refractive index of the liquid crystals.
In the liquid crystal display having two or more layers of microcup array stacked together, the microcups are filled with liquid crystal compositions optionally comprising guest dye(s) and individually sealed. The microcups of the multiplayer liquid crystal display may be filled with liquid crystal compositions comprising different guest dyes of different optical densities or switching speeds. For a full-color or multicolor liquid crystal display having two or more layers of microcup array, the microcup arrays may comprise, for example, red, green or blue microcups which are filled with liquid crystal compositions comprising red, green and blue guest dyes, respectively. In one embodiment, the microcups may be of different shapes, dimensions or ratios of opening to total area.
In addition, the inactive partition areas of one layer are at least partially overlapped with the active areas of the layer above or underneath. The term "staggered" will be used throughout the application to describe this arrangement. In one embodiment, the inactive areas and the active areas are completely overlapped.
In a manner similar to conventional PDLC displays, the liquid crystal display of the present invention strongly scatters light in the absence of an electric field (the "off" state). When a voltage difference is applied between the two electrodes (i.e., conductor films), the electric field aligns the liquid crystals and substantially reduces scattering power, allowing light to transmit through the "on" state. However, unlike the PDLC displays, the liquid crystal display of this invention reaches the maximum optically clear state at a much lower voltage and, when the applied voltage is withdrawn, reverts back to the original "off" state without the undesirable hysteresis. The low operation voltage or reorientation field strength, fast response time and the absence of hysteresis are critical for high quality display applications where low power consumption and reproducible gray scales and video rate are highly desirable.
The multilayer liquid crystal displays of the invention have shown a significant higher contrast ratio than single layer displays. The addition of liquid crystals, or a speed enhancing monomer/oligomer or a speed enhancing filler material in the microcup composition further improves the switching rate and reduces the operation voltage or reorientation field.
The multiplayer liquid crystal display of the present invention is not sensitive to environment, particularly humidity and temperature. The display may be very thin, flexible, durable, easy-to-handle and format-flexible. Moreover, the multilayer liquid crystal displays of the invention have shown a superior contrast ratio, switching performance, operation voltage and structural integrity.
The fourth aspect of the invention is directed to methods for the manufacture of a liquid crystal display having two or more layers of microcup array stacked together.
A single layer of the microcup-based liquid crystal display may be prepared by following a sequence of processing steps. The processing steps include preparation of the microcups on a conductor film by microembossing, photolithography or pre-punched holes as described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,788,449 and 6,795,138, filling the microcups with a liquid crystal composition optionally with guest dye(s), sealing the filled microcups by either the one-pass or two-pass process as described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,788,449 and 6,795,138 and finally laminating the sealed microcups with a second conductor film, optionally precoated with an adhesive layer. The adhesive may be a hot-melt, heat curable, moisture curable or radiation curable adhesive. In one embodiment, a UV curable adhesive is used.
A single layer of a full-color or multi-color reflective liquid crystal display may be prepared by laminating or coating the empty microcups with a layer of positively working photoresist, selectively opening a certain number of microcups in a predetermined area by imagewise exposing the positive photoresist, followed by developing the photoresist, filling the opened microcups with a liquid crystal composition optionally comprising guest dye(s), preferably dichroic dyes, of a first color, and sealing the filled microcups by either the one-pass or two-pass process as described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,788,449 and 6,795,138. These steps may be repeated to create sealed microcups filled with liquid crystal compositions comprising guest dyes of a second or a third color. The filling of the liquid crystal composition may be accomplished by a coating process followed by a scraping or doctoring process to remove the excess fluid. Alternatively, the filling may be accomplished by a printing process such as inkjet printing.
The multilayer liquid crystal display of the present invention may be built layer by layer by repeating cycles of coating, embossing, filling and sealing, and finally laminating the stack onto a second conductor film, optionally with an adhesive layer. Alternatively, after two or more layers of microcup array are separately prepared on conductor films, they then may be laminated together to form a two-layer or multilayer microcup-based liquid crystal display. A further alternative involves separately preparing layers of microcup array on temporary release substrates. The multilayer liquid crystal display may then be accomplished by transferring the preformed display layer onto another display layer on a conductor film or onto a conductor film directly.
These multiple step processes may be carried out roll-to-roll continuously or semi-continuously. Consequently, they are suitable for high volume and low cost production. These processes are also efficient and inexpensive as compared to other processes for high volume production.
FIGS. 1 a and 1 b show the "off" and "on" states of a conventional polymer dispersed liquid crystal display, respectively. FIG. 1 c shows a typical single layer microcup liquid crystal display prepared by the microcup technology, optionally with a darkened background to improve the contrast ratio.
FIG. 2 a shows a monochrome multilayer microcup-based liquid crystal display. FIG. 2 b shows a full-color multilayer microcup-based liquid crystal display using color filters. FIG. 2 c shows a full-color multilayer microcup-based liquid crystal display using colored liquid crystal compositions.
FIGS. 3 a and 3 b show the methods for the manufacture of a multilayer microcup-based liquid crystal display. FIG. 3 a shows a process of preparing a two-layer liquid crystal display by laminating two layers of microcup array with the sealing sides of the microcups facing each other. FIG. 3 b shows another process of preparing a two-layer liquid crystal display by (i) transferring a layer of microcup array from a release substrate onto a second layer of microcup array on a conductor film and (ii) laminating the resultant composite film onto a conductor film, optionally with an adhesive. The process (i) may be repeated to prepare a liquid crystal display having more than two layers of microcup array.
The term "microcup" refers to the cup-like indentation created by, for example, microembossing, photolithography or pre-punched holes.
The term "monodispersed", when describing the microcups or cells, is intended to indicate that the microcup or cell has a narrow distribution of dimensions such as diameter, length, width and height.
The term "Dmin" refers to the minimum achievable optical density of the display.
The term "contrast ratio" is defined as the ratio of the % reflectance of a liquid crystal display at the Dmin state to the % reflectance of the display at the Dmax state.
The term "active area" refers to the area of microcups filled with a liquid crystal composition optionally with guest dye(s).
The term "inactive area" refers to the partition area between the microcups filled with a liquid crystal composition optionally with guest dye(s).
Liquid crystal display cells prepared by the microcup technology, as shown in FIG. 1 c, comprise two conductor films (10, 11), at least one of which is transparent (10), and a layer of microcups (12) enclosed between the two conductor films. The microcups have partition walls (16), are filled with a liquid crystal composition (15) optionally comprising guest dye(s) and sealed with a sealing layer (13). Not shown in FIG. 1 c, the sealing layer preferably extends over the partition walls (16) and forms a contiguous layer thereon. The sealed microcups are laminated onto the second conductor film (10) optionally with an adhesive layer (14). When a voltage difference is imposed between the two conductor films, the liquid crystal display will switch between a colored or a colorless state, seen through the transparent conductor film (10). The conductor film (11) on the non-viewing side may be colored to enhance the contrast ratio.
FIGS. 1 a and 1 b show the "off" and "on" states of a conventional polymer dispersed liquid crystal display, respectively. In the "off" state, the liquid crystals in the droplets are randomly aligned, and the display is opaque to the viewer. In the "on" state, the liquid crystals are aligned by the electric field, and the display is transparent to the viewer since the ordinary index of the liquid crystals is matched to the isotropic index of the polymeric continuous phase.
FIGS. 2 a shows a monochrome multilayer liquid crystal display comprising layers of microcup array filled with a liquid crystal composition (22). At least one of the two conductor films (20, 21) is transparent. The conductor film on the non-viewing side is optionally colored or blackened to improve the contrast ratio.
FIG. 2 b shows a full-color multilayer liquid crystal display using a color filter (24) between the conductor film (21) and the bottom layer of the microcup array. A liquid crystal composition (23) which may optionally comprise a black dichroic dye is filled into the microcups.
FIG. 2 c shows a full-color multilayer liquid crystal display using liquid crystal compositions (25, 26, 27) containing, for example, green, red and blue dichroic dyes, respectively.
