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the particular values and configurations discussed in these non - limiting examples can be varied and are cited merely to illustrate embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to limit the scope thereof . fig3 illustrates a cross - sectional diagram of a low voltage triggered silicon - controlled rectifier ( lvtscr ) apparatus 300 in which a plurality of nmos fingers 333 , 335 , 337 , 339 , and 341 are incorporated therein , in accordance with a preferred embodiment . in order to improve the performance of an lvtscr without scarifying hbm performance thereof , lvtscr apparatus 300 can be inserted with multiple nmos fingers 333 , 335 , 337 , 339 , and 341 . such an improvement can be verified , for example , utilizing 0 . 25 μm technology by utilizing a transmission line pulse generator ( tlp ). note that as utilized herein , the acronym nmos refers generally to “ n - channel metal oxide semiconductor ,” which is based on a transistor technology wherein the primary current carriers are negatively charged electrons . lvtscr apparatus 300 generally includes a p - well region 304 and an n - well region 302 . a p + region 306 is located within p - well region 304 , along with an n + source region 308 , an n + drain region 310 , an n + source region 312 , an n + drain region 314 , an n + source region 316 , and an n + drain region 318 . an n + region 320 , a p + region 322 , and an n + region 324 are located within n - well region 302 . an electrical node 352 can be connected to p + region 322 , while an electrical node 354 is connected to n + region 324 . electrical nodes 352 , 354 and 356 generally comprise the same electrical node and together form an anode 301 . a poly region 332 and an oxide region 334 are also provided , which together form nmos finger 333 . similarly , a poly region 336 and an oxide region 338 are also provided , which together form nmos finger 335 . additionally , a poly region 340 and an oxide region 342 can also be provided , which together form nmos finger 337 . likewise , a poly region 344 and an oxide region 346 are also generally provided , which together form nmos finger 339 . finally , a poly region 348 and an oxide region 350 are also provided , which together form nmos finger 341 . an electrical node 328 is connected to p + region 306 and also to n + region 308 . electrical node 328 is also connected to region 332 of nmos finger 333 and region 336 of nmos finger 335 . electrical node 328 is further connected to region 340 of nmos finger 337 and to region 344 of nmos finger 339 . electrical node 328 is also connected to region 348 of nmos finger 341 . electrical node 328 is also connected to source regions 308 , 312 and 316 of nmos fingers . electrical node 328 is also connected to node 326 and node 330 . note that nodes 326 , 328 and 330 electrically comprise the same electrical node and form a cathode 303 . also , n + region 320 with n - well 302 is electrically connected to drain regions 310 , 314 and 318 of nmos fingers within p - well 304 . in order to improve cdm performance , inserting additional nmos fingers within the structure of lvtscr apparatus 300 may be helpful . too many nmos fingers , however , can increase the distance between the edge 323 of the n - well region 302 and p - well tap of region 304 and thus can degrade scr performance in hbm . thus , instead of utilizing only one nmos finger , as is the case with scr structures depicted in fig1 - 2 herein , multiple nmos fingers 333 , 335 , 337 , 339 , and 341 can be inserted into the lvtscr apparatus 300 structure . in the example depicted in fig3 , multiple nmos fingers 333 , 335 , 337 , 339 , and 341 can possess a width of , for example , 200 μm , rather than 40 μm , which is the case with the single nmos finger 207 depicted in fig2 . in the example illustrated in fig3 , w nmos = 200 μm and w scr = 40 μm , where w nmos represents the nmos finger width and is associated generally with cathode 303 , while w scr represents the scr width associated with the anode 301 . note that lvtscr apparatus 300 thus comprises a multiple nmos finger lvtscr , which can be referred to by the acronym mf_lvtscr . fig4 illustrates a graph 400 indicative of tlp current 402 versus tlp voltage 404 , and dc leakage current 401 versus tlp current 402 , in accordance with a preferred embodiment . graph 400 generally plots tlp pulsed i - v characteristics of a traditional lvtscr ( e . g ., lvtscr 100 , 200 ) and an mf_lvtscr ( e . g ., lvtscr apparatus 300 ). lines 406 and 407 depicted in fig4 generally represent tlp i - v characteristics and lines 408 and 410 re the present dc leakage current measurements at 2 . 5v after each tlp stress . mf_lvtscr data is indicated in graph 400 generally be lines 407 and 408 , while traditional scr data is indicated by lines 406 and 410 . compared to the use of only a single nmos finger , such as nmos finger 207 of lvtscr 200 , the configuration of an mf_lvtscr as illustrated by graph 400 shows that tlp pulsed i - v characteristics are almost identical for nmos with w = 40 μm and w = 200 μm in the scr with w = 40 μm . such a scenario results in the conclusion that an lvtscr with multiple nmos fingers ( i . e ., an mf_lvtscr ) sustains the same hbm performance . graph 400 demonstrates that because the total width of the nmos fingers increases in an mf_lvtscr , the nmos fingers 333 , 335 , 337 , 339 , and 341 , for example , can withstand cdm stress current if the scr is not turned on fast enough . fig5 illustrates a schematic circuit 500 of a low - voltage triggered silicon - controlled rectifier in accordance with a preferred embodiment . circuit 500 is indicative of the electrical structure , for example , of lvtscr apparatus 300 depicted in fig3 . an anode 501 is also depicted in fig5 and is connected to an n - well region or tap 504 . an n - well resistor ( i . e . r_nwell ) can be formed between tap 504 and the n + region 320 of fig3 . the p - n - p bipolar transistor 508 can be formed by p + region 322 , n - well 302 and p - well 304 in fig3 . the n - p - n bipolar transistor 516 is generally formed by n - well 302 , p - well 304 , n + source regions 308 , 312 , 316 of nmos fingers within p - well in fig3 . a p - well resistor ( i . e . r_pwell ) can be also formed between p - well 304 and p + region 306 in fig3 . these two transistors 508 and 516 construct the scr structure . the multiple nmos fingers are electrically connected to n + region 320 with n - well 304 in fig3 , and thus form the n - p - n bipolar transistor 520 . because the transistors 520 and 516 can interact with each other , the bipolar transistor 520 plays as the trigger transistor of the scr structure . in circuit 500 , path 510 ( i . e ., path a ) is comprised of the transistors 508 and 516 , and represents the scr current path that dominates during hbm events . path 512 ( i . e ., path b ), however , involves a p / n diode in series with nmos fingers , which will sink the cdm current . it should be noted that although there is another current path 514 from an n - well tap to the nmos fingers , the high esd current will not flow through the n - well tap because of a higher voltage drop within the n - well resistor ( e . g ., & gt ; 0 . 7 v ). this path triggers the nmos fingers in lower esd currents and sinks the esd current during negative hbm stresses and positive cdm stresses . in general , in circuit 500 , w nmos & gt ; 5 w scr . fig6 illustrates a schematic layout of a multiple nmos finger low - voltage triggered silicon - controlled rectifier ( mf_lvtscr ) apparatus 600 with ten nmos fingers in accordance with one embodiment . mf_lvtscr apparatus 600 generally includes two sets of nmos fingers . the first set of nmos fingers is composed of nmos fingers 604 , 606 , 608 , 610 and 612 . the second set of nmos fingers is composed of nmos fingers 614 , 616 , 618 , 620 and 622 . nmos fingers 604 , 606 , 608 , 610 and 612 are associated with nmos 601 , while nmos fingers 614 , 616 , 618 , 620 and 620 are associated with nmos 603 . an n - well region 624 is also indicated in fig6 , including respective n and p regions 626 , 628 , 630 , 632 and 634 . the n region 630 and the p regions 628 and 632 are electrically connected to the anode . the n region 626 is electrically connected to drains of nmos 601 marked as “ d ”, and the n region 634 is electrically connected to drains of nmos 603 marked as “ d ”. the aforementioned components are all surrounded by p - well tap 602 . in the layout of mf_lvtscr apparatus 600 , each five nmos fingers are designed in each side of the scr apparatus 600 , and thus both hbm and cdm performances are improved . for example , the total width of nmos fingers can be approximately 400μm for the scr with w = 40μm . because the total width of nmos fingers increases in mf lvtscr , the nmos fingers can withstand cdm stress current if the scr is not turned on quickly enough . using such a structure , the failure current of mf_lvtscr apparatus 600 can be up to , for example , 6 amps , compared to 4 amps with respect to the data indicated in graph 400 of fig4 . regarding fig6 , it is important to note that the drains of nmos fingers 601 and 603 are indicated respectively by “ d ”. in 601 , there are three drains ( marked as “ d ”), and four sources . similarly , nmos finger 603 includes three drains ( marked as “ d ”) and four sources . the drains of nmos fingers 601 are electrically connected to region 626 , and the drains of nmos fingers 603 are electrically connected to region 634 . fig7 illustrates another schematic layout of a multiple nmos finger low - voltage triggered silicon - controlled rectifier ( mf_lvtscr ) apparatus 700 with eight nmos fingers 702 , 704 , 706 , 708 and 710 , 712 , 714 , 716 in accordance with an alternative embodiment , wherein the nmos source ( i . e ., marked as “ s ”) is located next to the n - well edge , in accordance with an alternative embodiment . in the configuration depicted in fig7 , four nmos fingers 702 , 704 , 706 , 708 are designed on one side of mf_lvtscr apparatus 700 , while four nmos fingers 710 , 712 , 714 , 716 are designed on the opposite side thereof for a total of eight nmos fingers . thus , in the configuration of fig7 , the current gain of lateral n - p - n bjt in the mf_lvtscr apparatus 700 can be increased , thus an enhanced scr performance can be achieved . note that in fig7 , the n and p regions 718 , 720 , 722 , 724 and 726 within n - well 728 are identical to those depicted in fig6 . regarding fig7 , it is important to note that there are two drains ( marked as “ d ”) and three sources ( marked as “ s ”) in regions 701 and 703 , respectively . the drains of area 701 are electrically connected to region 718 , and the drains of are 703 are electrically connected to region 726 .] it will be appreciated that variations of the above - disclosed and other features and functions , or alternatives thereof , may be desirably combined into many other different systems or applications . also that various presently unforeseen or unanticipated alternatives , modifications , variations or improvements therein may be subsequently made by those skilled in the art which are also intended to be encompassed by the following claims . | 7Electricity
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hereinafter , the preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described specifically with reference to the accompanying drawings . fig1 is a front view of an engaging member of a fastening device according to this embodiment , fig2 is a rear view thereof , fig3 is a side view thereof , fig4 is a sectional view taken along the line ii — ii of fig1 and fig5 is a sectional view showing an example of use style of the engaging member of the fastening device . an engaging member of a fastening device 10 according to this embodiment comprises a first flat plate portion 11 having a substantially rectangular shape , a second flat plate portion 12 of a rectangular shape having a long side having the same length as a short side of the first flat plate portion 11 and a short side substantially ⅕ of the length of the long side of the first flat plate portion 11 and a connecting portion 13 for connecting a short side edge of the first flat plate portion 11 with a long side edge of the second flat plate portion in a parallel manner and with a predetermined gap , and a side view of an entire shape thereof is substantially j shaped . according to this embodiment , a tab 14 is provided on the connecting portion 13 such that it projects outward in parallel to the first and second flat plate portions 11 and 12 . the aforementioned gap between the first and second flat plate portions 11 and 12 is determined arbitrarily depending on the thickness of a mounting portion of clothes on which the engaging member of the fastening device 10 of the present invention is to be mounted . as shown in fig2 and 3 , a number of engaging elements 15 are formed so as to project in plural rows on the surface ( rear surface of the engaging member of the fastening device 10 ) of the first flat plate portion 11 . the engaging element 15 of this embodiment is in a hook shape having a standing portion 15 a standing up from the second flat plate portion 12 as shown in fig3 and an engaging portion 15 b extending outward in a curved shape from a front end of the standing portion 15 a . in the example shown in the drawing , all of the engaging portions 15 b extend in the same direction . further , because the respective hook - shaped engaging elements 15 are formed such that front ends of the engaging portions 15 b are directed in an opposite direction to the projecting direction of the tab 14 , an engaging strength thereof with a mating fastening device member 20 having a number of loop pieces 20 a as shown in fig5 is strongest in a single direction which is opposite to the extending direction of the curved engaging portion 15 b . in addition , a continuous groove portion 11 b serving as a sewing portion is formed along an entire peripheral edge of the surface of the first flat plate portion 11 . although this groove portion 11 b is not necessary if a thickness of the first flat plate portion 11 does not affect sewing operation , it is preferable to form the groove portion 11 b even if it is a very small one , so that a sewing line can be recognized . various kinds of decorative patterns may be formed on the surface of the second flat plate portion 12 although not shown in the drawings . preferably , this pattern should be formed at the same time when this plate portion is molded , but it can be formed with various welders or prints after the plate portion is molded . a groove portion 12 b is formed on the surface of the second flat plate portion 12 in a u - shape along a sewing line corresponding to part of the aforementioned groove portion 11 b formed on the surface of the first flat plate portion 11 . that is , as shown in the drawing , the groove portion 12 b is formed continuously along the edge connected by the connecting portion 13 of the second flat plate portion 12 and both right and left edges across said edge , and a distal end thereof extends up to an edge opposite to the connecting portion 13 of the second flat plate portion 12 , serving as an open edge 12 b ′. the engaging member of the fastening device 10 of this embodiment having such a structure can be molded simply in a single process of , for example , injection molding . that is , a movable die ( not shown ) has a cavity for molding the first flat plate portion 11 , a number of the engaging elements 15 and a part of the connecting portion 13 , and on the other hand , a fixed die has a cavity for molding an external shape of the second flat plate portion 12 , decorative pattern and a part of the connecting portion 13 . additionally , a plate - like insert die having a predetermined thickness is placed between the fixed die and movable die . with injection molding die having these dies , the engaging member of the fastening device can be easily molded . since a cavity for the hook - shaped engaging element 15 cannot be cut into a single die surface because of its configuration , all or partial shape of the cavity is formed in an end face of plural thin sheet materials and by overlaying these sheet materials in an appropriate combination , the cavity for the hook - shaped engaging element 15 is formed . although a molded product may be pulled out directly from the aforementioned hook - shaped cavity with such a release member as an ejector pin ( not shown ), it may be separated easily by separating the aforementioned plural thin sheet materials in direction of sheet thickness with appropriate means . to attach the engaging member of the fastening device 10 of this embodiment having such a structure to clothes or the like , with the tab 14 outside as shown in fig5 and a face of which each of the engaging elements 15 project facing inner side of the clothes , for example , an outer skirt edge 30 a of a fly portion of a ski wear 30 shown in fig6 is sandwiched by the first and second flat plate portions 11 and 12 , the engaging member of the fastening device 10 is set up at a predetermined position and sewed along the groove portion 11 b with sewing yarn 16 . the engaging member of the fastening device 10 may be adhered with adhesive instead of sewing . in case of attaching by adhering , the groove portion 11 b is also preferred to be formed for the reason described later . on the other hand , a mating fastening device member 20 having a number of loop pieces 20 a which engages with / disengages from the engaging member of the fastening device 10 is attached on an inner skirt edge 30 b of the aforementioned fly portion by sewing or bonding corresponding to the mounting position of the engaging member of the fastening device 10 as shown in fig5 . when the upper skirt edge 30 a of clothes is inserted into a gap between the first and second flat plate portions 11 and 12 of the engaging member of the fastening device 10 of this embodiment , contrary to the engaging member of the fastening device described under the aforementioned patent number , because of substantially j - shaped cross section , the upper skirt edge 30 a of clothes can be inserted easily without opening an opening end thereof . further , because the mounting posture of the engaging member of the fastening device 10 is automatically determined by bringing an insertion end thereof into contact with an inner wall of the connecting portion 13 , the engaging member of the fastening device 10 can be attached neatly . further , because the engaging member of the fastening device 10 is fixed such that at least the edge of the clothes of the mounting portion is nipped by the first and second flat plate portions 11 and 12 and connecting portion 13 , separation never occurs between the clothes edge and each edge of the engaging member of the fastening device 10 , and further , because the tab 14 extending outward from the connecting portion 13 is provided , durability and operability for opening / closing are secured . because the extending length of the second flat plate portion 12 from the connecting portion 13 is by far shorter than the extending length of the first flat plate portion 11 , a displacement is not likely to occur between the edges of the first flat plate portion 11 and second flat plate portion 12 , and therefore , a displacement of the groove portions 11 b and 12 b for forming the sewing lines on the surfaces of the respective flat plate portions 11 and 12 can be minimized . thus , only if sewing is carried out along the groove portion 11 b of the first flat plate portion 11 as described above , the engaging member of the fastening device 10 is automatically sewed along the groove portion 12 b of the second flat plate portion 12 existing on a rear surface across a clothes , ensuring a beautiful finish . further , the groove portion 12 b for determining the sewing line formed on the second flat plate portion 12 is formed in a u - shape corresponding to the sewing line corresponding to part of the groove portion 11 b formed on the surface of the first flat plate portion 11 as described above , and a distal end of the groove portion 12 b is open . therefore , a sewing yarn to be sewn along the groove portion 11 b left in the first flat plate portion 11 is sewed directly on clothes or the like on the side of the second flat plate portion 12 . according to the prior art , when the engaging member of the fastening device 10 is separated from the loop pieces 20 a of the female engaging member of the fastening device member 20 to open the engaging member of the fastening device 10 , too much force is applied in a shearing direction on sewing yarn portion which is to be fixed perpendicular to an opening direction of a portion opposite , in particular , to the connecting portion of the second flat plate portion which is fixed by the sewing yarn along the entire peripheral edge . however , with the aforementioned structure , because the sewing yarn sewed perpendicular to the separation direction is sewed directly to clothes and the second flat plate portion 12 which should be fixed by the sewing yarn does not exist , no such extra force is applied so that the clothes or sewing yarn is unlikely to be torn . fig6 shows an appearance of a ski wear to which the engaging member of the fastening device 10 of the present embodiment and a mating fastening device member ( not shown ) are attached . when the engaging member of the fastening device 10 is pressed against the mating fastening device member 20 attached to a position corresponding to the first flat plate portion 11 of the engaging member of the fastening device 10 of the present invention , both engage each other easily so that the fly portion shown in the drawing is closed . because the engaging portions 15 b of all the hook - shaped engaging elements 15 are directed toward an opening direction of the fly portion according to this embodiment , even if a strong external force is applied in a sliding direction so as to open the fly portion , the loop pieces 20 a act in a shearing direction of the standing portion 15 a of the hook - shaped engaging elements 15 , that is , a direction of a maximum engaging strength , so that the engaging member of the fastening device 10 will not easily disengage . in the closed condition , as shown by a fading line of fig5 there is a gap d between the tab 14 of the engaging member of the fastening device 10 and an inner half portion of the fly portion , and therefore it is easy to insert a finger into this gap d thereby facilitating a separating operation for separating the engaging member of the fastening device 10 from the mating fastening device member 20 . in this closed condition , if the tab 14 is picked and the engaging member of the fastening device 10 is operated in the separation direction ( downward in fig5 ), a sufficient flexibility is ensured as compared to a case in which both surfaces of the clothes are nipped by the first flat plate portion 11 and second flat plate portion 12 like the prior art , because most attaching portion is fixed to a single surface of the clothes by the first flat plate portion 11 . as a result , smooth separation is possible . fig7 is a sectional view showing a mounting state of the engaging member of the fastening device 100 of another embodiment of the present invention . according to the drawing , the tab 104 projected from the connecting portion 13 is projected on an extension line of the second flat plate portion 12 and a projection 104 a is projected in a hook shape at a distal end to be directed toward the first flat plate portion 11 . instead of the projection 104 a , it is permissible to form a cylindrical portion . when a concave portion or a cylindrical portion is formed on the tab 104 , the tab 104 is easy to pick with fingers , thereby making the opening and closing operation accurate and easy . according to the present invention , the hook directions of all the hook - shaped engaging elements 15 do not always have to be equal as the above mentioned embodiment , but for example , it is permissible to make the hook directions of hook - shaped engaging elements 15 disposed on adjacent rows opposite to each other . in this case , a necessary engaging force can be secured in any direction on the fly portion . further , according to the present invention , it is possible to mold a flat surface 12 a leaving the groove portion 11 b on the surface of the first flat plate portion 11 , and bond with adhesive for example , an ordinary fiber - made surface engaging member of the fastening device of a similar shape as the first flat plate portion 11 and having hook pieces of ordinary monofilaments on the surface of woven or knitted base cloth to the flat surface of the first flat plate portion 11 with adhesive for example , without molding the hook - shaped engaging elements 15 integrally on the surface of the first flat plate portion 11 . fig8 shows a first modification of the aforementioned embodiment . a rib 12 c is provided on a back side of a free end portion of the second flat plate portion 12 so that it extends along an edge thereof as shown in this drawing . with such a structure , when an edge of clothes or the like is nipped between the first flat plate portion 11 and second flat plate portion 12 , the aforementioned rib 12 c holds the nipped end of the clothes by pressing , thereby preventing a displacement of the clothes or the like upon sewing . fig9 and 10 show still another modification of the present invention . according to this modification , an opening end 12 b ′ of the groove portion 12 for forming the sewing line of the second flat plate portion 12 is formed slightly thicker so as to form a reinforcing portion 12 d . a width thereof in the sewing direction is preferred to be equivalent to a single seam . by forming the reinforcement portion 12 d in this manner , it prevents a fracture of the opening edge 12 b ′ of the groove portion 12 b by a sewing thread which may occur because the opening edge 12 b ′ is thin . | 0Human Necessities
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fig1 shows a first embodiment of the present invention . a bracing device 1 is shown fitted to a respirator mask 2 and attached to a helmet 3 . the helmet 3 has a visor 33 mounted via hinges 34 , and attachment slots 30 ( one shown ) therein . a series of straps 35 are provided for fine adjustment of the exact fit of the helmet 3 . the respirator mask 2 comprises a front module 21 , in which exhale valve 22 is formed . the mask covers the face of the user ( not shown ), to protect from dangerous environments . the mask has fitments 23 for filter modules , and a further protective visor portion 24 for protecting the eyes of the user . of course , similar bracing devices can be used with other types of mask and headgear . in the illustrated embodiment , the bracing device 1 comprises a pressure element 10 , connection portions in the form of flexible straps 11 , and helmet mounting portions 14 . note that , although only one strap 11 and helmet mounting portion 14 can be seen in fig1 , another pair is provided on the other side of the pressure element 10 . this can be seen more clearly in fig9 . the connection portions 11 are attached to the pressure element 10 at a first end 12 , and to the attachment slots 30 of the helmet 3 at a second end 13 . the illustrated connection portion 11 is divided in two pieces 110 , 111 . the first piece 110 is attached to the pressure element at a first end 12 , and the second piece 111 ( partially obscured ) is shown attached to the helmet at the second end 13 . in the illustrated embodiment , a helmet mounting portion 14 is provided at the second end 13 of the connection portion 11 , for attaching the connection portion 11 to the attachment slot 30 in the helmet . the two pieces of the connection portion 11 are joined at a buckle 112 , through which part of the first piece 110 of the connection portion 11 is threaded . the part of the first piece 110 which is threaded through the buckle 112 can be secured to the helmet mounting portion 14 . the helmet mounting portion 14 comprises flanges 130 , 131 which combine to form a channel , a slot into the channel being formed by the gap between the flanges 130 , 131 . the part of the first piece 110 which is threaded through the buckle 112 terminates with a securing tag 113 , which is sized so that it cannot be moved through the channel created by the flanges 130 , 131 on the helmet mounting portion 14 . as shown in fig8 , by feeding the part of the first piece 110 which is threaded through the buckle 112 into the slot in the channel of the helmet mounting portion 14 , the first piece 110 of the connection portion can be positioned in the channel despite the size of the securing tag 113 . the size of the securing tag 113 then prevents the first piece 110 from accidentally slipping out of the helmet mounting portion 14 , which would lead to the piece interfering with the user . when such release is desired , for example to remove the mask 2 , the user can manipulate the first piece 110 back out of the slot formed by the flanges 130 , 131 . this complex action is very unlikely to occur accidentally in normal usage . the helmet mounting portion 14 is held on the helmet 3 by a hook projection 132 , which fits into the attachment slot 30 in the helmet 3 . an example of a helmet mounting portion 13 can be seen more clearly in fig3 . in the illustrated embodiment , the pressure element 10 fits over the front module 21 of the mask 2 . to avoid any interference with the function of the mask 2 , the mask mounting portion 10 is formed with an aperture 100 therein through which the exhale valve 22 of the mask 2 protrudes . the inner surface of the pressure element 10 may be fitted with lugs 102 ( not shown ) or other contours to fit more closely to the mask 2 being used , as shown in fig9 . in the illustrated embodiment , the connection portions 11 are attached to the pressure element 10 at positions proximal the front module 21 . this arrangement provides an optimal pressure distribution to the mask 2 , pressing it onto the user &# 39 ; s face without putting pressure on the body or form of the mask 2 or the bracing device 1 . additionally , the pressure is applied mainly on the user &# 39 ; s cheeks , as opposed to their orbital bones . fig2 shows a second embodiment of the present invention . this embodiment is similar to that shown in fig1 , except in the shape of the pressure element 10 . in this embodiment , the pressure element 10 further comprises arms 101 extending to a position proximal the user &# 39 ; s orbital bone . the arms 101 engage the mask 2 , providing further distribution of pressure and evening the pressure of the user &# 39 ; s face . fig3 shows a close up of a helmet mounting portion 14 for use in the present invention . this figure more clearly shows the hook projection 132 for fixing the helmet mounting portion 14 to a suitably adapted headgear . the channel formed by the inwardly extending flanges 130 , 131 can also be seen . fig4 to 8 show a series of the steps involved in using a third embodiment of the present invention to hold a mask to a user &# 39 ; s face . the connection portions 11 of this embodiment are fitted with an elasticated expansion section 114 , which allows for a more comfortable and flexible fit to the user &# 39 ; s face . fig4 shows the bracing device 1 fitted over the front module 21 of a mask 2 , although the bracing device 1 and the mask 2 are separable . when the bracing device 1 is firmly seated on the mask 2 , for example by way of lugs 102 as shown in fig9 , the user positions the mask 2 on their face . this is shown in fig5 . the mask 2 fits onto the user as normal — with the illustrated arrangement , this means that the mask 2 fits partially under the helmet 3 . once the mask 2 is in position , each of the helmet mounting portions 14 is attached to the helmet 3 , as shown in fig6 , in the illustrated embodiment by way of fitting the hook projection 132 into the attachment slot 30 provided on the helmet 3 . at this point the mask 2 is fitted to the user and attached to the helmet 3 , but is most likely not properly tightened to give a secure protective seal . so , the connection portions 11 are reduced in length by increasing the amount of the first piece 110 which is threaded through the buckle 112 , by pulling the first pieces 110 towards the front module 10 . this action is shown in fig7 . this tightening motion reduces the effective length of the connection portions 11 , pressing the mask 2 more firmly onto the user &# 39 ; s face to provide a secure fit . additionally , because of the angle of the hook projection 132 and attachment slot 30 used to attach the headgear mounting portion 13 to the helmet 3 , this action increases the security of that attachment . after this action , the mask 2 is properly fitted to the user . however , there may be some length of the first piece 110 of the connection portion 11 left free , and this might interfere with the user &# 39 ; s actions or line of sight . so , as shown in fig8 , the excess of the first piece 110 can itself be attached to the helmet mounting portion 14 . the helmet mounting portion 14 has flanges 130 , 131 , between which the first piece 110 can be pressed . a security tag 113 at the end of the first piece 110 then holds the first piece 110 in place , as described above with reference to fig1 . fig9 shows a front view of the embodiment of fig1 . in this figure , the lugs 102 on the interior surface of the pressure element 10 can be seen . these lugs 102 help seat the bracing device 1 securely on the mask 2 ( not shown ) to be used . two connection portions 11 extend from substantially diametrically opposite sides of the pressure element 10 , to provide an even pressure to the mask 2 . in fig9 , there is again shown the excess of the first piece 110 positioned in the channel in the helmet mounting portions 14 , the securing tags 113 preventing withdrawal through the channel . fig1 shows a bracing device 1 according to a third embodiment of the present invention , partway through the process of attachment to a helmet 3 . the bracing device 1 comprises a pressure element 10 for bearing against the front module of a respirator mask ( not shown ) as described above . in this embodiment , the connection portions 120 are formed in two pieces : a first piece 121 connected to the pressure element 10 , in this embodiment by integral moulding , and a second piece 122 for attachment to the helmet 3 . the second piece comprises a helmet mounting portion 123 , which in this embodiment has a hook projection 132 as described above . the first and second pieces 121 , 122 of the connection portions 120 are coupled together so that the second piece 122 is slideable with respect to the first piece 121 , as symbolised by the arrows “ a ” in fig1 . this coupling allows the length of the connection portions 120 to be increased or decreased as necessary . such adjustment by extension or distension of the connection portions 120 allows for a close yet comfortable fit to the user . the connection portion 120 is shown partially extended in fig1 . in the illustrated embodiment , the first piece 121 and second piece 122 are elastically coupled by a spring ( not shown ). the spring biases the first and second pieces 121 , 122 together , so that to fit the bracing device 10 the second piece 122 must be “ stretched ” away from the first piece 121 to be attached to the helmet 3 via the hook projections 132 . once the second piece 122 is fitted to the helmet 3 , the biasing of the spring pulls the first piece 121 and thereby the rest of the bracing device 1 and the mask towards the user &# 39 ; s face and thus ensures a good fit of the mask . the spring allows some movement of the bracing device 1 with respect to the helmet 3 , for improved user comfort . it is contemplated that other types of elastic coupling ( for example use of an elastomer ) between the two pieces would serve a similar purpose . the spring or other elastic material which provides this biasing may be mounted in any way to give the required coupling . in some embodiments , the spring may be directly connected to the first and second pieces 121 , 122 . to reduce the chance of fouling or damage to the spring , a covered or otherwise protected or concealed spring or elastomer etc . can be used . to facilitate secure fitment of the mask , along with smooth adjustment of the fit , the first and second pieces 121 , 122 of the connection portions 120 may be coupled by a sliding mechanism . for example , the first piece 121 may comprise a channel in which a lug on the second piece 122 can run , controlling the movement of the two with respect to one another and confining movement to a particular pathway . or , two or more such channels and lugs could be provided , on either the first piece 121 or the second piece 122 . if such lugs and channels are used as the sliding mechanism , the spring or other elastic coupling of the pieces 121 , 122 may be concealed inside one of the first and second piece , further reducing the chance of damage to it . a further feature of the present invention can be seen from fig1 . as noted above , some helmets may include a protective visor 33 , which in the illustrated example can be hinged at positions 34 to swing down in front of the user &# 39 ; s face . usually , these visors are of sufficient length to completely protect the user &# 39 ; s face , and therefore the bracing device 10 is generally covered . in these situations , the exhale valve of the respirator mask being worn is very close to the visor . when the user exhales through the valve , the warmth and moisture of the exhaled air may be sufficient to cause condensation to form on the visor 33 , leading to a ‘ fogging ’. this can seriously impair visibility and the user &# 39 ; s safety . so , the pressure element 10 is adapted such that it partially obscures the exhale valve of the respirator mask ( not shown ), and ‘ funnels ’ exhaled air downwards and away from a deployed visor 33 . this can greatly reduce the fogging effect . fig1 and 12 show a preferred mode of connection between the first and second pieces 121 , 122 of the connection portions 120 . as shown in fig1 , a helical spring 1200 is connected to the first piece 121 at a point 126 , and to the second piece 122 at a point 127 . fig1 shows the connection portion 120 fully distended . in the illustrated embodiment , the two points are not aligned , leaving the spring in a diagonal / non - parallel configuration compared with the connection portions . this angling of the spring means that , when the connection portion 120 is extended in the horizontal direction , the two pieces 121 , 122 are urged together in two dimensions , corresponding to the horizontal and the vertical in fig1 . this ensures a good connection between the first and second pieces 121 , 122 . a tongue 124 formed on the second piece 122 moves in a groove 125 ( not visible in fig1 ) in the first piece 121 , keeping the first and second pieces 121 , 122 aligned . a projection 129 overhangs the end of the groove 125 , and a notch 128 in the end of the tongue 124 can fit under the projection 129 to provide a secure fit between the pieces when the spring is contracted this is shown more clearly in fig1 . of course , the features of the first and second pieces 121 , 122 could be reversed and the same principles still apply . with no channel or lug connection between the pieces , the above described connection allows maximal flexibility of the joint , helping to absorb shock . furthermore , the positioning of the spring 1200 and the tongue 124 and groove 125 connection mean that the pieces are biased into a secure fitment position . if the user dons the device quickly , slightly mis - mounting the second piece 122 to the helmet 3 , the spring 1200 can “ pull ” the piece back into its correct alignment with the first piece 121 . the first and second pieces 121 , 122 of this embodiment are shown in more detail in fig1 . the motion of the second piece 122 as controlled by the spring 125 ( not shown in fig1 ) is illustrated by the arrow marked c . the tongue 124 slides in the groove 125 , constrained by the walls thereof . as can be seen , the pieces 121 , 122 can flex with respect to one another without loss of the joint &# 39 ; s integrity . the tongue 124 and groove 125 keep the motion of the second piece 122 limited to the direction marked by the arrow c . fig1 also shows that two springs 1200 ( not shown ) can be fitted to respective points 126 on the first piece 121 to increase the stability of the joint . in fig1 , each spring is provided with a barrel - like indentation 1260 in which it can flex and move , reducing the spatial requirement of the joint . similar indentations may be provided on the underside of the second piece 122 ( not shown ). in the embodiment shown in fig1 , the bracing device 1 further comprises a support member 103 which joins the two connection portions 120 to each other . this support member is adapted to bear against the forehead of the user . when respirator masks having , for example , a visor or goggle portion are used , it is important that a good seal is achieved in the forehead region to prevent any harmful agents getting behind the visor or goggles . the support member 103 can bear against the forehead portion of such a mask to ensure the integrity of the seal . as shown in fig1 , the support member may include , for example , fitment projections 104 for keeping a good fit between the bracing device and the helmet worn by the user , or to provide a secondary attachment to the helmet . fig1 shows a bracing device 1 according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention , partway through the process of attachment to a helmet 3 . as with the third embodiment described above , the connection portions 220 are formed in two pieces : a first piece 221 connected to the pressure element 10 , and a second piece 222 for attachment to the helmet 3 . the second piece again comprises a helmet mounting portion 123 as previously described . as in the third embodiment , in this fourth embodiment the first and second pieces 221 , 222 are coupled together so that they are slideable with respect to one another . in the illustrated embodiment , the second piece 222 has the form of an arm , which is inserted through a slot 223 in the first piece 221 through which it can slide . the first piece 221 is shown with a shallow guide channel 224 cut therein to better guide the sliding path of the second piece 222 and thereby to prevent it interfering with the user . this guide path 224 also provides a smoother adjustment of the connection portion 220 , as the arm in the guide channel 224 does not suffer from , for example , additional friction from interference with other parts of the bracing device 1 . the guide channel 224 terminates in a ‘ stop piece ’ 228 which acts to stop the arm moving too far forward , or slipping out of the guide channel 224 when the arm is fully distended . again , as described above the two pieces 221 , 222 are adjustably coupled to one another . this may be as in the third embodiment , using a spring or elastomer etc ., but in the illustrated fourth embodiment a different arrangement is shown . a flexible strap 225 is attached to the first piece 221 ( in fig1 , by looping around the upper part of the slot 223 ) and runs to a buckle 226 on the second piece 222 . the illustrated fourth embodiment , as with the first and second embodiments described above , uses a “ ladder - lock ” type buckle for secure fastening . after the strap 225 has run through the buckle , it runs back , in this embodiment through the slot 223 , and preferably terminates with a tag 227 for easy gripping and adjustment of the strap 225 . the strap 225 may itself be elasticated in preferred embodiments . to don a bracing device of this fourth embodiment , the user fits the device over their mask as with other embodiments described above . the second pieces 222 of the connection portions 220 are then slid through the slots 223 , extending the strap lengths between the buckles 226 and the slots 223 , against the bias of any elastication in the straps 225 , and hooked into the helmet 3 at attachment slots 30 . when the bracing device 1 is fitted to the helmet 3 any elastication in the straps 225 pulls the two pieces 221 , 222 together to provide a close fit to the user &# 39 ; s face . if such fit is not tight enough for the user &# 39 ; s preference , or if , for example , conditions change requiring modification of the fit , the strap 225 can be pulled , by the user pulling tag 227 , through the buckle 226 , tightening the fit of the mask . this is symbolised by the arrows marked “ b ” in fig1 . in some circumstances , the user may wish to remove the fitted bracing device 1 quickly . in embodiments with straps 225 for adjusting the fit of the device 1 , where the user has altered the fit of the device 1 by tightening the straps 225 , the buckle 226 may cause difficulties to a quick loosening of the straps 225 . if the user must inch the strap 225 through one aperture of the buckle 226 , then move that slack through the other aperture , and then repeat the process until the straps 225 are loose enough for the mask to be removed , it may take an excessive time to remove the mask . furthermore , the intricate movements required for this slow process may not be easy or even possible if the user is wearing , for example , protective gloves . to overcome this problem , the “ ladder - lock ” buckle 226 of the illustrated fourth embodiment is attached by a hinge 229 to the second piece 222 of the connection portion 220 . when quick release is desired , the buckle 226 can be hinged ‘ upward ’, away from the second piece 222 of the connection portion 220 , allowing the strap 225 to follow a much less frictionally resisted path through the buckle 226 . combined with the tension under which the straps 225 will be in such situations , hinging the buckle 226 up in this way acts as a “ quick release ” for the bracing device 1 . as soon as the buckle 226 is hinged up , the tension in the strap 225 can act to pull it through its now freer path through the buckle 226 and thereby loosen the connection between the first piece 221 and second piece 222 of the connection portion 220 , allowing easier removal of the bracing device 1 from the helmet 3 . the fourth embodiment illustrated in fig1 also has a support member 103 as described above with respect to the third embodiment . the pressure element 10 is similarly adapted to that in the third embodiment , to divert air in a downward path by slight overlapping with the exhale valve . fig1 shows a bracing device 1 according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention . similarly to other embodiments previously described , the connection portions 320 are formed in two pieces : a first piece 321 connected to the pressure element 10 , and a second piece 322 for attachment to the helmet 3 ( not shown ). the second piece comprises a helmet mounting portion 123 as previously described . the fifth embodiment illustrated in fig1 also has a support member 103 as described above with respect to the third and fourth embodiments . the pressure element 10 is similarly adapted to that in the third and fourth embodiments , to divert air in a downward path by slight overlapping with the exhale valve . the first and second pieces 321 , 322 of the connection portion 320 are coupled so as to be slideable with respect to one another . the formation of the first and second pieces 321 , 322 is shown in more detail in fig1 and 16 . in this embodiment , the second piece 322 is connected to the first piece 321 by a strap 325 which is anchored in the first piece ( not shown ), and runs through a loop in the second piece 322 ( not shown ). it then runs through a path 324 in the first piece , becoming exposed at its end for the user to adjust . in fig1 , the second piece 322 is shown in contact with the first piece 321 , but elasticity in the strap 325 allows the two to be moved apart , connected only by the strap 325 . in this embodiment , the strap 325 is toothed ( not shown in fig1 ). the underside of the second piece 322 has a pawl projection corresponding to this toothing , such that the combination forms a ratchet system — this can be seen in fig1 . as the strap 325 is pulled through the path 324 in the first piece 321 , the pawl projection on the underside of the second piece 322 ratchets over the teeth on the surface of the strap 325 . this allows the strap 325 to move freely in one direction . movement in the opposite direction is prohibited by the shape of the teeth on the strap 325 and the shape of the pawl projection on the underside of the second piece 322 . of course , the two could be reversed , the pawl projection being positioned on the first piece 321 . the pawl projection on the underside of the second piece 322 is controlled by way of a simple lever 324 . when the button end of the lever 324 is pressed the pawl projection lifts from the strap 325 , allowing free movement of the strap in both directions . when the button end of the lever 324 is released , resilience in a cantilever member 326 formed to oppose the lever 324 forces the pawl projection back into contact with the strap 325 , renewing the ratchet hold thereon . fig1 shows the connection between the first piece 321 and the second piece 322 in cross sectional detail . as can be seen in this figure , the strap 325 is anchored to the first piece 321 at a point 327 . in this instance , the anchoring is achieved simply by providing a shouldering to the end of the strap 325 , which cannot fit through the anchor slot in the first piece 321 . the strap 325 then runs to the second piece 322 , looping around a mounting point 328 and proceeding through the path 324 in the first piece 321 . the pawl projection 329 can interfere with teeth ( not shown ) on the strap 325 as it passes , to provide secure ratchet fitment as described above . the lever 324 hinges around a point 330 , meaning a user can press the button end of the lever 324 to raise the pawl projection 329 . in doing so , the cantilever member 326 is forced away from the strap . when the user releases the lever 324 the cantilever member 326 returns to its original position , forcing the pawl projection 329 back onto the toothed strap 325 . the ratchet - like interaction between the strap 325 and the pawl projection 329 is shown in more detail in fig1 . it is noted that both ‘ directions ’ of ratchet are possible — the ‘ smooth ’ side of the pawl projection 329 can face either direction ( contrast fig1 and 16 ), and the teeth 331 of the strap 325 must simply face the other direction for the ratchet connection to be effective . to fit the device of the fifth embodiment , the second piece 322 can then be stretched or pulled away from the first piece 321 ( with the lever 324 depressed to relieve the ratchet connection to the strap 325 if necessary ) and fitted to the helmet ( not shown ) by way of the helmet mounting portion 123 . then , with the lever 324 released , the user can pull the strap 325 through the path 324 , ratcheting the teeth 331 past the pawl projection 329 until the mask it suitable fixed . elasticity in the strap 325 can allow for a more comfortable fit for the user , as in other embodiments described herein . | 0Human Necessities
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the applicant has developed a range of printhead devices that use a series of printhead integrated circuits ( ics ) that link together to form a pagewidth printhead . in this way , the printhead ic &# 39 ; s can be assembled into printheads used in applications ranging from wide format printing to cameras and cellphones with inbuilt printers . one of the more recent printhead ic &# 39 ; s developed by the applicant is referred to internally as wide range of printing applications . the applicant refers to these printhead ic &# 39 ; s as ‘ udon ’ and the various aspects of the invention will be described with particular reference to these printhead ic &# 39 ; s . however , it will be appreciated that this is purely for the purposes of illustration and in no way limiting to the scope and application of the invention . the udon printhead ic is designed to work with other udon ics to make a linking printhead . the applicant has developed a range of linking printheads in which a series of the printhead ic &# 39 ; s are mounted end - to - end on a support member to form a pagewidth printhead . the support member mounts the printhead ic &# 39 ; s in the printer and also distributes ink to the individual ic &# 39 ; s . an example of this type of printhead is described in u . s . ser . no . 11 / 293 , 820 , the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by cross reference . it will be appreciated that any reference to the term ‘ ink ’ is to be interpreted as any printing fluid unless it is clear from the context that it is only a colorant for imaging print media . the printhead ic &# 39 ; s can equally eject invisible inks , adhesives , medicaments or other functionalized fluids . fig1 shows a sketch of a pagewidth printhead 10 with the series of udon printhead ics 12 mounted to a support member 14 . the angled sides 16 allow the nozzles from one of the ic &# 39 ; s 12 overlap with those of an adjacent ic in the paper feed direction 18 . overlapping the nozzles in each ic 12 provides continuous printing across the junction between two ic &# 39 ; s . this avoids any ‘ banding ’ in the resulting print . linking individual printhead ic &# 39 ; s in this manner allows printheads of any desired length to be made by simply using different numbers of ic &# 39 ; s . the printhead ic &# 39 ; s 12 are integrated cmos and mems ‘ chips ’. fig3 shows the configuration of mems nozzles 20 on the ink ejection side of the printhead ic 12 . the nozzles 20 are arranged into rows 26 and columns 24 to form a parallelogram array 22 with ‘ kinked ’ or inclined portion 28 . the columns 24 are not aligned with the paper feed direction 18 because the sides of the array 22 are angled approximately 45 ° for the purposes of linking with adjacent ic &# 39 ; s . the columns 24 follow this incline . the rows 26 are perpendicular to the paper feed direction except for a sloped section 28 inclined towards a ‘ drop triangle ’ 30 which has the nozzles 20 that overlap the adjacent printhead ic . this is discussed in more detail below . fig2 shows the elements of a single mems nozzle device 20 or ‘ unit cell ’. the construction of the unit cell 20 is discussed in detail in u . s . ser . no . 11 / 246 , 687 , the contents of which is incorporated herein by cross reference . briefly , fig2 shows the unit cell as if the nozzle plate ( the outer surface of the printhead ) were transparent to expose the interior features . the nozzle 32 is the ejection aperture through which the ink is ejected . the heater 34 is positioned in the nozzle chamber 36 to generate a vapour bubble that ejects a drop of ink through the nozzle 32 . the u - shaped sidewall 38 defines the edges of the chamber 36 . ink enters the chamber 36 through the inlet 42 which has two rows of column features 44 that baffle pressure pulses in the ink to stop cross talk between unit cells . the cmos layer defines the drive circuitry and has a drive fet 40 for the heater 34 and logic 46 for pulse timing and profiling . this is discussed in more detail below . ink is supplied to the unit cells 20 from channels in the opposite side of the wafer substrate of the printhead ic . these are described below with reference to fig5 c . the channels in the ‘ back side ’ of the printhead ic 12 are in fluid communication with the unit cells 20 on the front side via deep etched conduits ( not shown ) through the cmos layer . separate linking printhead ics 12 are bonded to the support member 14 so that there are no printed artifacts across the join between neighbouring printhead ic &# 39 ; s . each ic 12 contains ten rows 26 of nozzles 32 . as shown in fig4 , there are two adjacent rows 26 for each color to allow up to five separate types of ink . each pair of rows 26 shares a common ink supply channel in the back side of the wafer substrate . there are 640 nozzles per row and 2 × 640 = 1280 nozzles per color channel , which equates to 5 × 1280 = 6400 nozzles per ic 12 . an a4 / letter width printhead requires a series of eleven printhead ic &# 39 ; s ( see for example fig1 ), making the total nozzle count for the assembled printhead 11 × 6400 = 70 400 nozzles . at 1600 dpi , the distance between printed dots needs to be 15 . 875 □ m . this is referred to as the dot pitch ( dp ). the unit cell 20 has a rectangular footprint that is 2 dp wide by 5 dp long . to achieve 1600 dpi per color , the rows 26 are offset from each other relative to the feed direction 18 of the paper 48 as best shown in fig4 . fig5 a shows the parallelogram that the nozzle forms by offsetting each subsequent row 26 by 5 dp . the parallelogram 50 does not allow the array 22 to link with those of adjacent printhead ic &# 39 ; s . to maintain a constant dot pitch between the edge nozzles of one printhead ic and the opposing edge nozzles of the adjacent ic , the parallelogram 50 needs to be slightly distorted . fig5 b shows the distortion used by the udon design . a portion 30 of the array 22 is displaced or ‘ dropped ’ relative to the rest of the array with respect to the paper feed direction 18 . for convenience , the applicant refers to this portion as the drop triangle 30 . the unit cells 20 on the outer edge of the drop triangle 30 are directly adjacent the unit cells 20 at the edge of the adjacent printhead ic 11 in terms of their dot pitch . in this way , the separate nozzle arrays link together as if they were a single continuous array . the ‘ drop ’ of the drop triangle 30 is 10 dp . dots printed by the nozzles in the triangle 30 are delayed by ten ‘ line times ’ ( the line time is the time taken to print one line from the printhead ic , that is fire all ten rows in accordance with the print data at that point in the print job ) to match the triangle offset . there is a transition zone 28 between the drop triangle 30 and the rest of the array 22 . in this zone the rows 26 ‘ droop ’ towards the drop triangle 30 . nine pairs of unit cells 20 sequentially drop by one line time ( 1 dp , 1 row time ) at a time to gradually bridge the gap between dropped and normal nozzles . the droop zone is purely for linking and not necessary from a printing point of view . as shown in fig6 a , the rows 26 could simply terminate 10 dp above the corresponding row in the drop triangle 30 . however , this creates a sharp corner in the ink supply channels 50 in the back of the ic 12 ( see fig6 b ). the sharp change of direction in the ink flow is problematic because outgassing bubbles can become lodged and difficult to remove from stagnation areas 54 at the corners 52 . fig5 c shows the configuration of the ink supply channels 50 in the back of an udon printhead ic 12 . it can be seen that the droop zone 28 keeps the ink supply channels 50 less angled and therefore free of flow stagnation areas . the udon printhead ic , can operate in different modes depending on the print engine controller ( pec ) from which it is receiving its print data . specifically , udon runs in two distinct modes — sopec mode and mopec mode . sopec is the pec that the applicant uses in its soho ( small office , home office ) printers , and mopec is the pec used in its mobile telecommunications ( e . g . cell phone or pda ) printers . udon does not use any type of adaptor or intermediate interface to connect to differing pec &# 39 ; s . instead , udon determines the correct operating mode ( sopec or mopec ) when it powers up . in each mode , the contacts on each of the printhead ic &# 39 ; s assume different functions . fig7 is a schematic representation of the connection of the udon ic &# 39 ; s 12 to a sopec 56 . each of the printhead ic &# 39 ; s 12 has a clock input 60 , a data input 58 , a reset pin 62 and a data out pin 64 . the clock and data inputs are each 2 lvds ( low voltage differential signalling ) receivers with no termination . the reset pin 62 is a 3 . 3 v schmitt trigger that puts all control registers into a known state and disables printing . nozzle firing is disabled combinatorially and three consecutive clocked samples are required to reset the registers . the data output pin 64 is a general purpose output but is usually used to read register values back from the printhead ic 12 to the sopec 56 . the interface between sopec 56 and the printhead 10 has six connections . fig8 shows the connection between a mopec 66 and the printhead ic &# 39 ; s 12 of a printhead 10 installed in a mobile device . some of the same connection pins are used when the ic operates in the mopec mode . however , as the mopec printheads 10 will be physically smaller ( only three chips wide for printing onto business card sized media ) and more frequently replaced by the user , it is necessary to simplify the interface between the mopec and the printhead as much as possible . this reduces the scope for incorrect installation and enhances the intuitive usability of the mobile device . the address carry in ( aci ) 70 is the positive pin of the lvds pair of clock input 60 in the sopec mode . the first printhead ic 12 in the series has the aci 70 set to ground 68 for addressing purposes described further below . the negative pin 60 is grounded to hold it to ‘ 0 ’ voltage . the data out pin 64 connects directly to the aci 70 of the adjacent printhead ic 12 . all the ic &# 39 ; s 12 are daisy - chained together in this manner with the last printhead ic 12 in the series having the data out 64 connected back to the mopec 66 . in mopec mode , the reset pin 62 remains unconnected and the negative pin 72 of the data lvds pair is grounded . the data and clock are inputted through a single connection using the self - clocking data signal discussed below . the daisy - chained connection of the ic &# 39 ; s 12 and the self clocking data input 58 reduce the number of connections between mopec and the printhead to just two . this simplifies the printhead cartridge replacement process for the user and reduces the chance of incorrect installation . the combined clock and data 58 is a pulse width modulated signal as shown in fig9 . the signal 74 shows one clock period and a ‘ 0 ’ bit and the signal 76 shows one clock period and a ‘ 1 ’ bit . the udon ic &# 39 ; s 12 ( when in mopec mode ) takes its clock from every rising edge 78 as the signal switches from low to high ( 0 to 1 ). accordingly , the signal has a rising edge 78 at every period . a ‘ 0 ’ bit drops the signal back to ‘ 0 ’ at ⅓ of the clock period . a ‘ 1 ’ bit drops the signal to ‘ 0 ’ at ⅔ of the clock period . the ic looks to the state of the signal at the mid point 80 of the period to read the ‘ 0 ’ or the ‘ 1 ’ bit . each of the printhead ic &# 39 ; s 12 are given a write address when connected to the mopec 66 . to do this using a two wire connection between the pec and the printhead requires an iterative process of broadcast addressing to each device individually . udon achieves this by daisy - chaining the data output or one ic to the address carry in of the next ic . the default or reset value at the data output 64 is high or ‘ 1 ’. therefore every printhead ic 12 has a ‘ 1 ’ address except the first printhead ic 12 which has its address pulled to ‘ 0 ’ by its connection to ground 68 . to give the ic &# 39 ; s 12 unique write addresses , the mopec 66 sends a broadcast command to all devices with a ‘ 0 ’ address . in response to the broadcast command , the only ic with a ‘ 0 ’ address , re - writes its write address to a unique address specified by mopec and sets its data out 64 to ‘ 0 ’. that in turn pulls the aci 70 of the second ic 12 in the series to ‘ 0 ’ so that when mopec again sends a broadcast command to write address ‘ 0 ’ so that the second ic , and only the second ic , rewrites its address to a new and unique address , as well as setting its data output to ‘ 0 ’. the process repeats until all the printhead ic &# 39 ; s 12 have mutually unique write addresses and the last ic sends a ‘ 0 ’ back to mopec 66 . using this system for addressing the ic &# 39 ; s at start up , the interface need only have a connection for a combined data and clock ‘ multi - dropped ’ ( connected in parallel ) to all devices and a data out from the ic &# 39 ; s back to mopec . as discussed above , a simplified electrical interface between the pec and printhead cartridge enhances the ease and convenience of cartridge replacement . udon printhead ic &# 39 ; s 12 have a power on reset ( por ) circuit . the ability to self initialize to a known state allows the printhead ic to operate in the mopec mode with only two contacts at the pec / printhead 10 interface . the por circuit is implemented as a bidirectional reset pin 62 ( see fig7 ). the por circuit always drives out the reset pin 62 , and the ic listens to the reset pin input side . this allows sopec 56 to overdrive reset when required . on power up , the udon printhead ic 12 switches from mode to mode and suppresses fire commands until it determines the type of pec to which it is connected . once it selects the correct operating mode for the pec , it will not try to align with another pec type again until a software reset or power down / power up cycle . an udon printhead ic 12 can be in three interface modes : sopec mode , where both clock and data 58 are lvds ( low voltage differential signalling ) contacts pairs ( see fig7 and 8 ); mopec single - ended mode , where clock and data are combined 58 and single ended ( see fig8 ) because the data is pulse width modulated along the clock signal ; and , mopec lvds mode , where the clock 60 is single ended and data 58 is lvds ( this mode can be used if there are emi issues ). udon spends sufficient time in each state to align , then moves on in order if alignment is not achieved . in previous printhead ic designs , each unit cell had a shift register for the print data . print data for the entire nozzle array was loaded and then , after the fire command from the pec , the nozzles are fired in a predetermined sequence for that line of print . the shift register occupies valuable space in the unit cell which could be better used for a bigger , more powerful drive fet . a more powerful drive fet can provide the actuator ( thermal or thermal bend actuator ) with a drive pulse of sufficient energy ( about 200 nj ) in a shorter time . a bigger more powerful fet has many benefits , particularly for thermally actuated printheads . less power is converted to wasteful heat in the fet itself , and more power is delivered to the heater . increasing the power delivered to the heater causes the heater surface to reach the ink nucleation temperature more quickly , allowing a shorter drive pulse . the reduced drive pulse allows less time for heat diffusion from the heater into regions surrounding the heater , so the total energy required to reach the nucleation temperature is reduced . a shorter drive pulse duration also provides more scope to sequence to the nozzle firings within a single row time ( the time to fire a row of nozzles ). moving the print data shift registers out of the unit cells makes room for bigger drive fets . however , it substantially increases the wafer area needed for the ic . the nozzle array would need an adjacent shift register array . the connections between each register and its corresponding nozzle would be relatively long contributing to greater resistive losses . this is also detrimental to efficiency . as an effective compromise , the udon printhead ic stages the loading and firing of the print data from the nozzle array . print data for a first portion of the nozzle array is loaded to registers outside the array of nozzles . the pec sends a fire command after the registers are loaded . the registers send the data to the corresponding nozzles within the first portion where they fire in accordance to the fire sequence ( discussed below ). while the nozzles in the first portion fire , the registers are loaded with the print data for the next portion of the array . this system removes the register from the unit cell to make way for a larger , more powerful drive fet . however , as there are only enough registers for the nozzles in a portion of the array , the resistive losses in the connection between register and nozzle is not excessive . the drive logic on the ic 12 sends the print data to the array row by row . the nozzle array has rows of 640 nozzles in 10 rows . adjacent to the array , 640 registers store the data for one row . the data is sent to the registers from the pec in a predetermined row firing sequence . previously , when the data for the entire array was loaded at once , the pec could simply send the data for each row sequentially — row 0 to row 9 . however , with each row fired as soon as its data is loaded , the pec needs to align with udon &# 39 ; s row firing sequence . 2 . load data into the registers for a single row of the printhead . 3 . send a fire command , which latches the loaded data in the corresponding nozzles , and begins a fire sequence . 4 . load data for the next row while the fire sequence is in progress . ink viscosity is dependent on the ink temperature . changes in the viscosity can alter the drop ejection characteristics of a nozzle . along the length of a pagewidth printhead , the temperature may vary significantly . these variations in temperature and therefore drop ejection characteristics leave artefacts in the print . to compensate for temperature variations , each udon printhead ic has a series of temperature sensors which output to the on - chip drive logic . this allows the drive pulse to be conditioned in accordance with the current ink temperature at that point along the printhead and thereby eliminate large differences in drop ejection characteristics . referring to fig1 , each udon ic 12 has eight temperature sensors 74 positioned along the array 22 . each sensor 74 senses the temperature in the adjacent region of nozzles , referred to as temperature controlled profile generator regions , or tcpg regions 76 . a tcpg region 76 is a ‘ vertical ’ band down the ic 12 that shares temperature and firing data ( see the row firing sequence described later ). pulse width is set for each color on the basis of region , and temperature within that region . the sensors 74 allow temperature detection between 0 ° c . and 70 ° c . with a typical accuracy after calibration of 2 ° c . individual temperature sensors may be switched off and a region may use the temperature sensor 74 of an adjoining region 78 . this will save power with minimal effect on the correct conditioning of the drive pulse as the sensors will sense heat generated in regions outside their own because of conduction . if the steady state operating temperatures shown little or no variation along the ic , then it may be appropriate to turn off all the sensors except one , or indeed turn off all the sensors and not use any temperature compensation . reducing the number of sensors operating at once not only reduces power consumption , but reduces the noise in other circuits in the ic . each tcpg region 76 has separate registers for each of the five inks . the temperature of the ink is categorised into four temperature ranges defined by three predetermined temperature thresholds . these thresholds are provided by the pec . the profile generator within the udon logic adjust the profile of the drive pulse to suit the current temperature category . heat dissipates into the ink as the heater temperature rises to the bubble nucleation temperature . because of this , the temperature of the ink in a nozzle will depend on how frequently it is being fired at that stage of the print job . a pagewidth printhead has a large array of nozzles and at any given time during the print job , a portion of the nozzles will not be ejecting ink . heat dissipates into regions of the chip surrounding nozzles that are firing , increasing the temperature of those regions relative to that of non - firing regions . as a result , the ink in non - ejecting nozzles will be cooler than that in nozzles firing a series of drops . the udon ic 12 can send non - firing nozzles ‘ sub - ejection ’ pulses during periods of inactivity to keep the ink temperature the same as that of the nozzles that are being fired frequently . a sub - ejection pulse is not enough to eject a drop of ink , but heat dissipates into ink . the amount of heat is approximately the same as the heat that conducts into the ink prior to bubble nucleation in the firing nozzles . as a result , the temperature in all the nozzles is kept relatively uniform . this helps to keep viscosity and drop ejection characteristics constant . the sub - ejection pulse reduces its energy by shortening its duration . actively changing the profile of the drive pulse offers many benefits including : optimum firing pulse for varying inks and temperatures warming a region before it fires shutting down or just slowing down an ic that gets too hot ( udon provides the information , pec controls speed ) adjusting for voltage drop caused by distance ( extra resistance ) from the power source reducing the energy input to the chip , as warm ink requires less energy to eject than cold ink the pulse profile can vary according to temperature and ink type . the firing pulses generated by the tcpg regions are stored in large registers that contain values for each of five inks in each of four temperature ranges , plus universal ink and region values , and threshold values . these values must be supplied to the udon and may be stored in and / or delivered by the qa chip on the ink cartridge ( see rrc001us incorporated herein by reference ), the pec , or elsewhere . it is convenient to adjust the firing pulses by varying the pulse duration instead of voltage or current . the voltage is externally applied . varying the current would involve resistive losses . in contrast , the pulse timing is completely programmable . ideal ink ejection firing pulses for udon are typically between 0 . 