An oscillating device includes a temperature compensated oscillator that compensates a frequency temperature characteristic in a temperature compensation range including apart of a first temperature range, and a temperature control circuit that includes a heater and controls a temperature of a quartz crystal resonator of the temperature compensated oscillator into a second temperature range included in the temperature compensation range. Further, the temperature compensation range of the temperature compensated oscillator may include a part of the first temperature range in which compensation can be performed by first-order approximation.

The present invention proposes a digital system and method of measuring (estimating) non-energy parameters of the signal (phase, frequency and frequency rate) received in additive mixture with Gaussian noise. The first embodiment of the measuring system consists of a PLL system tracking variable signal frequency, a block of NCO full phase computation (OFPC), a block of signal phase primary estimation (SPPE) and a first type adaptive filter filtering the signal from the output of SPPE. The second embodiment of the invention has no block SPPE, and NCO full phase is fed to the input of a second type adaptive filter. The present invention can be used in receivers of various navigation systems, such as GPS, GLONASS and GALILEO, which provide precise measurements of signal phase at different rates of frequency change, as well as systems using digital PLLs for speed measurements.

A method, an apparatus, and a computer program product are provided. The apparatus tunes a frequency provided by a VCO. The apparatus determines a relative capacitance change associated with a first frequency and a desired frequency from a look-up table. The apparatus adjusts a capacitor circuit in the VCO based on the determined relative capacitance change determined from the look-up table in order to tune from the first frequency to the desired frequency. The apparatus determines that the frequency provided by the VCO is a second frequency different than the desired frequency after adjusting the capacitor circuit. The apparatus performs an iterative search to further adjust the capacitor circuit when a difference between the second frequency and the desired frequency is greater than a threshold.

A system is disclosed for a voltage controlled oscillator (“VCO”) having a large frequency range and a low gain. Passive or active circuitry is introduced between at least one VCO cell in the voltage controlled oscillator and the voltage source for the VCO cell which reduces a gain value for the VCO to maintain stability of the system.

Disclosed are a phase locked loop (PLL) of a digital scheme and a method thereof. More specifically, disclosed are a digital phase locked loop having a time-to-digital converter (TDC), a digital loop filter (DLF), and a digitally controlled oscillator (DCO), and that is designed to have a constant jitter characteristic at all times even though an operating condition of a circuit varies according to a process, voltage, temperature (PVT) change, and a method thereof.

A ring oscillator circuit causing a pulse signal to circulate around a circle to which an even number of inverting circuits are connected in a ring, wherein one of the inverting circuits is a first starting inverting circuit, which drives a first pulse signal according to a control signal, another of the inverting circuits is a second starting inverting circuit, which drives a second pulse signal based on a leading edge of the first pulse signal, still another is a third starting inverting circuit, which drives a third pulse signal based on the leading edge of the first pulse signal after the second pulse signal is driven, and the first to third starting inverting circuits are arranged within the circle of the inverting circuits in order of the third, second, and first pulse signals in traveling directions of the pulse signals.

A ring-oscillator-based on-chip sensor (OCS) includes a substrate having a semiconductor surface upon which the OCS is formed. The OCS includes an odd number of digital logic stages formed in and on the semiconductor surface including a first stage and a last stage each including at least one NOR gate including a first gate stack and/or a NAND gate including a second gate stack. A feedback connection is from an output of the last stage to an input of the first stage. At least one discharge path including at least a first p-channel metal-oxide semiconductor (PMOS) device is coupled between the first gate stack and a ground pad, and/or at least one charge path including at least a first n-channel metal-oxide semiconductor (NMOS) device is coupled between the second gate stack a power supply pad.

The switching element is provided in a state of being electromagnetically coupled to the cavity resonator of the high frequency oscillator; the bias voltage applying terminal is connected to one electrode of the switching element; another electrode of the switching element is electrically connected to the cavity resonator (the anode shell in FIG. 1); the metal plate having a size enough for reflecting an electric wave to be transmitted before and after the switching element in a high-frequency manner is provided at any one end of the switching element; and by applying a bias voltage to the switching element and varying that, a reactance of the switching element is changed and a resonance frequency of the cavity resonator is varied. By this method, an oscillation frequency can be varied greatly relative to a small change in a bias voltage.