The microcup layers are preferably arranged in a staggered fashion to reduce the light leakage through the partition walls. Although not shown in FIG. 2 c, the layers of a full color multilayer liquid crystal display may also be arranged in a staggered fashion.
For the purpose of illustration, in the multiplayer liquid crystal display as shown in the figures, the top (or upper) layer is the viewing side whereas the bottom (or lower) layer is the non-viewing side.
The microcup array may be prepared by either microembossing, photolithography or pre-punched holes as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,788,449 and 6,795,138, which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.
Suitable compositions for the preparation of the microcups are also disclosed in these references. Examples of compositions for microembossing or photolithography disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,788,449 and 6,795,138 include embossable materials such as thermoplastics, thermosets or precursors thereof. Examples of thermoplastic, thermoset or precursors thereof may include, but are not limited to, multifunctional acrylates or methacrylates, vinyl ethers, epoxides and oligomers or polymers thereof. In one embodiment, multifunctional acrylates and oligomers thereof may be used. A combination of a multifunctional epoxide and a multifunctional acrylate is also useful to achieve desirable physico-mechanical properties. A crosslinkable oligomer imparting flexibility, such as urethane acrylate or polyester acrylate, is usually added to improve the flexure resistance of the embossed microcups. The composition may contain a monomer, oligomer, additives and optionally a polymer. The glass transition temperatures (or Tg) for this class of materials usually range from about −70° C. to about 150° C., preferably from about −20° C. to about 50° C. The microembossing process is typically carried out at a temperature higher than the Tg. A heated male mold or a heated housing substrate against which the mold presses may be used to control the microembossing temperature and pressure.
To improve the embossing process latitude and switching performance, the microcup composition for embossing may be pre-saturated with a liquid crystal composition. In one embodiment, the liquid crystal composition is at a concentration no greater than its solubility limit in the hardened microcup walls or partition areas. Although it is not required, the same liquid crystal composition used to fill the microcups may be used to saturate the partition walls. In one embodiment, to achieve optimum switching performance, the concentration of the liquid crystals in the hardened partition walls is optimized to avoid the formation of observable light scattering domain in the partition walls.
To improve the switching rate and reduce the operation voltage or reorientation field strength, a speed enhancing monomer or oligomer may be added in the microcup composition. Suitable speed enhancing monomers or oligomers for preparation of microcups of the invention may include, but are not limited to, monomers or oligomers comprising poly(ethylene glycol) or poly(propylene glycol) moiety, such as poly(ethylene glycol) monoacrylate, poly(ethylene glycol) monomethacrylate, poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate, poly(ethylene glycol) dimethacrylate, poly(propylene glycol) monoacrylate, poly(propylene glycol) monomethacrylate, poly(propylene glycol) diacrylate, poly(propylene glycol) dimethacrylate or the like. The concentration of the speeding enhancing monomer or oligomer in the microcup composition may be no less than about 1%, preferably no less than about 3% and more preferably no less than about 10% by weight.
In addition to the monomers and oligomers named above, other monomers or oligomers may also be used. Examples of such materials may include, but are not limited to, monomers or oligomers having at least one polar group such as nitro (—NO2), hydroxyl (—OH), carboxyl (—COO), halo (e.g., fluoro, chloro, bromo or iodo), cyano (—CN), sulfonate (—SO3) or the like. These monomers and oligomers must be compatible with other components in the microcup composition and can be easily processed by simple mixing. The concentration of these monomers or oligomers may also be no less than about 1%, preferably no less than about 3% and more preferably no less than about 10%, by weight in the microcup composition.
In another embodiment, a speed enhancing filler material may be added to the microcup composition. For example, low resistance fillers, conductive fillers or fillers having a high dielectric constant may be added into the microcup composition to form an interconnecting or percolation network to reduce the volume electrical resistivity of the microcup structure formed. Low resistance fillers, as used herein, refer to fillers having volume resistance less than or equal to about 1010 ohm cm, preferably less than or equal to about 108 ohm cm. Suitable low resistance speed enhancing filler materials may include, but are not limited to, metal oxides, organic filler materials such as polyether block amide elastomers or polyaniline or fibers such as noncarbon tube. The organic filler materials may be shaped as particles or fibers. Suitable conductive speed enhancing fillers may include, but are not limited to PEDOT [poly (3,4) ethylenedioxythiophene]. Suitable speed enhancing fillers having a high dielectric constant may include, but are not limited to, zirconia, barium titanate, strontium titanate or lead zirconate titanate. The concentration of the speed enhancing fillers may be no less than 1%, preferably no less than 5%, by weight of the microcup composition. The speed enhancing filler material may also be a filler material having a high dielectric constant, i.e., having a dielectric constant equal to or higher than about 5, preferably equal to or higher than about 10, obtained according to American National Standards Institute (ANSI) standards. The speed enhancing filler materials having a high dielectric constant may be added into the microcup composition to increase the dielectric constant of the microcup composition, which is beneficial to high frequency driving. Preferably, the dielectric constant of the microcup composition is higher than that of the liquid crystal composition filled in the microcups.
The size of the speed enhancing filler materials in the form of particles preferably is less than 5 microns, more preferably less than 1 micron. The speed enhancing filler materials in the form of fibers has a cross section diameter preferably less than 1 micron.
In general, the microcups can be of any shape, and their sizes and shapes may vary. The microcups may be of substantially uniform size and shape in one system. However, in order to maximize the optical effect, microcups having a mixture of different shapes and sizes may be produced. For example, microcups filled with a liquid crystal composition comprising a red guest dye may have a different shape or size from the green microcups or the blue microcups. Furthermore, a pixel may consist of different numbers of microcups of different colors. For example, a pixel may consist of a number of small green microcups, a number of large red microcups and a number of small blue microcups. It is not necessary to have the same shape and number for the different colors.
The openings of the microcups may be circular, square, rectangular, hexagonal or any other shape. The partition areas between the openings are preferably kept small in order to achieve high color saturation and contrast ratio while maintaining desirable mechanical properties. Consequently, the honeycomb-shaped opening is preferred over, for example, the circular opening.
The dimension of each individual microcup may be in the range of about 0.04 to about 100 μm2, preferably from about 1 to about 36 μm2. The depth of the microcups may be in the range of about 0.5 to about 10 microns, preferably from about 1 to about 6 microns. The ratio of the opening area to the total area of the microcup layer in a multilayer microcup liquid crystal display may vary within a wide range. In one embodiment, it usually ranges from about 0.05 to about 0.97. In another embodiment, it may range from about 0.3 to about 0.95. The ratio may also be less than 0.05.
The array of microcups is filled with liquid crystals, usually by a coating or printing process. Liquid crystals may also comprise a dichroic dye to impart color to the display and to increase the contrast.
Liquid crystal materials that may be used in the present invention are known in the art. Examples of liquid crystal materials that may be used in the present invention may include, but are not limited to, E7, TL205, TL213, BL006, BL009 and BL037 from E. Merck Co. (Germany). Other useful liquid crystal materials may be found in U.S. Pat. No. 5,835,174 (Clikeman, et al.). Cholesteric liquid crystals may also be used in some applications.
In one embodiment, liquid crystals may comprise guest dye(s). Guest dyes may be dichroic which are known in the art. U.S. Pat. No. 5,589,100 (Grasso, et al) states that arylazo or poly(arylazo) dichroic dyes may be used with liquid crystals and lists other suitable dichroic dyes.
The incorporation of dyes not only adds color but also substantially improves contrast in some display applications. Suitable guest dye(s) should provide good viewing characteristics, such as high contrast, high extinction and chemical and photochemical stability. In one embodiment, the dyes are those of high order parameters and proper solubility in the host liquid crystal material. High order parameter is promoted by dyes with an elongated shape having a high ratio of molecular length to width, similar to the shape of the molecules of liquid crystal host material. Examples of dichroic dyes having a high dichroic ratio may include the Blue AB2, Red AR1 and Yellow AG1 from Funktionfluid Gmb (Germany) and SI-486 (yellow), SI426 (red), M483 (blue), S344 (black), S428 (black) and S7 (black) from Mitsui Toatsu.