4 □ s and 1 . 4 □ s . sub - ejection firing pulses are usually less than 0 . 3 □ s . more generally , the firing pulse is a function of several factors : the magnitude of the optimum firing pulse may vary depending on color and temperature . udon stores the ejection pulse time for each color , in all temperature zones , in all regions . if all nozzles in a row were fired simultaneously , the sudden increase in the current drawn would be too high for the printhead ic and supporting circuitry . to avoid this , the nozzles , or groups of nozzles , can be fired in staggered intervals . however , firing adjacent nozzles simultaneously , or even consecutively , can lead to drop misdirection . firstly the droplet stalks ( the thin column of ink connecting an ejected ink drop to the ink in the nozzle immediately prior to droplet separation ) can cause micro flooding on the surface of the nozzle plate . the micro floods can partially occlude an adjacent nozzle and draw an ejected drop away from its intended trajectory . secondly , the aerodynamic turbulence created by one ejected drop can influence the trajectory of a drop ejected simultaneously ( or immediately after ) from a neighboring nozzle . the second fired drop can be drawn into the slipstream of the first and thereby misdirected . thirdly the fluidic cross talk between neighboring nozzles can cause drop misdirection . udon addresses this by dispersing the group of nozzles that fire simultaneously , and then fires nozzles from every subsequent dispersed group such that sequentially fired nozzles are spaced from each other . the nozzle firing sequence continues in this manner until all the nozzles ( that are loaded with print data ) in the row have fired . to do this , each row of nozzles is divided into a number of adjacent spans and one nozzle from each span fires simultaneously . the subsequently firing nozzle from each span is spaced from the previously firing nozzle by a shift value . the shift value can not be a factor of the span number ( that is , the shift and the span should be mutually prime ) so nozzles at the boundary between neighbouring spans do not fired simultaneously , or consecutively . the span is the number of consecutive nozzles in the row from which only one nozzle will fire at a time . fig1 shows a partial row of nozzles being fired with a span of three , and the same row segment with a span of five . for the purposes of illustration , the shift value is one . however , as discussed above , this is not an appropriate shift value in practice as the adjacent nozzles will fire consecutively . the turbulent wake from the drop fired from the first nozzle can interfere with the drop fired from the adjacent model immediately afterwards . it can also be a problem for the ink supply flow to the adjacent nozzles . for a span of three , there are three firings before the entire row is fired . third firing : the nozzle two across from the first nozzle fires - all nozzles on this row have now fired . the nozzles in row n + 2 now begin their fire cycle using the same span pattern . one third of a row &# 39 ; s nozzles fire at any one time . for a span of five , there are five firings before the entire row is fired and one fifth of the row &# 39 ; s nozzles fire at any one time . span = 1 fires all nozzles in a row simultaneously , draws too much current and will damage the ic ; span = 640 fires one nozzle at a time , but may take too long to complete in the time allotted to a single row . in any case , span only controls the maximum number of nozzles that are able to fire at any one time . each individual nozzle still needs a 1 in its shift register to actually fire . in the examples below , we assume that the ic is printing a solid color line , so every nozzle of the color will fire . in reality , this is rarely the case . the examples shown in fig1 have a shift value of one . that is , one nozzle fires , then the next nozzle left fires , then the next , etc . as discussed above , this is impractical . fig1 shows a segment of the nozzle row with a span of 5 with a span shift of 3 . first firing : column 1 fires . second firing : the firing nozzle is 3 nozzles across at column 4 . third firing : the count has wrapped around and is back at nozzle 2 . fourth firing : nozzle 5 fires . fifth firing : nozzle 3 fires — all 5 nozzles in the span have now fired . to fire every nozzle in the row exactly once , the shift can not be a factor of the span , i . e . the span can not be divided by the shift ( without remainder ). to maximize droplet separation in time and space and still fire every nozzle exactly once per row , the closest mutual prime to the square root of the span should be chosen for span shift . for example , for a span of 27 , a span shift of 5 would be appropriate . firing all the nozzles in a row simultaneously , will draw a large amount of current that remains ( approximately ) constant for the duration of the row time . this still requires the power supply to step from zero current to a maximum current in a very short time . this creates a high rate of change of current drawn until the maximum value is reached . unfortunately , a rapid increase in the current creates inductance which increases the circuit impedance . with high impedance , the drive voltage ‘ sags ’ until the inductance returns to normal , i . e . the current stops increasing . in printhead ic &# 39 ; s , it is necessary to keep the actuator supply voltage within a narrow range to maintain consistent ink drop size and directionality . as the firing pulses in each region can be varied by the tcpg , it can be used to delay the start of firing in each region across the printhead . this reduces the rate of change in current during firing . fig1 a and 13b show the relationship between region firing delay and current drain . fig1 a shows the two extremes of power usage when printing a solid line of a color ( this is the worst case for power supply because 80 dots will fire across the region ). fig1 a shows no firing delay between regions . each region has 4 spans of 20 nozzles each . each of the regions fire for the entire row time ( row time is the time available for a complete row of nozzles to fire ). therefore , at any time during the row time , four nozzles from all of the eight regions are firing ( drawing current ). hence the profile of the supply current is a long flat step function 78 and identical for each region . the profile for the entire row is the accumulated step function 80 of the individual profiles 78 . theoretically the leading edge 90 of step function 80 is vertical but in fact it is very steep until it reaches the maximum current level 82 . the high rate of change in the current can cause the undesirable voltage sags . fig1 b shows the current supply profiles when the regions are fired in stages . to stagger the firing of each region , the time in which the nozzles in each span can fire must be reduced . in the example shown in fig1 b , each span has half the row time in which to fire its nozzles . to compress the time needed for each span to fire , the number of nozzles in the span can be reduced . for example , the span in fig1 b is 10 , so 8 nozzles ( 10 × 8 = 80 nozzles / region ) from each span will fire simultaneously . the cumulative current drawn for eight nozzles is greater than that for the four nozzles firing per span shown in fig1 a . so the current drawn for each region in fig1 b is twice that of the regions in fig1 a , but the current is drawn for half the time . region 1 is supply with current 84 at the beginning of the row time . the current supply 94 to region 2 starts after a set delay period and region 3 is similarly delayed relative to region 2 , and so on until region 8 starts its firing sequence . the delays for each region need to be timed so that region 8 starts firing at or before half the row time has elapsed . the cumulative current supply profile 86 shows the series of 8 rapid steps in the current supply as it reaches its maximum value 88 . the maximum current 88 is greater than the maximum current 82 in the non - delayed region firing , but the rate of increase in the supply current 92 is less . this induces less impedance in the circuit so that the voltage sag is lower . in each case , the total energy used is the same for a given row time but the distribution of energy consumption is adjusted . as discussed above , print data is sent to the printhead ic &# 39 ; s 12 one row at a time followed by a fire command . previously , each individual unit cell in the nozzle array had a shift register to store the print data ( a ‘ 1 ’ or ‘ 0 ’) for each nozzle , for each line time ( the line time is the time taken for the printhead to print one line of print ). the print data for the entire array would be loaded into the shift registers before a fire command initiated the firing sequence . by loading and firing the print data for each line in stages , a smaller number of shift registers can be positioned adjacent the array instead of within each unit cell . removing the shift registers from the unit cell 20 allows the drive fet 40 ( see fig2 ) to be larger . this improves the printhead efficiency for the reasons set out below . thermal printhead ic &# 39 ; s are more efficient if the vapor bubble generated by heater element is nucleated quickly . less heat dissipates into the ink prior to bubble nucleation . faster nucleation of the bubble reduces the time that heat can diffuse into wafer regions surrounding the heater . to get the bubble to nucleate more quickly , the electrical pulse needs to have a shorter duration while still providing the same energy to the heater ( about 200 nj ). this requires the drive fet for each nozzle to increase the power of the drive pulse . however , increasing the power of the drive fet increases its size . this enlarges the wafer area occupied by the nozzle and its associated circuitry and therefore reduces the nozzle density of the printhead . reducing the nozzle density is detrimental to print quality and compact printhead design . by removing the shift register from the unit cell , the drive fet can be more powerful without compromising nozzle density . the udon design writes data to the nozzle array one row at a time . however , a printhead ic that loaded and fired several rows at a time would also be achieving the similar benefits . however , it should be noted that the electrical connection between the shift register and the corresponding nozzle should be kept relatively short so as not to cause high resistive losses . loading and firing the print data one row at a time requires the pec to send the data in the row order that it is printed . previously the data for the entire nozzle array was loaded before firing so the pec was indifferent to the row firing order chosen by the printhead ic . with udon , the pec will need to transmit row data in a predetermined order . printhead nozzles are normally fired according to the span / shift fire sequence and the delayed region start discussed above . the supply channels 50 in the back of the printhead ic 12 ( see fig5 c ) supply ink to two adjacent rows of nozzle on the front of the ic , that is rows 0 and 1 eject the same color , rows 2 and 3 eject another color , and so on . the udon printhead ic has ten row of nozzles , these can be designated colors cmyk , ir ( infra - red ink for encoding the media with data invisible to the eye ) or cmykk . to avoid ink supply flow problems , every second row is fired in two passes , that is row 0 , row 2 , row 4 , row 6 , row 8 , then row 1 , row 3 , row 5 , and so on until all ten row are fired . row firings should be timed such that each row takes just under 10 % of the total line time to fire . a fire command simply fires the data that is currently loaded . when operating in sopec mode , udon printhead ic receives a ‘ data next ’ command that loads the next row of data in the predetermined order . in mopec mode , each row of data must be specifically addressed to its row . taking paper movement into account , a row time of just less than 0 . 1 line time , together with the 10 . 1 dp ( dot pitch ) vertical color pitch appears on paper as a 10 dp line separation . odd and even same - color rows of nozzles , spaced 3 . 5 dp apart vertically and fired 0 . 5 line time apart results as dots on paper 5 dp apart vertically . fig1 shows the data flows and fire command sequences for a line of data . when a fire command is received in the data stream , the data in the row of shift registers transfers to a dot - latch in each of the unit cells , and a fire cycle is started to eject ink from every nozzle that has a 1 in its dot - latch . meanwhile the data for the next row in the firing order is loaded . drop compensation is the compensation applied by udon drive logic 46 ( see fig2 ) to the sloping region 28 and drop triangle 30 of nozzles at the left of the nozzle array 22 on each ic 12 ( see fig5 c ). as shown in fig1 , the print data to the nozzles that are displaced from the rest of the array 22 needs to be delayed by a certain number of line times . fig1 shows the nozzles in one row 26 of the ic 12 . the nozzles in the drop triangle 30 are all displaced 10 dot pitches from the non - displaced nozzles in the row . the nozzles in the droop section 28 that connects the drop triangle 30 and the non - displaced nozzles have a displacement that indexes by one dot pitch every two nozzles . in the sloping droop region 28 the drive logic indexes the delay in firing the dot data correspondingly . during periods of inactivity , or even between pages , and especially at higher ambient temperatures , nozzles may become blocked with more viscous or dried ink . water can evaporate from the ink in the nozzles thereby increasing the viscosity of the ink to the point where the bubble is unable to eject the drop . the nozzle becomes clogged and inoperable . many printers have a printhead maintenance regime that can recover clogged nozzles and clean the exterior face of the printhead . these create a vacuum to suck the ink through the nozzle so that the less viscous ink refills the nozzle . a relatively large volume of ink is wasted by this process requiring the cartridges to be replaced more frequently . udon printhead ic &# 39 ; s have a maintenance mode that can operate before or during a print job . during maintenance mode the drive logic generates a de - clog pulse for the actuators in each nozzle unless the dead nozzle map ( described below ) indicates that the actuator has failed . to operate during a print job , the nozzles should fire the de - clog pulse into the gap between pages without interruption to the paper . the de - clog pulse is longer than the normal drive pulses . the bubble formed from a longer duration pulse is larger and imparts a greater impulse to the ink than a firing impulse . this gives the pulse the additional force that may be needed to eject high viscosity ink . as a preliminary measure , the de - clog pulse can be preceded by a series of sub - ejection pulses to warm the ink and lower viscosity . fig1 shows a typical de - clog pulse train with a series of short ( relative to a firing pulse ) sub - ejection pulses 94 followed by a single de - clog pulse 96 . the individual sub - ejection pulses 94 have insufficient energy to nucleate a bubble and therefore eject ink . however , a rapid series of them raises the ink temperature to assist the subsequent de - clog pulse 96 . the udon printhead ic 12 supports an open actuator test . the open actuator test ( oat ) is used to discover whether any actuators in the nozzles array have burnt out and fractured ( usually referred to as becoming ‘ open ’ or ‘ open circuit ’). fabrication of the mems nozzle structures on wafer substrates will invariably result in some defective nozzles . these ‘ dead nozzles ’ can be located using a wafer probe immediately after fabrication . knowing the location of the dead nozzles , the print engine controller ( pec ) can be programmed with a dead nozzle map . this is used to compensate for the dead nozzles with techniques such as nozzle redundancy ( the printhead ic is has more nozzles than necessary and uses the ‘ spare ’ nozzles to print the dots normally assigned to the dead nozzles ). unfortunately , nozzles also fail during the operational life of the printhead . it is not possible to locate these nozzles using a wafer probe once they have been mounted to the printhead assembly and installed in the printer . over time , the number of dead nozzles increases and as the pec is not aware of them , there is no attempt to compensate for them . this eventually causes visible artifacts that are detrimental to the print quality . in thermal inkjet printheads and thermal bend inkjet printheads , the vast majority of failures are the result of the resistive heater burning out or going open circuit . nozzles may fail to eject ink because of clogging but this is not a ‘ dead nozzle ’ and may be recovered through the printer maintenance regime . by determining which nozzles are dead with an on - chip test , the print engine controller can periodically update its dead nozzle map . with an accurate dead nozzles map , the pec can use compensation techniques ( e . g . nozzle redundancy ) to extend the operational life of the printhead . the udon ic open actuator test compares the resistance of the actuator to a predetermined threshold . a high ( or infinite ) resistance indicates that the actuator has failed and this information is fed back to the pec to update its dead nozzle compensation tables . it is important to note that the oat can discover open circuit nozzles , but not clogged nozzles . thermal actuators and thermal bend actuator both use heater elements and the oat can be equally applied to either . likewise , the drive fet can be n - type or p - type . fig1 a and 17b show the circuits for the oat as applied to a single unit cell with a single heater element driven by a p - fet and an n - fet respectively . in fig1 a , the drive p - fet 40 is enabled during printing whenever the ‘ row enable ’ ( re ) 98 and ‘ column enable ’ ( ce ) 100 are both asserted ( receive ‘ 1 ’ s at their contacts ). enabling the drive fet 40 opens the heater element 34 to vpos 104 to activate the unit cell . when the row enable 98 or the column enable 100 are not asserted , the bleed n - fet is enabled . the bleed n - fet 112 ensures that the voltage at the sense node 120 is pulled low when the unit cell is not activated to eliminate any electrolysis path . when the oat 106 is asserted , the and gate 108 pulls the gate of the drive p - fet 40 high to disable it . asserting the oat 106 also pulls the gate of the sense n - fet 114 high to connect the sense output 116 to the sense node 120 . with the bleed n - fet 112 disabled the voltage at the sense node 120 will still be pulled low through the heater element 34 to ground 68 . accordingly , the sense output 116 is low to indicate that the actuator is still operational . however , if the heater element 34 is open ( failed ), the voltage at the sense node 120 remains high and this pulls the sense output 116 high to indicate a dead nozzle . this is fed back to the pec which updates the dead nozzle map and initiates measures to compensate ( if possible ). the unit cell circuitry shown in fig1 b uses a drive n - fet 40 . in this embodiment , asserting the row enable 98 and the column enable 100 pulls the gate of the drive n - fet 40 high to enable it and allow vpos 104 to drain to ground through the heater 34 . again the bleed p - fet 118 is disabled whenever the row enable 98 and column enable 100 are asserted . to initiate an actuator test , the oat 106 is asserted , together with the row enable 98 and column enable 100 . this disables the drive n - fet 40 by pulling the gate low using nand logic 110 . it also opens the sense n - fet 114 to connect the sense output 116 to the sense node 120 . with the heater 34 insulated from ground 68 when the drive fet 40 is disabled , the sense node 120 is pulled high and a high sense output 116 indicates a working actuator . if the heater 34 is broken , the sense node 120 is left at low voltage following the last time the drive fet 40 was enabled . accordingly when the oat is enabled , the sense output 116 is low and the pec records the dead nozzle to the dead nozzle map . it will be appreciated that the open actuator test should be performed shortly after the printhead ic has been printing . after a period of inactivity , the bleed p - fet 118 or n - fet 112 drops the sense node to low voltage . the gap in printing between pages is a convenient opportunity to perform an open actuator test . the present invention has been described herein by way of example only . skilled workers in this field will readily recognise many variations and modification which do not depart from the spirit and scope of the broad inventive concept . | 1Performing Operations; Transporting
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while the invention will be described in connection with one or more embodiments , it will be understood that the invention is not limited to those embodiments . on the contrary , the invention includes all alternatives , modifications , and equivalents as may be included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims . fig1 schematically shows a mechanical chiller 10 including a compressor 12 , a heat exchanger such as a condenser 14 , an expansion device such as an expansion valve 16 , and a heat exchanger such as an evaporator 18 . these components are connected to form a refrigerant circuit by refrigerant conduits 20 , 22 , 24 and 26 . refrigerant gas enters the compressor 12 from the conduit 20 and is compressed in the compressor 12 , thus raising its temperature . the compressed gas from the compressor 12 enters the condenser 14 via the conduit 22 . in the condenser 14 , the hot , compressed gas is condensed into liquid form and contacted with a heat sink , such as ambient air , ground water , or another cooler medium , to remove heat from the condensing refrigerant . the condensed refrigerant passes through the conduit 24 and through an expansion valve 16 . the expansion valve 16 allows a limited quantity of refrigerant to enter the evaporator 18 , while maintaining the pressure difference between the condenser 14 ( at higher pressure ) and the evaporator 18 ( at lower pressure ). the refrigerant entering the evaporator 18 evaporates after contacting a heat load , such as the refrigerator interior or ventilation air that is to be cooled , thus absorbing heat from the heat load . the refrigerant vapor leaves the evaporator 18 via the conduit 20 , returning to the compressor 12 to repeat the cycle . now refer to fig2 and 3 , and specifically to the interior of a centrifugal compressor 12 . the compressor 12 includes an impeller assembly including impellers 40 , 50 mounted on a rotatable shaft 64 . the compressor 12 has a gas inlet 30 , a gas outlet 32 , and internal passages 34 directing refrigerant gas from the inlet 30 , into and through the first stage impeller 40 , the second stage impeller 50 , and to the outlet 32 . the rear end 264 of a fastener 62 such as a bolt ( or other device allowing radial rotation while providing axial clamping force ) is connected to the rotatable shaft 64 to removably attach the impeller 40 to the rotatable shaft 64 . although the preferred embodiment of this invention is shown as a gear drive centrifugal compressor , the impeller assembly is generally applicable to all centrifugal compressors as well as to other compressors having an impeller 40 mounted on a terminal end 66 of a rotatable shaft such as rotatable shaft 64 . exemplary centrifugal compressors are sold under the registered trademark centravac by the trane company , a division of american standard inc . having a principal place of business in la crosse , wis . exemplary centrifugal compressors are shown in commonly assigned u . s . pat . no . 3 , 805 , 547 to eber and u . s . pat . no . 3 , 853 , 433 to roberts et al ., both of which are incorporated by reference herein . referring to figs . 2 and 3 , a first stage impeller and shaft assembly 90 including the first stage impeller 40 depicting an aspect of this invention is disclosed . the impeller 40 has an axial bore 100 through it , a front face 102 intersecting with the axial bore 100 , and a rear face 104 that is adapted to fit the driving end 66 of the rotatable shaft 64 . fig3 does not show the details of the connection between the impeller 40 and the shaft 64 , which can be conventional . for two examples , either a conventional splined joint or the three - lobed connection described in co - pending u . s . ser . no . 09 / 204 , 867 , filed by the present assignee on dec . 3 , 1998 can be used . the front face 102 of the impeller 40 is truncated at an end 105 and optionally has a recess 110 to accommodate a contoured spacer body 200 , a protective washer 120 and an expansor such as a spacer assembly 150 . for purposes of this application , a contoured spacer body is a device having an external surface which is aerodynamically contoured and having an internal portion acting as a spacer . the spacer assembly 150 provides a known resistance when compressed . the protective washer 120 , preferably a hardened steel washer , has a front face 122 and a rear face 124 . the rear face 124 is seated against the front face 102 ( the recess 110 if present ) of the impeller 40 . the protective washer 120 has an aperture 126 registered with the axial bore 100 . referring to fig3 and 4 , the contoured spacer body 200 includes a front surface 202 and a rear surface 204 . the contoured spacer body 200 is symmetrical about an axis 206 , and the front surface 202 includes a contoured surface 210 at an angle or a curve relative to the axis 206 . the rear surface 204 includes a spring spacing abutment 220 including a washer contact surface 222 at the end of the abutment 220 . the spring spacing abutment 220 is axially dimensioned relative to the axis 206 so that the spacer assembly 150 deflects at a desired amount . the contoured spacer body 200 includes a center portion 224 having a rear recess 226 arranged in the rear surface 204 about the spring spacing abutment 220 . a central bore 230 runs through the center portion 224 symmetrical about the axis 206 . the washer contact surface 222 engages the protective washer 120 . the recess 226 provides a spring bearing surface 234 for engagement with the spacer assembly 150 . the front surface 202 of the contoured spacer body 200 preferably includes a recess 235 and a forward facing shoulder 236 in the recess 235 . at least one tension providing device such as a spring 232 , which in the illustrated embodiment is a belleville spring ( though another type of spring , or a lock washer , or a compressible gasket or washer can be used instead ), is seated between the protective washer 120 and the spring bearing surface 234 to provide the spacer assembly 150 . the fastener 62 , including a headed front end 260 , a front face 262 and a rear end 264 , is positioned through the axial bore 100 , the aperture 126 , and the central bore 230 . the rear end 264 of the fastener 62 is connected to the rotatable shaft 64 ( here , the rear end 264 is threaded into a cavity 270 in the shaft 64 ), and the headed front end 260 is seated against the front surface 202 of the contoured spacer body 200 , preferably in the recess 234 and against the shoulder 236 , to provide a clamping load . after torquing the fastener 62 , the spacer assembly 150 collapses to about 75 % of its maximum deflection . the abutment 220 of the contoured spacer body 200 is seated against the protective washer 120 and is spaced by the depth of the spring spacing abutment 220 to control the deflection of the springs 232 in the spacer assembly 150 . at 75 % maximum deflection , the clamp load will exceed the axial thrust load imposed upon the impeller 40 . fig4 is an enlarged isolated side elevational view , in section , of the contoured spacer body 200 including the spring spacing abutment 220 as positioned to seat against the protective washer 120 ( as shown in fig3 ). in this embodiment , the surface 222 comes into contact with the front face 122 of the protective washer 120 . at least one spring 232 is sized to fit in the recessed pocket 226 formed between the contoured spacer body 200 and the protective washer 120 . the protective washer 120 is used to keep the at least one spring 232 from damaging the impeller 40 . a skilled mechanic would slack off slightly to avoid over - torquing the impeller shaft assembly in response to the surface 222 seating hard against the protective washer 120 . the front surface 202 of the contoured spacer body 200 can desirably be continuous from the front face 102 of the impeller 40 to the central bore 230 . the front surface 202 of the contoured washer 200 optionally has a recess 235 to accommodate the headed front end 260 of the fastener 62 . the recess 235 in the front surface 202 of the contoured spacer body 200 can be sized to ensure that the front face 262 of the headed front end 260 is seated flush across the central bore 230 in order to make a substantially continuous surface ( shown in fig3 ). a substantially continuous surface across the front surface 202 of the contoured spacer body 200 provides improved refrigerant flow during normal operation . in one aspect of this embodiment ( as depicted in fig3 ) the truncated end 105 in the front face 102 of the impeller 40 is sized to accommodate the protective washer 120 , the spacer assembly 150 and the contoured spacer body 200 . in this embodiment of the invention , the rear face 124 of the protective washer 120 seats against the recess 110 in the front face 102 of the impeller 40 . in an alternative embodiment shown in fig5 the body 224 of the contoured spacer body 200 has an aerodynamic portion 270 extending slightly around the spring spacing abutment 220 but not contacting either the impeller 40 or the protective washer 120 . in this manner , the front face 102 of the impeller 40 need only provide a recess 110 sized to accommodate the protective washer 120 . one advantage of this embodiment is that the front face 102 of the impeller 40 around such a recess would be less vulnerable to stress fractures . in another embodiment shown in fig6 the contoured spacer body 200 has an aerodynamic portion 272 which extends around the spring 232 and the protective washer 120 to make contact with the front face 102 of the impeller 40 . in still another embodiment , the spring spacing abutment 220 is spaced radially outwardly so that the surface 222 seats against an outer edge 280 of the protective washer 120 ( fig7 ). in yet another embodiment , the rear surface 204 of the contoured spacer body 200 provides two shoulder surfaces 274 and 276 ( fig8 ) including an outer shoulder 274 spaced radially outwardly and an inner shoulder 276 spaced radially inwardly . in this embodiment each shoulder , 274 and 276 , seats against the washer 120 to provide a pocket 277 to accommodate the at least one spring 232 . referring to fig9 the contoured spacer body 200 ( not shown in fig9 ) and the headed front end 260 ( not shown in fig9 ) of the fastener 62 are combined to convert the headed front end 260 into a domed front end 300 of the fastener 62 . in this aspect of the invention , the domed front end 300 has a front face 302 , a rear face 304 , a recessed spring bearing surface 306 in its rear face 304 , and a spring spacing abutment 308 positioned to seat against the protective washer 120 . in this arrangement , the spacer assembly 150 is seated between the protective washer 120 and the spring bearing surface 306 . as in fig3 the front face 102 of the impeller 40 may comprise a recess 110 in order to accommodate the protective washer 120 . the rear face 304 of the domed front end 300 ( including the surface 306 ) can be sized to correspond to the cross section area of the truncated end 105 of the impeller 40 ( or to the forward facing area of the recess 110 ). in this arrangement the rear face 124 ( and by default , the front face 122 ) of the protective washer is sized to correspond to the cross - section area of the truncated end 105 of the impeller 40 ( or the forward facing area of the recess 110 ). thus , the clamping force is transmitted from the domed front end 300 and through the relatively large surface area of the protective washer 120 . hence , large torquing may be applied without causing stress fractures in the front face 102 of the impeller 40 or the rear face 304 of the domed front end 300 . the fastener &# 39 ; s ability to carry more torque results in higher energy yield . in addition , the front face 302 of the domed front end 300 provides a continuous aerodynamic surface 309 across the front face 102 of the impeller 40 . compressors fitted with a contoured front end will result in higher speeds and higher work rates and a concomitant decrease in compressor size . the front face 302 of the domed front end 300 may be designed with indents or holes 320 to allow a suitable tool bit to attach to the aerodynamic surface 309 . this tool bit in turn attaches to a suitable torque wrench . alternatively , the tool bit might form part of a torquing tool . this would ensure that appropriate tools are used in the installation and removal of the impeller and shaft assembly thus decreasing the likelihood of damage to the impeller and shaft assembly . fig1 schematically shows a different aspect of the arrangement disclosed in fig9 . in this aspect of the invention , the rear face 304 of the domed front end 300 makes contact with the front face 102 of the impeller 40 at a shoulder area 312 of the domed front end 300 . the recess 110 in the front face 102 of the impeller 40 is less pronounced compared to that disclosed in fig9 . in another aspect of the invention , the front face 102 of the impeller 40 has a truncated end 314 which lacks the recess 110 and is essentially flat as shown in fig1 . in this embodiment of the invention , the protective washer 120 is sized to correspond more closed to the cross section area of the truncated end 314 of the impeller 40 . the protective washer 120 preferably includes a contoured , radially outward end 318 having an aerodynamic contour matching that of the domed front end 300 and the front face 102 . the domed front end 300 has an additional shoulder 322 . the comparatively large cross section area of the rear face 304 in contact with the protective washer 120 ensures maximum dissipation of the clamping load . while the invention is described above in connection with preferred or illustrative embodiments and examples , they are not intended to be exhaustive or limiting of the invention . rather , the invention is intended to cover all alternatives , modifications and equivalents included within its spirit and scope of the invention , as defined by the appended claims . | 5Mechanical Engineering; Lightning; Heating; Weapons; Blasting
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as is well known in the art the light emission intensity p of a semiconductor laser varies linearly with a drive supply i supplied thereto . therefore , the light emission intensity p can be controlled by controlling the drive current i . the straight - line curves x , y shown in fig4 ( i ) show how the light emission intensities p of semiconductor lasers and the drive currents supplied thereto are related to each other , the gradient of each of the straight - line curves x , y being called a differential efficiency η . it is known that the differential efficiency varies from semiconductor laser to semiconductor laser even if the lasers of the same type . an exemplary statistical distribution is shown in fig4 ( ii ). with the semiconductor laser having a p - i characteristic indicated by x in fig4 ( i ), for obtaining a light emission intensity p ( b ), the drive current to be supplied should be made δix smaller than for obtaining a light emission intensity p ( a ). where a semiconductor laser has a p - i characteristic y , light emission intensity p ( b ) can be achieved if the laser is supplied with drive current which is δiy smaller than for obtaining light emission intensity p ( a ). an embodiment of the present invention resides in providing a power level setting circuit for controlling the drive current supplied to a semiconductor laser to obtain a desired light emission intensity . fig5 schematically shows in a cross section a laser printer incorporating the principles of the present invention . a recording sheet of paper 2 fed from a sheet feeder 1 in the direction of the arrow a is controlled in its timing by resist rollers 3 , and then delivered toward a latent image carrier comprising a drum - shaped photosensitive body 4 . the photosensitive body 4 is rotated counterclockwise about its own axis while at the same time its circumferential surface is charged by a charger 5 and then irradiated with a laser beam from a laser optical system 6 to form an electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive body 4 . when the latent image goes through a developing device 7 , it is visualized by toner . the visible toner image is then transferred by a transfer charger 8 onto the recording sheet 2 which has been delivered to the photosensitive body 4 . the transferred visible image on the recording sheet 2 is then fixed thereto by a fixing device 9 . the recording sheet 2 which has left the fixing device 9 is fed onto a discharge tray 11 in the direction of the arrow b . after the visible image has been transferred , any remaining toner on the photosensitive body 4 is removed by a cleaning device having a cleaning blade 12 . the toner removed from the photosensitive body is retrieved and stored in a toner storage tank 13 . denoted at 10 is a printer housing , 14 a controller , and 15 a print control unit . fig1 shows in block form an apparatus for carrying out the method of the present invention . the apparatus has a semiconductor laser 16 , a photosensor 17 , an amplifier 18 , a comparator 19 for comparing a reference voltage vref 1 , with a voltage vm converted from the intensity of light detected by the photosensor 17 , an up / down counter 20 with its count mode controlled by a high or low level ( u / d ) signal dependent on the levels of the voltage v m and the reference voltage vref 1 , applied to the comparator 19 , for counting up or down clock pulses from a clock pulse generator 33 , an edge detector 21 for detecting a positive - going edge or a negative - going edge of the output signal from the comparator 19 , a flip - flop 22 for resetting the counter 20 to a disable state in response to the output signal from the edge detector 21 , a third d / a converter 23 , and an adder 24 , a semiconductor laser ( ld ) driver 25 . the components indicated by the reference numerals discussed above jointly constitute a first output emission intensity control circuit . the apparatus also includes comparator 26 for comparing the voltage v m and a reference voltage vref 2 , an up / down counter 27 with its count mode controlled by a high or low level ( u / d ) dependent on the levels of the voltage v m and the reference voltage vref 2 applied to the comparator 26 , for counting up or down clock pulses from the clock pulse generator 33 , and edge detector 28 for detecting a positive - going edge or negative - going edge of the output signal from the comparator 26 , a flip - flop 29 for resetting the counter 27 to a disable state in response to the output signal from the edge detector 28 , first and second d / a converters , 30 , 31 , and an amplifier 32 . the photosensor 17 , the amplifier 18 , the components indicated by the reference numerals 26 through 36 , the adder 24 , and the ld driver 25 jointly constitute a second output emission intensity control circuit according to the present invention , the apparatus includes a power level setting circuit 34 . a digital level setting circuit 35 is responsive to an output signal from a flip - flop 29 for issuing a digital level set by the power level setting circuit 34 to the first d / a converter 30 . operation of the above apparatus will be described below . first , the generation of reference level signals will be described . a constant drive signal ( not shown ) is applied to the ld driver 25 for driving the semiconductor laser 16 to enable the latter to emit laser beams of constant emission intensity in forward and rearward directions . the laser beam emitted in the rearward direction of the semiconductor laser 16 is detected by the photosensor 17 . the photosensor 17 then produces a current proportional to the intensity of the detected laser beam . the current from the photosensor 17 is converted by the amplifier 18 into a voltage which is applied as the voltage level v m to the comparators 19 , 26 for comparison with the reference voltages vref 1 , vref 2 . the output voltage from the comparator 19 is of high or low level dependent on the magnitude relationship between the voltages v m and vref 1 for controlling the count mode of the counter 20 . for example , if v m & lt ; vref 1 , i . e ., if the light emission intensity of the semiconductor laser 16 has not yet reached the reference level p ( a ) shown in fig4 ( i ), then the output level of the comparator 19 is low , and the counter 20 operates as an up counter in an up - counter mode . conversely , if v m & gt ; vref 1 , then the counter 20 operates as a down counter in a down - counter mode . the flip - flop 22 is set by a power setting signal 36 for starting to control the quantity of light emitted by the semiconductor laser ( ld ) 16 , to produce an output signal to enable the counter 20 . this flip - flop 22 also enables the digital level setting circuit 35 to produce a digital level corresponding to the first reference level , which is converted by the first d / a converter 30 into an analog signal that is applied to the adder 24 . the counter 20 counts up or down clock pulses from the clock pulse generator 33 dependent on the input signal from the comparator 19 . the count output of the counter 20 is converted by the third d / a converter 23 into an analog signal that is applied to the adder 24 and then to the ld driver 25 to vary the drive signal . the light emission intensity of the semiconductor laser 16 is now varied . as the count of the counter 20 is gradually increased or reduced , the intensity of the laser beam emitted from the semiconductor laser 16 is gradually increased or reduced , and so is the voltage v m applied to the comparator 19 . when the magnitude relationship between the voltage v m and the reference voltage vref 1 becomes reversed as a result of the gradual increase or reduction in the voltage v m , the output level of the comparator 19 goes high or low . the edge detector 21 then detects a positive - going or negative - going edge of the output signal from the comparator 19 , resetting the flip - flop 22 to disable the counter 20 . therefore , the counter 20 holds the count when the output signal from the comparator 19 is reversed , and hence the magnitude of the drive current for the semiconductor laser 16 . at this time , the voltage v m is substantially equal to the reference voltage vref 1 , and the light emission intensity of the semiconductor laser 16 is set to the first reference voltage level p ( a ) which has been established by the reference voltage vref 1 . with the light emission intensity of the semiconductor laser 16 being set to the first reference level p ( a ), the digital signal issued from the counter 20 serves as a reference level signal . the edge detector 21 may be arranged such that it disables the counter 20 only when the output signal of the comparator 19 switches from a low level to a high level . with this modified arrangement , the apparatus operates in the same way as described above when the output level of the comparator 19 goes high . however , when the output level of the comparator 19 goes low , the apparatus operates as follows : when the output level of the comparator 19 goes low , the counter 20 remains enabled and operates as an up counter . the drive current for the semiconductor laser 16 increases until the output level of the comparator 19 goes high , whereupon the edge detector 21 detects a positive - going edge to disable the counter 20 , allowing the counter 20 to hold its count . the counter 20 may be arranged such that it operates as a down counter when the output signal of the comparator 19 is of a low level and as an up counter when the output signal of the comparator 19 is of a high level , making the count of the counter 20 inversely proportional to the drive current for the semiconductor laser 16 . the above modifications described with respect to the edge detector 21 and the counter 20 also hold true for the edge detector 28 and the counter 27 . when the flip - flop 22 is reset , the counter 20 is disabled , and also a digital value corresponding to a second reference level is issued from the digital level setting circuit 35 . the components ranging from the photosensor 17 to the ld driver 25 serve as the first output emission intensity control circuit for converting digital values corresponding to the first and second reference levels into analog values and applying the analog values to the ld driver 25 . at the same time that the output signal from the edge detector 21 resets the flip - flop 22 , as described above , the output signal from the edge detector 21 also sets the flip - flop 29 . the flip - flop 29 produces an output signal to enable the counter 27 . therefore , at the same time that the light emission intensity of the semiconductor laser 16 reaches the first reference level p ( a ), the counter 27 counts up or down clock pulses from the clock pulse generator 33 dependent on whether the output level of the comparator 26 is low or high . the count output from the counter 27 is converted by the second d / a converter 31 into an analog signal which is applied via the amplifier 31 , the first d / a converter 30 , and the adder 24 to the ld driver 25 . as the count of the counter 27 is increased or reduced , the intensity of the laser beam emitted from the semiconductor laser 16 is also increased or reduced . when the light emission intensity reaches the second reference level p ( b ) which has been established by the reference voltage vref 2 , this fact is detected as an output level reversal of the comparator 26 by the edge detector 28 , which issues an output signal to reset the flip - flop 29 . the counter 27 is now disabled to keep its output count reached when the second reference level p ( b ) is achieved . the output count of the counter 27 at this time serves as an extent - of - correction control signal . the photosensor 17 , the amplifier 18 , the components 26 - 32 , the adder 24 , and the ld driver 25 thus serve as the second output emission intensity control circuit for obtaining the extent - of - correction control signal to set the light emission intensity to the second reference level . in response to the output signal from the flip - flop 29 , the digital level setting circuit 35 issues a digital level set by the power level setting circuit 34 to the first d / a converter 30 . the first and second reference levels p ( a ), p ( b ) are determined as design conditions for the extent to which the quantity of light to be emitted is variable . the difference δi , giving the difference p ( a )- p ( b ), between drive currents as shown in fig4 ( i ) varies dependent of the differential efficiency η of a semiconductor laser used . therefore , the magnitude of the extent - of - correction control signal corresponds to the differential efficiency η of the semiconductor laser 16 . the digital extent - of - correction control signal thus obtained from the counter 27 is converted by the second d / a converter 31 into an analog signal which is then applied via the amplifier 32 to the first d / a converter 30 to vary the gain of the first d / a converter 30 in proportion to the magnitude of the extent - of - correction control signal . the reference level signal and the extent - of - correction control signal can vary each time the power setting signal is applied , but remain unchanged after a power setting signal has been applied until next power setting signal is applied . as is apparent from the above description , the reference level signal is determined based on the first reference level p ( a ) for the light emission intensity of the semiconductor laser 16 , and the setting signal is determined by the preset power level from the power level setting circuit 34 . both of the reference level signal and the setting signal do not contain information about the differential efficiency η of the semiconductor laser 16 . if the gain of the first d / a converter 30 were constant , then the digital light emission intensity with which laser power corresponding to the second reference level is to be emitted would tend to vary from the prescribed intensity p ( b ) due to a different differential efficiency η or a time - dependent variation of the differential efficiency η . thus , the light emission intensity of the semiconductor laser 16 would be shifted from the digital level corresponding to the first reference level to the digital level corresponding the second reference level . according to the present invention , however , the gain of the first d / a converter 30 is adjusted to achieve the light emission intensity p ( b ) dependent on the differential efficiency η by the extent - of - correction control signal ( the output signal , as converted into the analog value , from the counter 27 ) containing information with respect to the differential efficiency η . therefore , a desired light emission intensity may be obtained which range from the first reference level to the second reference level . fig2 shows in detail the digital level setting circuit 35 illustrated in fig1 . the digital level setting circuit 35 includes a buffer 35a having a gate input terminal , a reset input terminal , and a preset input terminal , and a decoder 35b to which the output signals from the flip - flops 22 , 29 are applied . output signals from the decoder 35b are applied to the buffer 35a . the power level setting signal from the power level setting circuit 34 is applied as an input signal to the buffer 35a . the digital value corresponding to the first reference level or the digital value corresponding the second reference level , from the flip - flops 22 , 29 , is decoded by the decoder 35b , or the output signal from the power level setting circuit 34 is applied to the buffer 35a , and the output signal from the buffer 35a is then applied to the first d / a converter 30 . with the present invention , the power level of the semiconductor laser 16 is automatically controlled at the first reference level when the power setting signal 36 is produced . subsequently , if the semiconductor laser 16 is stable with respect to temperature , the power level of the semiconductor laser 16 is not required to be automatically controlled at the second reference level each time the power setting signal is applied . when the automatic power level control is to be effected with respect to the first and second reference levels , the automatic power level control with respect to the second reference level may be performed either each time the power setting signal is applied or at suitable times . the first and second reference levels may be selected such that either p ( a )& lt ; p ( b ) or p ( a )& gt ; p ( b ). the power level setting circuit 34 may be set to a desired power level manually or automatically by a cpu . the laser beam emitted by laser 16 can be modulated with an information signal in a manner known in the art to thereby write information on photosensitive drum 4 or on some other medium . according to the present invention , as described above , each time the power setting signal 36 is applied and set , the first and second reference levels p ( a ), p ( b ) are automatically established with respect to the laser power output . therefore , a desired laser output level may be obtained which ranges from the first reference level to the second reference level . as a result , a desired laser output level can be established with accuracy irrespective of different characteristics or time - dependent variations in characteristics of semiconductor lasers . | 7Electricity
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in describing the instant invention , reference is made to the drawings , wherein there is seen in fig1 a copier 10 having a rectangular reciprocating carriage 12 that is movably mounted on top of a cabinet 11 . the carriage 12 includes a transparent platen 14 on which documents ( not shown ) are placed face down for copying . overlying the platen 14 is an opaque , movable cover 16 which has a white surface juxtaposed to the platen 14 . the cover 16 is connected to one side of the carriage 12 . in the preferred embodiment , the cover 16 is made of a relatively flexible material that is connected by a hinge to one of the longer sides of the carriage 12 . the cover 16 has a handle 17 disposed opposite to the hinged side of the cover 16 . an operator can manipulate the handle 17 in order to raise and lower the cover 16 and so that documents can be placed on and removed from the platen 14 . the carriage 12 is shown in fig1 in its extreme right or home position . during a copy cycle , the carriage moves to the left a predetermined distance that is long enough to enable the copier 10 to make copies of fourteen inch long documents . underneath the carriage 12 is an illuminating station , generally indicated at 20 , which includes a relatively narrow , transparent window 27 that is mounted on the upper surface 19 of the cabinet 11 . the window 27 extends across the width of the upper surface 19 . a light source is operatively disposed underneath window 27 , and comprises a linear lamp 28 axially aligned and partially surrounded by a hyperbolic - shaped reflector 30 which serves to direct the light from the lamp 28 toward the window 27 . as the carriage 12 moves from right to left , a document on the carriage 12 passes over the illumination window 27 and is illuminated by the light from lamp 28 . in other words , the document is scan exposed across the illuminating station 20 , which will be discussed in further detail hereinbelow . an image of the document is transmitted to the photoreceptor belt 40 at an imaging station generally designated 35 . the image is transmitted along a z - shaped path by an optical system comprising tilted mirrors 22 and 26 and a lens 24 . the mirror 22 forms an image of the illuminated document as the latter passes over the window 27 , and reflects the light toward the converging lens 24 , which is directed upon the second tilted mirror 26 which in turn reflects the coverging rays onto a portion of the photoreceptor belt 40 at the imaging station 35 . the photoreceptor belt 40 is moved through the imaging station at a predetermined speed by a drive roller 42 in synchronism with the movement of the carriage 12 across the illuminating station 20 . the motive power for turning the drive roller 42 is supplied by a main motor 62 through a suitable drive system that includes a drive chain 61 ( partially shown ), which also drives other elements including the magnetic brush 37 , the carriage 12 , and the feed and queuing rollers 46 and 48 respectively . the fixing rollers 54 are driven by a second motor 63 . the photoreceptor belt 40 is supported underneath the z - shaped optical system 21 by the relatively large diameter drive roller 42 and also a relatively small diameter idler roller 44 . the rollers 42 and 44 are diagonally displaced from each other and by virtue of the relative difference in their size , the photoreceptor belt 40 takes on a shape similar to a teardrop . the belt 40 itself comprises an upper photosensitive layer , preferably of zinc oxide ( zno ) that is coated on a conductive substrate , preferably one made of metalized polyester film , such as mylar brand film with an aluminum base . disposed around the periphery of the photoreceptor belt 40 are a number of the operating components of the copier 10 . in particular , a two - wire corona charging unit 32 is juxtaposed to the photoreceptor belt 40 at approximately a one o &# 39 ; clock position with respect to the drive roller 42 . the charging unit 32 is operable to impart a uniform electrostatic charge to the zinc oxide surface of the photoreceptor 40 . the drive roller 42 turns in a clockwise direction , so that the uniformly charged surface of the photoconductor belt 40 moves from the charging unit 32 toward the imaging station 35 . in accordance with the well - known photocopying technique , the light - struck areas of the photoreceptor belt 40 are electrically discharged , thereby leaving a latent ( undeveloped ) electrostatic image that corresponds to the indicia areas ( printed portions ) of the document that is to be copied . as the drive roller 42 turns , the latent image on the photoreceptor belt 40 is carried past a developer station 36 disposed at a three o &# 39 ; clock position with respect to the drive roller 42 . the developer station 36 includes a hopper 39 for holding a supply of developer material which typically is a two component toner consisting of iron filings and pressure fixable marking material ; however , a single component toner can also be used . the rotating magnetic brush 37 picks up toner from the hopper 39 and carries that toner into contact with the photoreceptor 40 . the charged or latent image areas of the photoreceptor 40 electrostatically attract and hold toner particles , thus developing the latent image . the toned or developed image leaves the developer station 36 and moves toward the transfer station 50 where there is a two - wire corona transfer charging apparatus 51 . in timed relationship with the arrival of the toned image at the transfer corona 51 , a copy sheet also arrives at the transfer station 50 . the copy sheet is fed from a supply of sheets 45 stored in a removable tray 102 . a feed roller 46 feeds the uppermost copy sheet from the supply 45 , through a paper guide 47 and into the nip of the queuing rollers 48 . at a predetermined time in the course of a copy cycle , the queuing rollers 48 are actuated to feed the copy sheet along a second paper guide 49 and into contact with the developed image carried on the photoreceptor belt 40 . by virtue of the electric charge that is generated by the transfer corona 51 , toner particles are attracted from the photoreceptor belt 40 toward the copy sheet to which they loosely adhere . the copy sheet is separated from the photoreceptor belt 40 by the interaction of the small diameter idler roller 44 with the relative stiffness of the copy sheet . in other words , as the photoreceptor 40 passes around the idler roller 44 , the copy sheet does not follow the belt 40 . instead , the leading edge of the copy sheet moves away from the belt 40 along a path that is initially tangent to the idler roller 44 . the copy sheet is ultimately guided by another paper guide 52 into the nip of the pressure fixing rollers 54 . the pressure fixing rollers 54 include two stainless steel rollers that are spring loaded into contact with each other with a linear pressure of approximately three hundred pounds per linear inch , and are rotated such that the speed of a copy sheet through the rollers 54 is slightly slower than the speed at which the copy sheet is fed toward the rollers 54 . this is necessary in order to assure that the rollers 54 do not prematurely pull the copy sheet from the photoreceptor belt 40 , i . e . before transfer of toner to the copy sheet is complete , which would result in an imperfect , streaked copy . hence , the copy sheet is permitted to buckle slightly before it is completely fed through the rollers 54 . such a slight buckle does no damage to the loosely held toner image that is carried on the copy sheet . under the influence of the high pressure exerted on the pressure fixable toner by the rollers 54 , the image is permanently fixed to the copy sheet as it passes through the fixing rollers 54 and into the receiving tray 56 . after the developed image is transferred , a residual latent electrostatic image and some untransferred toner remain on the photoreceptor belt 40 . as the belt 40 continues along its path , it is carried past a single wire discharge corona 58 which neutralizes any charge on the untransferred toner . next , the belt 40 passes underneath an array ( preferably four ) of incandescent erase lamps 60 . light from the erase lamps 60 illuminates the belt 40 , discharges the residual latent image areas of belt 40 and thereby erases any remaining residual electrostatic image . as the photoreceptor belt 40 begins it second cycle , the carriage 12 starts to return from its extreme left position ( not shown ) toward its extreme right or home position seen in fig1 . during the second cycle , the corona charger 32 and the transfer corona 52 are de - actuated . by virtue of the effects of the erase lamps 60 and the discharge corona 58 , the untransferred toner is now only loosely adhering to the photoreceptor belt 40 . as the untransferred toner passes the magnetic brush 37 , the latter attracts the untransferred toner from the belt 40 onto the magnetic brush 37 . hence , the magnetic brush 37 performs two functions : on the first cycle the magnetic brush 37 develops the latent electrostatic image and on the second cycle the magnetic brush 37 cleans the photoreceptor of any untransferred toner . thus , after the second cycle , the photoreceptor belt 40 is cleaned of toner and ready to make another copy . in describing the illumination system 20 in further detail , reference is made to fig2 wherein the shape of the reflector 30 is more clearly seen . the profile of the reflector 30 is that of a hyperbola and is given by the equation : ## equ3 ## where b is a point on the x axis and represents the distance between the center line of the reflector 30 ( at 0 , 0 ) and a virtual image 70 of the light source 28 created behind the reflector 30 , and is a positive quantity , and where a is a point on the x axis and represents the distance between the center line of the reflector 30 ( at 0 , 0 ) and the linear light source located in front of the reflector 30 and is a negative quantity . situated in front of the light source 28 is a cylindrical lens 72 , which may also be a fresnel lens if so desired . the virtual image 70 is very nearly aberration free and is presented as the object to the cylindrical or fresnel lens 72 for reduction by proper object - image conjugate choice to a line image which is nearly aberration free ( suffering only from the axial aberration of the lens ) given proper construction and alignment of the individual components . since the collection angle can be made relatively large , the flux apparently emanating from the virtual image 70 can be substantial and is only modified , in an ideal sense , by the transmissions of the lens and object glass ( if present ) and the reflectance of the reflector 30 . an additional benefit of the foregoing system is that the direct component of illumination ( not shown ) is somewhat compressed over standard illuminating systems and therefore contributes more readily to useful illumination . while there have been shown and described and pointed out the fundamental novel features of the invention as applied to a preferred embodiment , it will be understood that various omissions and substitutions and changes in the form and details of the device illustrated and in its operation may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention . | 6Physics
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[ 0021 ] fig1 illustrates a method 40 of managing billing information pertaining to goods and services associated with a well 42 at a well site 44 . the term , “ billing information ” refers to a price or cost for the well - related goods or services . the term , “ goods and services ” refers to any item or process used in servicing a well . well 42 is schematically illustrated to encompass any apparatus for drawing a fluid ( e . g ., oil , gas , water , etc .) from the ground . in some embodiments of the invention , well 42 includes a string of outer piping known as casing 46 . when perforated , casing 46 provides a conduit that conveys fluid from within the ground to the inlet of a submerged reciprocating pump 48 . an inner string of pipe , known as tubing 50 , provides a discharge conduit that conveys the fluid from the outlet of pump 48 to the surface . a powered pivoting beam ( not shown ) moves a string of sucker rods 52 up and down , which in turn moves the pump &# 39 ; s piston up and down to pump the fluid . to service or maintain well 42 , an oil company 54 ( e . g ., well owner , operator , or representative thereof ) hires one or more contractors 56 and 58 to provide the necessary goods and services . examples of common parts that contractors 56 or 58 may replace at well site 42 include , but are not limited to , casing 46 ; tubing 50 ; sucker rods 52 ; pump 48 or its components , such as seals and valves ; casing couplings 60 ; tubing couplings 62 ; sucker rod couplings 64 ; packer glands ; and various parts associated with the pivoting beam , such as its drive motor . examples of various consumable and non - consumable fluids 66 that may be added to the well bore include , but are not limited to hot oil , acid , or cement . examples of common services operations that contractors 56 or 58 may perform at well site 44 include , but are not limited to , delivering parts ; manipulating sucker rods ( e . g ., installing , torquing , or replacing rods 52 , as indicated by arrow 68 ); manipulating tubing ( e . g ., installing , torquing , or replacing tubing 50 , as indicated by arrow 70 ); perforating casing 46 , as indicated by a perforating gun 72 suspended from a cable or wireline 74 ; down hole logging , as indicated by a transducer 7 also suspended from a wireline ; pumping fluid 66 ( e . g ., cement , acid , hot oil , etc .) into well 42 , as indicated by pump 78 and arrow 80 ; welding ; fracture treatments ; drilling ; stimulating ; swabbing ; bailing ; testing ; providing rental equipment ; and various other work that is familiar to those skilled in the art . the list of possible goods ( e . g ., consumable and non - consumable parts and fluids ) and services could be considered endless , as new components and services are continually being developed . to provide the various goods and services , contractors 56 and 58 preferably use a service vehicle . the term , “ service vehicle ” refers to any vehicle used to facilitate delivering parts and / or performing one or more service operations on well 42 . examples of a service vehicle include , but are not limited to , mobile work - over unit 82 and a tanker 84 . work - over unit 82 includes a variety of equipment including , but not limited to , tongs 86 ( e . g ., rod tongs or tubing tongs ), and a wireline winch and / or a hoist 88 . work - over unit 82 is particularly suited for removing and installing well components , such as sucker rods , tubing , etc . ; lowering instruments into the well bore via a cable or wireline ; and may even be used in actually drilling the well bore itself . tanker 84 is schematically illustrated to encompass all other types of service vehicles including , but not limited to , pumping vehicles , such as a chemical tank truck or trailer , a cement truck or trailer , and a hot - oiler tank truck or trailer . one of the service vehicles , such as vehicle 82 , also transports a computer 90 to well site 94 , as depicted by arrow 91 . the term , “ computer ” used herein and below refers to any device for storing and / or possessing digital information . examples of a computer include , but are not limited to , personal computers , pc , desktop computer , laptop , notebook , plc ( programmable logic controller ), data logger , etc . computer 90 with common software ( e . g ., microsoft word , excel , access ; visual basic ; c ++; etc .) allows contractor 56 to enter invoice data 92 that pertains to goods or services provided by contractor 56 with the assistance of vehicle 82 . computer 90 also allows contractor 58 to enter invoice data 94 that pertains to goods or services provided by contractor 58 with the assistance of vehicle 82 . the steps of entering data 92 and 94 are schematically represented by arrows 96 and 98 respectively , and can be accomplished manually by using a keyboard 100 or can be entered in some other conventional manner , such as scanning a bar code label or sensing a radio frequency identification device . invoice data refers to any information commonly associated with a bill for goods or services . invoice data 92 and 94 may include information such as part numbers , price , quantities , descriptions , labor fees , rental costs , taxes , miscellaneous charges , or other invoice related information . invoice data 92 can be an entire invoice or just one line item of an invoice having several line items . to help support the validity of invoice data 92 and 94 , computer 90 can be provided with electrical signals from one or more transducers that monitor various activities at the well . for example , when pumping fluid 66 ( e . g ., hot oil , chemical , acid , gas , water , steam , cement , etc .) a transducer 1 can generate an electrical signal 11 in response to monitoring things such as the fluid &# 39 ; s volume or mass flow rate , pressure , temperature , acidity , or concentration . a conventional a / d converter associated with or incorporated within computer 90 converts electrical signal 11 ( or any other electrical signal ) to a digital value 21 . value 21 and perhaps a time stamp 102 ( indicating the date or time of day that transducer 1 was operating ) can then be stored on computer 90 . an internal clock of computer 90 can provide time stamp 102 . value 21 could then help validate an invoice charge for fluid 66 . likewise , various other transducers for measuring other service operations can be used to validate other invoice data . in some service operations , such as the removal and replacement of sucker rods 52 , packer glands , tubing 50 , etc ., a transducer 2 ( e . g ., a proximity switch ) could determine whether parts are being removed or installed . when replacing sucker rods 52 or other well components , a transducer 3 could monitor the load on hoist 88 by sensing the force or weight being carried by vehicle 82 . transducer 3 in conjunction with a transducer 4 for monitoring a hoist engine speed could monitor the force and horsepower required to pull rods 52 or tubing 50 from the well bore . an electrical signal 13 from transducer 3 could be converted to a digital value 23 and stored on computer 90 to help validate invoice data 92 . for tongs 86 , which are powered by a hydraulic system on vehicle 82 , transducer 5 can be used to monitor or control the tong &# 39 ; s hydraulic pressure or torque . another transducer 6 can be used to monitor or control the tong &# 39 ; s rotational speed . transducer 7 can indicate the density of the ground surrounding casing 46 or can indicate the integrity or wall thickness of casing 14 . the term , “ transducer ” refers to any device that provides an electrical signal in response to sensing a condition or status of a service operation . examples of a transducer include , but are not limited to , a pressure switch , a strain gage , a temperature sensor , a flow meter , a tachometer , a limit switch , a proximity switch , etc . for the embodiment of fig1 transducers 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 and 7 respectively provide electrical signals 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 and 17 , with digital values 21 and 23 being based on signals 11 and 13 respectively . invoice data 92 and 94 , and optional supporting information ( e . g ., values 23 , 21 , time stamp 102 , and another time stamp 104 associated with transducer 3 ) can be communicated to another computer 106 at a remote location 108 , such as a home base from which company 54 operates . the term , “ remote location ” refers to a location that is beyond the immediate property or land on which well 42 is contained or one mile away from well 42 , whichever is greater . data 92 and 94 , values 23 and 21 , and time stamps 104 and 102 can be communicated from computer 90 to computer 106 through a wireless communication link 108 . the term “ wireless communication link ” refers to data being transmitted over a certain distance , wherein over that certain distance the data is transmitted through a medium of air and / or space rather than wires . wireless communication link 108 is schematically illustrated to represent a wide variety of systems that are well known to those skilled in the art of wireless communication . for example , with a modem 110 and an antenna 112 associated with computer 106 , and another modem 114 and an antenna 116 for computer 90 , data 92 and 94 can be exchanged between computers 90 and 106 using the internet and any one of a variety of common formats including , but not limited to , html , e - mail , etc . once data 92 and 94 are made available to computer 106 , information 118 to that affect could be displayed on computer 90 . one example of information 118 would be a statement such as , “ data 92 has been successfully submitted .” a confirmation 120 could also be displayed on computer 90 to inform contractors 56 and 58 that company 54 currently has no objection to invoice data 92 or 94 . one example of confirmation 120 could be a statement , such as , “ thank you — your invoice will be processed shortly .” to expedite the process of approving invoices submitted by contractors , company 54 may provide contractors 56 and 58 with confidential alphanumeric passwords 122 and 124 , respectively . passwords 122 and 124 can be randomly generated by computer 4 , or can be generated by computer 4 and communicated to computer 4 over communication link 4 . passwords 122 and 124 can be used in different ways . for example , in some forms of the invention , entering such a password into computer 90 would serve as a prerequisite for entering data 92 and 94 and / or for displaying confirmation information 120 . in another version of the invention , a representative 126 of company 54 can be at well site 42 to witness or confirm that contractors 56 and / or 58 have actually provided their goods and services . company 54 can then immediately , but tentatively , approve invoices by having representative 126 enter ( indicated by arrow 130 ) a confidential alphanumeric password 128 into computer 90 . password 128 would indicate that representative 126 has witnessed or approved the supplied goods and services . if contractors 56 and 58 mail their invoices to company 54 , then including password 122 or 124 along with the written invoices would inform company 54 that representative 126 has already given his or her approval , thus reducing the time for processing the invoices . in this example , passwords 122 and 124 have been generated as a random number in response to representative 126 entering into computer 90 approval information in the form of password 128 . password 122 or 124 being included along with an invoice submitted to company 54 would mean that company 54 ( or its representative ) has already approved particular goods and / or services provided by a certain contractor for a particular well on a certain date and within a certain price range . by using passwords 122 and 124 in this manner , company 54 does not have to waste time investigating the accuracy or validity of submitted invoices . after the invoices have been submitted to company 54 or after company 54 processes the invoices , passwords 122 and 124 expire , thus preventing those passwords from being misapplied to other invoices . it should be noted that method 40 is particularly useful when contractors 56 and 58 are independent contractors , and vehicles 82 and 84 each assist in performing a different service operation . the term , “ independent contractors ” refers to contractors that are not employees of company 54 , wherein each contractor has their own employees . although the invention is described with reference to a preferred embodiment , it should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various modifications are well within the scope of the invention . therefore , the scope of the invention is to be determined by reference to the claims that follow . | 6Physics