A vibration element includes a piezoelectric substrate including a vibrating section and a thick section having a thickness larger than that of the vibrating section. The thick section includes a first thick section provided along a first outer edge of the vibrating section, a second thick section provided along a second outer edge, and a third thick section provided along another first outer edge. An inclined outer edge section that intersects with each of an X axis and a Z' axis is provided in a tip section of the piezoelectric substrate.

Arrays of resonator sensors include an active wafer array comprising a plurality of active wafers, a first end cap array coupled to a first side of the active wafer array, and a second end cap array coupled to a second side of the active wafer array. Thickness shear mode resonator sensors may include an active wafer coupled to a first end cap and a second end cap. Methods of forming a plurality of resonator sensors include forming a plurality of active wafer locations and separating the active wafer locations to form a plurality of discrete resonator sensors. Thickness shear mode resonator sensors may be produced by such methods.

A circuit includes first and second transconductance stages that generate first and second currents, respectively, in response to an input signal. A current combiner circuit selectively couples the first current to a first output, selectively couples the second current to the first output, selectively couples the first current to a second output, and selectively couples the second current to the second output. In response to the first current being coupled to both the first and second outputs, the current combiner circuit couples the second current to both the first and second outputs. In response to the first current being decoupled from the second output, the current combiner circuit decouples the second current from both the first and second outputs. In response to the first current being decoupled from the first output, the current combiner circuit decouples the second current from both the first and second outputs.

This invention relates to a novel rotary control valve with new joint methods and flow control mechanisms, inline-reparability and fully metal seals more particularly to a triple offset butterfly valve or ball valve with those features used for on-off and flow controlling under multiple extreme conditions or in severe services; such as the integrated gasification combined cycle under high temperature and pressure, Fluid Catalytic Cracking under high temperature over 1200 F with hard diamond like catalytic particles, shale fracking process under extreme high pressure and high velocity fluid with solid particles and corrosive additives and other critical applications for products life lasting 5 to 30 years like deepsea flow control systems and nuclear power plants and for the applications of millions cycles like jet or rocket turbine engine fuel delivery systems with high velocity fuel fluid mixed with highly oxidative gas under temperature 1365 F.

The invention provides a hard seal plug valve, comprising a valve body, wherein a tapered plug is arranged in the valve body, a bonnet is arranged at an upper part of the valve body, a drive valve rod penetrates the bonnet, an elastic hold-down mechanism is sheathed on the drive valve rod and arranged on a plug bearing seat, the plug bearing seat is connected with the tapered plug, and the plug bearing seat is held down when the elastic hold-down mechanism extends; and the hard seal plug valve characterized in that a telescopic mechanism is sheathed on the drive valve rod, the plug bearing seat is pushed upward when the telescopic mechanism extends, a valve rod bearing seat is arranged at the bottom of the drive valve rod, ends of the valve rod bearing seat pass through a planetary reduction mechanism, and the tapered plug is connected with the planetary reduction mechanism and rotates with the drive valve rod by the planetary reduction mechanism. In the invention, the tapered plug can reliably float and rotate under any circumstances. The drive torque of the plug valve is at least 7 times less than that of a general plug valve, therefore, when a motor is used, a general valve requires 2 minutes from opening to closing, and the valve of the invention only requires 3.8 seconds.

A solenoid valve, the magnet armature of which is designed to be movable relative to a first valve-closing element, for which purpose the first valve-closing element is accommodated telescopically in a coupling element attached to the magnet armature, wherein the coupling element is guided along the inner wall of a guide sleeve inserted in the valve housing in order to align the magnet armature precisely with the first valve-closing element in the direction of a second valve-closing element which is likewise accommodated in the guide sleeve.

For a flap assembly, in particular an exhaust gas flap assembly, with the flap mounted on both sides via bearing devices in the housing, the disclosure describes a design in which a bearing body is supported radially against an annular collar of the bearing device and, by way of the annular collar, is held braced in a radially spring-loaded manner in a predefined radial position.

The present invention involves, in some embodiments, systems and methods involving fluid handling apparatus for pumping fluid to and from a patient, which may include a reusable component and a disposable pumping cartridge. The reusable component may comprise a control chamber and a pressure transducer configured to measure a gas pressure associated with the control chamber, as well as a processor. The processor may be configured to supply the control chamber with a gas at a predetermined pressure, monitor the gas pressure associated within the control chamber with the pressure transducer over a predetermined period of time, and determine if the change in gas pressure associated within the control chamber exceeds a maximum allowable predetermined limit.