Nonionic azo and anthraquinone dyes are also useful. Examples may include, but are not limited to, Oil Red EGN, Sudan Red, Sudan Blue, Oil Blue, Macrolex Blue, Solvent Blue 35, Pylam Spirit Black and Fast Spirit Black from Pylam Products Co., Arizona, Sudan Black B from Aldrich, Thermoplastic Black X-70 from BASF, anthraquinone blue, anthraquinone yellow 114, anthraquinone red 111, 135 and anthraquinone green 28 from Aldrich. In any case, the dye must be chemically stable and should have a low solubility in the microcup material. Liquid crystals or dyes should not at any time attack the microcups.
The sealing of the microcups may be accomplished in a number of ways. One approach is the "one-pass" method which involves dispersing a UV curable sealant composition into the liquid crystal composition. The UV curable composition is immiscible with, and has a specific gravity lower than that of, the liquid crystals. The UV curable composition and the liquid crystal composition are thoroughly blended in an in-line mixer and immediately coated onto the microcups with a precision coating mechanism such as Myrad bar, gravure, doctor blade, slot coating or slit coating. Volatile solvents may be used to control the viscosity and the coverage of the coating and to facilitate the phase separation of the sealant phase from the liquid crystals. Excess fluid may be scraped away by a wiper blade or a similar device. The thus-filled microcups are then dried and the UV curable composition floats to the top of the liquid crystals. The microcups may then be sealed by curing the supernatant UV curable composition during or after it floats to the top (i.e., when in contact with the liquid crystal composition). UV or other forms of radiation such as visible light, IR and electron beam may be used to harden and seal the microcups. Alternatively, heat, moisture or a combination thereof may also be employed to harden and seal the microcups, when a heat or moisture curable sealant composition is used. In the case that a polymeric sealing composition is used, the sealing layer may be hardened by simply evaporating the solvent(s) in the composition during or after it floats to the top.
Surfactants may be used to improve the adhesion of the sealing layer to the microcup wall and the wetting at the interface between the liquid crystals and the sealing material. Useful surfactants may include the FC surfactants from 3M Company, Zonyl fluorosurfactants from DuPont, fluoroacrylates, fluoromethacrylates, fluoro-substituted long chain alcohols, perfluoro-substituted long chain carboxylic acids and derivatives thereof and Silwet surfactants from OSi.
Alternatively, the liquid crystal composition and the sealing composition may be coated sequentially into the microcups (i.e., known as the "two-pass method"). Thus, the sealing of the microcups may be accomplished by overcoating a thin layer of a polymeric material or precursors thereof which may be hardened or cured by radiation, heat, moisture or interfacial reactions on the surface of the filled microcups (i.e., when in contact with the liquid crystal composition filled in the microcups). Interfacial polymerization followed by UV curing is very beneficial to the sealing process. Intermixing between the liquid crystal layer and the overcoat can be significantly suppressed by the formation of a thin barrier layer at the interface by interfacial polymerization. The sealing is then completed by a post curing step, preferably by UV radiation. To further reduce the degree of intermixing, it is highly desirable that the specific gravity of the overcoating is lower than that of the liquid crystals. Volatile organic solvents may be used to adjust the viscosity and the thickness of the coating. When a volatile solvent is used in the overcoat, it is preferred that it is immiscible with the liquid crystal composition or the dye and has a specific gravity lower than that of the liquid crystal phase. The two-pass overcoating process is particularly useful when the dye or liquid crystal material used is not completely immiscible with the sealing composition. To further reduce the degree of intermixing between the sealing composition and the liquid crystal phase, the filled microcup array may be chilled before overcoating of the sealing composition.
Alternatively, sealing of the filled microcups may be achieved by transfer laminating an adhesive layer from a release substrate onto the filled microcups, preferably followed by hardening the adhesive layer by heat, radiation or by simple solvent evaporation and finally peeling off the release substrate. Chilling of the filled microcups is also beneficial to the sealing by transfer lamination process.
1. Coat a layer of a composition for forming the microcups optionally with a solvent on a conductor film. The solvent, if present, readily evaporates.
2. Emboss the layer of microcup composition at a temperature higher than the glass transition temperature of the microcup composition by a pre-patterned male mold.
3. Release the mold from the microcup composition preferably during or after it is hardened by proper means.
4. Fill the microcups with a liquid crystal composition optionally comprising a guest dye followed by sealing of the filled microcups by either the one-pass or two-pass overcoating process described above.
5. Laminate the sealed microcup array with a second conductor film, optionally with an adhesive layer which may be a pressure sensitive adhesive, a hot melt adhesive, a heat, moisture or radiation curable adhesive.
The laminate adhesive may be post cured by radiation such as UV through the top conductor film if the latter is transparent to the radiation. The finished product may be cut to various size and shape after the lamination step.
In one embodiment, the microcup composition referred to above may comprise liquid crystals. In another embodiment, the microcup composition referred to above may comprise a speed enhancing monomer or oligomer. In a further embodiment, the microcups composition referred to above may comprise a speed enhancing filler material. In either embodiment, the main component of the microcup composition may be an embossable material such as a thermoplastic, thermoset or a precursor thereof as described above.
The preparation of the microcups described above can be conveniently replaced by the alternative procedure of photolithography as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,788,449 and 6,795,138. A full-color liquid crystal display may be prepared by sequentially filling liquid crystal compositions comprising different guest dyes into the microcups and subsequently sealing the filled microcups by the one-pass or two-pass method as described above.
A multi-color liquid crystal display of the present invention may be prepared by using color (e.g., R, G and B) filters and a black matrix underneath the monochrome display as shown in FIG. 2 b. Alternatively, a full-color display of the present invention can be prepared by filling microcups with liquid crystals containing guest dye(s) of different colors (FIG. 2 c). In addition to the processes described in the preparation of monochrome displays, additional steps may be required for such a color display. These additional steps include (1) coating or laminating the already formed microcups with a positively working photoresist such as a dry-film photoresist which may comprise a removable support such as PET-4851 (Saint-Gobain, Worcester, Mass.), a novolac positive photoresist such as Microposit™ S1818 (Shipley) and an alkali-developable adhesive layer such as a mixture of Nacor™ 72-8685 (National Starch) and Carboset™ 515 (BF Goodrich); (2) selectively opening some of the microcups by imagewise exposing the positive photoresist, removing the support film and developing the positive photoresist with a developer such as diluted Microposit™ 351 developer (Shipley); (3) filling the opened microcups with liquid crystals and guest dye(s) of a first primary color and (4) sealing the filled microcups as described in the preparation of monochrome displays. These additional steps may be repeated to create microcups filled with liquid crystals of second and third primary colors.
(a) Coat a layer of a composition for forming the microcups on a conductor film.
(b) Emboss the layer of microcup composition at a temperature higher than its Tg by a pre-patterned male mold.
(c) Release the mold from the layer of microcup composition preferably during or after it is hardened by solvent evaporation, cooling or crosslinking by radiation, heat or moisture.
(d) Laminate or coat the thus formed microcups with a positive dry-film photoresist which may comprise a positive photoresist and a removable plastic cover sheet. The positive dry-film photoresist may also comprise an adhesive layer to improve the adhesion between the microcups and the positive photoresist.
(e) Imagewise expose the positive photoresist, remove the cover sheet, develop and open microcups in the exposed area. The purpose of steps (d) and (e) is to selectively open the microcups in a predetermined area.
(f) Fill the opened microcups with a liquid crystal composition containing guest dye(s) of a first primary.
(g) Seal the microcups to form closed liquid crystal filled microcups containing liquid crystals with guest dye(s) of the first primary color by the one-pass or two-pass method as described above.
(h) Repeat steps (e)-(g) described above to generate microcups containing liquid crystals with guest dye(s) of different colors in different areas.
(i) Laminate the sealed array of liquid crystal filled microcups to a second conductor film pre-coated with an adhesive layer which may be a pressure sensitive adhesive, a hot melt adhesive, or a heat, moisture or radiation curable adhesive.