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for simplicity and illustrative purposes , the principles of the present invention are described by referring mainly to exemplary embodiments thereof . in the following description , numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention . however , the present invention may be practiced without limitation to these specific details . in other instances , well known methods and structure have not been described in detail so as not to unnecessarily obscure the present invention . the density of states (“ dos ”) is one of main characteristics of electrons in solid states , in particular , in magnetic materials , such as ferromagnetic ni , co , and fe . dos is defined as g i ( e ) de , which is the number of electron states characterized by some quantum number i per unit volume in an energy interval ( e , e + de ). fig2 a illustrates the dos of ferromagnetic ni , where arrows indicate the dos for majority ( d - electrons with spin up ↑, d ↑) and minority ( spin down , d ↓) electrons , together with the dos for s - and p - electrons . note that the dos have high peaks for both spin - up and spin - down electrons at certain energy intervals . fig2 b illustrates the dos of ferromagnetic ni , but at a higher resolution than in fig2 a . the energy origin is chosen at the fermi level e f , i . e . e = e f = 0 . as shown , there is a very large difference in the dos of minority and majority d - electrons at e & gt ; 0 ( states above the fermi level ). the peak in the dos of minority d - electron states is positioned at e = δ 0 , which for ni , δ 0 ≈ 0 . 1 ev . similar region at e & gt ; 0 exists in co and fe . note that near e ≈ δ 0 , the dos of the majority d - electrons and dos of s - and p - electrons are all negligible when compared with the dos of minority d - electrons . thus , if electrons are injected from the ferromagnetic material with energies e ≈ δ 0 , the electrons would be almost 100 % polarized . fig3 a illustrates a hetero laser and light - emitting device 300 according to an embodiment of the present invention . as shown , the device 300 may include a first semiconductor layer 310 , a second semiconductor layer 320 below the first semiconductor layer 310 , and a third semiconductor layer 330 below the second semiconductor layer 320 . the device 300 may also include a magnetic layer 370 above the first semiconductor layer 310 , a first δ - doped semiconductor layer 315 between the magnetic layer 370 and the first semiconductor layer 310 , and a second δ - doped semiconductor layer 325 between the first semiconductor layer 310 and the second semiconductor layer 320 . the device 300 may further include a substrate 340 below the third semiconductor layer 330 , and first and second contacts 350 and 360 above the magnetic layer 370 and below the substrate 340 , respectively . the first semiconductor layer 310 may be relatively heavily negatively doped ( n + ), and both the second and third semiconductor layers 320 and 330 may be relatively heavily positively doped ( p + ). in an embodiment , the energy band gap of the second semiconductor layer 320 , e g2 , is less than the energy band gaps of the first or third semiconductor layers 310 or 330 , e g1 or e g3 as shown in fig3 b . the second semiconductor layer 320 may be formed from semiconductors with direct optical transitions . in such semiconductors , an electron can directly recombine with a hole without emitting / absorbing photon . second semiconductor layer 320 may be formed , for example , from materials such as gaas , algaas , ingaas , ingapas , inas , gasb , insb , ingasb , alas , alsb , znte , cdte , hgcdte , and alloys which may include various combinations of these materials . in an embodiment , the thickness w of the second semiconductor layer 320 is less than a diffusion length of non - equilibrium carriers in this layer . the majority semiconductors with direct optical transitions , such as the ones listed above , may be characterized by two types of holes : light holes with an effective mass m pl and heavy holes with an effective mass m ph & gt ;& gt ; m pl . the light and heavy holes may be typically characterized by different effective spin projections , μ hl = ± 1 2 and μ hh = ± 3 2 . in an embodiment , to increase the degree of the radiation polarization , one type of the holes , such as the light holes , are excluded from the recombining . this may be achieved by means of size quantization of the hole levels in the second semiconductor layer 320 , which is a “ quantum well ”. ( see fig3 c ). reducing the thickness w of the second semiconductor layer 320 achieves appreciable quantization of energy of the light holes in the potential well of the p + second semiconductor layer 320 . the lower energy level may be higher than the thermal energy k b t , where t is the temperature and k b is the boltzmann constant . thus , the thickness w may satisfy the following conditions : w 0 & gt ; w ≧ w 0 √{ square root over ( m pl / m ph )}, where w 0 = h /√{ square root over ( 2 m pl k b t )} ( 2 ) as noted above , the first semiconductor layer 310 may be relatively strongly negatively doped ( n + ). also as noted above , the first and third semiconductor layer 310 and 330 may have an energy band gaps that is wider than the energy band gap of the second semiconductor layer , i . e . e g1 & gt ; e g2 , e g3 & gt ; e g2 . one way to accomplish this is to form the first , second , and third semiconductor layers 310 , 320 , and 330 from double heterostructures . examples of double heterostructures include al y ga 1 - y as — gaas — al x ga 1 - x as and in y ga 1 - y as — ingaas — in x ga 1 - x as , where x and y refer to the chemical composition of the relevant materials . typically , x ≈ 0 . 125 – 0 . 2 and y ≈ 0 . 2 – 0 . 3 . it is noted that various dopants may be used to dope the first , second , and third semiconductor layers 310 , 320 , and 330 . generally , various impurities may be used as electron donors and acceptors in different semiconductor materials . for the majority of direct - gap semiconductors such as gaas , gaasal , ingaas , zn and cd may be used to positively dope the second and third semiconductor layers 320 and 330 . also , materials such as ge , se , te , si , pb , and sn may be used to negatively dope the first semiconductor layer 310 made of the same compound semiconductors . in an embodiment , the thickness d of the first semiconductor layer 310 be much smaller than the spin diffusion length of electrons in the first semiconductor layer 310 such that d & lt ;& lt ; l es =√{ square root over ( d e τ es )}, where τ es is the relaxation time of electron spin and d e is the electron diffusion coefficient of the first semiconductor layer 310 . the ferromagnetic layer 370 may be formed from various magnetic materials such as ni , fe and co , as well as various magnetic alloys , which may include one or more combinations of fe , co , ni . in an embodiment , the thickness of the ferromagnetic layer 370 is substantially at 4 – 6 nm or greater but also less than the typical width of magnetic domain wall . both the first and the second δ - doped layers 315 and 325 may be heavily negatively doped ( n + ) and very thin ( the conditions are described below ). one or both of the δ - doped layers 315 and 325 may be formed by delta - doping portions of the first semiconductor layer 310 . in other words , lower and upper portions of the first semiconductor layer 310 may be heavily doped with electron - rich materials . for example , if the first semiconductor layer 310 is formed from gaas , materials such as ge , se , te , si , pb , and sn may be used as dopants . the device 300 thus formed may be described as having a fm1 - n δ1 + - n 1 - n δ2 + - p 2 + - p 3 + structure corresponding to the layers 370 , 315 , 310 , 325 , 320 , and 330 , respectively . an example of such structure is ni - n δ1 + - ga 0 . 875 al 0 . 125 as - n 1 - ga 0 . 875 al 0 . 125 as - n δ2 + - ga 0 . 875 al 0 . 125 as - p 2 + - gaas - p 3 + - ga 0 . 8 al 0 . 2 as . in other words , in this example , the second semiconductor layer 320 is formed from gaas . also , the first and third semiconductor layers 310 and 330 and the first and second δ - doped layers 315 and 325 are all formed from gaalas with composition parameters x and y being 0 . 125 and 0 . 2 , respectively . other example structures include ni — gaas — gaas — gaas — in x ga 1 - x as — gaas ; ni — gaas — gaas — gaas — in x ga 1 - x as — gaas ; ni ( fe )— cdte — cdte — cdte — cd x hg 1 - x te — cdte ; and ni ( fe )— zn x cd 1 - x se — znse — zn x cd 1 - x se — zn — znycd 1 - y se . fig3 b and 3c illustrate exemplary energy diagrams of the device 300 shown in fig3 a along the line iii — iii , at equilibrium and at bias , respectively . in this embodiment , the first and second δ - doped layers 315 and 325 are assumed to be formed by delta - doping the respective portions of the first semiconductor layer 310 . in fig3 b , the fermi level e f , the bottom conduction band energy level e c , and the top valence band energy level e v are shown . the energy origin is chosen at the fermi level , in other words , e f is defined to be at zero . also , the energy band gaps for each material e g1 ( first semiconductor layer 310 ), e g2 ( second semiconductor layer 320 ), and e g3 ( third semiconductor layer 330 ) are shown where e gi = e ci − e vi for each layer . fig3 c shows the same as fig3 b , but under a bias voltage . it is clear from that the potential well forms in the second semiconductor layer 320 under bias voltage . in an embodiment , the first δ - doped layer 315 screens the schottky barrier at interface between the ferromagnetic layer 370 and the first semiconductor layer 310 so that it becomes transparent for tunneling electrons . in other words , the electrons may easily traverse the first δ - doped layer 315 . the second δ - doped layer 325 may screen the interfacial potential barrier between the first and second semiconductor layers 310 and 320 , so that it becomes transparent for tunneling electrons . if the following conditions are satisfied , the electrons may easily traverse the first and second δ - doped layers 315 and 325 , i . e . be transparent : n d1 l + 1 2 ≈ 2 ɛ 0 ɛ ( δ 1 - δ 3 ) q 2 , l + 1 ≤ t 1 = ℏ 2 2 m * ( δ 1 - δ 3 ) , ( 2 ) n d2 l + 2 2 ≈ 2 ɛ 0 ɛ δ 2 q 2 , l + 2 ≤ t 2 = ℏ 2 2 m * δ 2 , ( 3 ) where n d1 and n d2 represent donor concentrations of the first and second δ - doped layers 315 and 325 , respectively ; l + 1 and l + 2 represent the thicknesses of the first and second δ - doped layers 315 and 325 , respectively ; ε 0 represents the permittivity of free space ; ε represents a relative permittivity of the first semiconductor layer 310 ; δ 1 represents the height of the schottky barrier ( as measured from the fermi level of the ferromagnetic layer 370 ) at the boundary between the ferromagnetic layer 370 and the first δ - doped layer 315 ; δ 3 represents the height of the lower and wider potential barrier in the first semiconductor layer 310 ( also measured from fermi level of the ferromagnetic layer 370 ); δ 2 represents the step of the potential barrier at the interface between the first and second semiconductor layers 310 and 320 ; q represents elementary charge ; h is the planck &# 39 ; s constant , and m * represents an effective mass of electron of the first and second δ - doped layers 315 and 325 . typically , the thicknesses l + 1 ≈ l + 2 ≈( 1 – 2 ) nm and the donor concentrations n d1 and n d2 may be greater than or substantially equal to ( 10 19 – 10 20 ) cm − 3 . the electrons that tunnel through the relatively high potential barrier δ 1 of the thin first δ - doped layer 315 with the energy e & gt ; e f face another potential barrier formed in the first semiconductor layer 310 , which is shallow ( barrier height δ 3 ) and much wider ( of thickness , d & gt ;& gt ; l + 1 ). in an embodiment , the width d of the first semiconductor layer 310 be wide enough , yet d & lt ;& lt ; l d1 , where l d1 is the diffusion length of carriers of the first semiconductor layer 310 . when this occurs , electrons with energies below the barrier height δ 3 are effectively filtered and , essentially , only the electrons with energies above the barrier height e & gt ; δ 3 will be able to traverse the length of first semiconductor layer 310 . as will be explained below , in an embodiment , the height of the barrier δ 3 in the first semiconductor layer 310 coincides with the peak dos for the minority d - electrons ( see fig2 a and 2b ). note that the potential barrier δ 3 in the first semiconductor layer 310 may be manipulated , for example by controlling the donor concentration n d1 of the first semiconductor layer 310 . as previously noted , the dos of minority d - electrons of the ferromagnetic layer 370 reaches maximum at energy level e ≈ e f + δ 0 ( see fig2 a and 2b ). for simplicity , origin is chosen such that e f = 0 . then , at e ≈ δ 0 , the maximum dos of minority d - electrons exceeds , by more than an order of magnitude , the dos of electrons for all other types . thus , if the potential barrier height of the first semiconductor layer 310 is such that it coincides with δ 0 ( δ 3 ≈ δ 0 ), then the electrons from ferromagnetic layer 370 tunneling through the first δ - doped layer 315 and traversing the length d of the first semiconductor layer 310 will be composed of almost all minority d - electrons . in other words , the injected current will be almost 100 % spin - polarized . with reference to fig3 c , the operation of the device 300 is explained as follows . under bias , almost 100 % spin - polarized electrons are efficiently injected from the ferromagnetic layer 370 through the n + - doped first δ - doped layer 315 into the n - doped first semiconductor layer 310 . when the thickness d of the first semiconductor layer 310 is much less than diffusion length l d1 of non - equilibrium carriers in this layer , the spin polarized electrons traverse the first semiconductor layer 310 and the n + - doped second δ - doped layer 325 and accumulate in the thin narrower band gap p + - doped second semiconductor layer 320 . simultaneously , holes are injected from the wide gap p + - doped third semiconductor layer 330 into the second semiconductor layer 320 and the heavy holes ( with projections of the effective spin accumulate there , blocked by the energy barrier δ 4 , provided that δ 4 & gt ;& gt ; k b t . highly polarized light is emitted due to radiative recombination of the holes with accumulated spin polarized electrons . this occurs when the spontaneous or stimulated radiation lifetime is less than the spin relaxation time of the electrons in the second semiconductor layer 320 . this may be realized when concentration of injected electrons n in the layer 320 is relatively high , for example , above 10 17 cm − 3 . note that the minimal energy of the light holes ( those with projections of the effective spin in the quantum well 320 exceeds k b t by design , so they cannot accumulate in the layer 320 . the electrons with 100 % spin polarization ( with projection can only recombine with heavy holes , according to selection rule for angular momentum , in the channel μ e + μ hh =− 1 , since the photon polarization can only take the value p =− 1 . another channel , μ e + μ hh = 2 , is prohibited as well . therefore , the emitted photons will all have the polarization p =− 1 , i . e . the radiation will be almost 100 % polarized . in another embodiment of the present invention , one or both first and second δ - doped layers 315 and 325 may be formed by growing a n + - doped epitaxial layer on the n - doped first and second semiconductor layers 310 and 320 . the epitaxially grown δ - doped layers 315 and / or 325 are doped heavily as practicable and be as thin as practicable . in an embodiment , one or both of the first and second δ - doped layers 315 and 325 have a narrower energy band gap than the energy band gap of the first semiconductor layer 310 and that electron affinities of the δ - doped layers 315 and 325 be greater than an electron affinity of the first semiconductor layer 310 by a value close to δ 0 . if the δ - doped layer 315 is formed by epitaxial growth of a very thin heavily doped ( i . e . n + doped ) and narrower energy band gap semiconductor layer , the parameters of the first δ - doped layer 315 i . e . its donor concentrations n d and its thickness l + 1 should satisfy the following conditions : n d1 & gt ; 2 ɛ 0 ɛ ( δ 1 - δ 3 ) q 2 l + 1 2 , l + 1 ≤ t 1 ( 4 ) the device 300 thus formed may also be described as having a fm1 - n δ1 + - n 1 - n δ2 + - p 2 + - p 3 + structure corresponding to the layers 370 , 315 , 310 , 325 , 320 , and 310 , respectively . an example of such structure is fm1 - ni - n δ1 + - gaas - n 1 - ga 1 - x al x as - n δ2 + - gaas - p 2 + - gaas - p 3 + - ga 1 - x al x as . in other words , in this example , the n + - doped first and second δ - doped layers 315 and 325 and the second semiconductor layer 320 are formed from gaas and the first and third semiconductor layers 310 and 330 are formed from ga 1 - x al x as . other example structures include ni — in 1 - x ga x as — gaas — in 1 - x ga x as — gaas — gaas ; ni ( fe )— cd x hg 1 - x te — cdte — cd x hg 1 - x te — cdte — cd x hg 1 - x te ; and ni ( fe )— zn x cd 1 - x se — znse — zn x cd 1 - x se — znse — zn x cd 1 - x se . as noted previously , the first and second δ - doped layers 315 and 325 should be transparent to tunneling electrons . this condition may be satisfied , for example , if the first and second δ - doped layers 315 and 325 are such that the thickness l + 1 , 2 ≦( 1 – 2 ) nm and the donor concentration n d1 + ≧ 10 20 cm − 3 and n d2 ≧ 10 19 cm − 3 . fig3 d and 3e illustrate exemplary energy diagrams of the device 300 shown in fig3 a along the line iii — iii , at equilibrium and under bias voltage , respectively . in this embodiment , the first δ - doped layer 315 is assumed to be formed by epitaxial growth of narrower energy band gap semiconductor . the operation of this device 300 is similar to that as shown in fig3 b and 3c , but the efficiency of the device may be even greater . fig3 f illustrates another a hetero laser and light - emitting structure 300 - 2 according to another embodiment of the present invention . the device 300 - 2 is similar to the device 300 shown in fig3 a , except that the first and second electrical contacts 350 and 360 are placed as shown . the operation of the device 300 - 2 is similar and need not be repeated here . the electrical contact 350 and 360 are placed as shown . the bottom electrode 360 can be made magnetic , fm2 , to inject spin - polarized holes through the second semiconductor layer 320 ( p + - s 2 ). in an embodiment , the thickness of this layer is much smaller than the spin diffusion length of holes in the semiconductor layer 320 , w & lt ;& lt ; l hs =√{ square root over ( d h τ hs )}, where τ hs is the relaxation time of hole spin and d h is the hole diffusion coefficient in the third semiconductor layer 330 . fig4 a – 4c illustrate an exemplary method of manufacturing the device 300 shown in fig3 a . as shown in fig4 a , the contact second contact 360 and the substrate 340 may be formed . the substrate 340 may be planarized . then the third semiconductor layer 330 may be formed on the substrate 340 and the second semiconductor layer 320 may be formed on the third semiconductor layer 330 may be formed by epitaxial or molecular growth . materials to form the third semiconductor layer 330 may be deposited , sputtered , fired on the substrate 340 . likewise , the second semiconductor layer 320 may also be deposited , sputtered , fired on the third semiconductor layer 330 . one or both of the third and second semiconductor layers 330 and 320 may be planarized . then as shown in fig4 b , the first and second δ - doped layers 315 and 325 and the first semiconductor layer 310 may be formed . in one embodiment , the second δ - doped layer 325 may be formed by epitaxial or molecular growth . the second δ - doped layer 325 may also be deposited , sputtered , or fired onto the second semiconductor layer 320 . then the first semiconductor layer 310 may be deposited , fired , or sputtered onto the second δ - doped layer 325 . then the first δ - doped layer 315 may be formed by epitaxial or molecular growth , or may be deposited ( e . g ., by molecular deposition , liquid epitaxy , or mocvd ), sputtered , or fired onto the first semiconductor layer 310 . note that each of the first and second δ - doped layers 315 and 325 and the first semiconductor layer 310 may be planarized . also , the first and second δ - doped layers 315 and 325 may be doped more heavily as compared to the first semiconductor layer 310 . in another embodiment , the first semiconductor layer 310 may be formed on the second semiconductor layer 320 and the first and second δ - doped layers 315 and 325 may be formed by heavily doping appropriate portions of the first semiconductor layer 310 or by epitaxial or molecular growth . then as shown in fig4 c , the ferromagnetic layer 370 may be formed , again by epitaxial or molecular growth , or may be deposited , sputtered , or fired onto on the first δ - doped layer 315 . the ferromagnetic layer 370 may be planarized . then as shown , the first electrode 360 may be formed by sputtering , firing , or depositing materials on the ferromagnetic layer 370 . fig5 a – 5d illustrate an exemplary method of manufacturing the device 300 - 2 shown in fig3 f . as shown in fig5 a , the substrate 340 may be formed and the contact second contact 360 may be formed on the substrate 340 . the second contact 360 may be deposited , sputtered , fired on the substrate 340 and may be planarized . the second contact 360 may be from a ferromagnetic material . then the third semiconductor layer 330 may be formed on the second contact 360 and the second semiconductor layer 320 may be formed on the third semiconductor layer 330 . materials to form the third semiconductor layer 330 may be deposited , sputtered , fired on the substrate 340 . likewise , the second semiconductor layer 320 may also be deposited , sputtered , fired on the third semiconductor layer 330 . one or both of the third and second semiconductor layers 330 and 320 may be planarized . then as shown in fig5 b and 5c , the steps the form the first and second δ - doped layers 315 and 325 , the first semiconductor layer 310 , the ferromagnetic layer 370 , and the electrical contact 350 are similar to the steps shown in fig4 b and 4c , and thus the details need not be repeated here . then the contact 350 , ferromagnetic layer 370 , first and second δ - doped layers 315 and 325 , and first and second semiconductor layers 310 and 320 are etched to expose the third semiconductor 330 as shown in fig5 d . the etched areas are then filled with oxides 380 as shown in fig5 e . what has been described and illustrated herein are preferred embodiments of the invention along with some of its variations . the terms , descriptions and figures used herein are set forth by way of illustration only and are not meant as limitations . many variations are possible within the spirit and scope of the invention , which is intended to be defined by the following claims — and their equivalents — in which all terms are meant in their broadest reasonable sense unless otherwise indicated . | 7Electricity
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referring to the accompanying figures there is illustrated a camera slider system generally indicated by reference numeral 10 . the system 10 is particularly suited for replicating a dolly shot using a small portable assembly of parts which support a camera 12 for movement in a longitudinal direction which typically comprises a linear sliding or rolling movement along a suitable supporting structure such as a track . although various embodiments of the system 10 are described and illustrated herein , the common features of the different embodiments will be first described . in the illustrated embodiments , the supporting structure comprises two elongate support members 14 which comprise parallel and spaced apart rigid rails or rods which extend in the longitudinal direction . the two support members are typically straight in the longitudinal direction and have a round cross section . when supporting lightweight equipment thereon , the rods typically comprise carbon fibre material , however the rods forming the elongate support members 14 can be formed of steel or other stronger materials when used with heavier camera equipment . the two support members 14 are supported parallel and spaced apart from one another by suitable mounting blocks 16 located at opposing ends of the support members . the mounting block 16 is generally elongate in a lateral direction spanning between the two support members at each end thereof . the block 16 includes two bores 18 extending parallel and spaced apart therethrough for slidably receiving the support members 14 therein . a longitudinally extending slot extends fully through the block from each bore 18 to a bottom side of the block so that the block forms a generally c shaped clamping member about each bore which can be tightened about the respective support member 14 received therethrough by a suitable clamp fastener 20 spanning across the slot for tightening the slot as required . centrally between the two mounting bores 18 receiving the supporting members therethrough there is provided an auxiliary mounting bore 22 extending vertically through the block perpendicularly to a plane containing the two bores 18 and the support members 14 extending therethrough . the auxiliary mounting bore 22 is suitable for receiving the vertical stud of a standard camera equipment support stand known as a c - stand . the system 10 comprises a camera mount 24 which locates a standard camera mounting connection therein upon which a body of the camera 12 can be centrally supported for relative adjustment therebetween . the camera mount includes two pivot shafts 26 supported thereon to be parallel and spaced apart from one another at opposite ends of the camera mount to define respective horizontal pivot axes which are generally horizontal and perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the support members 14 . the camera mount 24 is supported for movement along the support members by a carriage assembly 28 which is supported directly on the two support members 14 for sliding or rolling movement therealong in the longitudinal direction . the carriage assembly comprises at least one carriage body 30 supporting suitable rollers 32 thereon which are engaged on the support members to guide the movement of the carriage body along the support members . the carriage assembly thus follows the generally linear path of the elongate support members 14 . the camera mount is adjustably supported on the carriage assembly by a suitable linkage which is pivotally coupled between the camera mount 24 and the carriage assembly 28 such that the height and angular orientation of the camera mount relative to the carriage assembly can be adjusted . the linkage generally comprises two link members 34 which are each pivotally coupled at a top end about a respective one of the pivot shafts 26 at opposing ends of the camera mounts . the two link members 34 are thus pivotal about respective independent horizontal pivot axes which are parallel and spaced apart from one another relative to the camera mount . a bottom end of each link member 34 is pivotally coupled to a respective pivot shaft 36 on the carriage assembly . the two pivot shafts 36 of the carriage assembly are parallel and spaced apart from one another and oriented to extend perpendicularly to the elongate support members 14 at spaced apart positions in the longitudinal direction . the pivot shafts 36 are fixed relative to the respective components of the carriage assembly 28 upon which they are supported for movement together with the carriage assembly in the longitudinal direction relative to the support members 14 . each link member comprises two side members 38 extending the full length between the upper and lower ends of the link member . the two side members 38 are arranged for mounting alongside one another such that respective inner faces of the side members abut one another . at both ends of the side members 38 the inner faces are provided with a recess arranged to receive a portion of the respective pivot shaft therein such that abutment of the inner faces of the two side members against one another serves to clamp opposing ends of the two side members about the upper and lower pivot shafts respectively . a suitable pivot fixing mechanism in the form of clamp fasteners 40 are provided which are connected between the two side members of the link members so that tightening the clamp fasteners serves to clamp the two side members together and clamp the pivot shafts therebetween such that relative rotation between the link members and the pivot shafts is prevented in the clamped position . releasing the clamp fasteners in turn loosens the two side members of each link member about the respective pivot shafts to permit the link members to once again be pivoted about the respective pivot shafts to vary the angular inclination thereof relative to the rail members and the camera mount . each of the two side members of each link member , and in turn the two link members are all arranged to be reversible and interchangeable with one another to simplify the number of components to be manufactured . the clamp fasteners may be any form of threaded screw including a suitable head which permits manual gripping for tightening or loosening the fasteners without tools being required , or optionally a suitable socket may also be provided for tighter securement with tools as may be desired . in addition to the link members shown in fig1 through 3 , auxiliary link members can also be provided which are identical in configuration to the link members shown so as to be formed of two side members clamped about the pivot shafts using clamp fasteners . the auxiliary link members may be approximately half as long in length as compared to the link members shown in fig1 through 3 so that the camera mount can be supported at a shorter distance above the support members 14 in the elevated position . when providing a shorter length link member a single clamp fastener 40 is provided on each link member at a central location evenly spaced between the opposing ends of the link member . alternatively when providing longer auxiliary link members , two clamp fasteners are provided at spaced apart positions between the two opposed ends so that the clamp fasteners are located adjacent the pivot shafts at the opposed ends respectively as shown in fig1 through 3 . turning now more particularly to the first embodiment of the camera slider system shown in fig1 through 5 , the camera mount 24 in this instance comprises a plate member having a central portion 42 which comprises a flat upper surface locating a plurality of longitudinally extending slots 44 therein . the slots 44 are parallel and spaced relative to one another in the lateral direction such that each slot extends substantially the full length of the central portion 42 in the longitudinal direction . the slots extend fully through from the top side to the bottom side of the central portion of the camera mount for receiving suitable fasteners therein which permit the body of the camera to be coupled directly thereto . the camera mount further comprises depending side flanges 46 which extend downwardly from respective side edges of the plate member such that the side flanges are parallel and spaced apart from one another to extend in the longitudinal direction . the two side flanges both extend outward in the longitudinal direction beyond opposing ends of the central portion to define respective end portions 48 between which the pivot shafts 26 are mounted . the pivot shaft thus each extend perpendicularly to the side flanges to extend between two respective end portions of the side flanges at longitudinally opposed ends of the camera mount . the pivot shafts 26 are spaced outwardly in the longitudinal direction relative to the central portion 42 such that the link members 34 can be coupled to the pivot shaft for pivotal movement thereabout in an unrestricted manner . furthermore according to the first embodiment shown in fig1 through 5 , the carriage assembly comprises two carriage bodies 30 which each support a respective one of the pivot shafts 36 of the carriage assembly thereon . accordingly each link member 34 is coupled to the pivot shaft of a respective one of the carriage bodies with the carriage bodies being independently supported on the support members 14 . each of the carriage bodies 30 supports respective ones of the rollers 32 thereon which engage the elongate support members 14 with the two carriage bodies and corresponding rollers being supported at an adjustable spacing in the longitudinal direction relative to one another . each carriage body centrally locates the respective pivot shaft 36 such that the pivot shaft extends in the lateral direction between two wheel support members 50 at opposing ends of the pivot shaft . two rollers 32 are supported at spaced apart locations on each wheel support member 50 with the two wheel support members being fixed relative to one another through connection to the pivot shaft . the two rollers on each wheel support member 50 are aligned with the two wheels on the other wheel support member of the same body such that each wheel is rotatable about a respective wheel axis which is in common with the corresponding wheel of the other wheel support member . the two wheel axes are spaced apart within a common plane also locating the pivot axis of the pivot shaft centrally between the two wheel axes and parallel thereto . accordingly the four rollers on each carriage body are spaced in a radial direction from the pivot shaft axis by an equal amount . the spacing between the two rollers on each wheel support member is suitable to readily receive a respective one of the elongate support members therebetween . in use each carriage body is pivoted about the respective pivot shaft axis thereof until the two wheels of each wheel support member are engaged upon diametrically opposed sides of the elongate support member received therebetween . each wheel support member is generally triangular in shape between a respective end of the pivot shaft and the two roller mounting locations respectively . a generally triangular cut - out is formed centrally within each wheel support member to reduce the weight of the carriage body as well as reducing the material used for manufacture . when the carriage bodies are supported on the elongate support members , the link members are fully pivotal or rotatable 360 degrees about the respective pivot shafts of the carriage bodies so that the inclination of the link members relative to the carriage bodies supported on the support members 14 can be adjusted at any angle . furthermore the link members and the camera mount upon which they are supported pivotally at respective top ends thereof can all be received in the space between the two elongate support members 14 to accommodate various camera positions and mounting configurations . the rollers 32 according to the first embodiment each comprise a wheel which is supported for rolling movement along a respective top or bottom side of the elongate support members . a peripheral surface of each wheel is generally concave to define a smaller diameter central groove relative to the larger diameter peripheral edges of the wheel which is suitable for mating engagement with the round cross section of the elongate support members shown in the illustrated embodiment . in further embodiments the wheels defining the rollers 32 can be readily interchanged by removing a central fastener which is secured through the respective rotation axes of the rollers to fasten the rollers onto the wheel support members respectively . the wheels defining the rollers can be readily interchanged with wheels having a suitable peripheral groove which can mate with an elongate supporting structure in the form of a cable , typically supported to span under tension to suspect the carriage assembly and camera mount therefrom . in this instance the groove is typically deeper with the peripheral edges being raised relative to the central groove at the peripheral surface by a height corresponding approximately to the diameter of the cable . in yet further embodiments , an annular member of resilient material in the form of an o - ring can be stretched into place about the periphery of the rollers such that the resilient members 52 form a resilient peripheral surface on each of the wheels forming the rollers 32 in the first embodiment so as to be suitable for rolling on a suitable supporting structure such as a table top and the like . turning now to the second embodiment shown in fig6 through 12 , the carriage body may instead comprise a single carriage body 30 which supports the two pivot shafts 36 thereon at opposing ends at a fixed spacing which is greater than the spacing in the longitudinal direction between the pivot shafts 26 located at a fixed spacing on the camera mount 24 . the camera mount 24 in this instance comprises a central bowl portion 54 which tapers downwardly and inwardly from an upper rim to a lower central opening . the bowl portion 54 is suitably shaped for mounting a commercially available tripod head of the type having a convex bottom portion with a central stud onto which a clamp fastener 56 can be threadably secured . in this manner a portion of the bowl portion 54 of the camera mount is clamped between the clamp fastener 56 and the convex bottom of the tripod head so that the tripod head can be fixed onto the camera mount at various orientations therebetween . the tripod head typically comprises a vertical pivot axis and a horizontal pivot axis between the bottom convex portion and an upper camera mounting plate thereof arranged to support the body of a camera directly thereon . in addition to the bowl portion 54 , the camera mount further comprises a pivot shaft mount at two diametrically opposed sides of the bowl portion 54 . each pivot shaft mount comprises two mounting portions 58 which extend outwardly from the bowl diametrically opposite the other pivot shaft mount . each of the pivot shafts 26 of the camera mount is mounted horizontally between a respective pair of the mounting portions 58 so as to be spaced outwardly from the upper rim of the bowl portion 54 parallel and spaced apart from the other pivot shaft for unrestricted pivoting movement of the upper ends of the link members pivotally coupled thereto respectively . the carriage body is supported for sliding movement on the elongate support members by a pair of spaced apart linear bearings 60 at each of the longitudinally opposed ends of the carriage body . the two bearings at each end are aligned with corresponding ones of the two bearing at the opposing ends such that the elongate support members 14 can be received through one of the bearings at each of the two longitudinally opposed ends with a portion of the support members between the bearings remaining exposed along an outer side thereof . the exposed portion can be readily gripped manually by a user for optimal control of the placement of the carriage assembly along the support members . the linear bearings 60 are all supported on the common carriage body so that the longitudinal spacing therebetween is fixed . in some embodiments the inner surface of each of the linear bearings 60 comprises a plurality of roller bearings which define the rollers 32 which support the carriage body for rolling movement along the support members 14 . in alternative embodiments each of the linear bearing 60 may comprise a sleeve of material having a low coefficient of friction , for example teflon , which is supported in close tolerance about the circumference of the support members for relative sliding movement therealong . the carriage body includes a central through opening 62 between the top and bottom sides thereof such that the opening is suitable for receiving the bowl portion 54 of the camera mount therein between the pivot shafts 36 at opposing ends of the carriage assembly . the central opening 62 is generally oval in shape so as to be elongate in a longitudinal direction so as not to restrict pivotal movement of the camera mount generally about a horizontal lateral axis extending between the two support members 14 relative to the carriage body . the upper rim of the central opening 62 comprises two concave surfaces 64 along opposed longitudinally extending sides of the body upon which the convex bottom surface of the bowl portion 54 can be engaged in a fixed mounting mode as shown in fig6 through 11 . the mating shape of the concave surfaces 64 and the convex bottom of the bowl portion of the camera mount permits some relative sliding therebetween to locate the camera mount relative to the carriage body as may be desired . an upper surface of the carriage body includes a recessed portion 66 spanning between longitudinally opposed ends of the opening 62 and the respective mounting locations of the two pivot shafts 36 at opposing ends of the body respectively . the recessed portions in the upper surface serve to receive the mounting portions 58 of the camera mount therein when the camera mount is engaged directly upon the top side of the carriage body . the recessed portions 66 are deeper directly below each pivot shaft 36 to provide unrestricted coupling and pivoting of the link members to the pivot shafts respectively . each of the pivot shafts 36 on the carriage body are supported at opposing ends thereof by suitable protrusions on the upper surface which protrude upwardly relative to the recessed portion 66 such that a central portion of each pivot shaft is spaced above the upper surface of the body between the two end portions 68 which are fastened to the protrusions on the upper surface of the carriage body so that the pivot shafts are fixed relative to the carriage body . a rail clamp 70 is provided on the bottom side of the carriage body such that one of the elongate support members 14 is slidably received between the rail clamp 70 and a portion of the carriage body . by providing a suitable fastener which selectively clamps the rail clamp 70 against the body with the support member received therebetween , the longitudinal position of the carriage body along the support members can be selectively fixed at any given location as may be desired . in a first mode of operation as shown in fig1 , link members of the type described above comprising two side members 38 clamped together by clamp fasteners 40 are coupled between each pivot shaft 26 on the camera mount and the corresponding pivot shaft 38 on the carriage body so that pivoting of the link members relative to the camera mount and the carriage body permits the angular orientation of the camera mount as well as the elevation of the camera mount relative to the carriage body to be adjusted . in a second mode of operation as shown in fig6 through 11 the camera mounts can be fixed onto the top side of the carriage body by engaging the convex bottom surface of the bowl portion 54 onto the two laterally opposed concave surfaces 64 on the carriage body . in order to fix the camera mount onto the carriage body , a pair of clamp members 72 are provided such that each clamp member overlaps one of the pivot shafts on the carriage body and the corresponding adjacent pivot shaft of the camera mount to prevent upward release of the camera mount from the carriage body when a suitable fastener is coupled through a central aperture in the clamp member into an anchor aperture 74 in the top side of the body 30 between the two corresponding pivot shafts . each clamp member 72 comprises a single side member 38 of a shorter one of the link members locating a single central clamp fastener therein . by overlapping the two pivot shafts at each end of the assembly by the clamp members which are in turn fastened to the carriage body the camera mount is effectively clamped against the top side of the carriage body to be fixed therewith for longitudinal sliding movement in the longitudinal direction of the support members . using the camera slider system as described herein , a camera can be supported in a variety of configurations using low cost equipment of simple construction . using the configuration shown in fig1 , a camera body can be secured directly onto the camera mount for rolling movement above the elongate support members which comprise rigid rods while the camera mount and camera supported thereon remain adjustable both in height and inclination relative to the support members . the carriage assembly is also readily operable to support the camera mount in a suspended configuration below the elongate support members as may be desired . by interchanging the rollers 32 with other wheels having a suitable profile for being suspended from cable , the camera slider system can be readily adapted for rolling movement along a cable structure . by further modifying the rollers to include a resilient peripheral surface using resilient members 52 stretched onto the periphery of the rollers , the carriage assembly can also support the camera mount for rolling movement along any supporting surface such as a table top and the like . the configuration of the mounting blocks 16 readily permits the support members to be supported on various common camera supporting equipment including c stands or tripods or any combination thereof supported at opposing ends of the support members in a more stable configuration than the prior art . alternatively in the embodiment of fig1 the camera mount can be adapted to support a camera thereon using a tripod head which is adjustably mounted within the bowl portion of the camera mount while the camera mount remains adjustable both in height and in angular orientation by pivoting of the link members relative to the camera mount and the carriage body . in any embodiment , tightening of the clamp fasteners 40 of each link member permits the link member to be fixed in place relative to the pivot shafts upon which it is pivotally supported to set the camera mount at any one of a plurality of fixed positions relative to the carriage assembly . as further shown in fig6 , in a further mode of operation , a camera mount suitable for supporting a camera using a tripod head thereon can be fixed onto the carriage body by clamping the pivot shafts to one another onto the top side of the carriage body . in this manner the inclination of the camera relative to the support members can be adjusted using the horizontal and vertical pivot axes of the tripod head . in yet further arrangements , the system according to fig1 may be varied such that one of the link members 34 is longer than the other so that the camera mount 24 is more readily supported at an inclination relative to the carriage assembly 30 therebelow . this arrangement is particularly suited for positioning the elongate support members 14 at an upward inclination while maintaining the camera mount 24 in a substantially horizontal orientation relative to the carriage assembly supported for sliding movement at an inclination along the sloped support members . for minor inclinations of the support members , links of equal length can still be used with the angular orientation thereof being different from one another relative to the carriage and camera mount to level the camera mount as may be desired . in either instance of varying inclinations of the support members , the bowl portion 54 of the camera mount still permits fine adjustment of the levelling of the camera relative to the camera mount even if the camera mount is not entirely level . turning now more particularly to the embodiment of fig1 and 14 , a camera mount 24 of the type shown in fig6 through 12 comprising a bowl portion 54 is shown mounted together with a carriage assembly comprising two separate carriage body 30 as shown in fig1 through 5 . similarly to the previous embodiments the two link members 34 are pivotally coupled at opposing ends of the camera mount on respective pivot shafts at respective upper ends thereof while also being pivotally mounted on respective pivot shafts of the two independent carriage bodies 30 at the lower end thereof . orienting the carriage bodies about their respective pivot axes relative to the link members such that all of the wheels axes are in a generally common plane as shown in fig1 permits a camera to be supported on the camera mount for rolling movement along a supporting surface , such as the horizontal surface of a table for example . annular members of resilient material 52 as described above are typically provided on the rollers of the carriage bodies in this instance . the link members of fig1 and 14 differ from previous embodiments in that each of the link members 34 in this instance is provided with a central hinge coupling which is generally centered so as to be spaced evenly from the upper and the lower end of the link member between which the hinge coupling is located . under normal operation the upper and lower ends of the link members are aligned with one another such that the first pivot axis of the pivot shaft upon which the upper end of the link member is pivotal lies parallel to a second pivot axis of the pivot shaft onto which the lower end of the link member is pivotal within a common plane therewith . the hinge coupling permits relative pivotal movement between the upper and lower ends of the link member about a hinge axis which is oriented perpendicularly to the common plane containing the upper pivot axis and lower pivot axis of the pivot shafts of the upper and lower ends of the link member respectively . pivoting of the upper end relative to the lower end within each link member results in orientation of the lower pivot axis of pivotal movement between the link member and the respective carriage body to be adjustable relative to the upper pivot axis of pivotal movement between the link member and the camera mount . as shown in the top view of fig1 , one of the link members shown at the left side is positioned in a substantially straight orientation such that the rollers of the associated carriage body are arranged for rolling movement in the longitudinal direction which extends between opposing ends of the camera mount . the link member shown at the right side of the figure is angularly offset into an offset position such that the upper and lower pivot axes of the link member are non - parallel but remain in a generally common plane with one another by being pivoted about the hinge axis of hinge coupling 100 which is perpendicular to the common plane of the upper and lower pivot axes . in this arrangement , the rollers of the respective carriage body coupled to the link member in the offset position are oriented for rolling movement in an offset direction which is angularly offset from the longitudinal direction extending between opposing ends of the camera mount so as to be angularly offset from the direction of rolling movement of the wheels of the other link member . pivoting of the upper and lower ends of the link member relative to one another about the hinge coupling axis 100 thus permits controlling a degree of curvature of the path followed by the rollers of the two carriage bodies for steering the carriage sliding system for rolling movement along a non - linear path . each of the link members 34 according to fig1 and 14 comprises two end portions 102 which are pivotally coupled at respective inner ends to one another at the hinge coupling . the opposing outer ends of the two end portions 102 are each arranged to be coupled to a respective clamp member 104 with the outer end of the end portion 102 and of the clamp member 104 each including corresponding recesses on the inner faces thereof arranged to be clamped about diametrically opposed sides of the respective pivot shaft received therethrough . a suitable clamp fastener 106 selectively clamps the clamp member and the end portion upon which it is mounted onto opposing sides of the pivot shaft to frictionally retain orientation of the link member about the pivot shaft when tightening the clamp fastener . releasing the fastener permits the pivot shaft to be readily pivoted relative to the respective end of the link member . turning now to fig1 , a further embodiment of the mounting block 16 is illustrated in which the block is arranged to have a pair of mounting bores 18 extending through the block in the longitudinal direction parallel and spaced apart from one another so as to be arranged to slidably received the respective ones of the elongate support members 14 slidably therethrough as in the previous embodiments . clamp fasteners 20 fix the position of the mounting block relative to the support members . also similarly to the previous embodiment a central auxiliary bore 22 extends vertically through the block perpendicularly to the longitudinal direction of the bores to receive the vertical mounting rod , for example a ⅝ of an inch diameter rod of an upright supporting structure such as a c - stand . the mounting block further comprises auxiliary mounting apertures 25 extending vertically through the block for receiving fasteners of a tripod head mounting bracket to support a camera thereon . the mounting block 16 of fig1 differs from the previous embodiment in that two integral leg members 108 are formed integrally with the block to extend generally downwardly therefrom at spaced apart positions in the lateral direction corresponding approximately to a spacing between the two support members 14 . the two leg members 108 are positioned adjacent the respective mounting bores 18 at opposing ends of the mounting block 16 to extend downwardly from the body of the block by a height corresponding to minimum clearance required between the support members 14 and a supporting surface , for example a tabletop upon which the support members 14 are to be supported to provide space for the clamp fastener 56 of the bowl portion 54 of the camera mount . since various modifications can be made in my invention as herein above described , and many apparently widely different embodiments of same made within the spirit and scope of the claims without department from such spirit and scope , it is intended that all matter contained in the accompanying specification shall be interpreted as illustrative only and not in a limiting sense . | 6Physics
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the present invention will now be more particularly described by way of a preferred embodiment thereof in conjunction with fig1 . fig1 shows a pneumatic cylinder assembly of an exhaust brake system , in which like parts are designated by like reference numerals as in fig2 and 3 . referring specifically to fig1 there is shown a first cylinder 11 of the exhaust brake system , which cylinder 11 is closed at its one end with an end portion 11a formed integrally with the first cylinder 11 itself , with the other end being closed with a end plate 13 separate from the first cylinder 11 . it is seen that there is a boss portion 14 projecting upwardly into the inside of the cylinder 11 formed integrally therewith , and that there is a piston rod 8 extending slidably through the boss portion 14 . bearing bushes 15 , 16 and a coupling member 17 are fitted together snugly into the recess , formed in the boss portion 14 , these elements cooperate together to block exhaust gas from entering . a pressure chamber 6 is formed between a first piston 12 in the first cylinder 11 and the end portion 11a and is in communication with a pressure admitting port 18 , which is in turn connected to an air storage tank through an electromagnetic valve or the like . with this construction , when the pressure chamber 6 is fed with compressed air , the first valve piston 12 is then biased in a downward working stroke as viewed fig1 against the resilient force from a return spring 19 . incidentally , there is an atmospheric chamber 7 defined between the first valve piston 12 and the end plate 13 , which chamber is in communication with the atmosphere by way of an atmospheric valve , not shown . also , there are provided a plurality of annular stepped portions having increasing diameters from that of the first cylinder 11 around the base end of the boss portion 14 disposed within the cavity of the cylinder 11 . a second cylinder 23 is defined with these annular stepped portions and with the opposing inner circumference of the root of the first cylinder 11 . there is also a second piston 24 of ring type fitted slidably along the inner circumference of the second cylinder 23 , which is separated into a pressure chamber 25 and a resilient member chamber 26 by the second piston 24 . this pressure chamber 25 is in communication with the pressure admitting port 18 by way of a passage 27 defined longitudinally along the inner circumference of a cylinderical side wall portion 11b of the first cylinder 11 . on the other hand , there is disposed the resilient member 28 which is comprised of two coned disc springs set back to back against each other in the resilient member chamber 26 . in operation , when the pressure admitting port 18 is put under pressure of compressed air , the second piston 24 is caused to be shifted downwardly as viewed in fig1 against the resilient force from the resilient member 28 , and when the pressure admitting port 18 allows compressed air to be discharged , the second piston 24 is caused to return upwardly as viewed in fig1 under the effect of assistance with a restoring force from the resilient member 28 . the resilient member chamber 26 is placed in communication with the atmospheric chamber 7 . the second piston 24 is formed integrally with a transmitting member 29 extending upwardly in cylindrical form . this transmitting member 29 is disposed fitting slidably in the inner circumference of the first cylinder 11 in such a manner that it is adapted in function to transmit a restoring force of the resilient member 28 in a compressed state to the first valve piston 12 along the direction of its returning stroke , thus assisting its returning motion . the upper end portion 29a of the transmitting member 29 is provided projecting slightly above the upper end of the boss portion 14 so as to have the upper end portion 29a of the transmitting member 29 urged upon by the first valve piston 12 at the end of its working stroke . also shown in fig1 are a sealing washer 31 adapted to prevent exhaust gas leakage and an exhaust passage for discharging exhaust gas which has leaked out . with such arrangement of the exhaust brake system according to the present invention , when compressed air is fed in through the pressure admitting port 18 , the exhaust brake system is put into operation , and when the pressure admitting port 18 is in communication with the atmosphere , the exhaust brake system is then relieved of operation . more specifically , in operation , when compressed air is fed through the pressure admitting port 18 , it is then relayed to the pressure chambers 6 and 25 , respectively . with this pressure urging upon the first valve piston 12 downwardly as viewed in fig1 against the resilient force of the return spring 19 , the closing valve mechanism , not shown , disposed in the exhaust passage of an engine is then caused to be closed so as to stop the passage of exhaust gas therethrough . as a consequence , there is rendered an exhaust pressure upon the engine as a working load , thus effecting the braking operation of the exhaust brake system . at this moment , as the second piston 24 is also caused to be lowered in working motion as viewed in fig1 against a current pressure from the pressure chamber 25 , the upper end portion 29a of the transmitting member 29 is then caused to be lowered to a level as high as that of the upper end portion of the boss portion 14 . in this manner , as the first valve piston 12 does not abut upon the transmitting member 29 at the end of its working stroke , it is advantageous that there is attained a quick and complete closing motion of the closing valve mechanism without any sacrifices of its closing effort as well as the working effort of the first valve piston 12 , accordingly . next , when the pressure admitting port 18 is put in communication with the atmosphere , compressed air existing in the pressure chambers 6 and 25 is directed outwardly , thus causing the first valve piston 12 to return upwardly as viewed in fig1 under the resilient force from the return spring 19 , and thus opening the closing valve mechanism . consequently , an exhaust gas under pressure which has been working upon the engine is now eliminated to relieve the exhaust brake system in operation . at this moment , the second piston 24 is caused to return upwardly in its returning stroke as viewed in fig1 under the restoring effect from the resilient member 28 , while effecting the first valve piston 12 to be assisted along with its returning motion by way of the transmitting member 29 provided integrally with the second piston 24 . as the stroke of the second piston 24 is not very long , the restoring effect of the resilient member 28 to assist the first valve piston 12 to be shifted along its returning motion is limited only to the initial stage of returning stroke of the first valve piston 12 , but since a current differential pressure existing across the closing valve mechanism would soon decrease at a slight opening of the closing valve mechanism , thus reducing a current resistance working upon the sliding motion of the closing valve mechanism , the first valve piston 12 may travel smoothly along its returning stroke under the resilient force of the return spring 19 alone , which will thus result in a quick relieving response of the exhaust brake system , accordingly . while the present invention is described herein by way of a single preferred embodiment thereof , it is to be understood that the present disclosure is to be considered as being exemplary of the principles of the invention , and is not intended to restrict the invention to such embodiment , but rather a variety of changes and modifications may be made in the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope thereof , as described in the body of specification and recited in the appended claims . for instance , while the restoring effect of the resilient member 28 is adapted to work upon the first valve piston 12 only at the start of its returning stroke in this embodiment , it is of course feasible in practice of the invention to apply this effect of restoring not only in the start of the returning stroke but also in the intermediate of stroke of the first valve piston 12 , or further in continuation to the end of the stroke , in which case it suffices if the stroke of the second piston 24 is made longer correspondingly . while there is employed the resilient member 28 which is comprised of two coned disc springs by way of the embodiment of the present invention , it is equally possible in practice to adopt a variety of resilient members such as another type of resilient spring or rubber element , or else an enclosed air cylinder in place of the resilient member 28 . also , while the transmitting member 29 is formed integrally with the second piston 24 in the disclosure of the invention , it may naturally be formed as a separate member from the second piston 24 , or as being integrally with the first valve piston 12 . more specifically , since the purpose of providing the transmitting member 29 resides essentially in the attainment of the restoring effect of the resilient member 28 working in assistance upon the returning motion of the first valve piston 12 , there may be a variety of constructions to be practiced to the same effect . | 5Mechanical Engineering; Lightning; Heating; Weapons; Blasting
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referring now to the figures of the drawing in detail and first , particularly , to fig1 thereof , there is seen a structure of a transistor of the invention in which a strip - like doped base layer 2 is located in a region of an actual transistor on an insulation layer 1 of a substrate . located on this base layer 2 is a highly doped base contact layer 3 , which widens in an extension of the strip - like portion to make a larger terminal surface . this base contact layer 3 is electrically insulated on top by a dielectric layer 4 and laterally by inner spacers 5 . bordering the base layer 2 on both sides are an emitter layer 91 and a collector layer 92 , which are doped with a conduction type that is opposite that of the base layer . these layers are made of silicon , and the base layer 2 is made from a monosilicon layer that was originally present over the entire surface area , while the other layers are made of polysilicon that was applied afterward . fig1 shows a junction region 23 of the base layer 2 that is created by acceptors or donors which have diffused into the base layer 2 from the base contact layer 3 . correspondingly , junction regions 29 that are correspondingly produced by diffusion of charge carriers out of the emitter layer 91 into the base layer 2 and out of the collector layer 92 into the base layer 2 , are located in the base layer 2 , in regions that border on the emitter layer 91 and the collector layer 92 . essential components of the emitter layer 91 and the contact layer 92 are each located on a respective dielectric layer 7 , which is disposed in the plane of the base layer 2 and each of which is disposed a slight distance away from this base layer 2 . in this way the emitter layer 91 and the collector layer 92 each make contact for the base layer 2 , between the base layer 2 and the structured dielectric layers 7 . this structure is covered on the top with a planarization layer 10 being formed of a dielectric , and an emitter contact 11 , a collector contact 12 and a base contact 13 ( shown in fig2 ) are installed in contact holes formed in this planarization layer 10 . fig2 shows a cross section taken along the line ii -- ii in fig1 which indicates each of the contact surfaces with dashed lines . the contact surfaces are located between the emitter layer 91 and the emitter contact 11 , between the collector layer 92 and the collector contact 12 , and between the base contact layer 3 and the base contact 13 . it can be seen that the emitter layer 91 and the collector layer 92 are each extended as far as the strip - like portion of the base layer 2 or the base contact layer 3 located on top of it , and that they each widen toward the outside to make connection surfaces . the electrical insulation between the base contact layer 3 and the emitter layer 91 on one hand and between the base contact layer 3 and the collector layer 92 on the other hand , is effected by the spacers 5 as shown . a silicon layer 20 seen in fig3 is provided with basic doping and is located on the insulation layer 1 of the substrate . the production of this transistor is carried out in such a way that a polysilicon layer and a dielectric layer disposed on top of it are deposited over the silicon layer 20 , for instance by cvd ( chemical vapor deposition ). the polysilicon layer for the base is highly doped , which can be done , for instance , by implantation during or after the application of the aforementioned layers . for instance , the dielectric layer may be sio 2 that is applied by using tetraethylorthosilicate . this double layer is then structured , for instance by dry etching processes . what remains of the polysilicon layer is the base contact layer 3 that is structured in strip - like form in the region of the actual transistor , with the dielectric layer 4 disposed on top of it as insulation . next , a conformal dielectric layer ( cvd - sio 2 , for instance ) is then deposited and etched back anisotropically , in order to produce the lateral spacers 5 in the region of these strip - like portions of the base contact layer 3 and the dielectric layer 4 located on top of it . this procedure is repeated with a further layer having a material which can be selectively etched with respect to the material of the inner spacers 5 . in this way , outer spacers 6 are produced on the sides of the inner spacers 5 opposite the base contact layer 3 . when sio 2 is used for the inner spacers 5 , these outer spacers 6 may be made from si 3 n 4 , for instance . the inner spacers 5 and the outer spacers 6 are used together with the dielectric layer 4 as a mask , in order to remove from the silicon layer 20 except for the portion intended for the base layer 2 . a further dielectric layer 70 is applied conformally over the entire surface area of the structure which is shown in fig4 and which results from this process step ( for instance by dry etching ). the further dielectric layer 70 is formed of some material ( such as sio 2 ), with respect to which the outer spacers 6 are selectively etchable . this further dielectric layer 70 is etched back in planarizing fashion , as is shown in fig5 for instance by means of cmp ( chemical mechanical polishing ) or by using photoresist . remaining portions of this further dielectric layer 70 are the dielectric layers 7 that are now only located laterally of the outer spacers 6 and leave these spacers free at the surface . the outer spacers 6 can therefore be removed ( preferably isotropically ). since the further dielectric layer was applied by using a material with respect to which these outer spacers 6 are selectively etchable , the remaining portions 7 of this further dielectric layer 70 are not removed in this etching process . openings resulting from the removal of the outer spacers 6 are utilized to etch back the base layer 2 in the vicinity of these openings . openings 8 seen in fig6 in which the surface of the insulation layer 1 is laid bare , are then located between the base layer 2 and the structured dielectric layer 7 . a conformal deposition of a layer 9 of polysilicon or of some other contact material ( for instance silicon carbide ) is then performed , in order to produce the emitter layer and the collector layer . this layer 9 is highly doped for the emitter and the collector . this can be done either during the application or afterward by implantation . this layer 9 , which is seen in fig7 is again etched back in planarizing fashion ( by cmp , for instance , or by planarizing by using photoresist ). the portions of this layer 9 that remain after this etching process are structured by using resist mask , resulting in the structure shown in a plan view in fig2 . the layer 9 breaks apart into the emitter layer 91 and the collector layer 92 , with the correspondingly widened connection regions . the planarization layer 10 that is formed of a dielectric is applied , the contact holes are made therein for the electrical connection , and then the contacts of metal are applied for the emitter , the collector and the base . the transistor according to the invention can therefore be produced over four phototechnology steps and can thus produce an lsi bipolar transistor having an entire active zone which amounts to only 1 . 8 times the surface area resulting from the minimum structural fineness . | 7Electricity