According to one embodiment, a sheet finishing apparatus includes a finishing section configured to apply finishing to a sheet placed on a processing tray, a sheet discharging section configured to discharge the sheet subjected to the finishing to a stack tray via a discharge port, a roller attached to a shaft provided in parallel to the discharge port and which rotate in a first direction for guiding the sheet in the direction of the finishing section and a second direction for discharging the sheet, and an arm attached to the shaft to extend in the centrifuging direction from the shaft, rotate with the torque of the shaft, and idly rotate when force for regulating the torque acts. The arm flaps down the trailing end of the sheet on the stack tray onto the stack tray.

A method for operating a processing system, in which product units of different formats are processed. The processing system contains a plurality of processing devices that are arranged one after the other in a processing line. In the event of a format changeover, certain component arrangements arranged in the processing system must be adapted to the new product format. In the event of an upcoming format change, a gap in the conveyed goods is generated while the conveying operation is maintained, wherein the gap in the conveyed goods runs through the processing system along the processing devices. As soon as the gap in the conveyed goods runs through a component arrangement to be adapted to the new format, the format is changed over at the component arrangement while the gap in the conveyed goods runs through the component arrangement.

An apparatus and method are provided, for alternatively producing either small or bulk packs of napkins from a stack of folded napkins produced by one folding machine, through use of a pack dispatching arrangement having an inlet, a small pack transfer station and a bulk pack transfer station, and configured for operation in a small pack mode for dispatching a stream of spaced apart small packs of folded sheets separated from the stack of folded sheets, and received at an inlet of the pack dispatching arrangement, to the small pack transfer station, and alternatively operable in a bulk pack mode for dispatching a stream of spaced apart bulk packs of folded sheets separated from the stack of folded sheets, and received at an inlet of the pack dispatching arrangement, to the bulk pack transfer station.

A sheet processing apparatus which is capable of completing a bound document containing appropriately Z-folded sheets when performing folding together with edge cutting and binding. The sheet processing apparatus controls a Z-folding process, a cutting process, and a binding process for a sheet. A first folding position from a free end of the sheet coincides with a position corresponding to half a width of the sheet excluding a cut width of the sheet a binding margin, when the Z-folding process, the cutting process, and the binding process are executed.

The post-processing device includes: a binding unit that forms a cut in a sheet stack and cuts a part of the sheet stack into a predetermined shape to form a tongue portion in the sheet stack, the tongue portion having a part where one end part of the tongue portion is not separated from the sheet stack, and binds the sheet stack by bending the tongue portion and inserting the other end part of the tongue portion into the cut; and a sheet stack transport unit that transports the sheet stack in an orientation such that the one end part of the tongue portion in the sheet stack bound by the binding unit is on a downstream side of the other end part of the tongue portion in the sheet stack transport direction.

Imaging apparatus and methods for bindery systems. An example apparatus disclosed herein includes a platform having a plurality of openings to provide suction through a surface of the platform and a first track that moves across the surface of the platform. The first track has a plurality of apertures to fluidly couple the suction to an upper surface of the first track.

A sheet processing apparatus 3 includes a position aligning section (61A, 61B), a holding section 53, and a processing section (38, 55). The position aligning section (61A, 61B) abuts the inner side or a fold of a sheet bundle (S2), which is formed by collecting a plurality of folded sheets (S1), to align the position of the folds of line plurality of folded sheets (S1). The holding section (53) holds the sheet bundle (S2) in which the position of the folds of the plurality of sheets (S1) has been aligned by the position aligning section (61A, 61B). The processing section (38, 55) performs a predetermined process on the sheet bundle (S2) held by the holding section 53.

An image forming apparatus may include an image forming unit, a stacking unit, a control unit, and an alignment unit. The image forming unit forms an image on a recording material having a type. The stacking unit stacks the recording material on which the image formation is formed by the image forming unit. The control unit sets a predetermined number of sheets to a number that corresponds to the type of the recording material. The alignment unit aligns the recording material if the predetermined number of sheets of the recording material is stacked by the stacking unit.

According to an embodiment, there is provided a sheet processing apparatus includes a stacking unit that stacks a sheet conveyed thereto; a first alignment unit that aligns the sheet or a bundle of sheets stacked in the stacking unit in a sheet conveying direction; a second alignment unit that aligns the sheet or the bundle of sheets stacked in the stacking unit in a direction orthogonal to the sheet conveying direction; a pressing unit that presses the bundle of sheets at an end portion thereof on a predetermined one side; and a control unit that causes at least one of the first and second alignment units to execute an alignment operation during a press operation of the sheet or the bundle of sheets performed by the pressing unit.