In one embodiment, the microcup composition referred to above may comprise liquid crystals. In another embodiment, the microcup composition referred to above may comprise a speed enhancing monomer or oligomer. In a further embodiment, the microcup composition referred to above may comprise a speed enhancing filler material. In either embodiment, the main component of the microcup composition may be an embossable material such as a thermoplastic, thermoset or a precursor thereof.
The preparation of the microcups described above can be conveniently replaced by the alternative procedure of photolithography as disclosed in WO02/56097 or pre-punched holes as described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,788,449 and 6,795,138. The dry-film positive photoresist in step (e) may be replaced by a photoresist solution and coated onto the microcups. Still alternatively, the liquid crystal phase of different color may be printed by, for example, inkjet printing with registration onto microcups in preselected areas.
FIGS. 3 a and 3 b show the methods for the manufacture of a microcup-based liquid crystal display having two or more layers of filled and sealed microcup array.
FIG. 3 a shows the process of preparing a two layer microcup-based liquid crystal display by laminating a top layer (31) and a bottom layer (32) of filled and sealed microcup array prepared by, for example, the procedure described in the steps 1-4 in Section IV or steps (a)-(h) in Section V. The filled microcups are individually sealed with a sealing layer (33). The conductor film (34) on the viewing side is transparent and the conductor film (35) on the non-viewing side may be colored or blackened. An adhesive layer may be used to facilitate the lamination process. The two layers (31 and 32) are arranged with the inactive partition areas (36) of one layer and the active cell areas of another layer in a staggered fashion.
FIG. 3 b shows an alternative process of preparing a two-layer microcup liquid crystal display by (i) preparing a layer of filled and sealed microcup array (32) on a conductor film (35) by, for example, the procedure described in the steps 1-4 in Section IV or steps (a)-(h) in Section V; (ii) preparing another layer of filled and sealed microcup array (31) on a release substrate (37) following the procedure described in the steps 1-4 in Section IV or steps (a)-(h) in Section V; (iii) laminating the layer of microcup array (31) on the release substrate (37) onto the layer (32), optionally with an adhesive (not shown) with the sealing sides (33) facing each other; (iv) removing the release substrate (37) and (v) laminating onto the resultant composite film a conductor film (34), optionally with an adhesive layer (not shown). The steps (ii), (iii), and (iv) may be repeated to prepare a liquid crystal display having more than two layers of microcup array.
Alternatively, a multilayer layer microcup-based liquid crystal display may be prepared by (a) preparing a layer of filled and sealed microcup array on a conductor film by, for example, the procedure described in the steps 1-4 in Section IV or steps (a)-(h) in Section V; (b) repeating the steps 1-4 in section IV or steps (a)-(h) in Section V to build any number of layers of filled and sealed microcup array on top of the first layer and (c) laminating the top-most layer with a second conductor film, optionally with an adhesive layer which may be a pressure sensitive adhesive, a hot melt adhesive, a heat, moisture or radiation curable adhesive.
For the two-layer or multilayer liquid crystal display as prepared above, in one embodiment, the inactive partition areas of a layer of microcup array are arranged with the active areas of another layer above or underneath in a staggered manner. At least one of the two conductor films (34 and 35) is pre-patterned. Also at least the conductor film (34) on the viewing side is transparent. To avoid the formation of undesirable Moire pattern, it is useful to laminate the microcup layers at an appropriate angle. Alternatively, a less symmetrical microcup array may be used for similar purpose.
In the multilayer liquid crystal display, each of the layers of the microcups may be independently prepared by, for example, microembossing, photolithography or pre-punched holes. The liquid crystal composition may be filled into the microcups by printing or coating, such as inkjet printing.
In general, the cell gap or the shortest distance between the two conductor films in a microcup-based liquid crystal display may be in the range of 2 to 100 μm, preferably in the range of 5 to 30 μm. The thickness of each microcup layer may vary. In one embodiment, the thickness may be in the range of 2 to 50 μm, preferably in the range of 3 to 10 μm. The concentration of dyes or colorants in each layer of microcup array may also vary for different applications.
The thickness of the multiplayer display produced by the present processes may be as thin as a piece of paper. The width of the display is the width of the coating web (typically 3-90 inches). The length of the display may be anywhere from inches to thousands of feet depending upon the size of the roll.
The composition shown in Table 1 was coated by a Myrad bar #6 onto a 2 mil PET film precoated with an ITO conductor layer (ITO/PET film, 5 mil OC50 from CPFilms, Martinsville, Va.). A pre-patterned (4 μm width×4 μm length×4 μm height×4 μm partition) cobalt nickel male mold and a mold release Frekote 700-NC from Henkel were used for microembossing. The coating thickness was controlled to be about 5 microns. The coated film was then embossed by the mold using a pressure roller at 90° C. The coating was then UV-cured for about 1 minute through the Mylar film using a Cure Zone exposure unit (ADAC Technologies) equipped with a metal fluoride lamp with an intensity of 80 mW/cm2 at 365 nm. The embossed film was then released from the mold to reveal the microcups (4 μm width×4 μm length×4 μm depth×4 μm partition). The microembossing was carried out using the GBC Laminator at 90° C.
The same procedure of Example 1 was followed and the formulation shown in Table 2 was coated and embossed with the same 4×4×4×4 μm male mold.
A Myrad bar #12 was used. The target coating thickness was about 5 μm. The microembossing was carried out using a pressure roller (GBC Laminator) heated at 90° C.
The composition shown in Table 3 was laminated using a pressure roller between a 2 ml PET film precoated with an ITO conductor layer and a pre-patterned (4×4×4 microns) cobalt nickel mold. The PET/ITO film was treated with a corona discharge (Electro-Technic Products, Model BD-10A, Chicago, Ill.) for 5 seconds. The cobalt nickel mold was pretreated with a mold release Frekote 750-NC. The coating was then UV cured for 1 minute through the PET/ITO film. The embossed film was then released from the mold to reveal the microcups (4×4×4 microns) with a thickness of 5.5 microns as measured by a Mituyoto thickness gauge.
The microcup array prepared in Example 3 was washed with hexane then with MEK and oven dried (66° C.) for 10 minutes. A liquid crystal BL006 (E. Merck Co., Germany) solution containing 1 wt % Silwet L7608 (OSi Specialties) was mixed with 9 times volume of MPK and the resulting solution was coated on the microcup array using a Myrad bar #16. Excess solvent in the microcups was evaporated in an oven (66° C.) for 10 minutes.
The microcup array prepared in Example 3 was washed with hexane, then with MEK, and oven dried (66° C.) for 10 minutes. A liquid crystal BL006 (E. Merck Co., Germany) solution containing 3 wt % dichroic dye Blue AB2 (Funktionfluid Gmb, Germany) and 1 wt % Silwet L7608 (OSi Specialties) was mixed with 9 times volume of MPK, and the resulting solution was coated onto the microcup array using a Myrad bar #16. Excess solvent on the microcup was evaporated in an oven (66° C.) for 10 minutes.
The microcup array prepared in Example 3 was washed with hexane, then with MEK, and oven dried (66° C.) for 10 minutes. A black dichroic dye mixture was prepared by mixing-three dichroic dyes, Blue AB2, Red AR1 and Yellow AG1 (Funktionfluid Gmb, Germany) together. A liquid crystal BL006 (E. Merck Co., Germany) solution containing 2 wt % the black dichroic dye mixture and 1 wt % Silwet L7608 (OSi Specialties) was mixed with 9 times volume of MPK and the resulting solution was coated on the microcup array using a Myrad bar #16. Excess solvent on the microcup was evaporated in an oven (66° C.) for 10 minutes.
A 10% solution of Vistalon 0106 (Exxon Mobil Chemicals) in Isopar E (Exxon Chemical) was coated onto a BL006-filled microcup array prepared in Example 4, 5 or 6. The coating layer was uniform and transparent. By using a #3 Myrad bar, a sealing polymer layer with the weight coverage of 0.39 mg/in2 was obtained and the thickness of the sealing polymer layer was estimated to be 0.7 μm. By using a #8 Myrad bar, a sealing polymer layer with the weight coverage of 0.75 mg/in2 was obtained and the thickness of the sealing polymer layer was estimated to be 1.3 μm. The density of Vistalon 0106 was about 0.9 g/cm3.