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the poly ( alkylpyridine - 2 , 5 - diyl ) according to the present invention can be obtained by reacting a 2 , 5 - dihalogenated alkylpyridine , with an equimolar amount or excess of a zero - valent nickel compound added thereto in an organic solvent , followed by dehalogenation . a preferable reaction temperature ranges between room temperature and about 70 ° c . the reaction completes within about 2 ˜ 48 hours . as the above organic solvent , for example , n , n - dimethylformamide , acetonitrile , toluene , tetrahydrofuran or the like can be employed . the zero - valent nickel compound withdraws halogens from halogenated aromatic compounds and causes a coupling reaction between the aromatic groups [ for example , see &# 34 ; synthesis &# 34 ;, p . 736 ( 1984 )]. this reaction is represented by the following equation ( 13 ): wherein ar and ar &# 39 ; represent an aromatic group , x represents a halogen atom , l represents a neutral ligand and hence nil m represents a zero - valent nickel compound . accordingly , if an aromatic compound having two halogens in the molecule , such as 2 , 5 - dihalogenated alkylpyridine , is reacted with an equimolar or excess of a zero - valent nickel compound , the polymer of the present invention can be obtained by the dehalogenation polycondensation reaction shown in the following equations ( 14 ) and ( 15 ): ## str10 ## represents 2 , 5 - dihalogenated alkylpyridine , r represents a long chain alkyl group having not less than 3 carbon atoms , and x represents a halogen . in the above - described reaction , as the zero - valent nickel compound , those synthesized in a reaction system , so to speak , in situ , immediately before conducting a polymerization reaction can be used directly . alternatively , preliminarily synthesized and isolated ones also can be used . such a zero - valent nickel compound is , for example , a nickel complex produced by a reduction reaction or a ligand interchange reaction in the presence of a neutral ligand . as a typical example of the neutral ligand , mention may be made of 1 , 5 - cyclooctadiene , 2 , 2 &# 39 ;- bipyridine , triphenylphosphine or the like . alternatively , the poly ( alkylpyridine - 2 , 5 - diyl ) shown in the chemical formula ( 6 ) can be obtained by another process wherein the 2 , 5 - dihalogenated alkylpyridine shown in the above chemical formula ( 8 ) undergoes a dehalogenation reaction when it is subjected to an electrochemical reduction reaction in the presence of a divalent nickel compound . namely , when a divalent nickel compound is electrochemically reduced in an electrolytic cell , a zero - valent nickel compound is produced by the reaction shown in the following chemical formula ( 17 ). accordingly , when an aromatic compound having two halogens in the molecule , namely , a 2 , 5 - dihalogenated alkylpyridine is electrochemically reduced in the presence of a divalent nickel compound , the polymer shown in the chemical formula ( 6 ) can be obtained according to the reaction shown in the chemical formula ( 17 ) and the reactions shown in the following formulae ( 18 )-( 20 ) consequently taking place , wherein the ni 0 l m producing in the reaction system is involved . ## str11 ## represents a 2 , 5 - dihalogenated alkylpyridine , r represents a long chain alkyl group having not less than 3 carbon atoms and , where x is a halogen . the electrolysis may be conducted generally in the following conditions : namely , polar solvents such as n , n - dimethylformamide and acetonitrile are used as the solvent , salts such as tetraethylammonium perchlorate and tetraethylammonium tetrafluoroborate as the supporting electrolytic salt are dissolved to prepare an electrolyte and electrodes such as a platinum electrode , ito transparent electrode and graphite electrode are employed as the electrode . the 2 , 5 - dihalogenated alkylpyridine and divalent nickel complex are dissolved in the electrolyte and the electrochemical reduction is conducted at a reduction potential of the divalent nickel complex , for example , at - 1 . 7 v vs ag / ag + in the case of tris ( 2 , 2 - bipyridine )- nickel salt . moreover , in another method , poly ( alkylpyridine - 2 , 5 - diyl ) having the chemical formula ( 6 ) may be manufactured by subjecting 2 , 5 - dihalogenated alkylpyridine having the chemical formula ( 8 ) to a dehalogenation polycondensation reaction by using magnesium or zinc in the presence of a divalent nickel compound . in other words , zero valent nickel compound may be prepared by a reducing reaction with magnesium or zinc and the polymerization reaction is eventually expressed as shown in the formula ( 22 ). ## str12 ## therefore , the polymer having the chemical formula 6 can be obtained by reducing a 2 , 5 - dihalogenated alkylpyridine , with an equimolar amount or excess of a mg or zn in the presence of a divalent nickel compound , as shown in the formula ( 22 ) and followed by the formula ( 14 )-( 16 ). the above nickel compounds which have been synthesized and isolated prior to the polymerization reaction can be used . alternatively , those synthesized from nickel or a nickel compound in an electrolytic cell can be used directly as they are in the cell . as such a nickel compound , mention may be made of , for example , tris ( 2 , 2 &# 39 ;- bipyridine ) nickel ( ii ) bromide [ ni ( bpy ) 3 ] br 2 , dibromobis ( triphenylphosphine ) nickel ( ii )[ nibr 2 ( pph 3 ) 2 ] or the like . there is no limit to these polymerization reaction conditions , however , from a point of raising a yield and molecular weight , it is preferable that polymerization is carried out under conditions of substantially no water and no oxygen . the present invention will be explained more concretely and detailedly by way of example hereinafter . 0 . 99 g of a bis ( 1 , 5 - cyclooctadiene ) nickel complex [ ni ( cod ) 2 ) ( 3 . 6 mmol ) was dissolved in 30 ml of n , n - dimethylformamide ( hereinafter referred to as &# 34 ; dmf &# 34 ;), and 0 . 56 g of 2 , 2 &# 39 ;- bipyridine ( bpy ) ( 3 . 6 mmol ) and 0 . 39 g of 1 , 5 - cyclooctadiene ( cod ) ( 3 . 6 mmol ) were added thereto . to this solution was dropped 0 . 96 g of 6 - hexyl - 2 , 5 - dibromopyridine ( 3 . 0 mmol ) solved in 20 ml of a dmf solution , thereafter reacted at a reaction temperature of 60 ° c . for 48 hours , and polymerized . as a polymerization proceeds , there was produced an ocher - colored precipitate of a poly ( alkylpyridine - 2 , 5 - diyl ) polymer . after completion of the reaction , the precipitate was filtered and recovered , and washed with the use of the following materials ( a ) to ( e ) several times , and the polymer was refined . ( a ) ammonia water ( 29 %), ( b ) methyl alcohol , ( c ) a warm aqueous solution of sodium ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid ( prepared to ph = 3 ), ( d ) warm water and ( e ) methyl alcohol . after washed , the precipitate was vacuum - dried to obtain 0 . 40 g of ocher - colored powder of poly ( alkylpyridine - 2 , 5 - diyl ). a yield of the polymer was 80 %. the infrared absorption spectrum of this polymer is shown in fig1 . there is observed absorption derived from c - h stretching vibration of a pyridine ring at 3030 cm - 1 , c - h stretching vibration by a side chain hexyl group at 2850 - 2950 cm - 1 , skeletal vibration of a pyridine ring and deformation vibration of a side chain methylene group at 1580 , 1460 and 1420 cm - 1 , and c - h out - of - plane deformation vibration of a pyridine ring at 830 cm - 1 . moreover , fig2 shows 1 h - nmr in cdcl 3 of the polymer . there is observed absorption derived from a side chain hexyl group at δ = 0 . 8 - 3 . 2 ppm ( inside standard : tetramethylsilane ) and hydrogen of a pyridine ring at δ = 7 . 32 - 8 . 5 ppm . an area ratio of respective peaks was about 13 : 2 . moreover , element analysis values of the obtained polymer were 80 . 3 % of carbon , 8 . 9 % of hydrogen , 8 . 9 % of nitrogen and 0 . 0 % of bromine . the result of the infrared absorption spectrum 1 h - nmr and element analysis supports that the polymer has the following structure . ## str13 ## where , n shows a degree of polymerization . poly ( pyridine - 2 , 5 - diyl ) and its methyl derivative were only soluble in formic acid as an organic solvent , while the above polymer has a long - chain alkyl group as a side chain , so that it was soluble in not only formic acid but also general organic solvents shown below . that is , the polymer was soluble in chloroform ( solubility of about 300 mg / ml ), tetrahydrofuran ( thf ) ( solubility of about 300 mg / ml ), benzene ( solubility of about 300 mg / ml ), toluene ( solubility of about 300 mg / ml ), cresol and n - methylpyrrolidone ( nmp ), and partly soluble in diethyl ether . a cast film was tried to prepare from a formic acid solution of poly ( pyridine - 2 , 5 - diyl ), but a strong film could not be obtained , while a cast film was prepared from said solution of the present polymer , and a strong and ocher - colored free standing film was obtained . when a molecular weight of this polymer was measured in a formic acid solution by a light scattering method , a weight - average molecular weight was 37000 ( degree of polymerization 230 ) which was higher than the weight - average molecular weight 3800 ( degree of polymerization 49 ) of poly ( pyridine - 2 , 5 - diyl ). moreover , in case of measuring the molecular weight , even when a chloroform solution was used as solvent instead of formic acid , the weight - average molecular weight observed in chloroform was substantially the same as that observed in formic acid . the ultraviolet visible absorption spectrum of said polymer showed a sharp absorption peak at about 340 nm in a formic acid solution and at about 320 nm in either one of a chloroform , thf , benzene , toluene or nmp solution . moreover , said polymer showed a high thermal stability . as a result of thermogravimetric analysis under nitrogen , weight reduction was observed from the proximity of 300 ° c . and was about 50 % at 900 ° c . a chloroform solution of the poly ( alkylpyridine - 2 , 5 - diyl ) obtained in example 1 was applied onto a platinum plate , and chloroform was removed to prepare a film of the polymer . with respect to this polymer film , cyclic voltammogram was measured in an acetonitrile solution containing 0 . 1 mol / l of [( c 2 h 5 ) 4 n ][ clo 4 ]. as a result , it was found in the polymer that a cation is doped ( n - type doping ) for ag / ag + at about - 2 . 50 v , and dedoped at about - 2 . 45 v ( potential for ag / ag + ) in sweeping in the reverse direction . in case of doping , the color of the polymer film was changed from ochre to deep red orange , and in case of dedoping , discoloration went by contraries . thus , the present polymer is possible to be electrochemically reduced , that is , electrochemical n - type doping , and together with doping , electrochromic property was shown . it is shown from the above that the present polymer is usable as battery electrode material and electrochromic element material . when this electrochromic phenomenon was further compared with that of the other polypyridine derivative , poly ( pyridine - 2 , 5 - diyl ) was discolored from yellow to red orange , and poly ( methylpyridine - 2 , 5 - diyl ) was discolored from yellow to dark blue . it was found from this fact that coloration of a film at the time of doping depends upon alkyl chain length of a side chain . a formic acid solution and a chloroform solution of poly ( alkylpyridine - 2 , 5 - diyl ) obtained in the example 1 were prepared . the polymer was contained in each solution in a concentration of 2 . 0 × 10 - 5 mol / l of its unit structure . fluorescence spectra were measured about the solutions at an excitation wavelength of 310 nm . as a result , luminescence was observed at 420 nm in the formic acid solution and at 360 nm in the chloroform solution . as described above , the polymer is capable of radiating fluorescence . therefore , the polymer may be utilized as a material for an electroluminescence device . 1 . 6 g of 6 - hexyl - 2 , 5 - dibromopyridine ( 5 . 0 mmol ) was dissolved into 15 ml of tetrahydrofuran ( thf ), 0 . 13 g of a piece of metal magnesium ( 5 . 5 mmol ) was added into the resulting solution . after the solution was heated and refluxed for 10 hours , dichloro [ 1 , 2 - bis ( diphenylphosphino ) ethane ] nickel ( ii ) nicl 2 ( dpe ) ( 5 mg , 0 . 01 mmol ) was added into the heated solution , which was then heated and refluxed for 13 hours . after the reaction was completed , the reaction solution was poured into diluted hydrochloric acid containing ices , the resulting mixture was neutralized by adding water containing na 2 co 3 . the polymer was recovered by filtration and was washed with water and ether , and further washed with warm water solution containing ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid disodium salt . the resulting polymer was then vacuum dried and 0 . 50 g of poly ( alkylpyridine - 2 , 5 - diyl ) was obtained . the yield of the polymer as 60 %. 0 . 13 g of 6hexyl - 2 , 5 - dibromopyridine ( 5 . 0 mmol ) was dissolved into 5 ml of hexamethylphosphoric triamide ( hmpa ), a powder of zinc ( 0 . 98 g , 15 mmol ) was added into the resulting solution which was then heated to 100 ° c . then , 60 mg of dibromo [ 1 , 2 - bis ( diphenylphosphino ) ethane ] nickel ( ii ) nibr 2 ( dpe ) ( 0 . 1 mmol ) was added into the heated solution and reacted at 140 ° c . for 17 hours . after the reaction was completed , the reaction solution was poured into diluted hydrochloric acid containing ices , the resulting mixture was alkalified by adding ammonia water and the polymer was recovered by filtration . the above polymer was washed with methyl alcohol , water solution containing ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid disodium salt and then vacuum dried . 0 . 40 g of poly ( alkylpyridine - 2 , 5 - diyl ) was obtained . 0 . 3 mmol of 6 - hexyl - 2 , 5 - dibromopyridine , 0 . 15 mmol of tris ( 2 , 2 &# 39 ;- bipyridine ) nickel ( ii ) bromide ([ ni ( bpy ) 3 ] br 2 ) and 3 . 75 mmol of tetraethylammonium perchlorate [( c 2 h 5 ] 4 n ][ clo 4 ) were dissolved into 15 cm 3 of n , n - dimethylformamide to prepare an electrolytic solution . this solution was filled into an electrolytic bath in which a platinum plate ( 1 × 2 cm = 2 cm 2 ) was arranged as a cathode , a platinum plate ( 1 × 2 cm = 2 cm 2 ) was arranged as an anode and a silver electrode was arranged as a reference electrode . then , an electrolytic polymerization was carried out at a polymerization temperature of 60 ° c ., at an electrolytic potential of - 1 . 7 v ( the potential was for ag / ag + which is same in the following description ) and for 16 hours to provide a film consisting of a ocher - colored polymer on the anode . this crude polymer was collected and purified using the following substances ( a ) to ( e ) by washing the polymer with the substances ( a ) to ( e ) in the following order , the crude polymer was washed several times by each substance . ( a ) water containing ammonia ( 29 %), ( b ) methyl alcohol , ( c ) warm water solution containing ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid disodium salt ( its ph was 3 ), ( d ) warm water , ( e ) methyl alcohol . after the above washing step , the polymer was vacuum dried and ocher - colored poly ( alkylpyridine - 2 , 5 - diyl ) was obtained . | 8General tagging of new or cross-sectional technology
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referring to fig1 , a left shoe insert 10 is illustrated . the insert 10 comprises a heel portion 12 and a toe portion 14 . it is preferred that an arch support 16 is also provided on the insert 10 . an elastic member comprising an elastic leg strap 18 is connected to the insert 10 by stitching as indicated at 20 . the left shoe insert provides a means for connecting the elastic leg strap 18 to a left shoe . it is preferred that , as shown in fig1 , the elastic leg strap 18 is connected to the bottom of the insert 10 so that , when the insert 10 is placed within a shoe ., the elastic leg strap will be between the insert 10 and the bottom of the shoe . it will be appreciated that the elastic leg strap 18 can be connected to the insert 10 by any suitable means including , but not limited to , glue or adhesive and mechanical fasteners including , but not limited to snaps , hook and loop fasteners , rivets , staples , threaded fasteners and the like . as shown in fig1 , the elastic leg strap 18 is connected to the heel portion 12 of the shoe insert 10 . it is preferred , as shown in fig1 , that the elastic leg strap 18 be connected to the insert so that it extends from the point where it is connected to the left shoe insert 10 , to the left and towards a real or heel edge 22 of the insert 10 . a device according to the invention may also include a right shoe insert ( not shown ) that would be a mirror image of the left shoe insert 10 . a device according to the present invention may include only a right shoe insert and elastic leg strap . in a right shoe insert , the elastic leg strap would extend from the point where it is connected to the insert to the right and towards the real or heel edge of the right shoe insert . it will be appreciated that the exact location of the connection point between the elastic leg strap and a left or right shoe insert is not critical . essentially , however , the elastic leg strap 18 must be connected to the shoe insert 10 in such a manner that , when the insert 10 is positioned within a shoe and a foot is inserted into the shoe on top of the insert 10 and tension is applied to the elastic leg strap so that the elastic leg strap tends to lift the shoe , the insert 10 and the foot therein , the lifting force acts on the insert 10 on the rear half of the insert and , preferably , on the outside of the insert 10 . i . e ., the left side for a left shoe insert and the right side for a right side shoe insert . turing now to fig2 , a right elastic leg strap 24 is positioned alongside a right leg rl of a person indicated generally at p . a lower end ( not shown ) of the right elastic leg strap 24 is positioned within a right shoe rs and is connected , inside of the shoe rs , to a right shoe insert ( not shown ) as described above . a second or upper end 26 of the right elastic leg strap 24 has been fed through a cinching buckle 28 and is hanging down adjacent to a middle portion 30 of the right elastic leg strap 24 . the cinching buckle 28 is supported on a tab 32 that is securely connected to a waist belt 34 that is secured about the waist of the person p . the waist belt 34 comprises a first end 36 that overlaps a second end 38 and the overlapping portions are connected together by any suitable means such as hook and loop fasteners or other mechanical fasteners ( not shown ), alternatively , the belt 34 might be provided with straps and buckles ( not shown ). it is preferred that the belt 34 be elastic so that it can be fitted snugly and securely to the person p and so that tensile forces exerted against the belt 34 are distributed broadly through the belt 34 . in place of the belt 34 a conventional belt of the type typically used to hold lip trousers may be used . an elastic belt having a substantial width , such as the belt 34 , is strongly preferred , however . as an alternative to the cinching buckle 28 , hook and loop fasteners are illustrated for attaching an upper portion 40 of the right elastic leg strap 24 to the belt 34 . a hook strip 42 is secured by stitching , adhesive or other suitable means to the outside of the waist belt 34 . a plurality of loop strips 44 are secured to the upper portion 40 of the right elastic leg strap 24 . regardless of whether the elastic leg strap 24 is secured to the belt 34 by a cinching buckle 28 , hook and loop fasteners 42 and 44 or some other means , when the elastic leg strap 24 is so connected , it must be stretched or tensioned , as described in more detail below . a thigh strap 46 having a first end 48 and a second end 50 is slit at 52 so that the elastic leg strap 24 can be held between two rear portions 54 and a front portion 56 of the thigh strap 48 . this arrangement allows the elastic leg strap 24 to slide up and down relative to the thigh strap 46 but constrains the elastic leg strap 24 from moving around a person &# 39 ; s thigh . in other words , the thigh strap 46 cooperates with the elastic leg strap 24 to maintain the leg strap 24 in a fixed circumferential location relative to the thigh of a person p . it is preferred that the thigh strap be elasticized . connectors are provided on the ends 48 and 50 of the thigh strap 46 and hook and loop fasteners comprising a hook strip 58 and a loop strip 60 are the preferred type of connectors . the hook strip 58 and the loop strip 60 are secured by stitching , adhesive or other securing means to the first and second ends 48 and 50 of the thigh strap 46 . turning now to fig3 , a person p has on the device of the present invention . the right elastic leg strap 24 ( not show ) is secured between the right shoe insert i 0 ( not shown ) and the waist belt 34 . a left elastic leg strap ( not shown ) corresponding with the right elastic leg strap is secured between a left shoe insert ( not shown ) corresponding with but a mirror image of the right shoe insert 10 ( not shown ) and the waist belt 34 . the elastic leg straps are connected to the waist belt 34 so that when the person &# 39 ; s legs are straight , as shown in fig3 , the elastic is tensioned . further , the elastic leg straps are positioned at the rear of the person &# 39 ; s feet on the outside , behind the person &# 39 ; s knees on the outside and behind the persons limps on the outside so that , due to the tension in the elastic leg straps , the straps are operable to exert a force on the person &# 39 ; s legs tending to bend or flex the legs at the knee and the hip , and to lift the person &# 39 ; s feet . when the person is walking , and is in the swing phase of the person &# 39 ; s gait , the leg that is swinging will be acted on by the elastic strap associated with that leg . specifically , the strap will exert a lifting force on the associated foot and exert a force operable to tend to cause the leg to bend or flex at the knee and the hip . referring now to fig4 , cross sections through the lower portions , next to the feet , of a left leg ll and a right leg rl of the person p in fig3 are illustrated . four quadrants are illustrated for each lower leg portion . the left leg ll has an outer front quadrant of , an inner front quadrant if , an inner rear quadrant ir and an outer rear quadrant or . the right leg rl has an outer front quadrant of , an inner front quadrant if , an inner rear quadrant ir and an outer rear quadrant or . the elastic leg strap 26 associated with the right leg rl is positioned in the outer rear or quadrant of the right leg . a corresponding elastic leg strap 26 ′ that is associated with the left leg ll is also positioned in the outer rear or quadrant of the left leg . this positioning of the elastic straps 26 and 26 ′ in the vicinity of the lower portions of the right and left legs is achieved and maintained by the right and left shoe inserts ( not shown ) as described above with reference to fig1 . referring now to fig5 , cross sections through the thigh portions of a left leg ll and a right leg , rl of the person p in fig3 are illustrated . four quadrants are illustrated for each thigh leg portion . the left leg ll has an outer front quadrant of , an inner front quadrant if , an inner real quadrant ir and an outer rear quadrant or . the right leg rl has an outer front quadrant of , an inner front quadrant if , an inner real quadrant ir and an outer real quadrant or . the elastic leg strap 26 associated with the right leg rl is positioned in the outer real or quadrant of the right leg in the thigh region . a corresponding elastic leg strap 26 ′ that is associated with the left leg ll is also positioned in the outer real or quadrant of the left leg in the thigh region . this positioning of the elastic straps 26 and 26 ′ in the vicinity of the thigh portions of the right and left legs is achieved and maintained by the right thigh strap 46 and a left thigh strap 46 ′ ( fig3 and 5 ) and by positioning tile slits 52 thereof in the outer rear quadrants or of the right and left leg , respectively . referring now to fig6 , a cross section through the hips h of the person p in fig3 is illustrated . four quadrants are illustrated for the hip portion . the hips have a left outer front quadrant lof , a right outer front quadrant rof , a right outer rear quadrant ror and a left outer real quadrant lor . tile elastic leg strap 26 associated with the right leg is positioned in the right outer rear ror quadrant of the hips h . the corresponding elastic leg strap 26 ′ that is associated with the left leg ll is positioned in the left outer real lor quadrant of the lips h . this positioning of the elastic straps 26 and 26 ′ in the vicinity of the hips is achieved and maintained by the position of the cinching buckles on the waist belt 34 . the tension in the elastic legs straps is preferably adjustable through the cinching buckle or the hook and loop fasteners or other means for connecting the elastic leg straps to the waist belt . tile most effective tension or the elastic leg straps may vary from person to person and can be readily determined by trial and error . | 0Human Necessities
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in the hybrid solar lighting ( hsl ) system , the luminous efficacy of filtered sunlight is more than double its only competition ( electric lamps ). therein lies the primary motivation for using filtered sunlight for lighting purposes in buildings . [ 0023 ] fig1 illustrates a preferred embodiment of the hybrid solar concentrator where a primary mirror 30 concentrates the entire solar spectrum of incoming sunlight onto a secondary mirror 31 where the sunlight is reflected into a fiber receiver 32 for filtering and distribution to the fiberoptic lighting network . fig2 is a front view photograph showing the primary mirror 30 and the secondary mirror mount 33 . the secondary mirror mount 33 blocks less than 5 % of the sunlight reflected from the primary mirror 30 . structural features of the secondary mount 33 enable the mount to flex while maintaining the preferred optical specifications in fig4 . the flexure in the mount 33 relieves stress points where the mount 33 attaches to the primary mirror 30 . fig5 is a rendering showing the secondary mirror 31 mounted to the secondary mount 33 . [ 0024 ] fig6 shows the fiber receiver 32 mounted in the center core of the primary mirror 30 . fig7 shows the fiber receiver 32 components including a quartz rod 40 to act as heat dissipation means and filter 41 to reject remaining ir energy . fiber 43 is forcibly bonded to quartz rod 40 inside the receiver housing 42 to minimize fresnel losses and associated thermal loading . light emerging from the rod 40 into the fiber 43 is uniformly distributed so as to maximize the amount of light that can be injected into the polymer fibers . also the focal spot on the quartz rod 40 can be smaller than its diameter so as to reduce the tracking accuracy needs of the system . for building applications , the most significant loss factor in the light collection and distribution system is the end - to - end attenuation in large - core optical fibers . this invention more efficiently and cost - effectively transports sunlight through new polymer - based large - core optical fibers rather than glass fiber optic bundles . a new “ hybrid ” luminaire , illustrated spatially distributes both fiberoptic - delivered sunlight and electric light in a general lighting application and controlling the relative intensity of each based on sunlight availability using photosensors and dimmable electronic ballasts . thus , natural light is collected at a central location and distributed to multiple luminaires . one embodiment of the hybrid luminaire comprised a cylindrical diffusing rod having a 2 . 54 cm diameter , 1 . 0 m long , optically clear cylinder with a polished lower hemisphere and a diffuse upper hemisphere . light launched from a butt - coupled optical fiber , scatters from the diffuse upper surface of the cylinder and escapes through the polished lower surface of the cylinder . to improve efficiency , upward - scattered light is redirected back toward the lower hemisphere of the diffusing rod with a silver - coating on the upper hemisphere . three diffusing rods , each placed mid - way and slightly above adjacent fluorescent lamps in a 4 - tube paramax parabolic troffer with 24 - cell louvre baffle , were expected to produce a spatial intensity distribution which closely matched that of the four fluorescent tubes . however , initial modeling of the diffusing rod indicated that the intensity of the scattered light was too highly concentrated toward one end of the rod , creating uneven illumination . in addition , a large portion of the light entering the diffusing rod at small angles was not being scattered at all and , instead , was merely being reflected from the planar end of the diffusing rod back into the butt - coupled optical fiber . to overcome these deficiencies , a silver - coated concave mirror surface at the end of the rod was added to the diffusing rod model . this concave end - mirror strongly diverged low - angle incident light , hence improving the optical efficiency of the diffusing rod while also improving the overall uniformity of the scattered light . to further improve the uniformity of the scattered light , a 40 cm strip along the center of the diffusing rod &# 39 ; s top hemisphere was modeled with a larger scattering fraction than the outer ends to increase the amount of scattered light emitted from the center of the diffusing rod . simulations of the spatial intensity distribution resulting from the fluorescent lamps and / or the diffusing rods revealed only minor differences between the two distributions , and only minor deviation from the fixture &# 39 ; s original spatial intensity distribution . however , due to obstruction and scattering losses associated with the inclusion of the three diffusing rods , the optical efficiency of the fixture was decreased from 64 % to 53 %. the diffusing rod itself was estimated to be only 50 % efficient at converting a fiber optic end - emitted source into a cylindrical source . this efficiency was strongly dependent upon the intensity profile of the fiber optic end - emitted light and the combination of scattering values used along the top surface of the diffusing rod . the cylindrical diffusing rod was a 2 . 54 cm diameter , 1 m long , cast acrylic rod , with high optical clarity and optically smooth outer surface . the rod was diamond - machined on one end to create a concave surface with a radius of curvature of 4 . 0 cm , and polished on the other end to create a planar optical surface suitable for butt - coupling to a large - core optical fiber . the top hemisphere of the rod was sandblasted to produce a uniform scattering surface and both the top hemisphere and concave end - mirror were coated with aluminum . due to construction limitations , the top surface did not exhibit a variable surface scatter as originally modeled . preliminary testing of the cylindrical diffusing rod revealed a discrepancy between the desired modeled surface scatter and the actual surface scatter created by the sandblasting technique . because optical scattering is often difficult to accurately premodel in software , the result was not entirely unexpected . the actual surface scatter created by the sandblasting technique was much larger than modeled and created a diffusing rod with an uneven illumination . however , now given the correlation between the modeled scattering values and the actual scattering values , it is possible to re - simulate and re - design the cylindrical diffusing rod to emit a more uniform intensity distribution . additional factors related to optical efficiency and construction costs are currently being evaluated . a luminaire design was sought that would provide a simple means of seamlessly combining the light from the fluorescent and fiber optic sources . typically , the sunlight exiting the optical fibers produces a conical distribution pattern that is not compatible with the pattern produced by fluorescent lamps . to make the intensity distribution pattern more compatible with that from the fluorescent tubes , it was necessary to transform the light from the fiber into a more cylindrical geometry . various attempts were tried to construct nonimaging optical components to achieve this goal . ultimately , the best results were obtained by using a cylindrical , side - emitting diffusing rod 50 developed by 3m and shown in fig1 ( 3m side - emitting rod part #: lf180exn ). two versions of this optic were used in initial tests : the s version , designed for single fiber illumination via one end , and the d version , intended for use with two illuminating fibers . the best linear uniformity of the emitted light was obtained by using the d version with the illuminating fiber at one end of the rod and a reflecting element at the other . the grooves in the flat surface of the 3m side - emitting rod 50 serve to reflect light out the opposite side of the rod . ideally , all of the light would be reflected out the side of the rod by the time the last of the rays reached the far end of the rod . in practice , however , a significant portion of the light exits the end of the rod instead of the side . to further improve the efficiency of the side - emitting rod , various reflectors were attached to the end of the rod . ultimately , a concave spherical mirror ( produced by aluminizing the curved side of a plano - convex lens ) seemed to produce the best results . the mirror served to reflect and diverge any coaxial light that was not scattered on an initial pass through the rod . the rod was mounted within a custom - machined acrylic holder 55 that allowed a large - core optical fiber to mate with one end of the rod . in the initial design , two assembled rods were mounted within a four - tube fluorescent fixture . the two side - emitting rods were located on each side of the ballast cover , directly between the two corresponding fluorescent tubes . the side - emitting rods were mounted so that the light was projected toward the acrylic diffuser and out of the fixture . this dual - rod design was selected to provide good spatial distribution match to the light from the fluorescent tubes . unfortunately , the design required the use of a high - quality splitter ( low - loss , 50 : 50 split ) to divide the light from a single fiber into the two light tubes . the hybrid luminaire was mounted and tested . instead of using a splitter , two separate optical fibers sources were used . thus , the measured efficiency did not reflect the additional losses that would be contributed by the connection losses and inherent internal loss associated with using a splitter . the initial tests of the hybrid luminaire indicated that coupling losses from the fiber to the side - emitting rod were high , leading to reduced efficiency . design enhancements to the luminaire were added to stabilize the position of the side - emitting rods and improve coupling efficiency . the enhanced version of the dual - rod design was tested to measure the improvement in performance . to further improve efficiency and lower the cost of the luminaire , the instant invention used only one side - emitting rod 50 . by using only one side - emitting rod , the need for a splitter would be obviated , eliminating the connection losses into and out of the splitter as well as the inherent loss within the splitter itself . in addition , the cost of the splitter and the additional side - emitting rod would be eliminated . however , the use of a single side - emitting rod would require two major modifications to the luminaire design . the rod would have to be mounted in the center of the luminaire to maintain symmetry in the intensity distribution pattern , and it would have to be rotated 180 ° to broaden the intensity distribution pattern . to enable the side - emitting rod 50 to be centrally mounted , the standard ballast and ballast cover were removed , making the central portion of the luminaire available for development . a compact ( 16 . 5 - in .× 1 . 25 - in .× 1 - in . ), four - bulb , dimmable ballast was obtained from advance transformer ( mark 7 intellivolt series , product number izt - 4s32 ) and installed on the rear of the luminaire housing . a second feature of the invention was necessary to achieve an acceptable intensity distribution pattern from a single emitting rod . to achieve a pattern of sufficient width , the direction of the rod would have to be reversed , directing the light onto the reflective housing 51 of the luminaire and allowing the diffuse reflection to exit the acrylic diffuser , rather than projecting the light directly onto the acrylic diffuser . if the light from the single rod were projected directly onto the acrylic diffuser , the intensity distribution pattern would be unacceptably narrow in comparison to that from the fluorescent lamps . to improve the efficiency and intensity distribution characteristics of the new design , a diffuse reflective film 52 was used in conjunction with the side - emitting rod 50 . a “ light enhancement film 52 ” from 3m ( scotchcal 3635 - 100 ) was placed on the luminaire housing in the area directly behind the side - emitting rod 50 . this film provided a more diffuse reflection and higher reflectivity than the reflective paint in the luminaire ( 94 % vs 90 %). an additional invention feature was added to the single - rod design to further enhance the optical efficiency . previous designs had used a reflector at the end of the side - emitting rod to direct the coaxial light back through the rod . though the intention was to force all of the light to eventually be emitted out the side of the rod , some light was suspected of traveling back up the source fiber where it could not be used for illumination . an improvement was made in the single - rod design . rather than attaching a reflector to the end of the side - emitting rod , a bundle of small optical fibers 53 was attached to the end of the rod and routed back into the central portion of the luminaire . coaxial light that was not emitted from the side - emitting rod would enter the bundle of fibers and be redirected into the luminaire where it would add to the side - emitted light from the rod . the fibers were simply routed around the ends of the fluorescent tubes and back toward the center of the luminaire where the exiting light was scattered off of the 3m light enhancement film 52 . in future embodiments , the fibers could be arranged to achieve a more uniform contribution to the overall intensity distribution . the light distribution characteristics and overall efficiency for each of the luminaire designs are compared in table 1 . note that the actual amount of light used in the comparisons of the fiber optic systems varied considerably . when illuminated by sunlight , the lumen input to the fiber portion of the luminaires is expected to be between 4500 and 5000 lumens . however , the percentage distribution of the light among the walls and floor should not change . the characteristics of the fluorescent lamp system were essentially identical for the three cases and thus are presented only once . the efficiency of the luminaires shows consistent improvement , with the single - rod luminaire providing almost 79 % efficiency . this is very comparable to the 81 % efficiency of the fluorescent portion of the luminaire . the light distribution for the single - rod luminaire is comparable to that of the fluorescent system as well , noting that the dual - rod designs placed a higher percentage of the incident light on the floor of the illumination cell . the only undesirable feature of the single - rod luminaire is an uneven distribution of light between the different walls of the illumination cell . in particular , the scattering characteristics of the side - emitting rod in the inverted configuration tended to increase the light on one end - wall of the illumination cell . this is considered to be within the bounds of acceptable variation , but efforts will be made to further equalize the distribution from this design . a major step toward the realization of using fiber optic transported solar light for internal lighting purposes involves the development of a hybrid luminaire to seamlessly balance lamp and fiber optic transported solar illuminants . fluctuations in the intensity of collected solar light , due to changing cloud coverage or solar collector movement , requires rapid compensation by electric lamps to maintain a constant room illumination . if the spatial intensity distribution of a hybrid luminaire &# 39 ; s electric lamp does not closely match the spatial intensity distribution of the luminaire &# 39 ; s fiber optic end - emitted solar illuminant , then the shift between artificial and solar lighting will be noticeable to the occupant and is highly undesirable . to date , there are a wide variety of commerically - available daylighting sensors manufactured by a variety of vendors . these sensors range in price from $ 50 -$ 300 and come in a variety of optical packages suitable to various workspace environments ( i . e . office spaces , conference rooms , atriums , etc .). despite the variation in packaging , these sensors all work on essentially the same basic principle . the sensor , which is mounted in the ceiling , contains a plastic lens that images light from the workplane onto a photodetector . the output from the photodetector is a measure of the combined sunlight and artificial lighting levels within a specified viewing angle ( also called the sensor &# 39 ; s “ cone of response ”) from the photodetector &# 39 ; s output ( and the ballast voltage ), the sunlight levels versus artificial lighting levels can be calculated . these indirect measurements are used with a control algorithm ( either a constant set point or a sliding set point algorithm ) to appropriately adjust the intensity of the fluorescent lighting . when the sunlight and artificial lighting are identically distributed over a given area , current commercial sensors have been shown to perform well . however , when the spatial distribution of the sunlight and artificial lighting are quite different , which is typically the case in an office environment , the indirect calculation of sunlight levels versus artificial lighting levels is inaccurate . because of the high ratio of uplighting to downlighting associated with sunlight entering through a window , this indirect measurement often results in a sensor that is overly sensitivity to sunlight . as a result , commercially available sensors overcompensate for sunlight , resulting in controlled lighting levels that can fall well below desired workplane illuminance levels . to improve the performance of daylight harvesting algorithms , a sensor is needed that allows for the independent measurement , as opposed to the combined measurement , of sunlight and artificial light within a controlled area . unlike commercial sensors , the daylight harvesting sensor in the instant invention is capable of measuring sunlight and artificial lighting level separately . the daylighting sensor accomplishes this by exploiting the frequency differences between sunlight and fluorescent lighting . although undetectable to humans , the intensity of fluorescent lighting actually oscillates , or “ flickers ”, at a very high frequency (& gt ; 10 khz for most dimmable ballasts ). in contrast , sunlight does not flicker and is extremely constant over a short period of time (& lt ; 1 sec ). a high - speed photo - detector is capable of measuring both signals simultaneously as shown in fig8 . the magnitude of the photodetector &# 39 ; s high - frequency component is proportional to the fluorescent lighting levels at the workplane . the magnitude of the signal &# 39 ; s constant , or dc , component is proportional to the sunlight levels at the workplane . factoring in phase differences between nearby fluorescent fixtures , which can complicate the simple relationship shown in fig8 the following equation comprises the harvesting sensor &# 39 ; s control algorithm : k s · v dc + ( 1 - k s ) · m p · v p2p + ( 1 - k s ) · b p [ m p · v p2p + b p m b · v ballast + b b ] = constant this equation represents the basic control algorithm for workspaces illuminated with sunlight and fluorescent lighting . the ballast voltage ( vballast ) is modified to keep the above equation constant with increasing sunlight . modifications can be made to this control algorithm to accommodate unique lighting environments where sunlight and fluorescent lighting are supplemented with non - fluorescent artificial lighting . the performance of a prototype daylight harvesting sensor was tested against leading commercial daylighting sensors . comparative tests performed in a typical 10 ′× 10 ′ office environment , with a 24 ″× 30 ″ window , demonstrated the sensor &# 39 ; s superior performance over commercial sensors . fig9 compares the performance of the harvesting daylighting sensor against a popular daylighting sensor manufactured by lithonia . in sharp contrast to the commercial sensor , which exhibited large fluctuations in room illumination throughout the day ( maximum fluctuation = 65 %), the harvesting daylighting sensor exhibited only minor illumination fluctuations ( maximum fluctuation & lt ; 5 %). while there has been shown and described what are at present considered the preferred embodiments of the invention , it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made therein without departing from the scope . | 8General tagging of new or cross-sectional technology
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referring to fig1 , the apparatus 10 of the present invention includes a social expressions piece 12 that includes a first panel 14 , a second panel 16 , a third panel 18 , a fourth panel 20 , and a fifth ( optional ) panel 22 . the first and second panels 14 , 16 are separated by a first folding line 24 . the third panel 18 is separated from the second panel 16 by a first cut - out 26 ( see e . g ., fig1 and 3 ). the third panel 18 is also separated from the first panel 14 by the fourth and ( optional ) fifth panels 20 , 22 . the third panel 18 is separated from fourth and ( optional ) fifth panels 20 , 22 by a second folding line 28 . the fourth and ( optional ) fifth panels 20 , 22 are separated from the first panel 14 by third folding line 29 . the apparatus 10 is convertible between a generally flat social expressions piece 12 ( e . g ., a wedding invitation ) and a folded , three - dimensional decorative item 30 ( e . g ., a candle votive ). the apparatus 10 is formed from a single , unitary piece of sheet metal . common types of sheet metals include aluminum , brass , copper , steel , tin , nickel and titanium . for decorative uses , important sheet metals also include silver , gold , and platinum . referring now to fig1 - 3 , the outer shape of the apparatus 10 can be any type desired based on aesthetics and size . in the embodiment shown , the outer shape is generally round . however , other shapes ( e . g ., triangular , rectangular , irregular ) can be utilized based on the needs and wants of the designer . preferably , when positioned as a flat , social expressions piece 12 , it is preferable that the outer shape is sized so that it will fit into one of the numerous standard sizes of envelopes that are readily commercially - available ( see e . g ., fig2 ). however , the present invention should not be considered to be limited by any particular size or outer shape . the apparatus 10 can have any thickness ( see fig3 ) since sheet metals are readily available in a variety of thicknesses . preferably , the sheet metal used is 0 . 35 mm thick since it is readily available and easily folded by an end user . continuing to refer to fig1 - 3 , the first panel 14 is shaped based on the part it plays in the overall design of the social expressions piece 14 and / or decorative item 30 . in the embodiment shown , the first panel 12 is semi - circular in shape . the first panel includes first side 34 and a second side 36 . preferably , the first side 34 of the first panel 14 includes information 32 relating to a social function , such as a wedding . information 32 provided can be information generally found in a wedding invitation , such as but not limited to names , locations , dates , and times . alternatively , the information may not disclose an event , but may include a general greeting ( e . g ., a birthday wish or congratulations ). the information can be included on the apparatus in any suitable manner , or manners . for instance the information can be printed directly onto the apparatus in paint or ink . the paint or ink can include one or more colors . alternatively , the information can be etched chemically , or otherwise imprinted or embossed into the metal ( e . g ., laser engraved ). a combination of etching and / or imprinting and printing of the information can be utilized . another alternative is to simply punch out the letters , numbers and / or symbols of the information so that the material is completely removed from the apparatus . the first panel can optionally further include design elements such as cut - outs of one or more designs or images . in embodiments where the apparatus 10 is used as a candle votive , the first panel is sized such that a candle can be positioned on the second side 36 of the first panel when it is folded into the decorative item ( discussed infra ). a first folding line 24 separates the first panel 14 from the second panel 16 . the first folding line 24 is a weakened section in the sheet metal that is formed by any one of the commonly known means . for instance , a series of holes or slots can be punched or cut with a laser along a line to create the first folding line 24 . alternatively , the first folding line can be created by simply weakening , without cutting through the apparatus ( e . g ., by creating a groove in the sheet metal ). although the first folding line 24 is shown as a continuous line in the embodiment shown in , e . g ., fig1 , the folding line can be split into two or more lines that are co - axial . the second panel 16 is separated from the third panel by the first cut - out 26 . the second panel 16 , like the first panel 14 , can be shaped based on the part it plays in the overall design of the social expressions piece 14 and / or decorative item 30 . in the embodiment shown , the second panel is shaped to reflect the cityline of the city of cincinnati . therefore , the first cut - out generally follows the shape of the cityline image shown in , e . g ., fig1 . in addition to , or alternatively , the second panel 16 can include some or all of the information 32 . images 38 and / or information 32 provided on the second panel 16 can be provided in any of the manners described above ( e . g ., printing , etching , cut - outs , etc ) in relation to the first panel 14 . the second folding line 28 separates the third panel 18 from the fourth and ( optional ) fifth panels 20 , 22 . the second folding line 28 can be formed in a manner consistent with that described above in relation to the first folding line 24 . in some embodiments , the first and second folding lines 24 , 28 are formed in a generally similar manner . however , the second folding line 28 does not necessarily need to be formed using the same technique as the first folding line 24 in all embodiments . for example , in some embodiments , the first folding line 24 can be formed with a groove and the second folding line 28 can be formed with a series of holes , or vice versa . the third panel 18 , like the first and second panels 14 , 16 , can be shaped based on the part it plays in the overall design of the social expressions piece 14 and / or decorative item 30 . in the embodiment shown , the third panel 18 is generally semi - circular on the upper portion , and the lower portion is defined by the first cut - out 26 . the third panel 18 can include some or all of the information 32 . images 40 and / or information 32 provided on the third panel 18 can be provided in any of the manners described above ( e . g ., printing , etching , cut - outs , etc .) in relation to the first and second panels 14 , 16 . the fourth and ( optionally ) fifth panels 20 , 22 are separated from the first panel by a third folding line 28 , and from the second panel 16 by the first cut - out 26 . the fourth and ( optionally ) fifth panels 20 , 22 are generally present to provide depth to the decorative item 30 when in the final folded form . therefore , they are sized and shaped to provide the desired effect . generally , these panels 20 , 22 do not include features , but can include design features in a similar manner to the first , second and third panels 14 , 16 , 18 described above . the third folding line 29 separates the first panel 14 from the fourth and ( optional ) fifth panels 20 , 22 . the third folding line 28 can be formed in a manner consistent with that described above in relation to the first and second folding lines 24 , 28 . the third folding line can be a continuous line , or as shown in , e . g ., fig1 , in two or more generally co - axial sections . in use , the apparatus is created in a generally flat form by forming the social expressions piece 12 in a series of , e . g ., stamping , etching and / or printing steps as shown , for example , in fig1 . the social expressions piece 12 is then placed in an envelope 42 , and mailed to the recipient , as shown in fig2 . when received by the end user , the social expressions piece 12 is removed from the envelope 42 , and the information 32 pertaining to the social event is transferred to the end user when read . rather than discarding or recycling the social expressions piece 12 , the end user folds the social expressions piece 12 into the decorative item 30 by folding the apparatus 10 along the first , second and third folding lines 24 , 28 , 29 . the degree about which the various panels are folded can vary depending on the desire of the designer and / or end user . in the embodiment shown , the second panel 16 is folded approximately 90 degrees relative to the first panel 14 at the first fold line 24 ( see fig3 ). as shown in fig4 , the third panel 18 is then folded relative to the fourth and fifth panels 20 , 22 at an approximately 90 degree angle ( see fig4 ). now referring to fig5 and 6 , the first panel is folded about 180 degrees relative to its original position ( as shown in e . g . fig4 ) about the third folding line 29 . once the folding is completed , the social expressions piece 12 , such as a wedding invitation , is converted into a reusable decorative item 30 , such as a votive candle holder , instead of trash . in the votive candle holder form , the decorative item 30 is placed on a surface so the second side 36 of the first panel 14 is placed so that it is facing upwards . the end user can then place a candle on the second side so that , when the candle is lit , the light illuminates the various features ( e . g ., the images 38 , 40 ). alternative embodiments are shown in fig9 - 12 , 13 - 15 , and 16 - 18 . referring now to fig9 - 12 , a second embodiment is shown . referring to fig9 , the apparatus 110 is formed from a single , unitary piece of sheet metal ( or similar material ). in the embodiment shown , there is a first panel 114 that includes information 132 . additional panels 116 , 118 , 120 are all generally shaped like flowers , leaves and birds . the additional panels 116 , 118 , 120 are all separated from the first panel by folding lines 124 , 126 , 128 . folding lines 124 , 126 , 128 are all generally parallel , but offset from one another . the end user can determine the amount the additional panels 116 , 118 , 120 are bent about the fold lines 124 , 126 , 128 . in the embodiment shown , the additional panels 116 , 118 , 120 are bent approximately 90 degrees relative to the first panel 114 . additionally , in order to provide more three - dimensional features , the end user can optionally curve the panels to make them appear more attractive and / or lifelike . referring to fig1 , the folded apparatus 110 can be used as , e . g ., a candle votive . in this embodiment , the information 132 is visible to the user when folded and used as a candle votive . referring now to fig1 - 14 , a third embodiment of the present invention is shown . in this embodiment , the apparatus 210 includes a first panel 214 that include information 232 and is separated from a second panel 216 by a fold line 224 . the second panel 216 includes additional cut - outs to add decorative features ( e . g ., butterflies ). in embodiments like these , the end user is able to bend the cut - out features , as shown in fig1 , as desired . fold lines can be optionally provided to assist the end user in the folding process for features such as these . referring to fig1 , the folded apparatus 210 can be used as , e . g ., a candle votive . in this embodiment , the information 132 is not visible to the user when folded and used as a candle votive because it is on the underside of the first panel 214 during use as the candle votive . referring now to fig1 - 17 , a fourth embodiment is shown . in this embodiment , the apparatus 310 includes a first panel 314 includes information 332 and includes at least three ( 3 ) cut - outs and optionally more ( as shown in fig1 ). each cut - out forms decorative panels 316 , 318 , 320 that are separated from the first panel 314 by folding lines 324 , 326 , 328 . notably , in the embodiment shown , folding lines 324 , 326 , 328 are at arranged at an angle relative to each other . in addition , the additional panels are shown bent at an angle less than 90 degrees relative to the first panel 314 , and each has been curved by the end user for display . while the present invention has been described in its preferred embodiments , it is to be understood that the invention is not limited thereto ; but may be otherwise embodied . for example , the apparatus 10 can include additional panels and folding lines . in addition , one or more folding lines can be positioned co - axial to one another , or positioned so that they are not co - axial to one another . furthermore , features from one embodiment can be imported to another embodiment without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention . | 1Performing Operations; Transporting
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the silver iodide coated silver powders used in the present invention may be produced by stirring a slurry of finely divided silver ( generally less than 200 mesh and preferably less than 400 mesh ) with a solution of iodine . the nature of the liquid media is not critical , so long as the halogen is dissolved in the solvent , permitting chemical attack upon the slurried silver particles . where the iodine solution is an aqueous solution , ki is used to solubilize the iodine . where the iodine solution uses an organic solvent such as acetone , ethers or alcohols , of course ki need not be present since iodine dissolves in those organic solvents . the slurry and solution are agitated together for as little as half a minute . agitation for half an hour normally completes the reaction . the degree of coating is a matter of choice , dependent upon desired properties , and may be varied by varying exposure of the silver particles to halogen , as seen in examples 1 and 2 . the silver metallizing compositions normally comprise , in addition to silver and inert liquid vehicle , finely divided inorganic binder . the inorganic binder is present to promote adhesion of the metal to the substrate on firing . the chemical nature of the inorganic binder is not critical ; the binder is selected according to principles well known in the art dependent upon the final properties desired . glassy ( vitreous ) and / or glass ceramic materials may be employed . the powders are finely divided , i . e ., the particles are generally sufficiently finely divided to pass through a 200 mesh screen , preferably a 400 mesh screen ( u . s . standard sieve scale ). the powders are finely divided to be useful in conventional screen or stencil printing operations , and to facilitate sintering . the compositions are prepared from the solids and vehicles by mechanical mixing and printed as a film on ceramic dielectric substrates in the conventional manner . any inert liquid may be used as the vehicle . water or any one of various organic liquids , with or without thickening and / or stabilizing agents and / or other common additives , may be used as the vehicle . exemplary of the organic liquids which can be used are the aliphatic alcohols ; esters of such alcohols , for example , the acetates and propionates ; terpenes such as pine oil , terpineol and the like ; solutions of resins such as the polymethacrylates of lower alcohols , or solutions of ethylcellulose , in solvents such as pine oil and the monobutyl ether of ethylene glycol monoacetate . the vehicle may contain or be composed of volatile liquids to promote fast setting after application to the substrate . the ratio of inert liquid vehicle to solids in the dispersions may vary considerably and depends upon the manner in which the dispersion is to be applied and the kind of vehicle used . generally , from 0 . 2 to 20 parts by weight of solids per part by weight of vehicle will be used to produce a dispersion of the desired consistency . preferred dispersions contain 20 - 75 % vehicle . the compositions are then printed by conventional thick - film printing techniques . by &# 34 ; thick film &# 34 ; is meant films obtained by printing dispersions of powders ( usually in an inert vehicle ) on a substrate using techniques such as screen and stencil printing , as opposed to the so - called &# 34 ; thin &# 34 ; films deposited by evaporation or sputtering . thick - film technology is discussed generally in handbook of materials and processes for electronics , c . a . harper , editor , mcgraw - hill , new york , 1970 , chapter 11 . the compositions are then fired below the melting point of the silver and glass substrate to sinter or cure the silver pattern and make it adherent to the glass substrate . the actual temperature used is dependent on these melting points , and is dependent on the particular compositions employed and the desired degree of sintering , as will be known to those skilled in the art . generally , shorter firing times may be employed at higher temperatures . the following examples are given to illustrate the present invention . all parts , percentages , ratios , etc ., in the specification and claims are given by weight , unless otherwise stated . two hundred grams of silver powder having an average particle diameter about 1 micron were suspended in 2 . 5 l . of water . a solution was prepared consisting of 0 . 2 g . of iodine , 1 . 0 g . ki and 1200 ml . of water . after the iodine had completely dissolved turning the solution a deep brown color , the ki / i 2 solution was poured into the silver suspension and stirring was continued for 30 minutes . the powder was then allowed to settle ; the brown color had completely disappeared , indicating that the iodine ( or ki 3 ) had reacted with the silver . the coated silver powder was filtered , washed free of ki and dried . the dry powder was mixed with lead borate glass powder (- 325 mesh ) and printing vehicle in the following proportions : 70 % silver , 10 % lead borate , and 20 % vehicle ( 10 % ethylcellulose , 90 % terpineol ). this paste was used to print a silver pattern which was a line 24 inches long and 0 . 030 inch wide in a serpentine array on a 4 inch square glass panel . the printed substrate was fired to 625 ° c . and cooled to room temperature . resistance was measured and then the panel was tested for chemical resistance to partially cured neoprene by placing the fired panel in contact with a rope of partially cured sulfurized neoprene for 150 hours in a cabinet held at 40 ° c . and 100 % relative humidity . the electrical resistance was again measured after the neoprene test . the electrical and chemical resistance were compared against an identical panel using the same composition except that silver not treated with iodine was used . the silver iodide coated silver of this invention was observed to have a resistance of 1 . 7 ohms , both before and after exposure to the neoprene , whereas silver not so treated underwent a substantial change in resistance during exposure to neoprene , from 1 . 2 to 2 . 0 ohms . further indication of chemical reactivity of the untreated silver was that exposure to neoprene in the above test caused the pattern to change from silvery white to very dark grey , while the color of the pattern produced according to this invention with silver iodide coated silver remained silvery grey in appearance even after exposure . example 1 was repeated except that 0 . 5 g . of iodine was used instead of 0 . 2 g . results were the same except that resistance was 2 . 7 ohms before and after the neoprene exposure test . silver particles are coated with silver halide by similarly agitating a slurry of silver particles with ( a ) a solution of iodine dissolved in alcohol , ether , or acetone ( no ki need be present ), ( b ) an aqueous solution of chlorine , or ( c ) an ether solution of bromine . | 7Electricity
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it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that many uses and variations arc possible for the systems and methods described herein . the following detailed description includes various exemplary embodiments . other embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art given the benefit of this disclosure . the drawings are merely exemplary , and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure . fig1 is a block diagram of a voltage control circuit according to a first exemplary embodiment . the exemplary voltage control circuit may be used as a power supply circuit for supplying a stable lower voltage to logic circuits and / or other components operated at 5v , for example , in an electronic apparatus operated at a higher main power supply voltage of , for example , 24v . the voltage control circuit 6 f fig1 includes an npn 3 having a collector connected to an input terminal 1 provided with a main power supply voltage of the input voltage vi , and an emitter connected to an output terminal 2 outputting a stable lower voltage of an output voltage vo . the base of the npn 3 is connected to the node n 1 , and a resistor 4 is connected between the above node n 1 and the input terminal 1 . furthermore , one end of a resistor 5 is connected to the node n 1 , and the other end of the resistor 5 is connected to a node n 2 . in addition , the collector of the npn 6 is connected to the node n 2 , and the emitter of the npn 6 is connected to a node n 3 . the collector and base of a npn 7 are diode - connected to each other in a forward direction and are connected to the node n 3 . ( a “ diode - connected ” transistor is a transistor in which two terminals are shorted to give diode action . npn 7 is referred to as “ forward connected ” because its collector and base arc shorted .) the emitter of the npn 7 is connected to a node n 4 , and the node n 4 is connected to the ground voltage gnd through a resistor 8 . a voltage divider includes resistors 9 , 10 , and is connected between the output terminal 2 and the ground voltage gnd . a voltage vd is provided to the base of the npn 6 . in addition , a phase compensation circuit for preventing oscillation and including a capacitor 11 and a resistor 12 is connected between the node n 1 and a base of the npn 6 . furthermore , a source of a p - channel mos ( metal - oxide semiconductor ) transistor ( hereinafter referred to as “ pmos ”) 13 is connected to the - node n 1 , and a drain of the pmos 13 is connected to the ground voltage gnd . the gate of the pmos 13 is connected to the node n 2 . the voltage control circuit of fig1 operates as follows : if the voltage inputted to the input terminal 1 is vi , the voltage outputted from the output terminal 2 is vo , the resistance of the resistor 4 is r 4 , and the current flowing through the resistor 4 is ic , then the current ic is given by the following formula ( 1 ): in addition , if the current flowing through the resistor 5 is i o , the current flowing through the pmos 13 is ip , and the base current of the npn 3 is neglected , then the relationship between ic , i o , and ip is given by the following formula ( 2 ): a current ip flowing through the pmos 13 is generally given by the flowing formula ( 3 ): in the above formula , k is a constant , vgs is a gate - source voltage of the pmos 13 , vt is a threshold voltage . since vgs is the voltage across resistor 5 , if the resistance of the resistor 5 is r 5 , then vgs = r 5 × i o . consequently , the formula ( 3 ) is changed to the formula ( 4 ). meanwhile , since a voltage vd applied to a base of the npn 6 is obtained by dividing the output voltage vo by resistors 9 , 10 , if resistances of the resistors 9 , 10 are r 9 and r 10 , respectively , then the voltage vd is given by the following formula ( 5 ). furthermore , since the voltage vd equals the sum of the base - emitter voltages of the npns 6 , 7 and the voltage across resistor 8 , if a resistance of the resistor 8 is r 8 , then the voltage vd is given by the following formula ( 6 ). consequently , the required output voltage vo is outputted corresponding to the input voltage vi by setting appropriately the resistances of r 4 , r 5 , r 8 to r 10 based on the formulas ( 1 ) to ( 6 ). variations of the output voltage vo in the case where the load current , the input voltage , and the temperature vary in the above voltage control circuit are discussed below . in the voltage control circuit depicted in fig1 , when the output voltage vo falls ( by an increase in the load current , for example ) voltage vd also falls . consequently , the base voltage of the npn 6 falls , and the current i o flowing through the npn 6 decreases . as a result , the current ic flowing through the resistor 4 decreases , and the base voltage of the npn 3 rises . accordingly , the emitter current of the npn 3 increases and the output voltage vo rises so as to control the output voltage to the required voltage . meanwhile , when the output voltage vo rises ( by a decrease , of the load current , for example ) the voltage vd correspondingly rises to raise the base voltage of the npn 6 , and the current i o flowing through the npn 6 increases . accordingly , the current ic flowing through the resistor 4 also increases to reduce the base voltage of the npn 3 , and the emitter current of the npn 3 decreases . consequently , the output voltage vo falls so as to control the voltage to the required output voltage vo . when the required output voltage vo is produced corresponding to a given input voltage vi , when the input voltage vi rises , the current ic flowing through the resistor 4 increases , as given by formula ( 1 ). then , the current ic is divided to current i o ( through the resistor 5 ) and current ip ( through the pmos 13 ). when the current i o through the resistor 5 increases due to an increase in the input voltage vi , a gate - source voltage vgs of the pmos 13 increases to reduce an on - resistance of the pmos 13 . consequently , the current ip through the pmos 13 increases to restrain the variation ( increase ) of the current i o . meanwhile , when the input voltage falls , the current ic through the resistor 4 decreases . when the current i o through the resistor 5 decreases due to a decrease of the current ic , the gate - source voltage vgs of the pmos 13 decreases to increase the on - resistance of the pmos 13 . consequently , the current ip through the pmos 13 decreases to restrain the variation ( decrease ) of the current i o . as discussed above , since the variation of the current ic caused by the variation of the input voltage vi can be absorbed by the pmos 13 connected in parallel to the current path of the current i o ( the resistor 5 , the npns 6 , 7 , and the resistor 8 ), the variation of the current i o can be restrained and the variation of the output voltage vo can be restrained , as well . generally , as temperature rises , the reverse saturation current of a bipolar transistor increases and the base - emitter voltage vf decreases . meanwhile , as a temperature rises , the resistance of a resistor increases . in the voltage control circuit of fig1 , when the ambient temperature rises , the base - emitter voltages vf of the npns 6 , 7 decrease and the resistance r 8 of the resistor 8 simultaneously increases , and then the voltage drop across the resistor 8 increases . when the ambient temperature falls , the base - emitter voltages vf of the npns 6 , 7 increase and the resistance r 8 of the resistor 8 simultaneously decreases , and then the voltage drop across the above resistor 8 decreases . consequently , since a negative temperature coefficient of the base - emitter voltage vf and positive temperature characteristics of the voltage drop caused by the resistor 8 cancel each other , the temperature variation of the voltage vd is restrained to suppress the variation of the current i o , and , accordingly , the variation of the output voltage vo is restrained . in particular , the output voltage vo may be made immune to temperature variations by selecting one or more of the serially diode - connected npns 7 and the resistance r 8 of the resistor 8 so that the temperature coefficient becomes zero . as discussed above , the voltage control circuit of fig1 is configured so that the current ip through the pmos 13 is controlled based on the current i o by connecting the pmos 13 in parallel with the path of the current i o ( the resistor 5 , the npns 6 , 7 , and the resistor 8 ). by employing such a configuration , when the current i o increases , most of the increased current is divided to the pmos 13 as the current ip , and when the current i o decreases , the decreased current is returned back from the current ip to the current i o side . consequently , the current i o can be maintained approximately constant independently of the variation of the input voltage vi and a constant output voltage vo can be outputted by the simplified circuit configuration . furthermore , since the control voltage vd is generated by serially connecting the npns 6 , 7 and the resistor 8 , which have complementary characteristics to each other , respectively , a constant output voltage vo immune to changes in the ambient temperature can be obtained . fig3 is a block diagram of a voltage control circuit according to a second exemplary embodiment . in general , the elements identical to those ones in fig1 are given the same numerals as in fig1 . the voltage control circuit of fig3 is configured to use a pnp - type transistor ( hereinafter referred to as “ pnp ”) instead of the pmos 13 of fig1 . the emitter of the pnp 14 is connected to the node n 1 , the collector is connected to the ground voltage , and the base is connected to the node n 2 . other configurations are generally the same as in fig1 . operations of the voltage control circuit of fig3 are basically the same as those described above for the voltage control circuit of fig1 . however , since the pnp bipolar transistor 14 is used instead of the pmos 13 , there is ah advantage that the sensitivity to restrain the variation of the output voltage vo can be improved compared with the circuit shown in fig1 , and the temperature characteristics can be improved as well . the present disclosure is not limited to the aforementioned exemplary embodiments , and various modifications are possible . for example , several exemplary modifications are described below : ( a ) the circuit configuration for the case in which the input voltage vi and the output voltage vo are positive is shown ; however , in a case where the input voltage vi and the output voltage vo are negative , the same configuration is possible by reversing the transistor conductive type ( for example , using a pnp type instead of an npn type ). ( b ) the component depicted as the diode - connected npn 7 is not limited to a single npn transistor , and embodiments may include a plurality of serially connected npns 7 corresponding to a required output voltage vo . ( c ) a phase compensation circuit for preventing oscillation ( such as the capacitor 11 and the resistor 12 ) can be added as heeded . following from the above description and invention summaries , it should be apparent to persons of ordinary skill in the art that , while the systems herein described constitute exemplary embodiments , it is to be understood that this disclosure is not limited to the above precise embodiments and that changes may be made without departing from the scope of the claims . likewise , it is to be understood that the invention is defined by the claims and it is not necessary to meet any or all of the identified advantages or objects of the invention disclosed herein in order to fall within the scope of the claims , since inherent and / or unforeseen advantages of the present invention may exist even though they may not have been explicitly discussed herein . | 6Physics