An image forming apparatus includes a main conveyance path 13, a main discharge roller 17, and a main stacking tray 19. The sorting discharge unit 20 includes a subsidiary conveyance path 22, a change-over mechanism 23, a subsidiary discharge roller 24 and a subsidiary stacking tray 26. The subsidiary discharge roller 24 is provided on the most downstream side of the subsidiary conveyance path 22. The subsidiary stacking tray 26 is arranged above the main stacking tray 19 and the transfer sheet P discharged from the subsidiary discharge roller 24 is stacked in the subsidiary stacking tray 26. A stacking concave portion 29 which expands a stackable area of the subsidiary stacking tray 26 is formed below the subsidiary discharge roller 24.

This invention provides a technique of preventing a collision between an original document and a printing material on a conveyance path when an image forming apparatus executes both additional printing on the original document and printing on the printing material. In a case where both additional printing on an original document and printing on a printing material are executed, the image forming apparatus according to one aspect of the invention conveys a read original document to a transfer unit through a conveyance path commonly used for an original document and sheet, and prints an image to be added on the original document. After the original document is conveyed to the transfer unit through the conveyance path, the image forming apparatus feeds a sheet from a sheet feeding unit to the conveyance path, and performs copying on the sheet in the transfer unit.

A printing control apparatus according to one aspect of this invention controls to print images on sheets based on image data of a plurality of pages, generate a bookbinding product by executing folding processing for the image-printed sheets, and output the bookbinding product. The printing control apparatus further accepts the position of an insertion sheet to be inserted into the sheets for which the folding processing is executed, and controls to output a plurality of bookbinding products by using, as a reference, the accepted position of the insertion sheet.

According to one embodiment, a sheet post-processing apparatus includes a machine body, a first roller pair, a tray, a second roller pair, a driving unit, an inlet sensor, a receiving unit and a control unit. The inlet sensor is configured to detect presence or absence of the sheet in the first roller pair driven by the driving unit. The receiving unit is configured to receive, from an image forming apparatus, sheet length information in the sheet conveying direction of the sheet as a target to which the print job is applied. The control unit is configured to control the driving unit to rotate, if the sheet length information indicates special length and the inlet sensor detects a trailing end of the sheet, at least rollers of the second roller pair a predetermined number of times and stop the rollers, the second roller pair nipping the sheet.

A sheet binding apparatus which forms concavity and the convexity on a sheet bundle including a plurality of sheets in a thickness direction so as to bind the sheet bundle, the sheet binding apparatus includes: a pair of concave-convex members, each of which has concave-convex portion in the thickness direction of the sheet bundle and which forms the concavity and the convexity on the sheet bundle in the thickness direction while niping the sheet bundle therebetween; wherein in the pair of concave-convex members, one of the concave-convex members has a greater difference in height of the concave-convex portion than that of the other concave-convex member which engages with the above-described concave-convex member.

Disclosed is an image forming system including: the relay apparatus; the image forming device which is connected to the first communication control unit of the relay apparatus and which acquires the sheet interval information of the downstream post-processing device through the first communication system; and the second post-processing device which is connected to the second communication control unit of the relay apparatus, the second post-processing device being compliant with the second communication system.

The present invention is directed to providing a mechanism for allowing a user to easily take out print products discharged onto a plurality of sheet discharge trays in the discharge order. A control method for controlling a sheet processing apparatus for performing control to discharge sheets onto a plurality of sheet discharge trays includes storing, in a storage unit, the discharge order in which sheets have been discharged onto equal to or more than two sheet discharge trays by executing a job, and performing, upon reception of a take-out instruction for taking out in the discharge order the sheets discharged by executing the job, processing for allowing a user to take out the sheets discharged onto the equal to or more than two sheet discharge trays, in the discharge order stored in the storage unit.

An image recording apparatus includes: a recording unit for recording an image on a recording medium; a tray for supporting the recording medium recorded by the recording unit; a conveyor mechanism for conveying the recorded medium to the tray; and an alignment mechanism for aligning a plurality of recording media stacked on the tray, by application of an external force. In a period from a start to an end of recording based on one recording job, the alignment mechanism aligns the plurality of recording media stacked on the tray in a period in which image recording is not performed, and the alignment mechanism does not align the plurality of recording media stacked on the tray in a period in which image recording is being performed.