Following the same procedure of Example 7, the filled microcup array was sealed by coating a 10% solution of a carboxylated acrylic copolymer, Amphomer 28-4910 (National Starch) in 2-propanol onto the BL006-filled microcups as prepared in Example 5. The coating layer was uniform and transparent. By using a #3 Myrad bar, a sealing polymer layer with the weight coverage of 0.44 mg/in2 was obtained and the thickness of the sealing polymer layer was estimated to be 0.6 μm. By using a #8 Myrad bar, a sealing polymer layer with the weight coverage of 1.0 mg/in2 was obtained and the thickness of the sealing polymer layer was estimated to be 1.3 μm. The density of Amphomer 28-4910 was about 1.2 g/cm3.
For comparison, traditional polymerization induced phase separation polymer disperse liquid crystal displays were prepared. Various ratios of liquid crystal E7 (E. Merck, Germany) to Norland 65 (Norland) were mixed and sandwiched between two ITO coated glasses using spacers of various heights (4.5 μm, 25 μm or 50 μm) to control the cell gap. Step wedge was used to optimize the UV-curing time under Cure Zone exposure unit (ADAC Technologies). In all cases, a significant hysteresis loop was observed in the characteristic electro-optical response curve.
Single layer microcup liquid crystal displays were assembled using the microcup arrays prepared in Example 1, 2 or 3. Liquid crystals with or without dichroic dye(s) were filled into microcups following the procedure described in Example 4, 5 or 6. These liquid crystal filled microcups were then sealed by the procedure described in Example 7 or 8. In all cases, no hysteresis loop was observed for the microcup-based liquid crystal displays prepared according to the present invention.
A multilayer liquid crystal display was assembled to improve display performance. A single layer liquid crystal display was prepared as described in Example 10. The same procedure was followed (i) to emboss a second layer of microcup array on top of the first layer of microcup array, (ii) to fill liquid crystals with or without a guest dye and (iii) to seal the second layer of filled microcup array. The second microcup layer was embossed on the first layer at an off angle of about 10 degree to form a staggering two-layer structure to maximize the degree of light scattering. Lamination of the two double-layer arrays formed a four-layer liquid crystal display. A high contrast display was obtained with rising and falling response time of ˜1 msec and ˜10 msec (at 40 volts), respectively. No hysteresis loop was observed in the resultant 4-layer microcup liquid crystal display.
The same procedure of Example 8 was followed, except that the microcup composition was replaced by those listed in Table 4. The ton and toff were measured at 40 V. As it can be seen in Table 4, the addition of PEGMA (polyethyleneglycol methacrylate) or PEGDMA (polyethyleneglycol dimethacrylate) as a monomer in the microcup composition showed a significant improvement in the response rate. The saturation voltages (voltage needed to reach the maximum optical response) in Examples 16 and 17 were 10 V and 12 V, respectively, with a threshold voltage of about 3V.
While particular forms of the invention have been illustrated and described, it will be apparent that various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention.
d) hardening the sealing composition when it is on top of the liquid crystal composition.
2. The process of claim 1 wherein said speed enhancing filler material is a metal oxide, polyether block amide elastomer, or polyaniline.
3. The process of claim 1 wherein said speed enhancing filler material is a fiber material.
4. The process of claim 1 wherein said speed enhancing filler material is zirconia, barium titanate, strontium titanate, or lead zirconate titanate.
5. The process of claim 1 wherein said thermoplastic, thermoset, or precursor thereof is selected from the group consisting of a multifunctional acrylate, a multifunctional methacrylate, a vinyl ether, an epoxide, and an oligomer or a polymer thereof.
6. The process of claim 1 wherein said low resistance filler has volume resistance less than or equal to about 1010 ohm cm.
7. The process of claim 1 wherein said high dielectric constant is equal to or higher than about 5.
8. The process of claim 1 wherein said conductive filler is poly(3,4)ethylenedioxythiophene.
9. The process of claim 1 wherein the concentration of the speed enhancing filler material is no less than about 1% of the microcup composition.
d) hardening the sealing composition during or after it floats to top of the liquid crystal composition.
11. The process of claim 10 wherein said speed enhancing filler material is a metal oxide, polyether block amide elastomer, or polyaniline.
12. The process of claim 10 wherein said speed enhancing filler material is a fiber material.
13. The process of claim 10 wherein said speed enhancing filler material is zirconia, barium titanate, strontium titanate, or lead zirconate titanate.
14. The process of claim 10 wherein said thermoplastic, thermoset, or precursor thereof is selected from the group consisting of a multifunctional acrylate, a multifunctional methacrylate, a vinyl ether, an epoxide, and an oligomer or a polymer thereof.
15. The process of claim 10 wherein said low resistance filler has volume resistance less than or equal to about 1010 ohm cm.
16. The process of claim 10 wherein said high dielectric constant is equal to or higher than about 5.
17. The process of claim 10 wherein said conductive filler is poly(3,4)ethylenedioxythiophene.
18. The process of claim 10 wherein the concentration of the speed enhancing filler material is no less than about 1% of the microcup composition.
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text:
Drum Wood
This is a nice easy circular route that takes in a few miles of the Speyside Way and returns through forestry on the other side of the river. Good views to the north from the Drum Wood and very scenic alongside the Spey. This route is not waymarked and part of it runs through private land.
[zoom zoomin=2]
Type: Horse Ride
Distance: 10 miles (16 km)
Ascent: 120 meters (393 ft)
Near: Carron
Terrain: Varied surfaces
Location: Between Carron and Marypark, just off the A95 Elgin to Grantown road.
Distance: 10 miles, one long easy climb of about 120m, otherwise more or less level.
Going: A mixture of forest roads, some tarmac on minor public roads and the soft and grassy Speyside Way. Safety tabards should be worn on the public roads.
Access & Parking: There is a small parking area at Carron, grid ref. NJ 221443. There is also very limited parking at Blacksboat, NJ 182389. Both of these are easily accessible from the A95. It may also be possible to park at the Tamdhu distillery, NJ 186416, which is well used by canoeists. More space here but not sure if permission is needed. Also less accessible via the B 9102 and minor roads.
Beware of forestry operations.
From Carron follow the Speyside Way markers eastwards, crossing an old railway bridge which also carries the public road. Shortly after, where the Speyside Way crosses the tarmac road, turn right up the public road and follow for 50 yards then double back along a forestry road on your right. Turn left at the fork and follow uphill, and thereafter keep straight on for three miles.
You rejoin the public road after Phones house, then turn right downhill, on the B9138, after Marypark, passing through the edge of the village. Depending on crops it may be possible to go through the fields at Burnside and rejoin the road near the bottom of the hill. Cross the bridge then immediately turn left to join the Speyside way. Turn left and follow back to Carron along a good grassy surface.
Moray Council Outdoor Access Manager
Ian Douglas
E-mail: ian.douglas@moray.gov.uk
Moray Equestrian Access Group (MEAG)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Sleek and chic with a bold splash of the exotic! Its semi-fitted shape creates an ultra-flattering, sweeping summer style. The V-neck, pencil skirt dress with waist sash accent is sure to create a buzz. This dress runs a little larger, we recommend you go down one or two sizes for a better fit. Machine Wash. Imported. Colors: Turquoise and Orange.


This paper presents a damping control to mitigate sub-synchronous interactions (SSI) in doubly-fed induction generator (DFIG) wind turbines connected to series-compensated lines. This issue has gained attention due to the recent SSI phenomena reported in DFIG wind farms located near series capacitors. Two approaches which add a supplementary damping control signal are compared: one of them, integrated to the grid-side converter, and the other one, to the rotor-side converter. The SSI damping controls are designed using a multi-input multi-output state-space methodology. This allows to easily tune a high performance controller using several measurements and control inputs. Smalland large-signal stability analyses, robustness aspects, impact of the supplementary controls on the system modes, and influence of different operating conditions on the SSI are also discussed. The obtained results show that the supplementary control is able to properly damp the sub-synchronous oscillations of DFIG wind turbines by updating the existing DFIG control systems without the inclusion of expensive additional damping devices, and reducing the risk of wind generation tripping.