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according to fig1 - 5 , a closure assembly 1 is provided on the top end 2 of a can 2a . the closure assembly 1 comprises a closure element 4 and a plastic insert 8 having a pouring aperture 3 . the closure is normally retained in the aperture by a bayonet type connection 14 . in place of the plastic insert 8 , a metal fitting or a suitable deformation of the can top 2 can be provided for receiving the closure element 4 . in the embodiment of fig3 to 5 , an anchor 7 is initially joined to the closure element 4 by three frangible bridges 10 separated by perforations . the anchor 7 is fastened firmly on an extension 12 of the plastic insert 8 by means of the pin 11 ( fig1 ). the pin 11 extends through a hole 13 in the anchor 7 and is flattened at its upper end by heating so that the anchor 7 is permanently connected to the plastic insert 8 . a lever arm 9 provided on the closure element 4 facilitates opening and closing of the closure element 4 . in order to open the container , the lever arm 9 is grasped and rotated in the clockwise direction . as shown in fig4 first of all the bridges 10 are ruptured , providing a visible indication that the container has been opened . then , after being rotated approximately 35 degrees , the bayonet type connection disengages and the closure element 4 can be removed from the aperture . thereafter , as shown by fig5 the closure element 4 remains tethered to the anchor 7 and thus to the can end 2 . preferably , the plastic insert 8 and the extension 12 are formed as a single piece injection molded component . the closure element 4 , the connecting member 5 and the anchor 7 are likewise manufactured as a single piece by the injection molding method . the plastic insert 8 can be inserted into the can end and then closed by the closure element 4 . alternatively , it is possible for the plastic insert 8 and the closure element 4 to be preassembled and later jointly affixed in the can end 2 . as can mainly be seen from fig2 and 6 - 10 , a cylindrical plug element 16 is provided on the closure element 4 . this plug element protrudes into the aperture defined by the cylindrical wall portion 19 of the plastic insert 8 . four dogs 17 are provided on the plug element 16 , and four complementary dogs 20 are formed on the plastic insert 8 , protruding inwardly from the cylindrical wall portion 19 . the elements 17 and 20 form a bayonet type connection 14 . the dogs 17 and 20 have respective bearing surfaces 17a and 20a . fig6 to 12 are diagrams intended mainly to show the function of the dogs 17 , 20 , without necessarily being true to scale or definitive of the exact arrangement of the dogs 17 , 20 on their respective parts . each of the bearing surfaces 20a shown in fig6 to 10 on the cylindrical wall portion 19 has a curved bottom surface 23 which runs slightly oblique to the horizontal . after insertion of the closure element 4 , the inclined surface 23 slides over the bearing surface 17a , pulling the plug into the aperture and thereby creating a sealing connection between the sealing rim 25 and the sealing groove 26 . during opening of the closure , in accordance with fig8 the bearing surface 17a slides under the inclined surface 23 . if , as suggested in fig8 the closure element 4 is pressed upwards by internal pressure within the can , the protrusions 27 , 28 on the bearing surfaces 17a , 20a respectively will strike one another so that further rotation of the closure element 4 is impossible , as can be seen in fig8 . the protrusions 27 , 28 therefore together constitute an interlocking means 22 which prevents complete opening of the closure element 4 as long as internal pressure exists within the can and the closure element is accordingly pressed upwards . in the position illustrated in fig8 the sealing rim 25 and the sealing groove 26 are out of engagement so that the internal pressure within the can is able to escape . as soon as the internal pressure has sufficiently lowered , the closure element 4 can be pushed into the plastic insert sufficiently far that the protrusions 27 , 28 disengage . the position shown in fig8 and 9 corresponds to the position in fig4 while the position according to fig7 corresponds to the position in fig3 . once the interlocking means 22 has disengaged , the closure element 4 can be further rotated , whereupon the bayonet connection 14 is free and the closure element 4 can be removed from the aperture , as shown in fig5 . fig1 shows a modified embodiment wherein an inclined surface 23 , 23a is provided both on the dog 17 on the closure element 4 and on the dog 20 on the cylindrical wall portion 19 . with this design , the opening or closing rotational travel of the plug is increased . fig1 shows another embodiment wherein , as an inter - locking means 22 , a protrusion 27 is provided on the dog 17 , opposite a recess 29 on the dog 20 . when the closure element 4 is opened , the protrusion 27 slides into the recess 29 as the closure element 4 is pressed upwards by internal pressure within the can . only after pressure is relieved can the connection be completely unscrewed . inasmuch as the invention is subject to modifications and variations , the foregoing description and accompanying drawings should not be regarded as limiting the invention , which is de - fined by the following claims and various combinations thereof : | 1Performing Operations; Transporting
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in the reconstituted charged slurry obtained by the process of the invention , the weight ratio zinc : aqueous group ia metal hydroxide ( s ) solution is preferably 1 : 0 . 5 - 2 . 0 , and when component ( c ) is present the preferred zinc : ( c ) weight ratio is 1 : 0 . 0005 - 0 . 04 . components ( d ), ( e ), ( f ) and ( g ), if any or all of these are present in the reconstituted charged slurry , are preferably present within the following weight percentages based on the weight of the total slurry , namely , ( d ) 0 . 3 - 3 . 0 %, ( e ) 1 . 0 - 10 . 0 %, ( f ) 0 . 001 - 1 . 0 % and ( g ) 0 . 1 - 10 . 0 %, provided that the percentage of zinc in the slurry is within the range of 33 . 3 - 67 . 0 wt . %, preferably 45 . 0 - 60 . 0 wt . %. it is preferred that in step ( ii ) the current density at the cathode ( which may be , for example , within the range 10 - 600 milliamp ./ cm 2 ) is preselected so that in conjunction with the non - zinc - adherent characteristic of the cathode , the electrowon zinc will have , after consolidating into a particular structure , a density within the range 0 . 3 - 1 . 1 g ./ cc and a surface area within the range 0 . 75 - 5 . 0 m 2 / g . exemplary non - zinc - adherent cathodes may be made of , e . g ., magnesium , titanium or stainless steel . an exemplary corrosion - resistant anode may be made of , e . g ., nickel , sintered nickel , or nickel mesh with a surface coating of cobalt / nickel oxide catalyst . the electrolysis step may , for example , be carried out at a temperature within the range 20 °- 35 ° c ., e . g . for a time period of between 10 and 60 minutes . it is also contemplated that the electrolysis step may be carried out continuously , as part of an overall continuous or semi - continuous regeneration process . illustratively , the dissolved phase separated in step ( i ) may be from 5 to 12 molar in potassium ions and may contain from 1 to 100 g ./ l . dissolved zinc . the electrolysis may be carried out until ( by way of example ) no more than 20 g ./ l . of zinc remains in the solution . the process of the invention will now be illustrated by the following non - limitative example . a zinc - containing electrolyte slurry was prepared for discharge in a zinc - air cell . the slurry was made by thoroughly mixing together zinc powder ( 50 g ., 30 mesh , having a density and surface area , respectively , of approximately 0 . 6 g ./ cc . and 1 . 0 m 2 / g . ), 30 wt . % aqueous potassium hydroxide solution ( 40 g . ), acheson graphite ( 7 . 5 g .) as conductive filler , mercuric oxide ( 2 g .) as zinc - corrosion inhibitor and polyacrylic acid ( 0 . 5 g .) as gelling agent . the slurry had a density of approximately 2 g ./ ml . ; it was a gel - like suspension which exhibited no segregation of zinc particles and no appreciable generation of hydrogen over a time period . there was about 25 ml . slurry introduced into the slurry compartment of a zinc - air cell , when about 10 ahr . of discharge capacity was observed , 1 a for 10 hours at an average voltage of 1 . 2 v until a 1 v cutoff . at this point , there was only about one - half of the zinc had actually been discharged . the partially discharged slurry was rinsed out of the cell with the aid of about 250 ml . 30 wt . % aqueous potassium hydroxide solution containing 2 wt . % dissolved zinc oxide . the slurry / rinsing solution mixture was stirred for about 30 minutes at 50 ° c . this mixture contained dissolved potassium zincate , potassium hydroxide and gelling agent , and undissolved zinc particles , corrosion inhibitor and graphite filler . the solid and liquid components were separated by filtration through porous nylon and the filtered solids were retained for later reformulation . the clear filtrate was transferred to an electrolytic bath which contained two immersed nickel anodes flanking a central stainless steel cathode . each plate had the dimensions 50 × 50 × 1 mm . and was fitted with current carrying leads ; there was a 10 mm . space on each side between the cathode and the anodes . the electrolyte was circulated at a rate of 25 ml ./ minute while a current of 25 a was applied ( 500 milliamp / cm 2 at the cathode ) at a voltage of 3 v . the bath temperature was maintained at 20 °- 30 ° c . by external cooling . the electrolyte returning from the cooler was directed so as to stream between the plates , entering at the base of the bath and exiting at above the level of the top of the plates , thereby immediately removing the hot liquid zone and any gas bubbles . from time to time , deionized water or alkali was added to the bath to maintain the alkali concentration . the cathode was transferred to a separate container every ten minutes , where the deposited zinc was removed and consolidated into a particulate structure by means of a revolving nylon brush , while a clean cathode was placed in the electrolytic bath to continue the zinc recovery process . the brush was operated at 1000 rpm for three minutes , which afforded alkali - moist zinc particles below about 30 mesh particle size , suitable for reformulation of the slurry for re - use in the battery discharge process . the zinc particles had a density of 0 . 7 g ./ cc and a surface area of 1 . 1 m 2 / g . after about 30 minutes of electrolyzing the separated liquid phase from the discharged slurry , the bath was found on analysis to contain about 2 wt . % zinc , the original concentration of the slurry rinse - out solution . this indicated that all of the zinc in the dissolved phase of the discharged slurry had been recovered . on a duplicate run , with washing ( to remove alkali ) and drying of the electrolytically recovered zinc , the dry zinc content of the particles was about 12 . 5 g ., indicating a current efficiency of about 80 % at the specified current density . approximately , 25 ml . of slurry were reconstituted for a further discharge cycle in the zinc - air cell . the alkali - moist zinc particles were mixed with the solid residue from the nylon filter and 10 ml . more of alkaline rinse solution . the mixture was stirred for one hour to ensure adequate equilibration of the inhibitor additive with freshly regenerated zinc particles . an extra make - up quantity of 0 . 25 wt . % polyacrylic acid gelling agent was added to the reformulated slurry , because , the gelling agent previously present in the electrolyte had been unduly diluted and to some extent destroyed by the recovery process steps . the slurry now appeared gel - like as before and exhibited neither obvious segregation of zinc particles nor generation of hydrogen bubbles . in the zinc air cell , it gave an equivalent discharge performance to the first run . the zn : k ratio in the slurry ( which contained approximately 50 wt . % zn ), as determined by atomic absorption spectroscopy , was about 6 : 1 . while the invention has been particularly described , it will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that many modifications and variations are possible . the invention is accordingly not to be construed as limited to the particularly described embodiments , rather its concept , scope and spirit are to be understood in the light of the claims which follow . | 8General tagging of new or cross-sectional technology
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n - tert - butoxycarbonyl - 2 - pyrrolidinones of the formula ( 1 ) [ hereinafter , abbreviated as boc - 2 - pyrrolidinones ( 1 ) in some cases ] can be obtained by reacting 2 - pyrrolidinones of the formula ( 2 ) [ hereinafter , abbreviated as 2 - pyrrolidinones ( 2 ) in some cases ] with di - tert - butyl dicarbonate in an aromatic solvent . this reaction is preferably carried out in the presence of a base in an aromatic solvent . r 1 , r 2 , r 3 , r 4 , r 5 and r 6 in the above - described 2 - pyrrolidinones ( 2 ) represent each independently a hydrogen atom , halogen atom , cyano group , optionally substituted linear , branched or cyclic alkyl group having 1 to 10 carbon atoms , optionally substituted linear , branched or cyclic alkenyl group having 2 to 10 carbon atoms , optionally substituted aryl group having 6 to 20 carbon atoms , optionally substituted amino group , — or a group , or — sr b group , r a and r b represent each independently a hydrogen atom , alkylcarbonyl group having 2 to 10 carbon atoms , arylcarbonyl group having 7 to 20 carbon atoms , aralkyl group having 7 to 20 carbon atoms , alkoxyalkyl group having 2 to 10 carbon atoms , trialkylsilyl group having 3 to 10 carbon atoms , alkyl group having 1 to 10 carbon atoms , aryl group having 6 to 20 carbon atoms . alternatively , r 1 and r 2 may be connected to form a & gt ; c ═ o group together with a carbon atom to which they are connected , r 3 and r 4 may be connected to form a & gt ; c ═ o group together with a carbon atom to which they are connected , r 5 and r 6 may be connected to form a & gt ; c ═ o group together with a carbon atom to which they are connected . alternatively , any two of r 1 , r 2 , r 3 , r 4 , r 5 and r 6 may be connected to form an optionally substituted polymethylene group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms . one or no - mutually - adjacent two methylene groups constituting the polymethylene group may be substituted by an oxygen atom or sulfur atom , one or two ethylene groups constituting the polymethylene group may be substituted by a vinylene group . no - mutually - adjacent two methylene groups constituting the polymethylene group may be mutually connected via an oxygen atom , sulfur atom , methylene group , ethylene group or vinylene group . as the substituent optionally substituted on the polymethylene group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms , the same substituents as those represented by r 1 , r 2 , r 3 , r 4 , r 5 and r 6 described above are mentioned . it is preferable that r 1 , r 2 , r 3 , r 4 , r 5 and r 6 represent each independently a hydrogen atom or an optionally substituted linear or branched alkyl group having 1 to 3 carbon atoms , alternatively , any two of these groups are connected to form an optionally substituted polymethylene group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms . further , it is preferable that r 1 , r 2 , r 4 and r 6 represent a hydrogen atom , and r 3 and r 5 are connected to form an optionally substituted polymethylene group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms . here , the halogen atom includes a chlorine atom , bromine atom , fluorine atom , iodine atom . examples of the optionally substituted alkyl group having 1 to 10 carbon atoms include linear alkyl groups having 1 to 10 carbon atoms such as a methyl group , ethyl group , n - propyl group , isopropyl group , n - butyl group and the like ; cyclic alkyl groups having 3 to 10 carbon atoms such as a cyclopentyl group , cyclohexyl group and the like ; halogenated alkyl groups such as a chloromethyl group , dichloromethyl group , trichloromethyl group , fluoromethyl group , difluoromethyl group , trifluoromethyl group and the like ; hydroxyalkyl groups such as a hydroxymethyl group or hydroxyethyl group and the like optionally substituted with a substituent such as an acetyl group , benzoyl group , benzyl group , phenyl group , methyl group , methoxymethyl group , trimethylsilyl group and the like ; aminoalkyl groups such as an aminomethyl group , aminoethyl group and the like optionally having a substituent such as an acetyl group , benzoyl group , methyl group , benzyl group , phenyl group , tert - butoxycarbonyl - group , benzyloxycarbonyl group and the like ; hydroxycarbonylalkyl groups such as a hydroxycarbonylmethyl group , hydroxycarbonylethyl group and the like optionally having a substituent such as a methyl group , ethyl group , n - propyl group , isopropyl group , benzyl group and the like ; aralkyl groups such as a phenylmethyl group , phenylethyl group and the like optionally substituted with a halogen atom , alkoxy group , hydroxyl group , nitro group , cyano group , alkyl group having 1 to 6 carbon atoms , aryl group and the like . examples of the optionally substituted alkenyl group having 2 to 10 carbon atoms include alkenyl groups having 2 to 10 carbon atoms such as a vinyl group , ethenyl group , 1 - propenyl group , 2 - propenyl group , 1 - butenyl group , 2 - butenyl group , 3 - butenyl group and the like ; hydroxycarbonylalkenyl groups such as a hydroxycarbonylethenyl group and the like optionally substituted with a substituent such as a methyl group , ethyl group , n - propyl group , isopropyl group , benzyl group and the like . examples of the optionally substituted aryl group having 6 to 20 carbon atoms include a phenyl group , naphthyl group and the like optionally substituted with a halogen atom , alkoxy group , hydroxyl group , nitro group , cyano group , alkyl group having 1 to 6 carbon atoms and the like . examples of the optionally substituted amino group include amino groups optionally substituted with a substituent such as an acetyl group , benzoyl group , methyl group , benzyl group , tert - butoxycarbonyl - group , benzyloxycarbonyl group and the like , and oxime groups such as a hydroxyimino group , methoxyimino group and the like . examples of r a of the — or a group include a hydrogen atom , alkylcarbonyl groups having 1 to 10 carbon atoms such as an acetyl group and the like , arylcarbonyl groups having 6 to 20 carbon atoms such as a benzoyl group and the like , arylalkyl groups having 6 to 20 carbon atoms such as a benzyl group and the like , alkoxyalkyl groups having 1 to 10 carbon atoms such as a methoxymethyl group and the like , trialkylsilyl groups having 1 to 10 carbon atoms such as a trimethylsilyl group and the like , alkyl groups having 1 to 10 carbon atoms such as a methyl group , ethyl group , n - propyl group , isopropyl group , tert - butyl group and the like , aryl groups having 6 to 20 carbon atoms such as a phenyl group , and the like . examples of r b of the — sr b group include a hydrogen atom , alkylcarbonyl groups having 1 to 10 carbon atoms such as an acetyl group and the like , arylcarbonyl groups having 6 to 20 carbon atoms such as a benzoyl group and the like , arylalkyl groups having 6 to 20 carbon atoms such as a benzyl group and the like , alkoxyalkyl groups having 1 to 10 carbon atoms such as a methoxymethyl group and the like , trialkylsilyl groups having 1 to 10 carbon atoms such as a trimethylsilyl group and the like , alkyl groups having 1 to 10 carbon atoms such as a methyl group , ethyl group , n - propyl group , isopropyl group , tert - butyl group and the like , aryl groups having 6 to 20 carbon atoms such as a phenyl group , and the like . as the specific structure of the group to be formed by connecting any two of r 1 , r 2 , r 3 , r 4 , r 5 and r 6 , divalent groups of the following formulae , and the like are mentioned . — ch 2 —, —( ch 2 ) 2 —, —( ch 2 ) 3 —, —( ch 2 ) 4 —, ( ch 3 ) 2 c & lt ;, ( cl ) 2 c & lt ;, ( f ) 2 c & lt ;, & gt ; ch ( co 2 c 2 h 5 ) examples of the 2 - pyrrolidinones ( 2 ) include 2 - pyrrolidinone , 3 - methyl - 2 - pyrrolidinone , 4 - methyl - 2 - pyrrolidinone , 5 - methyl - 2 - pyrrolidinone , 4 , 4 - dimethyl - 2 - pyrrolidinone , 5 , 5 - dimethyl - 2 - pyrrolidinone , 3 - ethyl - 2 - pyrrolidinone , 4 - propyl - 2 - pyrrolidinone , 4 - cyclohexyl - 2 - pyrrolidinone , 4 - methyl - 4 - propyl - 2 - pyrrolidinone , 2 - azabicyclo [ 3 , 1 , 0 ] hexan - 3 - one , 3 - azabicyclo [ 3 . 1 . 0 ] hexan - 2 - one , 6 , 6 - dimethyl - 3 - azabicyclo [ 3 . 1 . 0 ] hexan - 2 - one , 2 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 1 ] heptan - 3 - one , 2 - azabicyclo [ 3 . 3 . 0 ] octan - 3 - one , 3 - azabicyclo [ 3 . 3 . 0 ] octan - 2 - one , 7 - azabicyclo [ 4 . 3 . 0 ] nonan - 8 - one , 8 - azabicyclo [ 4 . 3 . 0 ] nonan - 7 - one , 4 - azatricyclo [ 5 . 2 . 1 . 0 2 . 6 ] decan - 3 - one , 4 - azatricyclo [ 5 . 2 . 2 . 0 2 . 6 ] undecan - 3 - one , 2 - azaspiro [ 4 . 4 ] nonan - 3 - one , spiro [ bicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] octan - 2 , 3 ′- pyrrolidin ]- 5 ′- one , 3 -( 2 - propenyl )- 2 - pyrrolidinone , 2 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 1 ] hepta - 5 - en - 3 - one , 3 - azabicyclo [ 3 . 2 . 0 ] heptan - 2 - one , 2 - azabicyclo [ 3 . 3 . 0 ] octa - 7 - en - 3 - one , 8 - azabicyclo [ 4 . 3 . 0 ] nonan - 3 - en - 7 - one , 4 - azatricyclo [ 5 . 2 . 1 . 0 2 . 6 ] decan - 8 - en - 3 - one , 4 - azatricyclo [ 5 . 2 . 2 . 0 2 . 6 ] undecan - 8 - en - 3 - one , 6 , 6 - dichloro - 3 - azabicyclo [ 3 . 1 . 0 ] hexan - 2 - one , 6 , 6 - difluoro - 3 - azabicyclo [ 3 . 1 . 0 ] hexan - 2 - one , 3 - benzyl - 2 - pyrrolidinone , 5 - benzyl - 2 - pyrrolidinone , 4 - benzyl - 4 - methyl - 2 - pyrrolidinone , 6 - ethoxycarbonyl - 3 - azabicyclo [ 3 . 1 . 0 ] hexan - 2 - one , ethyl 2 -( 5 - oxopyrrolidin - 2 - yl ) acetate , methyl 3 -( 2 - oxopyrrolidin - 3 - yl ) acrylate , 3 - phenyl - 2 - pyrrolidinone , 4 - phenyl - 2 - pyrrolidinone , 5 - diphenyl - 2 - pyrrolidinone , 5 -( 3 - hydroxyphenyl )- 2 - pyrrolidinone , 1 - phenyl - 3 - azabicyclo [ 3 . 1 . 0 ] hexan - 2 - one , 4 - chloro - 2 - pyrrolidinone , 4 , 4 - difluoro - 2 - pyrrolidinone , 4 - hydroxy - 2 - pyrrolidinone , 3 - hydroxy - 2 - pyrrolidinone , 4 - acetoxy - 2 - pyrrolidinone , 4 - methoxy - 2 - pyrrolidinone , 4 - tert - butoxy - 2 - pyrrolidinone , 4 - benzyloxy - 2 - pyrrolidinone , 4 - phenyloxy - 2 - pyrrolidinone , 3 - hydroxy - 4 - methyl - 2 - pyrrolidinone , 3 - hydroxy - 3 - methyl - 2 - pyrrolidinone , 4 - hydroxy - 5 - hydroxymethyl - 2 - pyrrolidinone , 3 , 3 - dimethyl - 2 , 4 - dioxa - 7 - azabicyclo [ 3 . 3 . 0 ] octan - 6 - one , 3 - phenyl - 2 , 4 - dioxa - 7 - azabicyclo [ 3 . 3 . 0 ] octan - 6 - one , 3 , 3 - dimethyl - 2 - oxa - 7 - azabicyclo [ 3 . 3 . 0 ] octan - 6 - one , 1 , 4 - dioxa - 7 - azaspiro [ 4 . 4 ] nonan - 8 - one , 4 - aza - 10 - oxa - tricyclo [ 5 . 2 . 1 . 0 2 . 6 ] decan - 3 - one , 4 - aza - 10 - oxa - tricyclo [ 5 . 2 . 1 . 0 2 . 6 ] decan - 8 - en - 3 - one , 3 - hydroxy - 9 - azabicyclo [ 4 . 3 . 0 ] nonan - 8 - one , 4 - mercapto - 2 - pyrrolidinone , 4 - mercapto - 5 - methyl - 2 - pyrrolidinone , 4 - phenylthio - 2 - pyrrolidinone , 1 , 4 - dithia - 7 - azaspiro [ 4 . 4 ] nonan - 8 - one , 1 , 4 - dithia - 7 - azaspiro [ 4 . 4 ] nonan - 6 - one , 6 , 10 - dithia - 2 - azaspiro [ 4 . 5 ] decan - 3 - one , 4 - acetylamino - 2 - pyrrolidinone , 4 - dimethylamino - 2 - pyrrolidinone , 4 - benzylamino - 2 - pyrrolidinone , 4 - benzoylamino - 2 - pyrrolidinone , 4 - tert - butoxycarbonylamino - 2 - pyrrolidinone , 4 - benzyloxycarbonylamino - 2 - pyrrolidinone , 3 - acetylamino - 2 - pyrrolidinone , 3 - dimethylamino - 2 - pyrrolidinone , 3 - benzylamino - 2 - pyrrolidinone , 3 - benzoylamino - 2 - pyrrolidinone , 3 - tert - butoxycarbonylamino - 2 - pyrrolidinone , 3 - benzyloxycarbonylamino - 2 - pyrrolidinone , 4 - tert - butoxycarbonylaminomethyl - 2 - pyrrolidinone , 5 - tert - butoxycarbonylaminomethyl - 2 - pyrrolidinone , 4 - methoxyimino - 2 - pyrrolidinone , succinic imide , 2 , 4 - pyrrolidinedione and the like , and optically active bodies thereof and the like . the 2 - pyrrolidinones ( 2 ) may be produced according to known methods or may be produced by other methods , or commercially available products may be used . examples of the base to be used in the reaction include pyridine , quinoline , isoquinoline , n , n - dimethylaminopyridine , 2 - picoline , 3 - picoline , 4 - picoline , 2 , 3 - lutidine , 2 , 4 - lutidine , 2 , 5 - lutidine , 2 , 6 - lutidine , 3 , 4 - lutidine , 3 , 5 - lutidine , 3 - chloropyridine , 2 - ethyl - 3 - methylpyridine , 5 - ethyl - 2 - methylpyridine , n , n - dimethylaniline , n , n - diethylaniline , triethylamine , tri - n - butylamine , benzyldimethylamine , n - methylmorpholine , phenethyldimethylamine , n - methylpiperidine , 1 , 8 - diazabicyclo [ 5 . 4 . 0 ] undec - 7 - en , 1 , 4 - diazabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] octane , and the like . these bases can be used singly or in combination of two or more . as the base , it is preferable that n , n - dimethylaminopyridine and triethylamine are used each singly , or these are used in combination . the use amount of the base to be used is usually 0 . 01 to 5 mole ratio , preferably 0 . 02 to 1 mole ratio with respect to the 2 - pyrrolidinones ( 2 ). examples of the aromatic solvent to be used in the reaction include benzene , toluene , ethylbenzene , isobutylbenzene , xylene , diethylbenzene , cumene , cymene , diisopropylbenzene , mesitylene , 1 , 2 , 4 , 5 - tetramethylbenzene , chlorobenzene , dichlorobenzene , trichlorobenzene , bromobenzene , dibromobenzene , bromochlorobenzene , fluorobenzene , α , α , α - trifluorotoluene , nitrobenzene , nitrochlorobenzene , benzonitrile , styrene , anisole , dimethoxybenzene , ethyl benzoate , di ( 2 - ethylhexyl ) phthalate , n , n - dimethylaniline , and the like . as preferable aromatic solvents , toluene , xylene , chlorobenzene and α , α , α - trifluorotoluene are mentioned . as a particularly preferably solvent , toluene is mentioned . these solvents may be used in admixture of two or more . the use amount of the aromatic solvent is usually 1 to 50 weight ratio , preferably 1 to 10 weight ratio with respect to the 2 - pyrrolidinones ( 2 ). the use amount of di - tert - butyl dicarbonate is usually 1 to 10 mole ratio , preferably 1 to 2 mole ratio with respect to the 2 - pyrrolidinones ( 2 ). the above - described reaction is carried out , for example , by mixing 2 - pyrrolidinones ( 2 ) and di - tert - butyl dicarbonate and an aromatic solvent , if necessary , a base , and adjusting the mixture at desired reaction temperature . the above - described reaction may also be carried out by dropping a solution composed of di - tert - butyl dicarbonate or di - tert - butyl dicarbonate and a solvent into a solution composed of 2 - pyrrolidinones ( 2 ) and an aromatic solvent , and if necessary , a base . the above - described reaction temperature is usually in the range of 0 ° c . to temperature not higher than the boiling point of the reaction solvent , preferably in the range of 10 to 100 ° c . thus , a reaction solution containing n - boc - formed 2 - pyrrolidinones ( 1 ) is obtained . it is possible that , after completion of the reaction , a solvent is distilled off an isolation performed by silica gel column chromatography , however , usually , a post - treatment operation is carried out for removing a base and the like used in the reaction . in the post - treatment operation , water or an acidic aqueous solution is added to a solution obtained after completion of the n - boc formation reaction and these are mixed , and liquid partitioning is carried out , thereby removing the above - described base into an aqueous solution . the washing operation with water or an acidic aqueous solution may be carried out repeatedly . it is also permissible that after washing with an acidic aqueous solution , washing is repeated using an alkaline aqueous solution or water . examples of the acid to be used in the above - described acidic aqueous solution include inorganic acids ( hydrogen chloride , hydrogen bromide , sulfuric acid , phosphoric acid and the like ) and organic acids ( acetic acid , citric acid and the like ). the use amount of these acids is usually in the range of 0 . 5 to 20 mole ratio , preferably 1 to 5 mole ratio with respect to a base . examples of the base to be used in carrying out the washing operation with an alkaline aqueous solution include alkali metal hydroxides ( sodium hydroxide , potassium hydroxide and the like ), alkali metal carbonates ( sodium carbonate , potassium carbonate and the like ), alkali metal bicarbonates ( sodium hydrogen carbonate , potassium hydrogen carbonate and the like ), etc . in the post - treatment , the aromatic solvent used in the reaction is usually used as it is , and for the purpose of dissolving the product or improving liquid partitioning property , an organic solvent other than the aromatic solvents may be added in performing the washing operation . the kind and use amount of the organic solvent other than the aromatic solvents are not particularly restricted . thus obtained solution can be subjected to concentration of an organic solvent and the like , to isolate boc - 2 - pyrrolidinones ( 1 ). the boc - 2 - pyrrolidinones ( 1 ) may be further purified by column chromatography , re - crystallization and the like . the method of re - crystallization is not particularly restricted , and usual re - crystallization methods may be used . examples of the re - crystallization method include a method in which a crystal is deposited by dropping a poor solvent after dissolving in a good solvent , a method in which boc - 2 - pyrrolidinones ( 1 ) are dissolved in a re - crystallization solvent with heating , then , the solution is cooled to deposit a crystal , a method in which after dissolving in a re - crystallization solvent , the solvent is distilled off by concentration , to cause deposition of a crystal , combinations of these methods , and the like . when the boc - 2 - pyrrolidinones ( 1 ) are optically active bodies , if the above - described re - crystallization is carried out , the optical purity of the optically active body is improved in some cases . r 1 , r 2 , r 3 , r 4 , r 5 and r 6 in the boc - 2 - pyrrolidinones ( 1 ) represent the same meanings as for r 1 , r 2 , r 3 , r 4 , r 5 and r 6 defined in the 2 - pyrrolidinones ( 2 ). specific examples of the boc - 2 - pyrrolidinones ( 1 ) include n - tert - butoxycarbonyl - 2 - pyrrolidinone , n - tert - butoxycarbonyl - 3 - methyl - 2 - pyrrolidinone , n - tert - butoxycarbonyl - 4 - methyl - 2 - pyrrolidinone , n - tert - butoxycarbonyl - 5 - methyl - 2 - pyrrolidinone , n - tert - butoxycarbonyl - 4 , 4 - dimethyl - 2 - pyrrolidinone , n - tert - butoxycarbonyl - 5 , 5 - dimethyl - 2 - pyrrolidinone , n - tert - butoxycarbonyl - 3 - ethyl - 2 - pyrrolidinone , n - tert - butoxycarbonyl - 4 - propyl - 2 - pyrrolidinone , n - tert - butoxycarbonyl - 4 - cyclohexyl - 2 - pyrrolidinone , n - tert - butoxycarbonyl - 4 - methyl - 4 - propyl - 2 - pyrrolidinone , 2 - tert - butoxycarbonyl - 2 - azabicyclo [ 3 , 1 , 0 ] hexan - 3 - one , 3 - tert - butoxycarbonyl - 3 - azabicyclo [ 3 . 1 . 0 ] hexan - 2 - one , 6 , 6 - dimethyl - 3 - tert - butoxycarbonyl - 3 - azabicyclo [ 3 . 1 . 0 ] hexan - 2 - one , 2 - tert - butoxycarbonyl - 2 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 1 ] heptan - 3 - one , 2 - tert - butoxycarbonyl - 2 - azabicyclo [ 3 . 3 . 0 ] octan - 3 - one , 3 - tert - butoxycarbonyl - 3 - azabicyclo [ 3 . 3 . 0 ] octan - 2 - one , 7 - tert - butoxycarbonyl - 7 - azabicyclo [ 4 . 3 . 0 ] nonan - 8 - one , 8 - tert - butoxycarbonyl - 8 - azabicyclo [ 4 . 3 . 0 ] nonan - 7 - one , 4 - tert - butoxycarbonyl - 4 - azatricyclo [ 5 . 2 . 1 . 0 2 . 6 ] decan - 3 - one , 4 - tert - butoxycarbonyl - 4 - azatricyclo [ 5 . 2 . 2 . 0 2 . 6 ] undecan - 3 - one , 2 - tert - butoxycarbonyl - 2 - azaspiro [ 4 . 4 ] nonan - 3 - one , n - tert - butoxycarbonyl - spiro [ bicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] octan - 2 , 3 ′- pyrrolidin ]- 5 ′- one , n - tert - butoxycarbonyl - 3 -( 2 - propenyl )- 2 - pyrrolidinone , 2 - tert - butoxycarbonyl - 2 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 1 ] hepta - 5 - en - 3 - one , 3 - tert - butoxycarbonyl - 3 - azabicyclo [ 3 . 2 . 0 ] heptan - 2 - one , 2 - tert - butoxycarbonyl - 2 - azabicyclo [ 3 . 3 . 0 ] octa - 7 - en - 3 - one , 8 - tert - butoxycarbonyl - 8 - azabicyclo [ 4 . 3 . 0 ] nonan - 3 - en - 7 - one , 4 - tert - butoxycarbonyl - 4 - azatricyclo [ 5 . 2 . 1 . 0 2 . 6 ] decan - 8 - en - 3 - one , 4 - tert - butoxycarbonyl - 4 - azatricyclo [ 5 . 2 . 2 . 0 2 . 6 ] undecan - 8 - en - 3 - one , 6 , 6 - dichloro3 - tert - butoxycarbonyl - 3 - azabicyclo [ 3 . 1 . 0 ] hexan - 2 - one , 6 , 6 - difluoro - 3 - tert - butoxycarbonyl - 3 - azabicyclo [ 3 . 1 . 0 ] hexan - 2 - one , n - tert - butoxycarbonyl - 3 - benzyl - 2 - pyrrolidinone , n - tert - butoxycarbonyl - 5 - benzyl - 2 - pyrrolidinone , n - tert - butoxycarbonyl - 4 - benzyl - 4 - methyl - 2 - pyrrolidinone , n - tert - butoxycarbonyl - 6 - ethoxycarbonyl - 3 - azabicyclo [ 3 . 1 . 0 ] hexan - 2 - one , ethyl n - tert - butoxycarbonyl - 2 -( 5 - oxopyrrolidin - 2 - yl ) acetate , methyl n - tert - butoxycarbonyl - 3 -( 2 - oxopyrrolidin - 3 - yl ) acrylate , n - tert - butoxycarbonyl - 3 - phenyl - 2 - pyrrolidinone , n - tert - butoxycarbonyl - 4 - phenyl - 2 - pyrrolidinone , n - tert - butoxycarbonyl - 5 - diphenyl - 2 - pyrrolidinone , n - tert - butoxycarbonyl - 5 -( 3 - hydroxyphenyl )- 2 - pyrrolidinone , 1 - phenyl - 3 - tert - butoxycarbonyl - 3 - azabicyclo [ 3 . 1 . 0 ] hexan - 2 - one , n - tert - butoxycarbonyl - 4 - chloro - 2 - pyrrolidinone , n - tert - butoxycarbonyl - 4 , 4 - difluoro - 2 - pyrrolidinone , n - tert - butoxycarbonyl - 4 - hydroxy - 2 - pyrrolidinone , n - tert - butoxycarbonyl - 3 - hydroxy - 2 - pyrrolidinone , n - tert - butoxycarbonyl - 4 - acetoxy - 2 - pyrrolidinone , n - tert - butoxycarbonyl - 4 - methoxy - 2 - pyrrolidinone , 2 , 4 - di - tert - butoxy - 2 - pyrrolidinone , n - tert - butoxycarbonyl - 4 - benzyloxy - 2 - pyrrolidinone , n - tert - butoxycarbonyl - 4 - phenyloxy - 2 - pyrrolidinone , n - tert - butoxycarbonyl - 3 - hydroxy - 4 - methyl - 2 - pyrrolidinone , n - tert - butoxycarbonyl - 3 - hydroxy - 3 - methyl - 2 - pyrrolidinone , n - tert - butoxycarbonyl - 4 - hydroxy - 5 - hydroxymethyl - 2 - pyrrolidinone , 3 , 3 - dimethyl - 2 , 4 - dioxa - 7 - tert - butoxycarbonyl - 7 - azabicyclo [ 3 . 3 . 0 ] octan - 6 - one , 3 - phenyl - 2 , 4 - dioxa - 7 - tert - butoxycarbonyl - 7 - azabicyclo [ 3 . 3 . 0 ] octan - 6 - one , 3 , 3 - dimethyl - 2 - oxa - 7 - tert - butoxycarbonyl - 7 - azabicyclo [ 3 . 3 . 0 ] octan - 6 - one , 1 , 4 - dioxa - 7 - tert - butoxycarbonyl - 7 - azaspiro [ 4 . 4 ] nonan - 8 - one , 4 - tert - butoxycarbonyl - 4 - aza - 10 - oxa - tricyclo [ 5 . 2 . 1 . 0 2 . 6 ] decan - 3 - one , 4 - tert - butoxycarbonyl - 4 - aza - 10 - oxa - tricyclo [ 5 . 2 . 1 . 0 2 . 6 ] decan - 8 - en - 3 - one , 3 - hydroxy - 9 - tert - butoxycarbonyl - 9 - azabicyclo [ 4 . 3 . 0 ] nonan - 8 - one , n - tert - butoxycarbonyl - 4 - mercapto - 2 - pyrrolidinone , n - tert - butoxycarbonyl - 4 - mercapto - 5 - methyl - 2 - pyrrolidinone , n - tert - butoxycarbonyl - 4 - phenylthio - 2 - pyrrolidinone , 1 , 4 - dithia - 7 - tert - butoxycarbonyl - 7 - azaspiro [ 4 . 4 ] nonan - 8 - one , 1 , 4 - dithia - 7 - tert - butoxycarbonyl - 7 - azaspiro [ 4 . 4 ] nonan - 6 - one , 6 , 10 - dithia - 2 - tert - butoxycarbonyl - 2 - azaspiro [ 4 . 5 ] decan - 3 - one , 1 - tert - butoxycarbonyl - 4 - acetylamino - 2 - pyrrolidinone , 1 - tert - butoxycarbonyl - 4 - dimethylamino - 2 - pyrrolidinone , 1 - tert - butoxycarbonyl - 4 - benzylamino - 2 - pyrrolidinone , 1 - tert - butoxycarbonyl - 4 - benzoylamino - 2 - pyrrolidinone , 1 - tert - butoxycarbonyl - 4 - tert - butoxycarbonylamino - 2 - pyrrolidinone , 1 - tert - butoxycarbonyl - 4 - benzyloxycarbonylamino - 2 - pyrrolidinone , 1 - tert - butoxycarbonyl - 3 - acetylamino - 2 - pyrrolidinone , 1 - tert - butoxycarbonyl - 3 - dimethylamino - 2 - pyrrolidinone , 1 - tert - butoxycarbonyl - 3 - benzylamino - 2 - pyrrolidinone , 1 - tert - butoxycarbonyl - 3 - benzoylamino - 2 - pyrrolidinone , 1 - tert - butoxycarbonyl - 3 - tert - butoxycarbonylamino - 2 - pyrrolidinone , 1 - tert - butoxycarbonyl - 3 - benzyloxycarbonylamino - 2 - pyrrolidinone , 1 - tert - butoxycarbonyl - 4 - tert - butoxycarbonylaminomethyl - 2 - pyrrolidinone , 1 - tert - butoxycarbonyl - 5 - tert - butoxycarbonylaminomethyl - 2 - pyrrolidinone , 1 - tert - butoxycarbonyl - 4 - methoxyimino - 2 - pyrrolidinone , n - tert - butoxycarbonyl - succinic imide , n - tert - butoxycarbonyl - 2 , 4 - pyrrolidinedione and the like , and optically active bodies thereof , and the like . according to the present invention , n - tert - butoxycarbonyl - 2 - pyrrolidinones which are useful as a chemical raw material or medical - agricultural drug intermediate can be provided . according to the present invention , 3 - tert - butoxycarbonyl - 6 , 6 - dimethyl - 3 - azabicyclo [ 3 . 1 . 0 ] hexan - 2 - one which is useful as a chemical raw material or medical - agricultural drug intermediate can be provided . further , according to the present invention , ( 1r , 5s )- 3 - n - tert - butoxycarbonyl - 6 , 6 - dimethyl - 3 - azabicyclo [ 3 . 1 . 0 ] hexan - 2 - one which is useful as a chemical raw material or medical - agricultural chemical precursor can be provided . according to the n - boc formation reaction of the present invention , it is not necessary to substitute a water - soluble polar solvent by a hydrophobic solvent in the post - treatment operation and it is not necessary to use a solvent of strong harmful effect , thus , special harm - protecting equipments and the like are not required , and n - tert - butoxycarbonyl - 2 - pyrrolidinones can be produced simply and industrially advantageously . the n - tert - butoxycarbonyl - 2 - pyrrolidinones of the present invention are useful as a chemical raw material or medical - agricultural drug intermediate , and for example , can be suitably used as a production intermediate of the following compound ( see , wo2004 / 113295 ) which is one of anti - hepatitis c drugs ( hcv drugs ). the present invention will be illustrated in further detail based on examples below , but it is needless to say that the present invention is not limited to these examples . to 1158 . 5 g of a toluene solution containing 195 . 5 g ( 1 . 562 mol ) of 6 , 6 - dimethyl - 3 - azabicyclo [ 3 . 1 . 0 ] hexan - 2 - one was added 19 . 08 g ( 0 . 156 mol ) of n , n - dimethylaminopyridine and these were dissolved at 25 ° c . into this solution , a solution composed of 443 . 2 g ( 2 . 031 mol ) of di - tert - butyl dicarbonate and 195 . 5 g of toluene was dropped over a period of 2 hours , and the mixture was thermally insulated at 25 ° c . for 12 hours . to this solution was added 569 . 5 g of 1 % hydrochloric acid and mixed , and liquid - partitioning was caused . an organic layer obtained by liquid - partitioning was washed with 262 . 5 g of a 5 % sodium hydrogen carbonate aqueous solution , further washed with 262 . 5 g of water , then , 1652 . 8 g of a toluene solution containing 349 . 7 g ( 1 . 552 mol ) of 3 - tert - butoxycarbonyl - 6 , 6 - dimethyl - 3 - azabicyclo [ 3 . 1 . 0 ] hexan - 2 - one was obtained . the yield with respect to 6 , 6 - dimethyl - 3 - azabicyclo [ 3 . 1 . 0 ] hexan - 2 - one was 99 . 4 %. the determinate quantity of 3 - tert - butoxycarbonyl - 6 , 6 - dimethyl - 3 - azabicyclo [ 3 . 1 . 0 ] hexan - 2 - one was obtained by high performance liquid chromatography . as the column , sumipax ods d - 210ff , 4 . 6 mmφ × 150 mm , 3 μm ( manufactured by sumika chemical analysis service , ltd .) was used . to 36 . 0 kg of a toluene solution containing 5 . 89 kg ( 47 . 1 mol ) of ( 1r , 5s )- 6 , 6 - dimethyl - 3 - azabicyclo [ 3 . 1 . 0 ] hexan - 2 - one having an optical purity of 93 . 0 % ee was added 0 . 58 kg ( 4 . 75 mol ) of n , n - dimethyl - aminopyridine , and these were dissolved at 25 ° c . into this solution , a solution composed of 13 . 36 kg ( 61 . 2 mol ) of di - tert - butyl dicarbonate and 5 . 9 kg of toluene was dropped over a period of 3 hours , and the mixture was thermally insulated at 25 ° c . for 2 hours . the reaction progressed quantitatively . to this solution was added 17 . 38 kg of 1 % hydrochloric acid and mixed , and liquid - partitioning was caused . subsequently , the resultant organic layer was washed with 7 . 89 kg of a 5 % sodium hydrogen carbonate aqueous solution , further washed with 7 . 9 kg of water , to obtain a toluene solution containing ( 1r , 5s )- 3 - tert - butoxycarbonyl - 6 , 6 - dimethyl - 3 - azabicyclo [ 3 . 1 . 0 ] hexan - 2 - one . most of toluene in this solution was distilled off by concentration under reduced pressure . to this was added 58 . 8 kg of heptane , and concentration under reduced pressure was carried out to distill off most of the solvent . an operation of substituting this solvent was repeated again , then , to the resultant residue was added 38 . 7 kg of heptane and the mixture was heated up to 50 to 55 ° c ., to dissolve all the deposited crystal . this solution was cooled down to 45 ° c ., then , a seed crystal of ( 1r , 5s )- 3 - tert - butoxycarbonyl - 6 , 6 - dimethyl - 3 - azabicyclo [ 3 . 1 . 0 ] hexan - 2 - one was added . after confirmation of deposition of a crystal , it was cooled down to 0 ° c . the resultant crystal was filtrated , then , washing with 15 . 9 kg of heptane was carried out twice . then , the product was dried under reduced pressure . 8 . 35 kg ( 37 . 1 mol ) of a crystal of ( 1r , 5s )- 3 - tert - butoxycarbonyl - 6 , 6 - dimethyl - 3 - azabicyclo [ 3 . 1 . 0 ] hexan - 2 - one having an optical purity of 99 . 6 % ee was obtained . the optical purity was measured by high performance liquid chromatography . as the column , chiralcel of , 4 . 6 mmφ × 250 mm , 10 μm ( manufactured by daicel chemical industries , ltd .) was used . the results of 1 h - nmr ( cdcl 3 ) are shown below . δ = 3 . 81 dd ( 1h ), 3 . 59 d ( 1h ), 1 . 88 dd ( 1h ), 1 . 67 dt ( 1h ), 1 . 56 s ( 9h ), 1 . 13 s ( 3h ), 1 . 09 s ( 3h ) 2 . 55 g ( 30 . 0 mmol ) of 2 - pyrrolidinone , 25 . 5 g of toluene and 0 . 37 g ( 3 . 0 mmol ) of n , n - dimethyl - aminopyridine were added , and the temperature of the mixture was adjusted to 25 ° c . into the resultant solution , a solution composed of 8 . 50 g ( 39 . 0 mmol ) of di - tert - butyl dicarbonate and 2 . 55 g of toluene was dropped over a period of 30 minutes , and the mixture was thermally insulated at 25 ° c . for 8 hours . to the resultant solution was added 10 . 9 g of 1 % hydrochloric acid and mixed , then , liquid - partitioning was caused . the resultant organic layer was washed with 5 . 0 g of a 5 % sodium hydrogen carbonate aqueous solution , then , further washed with 5 . 0 g of water . the resultant organic layer was concentrated under reduced pressure , to obtain 5 . 70 g of an oily substance containing 5 . 30 g ( 28 . 6 mmol ) of n - tert - butoxycarbonyl - 2 - pyrrolidinone . the determinate quantity of n - tert - butoxycarbonyl - 2 - pyrrolidinone was obtained by gas chromatography . as the column , db - 5 ( 0 . 53 mmφ × 30 m , 1 . 5 μm ) manufactured by j & amp ; j was used . 2 . 97 g ( 30 . 0 mmol ) of succinic imide , 29 . 7 g of toluene and 0 . 37 g ( 3 . 0 mmol ) of n , n - dimethylaminopyridine were added , and the temperature of the mixture was adjusted to 25 ° c . into this solution , a solution composed of 8 . 79 g ( 40 . 3 mmol ) of di - tert - butyl dicarbonate and 4 . 83 g of toluene was dropped over a period of 30 minutes , and the mixture was thermally insulated at 25 ° c . for 24 hours . to this solution was added 10 . 9 g of 1 % hydrochloric acid and mixed , then , liquid - partitioning was caused . next , the resultant organic layer was washed with 5 . 0 g of a 5 % sodium hydrogen carbonate aqueous solution , and further washed with 5 . 0 g of water . the resultant organic layer was concentrated under reduced pressure , to obtain 5 . 21 g of an oily substance containing 4 . 22 g ( 21 . 2 mmol ) of n - tert - butoxycarbonyl - succinic imide . the yield of n - tert - butoxycarbonyl - succinic imide with respect to succinic imide was 70 . 7 %. the determinate quantity of n - tert - butoxycarbonyl - succinic imide was obtained by gas chromatography . as the column , db - 1 [ 0 . 25 mmφ × 30 m , 0 . 25 μm ] manufactured by j & amp ; j was used . n - tert - butoxycarbonyl - 2 - pyrrolidinones obtained by the production method of the present invention are useful as chemical raw materials or medical - agricultural drug intermediates . it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes could be made to the embodiments described above without departing from the broad inventive concept thereof . it is understood , therefore , that this invention is not limited to the particular embodiments disclosed , but it is intended to cover modifications within the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims . | 2Chemistry; Metallurgy
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detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosed herein ; however , it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the invention , which may be embodied in various forms . therefore , specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting , but merely as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the present invention in virtually any appropriately detailed structure . referring now to the drawings in detail , and initially to fig1 , numeral 20 generally designates a wireless portable vehicle lift system having four individual lifts 22 . although fig1 depicts a four lift system , it should be understood that any combination of two or more lifts can be used . for example , the lift system 20 can employ two , four , six , or eight individual lifts 22 . in certain embodiments , each of the portable lifts 22 is substantially identical . it should also be understood that lift system 20 is not limited for use with vehicles , but also may be used to raise or lower other objects relative to a floor or ground surface , such as aircraft , industrial machinery , shipping containers , construction subassemblies , and the like . the wireless portable vehicle lift system 20 depicted in fig1 can be equipped with an electronic control system that controls the lifts 22 in response to operator commands . the electronic control system can include a wireless communication system that wirelessly communicates lift control signals to , from , and / or among the lifts 22 . as shown in fig1 , of the individual lifts 22 of the lift system 20 can be equipped with a user interface 24 that , after initial set - up of the lift system 20 , permits the entire lift system to be controlled via a single user interface 24 . as discussed in detail below , the user interface 24 can include a touch screen display that enables enhanced operating features of the lift system 20 . for example , when the user interface 24 includes a touch screen display , the touch screen display can be programmed to display a real time animation of the lift positions and / or the vehicle position as the vehicle is lifted and / or lowered by the lift system 20 . in certain embodiments of the present invention , the user interface 24 can include a remote control module that can be readily detached from the lift 22 and used to wirelessly control the lift system 20 , while the lift operator stands away from the lift system 20 . the remote control module can have a touch screen display incorporated therein . when the user interface 24 includes a remote control module , each lift 22 can be equipped with a docking station 26 that allows the remote control module to be removably attached to the lift 22 . the docking station 26 can be configured to allow for easy physical connection and disconnection of the remote control module to and from the lift 22 . further , the docking station 26 can be configured to allow for easy electrical connection and disconnection of the remote control module to and from the lift 22 . the electrical connection between the remote control module and the lift 22 can permit wired communication between the remote control module and the lift 22 when the remote control module is received in the docking station . thus , the remote control module can be used to control the lift system 20 whether it is attached to or detached from the lift 22 . the lift 22 can be equipped with a charger for charging a battery of the remote control module when the remote control module is received on the docking station 26 . in certain embodiments , the user interface 24 can employ a remote control module equipped with wireless communication capability and multimedia functionality . examples of such remote control modules include portable electronic devices such as notebook computers , tablet computers , pdas , and smart phones . in certain embodiments , both the remote control module and each lift 22 can be capable of independently accessing the internet , so that the remote control module can control the lift system 20 via the internet . when the remote control module has both wireless communication capability and multimedia functionality , the remote control module can be used to not only wirelessly control the lifts 22 , but also to contact the lift manufacture or service provider for technical support and / or training . the wireless communication between the remote control module and the lift manufacture or service provider can be accomplished via satellite , the internet and / or via a cellular phone network . to facilitate communication between the operator of the lift system 20 and the entity providing technical support or training , the remote control module can be equipped with a camera , a microphone , and / or a keyboard . the camera can be a still camera or a video camera that allows the operator of the lift system 20 to transmit images or video of the lift system 20 and / or the environment around the lift system to the entity providing technical support or training . the microphone allows the operator of the lift system 20 to verbally communicate with personnel at the technical support or training entity using the remote control module . when the remote control module is equipped with a video camera and a microphone , technical support and / or training can be facilitated via video conference . the keyboard on the remote control module can permit communication between the operator of the lift system 20 and the technical support or training entity via textual messaging . in certain embodiment , the user interface 24 can also include a voice activated command module . when the lift system 20 is equipped with wireless internet capability ( via a remote control module or otherwise ), technical support or training can be greatly enhanced . in addition to the technical support and training features described above , support can also be provided in the form of remote diagnostics , remote troubleshooting of lift problems , and remote tracking and / or storing of lift information . lift information tracked and / or stored can included any lift data that may be relevant to the safety , maintenance , and / or proper operation of the lift system 20 . this lift data can be regularly gathered and stored for use in diagnosing lift problems , notifying lift owners of maintenance needs , and / or warning lift owners of improper lift operation . in certain embodiments of the present invention , the electronic control system comprises a distributed wireless server network configured to collect operational and maintenance data about the lift system . the distributed wireless server network can be capable of being remotely accessed by owners , operators , and / or manufactures of the lift so as to provide real time data to remote parties . such real time data can include operational status , lift operational data , and / or lift diagnostics data . turning now to fig2 a , and 3 b , a wireless portable lift 22 configured in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention is illustrated . the lift 22 can include a base 30 , a post 32 , a carriage assembly 34 , a lift actuator 36 , and a main housing 38 . the base 30 supports the lift on the floor or the ground . the post 32 is rigidly coupled to the base 30 and extends upwardly therefrom . the carriage assembly 34 is configured to engage the wheel of a vehicle and is vertically shiftable relative to the post 32 . the lift actuator 36 is received in the post 32 and is operable to vertically raise and lower the carriage assembly 34 relative to the post 32 and the base 30 . the main housing 38 is attached to the post 32 and encloses many of the components of that make up the control and power systems of the lift 22 . the main housing 38 includes a removable access panel 40 for providing access to various components of the control and power systems . fig3 b provides a view of the back of the lift 22 with the access panel 40 being removed to show certain internal components located in the upper portion of the main housing 38 . in fig3 b , a lower portion of the main housing 38 is also cut away to show certain internal components located in the lower portion of the main housing 38 . the lift 22 generally includes an electrical power supply , an electronic control system , and a hydraulic power system . more specifically , fig3 b shows that the electrical power supply system of the lift 22 can include two rechargeable batteries 42 , a battery charger 44 , and a main power switch 46 ; the electronic control system of the lift 22 can include a modular control unit 48 and an antenna 50 ; and the hydraulic power system of the lift 22 can include a hydraulic reservoir 52 and a hydraulic pump 54 . many other components of the power supply system , electronic control system , and hydraulic power system of the lift 22 are not shown in detail in fig3 b , but will be described in greater detail below . fig3 b shows that the modular control unit 48 includes a user interface 24 that includes a touch screen display 56 and an emergency stop ( e - stop ) switch 58 . fig4 provides a simplified representation of a wireless portable lift system 20 , where each lift 22 is equipped with an enhanced e - stop system . as shown in fig4 , each lift can include a base 30 , a post 32 , a carriage assembly 34 , a power source ( e . g ., battery 42 ), a main power switch 46 , an electronic control system 60 , and a hydraulic power system 62 for vertically shifting the carriage assembly 34 relative to the post 32 . the electronic control system 60 can be used to control the hydraulic power system 62 . the electronic control system 60 can include a touch screen display 56 , an e - stop switch 58 , an antenna 50 , and communication lines 64 a , b . the hydraulic power system 62 can include a hydraulic reservoir 52 , a hydraulic pump 54 , a dump valve 66 , and a hydraulic actuator 36 ( e . g ., a hydraulic cylinder ). the combination of the e - stop switch 58 and the dump valve 66 provides the lift system 20 with enhanced safety , as described below . as shown in fig4 , the dump valve 66 can be shiftable between a powering configuration ( shown by the vertical solid line in the dump valve 66 of fig4 ) and a recirculating configuration ( shown by the horizontal dashed line in the dump valve 66 of fig4 ). when the dump valve 66 is in the powering configuration , the dump valve 66 routes hydraulic fluid from the hydraulic pump 54 to the hydraulic actuator 36 for use in raising the carriage assembly 34 relative to the post 32 . when the dump valve 66 is in the recirculating configuration , the dump valve 66 routes ( recirculates ) hydraulic fluid from the hydraulic pump 54 back to the hydraulic reservoir 52 , bypassing hydraulic actuator 36 . an important feature of the dump valve 66 is that it is biased toward the recirculating configuration and is only shifted into the powering configuration when electrical power is supplied to the dump valve 66 . as such , if electrical power is cut to the dump valve 66 , the dump valve 66 automatically shifts into the recirculating configuration . once the dump valve 66 is in the recirculating configuration , the hydraulic actuator 36 cannot be used to raise the carriage assembly 34 , even if the pump 54 continues to run , because hydraulic fluid is diverted around the hydraulic actuator 36 and back to the reservoir 52 . in order to raise the carriage assembly 34 , electrical power must be provided to the dump valve 66 to shift the dump valve 66 into the powering configuration . such instructions to raise the carriage assembly 34 can be received via the touch screen display 56 . upon receiving the raise instructions input from the touch screen display 56 , the electronic control system 60 can communicate a dump valve power - up signal to all the lifts 22 of the system 20 . this dump valve power - up signal ensures that all the dump valves 66 of all the lifts 22 are shifted into a powering configuration in order to raise the lifts 22 . in certain embodiments of the present invention , each lift 22 has an e - stop switch 58 . when the e - stop switch 58 is actuated by an operator of the lift system 20 , the electronic control system 60 sends a signal via communication line 64 b to cut electrical power to the dump valve 56 of the lift 22 on which the e - stop switch 58 was actuated . in addition , when the e - stop 58 switch is actuated , the electronic control system 60 of the lift 22 on which the e - stop was actuated wirelessly transmits an e - stop signal for receipt by the other lifts 22 of the system 20 . once the e - stop signal is received by the other lifts 22 , power is cut to the dump valves 66 of all the lifts 22 of the system 20 . as depicted in fig4 , the lift system 20 can optionally employ a remote control module 70 to wirelessly control the lifts 22 from a location spaced from the lift system 20 . in embodiments where the lift system 20 is controlled using the remote control module 70 that is not rigidly coupled to the lifts 22 , the remote control module 70 communicates wirelessly with components of the lifts 22 that are physically coupled to the lifts 22 . in one embodiment , the remote control module 70 can be a user interface that is readily attached to and detached from one of the lifts 22 . in certain embodiments , only one of the lifts 22 of the lift system is equipped with a detachable remote control unit 70 . in other embodiment , each of the lifts of the lift system 20 includes an identical detachable remote control unit 70 . as depicted in fig4 , the remote control module 70 can be equipped with a touch screen display 56 and an e - stop switch 58 . when the e - stop switch 58 on the remote control module 70 is actuated , the remote control module 70 wirelessly transmits an e - stop signal , which the results in power being cut to all the dump valves 66 on all the lifts 22 of the system 20 . in one embodiment , the e - stop signal transmitted by the remote control module is directly received by each of the lifts 22 of the system 20 . in another embodiment , the e - stop signal transmitted by the remote control module 70 is received by a master lift of the system 20 , and the master lift thereafter communicates the e - stop signal to the remaining slave lifts of the system . referring again to fig4 , in accordance with certain embodiments of the present invention , the hydraulic power system 60 of the lift 22 can include one or more features for enhancing performance and reliability of the hydraulic power system 60 . for example , as shown in fig3 b and 4 , the hydraulic pump 54 can have a fluid inlet that is located below the fluid outlet of the hydraulic reservoir 52 . this configuration can be advantageous in that it facilitates gravity feed of hydraulic fluid from the hydraulic reservoir to the hydraulic pump 54 . this gravity - feed feature provides improved energy efficiency ( battery life ) over conventional portable lift systems because the hydraulic pump 54 is not required to pump hydraulic fluid up from the reservoir 52 every time the lift 22 is actuated . in addition , the tank used as the hydraulic reservoir 52 can have an enhanced physical configuration . in certain embodiment the hydraulic reservoir 52 can be non - cylindrical , with substantially planar side walls . in one embodiment , the hydraulic reservoir 52 has a generally inverted l configuration , with the hydraulic pump 54 and / or dump valve 66 being at least partly received in the gap of the inverted l . referring now to fig5 a and 5 b , where there is provided an enlarged view of the modular control unit 48 originally described with reference to fig3 b . fig5 a shows the front of the modular control unit 48 in its assembled configuration , while fig5 b shows the modular control unit in an open configuration , revealing its internal components . as depicted in fig5 b , the modular control unit 48 can include a housing 72 into and / or onto which all components of the unit 48 are mounted . specific components mounted on / in the modular control unit 48 include a touch screen display 56 , an e - stop switch 58 , a primary circuit board 74 ( motherboard ), a secondary circuit board 76 ( daughter board ), and a wireless communication device 78 . the wireless communication device 78 can be a radio frequency transceiver . in one embodiment the wireless communication device is an adaptive frequency hopping transceiver . in additions , one or both of the circuit boards 74 , 76 can include a lift control microprocessor 80 for processing information relating to the lift sensors and actuators . the primary circuit board 74 , secondary circuit board 76 , and wireless communication device 78 are mounted inside the housing 72 , where they are protected from the external environment . the touch screen display 56 and e - stop switch 58 are mounted in openings in the front panel 82 of the housing 72 , so that they can be accessed by a lift operator when the housing 72 is closed . in certain embodiments , the front panel 82 of the housing 72 can be equipped with a docking station so that a remote control module that includes the touch screen display 56 can be releasably attached to the modular control unit 48 . one advantage provided by the modular control unit 48 is that it can easily be removed from the lift and replaced by another modular control unit 48 . most of the key components of the lifts electronic control system are included in the modular control unit 48 . thus , if a problem with the lifts electronic control system is experienced , a new modular control unit can simply be shipped to the lift owner and easily swapped out for the old one . this avoids downtime and expense associated with having a service technician travel to the lift location to diagnose and repair a problem with the electronic control system . to facilitate easy change out the modular control unit 48 , the modular control unit 48 can be equipped with electronic communication plugs for electrically connecting the modular control unit 48 to other components of the lift . in certain embodiments , the modular control unit is equipped with not more than five , not more than four , or not more than three electronic communication plugs . for example , one electronic communication plug can be used to connection the wireless communication device 78 of the modular control unit 48 with the antenna 50 ; one electronic communication plug can be used to connect the e - stop switch 58 of the modular control unit 48 to the dump valve 66 ; and one electronic communication plug can be used to connect one or both of the circuit boards 74 , 76 to various sensors or actuators of the lift 22 . referring generally to fig1 - 4 , several enhanced performance and safety features suitable for implementation into the wireless portable lift system 20 will now be briefly described . in particular , the lift system 20 can be provided with an auto - engage performance feature , an auto - resynchronize performance feature , a motion sensing safety feature , obstruction detection safety feature , a physical lockout - tagout safety feature , a pass code safety feature , a training verification safety feature , and / or a dual input safety feature . these various performance and safety features are described immediately below with reference to fig1 - 4 . in certain embodiments of the present invention , the electronic control system 60 of the wireless portable vehicle lift system 20 can be programmed with an auto - engage function that simultaneously raises the carriage assemblies 34 of all of the lifts 22 until the carriage assemblies 34 engage the vehicle wheels and then stops each of the carriage assemblies 34 in an engaged position upon engagement with the wheels . when the lift system 20 is equipped with auto - engage functionality , each of the lifts 22 can include a weight sensing mechanism configured to detect the weight supported by the carriage assembly 34 . the auto - engage function is configured to stop the carriage assembly 34 when the weight sensing mechanism senses a weight above a preset engagement weight . the electronic control system 60 can programmed to use the engaged positions to determine an initial level configuration for the carriage assemblies 34 . in certain embodiments of the present invention , the electronic control system 60 of the portable vehicle lift system 20 can be programmed with an auto - resynchronization function that automatically resynchronizes the vertical positions of the carriage assemblies 34 after an unsynchronized condition has been identified . the electronic control system 60 can be configured to automatically detect the existence of the unsynchronized condition and provide the lift operator with a visual indication of the unsynchronized condition . in certain embodiments of the present invention , each of the lifts 22 of the system 20 can include a lift motion indicator for providing an audible and / or visual warning when the lift 22 is being raised and / or lowered . the lift motion indicator can include a light configured to flash during raising and / or lowering of the lift 22 . the lift motion indicator can additionally or alternatively include an audible alarm that beeps during raising and / or lowering of the lifts 22 . in certain embodiments of the present invention , the lift system 20 can be equipped with an obstruction detection system for detecting foreign objects located below the lifted vehicle prior to lowering the lifted vehicle . the obstruction detection system can be configured to scan the area within the perimeter of the lifts 22 for foreign objects . such scanning can utilize optical , thermal , acoustical , infrared , and / or microwave energy to detect foreign objects . in certain embodiments of the present invention , the lift system can be equipped with a physical lockout - tagout system for preventing unauthorized operation of the lift system . the physical lockout - tagout system can include at least one removable key associated with each lift , wherein insertion or removal of one or more of the keys from one or more of the lifts disables the lift system . in certain embodiments of the present invention , the touch screen display of the user interface 24 can be programmed to include a pass code screen that prompts the operator to enter a pass code prior to operating the lift system 20 . such a pass code screen can include an input section for the operator to input a pass code . the electronic control system 60 can include onboard database , or can have access to a remote database , containing one or more stored authorized pass codes . if a pass code is entered that does not match one of the stored authorized pass codes , the lift system 20 can be rendered inoperable . in certain embodiments of the present invention , the touch screen display of the user interface 24 can be programmed to include a training verification screen that queries the lift operator as to whether the operator has been trained to operate the lift system 20 . the training verification screen can include an input section for the operator to confirm or deny whether the operator has been trained to operate the lift system 20 . the lift system 20 can be rendered inoperable if the operator denies having been trained on the lift system 20 . in certain embodiments of the present invention , the electronic control system 60 of the lift system 20 can be programmed so that movement of the lifts requires dual operator input from at least two locations on the touch screen display of the user interface 24 . the user interface 24 can also include one or more function buttons separate from the touch screen display . in certain embodiments , the electronic control system 60 is programmed so that movement of the lifts requires dual operator input from via both the touch screen display and at least one of the function buttons . fig6 provides a schematic depiction of an electronic control system 100 for a wireless portable lift system , such as the lift system described above . the control system 100 of fig6 includes of a parallel group of microprocessor and microcontroller systems each functioning in a specific task area in a coordinated manner to provide a high performance , safe lifting system . the control system 100 enables a complex coordinated lift involving anywhere from two to twenty independent lifts . the lift or lower must be performed rapidly , and with a high degree of safety and precision . each individual lift involved in the lift ensemble must be capable of tracking its own actions together with the actions of all other lifts in the group and determining as part of a collective intelligence a lift or lower strategy keeping the lifts together , maintaining a high level of safety , precision , and lift integrity . the task of lifting , safety checking , and coordination of the individual tasks in a wireless portable lift system is large and may be difficult or impossible to be done in a real time manner by a single processor in each lift that is single or even multi threaded . because of the safety and performance requirements of the modern portable lift system the inventors have found that the task may advantageously be divided into functional areas with processors accomplishing their individual tasks in a near real time environment . the processors can be tied together with a network or by a direct memory access ( dma ) technology . this method allows all of the processors to share a common area of memory 108 where the individual processors push and pop commands or data between one another and other processors in a multiple lift system in an achromous manner . this method provides for a very rapid response of the system to commands and to the varying conditions in the multi - lift system during a lift or lowering operation , or lift housekeeping tasks . the use of parallel multi - processors is unique in the portable lift industry because up to this point the lifting task has been simple . however , recently the requirements on the lift systems has increased and has become more complicated . thus making use of a single microcontroller would result in degraded safety , lack of capability , and lift performance . by dividing the task into a set of parallel , yet coordinated , set of microprocessors or microcontrollers the more complex tasks as well as the fundamental tasks can be performed more quickly , more safely and with greater precision . in certain embodiments , the multiprocessor system consists of two , three , four , five or six processors in each lifting column . the control processor 102 in the individual lifting columns is an adaptive gain control processor . this processor 102 receives data from all of the sensors 104 in the lift system ensemble as well as the data from its own portable lift sensors including but not limited to pressure , energy use and energy levels , lift height , lift velocity , and parameters that check the environment for the safe use of the lift system . all of this data is used by the collective intelligence of the lifting ensemble to effectively perform a coordinated lift or lower of the ensemble . the adaptive gain processor 102 is also interfaced to all user portable lift ensemble control inputs and emergency requests from sensors or the lift &# 39 ; s operator . this adaptive processor 102 performs control of all actuators , valves , pumps , stops , and emergency equipment 106 . this processor 102 gives and receives commands from the dma data hub area of shared memory 108 for the system , as well as the local controls and display . the adaptive control processor 102 takes advantage of an artificial intelligence algorithm to perform its intended task . this is the ability of the control processor 102 to learn from its environment and use this data to more effectively and safely perform the lifting tasks . control of the individual portable lift system as well as the control of the ensemble of lifts has become more complex due to the increased capability of the newer lift systems and the higher margins of safety that are required . current technology uses a simple text display and a raise lower switch as the input / output devices . the new lift systems must have more elegant and ergonomically designed human interfaces that inform the operator in a clear and concise manner of the operational aspects of the lift when in operation . the interface must allow the operator to easily and safely access the full functionality of the new features of the modern lift system . this interface system can consist of a touch screen display , voice actuated commanding and recognition systems and audio and visual feed back to the operator . this display can be capable of surveying the work area of the lift using such sensors as lidar or acoustic techniques , thus insuring a safe and accident free lift operation . the display processor 110 can communicate using the dma interface to assure near real time functionality . however , a conventional network technology can be used , but it may result in degraded performance . an integral part of the multi - processor lift system 100 is an adaptive communication system 112 for the communication between individual lifts in an ensemble that have a common lifting purpose . it is the responsibility of the communication system to keep all dma areas of all lifts synchronized , and to provide emergency data in the event of an unplanned movement of the lift system or the user . because communication is so critical in a high performance lift system the tolerance for error is very small . it is for this reason that an adaptive rather than a conventional data communication system is chosen . the adaptive communication system 112 is frequency agile , protocol agile , and power agile . the system is capable of changing its rf channel if the current frequency is congested and determining a radio frequency of minimum noise content . this channel agility process occurs on a continual basis during the operation of the lift system . the communication system &# 39 ; s 112 moves are coordinated between the individual adaptive communication processors in the lifting ensemble . the adaptive system 112 uses an artificial intelligence algorithm to learn and adapt to the area of operation . the system , in addition to conventional error processing such as parity and crc checking , can change its message timing and protocol in order to assure no possibility that the system can be jammed or spoofed causing a hazardous movement of the lift system . the adaptive communication system 112 is capable of providing a separate isolated smart rf channel or link for the handling of emergency information in the event of the failure of one or more of the communication processors . the adaptive primary communication system and the smart emergency communication system are dma devices allowing the information programmed for the individual lift columns to be moved rapidly from the display and control processor &# 39 ; s memory to the other lifts in the ensemble in a near real time manner . the adaptive communication processor provides the secure communication link between the individual portable lifts in a lifting ensemble . a smart network server processor / microcontroller 114 provides a link from the individual lifts to the cloud 116 . this link allows the lifts to be part of a collective the intelligence of all lifts of the model type , or that have the server processor / microcontroller 114 as part of their architecture and that have been manufactured by a common manufacturer . the network server processor / microcontroller 114 allows the individual lift to be part of a data sharing network by which individual lifts can share use data , maintenance data , and status , and operational status data with a common server or server family for the purpose of determination of maintained scheduling , malfunction determination , fault analysis , and software and firmware update . this data link takes advantage of local open or secures data networks or cellular data networks . this connection to the cloud 116 allows the remote operation of the lifts , and a remote diagnosis of faults , maintenance practices , and usage of the individual lifts . the multi - processor architecture of control system 100 is configured to make the wireless portable vehicle lift system a high performance , extremely safe and secure , and versatile piece of shop equipment . the multi - processor architecture provides a new communication capability between individual lifts and a unique intelligent network of all lifts in a production family . in view of the foregoing , in certain embodiments of the present invention , each of the portable lifts can be equipped with at least a first microprocessor and a second microprocessor that are configured to communicate with one another , perform distinct tasks operate in parallel , share a common memory , and / or communicate with one another using direct memory access ( dma ) technology . each of the portable lifts can include a common command buffer system for provide communication between the first and second microprocessors . the common command buffer system can include a transmit buffer for transmitting information to the first and second microprocessors and a common receive buffer for receiving information from the first and second microprocessors . in certain embodiments , each of the portable lifts can further include a third microprocessor configured to communicate with the first and second microprocessors . the first , second , and third microprocessors can be configured to operate in parallel , share a common memory , and / or communicate with one another using dma technology . the common transmit buffer , described above , can transmit information to the first , second , and third microprocessors and the common receive buffer can receive information from the first , second , and third microprocessors . in certain embodiments , each of the portable lifts can further include a fourth microprocessor configured to communicate with the first , second , and third microprocessors . the first , second , third , and fourth microprocessors can be configured to operate in parallel , share a common memory , and / or communicate with one another using dma technology . the common transmit buffer can transmit information to the first , second , third , and fourth microprocessors and the common receive buffer can receive information from the first , second , third , and fourth microprocessors . in certain embodiments , each of the lifts can include a lift control system having one or more sensors and one or more actuators . one microprocessors of the lift can be a control microprocessor configured to process information related to the lift control system . the sensors of the lift control system can include a height sensor , a pressure sensor , an energy status sensor , a velocity sensor , and / or an actuator position sensor . the actuators of the lift control system can include the lift actuator , a down - stop actuator , an emergency stop actuator , a hydraulic valve , and / or a hydraulic pump . in certain embodiments , each of the lifts further includes a user interface system having one or more input and / or output devices . one of the microprocessors of the lift can be the interface microprocessor that is configured to process information related to the user interface system . the user interface system can include a touch screen display . the interface microprocessor can be programmed to display at least 40 , 80 , 120 , 160 , 200 , 240 , 280 , 320 , 360 , 400 unique operator interface screens on the touch screen display . further , the user interface can include a voice actuated command module . in certain embodiments , the lift system can include a wireless inter - lift communication system including one or more wireless transmitters and / or wireless receivers associated with each of the lifts . in such an embodiment , one of the microprocessors of the lift can be an inter - lift communication microprocessor configured to process information related to the inter - lift communication system . the wireless transmitters and / or wireless receivers of the inter - lift communication system can include a radio frequency ( rf ) transceiver . in certain embodiments , the inter - lift communication microprocessor can be an adaptive communication microprocessor configured to automatically adjust one or more communication parameters to thereby maintain communication integrity and / or security . such communication parameters can include frequency , protocol , and / or power . the adaptive communication system can be configured to automatically scan communication frequencies and select a frequency with minimal noise . in certain embodiments , the wireless inter - lift communication system can include an artificial intelligence system configured to gather wireless environment information about the local communication environment and control the wireless transmitters and / or wireless receivers based on the wireless environment information . in certain embodiments , the lift system can include a wireless network server communication system transmitting information to and / or from a remote location . in such an embodiment , one of the microprocessors can be a wireless network server communication microprocessor configured to process information related to the network server communication system . the remote location can be at least 10 , 50 , 100 , or 200 miles away from the location of the wireless portable vehicle lift system . the wireless network server communication system can be configured to communicate with the remote location via a cellular telephone network or the internet . in certain embodiments , each of the lifts includes a control microprocessor configured to process information related to the lift control system , an interface microprocessor configured to process information related to the user interface system , an inter - lift communication microprocessor configured to process information related to the inter - lift communication system , and a wireless network server communication microprocessor configured to process information related to the network server communication system . fig7 a and 7 b provide an overall flow diagram outlining major steps involved in operating a wireless portable lift system configured in accordance with certain embodiments of the present invention . when the lift unit is initially turned on , the lift unit will perform a self - check of all of the operable systems that control the movement of the lift system or display data or take commands from the operator . if all systems come back with a valid response the unit will determine its state of position ( i . e ., is the lift in the home position or is the lift in some position other than the home position thus telling the central processor that the lift may have been shut off or failed in the lift position ). if the unit is in other than the home position it will measure the weight of the lift forks to determine if there is a vehicle on the lift or is the lift empty . if there is no weight on the system the lift will initiate a request to the operator to return to home . if there is weight on the system the lift system will assure that paws are engaged and that the lift remains in this position until grouped or manually lowered by the operator . the lift now uses the radio link system in a pre - determined default channel and later looking to all available channels to determine if there are other lifts that the lift could be grouped with ( i . e ., lifts that have not been grouped but are on line and transmitting an identification ). the radio will ignore all lifts that are already grouped or are part of another lifting ensemble . if there are no other lifts in the potential ensemble then the lift will initiate a beacon signal on a pre - determined channel indicating that it the first to be on line and it is looking for others that it could be potentially be grouped with . it determines of the 256 channels of communication that are available which one is the clearest channel and places that channel id in the beacon message with its id and type of lift . if the lift determines that it is not the first of the lifts to be powered up by detecting the beacon of an unpaired lift then the lift will listen for the clear channel id and then on the beacon frequency broadcast its id , type of lift and its status . the lift will then initiate the control operator display and indicate that the unit is ready and ready for a lift assignment and continue to broadcast its id , type , and status , and listen for other lifts that might be potential group members . . . ignoring lifts that already are in an ensemble . this loop will continue until the operator initiates the lift and assigns its position in a lifting ensemble . the communication between the adaptive communication device and the control processor is carried out using a communication buffer resident in the control processor . the display , communication processor , network server , and the control processor all function asynchronously using the communication buffer of the control processor . commands , data , and status information is pushed and popped from the register in real time with each independent device acting on the buffer in real time manner ( i . e ., the system is interrupt driven ). in the event of a interrupt failure the system is halted and reset to the initial state of turn on . this serves as an operational self - check of each system and prevents unexpected or un - programmed movement or actions on the part of the individual lift system . if the system senses other unassigned or assigned but not complete grouped units . the system will anticipate a lift assignment . once the unit is requested by the operator as a potential lift for a lifting system it will gather the data of the other lifts as to their position number , number of lifts in the system , unit ids , statuses , heights , weights , and communication channels and protocols and await its lifting assignment . the unit will display on the operator console all other potential lifts and their current position in an assigned lifting ensemble . the operator must now assign the position of the lifting system . the lift will determine if it is a valid lift position from the data from the other lifts . if it is a valid lift position then the unit will broadcast its unit id , status , height , weight , and current assigned position on request by the first unit in the lifting ensemble . at this point the lifts parameters and status are kept current in the transmit receive buffers so that the radio system can reply to inquiries by the first lift to enter the lifting ensemble . if the lifting ensemble is not complete but the lift has an assignment the lift will continue to broadcast its id , status , lifting position , and all lifting parameters in the communication buffer on request of the first unit in the ensemble . if the unit is the first in the ensemble the unit will beacon to all potential lifts requesting them to broadcast their ids , status , and lifting parameters in their communication buffers , as well as broadcasting its own unit id number , assigned position , number in the projected ensemble , channel numbers , and lifting parameters in its communication buffer . the lifting parameters include but are not limited to the status , height , weight , channels , state of emergency , lift rates , and lift acceleration , and move with id . once the lifting ensemble is complete the first unit in the ensemble assumes a pseudo master of the ensemble as far as communication is concerned this unit serves to pole the other units as to their id and lifting and command buffer data . once the lift ensemble is ready it will either be in the home position or the position that the lift system was left in when it was turned off . if the system is in the home position the lifts will ask the user if he wants to auto engage the vehicle to be lifted . if the answer is yes the units are asked to reduce the lift gain and advance in a lifting mode until a predetermined weight is captured on each of the lifts and to then stop and wait for a home or a lift command from the operator . if the lifts are not in the home position each units height will be broadcast to determine if all of the lifts are within the synchronization limit , if so the operator will be asked if he or she wants to auto synchronize the system , meaning all of the lifts will be brought to ⅛ of an inch of each other in height were the lowest units are brought to the height of the highest unit . if the units are not within the predetermined auto synchronization limits the units will error out and the operator will have to manually bring the units into the auto sync region and restart the lift process . or the operator will be asked if he or she wants to operate in the paired mode . once all of the units are at the same height and weight either by an auto engage or by a manual or auto synchronization the ensemble is ready for a command to any of the units to lift or to lower or to park . at this point there is no master or slave relationship between the units in the ensemble each of the units is an independent operator with each unit knowing all other units status and lift parameters via way of the common communication buffer that all units now have . all of the communication buffers are kept in sync by the way of the intelligent radio network of the column ensemble . all units operate off the same communication buffer so a single unit whose buffer is altered by the control operator forwards this communication buffer to all other units which assume the same status thus allowing the system to make a coordinated lift or lower or common stop , emergency shut down or system reset . there is only one intelligent radio that assumes the auto poling responsibility and that is the first unit to be put on line . any of the units can assume the auto poling task by being the first one of the ensemble to be powered on . this first unit &# 39 ; s only unique responsibility is the poling all of the other units in the ensemble and assuring that the communication buffers remain in sync . if any communication buffer is altered by the operator control or emergency stop the first unit &# 39 ; s intelligent radio is responsible for the propagation of the new communication buffer during an operation or shut down . by keeping a common communication buffer within all of the units and having an auto update of the buffers all of the units function as clones of each other thus lifting and lowering in the same manner . the first unit also has the task of choosing the lead lift device in any lifting or lowering operation . the lead lift is the slowest column lift during a lifting operation and the fastest column lift during a lowering operation . each of the lifts tracks the lead lift adjusting its lifting or lowing gain to track the lead lift . any of the lifts can become the lead lift by being the slowest during lifting and fastest during the lowering . the lead lift may not be the same during the lift as during lower . the lead lift is determined by the comparative velocity of each lift at the onset of the lift or lower operation . in the event of an emergency stop or system reset then the lift issuing the stop becomes the lead lift . the stopping lift remains the lead lift until the stop is cleared . the lift where the command to lift or lower is not the lead lift but the command lift the lead lift is driven only by performance during the lifting or lowering operation . fig8 provides a flow diagram outlining steps involved in raising and lowering a wireless portable lift system configured in accordance with certain embodiments of the present invention . a raise or lower operation is initiated by one of the lifting columns receiving a command from the operators console and this command alters the common communication buffer and command buffer in all of the units . an initial lift and lower gain that has been predetermined is chosen and the lift or lowering is begun . the velocity of each of the units is immediately reported to the common communication buffer and the slowest unit is determined by all of the columns at once . each of the column lifts then adjusts its lifting or lowering gain so that its velocity is the same as the lead unit . where the lead unit in a lift is the slowest and the lead on a lower is the fastest . this comparison continues during the entire lift or lower operation . the gain of each unit is manifested in the pwm rate that is being used by the control processor to control the orifice of the hydraulic valve from the pump / dump tank to the lifting cylinder of the column . during the lifting or lowering operation , all of the lifts heights are continually monitored to determine if they are staying within a predetermined difference of height . in the event that one or more of the lifting columns does not remain within the predetermined lifting or lowering predetermined parameters the lifting or lowering operation is halted by the offending unit issuing a stop to the lift or lower operation . this unit is now the lead unit . the operator is given notice of the problem and is asked to go to the unit and manually bring the unit to within lifting or lowering difference specifications . once the operator goes to the offending column and performs a manual re - synchronization on the offending column the ensemble lift or lower may be resumed by any of the columns operator consoles . this process is called resynchronization of the lift ensemble . the problem is broadcast by way of the common communication buffer so all of the units in the ensemble are on notice of the problem and it appears on all display consoles of the lifting ensemble . the re - synchronization is usually not necessary except in very unusual lifting or lowering operations as the adaptive gain of the family of control processors works to prevent lift synchronization error . the error should only occur when the difference lifting weight is so extreme that the bandwidth of the adaptable gain is not sufficient to accommodate the lift or lower . this would be the case in the event that the lifted vehicle radically changed weight during a lift or lower operation . a lift or lower may be accomplished from any of the columns in the lifting ensemble . once a lift or lower is initiated on a column this column declares itself the command column and no other column can be used for controlling the lift ensemble until the lifting or lowering operation is complete by the command column . once the operation is complete any of the columns can now become the command column and thus initiate a lifting or lowering operation or any other command of the system . the only event that can remove control from a command column during a lifting or lowering operation is the issue of an emergency stop from any other column . the emergency stop sets the stopping column as lead and control column and remains as such until the stop is cleared at the column . fig9 provides a flow diagram outlining steps involved in parking a wireless portable lift system configured in accordance with certain embodiments of the present invention . the park operation is used as a way to transfer the lifted weight of the column system from the hydraulic cylinder to a set of stationary metal stops when the lift is used a single height for a prolonged period of time . it is also used to provide the user of the lifting system with an additional margin of safety when working under the vehicle on the column lift system as the weight supported by a set of metal stops on the lifting column as opposed to the hydraulic lifting cylinder . in the park mode of operation the hydraulic lift mechanism lowers the weight of the vehicle on to the nearest set of mechanical stops and locks the stops into position to assure no movement up or down of the vehicle being lifted . when the park command is executed by the operator the command is placed in the common command data buffer and the command is then sent to all of the command buffers in the lifting ensemble . the height of the column lift is compared with all other lifts to assure that the lifting system is in sync and all lifts are within a predetermined height . the lifts height is compared to the heights of the fixed stops that are on each of the steel columns . if there is a metal stop below the current position of the lift then the control processor will verify that the same condition exists for all of the lifts through the common communication buffer . if all heights are the same and all target stops are the same the gain of the lower command is set very low . the weight of the vehicle is determined and stored . the parking paws are released and set to engage the designated stop . the lower command is given to all lifts through the common communication buffer . the weight supported by the hydraulic system is monitored and the vehicle is lowered until weight is removed from the hydraulic system . when the predetermined weight remains on the hydraulic system the lowering is halted . all units report to each other on the common communication bus that the park has been accomplished and the operator is given a park indication on the operator &# 39 ; s console . in the event that weight has not been removed from all of the hydraulic systems the control processor will enter an error mode indicating that one or more of the parking paws has failed and a park is not possible and the unit halts . the operator is then asked to intervene and check the system for a mechanical fault . if the park command is issued by the operator and the lift happens to be on one of the metal stops or if any of the positions of the lifts are ambiguous with respect to the position of the metal stops , the park command will not be executed and the operator is asked to raise or lower the lift system until the ambiguity can be resolved . this is done to assure that the metal parking paws will engage with the metal stops on the columns . the control processors assure that there is a prescribed clearance above each stop before the park can be executed . this prescribed clearance must be met or exceeded before a coordinated park can be executed . the operators console returns to the command mode . fig1 provides a flow diagram outlining steps involved in un - parking a wireless portable lift system configured in accordance with certain embodiments of the present invention . the un - park operation is used to return the column lift system from the park or column weight supported mode to a hydraulic weight supported mode so that the vehicle can be lifted or lowered . the un - park command is issued by the operator from any of the columns operator consoles . on a un - park common command buffer is loaded and sent to all of the columns . if the ensemble is complete and no stops exist the gain of the lifting pwm will be adjusted to a prescribed value , and the command will be given to lift the vehicle a prescribed amount . the individual weights will be monitored and when the derivative of the weight is zero for all of the columns during the lift sequence , and the columns are raised an additional prescribed amount to assure clearance of the stops , the un - park is said to be successful . the parking paws are retracted on all lifts and verified , and the lift is returned to the lifting and lowering mode of operation , or the command mode . the un - park can be accomplished from any of the column lift consoles like the park can be accomplished from any of the column lift consoles . fig1 provides a flow diagram outlining steps involved in operating a wireless portable lift system in a paired mode . the paired operation is used to allow the lift system to move any two of the lift columns of a lift ensemble and operate them independently of the other lifts in the ensemble . during this time other columns in the lift system are locked out from moving unless an e - stop occurs . it is recommended that the paired lifts be assigned to positions opposite each other on either side of the vehicle under lift . the control processors using the intelligent communications processors of the lifting system will verify that the two lifts that have been operator assigned as paired lifts have assigned positions opposite each other in the lifting ensemble . in the event that the two columns do not have opposite positions in the ensemble the control processors will prevent the unit from entering the paired operation . this aspect is to provide a margin of safety for the operator during an asymmetric lift operation . once the operator has selected a valid pair of lifts to be independently operated , the system will lock all other lifting columns in the ensemble . the communication processor will update all command buffers , post all column heights to the common data buffer and set a low raise / lower pid control gain in each of the paired columns that have been selected . the paired set may be operated from either of the paired columns operator consoles . the unit will now allow the operator to operate the paired lifts up or down and allow the raise / lower movement as long as the difference in height of the paired group is within a prescribed distance from the height of the remainder of the lifting columns . this is done to provide a margin of safety to the operator and the vehicle under lift during an asymmetric lifting operation . the units may be parked in any position within the predetermined range of operation . the units will remain in the paired operation until the operator executes an un - pair operation from the operator &# 39 ; s console of the two selected lifts . fig1 provides a flow diagram outlining steps involved un - pairing a wireless portable lift system configured in accordance with certain embodiments of the present invention . the un - pair operation is used to return a lifting ensemble from the paired operation and return the ensemble to its full coordinated column lifting mode . the un - pair command can be given from either of the paired column &# 39 ; s operator console . once the command is given the control processors of the paired columns recall the height of the rest of the ensemble and compare it to the current height of the two paired columns . the processor will then issue a small pid raise / lower gain to the control program , the processor will then place on the common data bus for the paired units gains , destination weights , and heights , and using the communication processors perform a coordinated move the columns in a direction that will make the paired column assume the height of the rest of the ensemble . this move is executed by the raise / lower portion of the control programs in each of the lifts . during this lower or lift , the lift weight of each of the rejoining columns is monitored to assure that the column does not assume a dominant or slacker weight of the columns in the ensemble , but will assume its divided share of the weight . once the predetermined heights and weights are reached the ensemble is returned to the full ensemble mode with all columns assuming equal partnership . fig1 provides a flow diagram outlining steps involved in operating an adaptive communication system of a wireless portable lift system configured in accordance with certain embodiments of the present invention . the adaptive communication system in each of the column lifts provides communication of all command and control information and in addition provides for a continuous synchronous updating of a common data buffer in each of the lifts . the common data buffer is in the same form in all of the lift systems as no lifting system is either a master or slave . each common data buffer in each lift contains the status and operation of all lifts in the ensemble . this common data buffer is maintained in the control processor of each column lift in the working ensemble . the data buffer contains , communication channel data , frequency data , and current protocol data , all column weights , heights , operational and health status of all lifts , assigned lift positions of all lifts , current mode of operation of all lifts , and a current roll call of all lifts in the ensemble , the buffer also contains security information or encryption data needed to interpret all lift communication and to validate command data . the buffer also contains whether there are other lifts , not in the ensemble , in the working vicinity and whether they are joined in an ensemble . the command data buffer is continually kept up to date by the poling of all of the ensemble columns by the first unit in the ensemble . ( the first unit is defined as the first unit powered up or the beacon unit . this unit can be any of the columns . the only requirement is that it is the first unit powered up .) any unit can initiate the pole of all units . the poling is an asked and answered protocol followed by all data on the member of an ensemble . this reply is heard by all columns and logged in each column . the data is sent in an encrypted form with parity , and a cyclic redundancy check ( crc ) to insure security . the roll call contains multiple calls and requests and retries to insure valid data and provide for data collision reduction . in the event that a column is absent from the roll call or a roll call ceases for a predetermined length of time , the ensemble goes into an error mode with the loss of a column . if the unit returns the error code is removed and normal operation is resumed . if the communication processor is the first column to come on line , the communication processor assumes the polling task . the communication processor with the polling task assumes the task of determining the clearest channel that is to be used by the ensemble for all data and determines the hop sequence based on the assessment of channel activity at the time of power up . the polling processor also is responsible for the periodic assessment of the rf environment in order to keep the used channels as clear as possible . this process is initiated when excessive communication errors are detected on one or more of the column &# 39 ; s data . this communication processor is responsible for establishing the encryption key that will be used by the formed ensemble . all of this channel data is placed on the beacon so that joining columns can adjust their communication processors accordingly . the polling processor will maintain the beacon until all of the units that are to be joined have been acquired . once all units are joined the secure communication occurs to all columns in the form of an asked and answer on the secure channels and designated encryption key . this roll call and movement of the common data buffers continues until the ensemble is dissolved . the communication processor is frequency agile , encryption key agile , protocol agile . all communication processors are the same and can assume the polling task if they are the first that are powered up of an ensemble . fig1 provides a flow diagram outlining steps involved in operating an e - stop system of a wireless portable lift system configured in accordance with certain embodiments of the present invention . the e - stop is an overriding system interrupt . the e - stop performs two operations . first the e - stop removes power from all of the mosfets that drive the pump and valves of the unit where the e - stop is executed . this action causes the dump valve to open and the output of the pump to be jettisoned to the dump tank . the dump valve is executed in the event of the failure of the main power contactor in the on position . the e - stop assures that the hydraulic circuit is broken thus assuring a positive stop to the hydraulic circuit . this action assures that the unit where the local e - stop is pressed comes to a positive halt . second the e - stop alerts the control processor of the condition , places the e - stop message in the common communication buffer and the intelligent communications processor broadcasts an e - stop message so all other lift columns are also sent into the e - stop mode as well . the broadcast e - stop message causes a termination of power to the active hydraulic components of all of the members of the ensemble . the e - stopped unit now becomes the command and the lead unit for purposes of control of the column lift ensemble . in the event of a communication and control buffer failure the column will offending column lift will exhibit a communication failure causing all columns go into a failure to sync and halt all motion . in the event of the failure of or locking of any of the control processors the separate cop watchdog processor in the effected column will perform a cold reset of the processor causing a loss of ensemble communication thus causing the entire ensemble to halt . there are three levels of emergency stop . a controlled stop under processor control , a stop by the issuing of the halt command in the common communication buffer thus causing the entire ensemble to halt , and a cop watchdog system reset resulting in loss of system sync and halting of the entire ensemble . if the later occurs , this failure requires the e - stop to be cleared and the system to be restarted from scratch . if the first occurs the e - stop can be cleared by resetting the e - stop button and the ensemble will continue with the lift operations . the e - stop is designed to be a positive halt to the column lift system . the same result as a cop watchdog stop can be obtained if the operator turns the main power switch off on any one of the ensemble . the ensemble has to restart from scratch . a cop watchdog and a power down is an absolute halt of the column lift system requiring operator intervention . fig1 - 18 provide simplified representations of wireless portable lift system configurations within which one or more of the inventive features discussed above can be implemented . although each of the lift systems depicted in fig1 - 18 show four lifts , it should be understood than any number of lifts can be used . fig1 depicts a wireless portable lift system utilizing a remote control module that provides two - way wireless communication with each individual lift of the system . in the embodiment depicted in fig1 , the individual lifts only communicate with one another via the remote control module . as such , direct lift - to - lift two - way wireless communication need not be used during operation of the lift system . each lift of the system can include a height sensor so that the information wirelessly communicated between the lifts and the remote control module can include information regarding the height of the carriage assembly of each lift . the remote control module employed in the system of fig1 can be configured in the manner describe above with reference to fig1 - 4 . fig1 depicts a wireless portable lift system utilizing a remote level sensor located on a vehicle as the vehicle is being raised and lowered . the level sensor can be used to gather and wirelessly transmit information regarding the level condition of the vehicle . in the embodiment depicted in fig1 , the level detector only communicates with a master lift having a height sensor . using height information gathered from the height sensor on the master lift and level information gathered from the remote level sensor , the master lift can determine the height of all the slave lifts . in such a configuration , it may not be necessary for the lifts to employ two - way communication with one another . rather , the master lift can communicate instructions to the slave lifts without receiving feedback from the slave lifts , while still ensuring that the vehicle being lifted is not undesirably out of level . fig1 depicts a wireless portable lift system utilizing a remote height sensor located on a vehicle as the vehicle is being raised and lowered . the remote height sensor can be used to gather and wirelessly transmit information regarding the height of the vehicle to a master lift . in certain embodiments , the remote height sensor can be a directional height sensor that also gathers information regarding the level condition of the vehicle . in such an embodiment , the height detector need only communicate with the master lift . using height and level information from the height detector , the master lift can determine the height of all the lifts . in such a configuration , it may not be necessary for the lifts to employ two - way communication with one another . rather , the master lift can communicate instructions to the slave lifts without receiving feedback from the slave lifts , while still ensuring that the vehicle being lifted is not undesirably out of level . fig1 depicts a wireless portable lift system utilizing velocity controllers , rather than height sensors , to ensure that the vehicle is maintained in a substantially level condition during raising and lowering . in such an embodiment , it is not necessary for height signals to be communicated between lifts . rather , each lift is set to only operate within a certain narrow velocity range , so that the relative heights of the lifts stay within a certain narrow range . such a velocity controller can be used instead of height sensors or in conjunction with height sensors to ensure proper leveling of the vehicle during lifting . it is to be understood that while certain forms of the present invention have been illustrated and described herein , it is not to be limited to the specific forms or arrangement of parts described and shown . | 1Performing Operations; Transporting
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referring now to the drawings , and , in particular , to fig1 there is shown a heat - sealed package 10 in the form of a four - side seal having front and back opposing walls provided with top , bottom and side peripheral seals 12 which define a compartment or pouch 14 . the heat - sealed package has a form - fill - seal construction wherein opposing , heat sealable webs are provided with side and bottom peripheral seals to form a compartment for receiving and holding a dispensable product and thereafter the package is completed by providing the compartment with a top peripheral seal . in order to facilitate the opening of the package , the compartment 14 is provided with an inner seal 16 which incorporates a pivotally disposed 18 , die - cut 20 , swing - out flap 22 that defines a finger traversing aperture 24 , as shown in fig2 . the inner seal is advantageously positioned near the top seal . the sealing mechanism for preparing the inner seal can be included in the top sealing platen , in which event the top seal and inner seal are formed in one step , or a separate sealing platen can be utilized to form the inner seal . the die - cut 20 , which forms the swing - out flap 22 , is preferably made after the package is completed , but , if desired , the die - cut can be made substantially simultaneously with the formation of the inner seal . to open the heat - sealed package described herein , one hand is used to grip the package and one finger from the other hand is passed through the aperture of the inner seal whereupon a pull - apart force is applied to the package to remove an upper segment 26 of the package so as to provide one or more openings 28 for dispensing contents from the main body 30 of the package , as shown in fig2 . other embodiments of this invention are shown in fig3 - 6 . in fig3 the inner seal 32 and its swing - out flap 34 have a triangular configuration and this seal is triangularly aligned at a corner 36 of the package . in fig4 the package is provided with first and second semi - circular inner seals 38 , 40 having first and second semi - circular swing - out flaps , respectively , 42 , 44 . in fig5 the package is provided with a circular inner seal 46 having a circular , finger traversing aperture 48 . in fig6 the package is provided with an inner seal 50 having a slit - type finger traversing aperture 52 and a portion of the inner seal is sealingly bridged 54 to the peripheral seal 12 . the tear - open structure of this invention can be incorporated into heat - sealed packages of diverse configuration and construction including the four - side seal , the three - side seal and the pillow type . it is particularly well suited for incorporation into heat - sealed packages containing fluidic products such as hair and other body - care preparations , food dressings and the like . since these packages are frequently opened under conditions where the hands are wet or oily , the presence of the perforated inner seal in the package compartment permits finger gripping traversal of the package to thereby facilitate the opening of such packages . this feature is particularly advantageous where the heat - sealed package is constructed from a high - strength laminate such as a polyethylene / polyester laminate , since such packages are particularly difficult to tear open when the hands are wet or oily . while in the foregoing description and accompanying drawings there has been shown and described the preferred embodiment of this invention , it will be understood , of course , that minor changes may be made in the details of construction as well as in the combination , arrangement , and composition of parts , without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed . | 1Performing Operations; Transporting
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attention is initially directed to fig1 and 2 which illustrate a preferred feedthrough pin subassembly 10 utilized in accordance with the present invention . the subassembly 10 is comprised of an elongate pin 12 , preferably formed of a solid electrically conductive material , having low electrical resistance and high corrosion resistance such as platinum iridium , preferably 90pt / 10ir . the pin 12 extends through , and is hermetically sealed to a header 14 . the header 14 is comprised of dielectric disks , e . g ., ceramic , 16 and 18 which sandwich a glass hollow cylinder 20 therebetween . the glass hollow cylinder is hermetically sealed to the pin 12 . the outer surface of the glass hollow cylinder 20 is sealed to the inner surface of an electrically conductive hollow member 22 , e . g ., titanium - 6ai - 4v . as will be seen hereinafter , the conductive hollow material 22 functions as a battery case endcap in the final product to be described hereinafter . attention is now directed to fig3 , and 5 which illustrate a preferred positive electrode strip 30 which is utilized in the fabrication of a preferred spirally wound jellyroll electrode assembly in accordance with the present invention . the positive electrode strip 30 is comprised of a metal substrate 32 formed , for example , of aluminum . positive electrode active material 34 , 36 is deposited , respectively on the upper and lower faces 38 and 40 of the substrate 32 . note in fig3 , and 5 that the right end of the substrate 32 is bare , i . e . devoid of positive active material on both the upper and lower faces 38 , 40 . it is to be pointed out that exemplary dimensions are depicted in fig1 - 5 and other figures herein . these exemplary dimensions are provided primarily to convey an order of magnitude to the reader to facilitate an understanding of the text and drawings . although the indicated dimensions accurately reflect one exemplary embodiment of the invention , it should be appreciated that the invention can be practiced utilizing components having significantly different dimensions . [ 0039 ] fig6 depicts an early process step for manufacturing a battery in accordance with the invention utilizing the pin subassembly 10 ( fig1 ) and the positive electrode strip 30 ( fig3 - 5 ). a topside electrode insulator ( not shown ), which may comprise a thin disk of dupont kapton ® polyimide film , is slipped onto the pin 12 adjacent the header 14 . in accordance with the present invention , the bare end of the electrode strip substrate 32 is electrically connected to the pin 12 preferably by resistance spot welding , shown at 44 . alternatively , substrate 32 may be ultrasonically welded to the pin 12 . the thinness , e . g . point 0 . 02 mm of the substrate 32 , makes it very difficult to form a strong mechanical connection between the substrate and the pin 12 . accordingly , in accordance with a significant aspect of the present invention , an elongate c - shaped mandrel 48 is provided to mechanically reinforce the pin 12 and secure the substrate 32 thereto . the mandrel 48 preferably comprises an elongate titanium or titanium alloy such as ti - 6ai4v tube 50 having a longitudinal slot 52 extending along the length thereof . the arrow 54 in fig6 depicts how the mandrel 48 is slid over the pin 12 and substrate 32 , preferably overlaying the line of spot welds 44 . the mandrel 48 , pin 12 , and substrate 32 are then preferably welded together , such as by resistance spot welding or by ultrasonic welding . alternatively , the mandrel 48 may be crimped onto the pin 12 at least partially closing the “ c ” to create a strong mechanical connection . in the case of forming only a mechanical connection and not necessarily a gas - tight electrical connection between the mandrel 48 and the pin and substrate , the mandrel material is preferably made of a material that will not lead to electrolysis . when used with electrolytes that tend to - contain hydrofluoric acid , the mandrel is preferably made of 304 , 314 , or 316 stainless steels or aluminum or an alloy thereof chosen for its compatibility with the other materials . fig7 is an end view showing the step of crimping the mandrel 48 to the pin 12 and substrate 32 . supporting die 126 is used to support the mandrel 48 and crimping dies 124 and 125 are used to deform the edges of the mandrel 48 to bring them closer together and mechanically connect the mandrel 48 to the pin 12 and substrate 32 . by crimping in the direction of arrows 127 and 128 , a strong connection is formed without damaging the thin electrode or disturbing the electrical connection between the pin and the electrode . [ 0041 ] fig8 is an end view showing the slotted mandrel 48 on the pin 12 with the substrate 32 extending tangentially to the pin 12 and terminating adjacent the interior surface of the mandrel tube 50 . the tube 50 is preferably sufficiently long so as to extend beyond the free end of the pin 12 . as depicted in fig9 this enables a drive key 56 to extend into the mandrel slot 52 . [ 0042 ] fig1 schematically depicts a drive motor 60 for driving the drive key 56 extending into mandrel slot 52 . with the pin subassembly header 14 supported for rotation ( not shown ), energization of the motor 60 will orbit the key drive 56 to rotate the mandrel 48 and subassembly 10 around their common longitudinal axes . the rotation of the mandrel 48 and subassembly 10 is employed to form a jellyroll electrode assembly in accordance with the present invention . more particularly , fig1 depicts how a jellyroll electrode assembly is formed in accordance with the present invention . the bare end of the substrate 32 of the positive electrode strip 30 is electrically connected to the pin 12 as previously described . the conductive mandrel 48 contains the pin 12 and bare substrate end , being welded to both as previously described . a strip of insulating separator material 64 extending from opposite directions is introduced between the mandrel 48 and positive electrode substrate 32 , as shown . a negative electrode strip 70 is then introduced between the portions of the separator material extending outwardly from mandrel 48 . the preferred exemplary negative electrode strip 70 is depicted in fig1 - 15 . the negative electrode strip 70 is comprised of a substrate 72 , e . g . titanium , having negative active material formed on respective faces of the substrate . more particularly , note in fig1 that negative active material 74 is deposited on the substrate upper surface 76 and negative active material 78 is deposited on the substrate lower surface 80 . fig1 depicts the preferred configuration of the inner end 82 of the negative electrode strip 70 shown at the left of fig1 and 13 . fig1 depicts the configuration of the outer end 83 of the negative electrode strip 70 shown at the right side of fig1 and 13 . note in fig1 that one face of the substrate inner end 82 is bared . this configuration can also be noted in fig1 which shows how the negative substrate inner end 82 is inserted between turns of the separator strip 64 . after the strip 70 has been inserted as depicted in fig1 , the aforementioned drive motor 60 is energized to rotate pin 12 and mandrel 48 , via drive key 56 , in a counterclockwise direction , as viewed in fig1 . rotation of pin 12 and mandrel 48 functions to wind positive electrode strip 30 , separator strip 64 , and negative electrode strip 70 , into the spiral jellyroll assembly 84 , depicted in fig1 . the assembly 84 is comprised of multiple layers of strip material so that a cross section through the assembly 84 would reveal a sequence of layers in the form pos / sep / neg / sep / pos / sep / neg /. . . , etc . [ 0046 ] fig1 depicts a preferred configuration of the outer end 83 of the negative electrode strip 70 . note that the outer end 88 of the substrate 72 is bared on both its top and bottom faces . additionally , as shown in fig1 , a flexible metal tab 90 is welded crosswise to the substrate 72 so as to extend beyond edge 92 . more particularly , note that portion 94 of tab 90 is cantilevered beyond edge 92 of negative electrode strip 70 . this tab portion , as will be described hereinafter , is utilized to mechanically and electrically connect to an endcap for closing a battery case . attention is now called to fig1 , which illustrates a preferred technique for closing the jellyroll assembly 84 . that is , the bared end 88 of the negative electrode substrate 72 extending beyond the negative active material coat 78 is draped over the next inner layer of the jellyroll assembly 84 . the end 88 can then be secured to the next inner layer , e . g ., by appropriate adhesive tape 96 . one such suitable adhesive tape is dupont kapton ® polyimide tape . it is important to note that the outer end configuration 88 of the negative electrode strip 70 enables the outer radius dimension of the jellyroll assembly 84 to be minimized as shown in fig1 . more particularly , by baring the substrate 72 beyond the active material 78 , the tape 96 is able to secure the substrate end without adding any radial dimension to the jellyroll assembly . in other words , if the outer end of the substrate were not sufficiently bared , then the tape 96 would need to extend over the active material and thus add to the outer radius dimension of the jellyroll 84 . furthermore , the bare substrate 72 is more flexible than the substrate coated with active material 78 and conforms more readily to the jellyroll assembly 84 , making it easier to adhere it to the surface of the jellyroll . these space savings , although seemingly small , can be clinically important in certain medical applications . it should be noted that the electrode need only be bared at an end portion long enough to accommodate the tape 96 , as shown in fig1 . because the uncoated substrate does not function as an electrode , it would waste space in the battery to bare any more than necessary to accommodate the tape . in a preferred embodiment , the length of uncoated substrate is between 1 and 8 mm , and more preferably about 2 mm . [ 0048 ] fig1 depicts the completed jellyroll assembly 84 and shows the cantilevered tab portion 94 prior to insertion into a battery case body 100 . the case body 100 is depicted as comprising a cylindrical metal tube 101 having an open first end 104 and open second end 106 . arrow 107 represents how the jellyroll assembly 84 is inserted into the cylindrical tube 101 . fig2 depicts the jellyroll assembly 84 within the tube 101 with the cantilevered negative electrode tab 94 extending from the case open second end 106 . the case open first end 104 is closed by the aforementioned header 14 of the pin subassembly 10 shown in fig1 and 2 . more particularly , note that the metal hollow member 22 is configured to define a reduced diameter portion 108 and shoulder 110 . the reduced diameter portion 108 is dimensioned to fit into the open end 104 of the cylindrical tube 101 essentially contiguous with the tube &# 39 ; s inner wall surface . the shoulder 110 of the hollow member 22 engages the end of the case tube 101 . this enables the surfaces of the reduced diameter portion 108 and shoulder 110 to be laser welded to the end of the case 100 to achieve a hermetic seal . attention is now directed to fig2 - 24 , which depict the tab 94 extending from the second open end 106 of the case tube 101 . note that the tab 94 extends longitudinally from the body close to the case tube adjacent to tube &# 39 ; s inner wall surface . in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention , the tab 94 is welded at 110 to the inner face 112 of a circular second endcap 114 . in accordance with a preferred embodiment , the tab 94 is sufficiently long to locate the weld 110 beyond the center point of the circular endcap 114 . more particularly , note in fig2 - 24 that by locating the weld 110 displaced from the center of the cap 114 , the tab 94 can conveniently support the endcap 114 in a vertical orientation as depicted in fig2 misaligned with respect to the open end 106 . this end cap position approximately perpendicular to the end 122 of the case 100 is a first bias position wherein the end cap advantageously tends to remain in that orientation with the case end open prior to filling . to further describe the relationship between the weld location and the various components , fig2 shows a front view with various dimensions . l represents the length from the weld 110 to the top of the case 100 as measured parallel to the edge of the case . r is the radius of the end cap 114 . for the preferred geometry , l ≦ 2r . weld 110 is preferably made above the center point 111 of the end cap 114 . preferably , the end cap 114 overlaps the case 100 by approximately r / 2 . by configuring the tab 94 and weld 110 as indicated , the endcap 114 can be supported so that it does not obstruct the open end 106 , thereby facilitating electrolyte filling of the case interior cavity via open end 106 . a filling needle or nozzle can be placed through open end 106 to fill the case . this obviates the need for a separate electrolyte fill port , thereby reducing the number of components and number of seals to be made , thus reducing cost and improving reliability . furthermore , for small medical batteries , the end caps would be very small to have fill ports therein . in a preferred embodiment in which the case wall is very thin , for example , 0 . 002 inches , providing a fill port in the side wall of the case would be impractical . even in the case of larger devices where space is less critical and the wall is more substantial , providing a fill port in the side of the case would mean the electrolyte would have a very long path length to wet the jellyroll . note that while the case could be filled with electrolyte prior to welding tab 94 to endcap 114 , it would be difficult and messy to do so . therefore , it is advantageous to configure the tab 94 and weld 110 as described to allow the weld to be made prior to filling . preferably before filling , a bottomside electrode insulator ( not shown ), which may comprise a thin disk of dupont kapton ® polyimide film , is installed into the case between the rolled electrode assembly and the still open end of the battery case . in a preferred filing method , there is a channel of air between the pin and the crimped or welded c - shaped mandrel , which is used as a conduit for quickly delivering the electrolyte to the far end of the battery and to the inside edges of the electrodes within the jellyroll . filling from the far end of the battery prevents pockets of air from being trapped , which could form a barrier to further filling . this facilitates and speeds the filling process , ensuring that electrolyte wets the entire battery . thereafter , the flexible tab 94 can be bent to the configuration depicted in fig2 . note that the endcap 114 is configured similarly to header hollow member 22 and includes a reduced diameter portion 118 and a shoulder 120 . the reduced diameter portion snugly fits against the inner surface of the wall of tube 101 with the endcap shoulder 120 bearing against the end 122 of the cylindrical case 100 . the relatively long length of the tab 94 extending beyond the center point of the endcap surface 112 minimizes any axial force which might be exerted by the tab portion 94 tending to longitudinally displace the endcap 114 . the end cap position covering the end 122 of the case 100 is a second bias position wherein the end cap advantageously tends to remain in that orientation prior to welding . with the endcap in place , it can then be readily welded to the case wall 101 to hermetically seal the battery . with tab 90 welded to negative substrate 72 and with the negative electrode strip 70 as the outermost layer of the jellyroll , the endcap 114 becomes negative . in turn , welding the endcap 114 to the case 100 renders the case negative . from the foregoing , it should now be appreciated that an electric storage battery construction and method of manufacture have been described herein particularly suited for manufacturing very small , highly reliable batteries suitable for use in implantable medical devices . although a particular preferred embodiment has been described herein and exemplary dimensions have been mentioned , it should be understood that many variations and modifications may occur to those skilled in the art falling within the spirit of the invention and the intended scope of the appended claims . | 7Electricity