Disclosed is an image forming system including: an image forming device to notify a downstream post-processing device of sheet information relating to a sheet on which an image is formed, before the sheet is discharged, and to notify the downstream post-processing device of set separation information indicating a final sheet of each set of document in synchronization with the sheet information relating to the final sheet of each set in case that a plurality of sets of document are printed, the image forming device being compliant with a first communication system; a post-processing device which is connected to a downstream of the image forming device and is compliant with a second communication system which is different from the first communication system; and the relay apparatus which is connected to the image forming device through the first communication system and is connected to the post-processing device through the second communication system.

A sheet processing apparatus includes a pair of squeezing members having a projection and a recess to engage each other, to squeeze a sheet bundle inserted therebetween in a direction of thickness of the sheet bundle, and a pressure applying unit to apply pressing force to the squeezing members to squeeze and bind the sheet bundle. The pressing force generated between the squeezing members by the pressure applying unit increases in strength as a relative distance between the squeezing members decreases.

A post-processing apparatus includes a processing tray, a conveyance portion, a staple unit, an operation portion, a mode switching portion, a cover, and an open/close detection portion. The staple unit, which has an automatic mode and a manual mode as processing modes for stapling processing, executes stapling processing for a paper sheet conveyed to the processing tray by the conveyance portion in the automatic mode, and executes stapling processing for a paper sheet stacked on the processing tray by a user in the manual mode. The cover is attached in an openable and closable manner so as to cover the operation portion when closed, and expose the operation portion when opened. While the open/close detection portion is detecting that the cover is opened, when the operation portion has received an operation for switching to the manual mode, the mode switching portion switches the automatic mode to the manual mode.

In a provided apparatus, an upper roller to be engaged with a sheet upper face and a lower roller to be engaged with a sheet lower face are arranged at a sheet discharging port in a manner capable of being pressure-contacted and being separated, the upper roller is formed with a large-diameter soft roll face and a small-diameter hard roll face, and a pressurization force of roller lifting-lowering means with which the upper roller is pressure-contacted to and is separated from the lower roller is switched to be high or low.

An image forming system includes the following elements. An image forming apparatus forms images on plural sheets sequentially transported with a spacing therebetween. A sheet transport apparatus includes a transport section which receives and transports the plural sheets farther downstream. The sheet transport apparatus supplies a different type of sheet from a different-type-of-sheet supply device, inserts it into the spacing, and transports the sheets. The sheet transport apparatus includes the following elements. A transport information obtaining unit obtains information concerning transporting of sheets. A different-type-of-sheet stop unit supplies the different type of sheet, on the basis of the information concerning transporting of sheets, and stops the different type of sheet at a position before the transport section. A different-type-of-sheet supply information output unit outputs information concerning the supply of the different type of sheet, the information being obtained regarding a standby state of the different type of sheet.

In a sheet storing apparatus of the present invention, a tailing end supporting member which temporarily supports a tailing end of a dropping sheet bundle is arranged between a discharging port of a processing tray to discharge the sheet bundle and the upmost sheet on a stack tray as being movable between an operating position above a sheet placement face and a waiting position outside the stack tray.

When information about weight of a sheet indicates weight less than a predetermined weight, a sheet stacking apparatus configured to align sheets to be stacked on a stacking tray discharges the sheet onto the stacking tray while overlapping the sheet with another sheet by an overlapping unit, and, when the information about the weight of the sheet indicates weight not less than the predetermined weight, the sheet stacking apparatus discharges the sheet onto the stacking tray without overlapping the sheet with another sheet by the overlapping unit.

A sheet processing apparatus includes a projection forming unit configured to form a projection on a sheet. The projection is formed in the vicinity of a binding portion of a sheet bundle. When a succeeding sheet bundle is discharged on the sheet bundle in which the projection has been formed on a top surface thereof, the succeeding sheet bundle is stacked by moving on the already stacked sheet bundle without being caught by the binding portion of the already stacked sheet bundle as an end of the succeeding sheet bundle is guided by the projection.

A sheet processing apparatus and a method of controlling the same align sheets stacked on a stacking unit, by causing a first alignment member and a second alignment member to come into contact with edges of a sheet stacked on the stacking unit in a sheet width direction. In a case that a second sheet that is different from a first sheet stacked on the stacking unit is to be stacked on the first sheet and aligned using the first alignment member and the second alignment member, control is performed to discharge a partition sheet onto the first sheet stacked on the stacking unit.