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Christ is our Hope! As the season of Advent draws closer to Christmas, how much I'm reminded that because my hope is in Christ there are clear implications to my life. There is a clear response for Christians when we consider the coming, birth, life, death, resurrection, and ascension of Christ. Hope, which is faithfulness and gratitude.
When we put our hope in Christ, it raises us up beyond the conditions and circumstances that might weaken most people.
A moment in my families' life was when our second daughter was about to be born. Breanne Marie was due in later June and that spring of 2013 Dawn, Grace and I were also getting ready to move into our current home in early June. What a fun and stress-free time that was… In hope that we could move into the house before Breanne came, I remember how much we felt a sense of urgency as we made preparations for the coming baby.
While putting our hope in Christ is spiritual wellness for the believer, that's not the primary purpose of why we are to have hope. We have hope in Christ because it brings glory to God. When someone trusts you, they're saying you are trustworthy. This is an honor. The same is true when we put our hope in Christ and His future promise. Having hope in Christ brings God glory!
As those in the Old Testament hoped in the coming of the Messiah, we are to hope in the second coming of Christ and the fulfillment of salvation. Hopefully the response is to make the spiritual preparations in our daily lives. Live faithfully. Live with a grateful heart. Why? Because Christ is our hope, and HE IS COMING!
Gabe Eliserio is the Assistant Football Coach at Dordt College.


QHash or QMultihash (specific performance based use case)?
If I understand the difference between these two correctly, the first one is meant for only one item with a specific hash value. For a string implementation, in order to arrive at that hash value, it must traverse the string to calculate the value before inserting it in the hash table. For each collision, it checks against the string to see if it has found the correct item (preventing an exact collision).
In my situation, I must deal with cross-library string classes that may potentially go into the same table. In order to standardize the method for storage/retrieval and to theoretically save on hashing time (performance is the key consideration here), I pre-calculate the hash value for the string using one of the qhash functions for each object and use that to store it in the hash table. This kills several performance problems with one stone (e.g. having to not only hash the string, but potentially having to copy and convert the string as well).
The problem with this method is that we no longer have the string (which IS a unique identifier) to make sure that the id is unique and that we have the correct item. This presents a problem when deleting and finding items because it is possible for two different strings to have the same hash value. The table will hold potentially tens of thousands if not hundreds of thousands of items (worst case scenario). In the average scenario, it will be holding at least thousands of items.
In this specific situation, which would likely give the best performance? Having to convert everything to a QByteArray (single byte wide string) and using QHash for every lookup? Or using QMultihash and only having to do the potential conversion when there are multiple objects with the same hash code? If it helps, look-ups will be fairly common as the table is meant to address look-ups for a script engine (the main reason I need to use strings). My guess is the second option, but I just wanted to make sure.
@primem0ver It is not really clear what you want to do.
Do you have different string classes which you want to put in a hash? Do you want to use those strings as keys? So, what is key what is value?
Why can't you use one string class and convert when needed?
Yes. I have different string types from different libraries. The string is used for "the key" and a pointer is the value. However, because of the different libraries and the need for adding extra information, I wrap the strings char* data in a QLatin1String, calculate its hash, and OR it with the hash of some added information to obtain the final hash value (an unsigned int) which is then used as the hash value to put it in the table. So currently I am using QHash/QMultihash<uint32, void*> (not really void... but good enough).
The string used is unique, however, since i am not actually using the string, it is possible to end up with the same uint32 for two different strings. So I am wondering which would be faster... to use the uint32 on a QMultihash structure (and hand compare the string for the occasional collision) or hash the string on a regular QHash structure? I am not worried about complexity of the code. I am worried about speed.
I think I answered my own question for speed. I wasn't really thinking about the fact that the hash is only calculated once for placement in the table and once for each lookup regardless of the method used. So then the question becomes one of storage space. Which would conserve the most space? Are duplicates of the strings created for the table itself when using a QLatin1String? Or is just the pointer stored?
Are duplicates of the strings created for the table itself when using a QLatin1String? Or is just the pointer stored?
I'm not sure I understand. You wrote your table looks like QHash/QMultihash<uint32, void*>. Where is QLatin1String here?
He wants a lookup table for string values.
The key is to be the string; the value is irrelevant.
The strings (which themselves are unique) come in a variety of "internal formats" (std::string, QString, char *, others).
He is proposing to convert them all to QLatin1String to store as the key for lookup.
He has thousands of such strings. He is concerned both about the storage requirement for the strings as keys in the hash table, and more particularly about the speed of look up (hence questions about needing to convert a string to be sought to QLatin1String each time it needs to be looked up.


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Tag Archives: #1 New York Times Bestselling author
Little Fires Everywhere: A Novel by Celeste Ng (Penguin Press, $17.00, 368 pages)
I and I, in creation where one's nature neither honors nor forgives. Bob Dylan
When a person reads an author for the first time, rarely will one know what to expect. Sometimes the reader is more or less satisfied than what was expected or anticipated. In the case of bestselling author Celeste Ng's second novel, Little Fires Everywhere, this reader was extremely excited to discover what an excellent book it is. Fires features something for just about everyone: young people finding their way; good people who become victims of circumstance; entitlement; the search for identity; the human judging that accompanies an attempt to make sense of those who can't or won't conform to convention; and revenge.
In Shaker Heights, Ohio, Elena Richardson likes things tidy. She desires perfection, keeps up appearances, runs in the right social circles, is a gossip, and assuages her conscience by renting out a property for less than market value. Concurrently, Richardson looks down upon those she's attempting to help. Enter Mia Warren, an artist, nomad, and mother of Pearl – a high schooler who finally seems to be hitting her stride.
Lexie, Richardson's daughter, befriends Pearl but as they attempt to interact with the opposite sex and apply to colleges, past and present intersect in ways that exempt no one from the powerful hand of Fate. What makes the story great is how Ng expertly and brilliantly brings the individual stories together. The total is greater than the sum of its parts as unique subplots play off against each other to form a coherent and shocking climax.
Little Fires Everywhere is a perfectly paced novel and the ending – satisfying as it is, is as mystifying as the journey to get there.
Dave Moyer is the superintendent of a public school district north of Chicago. He is the author of Life and Life Only: A Novel. In his spare time, he listens to the music of Bob Dylan and attends Dylan's live performances.
Tagged as #1 New York Times Bestselling author, A book review site, a novel, best authors, Bob Dylan, book review, book review site wordpress, Celeste Ng, Dave Moyer, Elena Richardson, fiction, Joseph's Reviews, Little Fires Everywhere, Mia Warren, Ohio, On Fire, Penguin Books, Penguin Press, recommended books, second novel, trade paperback, well paced story, Wordpress book review site
April 6, 2017 · 11:31 am
Where Nobody Knows Your Name: Life in the Minor Leagues of Baseball by John Feinstein (Anchor, $16.95, 384 pages)
AAA: Where baseball and purgatory collide…
John Feinstein, known for his many appearances on ESPN's The Sports Reporters, has authored 24 books. He is most noted for his debut A Season on the Brink: Bob Knight and the Indiana Hoosiers and his books on golf (most notably, A Good Walk Spoiled). His latest, Where Nobody Knows Your Name: Life in the Minor Leagues of Baseball, is simply excellent.
Many have attempted to write about baseball, but as much as the sport lends itself to great writing, truly capturing the essence of the game is a far from easy thing to accomplish. Roger Angell and Thomas Boswell are probably the best of the lot, and there are others that have done quite well. Feinstein's latest is not only a must for baseball fans, it's well worth the time of any sports fan.