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in the digital speed control shown in fig1 a speed signal 10 is received from the vehicle at the &# 34 ; speed signal in &# 34 ; terminal . the speed signal is in the form of a series of pulses as illustrated in fig2 a . as the speed of the vehicle increases , the number of pulses per unit of time increases proportionately . thus , speed signal 10 represents the actual speed of the vehicle at any instant of time . the speed signal 10 may be derived in any of the number of ways known for generating a series of pulses responsive to the speed of a moving vehicle . for example , speed signal 10 may be generated by a rotating gear operatively connected to the drive train rotating at a speed proportional to the speed of the vehicle and inducing impulses into a detector as each gear tooth passes by the detector . the number of pulses produced per unit of time is proportional to the speed of the vehicle . in other words , the frequency of the speed signal is proportional to the speed of the vehicle . a reference clock 11 produces three series of pulses , two of which are shown in fig2 b and 2c . reference clock 11 produces the three pulse trains as follows . a digital clock produces pulse train xr at output 12 of reference clock 11 . pulse train xr has a frequency which is low compared to the speed signal 10 at normal driving speeds . binary dividers within reference clock 11 divide the frequency of pulse train xr to produce a pulse train r shown in fig2 b . the frequency of reference clock r is much lower than the frequency of speed signal 10 shown in fig2 a . it is within the scope of the invention , however , to provide reference clock pulse train r timing having a much higher frequency than the speed signal . choice of timing schemes may be dictated by digital equipment limitations and not theory . therefore , for purposes of the following discussion , reference will be made only to a timing scheme employing a reference clock pulse train r that is lower than the frequencs of the speed signal . reference clock pulse train r is further divided by two , within reference clock 11 , to produce a pulse train r / 2 at output 13 . reference clock pulse train r / 2 is shown in fig2 c . an inverter 14 operates upon r / 2 to produce the wave form shown in fig2 d . the inverted r / 2 wave form will hereinafter be referred to as r / 2 . to engage the digital speed control , the vehicle operator adjusts the speed of the vehicle to the desired value and activates a set speed switch 15 . activating switch 15 triggers a memory loader 16 which causes a memory counter 17 to count and store the number of speed signal pulses for one r period of the reference clock shown in fig2 b . thus , the number of speed signal pulses stored in any r clock period is a binary digital number proportional to the speed of the vehicle during that r clock period . the desired speed of the vehicle , which is proportional to the number of speed signal pulses stored in memory counter 17 , is hereinafter referred to as the &# 34 ; set speed .&# 34 ; to understand more fully how memory loader 16 and memory counter 17 operate , reference is made to a timing generator 18 . timing generator 18 receives speed signal pulses 10 and the r output of reference clock 11 . timing generator 18 produces output pulses t . sub . o , t o / 2 and ( t o / 2 )&# 39 ; shown in fig2 e , 2f and 2g respectively . as shown in fig2 timing pulse t o rises to a preselected potential at the initiation of the first r reference clock pulse occurring at time t o . at the initiation of the next speed signal timing pulse , occurring at time t 1 , timing pulse t o returns to zero . at the initiation of the next r reference clock pulse , occurring at time t 2 , timing pulse t o again rises to the preselected potential and falls to zero at time t 3 , which time is coincident with the initiation of the next speed signal pulse . similarly , timing pulse t o rises up at time t o &# 39 ; and falls at t 1 &# 39 ;, rises up at time t 2 &# 39 ; and falls at time t 3 &# 39 ;. timing generator 18 uses timing pulse t o to make timing pulses t o / 2 and ( t o / 2 )&# 39 ;. timing pulse t o is derived from every odd numbered t o timing pulse . thus t o / 2 timing pulses coincide with the beginning of each r / 2 clock period . timing pulse ( t o / 2 )&# 39 ; is derived from every even numbered t o timing pulse . thus t o / 2 timing pulses coincide with the beginning of each r / 2 clock period . it is within the scope of the invention to derive the t o / 2 and ( t o / 2 )&# 39 ; timing pulses from the r / 2 and r / 2 clock pulses respectively . memory loader 16 receives speed signal pulses 10 , r reference clock pulses , and a t o timing pulse . when set speed switch 15 is activated , memory loader 16 is enabled to operate at the beginning of the next r clock period . referring to fig2 assume that set speed switch 15 is activated a time t s . the next r clock period will begin at time t o . at time t o , a t o timing pulse resets memory counter 17 via the reset line and speed signal 10 is directed by memory loader 16 via the memory clock line to memory counter 17 . memory counter 17 is a digital counter clocked by speed signal 10 , which counts for one r clock period . at time t o &# 39 ;, memory counter 17 ceases counting and memory loader 16 completes its function until set speed button 15 is depressed to enter a new set speed . since memory counter 17 has counted the number of speed signal pulses in a known period of time , i . e ., one r clock period , the digital number stored therein is proportional to the set speed of the vehicle during that r clock period which immediately follows activation of set speed switch 15 . a speed counter , 19 , which is a digital counter , is clocked by either speed signal 10 or the xr output of reference clock 11 , and is reset to zero by a t o / 2 timing pulse . a digital comparator , 20 , receives inputs from memory counter 17 , and speed counter 19 . when the outputs of memory counter 17 and speed counter 19 coincide , digital comparator 20 outputs a pulse to an output logic 21 . the operation of output logic 21 will be explained in detail later . speed counter 19 is clocked as follows . the xr pulse train and r / 2 are fed to a first and gate 22 . speed signal 10 and r / 2 are fed to a second and gate 23 . the outputs of first and second and gates 22 and 23 are fed to an or gate 24 . the output of or gate 24 is used to clock speed counter 19 . referring to fig2 from time t o until time t 2 , r / 2 will be high and r / 2 will be low . thus , and gate 23 will be enabled and and gate 22 will be disabled , therefore speed signal 10 will clock speed counter 19 via and gate 23 and or gate 24 . from time t 2 until time t o &# 39 ;, r / 2 will be low and r / 2 will be high . thus and gate 23 will be disabled and and gate 22 will be enabled , therefore the xr output of reference clock 11 will clock speed counter 19 via and gate 22 and or gate 24 . fig2 h shows the output of speed counter 19 . the line labeled &# 34 ; set speed &# 34 ; represents a count corresponding to the output of memory counter 17 . if the &# 34 ; set speed &# 34 ; line were higher , the set speed of the vehicle would be higher . conversely , if the &# 34 ; set speed &# 34 ; line were lower , the set speed of the vehicle would be lower . at time t o , t o &# 39 ;, etc ., timing pulse t o / 2 resets speed counter 19 and digital comparator 20 follows to zero in response to speed counter 19 . from time t o until time t 2 speed counter 19 is clocked by speed signal 10 . from time t 2 until time t o &# 39 ; speed counter 19 is clocked by the xr output of reference clock 11 . at a time t 4 , the output of speed counter 19 equals that of memory counter 17 causing digital comparator 20 to output a pulse as shown in fig2 . the output of comparator 20 remains high , and speed counter 19 continues to count until time t o &# 39 ;, when they are reset to zero in response to a t o / 2 timing pulse . output logic 21 controls the speed of the vehicle as follows . output logic 21 receives timing pulses t o / 2 and ( t o / 2 )&# 39 ; from timing generator 18 , and the output of digital comparator 20 . the output of logic 21 is amplified by an output amplifier 25 which in turn drives a throttle actuator 26 . throttle actuator 26 directly controls the speed of the vehicle . the operation of output logic 21 can be explained with reference to the logic diagram of fig3 . an outut flip - flop 27 is set upon receipt of a ( t o / 2 )&# 39 ; pulse and reset via an or gate 28 upon receipt of a pulse from digital comparator 20 or a t o / 2 pulse from timing generator 18 . the output of output flip - flop 27 is fed to output amplifier 25 via a third and gate 29 . the system may be disengaged or engaged by means of a disengage flip - flop 30 . it should be remembered that output flip - flop 27 is gated to drive throttle actuator 26 by a third and gate 29 . third and gate 29 is enabled and disabled by the output of disengage flip - flop 30 . when the disengage flip - flop is set , the logical one output enables and gate 29 . thus the output from flip - flop 27 is able to drive throttle actuator 26 . when the disengage flip - flop is reset , the logical zero output disables and gate 29 to cut off the output of flip - flop 27 from throttle actuator 26 . a disengage pulse to reset flip - flop 30 may be generated by applying the brakes of the vehicle , or by moving the transmission to a neutral position . to re - engage the system , a resume speed switch 31 is activated to generate a pulse to set flip - flop 30 to enable third and gate 29 to gate the output of flip - flop 27 to throttle actuator 26 . the generation of the throttle actuator signal may be explained with reference to fig2 and 3 . a ( t o / 2 )&# 39 ; pulse occurring at time t 2 sets output flip - flop 27 . when speed counter 19 counts up to the set speed , the output of digital comparator 20 resets flip - flop 27 at time t 4 . digital comparator 20 is reset in response to a t o / 2 pulse at time t o &# 39 ;. if the actual speed of the vehicle is less than the set speed , the comparator will output a pulse after time t 2 . the length of time from time t o until t 4 is proportional to the difference in speed between the set speed and the actual speed of the vehicle . to produce a square wave having a pulse width proportional to this difference in speed , output flip - flop 27 is set by a t o / 2 pulse at time t 2 , and reset by the digital comparator at time t 4 . if the actual speed of the vehicle is much lower than the set speed , speed counter 19 may never count up to the set speed prior to the beginning of the next r / 2 clock period . to insure that output flip - flop 27 will be reset in time for the next ( t o / 2 )&# 39 ; timing pulse , a t o / 2 timing pulse resets flip - flop 27 at times t o , t o &# 39 ;, etc . therefore , the maximum duty cycle of output logic 21 is 50 percent . if the actual speed of the vehicle is equal to the set speed , speed counter 19 will count up to the set speed at time t 2 . when this occurs the throttle actuator signal will be inhibited and no throttle will be applied . this condition will produce a zero voltage command to throttle actuator 26 . if the actual vehicle speed is greater than the set speed , speed counter 19 will count up to the set speed at a time t 5 , prior to time t 2 &# 39 ;. the output of digital comparator 20 will occur at time t 5 and will inhibit output flip - flop 26 from being set at time t 2 &# 39 ; by timing pulse ( t o / 2 )&# 39 ;. thus no throttle will be applied and the vehicle will slow down to the set speed . the output of logic 21 is therefore a pulse width modulated square wave having a pulse width proportional to the difference in speed between the set speed and the actual speed of the vehicle , so long as the actual speed of the vehicle is less than the set speed . if the actual speed of the vehicle is greater than the set speed , no throttle will be applied until the speed of the vehicle falls to just below the set speed . throttle actuator 26 directly controls the throttle , and thus the speed of the vehicle . throttle actuator 26 may be an electro - pneumatic device responsive to a pulse width modulated signal . typically , actuator 26 overrides the normal throttle control of the vehicle when the digital speed control is engaged . when the system is engaged , if no voltage is applied to actuator 26 , zero throttle is applied to the vehicle . as the pulse width of the input voltage to actuator 26 increases , the average voltage increases proportionately , and the speed of the vehicle increases , as shown in fig4 . referring to fig4 if the speed of the vehicle is equal to or greater than the set speed &# 34 ; x &# 34 ;, the output of digital comparator 20 will inhibit the throttle actuator signal so that it will be flat , thus yielding a zero throttle actuator voltage . the zero throttle actuator voltage produces a zero throttle which causes the vehicle to slow down until it reaches the set speed . at speeds below set speed &# 34 ; x &# 34 ;, the average throttle actuator voltage increases linearly until it reaches maximum value . the maximum value occurs when the actual speed of the vehicle is so far below the set speed that speed counter 19 will not count up to the set speed during one r / 2 clock period . when this occurs , the throttle actuator signal will rise up at time t 2 and remain high until a t o / 2 timing pulse resets output flip - flop 27 . thus , a 50 percent duty cycle is produced at the output of logic 21 to cause throttle actuator 26 to apply maximum throttle to bring the actual speed of the vehicle up to the set speed . the maximum value of the average throttle actuator voltage is proportional to the maximum value of output amplifier 25 . by adjusting the gain of amplifier 25 , the maximum average throttle actuator voltage can be raised or lowered . the gain of the speed control error voltage is the slope δy / δx of the plot of average throttle actuator voltage versus speed shown in fig4 . the slope can be adjusted by altering the frequency of the xr output of reference clock 11 . if the frequency is decreased , speed counter 19 will take longer to count up to the set speed for a given difference between the set speed and an actual vehicle speed . since speed counter 19 takes longer to count up to the set speed , the pulse width of the output from logic 21 is increased and the average throttle actuator voltage is increased . therefore , the slope of the curve shown in fig4 is steepened and the gain of the speed control error voltage is increased . similarly , if the frequency of the xr output of reference clock 11 is increased , speed counter 19 will count up to the set speed faster for a given difference in speed between the set speed and an actual vehicle speed , and the average throttle actuator voltage will be lower . therefore , the slope of the curve shown in fig4 is lessened and the gain of the speed control error voltage is decreased . if a higher set speed , such as &# 34 ; x &# 39 ;&# 34 ; is chosen , the gain of the system δy &# 39 ;/ δx &# 39 ; equals δy / δx because , as explained above , the average throttle actuator voltage is proportional to the absolute difference in speed between the set speed and the actual vehicle speed , not a percentage difference in speed . it can therefore be seen that when the actual speed of the vehicle drops below the set speed , the average throttle actuator voltage increases until a maximum voltage is reached producing maximum acceleration . as the speed of the vehicle nears the set speed , the average throttle actuator voltage decreases proportionately , reaching zero at the set speed , to prevent jerky movement of the vehicle . at speeds above the set speed , the average throttle actuator voltage remains at zero . it is within the scope of the invention to provide means for applying the brakes of the vehicle to slow it down when the vehicle speed rises substantially above the set speed . the invention further includes a digital speedometer 32 . digital speedometer 32 includes a storage element having decoding and readout means . as shown in fig1 digital speedometer 32 receives the output of speed counter 19 and a t o / 2 timing pulse from timing generator 18 . recall that speed counter 19 counts a number proportional to the actual speed of the vehicle during one r / 2 clock period . at time t o &# 39 ;, the speed counter has a digital number stored therein proportional to the actual speed of the vehicle , and the t o / 2 timing pulse transfers that number to the digital speedometer . digital speedometer 32 stores that number , decodes it , and displays it by readout means . the operator of the vehicle , therefore , is provided with a virtually instanteous digital readout of the actual speed of the vehicle at all times . | 1Performing Operations; 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embodiments of the invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings . fig1 shows the structure of a color laser printer 1 according to an embodiment of the invention . the color laser printer 1 of this embodiment includes a belt type photosensitive medium 14 extended between a drive roller 10 , driven rollers 11 and 12 , and a tension roller 13 and rotating at a constant speed in the direction indicated by an arrow , a transfer drum 40 which is disposed so as to make a partial area thereof contact the photosensitive medium , a charger 18 for uniformly charging the surface of the photosensitive medium , an exposure device 2 for subjected the surface of the uniformly charged photosensitive medium 14 to exposure and forming an electrostatic latent image on the surface of the photosensitive medium 14 , four developers 50 , 52 , 54 , and 56 each for developing the latent image formed on the surface of the photosensitive medium 14 and forming a toner image , stays 15 and 16 for maintaining a distance between the photosensitive medium 14 and the developers 52 and 54 constant , a transfer roller 78 for transferring the toner image to a recording medium such as a recording paper , a fuser 80 for fixing the toner image transferred to the recording medium , a blade 17 for removing residual toner on the surface of the photosensitive medium 14 after the toner images have been transferred to the transfer drum 40 , an erase lamp 19 for removing residual electric charges on the surface of the photosensitive medium 14 after the toner images have been transferred to the transfer drum 40 , and a conductive fur brush cleaner 41 for removing residual toner on the surface of the transfer drum 40 . the exposure device 2 applies a laser beam on the surface of the photosensitive medium 14 in accordance with video data sent from an external information processing system ( not shown ). the developers 50 , 52 , 54 , and 56 include yellow , magenta , cyan , and black toner . a bias voltage is applied to each developer to attach toner to the photosensitive medium . processes of recording a color image by using this apparatus will be described . first , conventional color image recording processes will be described . an electrostatic latent image corresponding to a yellow toner image is formed on the photosensitive medium 14 by the exposuring device 2 . the toner image developed by the yellow developer 50 is transferred to the surface of the transfer drum 40 at the contact area thereof with the photosensitive medium . residual toner on the surface of the photosensitive medium 14 is removed by the blade 17 . for the preparation of the next developing process , residual electric charges on the surface of the photosensitive medium 14 are also removed by the erase lamp 19 . with similar processes as above , magenta , cyan , and black toner images superposed upon the yellow toner image are transferred to the surface of the transfer drum 40 . next , a paper feed roller 74 is rotated to pick up a sheet of paper 73 accommodated in a cassette . the feed roller 74 is rotated until the front end of the paper abuts on a registration roller 66 and a slanted paper alignment , if any , is corrected . next , the registration roller 66 is rotated at the timing of aligning the front edge of the toner images with the front end of the paper . after the front end of the paper under transportation contacts the transfer drum 40 , a transfer roller 78 is pressed against the back surface of the paper to transfer the toner images on the transfer drum 40 to the paper . the paper with the color toner images transferred thereto in the manner described above is passed between a heating roller and a pressing roller of the fuser 80 to fix the color toner images , and ejected out of the apparatus by an eject roller 82 . after the toner images have been transferred to the paper , the fur brush cleaner 41 for removing residual toner on the transfer drum 40 is driven to contact the surface of the transfer drum 40 . after the residual toner on the surface of the transfer drum 40 has been removed , the next image forming processes start . fig2 illustrates the timings of the conventional image forming processes to be performed by each constituent element of the apparatus . in fig2 a rise - up of each line corresponds to an operation start , and a fall - down corresponds to an operation end . the abscissa corresponds to a rotation angle of the transfer drum , represented by the unit of radian . 2 π corresponds to one rotation of the transfer drum 40 . when an image forming operation starts , a yellow toner image is transferred to the transfer drum 40 . until the front edge of the toner image reaches the operation point 42 of the fur brush cleaner 41 relative to the drum , the cleaner 41 is driven to remove toner attached to the surface of the transfer drum 40 , thereby preventing an image from having uneven color . before the magenta and cyan toner images formed on the photosensitive medium 14 are transferred to the transfer drum 40 , these images are subjected to exposure by a fade lamp 20 to remove electric charges on the photosensitive medium 14 , thereby facilitating to transfer the toner images to the transfer drum 40 . if there is some twist between the center axes of the photosensitive medium driven roller 12 and the transfer drum 40 respectively supported on the housing of the printer 1 , a transportation force of the photosensitive medium 40 is generated in the direction perpendicular to the transportation direction , in proportion to the quantity of the twist . this transportation force becomes greater as the electrostatic attractive force between the photosensitive medium 14 and the transfer drum 40 becomes larger . a transportation force is therefore generated at the photosensitive medium 14 and the transfer drum 40 in the axial direction thereof . although the transfer drum 40 will not be moved by this force because the motion thereof is restricted in the axial direction , the photosensitive medium 14 is moved slightly in the direction perpendicular to the transportation direction because the motion thereof is not restricted in the former direction . the fur brush cleaner 41 is driven to remove toner on the transfer drum 40 after the photosensitive medium 14 is moved and until the front edge of the yellow toner image reaches the operation point 42 of the fur brush cleaner 41 . during this period , no toner exists between the transfer drum 40 and the photosensitive medium 14 so that the electrostatic attractive force therebetween is very large . a large transportation force is therefore exerted to the photosensitive medium 14 in the direction perpendicular to the transportation direction . as a result , the photosensitive medium 14 is greatly displaced in the direction perpendicular to the transportation direction before the yellow toner image is transferred to the transfer drum 40 . the displaced photosensitive medium 14 gradually restores the original position by a belt displacement correcting unit ( not shown ) while the magenta , cyan , and black toner images are transferred . each color toner image is therefore formed at a different area on the transfer drum 40 , resulting in a color registration error . it is necessary to eliminate a twist between the center axes of the driven roller 12 and the transfer drum 40 so as to solve the problem of a color registration error . however , this is practically difficult from the manufacturing viewpoint . fig3 is a timing chart explaining one example of the registration controlling method of the invention wherein a transportation force exerted to the photosensitive medium 14 in the direction perpendicular to the transportation direction is reduced while even allowing a twist more or less . with this method , the fade lamp 20 is maintained to exposure the photosensitive medium 14 and the fur brush cleaner 41 is maintained to be detached from the transfer drum 40 , until the yellow toner image is transferred from the photosensitive medium 14 to the transfer drum 40 . since light 21 ( refer to fig4 ) is radiated from the fade lamp 20 until the yellow toner image is transferred to the transfer drum 40 , electric charges on the photosensitive medium 14 are removed . as a result , the electrostatic attractive force between the photosensitive medium 14 and the transfer drum 40 is reduced so that the photosensitive medium 14 is prevented from being moved in the direction perpendicular to the transportation direction of the photosensitive medium 14 . furthermore , as shown in fig4 since the fur brush cleaner 41 is detached from the transfer drum 40 , a small amount of toner 43 is resident on the transfer drum 40 . this small amount of toner 43 forms a fine space between the photosensitive medium 14 and the transfer drum 40 so that an electrostatic attractive force therebetween is reduced . the larger the space , the smaller the electrostatic attractive force between the photosensitive medium 14 and the transfer drum 40 because of a smaller electrostatic capacitance of the space . in the above manner , it becomes possible to prevent the photosensitive medium 14 from being moved immediately after the start - up in the direction perpendicular to the transportation direction , by using the fade lamp 20 and the fur brush cleaner 41 . if a toner image is formed on the photosensitive medium 14 after the printer 1 has not been used for a long period , and if the fur brush cleaner 41 is detached from the transfer drum 40 until the yellow toner image is transferred to the transfer drum 40 , an uneven image may be formed in some times because of toner dropped from the developers or the like by vibrations of the printer 1 and attached to the transfer drum 40 . in such a case , it becomes necessary to contact the fur brush cleaner 41 with the transfer drum 40 to clean it at least for the period corresponding to one revolution of the transfer drum 40 , before the yellow toner image is transferred to the transfer drum 40 . for this purpose , as shown in fig5 the fade lamp 20 is maintained to expose the photosensitive medium 14 until the yellow toner image is transferred from the photosensitive medium 14 to the transfer drum 40 , whereas the fur brush cleaner 41 is made in contact with the transfer drum 40 at least for the period corresponding to one revolution of the transfer drum 40 , before the yellow toner image is transferred to the transfer drum 40 . since the fade lamp 20 exposes the photosensitive medium , an electrostatic attractive force between the photosensitive medium 14 and the transfer drum 40 is reduced , and since the fur brush cleaner 41 is detached from the transfer drum 40 until the yellow toner image is transferred to the transfer drum , a small amount of toner is resident on the transfer drum 40 . accordingly , an electrostatic attractive force between the photosensitive medium 14 and the transfer drum 40 is reduced and the photosensitive medium 14 is prevented from being moved in the direction perpendicular to the transportation direction . if the fur brush cleaner 41 is detached from the transfer drum 40 so as not clean it for the period corresponding to two revolutions of the transfer drum 40 , before the yellow toner image on the photosensitive medium 14 is transferred to the transfer drum 40 , then a residual amount of toner increases enhancing the effects of reducing an electrostatic attractive force . in the case shown in fig6 the fade lamp 20 is maintained to expose the photosensitive medium 14 until the yellow toner image is transferred from the photosensitive medium 14 to the transfer drum 40 , whereas the fur brush cleaner 41 is made in contact with the transfer drum 40 for the period corresponding to one revolution of the transfer drum 40 , after the front edge of the yellow toner image is transferred to the transfer drum 40 and the yellow toner image reaches the operating point 42 of the fur brush cleaner 41 . since the fur brush cleaner 41 is detached from the transfer drum 40 until the yellow toner image is transferred to the transfer drum 40 , a small amount of toner is resident on the transfer drum 40 , and since the yellow toner image is transferred to the transfer drum 40 generally at the same time when the fur brush cleaner 41 is operated , a sufficiently small amount of toner is still resident between the photosensitive medium 14 and the transfer drum 40 , reducing an electrostatic attractive force therebetween and preventing the photosensitive medium 14 from being moved in the direction perpendicular to the transportation direction . the timing charts shown in fig7 , and 9 illustrate the methods of preventing the photosensitive medium 14 from being moved by using only the operation control of the fur brush cleaner 41 without the help of the fade lamp 20 . even if electric charges on the surface of the photosensitive medium 14 are not removed by exposing the photosensitive medium 14 by the fade lamp 20 , an electrostatic attractive force between the photosensitive medium 14 and the transfer drum 40 can be reduced and the photosensitive medium 14 can be prevented from being moved in the direction perpendicular to the transportation direction , by making a small amount of toner exist between the photosensitive medium 14 and the transfer drum 40 . the timing chart shown in fig1 illustrates another method in which the fur brush cleaner 14 is operated in the manner similar to a conventional operation and only the fade lamp 20 is used for reducing an electrostatic attractive force . the degree of a color registration error as a result of the registration control by each of the above - described methods is shown in fig1 . in fig1 , the condition 1 corresponds to the method explained with fig2 and the conditions 2 to 8 correspond to the methods of the invention explained with fig3 to 9 . as appreciated from fig1 , the invention methods can considerably reduce a color registration error . of these methods , the conditions 2 to 7 provide a small color registration error , and the condition 2 provide the highest precision . | 6Physics
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the invention is typically embodied in a large offset press , which normally would have two to six page packs and a continuous series of rollers extending the width of the press . in such presses , it is always necessary to have a movable distribution head swing through an arc to go from an operating position , wherein it is adjacent to the fountain roller , and in another position , wherein the distribution head assembly and related parts are spaced apart from the fountain roller . a description will now be made of a typical offset press , and the portions thereof with which the invention is concerned . accordingly , and referring now to fig1 and 2 , there is shown a fountain roller 20 with the distribution head assembly generally designated 22 including an ink passage 24 , and the reduced thickness passage 26 , and this passage may narrow further toward the end of the tapered face 28 on the lower margin of the distribution head assembly . the transfer blade 30 lies just below the narrow end of the ink passage 32 . an adapter plate 34 comes next , and this is secured to a spacer block 36 , which in turn is attached to the swing frame 38 . the swing frame in turn is attached to the swing frame mounting block 40 . these parts , together with the interconnect hose 42 and its individual fittings 44 , 46 constitute the moveable parts of the distribution head assembly . these portions are adapted to swing counterclockwise as shown in the drawings , to leave a substantial space between the distribution head assembly and the fountain roller . portions of the press unit which are fixed include a pivot block support base 48 , a transfer plate 50 , and a feed plate 52 . each of the feed plate and the transfer plate are drilled , milled , or otherwise machined to provide passages 54 , 56 , for ink to flow therethrough . accordingly , the ink flows through the vertical passage 58 into a stationary pocket 59 in the pivot block support base 48 . the remainder of these components and their functions will be described presently . referring now in particular to fig2 and 3 , there is shown a page pack generally designated 60 , and shown to include an ink reservoir generally designated 62 , and an l - shaped and rectangular support structure 63 , 65 . the page pack has a plurality , usually 8 , of individual passages , one of which will now be described . each one of these passages includes a horizontal passage 64 , a vertical passage 66 , and a topmost horizontal passage 68 in this embodiment of the invention . the ink from here flows down through another horizontal passage 70 in the stem receiver , and into the stem housing 72 which connects removably with a stem generally designated 74 . the stem 74 is shown to include a circular sidewall portion 76 , plural o rings 78 , 80 , 82 , and a center passage 84 . the ink then passes from the center passage 84 through the short vertical passage 86 and then horizontally through the passage 88 , where it meets with the passage 90 ( fig2 ) in the feed plate 52 . from here , the ink passes through the ink passages 56 , 54 and 58 , and ends up in a pocket designated 59 . the function of the page pack is to feed separate streams of ink as desired by the layout of the paper and yet to be readily removable from the press for purposes of maintenance , changing the type or color of ink , etc . this can be done readily as the assembly 62 , including all of the various passages is removable as a unit . at this point , assuming that the ink has flowed through the various passages from the reservoir of the page pack 62 , it will flow as shown in fig4 and 5 . the pocket area 59 in the pivot block support base is served by the passage 58 , which brings the ink into an area concentric with the hinge pin 100 having two cavities 102 , 104 . this hinge pin 100 is double - ended ( fig5 ) so as to have a passage 102 that preferably has a depth of just less than half of the extent of the hinge pin 100 . the other end 104 has a similar depth . the hollow hinge pin 100 is centered in the swing frame mounting block 40 , and the pivot block support base 48 remains immobile at all times . the swing frame mounting block 40 pivots through an arc of perhaps 45 degrees . the small chamber or pocket 59 is filled with ink at up to 100 p . r . i . the seal 106 keeps the ink from leaking into the bearing assembly . the radial load is taken by a bearing assembly generally designated 108 . this assembly 108 includes a center series of balls 110 , a cage 112 and pair of shims on either of its sides 114 , 116 . the passage 102 in the hollow hinge pin 100 communicates with a radial passage 118 which in turn communicates with the fitting 46 at one end of interconnect hose 42 . from the foregoing example , one may appreciate that there will be a number of different manners in which the fountain roller and the distribution head may be separated from each other and return to their initial position from time to time . accordingly , while the preferred apparatus for performing this function includes a distribution head and spacers , adapters , and swing frames , etc . as well as interconnect hoses for each column to be printed , this construction is only exemplary . the main concept is that a plurality of hinged pieces are located by hinge pins which have a hollow bore in their middle , and each of which serves to transfer the direction of the ink flowing therein from radial to axial to radial again , and then to the printing apparatus . likewise , the construction of the hinge mechanism is only exemplary . the preferred method includes a seal 106 closely surrounding the diameter of the hinge pin , and this seal includes a garter spring 120 for creating a radial load on the hinge pin 100 , a radially outwardly acting spring 122 for maintaining a radial load on the housing 48 in which the seal 106 is located . in this way , the seal 120 is secure and it keeps the ink in the pocket , and also keeps the grease out of the pocket and in the bearing area where it is desired to be kept . the construction has been shown using ball bearings , however , other methods might be used including roller or tapered roller bearings , or merely bushings , which would allow the bearings to be eliminated . the object here is to allow the hinge pins to be positively located with respect to the movable parts of the structure . an example has been shown wherein the pivot frame mounting block uses a couple of fittings for the interconnect hoses . this is the best use of the application ; however , it is not necessary that these flexible hoses be used , or the fittings be used with them , since another method of making this connection will occur to those skilled in the art . likewise , the hoses have been shown to exit the fitting in pairs , but it is not strictly necessary that this be done . the most effective presently preferred way has been that which is described . regarding the page pack , the preferred method of providing the page pack so as to make it readily removable is the present concept . for example , the o - rings make an easily manufactured seal allowing the stem and the receiver to interfit is the preferred method , but another form of seal could be used , or the seal could be located elsewhere in the system . likewise , the provision of the various holes or passages through the feed plate and the transfer plate is made so as to be most convenient and effective in the present application . however , every angle and turn is not necessary . the page pack support is provided to limit the downward travel of the page pack , but other constructions could be used . it will thus be seen that the present invention provides a construction having a number of advantages and characteristics including those pointed out and others which are inherent in the invention . variations and changes to the described structure will occur to those skilled in the art , and such variations and changes may be made without departing from the invention or from the scope of the appended claims . | 1Performing Operations; Transporting
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referring now to fig1 showing the fully assembled device 10 showing the front side 12 of the device 10 which forms a cd jacket in the assembled configuration with back surface 14 . fig1 also displays the top flap 16 generally quadrahedral in shape with the indicia 18 forming a labeling designation area , folding instructions , or pattern , and with bottom edge 20 , of the top flap 16 tucked under top edge 22 of the bottom flap 24 generally quadrilateral in shape . the corner tab 26 is formed where the tip or acute angle of the quadrilateral falls short . this corner tab 26 enables the bottom edge 20 to slip beneath top edge 22 easily , without catching on an extended acute angle . [ 0041 ] fig2 depicts a pre - printed perspective view of a sheet of paper 32 , with the second surface 28 in the up position , and the first surface 30 down . the sheet of paper may be 21 conventional 8 . 5 inch by 11 . 5 inch paper or in an especially preferred embodiment of the device 10 as depicted in fig2 a , the sheet of paper 32 would be substantially 8 . 5 inches by substantially 11 . 769 inches . a folding pattern is placed on the second surface 28 or if desired the first surface 30 having primary and secondary fold lines positioned as targets for the folding necessary to yield the device 10 . the first primary fold line 34 translates diagonally from the upper corner 36 of the sheet of paper 32 . of course the use of upper and lower and locational terms are used for illustrative purposes as those skilled in the art will realize that the lines and patters may be mirrored or otherwise imparted to the sheet of paper 30 to yield the device 10 . the second primary fold line 38 translates substantially parallel , diagonally across the sheet of paper 32 , substantially 4⅞ inches from the first primary fold line 34 when making a jacket for a conventionally sized cd . it should be noted that using diagonal lines allows the second primary fold line 38 to fall short of the lower corner 40 of the sheet of paper 32 thereby creating the desired corner tab 26 when 16 assembled . as is obvious to those skilled in the art the folding pattern may be mirrored on the sheet of paper 32 and yield the same jacket when folded . when using a sheet of paper 32 custom sized to substantivally 8 . 5 inches by 11 . 769 inches the fold line 38 extends exactly the bottom left lower corner 50 as depicted in fig2 a thereby yielding the current preferred embodiment of the device 10 when folded . a first secondary fold line 42 a translates diagonally across the sheet of paper 32 , substantially normal or 90 ° to the first and second primary fold lines 34 and 38 . the second secondary fold line 44 a translates substantially parallel to the first secondary fold line 42 a and diagonally across the sheet of paper 32 , substantially 4⅞ inches from the first secondary fold line when the folding pattern formed is for a conventionally sized cd . to initiate the four step folding sequence 33 which can be explained in directions distributed with the device 10 or printed on the device 10 as shown in fig2 as letters in sequence a , b , c , d , displayed in fig2 and shown in folds of fig3 - 6 . the folding sequence 33 proceeds first as the top right corner 46 is folded across the sheet of paper 32 creasing along the primary fold line 34 placed as a target and creating the folded edge 48 . fig4 depicts a perspective view of the parallelogram shape created when bottom left lower corner 50 is folded over along the second primary fold line 38 and creased to form the left folded edge 52 . optional means of attachment such as the aforementioned adhesives such as adhesive tape 51 may be placed to hold the lower corner 50 in operative engagement when folded . notably shown in this view is that the first surface 30 of the sheet of paper 32 covers most of the second surface 28 . because of this , in a preferred embodiment providing better viewing of the secondary fold lines 42 a and 42 b during folding of the device 10 the secondary fold lines 42 a and 44 a can be printed on the first surface 30 of the sheet of paper 32 , creating the secondary fold lines 42 b and 44 b . however the device 10 will function with both secondary fold lines 42 b and 44 b just placed on the second surface 28 with a little more attention paid to the line positions . [ 0044 ] fig5 depicts a perspective view of the device 10 formed after the first three steps in the folding sequence yielding an open cd jacket with the bottom flap 24 folded up along the second secondary fold line 44 b forming the bottom folded edge 54 . compact disc 56 is displayed being inserted into aperture 58 which communicates with the storage pocket 59 formed between the folded flaps allowing a means for the cd to be inserted easily and slide into the storage pocket 59 or removed therefrom after the fourth fold in the sequence is completed by reversing the last fold and thereby providing access to the aperture 58 communicating with the storage pocket 59 . [ 0045 ] fig6 displays the device 10 pictured as a cd jacket with the top flap 16 partially folded along the secondary fold line 44 b . in the unique folding sequence of yielding the device 10 in the form of a cd jacket , the second surface 28 of the sheet of paper 32 is completely enclosed , exposing only the first surface 30 of the paper 30 . this surface may be printed upon by the user using indicia identifying the cd enclosed in the storage pocket 59 and any desired ornamentation . while not necessary to function as a cd jacket , additional utility is yielded by a means of holding the top flap 16 to the bottom flap 24 to thereby securely hold the cd in the storage pocket 59 with the aperture 58 closed . several common means of attachment the top flap 16 and bottom flap 24 into position may be incorporated as depicted in fig7 . most common , but not limited to , the use of adhesive means such as double sticky back tape 53 placed substantially ½ inch from , and parallel to the top edge 22 of the bottom flap 24 . or optionally pre - applied , moisture activated adhesive 62 applied to special paper for the device 10 will be available . or , the double sticky back tape 53 can be placed only on the inside of the bottom flap 24 to secure the bottom flap to the folded over first surface 30 and thereby providing an overlapping edge 63 at top edge 22 under which the top flap 16 may be removably secured . as is obvious to those skilled in the art , an adhesive means suitable to the purpose of permanent or temporary and removable attachment would be chosen . [ 0047 ] fig8 displays an alternate embodiment of the device 10 as a cd jacket with a cellophane window 64 allowing visual communication through back surface 14 displaying the literature or indicia about the enclosed compact disc thereby being self labeling . [ 0048 ] fig9 and 11 display perspective views of different means to impart the folding pattern to the sheet of paper 32 other than by the aforementioned printing of the folding pattern . in this embodiment the folding pattern is scored into the sheet of paper 32 and could be used instead of the aforementioned printed folding pattern , or in addition to the printed folding pattern to yield an both visual and tactile aids to the precise diagonal pattern required to yield the device 10 . in this embodiment , a mechanical means to score the paper along the folding pattern would be provided . the first is a platen 70 that has top plate 72 with raised lines 74 projecting off the surface 76 , and a bottom plate 78 with matching grooves 80 , in surface 82 . when these two plates are folded together by means of hinge 84 , with a computer style sheet of paper 32 inserted , depressions 86 are inscribed in the sheet of paper 32 generally along the folding pattern , making the folding sequence easier . the second method would make use of a rectangular plastic template 90 , with slots 92 communicating therethrough that a creasing tool ( not shown ) can be inserted into to impart scores along the diagonal lines forming the folding pattern on the sheet of paper 32 . should the printer on the computer which prints the lines on the paper fail , this templet 90 would also allow a pencil to be used to draw the folding pattern on the sheet of paper 32 . another embodiment of a device for scoring the paper that can be provided to provide a mechanical means of scoring the paper along the lines of the folding pattern would be an embossed sheet 94 of plastic or other hard material , with protrusions 96 rising from the surface and in positions to register with the desired fold lines of the folding pattern noted above . when the sheet of paper 32 is placed on a surface under the sheet 94 and a small roller 98 is rolled over the , impressions are transferred into the sheet of paper 32 , scoring the sheet of paper 32 in positions to correspond to the folding lines of the folding pattern . the device 10 could thus be formed by printing the folding pattern on the sheet of paper 32 as depicted in fig2 and three and then folding the sheet of paper 32 to yield the device 10 in cd jacket form . or the device could be formed using the scoring apparatus depicted in fig9 - 11 to score the paper along the fold lines of the folding pattern . or , the device could be formed using both the printing and scoring to aid in the proper folding along the folding patter needed to yield the proper sized cd jacket . if provided in a kit form with both a mechanical means for scoring the paper with the desired folding pattern and software to print the fold pattern , the user could choose one or both means of imparting the folding pattern of diagonal lines to the paper as desired . while the present invention has been described herein with reference to particular embodiments thereof , a latitude of modification , various changes and substitutions are intended in the foregoing disclosure , and it will be appreciated that in some instance some features of the invention will be employed without a corresponding use of other features without departing from the scope of the invention as set forth . | 1Performing Operations; Transporting
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electronic mail ( e - mail ) is a standard feature of untrusted computer devices used in many computer networks . it is reasonable to expect that such mail will be freely exchanged between users within a computer network . in the case of a secure network comprising a collection of trusted and untrusted computer devices , however , potential security problems arise when there is a need to send e - mail outside of the secure network , either to the outside computer environment or via special communication channels to other secure computer networks . in cases where such connections are implemented , a check needs to be implemented on the outgoing link to ensure that only appropriately authorised information is released . this can be implemented by a gateway , which would typically be a dedicated computer device but may alternatively be a dedicated program resident in a multipurpose computer device . security problems may be precipitated anywhere along the e - mail path by software or hardware , potentially resident in the untrusted computer devices of the secure network , which may add covert or overt information to the e - mail , change the classification of information or otherwise attempt to compromise the security of the secure computer network . consider , for example , a mail routing configuration file which has been either : ( a ) surreptitiously or otherwise adjusted so as to send e - mail messages directly to the gateway , without first obtaining appropriate export authorisations ; or ( b ) it adds an unauthorised or unexpected e - mail header in the message ; or the most basic barrier to unauthorised information leaving the network is to have the gateway check , in a sufficiently trustworthy fashion , for the presence of an electronic data - like seal on each message received . without a seal , the message is not passed , and furthermore the message is audited to determine its prior path and source . this basic barrier suffices to circumvent wayward configuration files as would be expected in circumstance ( a ) above . in order for even this basic barrier to be effective , the seal associated with a message must represent a legitimate authority for that message to leave the secure network . the most desirable way to achieve this is to have an authorised human view the message , and once they are satisfied with its contents , to create the seal and attach it to the message . the seal may be created by a dedicated computer device or by a program on a multipurpose computer device . highly desirable properties of the seal are that it should not be possible to forge a seal ( i . e . an unauthorised user cannot create a valid seal for a message ) and that the seal should be uniquely identifiable with a particular message ( i . e . changes to the message should invalidate any existing seal ). in many cases , it will be found that the author or originator of the information is a suitable human to authorise its release from the secure network . some mail transport mechanisms , for example the unix &# 34 ; sendmail &# 34 ; program , add one or more headers to each message they process , and it is generally unreasonable to expect a human to be able to verify these headers ( e . g . the internal message id number used by the transport mechanism ). in order to prevent the malicious signalling of information through such headers , only those headers which are required on the message and verifiable by a human are accepted . all other headers are removed from the message before processing by either the seal creation or the gateway function . this is possible since the deleted information was generated by the transport mechanism in the first place , so a fresh set can be generated if and when the message is passed back to the transport mechanism after processing . the removal of all but a few predefined headers also serves to eliminate the threat posed by the addition of unauthorised or unexpected headers to the message , as identified at ( b ) above . addition of headers not of the allowed set will be detected by the visual inspection process conducted as a matter of course by the releasing officer prior to creating the seal for the message . as discussed above , even modification of the message headers after the seal is created , should invalidate the seal , and the message will thus be rejected at the gateway before it can leave the secure network . the visual inspection process must preferably detect adjusted or additional information of the nature identified in ( c ) and ( d ) above . this is aided by presenting to the releasing officer only those headers which are necessary for correct message delivery and contain easily verifiable information . again , modifications done after seal creation will invalidate the legitimacy of the seal associated with that message and prevent the message leaving the secure network . there are , of course , more sophisticated covert information secretion techniques . however , generally speaking , these are also easily circumvented by limiting e - mail messages to pure text form , as opposed to &# 34 ; complex &# 34 ; documents ( i . e . those which contain non - textual information and / or representational structure , such as a word - processor document ) which typically provide much more fertile ground for the secretion of covert information . it is important to recognise that this discussion is related to means and methods of combating software and hardware covert information creations , and does not deal with the obvious breaches of security which a wayward operator , with adequate clearance , may impose on a highly classified or secure network . consider now an error in the various connection programs resident in the untrusted source computer or the untrusted components of the gateway which may : ( a ) not pass the message to the appropriate device ( s ) to have a seal attached ; or ( b ) pass incorrect or unauthorised seals with messages directed to the gateway ; or ( c ) not eliminate all but a predetermined set of headers from the message , in effect leaving certain potentially security threatening headers in the message . in the case of ( a ), as in prior instances , the most basic barrier mechanism of the gateway fails to pass the message on , since it will not have an acceptable seal attached to it . such messages will be audited and then discarded . in the instance ( b ), where part of the seal is altered after it is created or a new seal which has not been properly calculated is associated with the message , the basic gateway barrier will detect that the seal does not correspond to the message , and again invoke the error and audit procedures . in the third instance , ( c ) above , when headers for one reason or another are not correctly stripped between message creation and display , the onus is on the human operator to check the veracity and authenticity of the message they are visually checking . furthermore , headers not included in the process of sealing by the operator are liable to be identified by the basic barrier at the gateway , since the process of checking the seal will reveal that the seal is not correct for the message . it will be seen that the following methods and means are designed to accommodate the circumstances described above as well as others which will become apparent . although the basic gateway barrier ( seal verification means ) and its reciprocal sealing device ( seal creation means ) have been designed to be a generic module capable of monitoring many types of information transmission , we describe herein the issues associated with text - only electronic mail and in particular describe an embodiment which is applicable to a sun sparcstation platform employing the sendmail mail transport mechanism . this document contains functional descriptions of both gateway and sealing devices . fig1 shows the physical path of an e - mail message through a system , beginning at the user &# 39 ; s machine ( source ) and ending at the message &# 39 ; s destination address ( destination ). when the user at the source machine sends a message to an address outside the secure network , instead of being immediately forwarded to the gateway it is diverted to a trusted sealing device which is attached to the source machine ( 1 ). the trusted sealing device displays the message in a trusted manner on the source machine &# 39 ; s screen , and the user must visually verify that the contents of the message have not been altered in any way . if the user accepts the message as displayed , the sealing device calculates a tamper proof seal for the message , which is returned to the source machine with the message ( 2 ). the source machine then routes the message and its seal to the gateway ( 3 , 4 ). the gateway passes the message and its seal to the seal verification means ( 5 ) which recalculates the seal for the message as provided . the newly created seal is then compared with the supplied seal . if the two seals differ , a copy of the message may be passed to auditing facilities ( 6 &# 39 ;) and there is likely no further processing of the message , although the message could be returned to its author . if the two seals are identical , the message is allowed to continue to the outside network ( 6 ), where the mail spooler processes the message and passes it to the usual mail delivery facilities ( 7 ) which forward the message through any required intermediate network ( s ) to the required destination network . even in this case , a copy of some or all of the message and / or its seal may also be passed to the auditing facilities ( 6 &# 39 ;) to form part of the system audit trail . as will be appreciated , the only trusted devices in the above processes are the sealing device and the seal verification means . the method required to allow export of data from the secure network preferably incorporates untrusted method steps additional to the typical e - mail handling procedures of the standard untrusted computer network . when appropriately used in conjunction with the trusted functionality of the trusted sealing device and trusted seal verification means , acceptable security for the export of e - mail from the source secure network is provided . fig2 shows the software modules which handle the e - mail message . the user at the source workstation constructs and sends a message in the normal way . the user &# 39 ; s mailtool then passes the message to the sendmail program for delivery . the sendmail program uses information contained in its configuration file (/ etc / sendmail . cf ) to process the message , carry out any required address rewriting and route ( 1 ) the message appropriately for its destination . local mail ( i . e . mail with a destination address within the secure network ) is delivered normally , without any use of the trusted sealing device . mail to any external network , however , is input into a program called sealconnect ( 2 ), which interacts with the trusted sealing device daemon ( sealstubd ) which must be running in the background on the user &# 39 ; s workstation . sealconnect passes the message to the trusted sealing device daemon , which then forwards the message , possibly along with some extra information such as a serial number , to the trusted sealing device ( 4 ). the trusted sealing device displays the message on the user &# 39 ; s display , allowing the user to visually inspect the message and satisfy themselves that no alterations have been made to the message . once satisfied of this , the user activates a trusted input into the sealing device , which then calculates the correct seal for the message and returns the seal , possibly along with some additional information , to sealstubd ( 5 ). sealstubd passes the message back to sendmail ( 6 ) for further processing and routing ( 7 ). sendmail must have some means of determining that the message has already been sealed . one possible implementation is to have sendmail detect the presence of the seal ( e . g . by including the seal as extra headers added to the existing ones ), while another is to add a marker to the message &# 39 ; s destination address before it was sent to sealconnect . such a marker may need to be removed before the message leaves the secure network , so as to allow for correct delivery and seal verification . having determined that the message has indeed been sealed , sendmail routes the message ( 8 ) through to the appropriate gateway out of the secure network . the sendmail program on the gateway workstation invokes the seal verification means connect program ( gatewayconnect ) which passes the message to the seal verification mean s for verification and validation of the seal ( 11 ) which indicated that the e - mail message is the same as that sealed by the user and the seal is correctly associated with that e - mail message . when the seal is validated , the message is passed to the external gateway , or spooler machine ( 12 ). the marker , which indicates to sendmail that a message has already been sent to the trusted sealing device which has calculated and associated a seal for this message , may preferably be removed and the message forwarded to its final destination . the use of a marker is an optional indication means since the presence of a seal achieves the same effect if need be . if the seal is found to be invalid by the seal verification means , the message and any associated information may be passed to the network message auditing means ( 12 &# 39 ;), or it may be returned to the author . it is to be noted that the description of this embodiment does not include any of the header stripping or other steps required to ensure that a sealed message remains verifiable . for quick reference , the metasymbols for the left hand side of sendmail rewrite rules are : ______________________________________ . $* match zero or more tokens . $+ match one or more tokens . $- match exactly one token . $= x match any string class in x . $. sup .˜ x match any token not in class x . $% x match any token in nis map $ x . $| x match any token not in nis map $ x . $ x match macro x______________________________________ the configuration file on the source machine is responsible for determining which messages should be passed to the trusted sealing device and which messages should be sent directly to the mail system . the configuration file examines the recipient address of a given mail message to determine if the message is local or needs to be forwarded to an external network . if the message is local , the message is sent as usual . messages with non - local addresses which have not already been sealed are passed to the trusted sealing device interface . the configuration file follows the usual rewrite rules defined for the local system . there need not be any changes to these rules , as they just adjust the various forms of addressing to a canonical form . after all rewriting has taken place , the address is checked to see if it is local or not . local addresses have the string &# 34 ; local &# 34 ; inserted into the recipient address or consist of just a username ( i . e . $+), and anything else is assumed to be a non - local address . all non - local mail must be sealed by a trusted sealing device and then have its seal verified at the verification means . if the address is identified as non - local , a standard configuration file will send the message via the ethernet mailer to the gateway . however , an alternative mailer called the trusted sealing device mailer can be used . this receives all non - local mail needing a seal . the following shows a message being redirected to the trusted sealing device mailer : any recipient address matching the left hand side has the right hand side rewrite rule applied to it . the syntax of the right hand side is $# mailer $@ host $: user . for example , an input address lmn @ itd . dsto would match the left hand side of the second rule and be sent to the trusted sealing device mailer with host @ itd . dsto and user lmn @ itd . dsto . the specification for the trusted sealing device mailer is as follows : the f field indicates mailer flags . there are no specific requirements defined here for the trusted sealing device . the specified flag are typical of many mailer interfaces . s = 17 indicates that the address of the sender of the message must be passed through the rewriting rule s17 . the macro j is expanded as the address of the sender . r = 27 indicates that the address of the recipient of the message must be passed through the rewriting rule s27 . before the message is sent to the trusted sealing device mailer , the recipient address is adjusted to include a flag indicating that the message has been identified as one which needs a seal and has been forwarded to the trusted sealing device . this rule inserts a string defined by the macro t into the recipient address to indicate that the message has passed through the trusted sealing device mailer . in this implementation , t defines the string &# 34 ; tcs -- customs &# 34 ;. the address in the above example would , again , match the second rule and the final form of the recipient address would be &# 34 ; lmn @ itd . dsto . tcs -- customs &# 34 ;. after processing by the trusted sealing device , the mail message is returned to the sendmail program on the source machine . the configuration file will again recognise the recipient address as &# 34 ; foreign &# 34 ; and , if not for the flag inserted into the address in the previous step , the message would be forwarded to the trusted sealing device again . prior to the call to the trusted sealing device mailer ( as previously discussed ), there is a rule which checks recipient addresses for the expansion of the t macro . the macros m and r are defined as the ethernet mailer and the mailhost respectively , so any recipient address matching the rewrite rule on the left hand side will be sent via the ethernet mailer to the mailhost machine . the ethernet mailer specification needs no adjustment since the vendor supplied default performs as required for transmission of the mail message to the gateway . in a similar manner to the configuration file on the source machine , the configuration file on the gateway is required to distinguish between non - local addresses , which need to be sent via the seal verification means , and local addresses , which are sent as usual . this is achieved in the same way as on the source machine . all non - local addresses are checked for the t macro expansion . if this is present , the message is sent to the seal verification means interface via the trusted sealing device mailer . if the t macro is not found , processing continues until all local rewrite rules have been checked . if at this point the message still hasn &# 39 ; t been delivered the message is probably a non - local message which was not correctly sealed . this type of message is sent to the gateway and from there can be directed to the auditing means . however , it could instead be sent back to its originator for reprocessing . in any event , a message containing anomalies which arrives at the seal verification means without a correct ( or indeed any ) seal will be refused exit permission , and audit facilities will be invoked . the gateway configuration file identifies all recipient addresses which contain the macro t at the end of the address of the recipient . these messages are redirected to the seal verification mailer as shown in the following rule : r = 27 indicates that the address of the recipient of the message must be passed through the rewriting rule s27 . in this case , the rewriting rule for the recipient makes no change to the address other than removing angle brackets if any appear . non - local messages with no t macro in the recipient address are sent to the seal verification means by the following rewrite rules : it should be noted that any messages which are not &# 34 ; caught &# 34 ; by these rules and forwarded to the seal verification means , but are addressed to a machine on the external network , will be flagged by the error mailer , as a local machine fitting the address of the message will not be found . if sendmail should try to send a message to the external network , it must be sent via the seal verification means , as this is the only physical connection to the external network . the gateway workstation could also be used as a source machine , provided the changes described above for the source machine were included in the configuration file of the gateway . however , ( t ) and ( tt ) would need to be replaced by (*) and (**) respectively . the function of the sendmail configuration file on the spooler machine is to restore the address of the recipient to its original state . the &# 34 ; tcs -- customs &# 34 ; string which is inserted by the source machine is removed so the message can be placed in the mail system and be delivered as usual . this is achieved by a single rewrite rule as follows : this rewrite rule should be carried out before any other rewriting of the address occurs . clearly there is no sense in using the spooler machine to compose and send mail via trusted sealing device or seal verification means since the spooler is itself external to the secured source network and hence may be under a different security policy to the secured source network . the spooler machine needs only to be capable of running unix mailing facilities . connection software is the term used for the software interface between ( a ) either the trusted sealing device or seal verification means and ( b ) the mail system software . the software modules involved in providing a unique path for a sealed and to - be - sealed mail message are shown in fig4 . the interface to the trusted sealing device is a software module called sealstubd , which runs in the background and deals with : 1 . mail messages arriving from sendmail via the sealconnect software module ( 3 ); when sealstubd starts , it establishes a means of communication with the trusted sealing device , sealauditd and sealconnect processes . sealstubd communicates with the trusted sealing device via the serial port and , upon start - up , opens a non - blocking , read / write connection with the serial port . to communicate with the sealauditd and the sealconnect processes it also creates two unix domain stream socket connections . after the communication channels have been successfully established , sealstubd waits for any communication over these channels . sealstubd checks for any attempted connections to the sealconnect socket for messages to be sealed . if data is found on the socket , sealstubd checks the sealauditd socket to make sure no auditable actions have occurred . when audit data ( if any ) has been processed and , if there were no shutdowns , as may be provided for by actuation of a predetermined switch on the trusted sealing device indicating such an action , the message is read in until an eof marker in the e - mail is found . certain headers are not to be passed onto the trusted sealing device due to the difficulty in visual verification and the necessity to maintain consistency between separate passes through sendmail , so sealstubd checks for an allowed set of headers and removes all others from the message . sealstubd then obtains a serial number from a file and passes the serial number , message length and message to the trusted sealing device via the serial port in the following order : 1 . one byte indicating trusted sealing device communication ( an ascii character ), a flag is set at this point to indicate that sealstubd is not to receive any further communications over the sealconnect socket until the trusted sealing device has completed processing of the current message . when this flag is set , sealstubd alternately checks the serial port for the resulting seal and the sealauditd socket for incoming audit data . after the trusted sealing device has calculated the seal , it returns the classification which has been selected by the user , the calculated seal and the time the seal was calculated to sealstubd , which then inserts this information , along with the serial number , into the mail message as part of the header and passes the adjusted message back to sendmail . x - label : a user defined classification , represented by an 8 digit hexadecimal number x - serialno : the current serial number , represented by a 40 digit hexadecimal number x - time : the time the message was sealed , represented by two 8 digit hexadecimal numbers however , some condition may have occurred to prohibit the trusted sealing device from sending the seal to sealstubd . this could happen if : 1 . the user decides that the message is incorrect or he / she no longer wants to send the message and , accordingly , actuates a predetermined switch on the trusted sealing device to reject the message ; or in any of these circumstances , the audit data is sent from sealauditd to sealstubd , and sealstubd takes appropriate action . in case 1 , 2 or 3 , sealstubd resets the flag to indicate that it is no longer currently processing a message . in case 4 , sealstubd exits with exit status sealdeviceshutdown . however , if no data is found on the sealconnect socket , sealstubd will alternately check the sealauditd socket and the sealconnect socket for any incoming audit data . as previously discussed , mail headers need to be handled in a specific manner . if the htemplate macro expansion is empty , the header is not included in the mail message . if the mflags are specified , the mailer invoked must specify at least one of these special flags for the header to be included . any header already included in the input of a message is automatically output . the set of possible headers that can be inserted into a mail message is therefore dependent on the local network . the operative set of headers is usually decided upon when the mailing system is set up and would rarely be adjusted at a later stage . however , there seems to be an unofficial set of standard headers which does not vary much between networks . there are three special header lines which have their definitions built into sendmail and cannot be changed without changing the sendmail code . they are : return - receipt - to : a message will be sent to any specified names when the final delivery is complete errors - to : errors will be sent to listed names rather than to the sender a problem which has been encountered is that some headers contain information that , when displayed for inspection , cannot be verified by the user as being correct . all headers which are considered impossible or too difficult to verify by inspection must be stripped from the mail message by the sealstubd program . all headers which contain the macros c -- the hop count , i -- the queue id , p -- sendmail &# 39 ; s process id or t -- a numeric representation of the time , are not included in the mail header . in the configuration file of the present embodiment these are found to be message - id and resent - message - id . for example , the message - id header is defined as : as can be seen , this could not be checked easily by visual inspection . the second problem encountered is headers which contain fluid information . for example , consider the unix - style &# 34 ; from &# 34 ; line at the front of the message which contains the sender &# 39 ; s surname , date , and the time the message was sent . this is prepended to the message each time it is received by sendmail . this occurs at steps ( 1 ) and ( 7 ) in fig3 . when the message arrives at the seal verification means , the seal is recalculated using the new &# 34 ; from &# 34 ; header line . this will give a different seal from the originally calculated seal , as the times in the two &# 34 ; from &# 34 ; header lines will be different , causing every message to be rejected at the gateway . this problem has been solved by stripping the &# 34 ; from &# 34 ; header line from the message by the sealconnect program . alternatively , a flag in the mailer definition for the trusted seal device mailer can be inserted , which will indicate that this header is not required ; however , it preferable to retain the unix - style &# 34 ; from &# 34 ; header flag for the purposes of retaining this header for local mail . headers which fit into either of the above categories of problem are the unix - style &# 34 ; from &# 34 ; header , &# 34 ; message - id :&# 34 ;, &# 34 ; resent - message - id :&# 34 ;, &# 34 ; resent - from :&# 34 ;, &# 34 ; received :&# 34 ; and &# 34 ; resent - date :&# 34 ;. the sealstubd program module operates on the basis of checking for headers which are allowed and rejecting all others . the sendmail configuration file will need to be checked to make sure neither of the above problems will be encountered with the headers we have chosen to be acceptable . the headers which are currently accepted by the connect module are &# 34 ; to :&# 34 ;, &# 34 ; from :&# 34 ;, &# 34 ; cc :&# 34 ;, &# 34 ; date :&# 34 ;, &# 34 ; return - path :&# 34 ; and &# 34 ; subject :&# 34 ;. note also that the number of header lines which appear in the header should be kept at a minimum to encourage the user to be effective in checking the headers . if too many headers remain in the message , the operator may become weary of checking too much superfluous information . the sendmail configuration file specifies that the module ( sealconnect ) is to be invoked when mail requiring a seal is received . sealconnect is invoked with the mail message sent to its standard input . sealconnect first tries to open a connection to the sealstubd socket . if sealstubd is currently processing a message , the socket connection will be made but no data read from the socket by sealstubd until processing of the current message is completed or cancelled . the mail message is then read in , line by line , by sealconnect and placed on the socket to be read by sealstubd . note : sealconnect is necessary as an intermediary , since sendmail invokes its mailer as a new process , with the message being provided as standard input . since sealstubd is a perpetually running process , output from sendmail could not be passed to it in this manner . the trusted sealing device audit daemon ( sealauditd ) opens a connection to the audit serial port and waits for any audit messages from the trusted sealing device . when an audit message is received sealauditd stores the message in an audit file . the sealstubd also needs to know of any audit messages so a socket connection is made , allowing any audit messages to be passed to sealstubd also . the current list of possible audit messages and their meanings is : seal verification software including originating network to sealing device and verifying means as depicted in fig4 the interface from the originating network to the seal verifying means is a software module called gatewayconnect . the sendmail configuration file specifies that this module is to be invoked , when mail which has already been sealed is received . gatewayconnect is invoked with the mail message sent to its standard input . gatewayconnect establishes communication with the serial port used for communication with the seal verification means , which reads the mail message from standard input and adjusts the headers , as previously described . the gatewayconnect module will also recognise the special seal headers that the sealstubd module has inserted ( i . e ., x - seal , x - label , x - serialno and x - time ). the unique marker may comprise x - seal alone or include the others as well , but note , that they are then made part of the message which is sealed and must also be part of the message which is subsequently seal verified by the trusted seal verification means . the seal , label , time and serial number information is extracted and the corresponding headers removed from the message . this information is then passed to the trusted seal verification means in the following order : the seal verification means compares the newly calculated seal with the seal supplied with the mail message . if the seals do not match , audit facilities are invoked or the message is returned to the author , or both . otherwise , the message is passed to the spooler machine for further processing and delivery . when gatewayconnect has passed the message to the seal verification means the serial port connection is closed and the process terminates . the interface from the seal verification means to the spooler machine is a software module called spoolerconnect . this process establishes a permanent connection with the seal verification means output serial port and waits for any communication . the message is received in raw form , i . e . with no seal headers inserted into the message ( these should have been removed by gatewayconnect ). the process then opens a pipe to / usr / lib / sendmail and pipes the message into the mail system . the process should only terminate on receiving an error condition when opening a connection to the serial port . when it has finished processing a message , it continues to wait for further messages from the seal verification means . this gateway auditing daemon ( gatewayaudit ) is identical to spoolerconnect in that it is a permanent listening process waiting for communication over the serial port from the seal verification means . however , this module receives the serial , number along with the audit message . the module then generates an audit message , stores it and continues to listen for any communication from the seal verification means over the serial port . the current list of possible audit messages and their meanings is : all communication over the serial port is done as hexadecimal characters . this was done to avoid any data that was sent being interpreted as control characters by the serial port . the ser -- init ( s ) routines take a device name as input and open a connection to the device . flags are set to indicate baud rate and number of bits / transmission , and to enable the receiver . five initialise routines exist : ser -- init -- rw -- no - wait ( s ), ser -- init -- rw ( s ), ser -- init -- r -- no -- wait ( s ), ser -- init -- r ( s ), ser -- init -- w ( s ) denoting non - blocking read / write , blocking read / write , non - blocking read , blocking read only and blocking write only connections respectively . ser -- getc ( c ), ser -- get ( s ), ser -- putc ( c ), and ser -- puts ( s ) deal with getting a character or string from the serial port or putting a character or string on the serial port respectively . ser -- putn ( s , n ) puts the first n characters of a string , s , onto the serial port . thus it can be seen that special handling is required if electronic mail is to be provided to users on secure computer networks wishing to exchange messages with external network users . however , it will be noted that the preceding discussion has not specifically addressed the issue of message content checking ( as in covert information elimination ) since , for pure text messages , such techniques will be relatively well known to the person skilled in the art . | 7Electricity