A sheet processing apparatus including a stacking tray that stacks sheets, a conveying member that conveys a sheet to the stacking tray and discharges the sheet bundle from the stacking tray, wherein the conveying member includes a conveying roller and a conveying belt stretched by a plurality of stretch rollers, and a sheet processor that performs predetermined processing to the sheet bundle. When the conveying member conveys the sheet to the stacking tray, a part of the conveying belt that is not wound on the stretch roller contacts the conveying roller by moving the conveying belt as such a nip for conveying the sheet is formed. When the conveying member discharges the sheet bundle from the stacking tray, a part of the conveying belt that is wound on the stretch roller contacts the conveying roller by moving the conveying belt so that a nip for conveying the sheet is formed.

A sheet processing apparatus includes: a folding processing unit that folds a sheet by reversely rotating a second conveying member in a condition in which the sheet is held by a first and the second conveying members; a calculating unit that calculates an amount of deflection of the sheet held by the first and second conveying members from timings at which the sheet is detected by first and second detecting units disposed upstream of the first conveying member and downstream of the second conveying member and a distance between disposed positions of the first and second detecting units; and a control unit that sets, from the calculated amount of deflection of the sheet, an amount of conveyance for the first conveying member in a direction opposite to a sheet conveying direction in a condition in which the sheet is held by the first and second conveying members.

A mechanism capable of changing an upper limit number of sheets for a post-process is provided. To achieve this, a control method for controlling a sheet processing apparatus which performs the post-process for the sheets on which images are formed, comprising: storing, in a storage unit, the upper limit number of sheets to which the post-process can be performed; and changing the upper limit number of sheets stored in the storage unit is provided.

To provide a sheet storage apparatus for enabling sheets that are carried out of an image formation apparatus or the like on the upstream side to be loaded and stored in a predetermined position with a correct posture neatly at high speed, a sheet discharge roller and a reverse roller spaced a distance are disposed in a sheet discharge outlet and a tray, a kick member is provided to be swingable in a vertical direction passing a sheet discharge path of a sheet discharged from the sheet discharge outlet, and a posture of the kick member is controlled by shift means. The shift means controls the kick member among a waiting posture retracted upward from the sheet discharge path, an engagement posture for imposing a load on the sheet to engage, and an actuation posture dropping onto the tray together with the sheet.

A first discharging portion that discharges a sheet received from one of image forming apparatus and a second discharging portion discharges a sheet received from another image forming apparatus are disposed opposite each other to stack the sheets discharged in a common processing tray. A controller controls the first and second discharging portions when the sheets are continuously discharged by the first and second discharging portions, controls a timing when the sheets are discharged by the first discharging portion and the second discharging portion to the common processing tray such that a leading edge of the sheet discharged from one of the discharging portions abuts on a sheet surface in the downstream of a discharging direction below a leading edge of the sheet discharged from the other discharging portion.

An apparatus for processing sheets of different formats, the apparatus including a feeding device that feed sheets of different formats in a feeding direction one behind the other, and at a certain conveying speed, at least two collecting drums disposed downstream of the feeding device, the at least two collecting drums having cylindrical lateral surfaces that rotate about an axis of rotation, securing means for temporarily securing the fed sheets on a circumference of the at least two collecting drums, a drive device that drives the collecting drums in rotation at a circumferential speed that corresponds to the conveying speed of the feeding device, and a sensing device for sensing the sheets of different formats moving past is arranged along the conveying path and senses the leading edge of the sheets of different formats, as seen in the feeding direction, or markings applied to the sheets of different formats.

A land grid array (LGA) package including a substrate having a plurality of lands formed on a first surface of the substrate, a semiconductor chip mounted on a second surface of the substrate, a connection portion connecting the semiconductor chip and the substrate, and a support layer formed on part of a surface of a first land.

In a disclosed embodiment, a method for tiling selected vias in a semiconductor device having a plurality of vias comprises generating a layout database for the semiconductor device; creating zones around the plurality of vias; measuring density of covering metal in each zone; selecting a low density zone as being a zone that has a metal density less than a threshold metal density; and adding at least one tiling feature on a metal layer above the plurality of vias in the low density zone so that metal density of the low density zone increases to at least the same as the threshold metal density.