Triple A baseball is the top level of the minor leagues. The goal for most players is to make it to AA ball because then the organization you play for thinks you have a chance to play in the big leagues. Most of the players in AA are young up and comers. Once a player is elevated to that level, they set their sights on the major leagues – or what is commonly referred to as "the show." The next level, AAA, becomes a place for additional seasoning of top prospects or a holding ground for more experienced players (who may be called up at any time). Some players who are shuttled back and forth are labeled "4A" players; too good for AAA but not good enough for major league play.
The players at the AAA level have dreamed the dream from their early childhood on. They've worked extremely hard, have often endured setbacks, and are just an eyelash away from the ultimate prize: playing in big league stadium parks.
In Where Nobody Knows Your Name, Feinstein follows the plight of several AAA characters throughout the 2012 season. He successfully hits on all the little things — the letter inviting a player to either a big league or minor league camp for spring training; the deadlines when players learn of their fate; the tragedy of players who have been to the "bigs" but get sent back to the minors; and the dreaded or hoped for calls to the manager's office (almost always signifying bad news, but sometimes good). The young ballplayers are quite human, but they are often treated like objects.
While many players and managers are profiled, the major characters in this book are Scott Elarton, Ron Johnson, Jon Lindsey, Mark Lollo, Charlie Montoyo, Scott Podesdnik, Chris Schwinden, and Brett Tomko. Along the way Feinstein tells of the endless travel, the ridiculous promotions, front office personnel, announcers, and the players' families. He also touches on the umpires and groundskeepers, who have their own dreams of being promoted to the bigs.
As for the primary characters, Elarton went 17-7 with the Astros in 2000, but finished with a record under .500 in his 10-year major league career. Johnson was a career minor league manager. Lindsey was drafted by the Rockies in 1995. Although he was a big hitter in the minors, he managed just one brief stint in the majors. Lindsey was called up by the Dodgers at the age of 33, going one for 12 in 11 big league games. Lollo dreamed of umpiring in the major leagues.
McLouth, an outfielder, showed promise early on in his career with the Pirates, was traded to Atlanta where he gradually lost his hitting touch, and had begun to fight his way back. Montoyo was another career minor league manager. Though not a power hitter, Podsednik, also an outfielder, hit a big home run in the 2005 World Series for the victorious White Sox. A player with speed, Podsednik's career was shortened by a rash of injuries.
Schwinden was a pitcher who fought for eight years to get to the majors. Tomko, who won exactly 100 major league games – but had not thrown a pitch since the 2009 season, fights to throw another pitch in the bigs at the age of 39. Elarton, Schwinden, and Tomko never make it back to the majors. The same is true for Johnson, Lollo, and Montoyo.
Podsednik was called up by the Red Sox in 2012 and hit .302 but was released at the end of the year. He was 36 and never played in the big leagues again. McLouth was called up by Baltimore and played in the post-season. His final big league season was 2014, during which he appeared in 79 games for Washington.
All of these individuals have a story, and Feinstein tells them in a masterful fashion. What resonates is a love of the game felt by each of these individuals. Each is grateful for what they have, while finding it hard to let go of the game that defined their existence.
None of the characters in this account decide to voluntarily walk away from baseball. They each fight to the end, knowing the odds of success fall between slim and none. Why? Feinstein answers that for readers when he concludes the book with a quote from Jim Bouton's memoir Ball Four: "You see, you spend a good piece of your life gripping a baseball and in the end it turns out that it was the other way around all the time."
A copy of this book was provided to the reviewer.
Dave Moyer is an educator and the author of a story about baseball, love, and Bob Dylan: Life and Life Only: A Novel.
Tagged as #1 New York Times Bestselling author, a book review by Dave Moyer: Where Nobody Knows Your Name, A book review site, A Good Walk Spoiled, a novel, A Season on the Brink, AA baseball, AAA baseball, Anchor Books, Atlanta Braves, Ball Four, baseball, best baseball books, Bob Dylan, book review, book review site wordpress, book reviews, Brett Tomko, Charlie Montoya, Chicago Red Sox, Chicago White Sox, Chris Schwinden, Colorado Rockies, Dave Moyer, Houston Astros, Jim Bouton, John Feinstein, Jon Lindsey, Joseph's Reviews, Life and Life Only, Life in the Minor Leagues of Baseball, Los Angeles Dodgers, major league baseball, Mark Lollo, minor league baseball, Nate McLouth, national bestseller, Philadelphia Phillies, Pittsburgh Pirates, professional baseball, recommended books, Ron Johnson, Scott Elarton, Scott Podsednik, sports books, trade paperback, Wordpress book review site
Full Black: A Thriller by Brad Thor (Pocket Books, $15.00, 379 pages)
If Barry Goldwater were alive today, he might well identify Brad Thor as his favorite author. For it was Goldwater who said, "Extremism in the pursuit of liberty is no vice. And moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue." Thor's action-thriller protagonist, Scott Harvath, lives by these words; Harvath's a former Navy Seal Team 6 member who's now a covert counterterrorism operative for a CIA contractor. Harvath does not wear kid gloves to work. He often goes "full black" – meaning that his undercover missions officially do not exist. He not only hunts down and kills terrorists, he maims and tortures them to get the information he needs, and may kill them after promising to spare their lives.
There are no shades of grey in agent Harvath's world and there's more than a touch of paranoia:
"The only way to disrupt the enemy, and beat them so far back that they couldn't attack, was to relentlessly hunt them down like the animals they were and unceasingly take the fight to them. That meant the gloves were off. It also meant that certain operations had to be kept secret from grandstanding politicians…"
As Full Black opens, there's been a deadly home invasion – seemingly involving former Russian secret policemen – at the residence of a Hollywood documentary producer. This does not seem like a major development but interest on the part of the media builds when the producer suddenly disappears. And the company that Harvarth works for sees this as the signal preceding a major terrorist attack – the largest since 9/11 – financed by a billionaire who hates the U.S.
"If we began hanging traitors, we'd lose a good many of our politicians, business and union leaders…"
Harvath is sent to Los Angeles to begin unraveling the mystery of the home invasion which he views as beyond the capabilities of the LAPD to solve. He's got several resources on his side, including a computer genius and a highly-experienced mentor, but it's hard to separate the good guys from the bad in Harvath's world. For Harvath, paranoia equals a very principled loyalty to the U.S., and he believes that the means are always justified by the end.
"…at some point in the last seventy-or-so years, the political class had become completely disconnected from reality…"
On its face, this may sound like Kill Shot by Vince Flynn and Red Cell by Mark Henshaw, but unlike those espionage thrillers, Full Black does not start out in overdrive. Thor takes his time building interest in the story, making sure the reader's fully invested in the tale before building speed. Once Thor shifts into second, third, four, and fifth gear, you'll see why his books are found in bookstores, airports and your local grocery store. His writing style might occasionally be over the top, but as Mitt Romney might say, "You can't argue with success."
The end of Full Black is actually the beginning of Thor's next thriller. Get ready to put that one on your nightstand.
A review copy was provided by the publisher. Black List: A Thriller by Brad Thor will be released by Atria Books on July 24, 2012.
Tagged as #1 New York Times Bestselling author, A Thriller, action-thriller protagonist, Barry Goldwater, Black List, Brad Thor, CIA, CIA contractor, espionage thriller, fiction, Full Black, Here Comes the Night, Hollywood, home invasion, hunting down terrorists, Joseph Arellano, Joseph's Reviews, July book releases, Kill Shot, Kindle Edition, LAPD, Los Angeles, major terrorist attack, male protagonist, Mark Henshaw, Navy Seal, Nook Book, over the top writing style, paranoia, Pocket Books, recommended books, Red Cell, Scott Harvath, terrorists, undercover operations, Vince Flynn, Wordpress book review site
A review of Full Black: A Thriller by Brad Thor.
Tagged as #1 New York Times Bestselling author, A Thriller, Black List, Brad Thor, espionage thriller, fiction, Full Black, Joseph's Reviews, July book releases, Kindle Edition, Mass Market Paperback, Nook Book, Pocket Books, trade paperback, Wordpress book review site
Helplessly Hoping
The Best of Me: A Novel by Nicholas Sparks (Grand Central Publishing; $25.99; 304 pages).
The Violets of March: A Novel by Sarah Jio (Plume; $15.00; 304 pages)
"He shouldn't have come back home. He didn't belong here, he'd never belong here."
I had never read a story by Sacramento native Nicholas Sparks, so I had high hopes for The Best of Me, his latest novel that I downloaded as a Nook Book on my Nook Color e-reader. It starts off very promisingly, a tale of forbidden romance between the well-bred Amanda Collier and the boy from the wrong side of the tracks, Dawson Cole. Amanda and Dawson grew up in the town of Oriental, North Carolina and societal pressures kept them apart. Now it's decades later and both of them are drawn back to Oriental to attend the funeral of Tuck, a man who was a father-figure of sorts for both of them.
Amanda has married a relatively-successful dentist and she's a mother, but she's never lost the feelings she had for Dawson. Dawson, who has pined for Amanda his entire life, has remained single, working on oil rigs and living in a double-wide trailer outside of New Orleans. The question raised by this story is, "Will Amanda and Dawson finally get together, even if it is late in the day in their lives (Dawson is 42); if so, what will it cost them to change their lives competely?"
Sparks writes in a calm, polite and seemingly timeless fashion, at least through the first four-fifths of the book. But it's when the reader gets to that last fifth – in sight of the finish line – that the story falls apart like a child's sand castle on a beach hit by a high tide. The ending is nothing less than trite, predictable and tacky; some serious readers are going to find it so bad that they may feel personally insulted.
The Best of Me starts off like a major motion picture but ends like a poor-quality "made for TV" film broadcast at 2:00 in the afternoon on a weekday. If you love hokey corn packaged as romance literature, you may like this one. For me, one Nicholas Sparks book is far more than enough.
Fortunately, The Violets of March, the debut novel from Sarah Jio is a fine antidote to having one's hopes dashed by reading something as predictable as The Best of Me. Jio has written a story about a young woman who has it all, a fine marriage and a successful writer's life in Manhattan, when it all falls apart. Emily Wilson's husband suddenly leaves her for a younger model, and so she departs for some much needed rest and recuperation at her aunt's home on Brainbridge Island in Washington State (a ferry ride from Seattle). Once there, she finds a diary that was written by her lost maternal grandmother Esther, a woman who died under mysterious circumstances at a time when the love of her life had broken her heart. (Esther, like Amanda Colllier, was married to a man that she did not actually love – a man who served as a substitute for her true love.)
All of her life Emily has been told that she looks exactly like her grandmother Esther, and she comes to find that there are some similarities in their lives. Thus, Emily becomes determined to find out exactly what happened to this woman who she never met. This is not an easy task, as no one in her mother's family is willing to talk about what happened in the early 1940s. Readers raised in families that pride themselves on keeping their secrets deeply buried will identify with this unique story.
Kudos to Jio for fashioning a satisfying ending in which everything comes together, made all the more satisfying due to its lack of predictability. Jio does not rush events nor does she paste on a false-feeling ending to "…an unsolved family mystery and an unfinished love affair."
The motto of Emily Wilson's grandmother Esther was, "True love lives on." So does good writing and with The Violets of March, Sarah Jio shows that she's a writer to watch.
A review copy of The Violets of March was provided by the publisher. The reviewer paid, unfortunately, for the Nook Book edition of The Best of Me. (Spark's novel is sometimes entertaining while one's reading it, but the elements of the story simply don't add up or ring true. In retrospect, there are simply too many improbable and implausible events which precede the groaningly awful ending.)
Tagged as #1 New York Times Bestselling author, Amanda Collier, awful ending, Bainbridge Island, best new writers, book review, California, Dawson Cole, debut novel, divorce, early 1940s, Emily Wilson, family mystery, family novel, fiction, good writing, Grand Central Publishing, Hachette Book Group USA, hardbound release, Helplessly Hoping, implausible events, Joseph Arellano, Joseph's Reviews, Kindle Edition, love stories, made for TV movie, Manhattan, mysterious death, new author, New Orleans, New York City, Nicholas Sparks, Nook Book, Nook Color e-reader, North Carolina, Penguin Group USA, Plume, popular fiction, predictable ending, recommended book, romance literature, Sacramento, Sacramento native, Sarah Jio, Sarah Mitchell Jio, satisying ending, Seattle, suspension of reality, The Best of Me, The Notebook, The Violets of March, timeless voice, trade paperback, trite ending, true love, unfinished love affair, unrequited love, Washington State, women's literature
Reviews of The Best of Me: A Novel by Nicholas Sparks, and The Violets of March: A Novel by Sarah Jio.
Tagged as #1 New York Times Bestselling author, a novel, Bainbridge Island, book reviews, fiction, Grand Central Publishing, hardbound release, Joseph's Reviews, Kindle Edition, love stories, Nicholas Sparks, Nook Book, North Carolina, Oriental, Plume, popular fiction, Sarah Jio, Sarah Mitchell Jio, The Best of Me, The Violets of March, trade paperback, Washington State
Every Last One
Every Last One by Anna Quindlen (Random House, April 13, 2010)
"Most of our fears are petty and small… Only our love is monumental."
In Every Last One, author Anna Quindlen gives us a monumental – yet quietly reserved – look at the life of a typical American family, before and after the family is rocked by an unimaginable tragedy. This is the story of Mary Beth Latham, basically a stay-at-home mom who operates a landscaping business; her ophthalmologist husband, Glen; daughter Ruby; and her fraternal twin sons, Max and Alex. Although we observe their lives through Mary Beth's eyes, we come to know Ruby the best. She's a senior in high school who is about to leave the nest for a yet-to-be-determined college.
Mary Beth at one point ponders whether it is a woman's role to persevere after everyone she loves has left her. But she thinks about this at a time when everyone she loves is still close to her. This is when she's the woman who worries about the smallest of concerns, when her life goes on as normal. But normal is not lasting…
Daughter Ruby has known her boyfriend Kiernan since childhood, and he becomes obsessed with her and all of the Lathams. Kiernan finally becomes less of a boyfriend to Ruby than a stalker, and someone who uses any excuse to keep company with the Lathams. Ruby realizes that she's going to have to reject Kiernan soon – and before she departs for her future life.
When tragedy strikes Mary Beth must become a survivor. Everyone around her fails at offering comfort; instead, they impose their expectations on her as to how they believe she should act. The people she worked so hard to please, to impress, to be close to all let her down.
Eventually Mary Beth comes to see – as we all must – that she cannot live her life in a manner that pleases others. She simply must continue, even if the reason for doing so is not completely clear.
"It's all I know how to do now. This is my life. I am trying."
It is impossible to describe the nature of the tragedy that Mary Beth experiences without betraying the story, and this summary does not disclose it. Suffice it to say that when it occurs the reader will think that the story is over. In the hands of a less skilled writer it would be. But Quindlen is at her best in writing the tale of a woman who is strong when the world believes she has been stripped of the reasons to continue living.
In the end, this novel tells us that you never know what you might be capable of until the situation is there, staring you in the face. In Mary Beth we find a character who is a stronger person than she ever believed herself capable of being, back when life was relatively untroubled and easy.
"The silence is as big as the sky…"
Author Quindlen teaches the reader that life is not predictable and, further, that one must be prepared to start over at any time. It is – after all – the nature of every life. Life, for better or worse, every year, month, day, and each and every minute. It is all to be treasured, and readers may come to justifiably value this impressive work from the subtly gifted pen and mind of Anna Quindlen.
Tagged as #1 New York Times Bestselling author, American families, Anna Quindlen, audio books, best authors, best writers, book preview, book review, book review site wordpress, books, criminal drama, Every Last One, family drama, family novel, fiction, Joseph Arellano, Joseph's Reviews, Kindle Edition, novel, Object Lessons, One True Thing, popular fiction, pre-release review, Random House, recommended books, survival, tragedy, Wordpress book review site