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referring to fig1 , a wireless system constructed according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described . test strip 101 electrically communicates with client device 102 , which wirelessly communicates with server device 104 , such as by two - way radio frequency ( rf ) contact , infrared ( ir ) contact , bluetooth contact or other known wireless means 103 . optionally , server device 104 can also communicate with other devices such as data processing terminal 105 by direct electronic contact , via rf , ir , bluetooth or other wireless means . test strip 101 is a commonly known electrochemical analyte test strip , such as a blood glucose test strip as described in u . s . patent application ser . no . 09 / 434 , 026 filed nov . 4 , 1999 entitled “ small volume in vitro analyte sensor and methods ”, incorporated herein by reference . it is mechanically received in a test strip port of a client device 102 , similar to a commonly known hand - held blood glucose meter as described in the aforementioned patent application . in the preferred embodiment , client device 102 is constructed without a user interface or display to keep the size and cost of device 102 to a minimum . client device 102 can take the form of a highlighter or easel - sized pen , as shown in fig4 , and can be powered by a single aa or aaa size battery . client device 102 wirelessly communicates with server device 104 , preferably using a common standard such as 802 . 11 or bluetooth rf protocol , or an irda infrared protocol . server device 104 can be another portable device , such as a personal digital assistant ( pda ) or notebook computer , or a larger device such as a desktop computer , appliance , etc . as shown by the examples in fig4 . preferably , server device 104 does have a display , such as a liquid crystal display ( lcd ), as well as an input device , such as buttons , a keyboard , mouse or touch - screen . with this arrangement , the user can control client device 102 indirectly by interacting with the user interface ( s ) of server device 104 , which in turn interacts with client device 102 across wireless link 103 . server device 104 can also communicate with another device 105 , such as for sending glucose data from devices 102 and 104 to data storage in device 105 , and / or receiving instructions or an insulin pump protocol from a health care provider computer 105 . examples of such communication include a pda 104 synching data with a personal computer ( pc ) 105 , a mobile phone 104 communicating over a cellular network with a computer 105 at the other end , or a household appliance 104 communicating with a computer system 105 at a physician &# 39 ; s office . referring to fig2 , internal components of a blood glucose meter 102 of the preferred embodiment are shown . alternatively , user input 202 , such as push button ( s ), and other sections can be eliminated to reduce size and cost of client device 102 . the glucose meter housing may contain any glucose sensing system of the type well known in the art that can be configured to fit into a small profile . such a system can include , for example , the electrochemical glucose strip and meter sensing system sold by therasense , inc . of alameda , calif . under the freestyle ® brand , or other strip and meter glucose measuring systems . the housing may thus encompass the sensor electronics and a strip connector , which connector is accessed via a test strip port opening in the housing . the housing will typically also include a battery or batteries . referring to fig3 , internal components of a server device 104 of the preferred embodiment are shown . note that a redundant test strip interface 301 can be provided if desired for receiving test strips 101 . device 104 can be a proprietary unit designed specifically for use with blood glucose meters , or can be a generic , multipurpose device such as a standard pda . an example of a similar device designed for blood glucose testing is disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 6 , 560 , 471 issued may 6 , 2003 to therasense , inc . entitled “ analyte monitoring device and methods of use ”, incorporated herein by reference . fig4 shows examples of the devices to and from which the meter of the invention can communicate . such devices will become part of an individual &# 39 ; s personal area network and each becomes enabled with short range wireless communication capabilities . desktop , laptop and handheld computers , as well as printers can be so enabled and will provide displays and printouts valuable as records for the diabetic . telephones will also be enabled in this fashion and can be used for displaying glucose data as well as further transmitting the data over larger networks . many of these devices can assist the diabetic by responding to glucose levels by providing alarms , or suggesting that action be taken to correct a hypo or hyperglycemic condition , or to call necessary medical assistance . diabetics are aware of the risks involved in driving when glucose levels are out of range and particularly when they are too low . thus , the navigation computer in the diabetic &# 39 ; s car may become part of the local area network and will download glucose data from the meter when the diabetic enters the car . for safety sake , the car computer system may be programmed to require that the diabetic perform a glucose test before driving , and more specifically the car may be disabled unless the diabetic takes the test and the result is in an appropriate range . the pen shaped client device 102 shown in fig4 preferably has a test strip port 201 ( not shown in fig4 ) located on its distal end . because the sensitive analog “ front end ” circuitry associated with measuring the very small electrochemistry currents from test strips 101 is located adjacent strip port 201 , it is advisable to not design a wireless link antenna too close to this distal end as it may interfere with the proper operation of the glucose sensing circuitry . on the other hand , if the wireless link antenna is located at the proximal end of the client device 102 , it will likely be covered by the hand of the user holding it , which may limit the range of the low transmission power device to an unacceptable distance . accordingly , it is preferable to design the layout of client device 102 such that an internal antenna is located in a middle section of the device away from the distal and proximal ends . referring to fig5 , an alternative embodiment of the present invention is shown . due to the reduced size of a blood glucose meter 102 when it does not include a display or push buttons , it can be combined with a lancing device to form an integrated unit 102 ′. test strip port 201 can be located in the side of integrated device 102 ′ or wherever there is room available . a test strip storage compartment can also be located within integrated device 102 ′ and accessed through a flip - lid 220 or other suitable closure means . if room permits , a second test strip storage compartment ( not shown ) can be included so that fresh strips and used strips can be separately stored . preferably , a desiccant is provided in one of the storage compartments to preserve the fresh strips . the design and use of lancing devices is described in u . s . pat . no . 6 , 283 , 982 issued to therasense , inc . on sep . 4 , 2001 entitled “ lancing device and method of sample collection ”, incorporated herein by reference . by integrating these features together in a single device without a user interface , the typical test kit that is carried around by people with diabetes can be made much smaller , easier to handle , and less costly . thus , one of the important features of the invention is reliance of the “ displayless ” glucose meter unit on a separate display device in order to minimize the complexity and cost of the meter unit . this permits the user to use the larger display units within his or her personal area network , all of which can be synchronized as they interact and communicate with the wireless enabled meter . when the meter is used , the sequences through which the user must “ step ” to complete the test are readily viewed on the larger display units ( e . g . entering the calibration code , prompting application of the sample ). at the same time the meter unit is simplified , smaller and less expensive to manufacture . additionally , control buttons that are found on typical glucose meters can be eliminated , saving additional size and cost , since the user can rely on the user in out features of the server device instead . it is expected that the simplified , wireless enabled meters of the invention may ultimately become inexpensive enough to make them disposable after a specified number of uses , permitting the producer to routinely upgrade as appropriate . additionally , the system permits the user to include security coding at any time the meter unit accesses a display device , so that the user &# 39 ; s data is secure . that is , it is considered an important feature of the invention that when the “ client ” meter of the invention is used , that the system will require the user to enter an identity code in order to verify that the person handling the meter is indeed an authorized user . of course , it is possible for the system to permit more than one user if the meter owner so desires . moreover , the user &# 39 ; s data may optionally be encrypted prior to wireless transmission and thereafter respectively decrypted upon wireless reception . while the module need not include a large or expensive display , it may nevertheless be advantageous to include some ability to advise the user of a glucose level which is determined when the module is used as a “ stand - alone ” unit . for example , the module could include a very low cost , small three digit lcd display . alternatively , the module could include led indicator lights ( e . g . red for out of desired range , green for within desired range ). other possibilities include a red led for below range , a green led for within range , and a yellow led for above range , or a column of leds or an electroluminescent strip ( similar to those used on common batteries to indicate battery life ) to indicate approximate or relative glucose levels . various other modifications and alterations in the structure and method of operation of this invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention . although the invention has been described in connection with specific preferred embodiments , it should be understood that the invention as claimed should not be unduly limited to such specific embodiments . it is intended that the following claims define the scope of the present invention and that structures and methods within the scope of these claims and their equivalents be covered thereby . | 8General tagging of new or cross-sectional technology
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the present invention allows a surgeon to rapidly and securely attach the edges of a wound in human tissue without the necessity for threading and tying numerous individual stitches or for using a complicated or elaborate tool . as used herein , the term “ wound ” means an incision , laceration , cut , or other condition where suturing , stapling , or the use of another tissue connecting device might be required . with reference to fig1 and 2 , there is shown a barbed tissue connector 2 constructed in accordance with the present invention . connector 2 includes a body 4 which is generally circular in cross section and a plurality of closely - spaced barbs 6 which extend around the periphery of the body 4 . a pointed end 9 is formed on the body 4 to facilitate penetration of the connector 2 into tissue . the body 4 preferably has sufficient dimensional stability to assume a substantially rigid configuration during use and is sufficiently resilient to return to a predetermined shape after deflection therefrom . in some applications , it may be desirable for the body 4 to be flexible and substantially nonresilient so that the shape of an inserted connector will be determined by surrounding tissue . barbs 6 serve to hold the connector in tissue and resist retraction of the connector from the tissue . the barbs 6 can be arranged in any suitable pattern , for example , in a helical pattern as shown in fig1 . in a helical pattern of barbs 6 , it is preferable that the number of barbs occupying one revolution not be an integer , thereby avoiding parallel axial rows of barbs ; such an arrangement provides a more uniform distribution of forces on the tissue and lessens the tendency of an inserted connector 2 to cut through tissue . if the number of barbs in one revolution is not an integer , the barbs in successive revolutions will be offset , as shown in fig2 , and the amount of offset will determine which barbs are in axial alignment . for example , if the barbs in successive revolutions are offset by ½ barb , the barbs in every second revolution will be in axial alignment , and by extension , if the barbs in each successive revolution are offset by 1 / x barb , the barbs in every x revolution will be in axial alignment . as shown in fig1 , each barb 6 includes a first side 8 which forms an obtuse angle alpha with the body 4 and a second side 10 which forms an acute angle beta with the body 4 . each barb 6 tapers to a point 7 , and the amount of difference between the angle alpha of side 8 and angle beta of side 10 will control the amount of taper in the barb 6 . a barb 6 which tapers from a broad base to a narrow tip can be effective in resisting retraction , yet will yield toward the body 4 during insertion to reduce the effort and tissue damage associated with insertion of the connector 2 . the barbs 6 can be generally conical , as shown in fig1 , or they can be any other shape which will function in substantially the same manner as the conical barbs . the configuration of barbs 6 and the surface area of the barbs can vary depending upon the tissue in which the connector 2 is used . the proportions of the barbs 6 can remain relatively constant while the overall length of the barbs and the spacing of the barbs are determined by the tissue being connected . for example , if the connector 2 is intended to be used to connect the edges of a wound in skin or tendon , each barb 6 can be made relatively short to facilitate entry into this rather firm tissue . if the connector 2 is intended for use in fatty tissue , which is relatively soft , the barbs can be made longer and spaced farther apart to increase the holding ability in the soft tissue . as shown in fig1 , the barbs 6 on connector 2 have a uniform unidirectional configuration , that is , the barbs 6 are uniformly spaced on body 4 and all the sides 8 are oriented in the same direction , facing pointed end 9 . connector 2 can be inserted into tissue with the sides 8 of each barb 6 facing in the direction of motion . connector 2 will prevent movement of tissue in the direction in which it was inserted . a pair of connectors 2 inserted adjacent to each other and in opposite directions will prevent movement of tissue in either direction across a wound . connector 2 can be formed of a material sufficiently hard for point 9 to pierce tissue and enable the connector to be inserted in tissue when a substantially axial force is applied to body 4 . connector 2 is preferably composed of a bioabsorbable compound , such as a polyglycolic acid or polylactic acid polymer or copolymer . the use of a bioabsorbable material eliminates the necessity of removing the connector from the patient , which can be a painful and possibly dangerous process . connector 2 can be formed , for example , by injection molding . in one representative example of connector 2 for use in muscular tissue , the body 4 is formed from polyglycolic acid , has a length of 1 to 5 cm , and a diameter of about 1 mm . the diameter of a circle extending around points 7 of barbs 6 will be about 3 mm , and the barbs are spaced apart from each other on body 4 by a distance of 1 mm . side 8 forms an angle of 135 degrees with the body 4 and side 10 forms an angle of 75 degrees with the body 4 . in fig3 , there is shown a second embodiment of the present invention in which barbs 16 are arranged in a uniform bidirectional configuration on a barbed tissue connector 12 . barbs 16 are constructed in the same manner as barbs 6 on connector 2 . a first set of barbs 15 on connector 12 are arranged in a helical pattern and face a pointed end 20 , and a second set of barbs 16 on connector 12 are arranged in a helical pattern and face a pointed end 21 . each of the pointed ends 20 , 21 should be sufficiently hard and sharp to easily penetrate tissue in which the connector is to be used . connector 12 is particularly suitable for applications where the edges of a wound are prone to separate . connector 12 can be used by inserting one of the ends , for example end 20 , into a first side of a wound ( not shown ), spreading the wound slightly to expose the second side of the wound , inserting the end 21 of the connector 12 into the second side of the wound , and then pressing the edges of the wound together . the barbs 15 and 16 on the ends of the connector 12 will grasp the tissue on each side of the wound and prevent the edges of the wound from spreading . with reference to fig4 , there is shown another embodiment of the present invention in which a barbed tissue connector 22 has a nonuniform bidirectional configuration . connector 22 comprises a pointed end 23 and one or more barbs 26 facing a first direction which alternate with one or more barbs 27 facing a second direction . at each axial location , there can be a number , e . g . 4 - 9 , of circumferentially - spaced barbs 26 or 27 . to insert connector 22 into tissue , the surgeon would use an inserting device 80 as described below . the arrangement of barbs 26 , 27 on connector 22 would prevent any localized movement of tissue relative to the connector in an axial direction . with reference to fig5 , there is shown another embodiment of the present invention in which a barbed tissue connector 32 has a uniform bidirectional configuration . connector 32 comprises a body 34 having pointed ends 33 and 35 . a plurality of axially - spaced barbs 36 adjacent pointed end 33 face toward end 35 , and a plurality of axially - spaced barbs 37 adjacent pointed end 35 face toward end 33 . barbs 36 and 37 can be circumferentially - spaced around body 34 at each axial location , or the barbs 36 and 37 can be of the same construction and arranged in the same pattern as barbs 6 on connector 2 . to insert a connector 32 , the surgeon would use an inserting device 80 as described below . if the body 34 of the connector 32 is sufficiently rigid , the connector 32 would prevent tissue retained by the barbs 36 from moving toward end 35 and tissue retained by barbs 37 from moving toward end 33 . it will be apparent that only one end of connector 32 needs to be pointed ; two pointed ends are preferable , however , so that the surgeon does not have to take the time to insure that connector 32 is oriented in the inserting device 80 with a pointed end protruding from the inserting device . with reference to fig6 and 7 , there is shown another embodiment of the present invention in which a barbed tissue connector 42 comprises a body 44 having a pointed end 45 for penetration into tissue . a head 47 is formed on an opposite end of body 44 . a plurality of circumferentially - spaced barbs 46 are formed on body 44 at each of a number of axial locations . as shown in fig7 , three barbs 46 are formed at each axial location ; however , more or less than three barbs 46 could be used for certain applications . barbs 46 include a first side 48 formed at an obtuse angle to the body 44 and a second side 49 which projects from body 44 at an acute angle . the connector 42 can be forced into tissue by applying a force to the head 47 . the connector 42 can be applied by hand , or it can be inserted using an inserting device 80 as described below . the connector 42 can be formed entirely of a bioabsorbable material , or the head 47 and the body 44 can be composed of different materials . for example , the body 44 can be composed of a bioabsorbable material , and the head 47 can be composed of metal for superior strength and to facilitate insertion of the connector 42 . head 47 can be made flat , as shown in fig6 , or the head can be formed by a single ring of barbs ( not shown ) facing in a direction opposite to that of the barbs 46 . in use , a series of connectors 42 can be inserted into tissue , such as along the edges and in the field of a skin graft . after an adequate amount of time has passed for the wound to heal , the tissue beneath each head 47 could be depressed slightly to permit the head 47 to be cut from the body 44 . the tissue would then rise up over the cut end of the body . such a process would reduce scarring which could result from a long - term projection of the body 44 through tissue and would eliminate the necessity to remove connectors 42 from the patient . with reference to fig8 and 9 , there is shown another embodiment of the present invention in which a barbed tissue connector 52 has a uniform unidirectional configuration . connector 52 comprises a body 54 having a non - circular cross - sectional shape . body 54 includes a plurality of barbs 56 which are generally triangular in cross section and are equally spaced around the periphery of the body at a series of axial locations . each of the barbs 56 includes a first side 58 disposed at an obtuse angle to body 54 and a second side 60 disposed at an acute angle to the body . body 54 includes a pointed end 53 to facilitate entry in tissue . use of a non - circular cross - sectional shape increases the surface area of the connector 52 and facilitates the formation of the multiple barbs on the connector . for example , barbs 56 can be formed on a piece of stock having a triangular cross section by removing material at successive axial locations from the three edges of the stock . it will be apparent that a similar process could be used to form barbs on stock of a different cross section ( not shown ), for example , a rectangular or hexagonal cross section . in the use of the disclosed connectors , such as connectors 2 and 42 , the surgeon can grip the connector in one hand and push the connector into the tissue . as an alternative to directly inserting the connectors into the tissue , the surgeon can use an inserting device 80 as shown in fig1 and 11 . the inserting device 80 comprises a circular tubular body 82 . the tubular body 82 can be generally arcuate in an axial direction , and the body 82 is sufficiently long to contain at least a portion of a barbed tissue connector c . device 80 has an inwardly tapered leading end 84 and an outwardly tapered , or flared , trailing end 86 . a handle 83 is provided on body 82 adjacent trailing end 86 to enable the surgeon to manipulate the inserting device 80 . in order to facilitate entry of the connector c and the device 80 into tissue , a connector c is positioned in tubular body 82 with a pointed end p of the connector c extending from leading end 84 . in a preferred embodiment , the interior diameter of the body 82 is made slightly smaller than the outside diameter of the connector c so that the barbs b of a connector c in the body 82 will press against the body 82 ; as a result , the connector c will be retained in the body 82 during insertion in tissue with the point p properly positioned outside of the body 82 . the connector can also be positioned in body 82 with a barb b outside of body 82 to insure that the connector c will not be pushed back in the body 82 during insertion . in one application of device 80 , the surgeon inserts the body 82 having connector c therein into the patient &# 39 ; s tissue 87 until the connector c reaches a desired position , for example , the position shown in fig1 . device 80 is then withdrawn in the direction of arrow 90 , and a barb , or barbs , b on the connector c penetrates and catches the tissue 87 to hold the connector c in the inserted position . use of the inserting device 80 is particularly recommended when the connector c includes multiple barbs facing more than one direction , such as connectors 22 and 32 , or when the connector is too flexible for insertion without additional support . while the present invention has been described with respect to certain preferred embodiments thereof , it is to be understood that numerous variations in the details of construction , the arrangement and combination of parts , and the type of materials used may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention . | 0Human Necessities
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two electrolytes designated as k - 1 and k - 2 were prepared in accordance with this invention as shown in table 1 . the koh concentration was 2 . 56 m / l , in both . the potassium phosphate , k 3 po 4 , was 1 . 66 and 1 . 47 m / l , respectively and the amounts of potassium fluoride , kf , was limited to 0 . 34 and 0 . 68 m / l , respectively . in addition , an electrolyte was prepared as specifically described in claim 5 of u . s . pat . no . 4 , 273 , 841 of carlson . the weight percentages given there have been recalculated into molarities as shown in table 1 . it should be noticed that the koh molarity of 177 is well below the range specified in the present invention , which is 2 . 5 - 11 m / l , and that the kf concentration of 2 . 74 m / l is also well above the upper limit of the kf range of the present invention , which is 0 . 01 - 1 . 00 of m / l . four ampere - hour nominal capacity nickel - zinc cells employing four double nickel - oxide cathodes were constructed each 1 . 7 × 1 . 75 inches in size and 0 . 035 inches thick . the cells were assembled with zinc anodes of the same size and a separator system of non - woven nylon and microporous polyethylene film . groups of three cells each were filled correspondingly with electrolytes k - 1 , k - 2 ( prepared according to this invention ) and electrolyte nc - 101 prepared according to u . s . pat . no . 4 , 273 , 841 . all cells were vacuum - filled and allowed to stand for three days to assure good wetting of the plates . after initial charging cells were discharged at 1 amp to a 1 volt cut - off point . the experiment covered many cycles , the first eight of which are summarized in table 1 . table 1______________________________________comparison of capacity yields of nickel - oxide - zinc - cells filled with 3 electrolytescompositions based on average density of 1 . 327 g / ccelectrolyte electrolyte electrolyte # k - 1 ( accord - # k - 2 ( accord - # n c - 101ing to this ing to this ( according toinvention ) invention ) pat . 4 , 273 , 841 ) ______________________________________koh 2 . 56 10 . 32 % 2 . 56 10 . 82 % 1 . 77 7 . 5 % k . sub . 3 po . sub . 4 1 . 66 22 . 03 % 1 . 47 19 . 51 % 1 . 00 16 % kf 0 . 34 1 . 49 % 0 . 68 2 . 98 % 2 . 74 12 % amp capacities delivered in discharge to a1 . 0 v / cell cut - offcycle # 1 4 . 8 - 5 . 35 ah 4 . 3 - 525 ah 1 . 75 - 2 . 05 ah # 2 4 . 6 - 4 . 9 ah 4 . 9 - 5 . 1 ah 2 . 00 - 2 . 9 ah # 3 4 . 65 - 5 . 2 ah 4 . 65 - 5 . 2 ah 2 . 1 - 2 . 4 ah # 4 4 . 2 - 5 . 3 ah 4 . 2 - 4 . 7 ah 2 . 5 - 3 . 2 ah # 8 4 . 5 - 4 . 8 ah 4 . 5 - 4 . 8 ah 1 . 9 - 2 . 2 ah______________________________________ as can be seen in the first cycle , the group of k - 1 filled - cells yielded 4 . 8 - 5 . 35 amp hours ( ah ). the k - 2 group yielded 4 . 3 - 5 . 25 ah . however , the nc - 101 group yielded 1 . 75 - 2 . 05 ah . in cycle 2 , this last group delivered a slightly better capacity of 2 to 2 . 9 ah , but still far below the 4 . 6 - 5 . 1 ah values for groups k1 and k2 . even after eight cycles , this situation did not change and in subsequent cycling the capacity yields of the cells in the last group remained in the range of 1 . 9 to 2 . 2 ah compared to 4 . 5 to 4 . 8 for electrolytes k1 and k2 prepared in accordance with the present invention . an electrolyte was prepared from an 8 . 08 moles per liter ( 8 . 08 chemical equivalents per liter ) solution of potassium hydroxide to which boric acid was added in the amount of 1 . 50 moles per liter ( 4 . 50 chemical equivalents per liter ). this provided formation of a solution of 1 . 50 moles per liter of potassium borate and a 3 . 58 moles per liter of excess potassium hydroxide . this solution was designated as solution # 1 . to solution # 1 was added potassium fluoride ( kf ) in an amount which resulted in a 0 . 8 moles per liter concentration . this solution was designated as solution # 2 . finally , a conventional potassium hydroxide solution of 34 % by weight of koh which corresponds to 8 . 08 moles per liter was prepared and designated as solution # 3 . table 2______________________________________solution content cycle no . average capacity , ah______________________________________1 koh 8 4 . 1 borate 30 3 . 7 92 3 . 0 ( 75 %) 2 koh 8 3 . 9 borate 30 3 . 8 kf 92 3 . 7 ( 93 %) 3 koh 8 4 . 3 only 30 3 . 5 92 ( shorted ) ______________________________________ it is clear from these results that after 92 cycles the solution # 1 gave an 80 % capacity retention but solution # 2 with both borate and kf gave a 93 % retention . the koh solution # 3 resulted in cells shorting by zinc dendrites before cycle 92 was reached . hence , the combination of the potassium hydroxide and borate and potassium fluoride ( as represented by solution # 2 ) yielded the best retention of cell capacity after the extended cycling even so the capacity may have been somewhat lower in the initial cycle , for instance , in cycle # 8 . in this experiment larger nickel oxide zinc cells of a nominal capacity of 16 - 20 ampere - hours ( ah ) were employed . again , three solutions were employed . solution # 4 contained 1 . 9 moles per liter ( m / l ) of potassium borate and 2 . 6 m / l potassium hydroxide . solution # 5 contained 0 . 8 m / l potassium fluoride ( kf ) and 3 . 3 m / l potassium hydroxide ( koh ). solution # 6 contained 0 . 8 m / l potassium fluoride 2 . 8 m / l koh and 0 . 9 m / l borate ( k 3 bo 3 ) in addition , all three of these solutions contain 0 . 2 m / l lithium hydroxide ( lioh ). three groups of three cells each were cycled at 80 % depth of discharge using a 9 hour charge and 3 hour discharge . table 3 gives the average cell capacities after a number of cycles . table 3______________________________________average nickel zinc cell capacities ( ah ) cycle no . solution 4 solution 5 solution 6______________________________________ 4 20 ah 8 . 7 ah 10 . 4 ah 79 19 ah 13 ah 16 ah188 19 ah 18 ah 22 ah283 17 ah 20 ah 23 ah______________________________________ from this it is clear that the combination of the three constituents , as represented by solution # 6 , gave the best overall results except in the initial cycle . particularly impressive were the results after cycle # 79 . two groups of three nickel zinc cells , each as described in experiment iii , were filled with solution # 1 from experiment ii , koh and borate and a modified solution # 7 containing in addition 0 . 3 m / l phosphate , k 3 po 4 and 0 . 3 m / l sodium fluoride ( naf ). the two groups of cells were cycled to a 100 % dod . at cycle # 137 the group with solution # 1 showed an average 74 % capacity retention . however , the group with solution # 7 averaged an 85 % retention of cell capacity . nine small silver oxide - zinc cells of a nominal capacity of 500 milliampere - hours ( ma ) were divided into three groups of 3 cells each and after the second discharge , subjected to automatic cycling to an 80 % depth dod . the first group of three cells was filled with solution # 8 which contained 11 . 6 m / l koh . a solution # 9 contained 9 . 3 m / l koh and 0 . 5 m / l k 3 bo 3 . finally , a solution # 10 in the third group contained 9 . 3 m / l koh , 0 . 5 k 3 bo 3 and 0 . 12 m / l potassium fluoride . the results of the tests are given in table 4 . table 4______________________________________average capacities ( ma ) of silver - zinccells for three electrolytes ( 80 % dod ) solution 8 solution 9 solution 10______________________________________compositions m / l koh 11 . 6 koh 9 . 3 koh 9 . 3 k . sub . 3 bo . sub . 3 0 . 5 k . sub . 3 bo . sub . 3 0 . 5 kf 0 . 12cycle # 2 650 mah 600 mah 580 mah13 504 565 58563 120 & amp ; 2 510 556 shorted123 -- 392 ( 65 %) 430 ( 74 %) ______________________________________ as can be seen solution # 8 with potassium hydroxide only ( koh ) gave in the initial cycle # 2 the highest capacity . however , by cycle # 13 it already dropped from 650 to 504 ma and by cycle # 63 one cell delivered only 120 mah and two cells were already shorted . since the 45 % koh solution is a currently accepted standard for silver oxide zinc cells , the effects of the borate and fluoride additives in solutions # 9 and # 10 can be appreciated . as shown in table 4 , these two groups average capacities still in excess of 500 ma in cycle # 63 and even in cycle # 123 delivered respectable fractions of original capacity . in this generally low cycle life rechargeable battery system , it is also interesting to note that solution # 10 , containing both the fluoride and the borate , provided in cycle # 123 , at 75 % capacity retention compared to 65 % for the solution # 9 with only the borate . it should also be noted that with koh alone silver oxide - zinc cells rarely exceed 40 - 60 cycles at 80 % dod . two groups of similar cells as described in experiment 4 were filled with electrolytes 8 and 11 , the compositions of which are given in table 6 . the cells were subject to full discharge , i . e . 100 % dod . table 6______________________________________average capacities ( ma ) of silver - zinccells with two electrolytes - cycled 100 % dod solution 8 solution 11______________________________________composition m / l koh 11 . 6 koh 9 . 5 k . sub . 3 bo . sub . 3 0 . 5cycle # 3 636 ma 610 ma17 505 55057 0 . 170 460 ( shorted ) 93 -- 363______________________________________ the group with the solution # 8 ( standard ) did not reach cycle # 57 , failing by dendrite shorting . the group with solution # 11 with borate survived at least to cycle # 93 , at which point it still averaged a capacity of 363 ma . it should be understood that the just described embodiments merely illustrate principles of the invention in its preferred forms . many modifications , additions , and deletions may , of course , be made thereto without departure from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the following claims . | 7Electricity
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to illustrate the preferred embodiments of the present invention , which is the electrode system , the following drawings are presented ; however , these are not meant to be limits to the invention . fig1 is a schematic elevation view , showing the bowl - shaped electrode in cross - section and illustrating the general alignment of the fibers within the field . fig2 is a schematic elevation view , showing the external appearance of the assembled unit containing the electrode as well as the driving means , and surrounding components . fig3 is a schematic elevation view illustrating , in cross section , several contour combinations of opposing surfaces of the stationary electrode and the revolving electrode ( not including the spindle and twisting element ). fig1 illustrates the electrode portion of the apparatus wherein electrode element 1 is rigidly attached to cylinder 2 , which is rotatably mounted , axially and radially supported through suitable bearings by column 3 , and independently rotated by a variable speed electric motor ( not shown ) to which it is coupled by means of an electrically non - conducting &# 34 ; v &# 34 ; belt ( not shown ) driving pulley 4 . spindle 5 is constructed with a conducting knife edge ring 6 which extends axially through an opening in the center of electrode element 1 , terminating slightly above its surface and comprising the second element of the revolving electrode . spindle 5 is rotatably mounted , axially and radially supported through suitable bearings , by column 3 , and independently rotated by a variable speed electric motor ( not shown ). attached to and extending axially from spindle 5 is electrically non - conducting twisting element 7 . stationary electrode 8 is bowl - shaped and is rigidly attached in an upside - down position so that its axis coincides with the axis of the revolving electrode elements 1 and 6 , and the twisting element 7 . electrode 8 is represented in this figure by a cross - section view through and parallel with the axis of the electrodes . an opening 9 through the side of electrode 8 is provided to permit injection of fibers 10 in a radial direction . electrode 8 is also provided with an opening 18 axially aligned with twisting element 7 . the inner surface of stationary electrode 8 is circular with respect to the axis of electrode elements 1 and 6 and twisting element 7 , and is designed so that the distance between it and the surface of electrode element 1 is continuously increasing in a radial direction from the axis , and is designed so that it substantially encloses electrode element 1 by extending below the side of element 1 . the side of element 1 is defined as the plane at which its diameter is greatest . the perimeter of element 1 is curved radially to eliminate sharp edges that would cause anomalies in the electrical field . electrode element 1 is energized by a high voltage power supply ( not shown ) from which the electrical charge is conducted by conventional wire and slide contacting means to cylinder 2 and thence to element 1 . electrode element 6 is also energized by the electrical charge being conducted through supporting bearings and column 3 from cylinder 2 . stationary electrode 8 is grounded . fig2 schematically illustrates the assembled apparatus which contains the pertinent parts , including the driving means , motor coupling means , and a supporting frame , as well as a fiber opening and feeding means . the literature provides suitable means for supplying cotton fibers to the apparatus of fig2 ( see u . s . pat . no . 3 , 685 , 100 ). with reference to both fig1 and 2 , the column 3 , supporting revolving electrode elements 1 and 6 , is rigidly attached to frame 11 by an electrically non - conducting support 12 . stationary electrode 8 and variable speed electric motors 13 and 14 are rigidly attached to frame 11 . motor 13 is coupled to spindle 5 by means of electrically non - conducting coupling 15 . motor 14 is coupled to pulley 4 by means of electrically non - conducting v - belt 16 . the fiber feeding apparatus 16 is positioned so that it is in contact with electrode 8 and its fiber discharge port is aligned with the opening in the side of electrode 8 . in operation , separated fibers 10 are injected by fiber feeder 17 through opening 9 into the electrical field existing between revolving electrode element 1 and stationary electrode 8 . the fibers are subsequently formed into a textile strand by the process of kotter and salaun , u . s . pat . no . 3 , 696 , 603 , which discloses an apparatus in which the electrical field existing between the revolving electrode and the stationary electrode is not disclosed in a direction radial from the revolving electrode and the twisting element . in the apparatus and process of the prior art under some conditions a portion of the fibers injected into the electrical field would tend to pass completely through the field and consequently be lost from the process as the fibers would fly into the surrounding area . on the other hand , the design of stationary electrode 8 enlarges the effective electrical field , without increasing the size of the revolving electrode , thus eliminating or greatly reducing fiber loss . actual tests show that some operating conditions result in a heavy loss of long fibers when the stationary electrode is flat . when the stationary electrode is bowl - shaped as described herein , the same operating conditions can be used with the loss of only a very small amount of extremely short fibers . another benefit of the special design of stationary electrode 8 is that fibers may be injected into the electrical field existing between it and the revolving electrode in a direction parallel to the axis of the electrodes . this would permit the elimination of opening 9 in the side of electrode 8 . the interior surface of stationary electrode 8 comprises the exterior limit of the effective electrical field . this surface may be mathematically described as being generated by rotating a radial line through a 360 ° angle about an axis . the radial line thus rotated may be described as continuously increasing in separation , in a direction radial from the axis , from a radial line on the surface of revolving electrode element 1 . for the apparatus depicted in fig1 and 2 revolving electrode element 1 is a conical section having an included angle of 160 °, having a maximum diameter of 5 . 875 inches , and having its perimeter rounded to a radius of 0 . 295 inches . stationary electrode 8 is positioned so that its axis coincides with the axis of revolving electrode element 1 and its minimum separation from revolving electrode element 1 ( at a point about the top edge of electrode element 1 and parallel to the axis ) is 1 . 483 inches . in a direction to the left of the axis the radial line , by which the interior surface of stationary electrode 8 is generated , extends perpendicular to the axis of the electrode to a point where it intersects a radial line defined as a spiral curve generated about the center of curvature of the perimeter of revolving electrode element 1 . the spiral curve depicted herein is r = ( 1 . 438 + 0 . 008329θ ) inches when θ is in degrees . the radial line along the surface of stationary electrode 8 and perpendicular to the axis intersects the spiral curve at a distance of approximately 3 . 448 inches from the axis which corresponds to approximately θ = 110 . 0 °. from this point the radial line along the surface of the electrode is defined by the spiral curve through θ = 211 . 0 ° at which point the effective electrical field terminates . the electrodes of the instant invention are not limited either with respect to size or shape provided by the drawings of fig1 and 2 . these serve to illustrate a preferred embodiment . the revolving electrode can have other flat or curved shapes , and the stationary electrode may be any corresponding shape that will provide a continuously increasing distance between the electrodes in a direction radial from the axis of rotation . fig3 illustrates , in cross section -- in a plane through and parallel with the axis -- various combinations of electrode surface shapes ( including that of fig1 and 2 ) which provide radially increasing electrode separation and a substantially enclosed rotatable electrode . the spindle and twisting element are not shown in these illustrations . in each set of electrodes the perimeter of the revolving electrode is a convex curve of constant radius and the opposing portion of the surface of the stationary electrode is contoured to a concave spiral curve . in fig3 a ( illustated also in fig1 and 2 ) the major portion of the revolving electrode surface is a convex cone having straight sides and the opposing surface of the stationary electrode is flat . in fig3 b the major portion of the revolving electrode surface is flat and the opposing surface of the stationary electrode is a convex cone having straight sides . in fig3 c the major portion of the revolving electrode surface is a concave cone having straight sides and the opposing surface of the stationary electrode is a convex cone having straight sides and having a smaller included angle . in fig3 d the major portion of the revolving electrode surface is a convex cone having sides convex curved to a constant radius and the opposing surface of the stationary electrode has sides contoured to a concave spiral curve . in fig3 e the major portion of the revolving electrode surface is a convex cone having sides concave curved to a constant radius and the opposing surface of stationary electrode has sides contoured to a convex spiral curve . in fig3 f the major portion of the revolving electrode surface is a concave cone having sides concave curved to a constant radius and the opposing surface of the stationary electrode has sides contoured to a convex spiral curve . in reducing the instant invention to practice the electrodes were machined from solid aluminum block because of ease of fabrication ; however , this should not be construed as a limit to the invention with respect to either that material or method of fabrication , since what is of consequence is the configuration of the opposing surfaces of the two electrodes and the electrical conductivity of the opposing surfaces of electrode 8 and electrode element 1 . | 3Textiles; Paper
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a grooved grating shown in cross section is denoted by 1 in fig1 . a slit grating 2 is mounted on the plane side of said grooved grating , the ledges of this slit grating being opposite both the peaks and the troughs of the respective grooves . this slit grating 2 represents an amplitude grating as well known in the art and , for example , disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 812 , 352 , issued may 21 , 1974 to alan j . macgovern . the light incident from the objective comes from the left and moves in the direction of arrow a . by the grooved grating the light flux a is split into two light beams a &# 39 ; and a &# 34 ; travelling in two directions inclined to one another . the two light beams eventually form two separate images of the objective aperture as more clearly described with reference to fig4 . when first image point p 1 is considered , which is illuminated from an aperture at an angle α , in the absence of the amplitude grating 2 , then it is noted that the aperture region is split and that upon moving the grating in the x - direction , switching of all aperture regions do not always take place simultaneously . when on the other hand the amplitude grating is introduced , which is equivalent to covering the peaks and troughs of the grooved grating , some light indeed is lost , but one obtains signals from different aperture regions which are always equal and in phase provided the focus is on the plane of the grating . the embodiment of fig1 requires masking both the groove peaks and troughs , the width of the masks (= ledges ) depending on the thickness of the grooved grating , and this thickness cannot be made arbitrarily small . this limitation is avoided in the embodiment of fig2 . in this embodiment , the amplitude grating 3 is mounted on a special grating substrate 4 and the peaks of the grooved grating 5 are located in the manner shown , always halfway between two grating ledges , resting on substrate 4 . where k is the f - stop number . if it is assumed further that the two images of the objective aperture which are produced by the grooved grating and are projected by a field lens ( not shown ) may touch one another , then the two deflection angles must be at least +/- 1 / 2α , and the wedge angles must be at least α . therefore the height h of the grooved grating is given by where g is the grating constant . the width b of the grating ledge must be if for instance , an f - stop number of k = 2 is assumed , the masking factor will be 12 . 5 percent . this masking factor however does not imply that the signal amplitude is decreased by that percentage . this state of affairs is clearly shown in fig3 and 3a . fig3 represents a top view of the amplitude grating 2 of fig1 and further , fig3 a above same , the grating transmission in the x - direction . the negative transmission indicates that the light fluxes passing through every second slit of the grating 2 are processed into electrical signals with inverted signs . the present invention introduces ledges 22 , 23 , 24 etc . and so achieves square transmission curves with zones 33 , 34 , 35 etc . of zero transmissivity . it is to be noted that such curves are closer to sines than pure square waves and that the loss in total transmission essentially applies to a decrease in the third harmonic which cannot be used anyway . it is shown that for small widths of the ledges , the fundamental of the spatial frequency filter is attenuated not by the factor p computed above , but by about 11 / 4 p 2 and for the example cited , this amounts to 2 percent . the grooved gratings of fig1 and 2 , together with a field lens project two images of the aperture of the objective , these aperture images lying sequentially in the x - direction . however , it is possible also to array these images next to each other in the x - direction , that is , sequentially in the y - direction . this is especially significant when the aperture is made large in the x - direction and when the entrance pupil is other than circular or cannot be of such shape . fig4 is a perspective view showing an objective 41 of which the aperture , i . e . the frame of the lens , is imaged onto a detection plane 44 by a field lens 43 . in front of the field lens 43 there is arranged a scanning grating x . this scanning grating comprises an amplitude grating 51 of the type described with reference to fig1 and a plurality of saw - tooth prismatic strips 52 as shown in cross section in fig5 . while in the embodiment shown in fig1 it was assumed that by the grooved grating 1 two aperture images are formed which are offset from one another in the x - direction , the embodiment of fig4 is such that the aperture images are formed side by side in the y - direction . this is accomplished by the saw - tooth prismatic strips 52 as more clearly shown in fig6 . a plurality of strips 52 denoted as + strips and - strips are shown to be arranged side by side in an alternating order with the ledges of the amplitude grating 51 covering the edges along which the strips are in touch . from this figure it will be comprehended that the incident light rays b are deflected by the + strips into a lower y - direction and by the - strips into an upper y - direction so that eventually two images 45 , 46 of the objective aperture are formed offset from one another in the y - direction . a set of two photo - detectors 47 , 48 and 49 , 50 is disposed on the detection plane in each aperture image , with each detector of each set covering a different image area . fig4 further shows the electric circuit of which the photo - detectors 47 , 48 and 49 , 50 are component parts . this circuit comprises a first differential amplifier 53 and a second differential amplifier 54 , a phase evaluator 55 and an indicating meter 56 . the photo - detectors 47 and 49 are connected to the amplifier 53 and the photodetectors 48 and 50 are connected to the amplifier 54 . the differential amplifiers function in such a way that they form the difference of the supplied signals and carry this difference at their output . the forming of two images of the objective aperture on the detection plane 44 and placing one photo - detector -- for example the detectors 47 and 49 -- in either image serves to generate signals in said two detectors which are out of phase by 180 °. this will best be understood if it is assumed that a given object point is imaged on the slit 57 . if , now , the subsequently arranged saw - tooth strip is a minus strip the light rays imaging this object point in the plane of the amplitude grating 51 are deflected in an upward direction and are incident on the photo - detector 47 there causing an electric signal . at the same time no light rays fall on the photo - detector 49 ( from this given object point ) so that this given point generates no signal on the photo - detector 49 . if , however , the scanning grating now undergoes its scanning movement in the x - direction the image of the given object point falls on a slit adjacent to the slit 57 and , consequently , the light rays are deflected in a downward direction so that they are incident on the photo - detector 49 generating the electric signal on this detector , while the photo - detector 47 does not receive light ( from this given object point ) and carries no signal . from the foregoing it will be comprehended that generally the signals generated by the two photo - detectors 47 and 49 -- as well as by the photo - detectors 48 and 50 -- are offset in phase from one another by 180 °. in addition it must be understood that the signals which show a sine configuration are not obtained from the photo - detectors in a pure form but as a modulation on top of a large d . c . component which results from stray light ( fig7 a , 7b ). since the signals are phase - shifted by 180 ° one signal may be denoted + signal and the other the - signal . when both signals are fed to the differential amplifier the - signal is subtracted from the + signal . this substraction has the double effect that the signal itself is doubled in amplitude while the d . c . component is reduced to zero . this method is known as the &# 34 ; split aperture method &# 34 ; or &# 34 ; split pupil method &# 34 ; and is also disclosed , for example in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 856 , 401 and , to a certain degree , in u . s . pat . no . 2 , 527 , 896 . it is not the object of the present invention . however , this method is applied only for obtaining clear and processable signals that may be readily evaluated . it has nothing to do with the focus detection proper . whether the optical system is in focus or not is rather detected by comparing the phase of the two signals obtained by the split aperture method , i . e . by comparing the phase of the signals carried by the output terminals of the amplifiers 53 and 54 . these signals are supplied to the phase evaluator 55 and from the indicating meter 56 it may be read whether the signals are in phase or not , which is equal to whether the system is focused or not . from the fig8 a and 8b it will be understood why the phasee relation of the two signals provides an information on the focussing state of the system . the figures are a schematic top view in the direction of arrow c ( fig4 ) of the device shown in fig4 however , with the field lens 43 being omitted for sake of simplicity . fig8 a shows the system in focus , i . e . the parallel light rays 58 and 59 from an object are properly focussed on the plane of the amplitude grating 51 . behind the grating the light ray 58 travles to the photo - detector 47 while the light ray 59 travels to the photo - detector 48 . if now in the course of its scanning movement the grating 51 ( together with the strips 52 ) moves in the x - direction it will readily be seen that both light rays are blocked simultaneously which means that the light incident on the photo - detectors 47 and 48 becomes dimmer at the same time , which in turn means that the amplitude of either electric signal generated by either photo - detector becomes lower at exactly the same moment : the signals are in phase . from fig8 b it will be comprehended that when the object is not focussed on the plane of the amplitude grating and the grating executes its scanning movement for example in the x - direction of the arrow , that then first the light ray 59 is cut off by the grating so that the light intensity on the photo - detector 48 is gradually reduced which also reduces the amplitude of the signal generated by the detector 48 . this occurs at a time when the light ray 58 is still fully incident on the photo - detector 47 so that the signal generated by this detector still has its greatest amplitude . this all results ina phase shift between the two electric signals generated by the two photo - detectors . from this plane shift it may be concluded that the system is out of focus . the degree of the phase difference provides an information on how far the system is out of focus , and , judging from which signal is first reduced in amplitude and which one is lagging , it may also be discerned in what direction the objective has to be moved in order to achieve a proper focussing . it should , however , be borne in mind that neither the &# 34 ; split aperture method &# 34 ; described above nor the focusing method is an object of the invention . the object of the present invention is merely to obtain clear signals especially in the transition areas and this object is attained by combining an amplitude grating with a grooved grating or with the saw - tooth strips . | 6Physics
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the compounds of the present invention are of the following formula : ## str2 ## wherein : n is an integer 2 , 3 , 4 or 5 ; r 2 and r 3 together form a heterocyclic ring , e . g . piperidine , pyrrolidine . procedures for synthesis of various compounds of the present invention are presented below . while previous nitrobenzenesulfonamides have been described as effective radiation sensitizers , the dinitro derivative of this invention are selectively toxic to hypoxic cells without radiation . these compounds therefore exhibit properties which make them more effective for cancer treatment . the method of treatment of human patients or domestic animals undergoing radiation treatment of malignant disease processes employs the compounds of the present invention in pharmaceutical compositions that are administered orally or intravenously , or in depot formulations . when the compounds are used in conjunction with radiation treatments , the dose employed depends on the radiation protocol for each individual patient . they can be administered from 10 minutes to 5 hours prior to the radiation treatment in a dose of from 0 . 25 to 4 . 0 grams per square meter of body surface . the compounds may be employed at intervals during a multi - fraction protocol , and not necessarily with each treatment . when the compounds are used as cytotoxic agents to hypoxic cells , they can be administered daily in divideddoses up to 0 . 25 to 4 . 0 grams per square meter of body surface . the dosage range given is the effective dosage range and the decision as to the exact dosage used must be made by the administering physician based on his judgment of the patient &# 39 ; s general physical condition . in determining the dose for the individual patient , the physician may begin with an initial dose of 0 . 25 g / square meter of body surface to determine how well the drug is tolerated and increase the dosage with each succeeding radiation treatment , observing the patient carefully for any drug side effect . the composition to be administered is an effective amount of the active compound and a pharmaceutical carrier for said active compound . the dosage form for intravenous administration is a sterile isotonic solution of the drug . oral dosage forms such as tablets , capsules , or elixirs may also be used . capsules or tablets containing 25 , 50 , 100 or 500 mg of drug / capsule or tablets are satisfactory for use in the method of tratment of our invention . the following examples are intended to illustrate but do not limit the process of preparation , product , compositions , or method of treatment aspects of the invention . temperatures are in degrees celsius unless otherwise indicated throughout the application . to a suspension of 3 , 5 - dinitroaniline ( 10 . 0 g , 55 mmol ) in glacial acetic acid ( 70 ml ) and conc hcl ( 100 ml ) cooled to - 5 ° was added slowly , a solution of sodium nitrite ( 4 . 07 g , 59 mmol ) in water ( 18 ml ). after addition was complete , the mixture was stirred at - 5 ° to 0 ° for an additional 30 min . during this time , a solution of cucl 2 • 2h 2 o ( 4 . 43 g , 26 mmol ) in water ( 11 ml ) was prepared and added to a cold solution of so 2 ( 37 g ) in glacial acetic acid ( 74 ml ). the diazonium salt solution was then added in portions to the cooled so 2 - cucl 2 mixture . after stirring in an ice bath for 3 hours , the reaction mixture was allowed to arm to room temperature and then poured on ice ( 800 g ). the light tan solid was filtered of and dried to give 11 . 3 g of the sulfonyl chloride , mp 98 °- 100 °. a solution of 3 , 5 - dinitrobenzensulfonyl chloride ( 4 . 6 g , 17 . 3 mmol ) in dry tetrahydrofuran ( 130 ml ) was added oer 50 min . to a cooled , stirred solution of n , n - dimethyl ethylenediamine ( 4 . 0 ml , 34 . 6 mmol ) in tetrahydrofuran ( 100 ml ). after stirring at room temperature overnight , tetrahydrofuran was removed under reduced pressure and the residue flash chromatographed over silica gel . the sulfonamide ( 5 . 1 g ) was eluted with 5 % methanol - 95 % chloroform and purified as the hydrochloride salt , mp 238 °- 40 °. anal calcd . for c 10 h 14 n 4 o 6 s • hcl : c 33 . 88 ; h , 4 . 26 ; n , 15 . 79 . found : c , 34 . 18 ; h , 4 . 47 ; n , 15 . 99 . a solution of 3 - dimethylaminopropylamine ( 4 . 9 ml , 39 mmol ) and n , n - diisopropylethylamine ( 6 . 8 ml , 39 mmol ) in tetrahydrofuran ( 50 ml ) was added over 30 min to a cooled , stirred solution of 3 , 5 - dinitrobenzenesulfonyl chloride ( 10 . 4 g , 39 mmol ) in tetrahydrofuran ( 175 ml ). after addition was complete , the reaction mixture was allowed to warm to room temperature and was stirred at this temperature for 3 hrs . tetrahydrofuran was removed under reduced pressure and the residue partitioned between ethyl acetate and water . the ethyl acetate extract was washed with brine , dried ( na 2 so 4 ), filtered and concentrated under reduced pressure . flash chromatography over slica gel and elution with 20 - 25 % methanol - 80 - 75 % chloroform gave 6 . 7 of pure sulfonamide which was further purified by recrystallization of the hydrochloride salt , mp 232 °- 38 ° dec , from methanol . anal calcd for c 11 h 16 n 4 o 6 s • hcl : c , 35 . 82 , h , 4 . 65 ; n , 15 . 18 . found : c , 35 . 67 ; h , 4 . 64 ; n , 15 . 20 . by following the same procedure as in example 2 , n -( 2 - piperidinoethyl )- n - methyl - 3 , 5 - dinitrobenzenesulfonamide hydrochloride was prepared from 3 , 5 - dinitrobenzenesulfonyl chloride and n -( 2 - methylaminoethyl )- piperidine . a solution of di ) tert - butyl ) dicarbonate ( 16 . 4 g . 75 mmol ) in tetrahydrofuran ( 50 ml ) was added over 2 hr to a stirred , cooled solution of n - methylethylenediamine ( 22 ml , 0 . 25 mol ) in tetrahydrofuran ( 250 ml ). after addition was complete , the reaction mixture was stirred in an ice bath for 1 hour and then at 20 °- 25 ° overnight . solvents were removed under reduced pressure and the residue partitioned between ethyl acetate and brine . the ethyl acetate extract was dried ( na 2 so 4 ), filtered and concentrated to give 13 . 5 g of crude product . flash chromatography over silica gel and elution with 20 % methanol - 80 % chloroform gave 9 . 9 g of the desired mono boc protected diamine . a solution of n - methyl - n -[ 2 - aminoethyl ] tert . butylcarbamate ( 0 . 33 g , 1 . 88 mmol ) and n , n - diisopropylethylamine ( 0 . 33 ml , 1 . 88 mmol ) in tetrahydrofuran ( 5 ml ) was added oer 5 min to a stirred , cooled solution of 3 , 5 - dinitrobenzenesulfonyl chloride ( 0 . 50 g , 1 . 88 mmol ) in tetrahydrofuran ( 10 ml ). after stirring at 20 °- 25 ° for 20 hours , tetrahydrofuran was removed under reduced pressure and the residue partitioned between ethylacetate and water . the organic extract was dried ( na 2 so 4 ), filtered and concentrated . flash chromatography of the residue over silica gel and elution with chloroform gave 0 . 30 g of product . an analytical sample , mp 175 . 0 °- 177 . 0 ° was obtained by recrystallization rom ethyl acetate - hexane . anal . calc &# 39 ; d for c 14 h 20 n 4 o 8 s : c , 41 , 58 ; h , 4 . 99 ; n , 13 . 86 . found : c , 41 . 71 ; h , 5 . 24 ; n , 14 . 07 . step c : n -( 2 - methylaminoethyl )- 3 , 5 - dinitrobenzenesulfonamide hydrochloride a solution of the protected sulfonamide from step b ( 0 . 30 g ) in ethyl acetate ( 30 ml ) was cooled in an ice bath and saturated with anhydrous hydrogen chloride for 5 min . after stirring in the ice bath for 20 min and then at 20 °- 25 ° for 20 min , solvents were removed under reduced pressure . the residue was recrystallized from a water - methanol - ethyl acetate - hexane mixture to give 0 . 20 g of product , mp 248 °- 51 ° dec . anal . calc &# 39 ; d for c 9 h 12 h 4 o 6 s • hcl : c , 31 . 72 ; h , 3 . 84 ; n , 16 . 44 . found : c , 31 . 58 ; h , 3 . 76 ; n , 16 . 48 . | 2Chemistry; Metallurgy
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as shown in fig1 the oil circuit breaker 10 is a three - pole breaker and each pole is housed in a receptacle or tank 11 that is substantially filled with oil . a common pull rod mechanism 14 extending horizontally through the upper portion of pole mechanism housings 16 is provided for effecting the operation of the movable contact structure 24 in each of the tanks 11 . the contact structure 24 of each of the pole units includes stationary contact means 17 and 18 rigidly secured to the lower ends of the bushings 19 and 21 and a cooperable movable bridging contact member 24 that is rigidly secured to the lower end of a lift rod 26 . the upper end of the lift rod 26 is pivotally connected to drive means generally indicated at 30 . operation of the drive means 30 is effected by means of a suitable power operating and tripping means ( not shown ) located within an end cabinet 31 . the power operating mechanism ( not shown ) located within the cabinet 31 has an operative connection with a pivotally displaceable crank 33 also located within the cabinet 31 . the free end of the crank 33 is pivotally connected to the lower end of a vertically extending motion transmitting rod 34 that is enclosed in the suitable conduit 36 extending between the end cabinet 31 and the pole unit housing enclosure 16 . the upper end of the rod 34 extends into the pole unit enclosure 16 and is pivotally connected as at 38 to one arm of a bellcrank 40 . the bellcrank 40 is pivotally connected as at 41 to a fixed abutment or plate 42 located within the housing 16 . the opposite arm of the bellcrank 40 is pivotally connected as at 43 to the end of the pull rod 14 . as previously mentioned , the pull rod 14 extends horizontally across the top of each oil tank through each pull rod mechanism enclosure for actuating the contact of each oil circuit breaker . each lift rod contact operating mechanism 30 associated with each circuit breaker tank 11 is operated simultaneously . thus , the description given for one operating mechanism 30 will apply to all mechanisms . as shown in fig3 and 4 , the upper end of the lift rod 26 is pivotally connected as at 47 to one end of the compensating arm 48 . the opposite end of the compensating arm 48 has a pivotal connection as at 49 to a swing link 51 that is pivotally secured to a fixed pivot pin 52 carried by the side walls 53 and 54 of a frame member 55 located within the pole unit enclosure 16 . in fig3 and 4 , the side wall 54 has been omitted to more clearly show the mechanism . a second or power arm 57 has one end thereof pivotally secured as at 58 to the compensating arm 48 . the opposite end of the second arm 57 has a pivotal connection with a fixed pin 61 which is carried in the side walls 53 and 54 . the articulated connection effected between the power arm 57 and the upper end of the lift rod 26 through the compensating arm 48 provides a unique arrangement for applying the force from the power arm 57 to the lift rod 26 and also to maintain the lift rod 26 in a straight line as the arm 57 moves the lift rod 26 either upwardly to a breaker closed position or downwardly to a breaker open position . it will be appreciated that if there is no requirement for maintaining the lift rod 26 in a straight line as it is moved axially , then the end of the arm 57 that is shown pivotally connected to the compensating arm 48 at 58 can be pivotally connected directly to the upper end of the lift rod 26 . it will also be appreciated that is lieu of the swing link 51 other construction can be provided for providing the necessary lateral adjustment for the compensating arm 48 for maintaining a straight line path of travel for the lift rod 26 . for example , the side walls 53 and 54 can be provided with slightly arcuate horizontally extending slots 56 in which the pivot pin 49 would be disposed for horizontal movement . with this arrangement , the lower end of the compensating arm will be connected to the pin 49 as it is to the upper end of the swing link 51 and thus will be adjustable laterally with respect to the lift rod 26 so that no lateral force will be applied to the lift rod 26 to displace it from its straight line path of travel . the pin 61 also supports a crank or lever 62 , one end of which is pivotally connected as at 63 to a flexible joint assembly 64 that is provided between the external portion of the rod 14 and that portion of the rod 14a which extends into the pole unit enclosure 16 . the lever or crank 62 is provided with an opening or slot 66 which receives the extending end of a pin 67 . the pin 67 pivotally connects the two adjacent ends of a pair of links 68 and 69 of a two - bar scissor toggle constituting a force - coupling arrangement . the link 68 has a pivotal connection as at 71 with the second arm 57 . the point of connection of the link 68 with the second arm 57 is determined by the relationship between the load on second arm 57 and the available force of the scissor toggle . on the other hand , the link 69 has a pivotal connection with a fixed pivot 72 that is carried by the side plates 53 and 54 . an operational sequence will be described and for this purpose , it will be assumed that the circuit breaker is in open position wherein the linkage of the drive mechanism 30 and the associated operating mechanism will be in the positions as indicated in fig3 . under this assumed condition , the movement of the contact from an open to a closed position will be effected in the following manner . when the operator crank 33 is pivotally moved downwardly from the position that it occupies in fig3 to the position that it occupies in fig4 the vertical motion transmitting rod 34 will cause the bellcrank 40 to pivot in a counterclockwise direction about the fixed pivot 41 . as a result , the bellcrank 40 will move from the position shown in fig3 to the position shown in fig4 and in doing so will cause the rod 14 and the associated rods 14a to move leftwardly with it . leftward movement of the rod 14 will cause the lever 62 to pivot about the pivot pin 61 . the lever 62 pivoting on the fixed pivot pin 61 will cause the side wall or surface 66a of the opening or slot 66 to engage with the pin 67 forcing the links 68 and 69 of the scissor toggle to spread . that is , the lever 62 through the cooperative operation of the slot 66 and pin 67 acts on the link 69 forcing the link 69 to pivot in a clockwise direction about the pin 72 . this movement , in turn , forces the link 68 to pivot in a counterclockwise direction about the pin 67 . since the right end of the arm 57 , as viewed in fig3 is pivotally connected to the compensating arm 48 at 58 , the arm 48 will be forced upwardly , lifting the rod 26 and thereby moving the contacts 24 to closed position . as the compensating arm 48 rotates in a clockwise direction about the pin 49 in a breaker closing direction , the swing link 51 permits a lateral adjustment to take place in the position of the compensating arm . this is true because as the compensating arm 48 rotates clockwise about pin 49 , the swing link 51 rotates first in a clockwise direction and then in a counterclockwise direction about the pin 52 . the compensating arm 48 therefore moves bodily rightwardly , then leftwardly during the breaker closing operation . thus , no strain nor lateral displacement is placed on the rod 26 in moving the lift rod 26 from the open to closed position . the wall surface 66a cooperates with the pin 67 to effect the displacement of the links 68 and 69 away from each other in a contact closing operation . on the other hand , the wall surface 66b cooperates with the pin 67 to effect a displacement of the links 68 and 69 toward each other in a contact opening operation . thus , the slot 66 is formed in the end of the lever 62 in a manner that the wall surfaces 66a and 66b are generated so that these surfaces , depending upon whether the lever 62 is being operated in a contact closing or a contact opening operation , will be continuously perpendicular to a bisector of the angle between the links 68 and 69 of the scissor toggle . the circuit breaker is opened by operation of a stored energy device ( not shown ), such as springs , which are operatively connected to the pull rod mechanism 14 . when the stored energy device ( not shown ) is released , it operates to move the pull rod mechanism 14 in a rightwardly direction as viewed in fig4 . this rightward movement of the pull rod mechanism 14 operates to effect the movement of the lever 62 to pivot in a clockwise direction on the pin 67 . as a result , the wall surface 66b of the slot 66 forcefully engages the pin 67 , and the links 68 and 69 will be displaced towards each other drawing the scissor toggle together . as a result of the collapse of the scissor toggle , the arm 57 pivoting about the pin 61 will pull the compensating arm 48 in a counterclockwise direction about the pin 49 . this counterclockwise pivotal movement of the compensating arm forces the lift rod 26 downwardly thereby opening the bridging contacts 24 . as the compensating arm 48 pivots in an opening movement , the swing link 51 pivots about the pin 52 thereby maintaining the compensating arm in straight line driving engagement with the lift rod 26 . | 7Electricity
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fig1 is a partially sectioned illustration of an embodiment of an automated capillary electrophoresis , henceforth ce , apparatus according to the invention . the apparatus includes an environmental enclosure 11 , which has access openings ( not shown ), and feedthroughs of various kinds through the walls of the enclosure 11 for internal elements that must be connected to elements outside the enclosure 11 . electrophoresis is accomplished within the enclosure 11 in a capillary tube 13 , preferably constructed of fused silica , such as is typically used for high sensitivity liquid or gas chromatography . view 23 is an enlargement of the capillary tube 13 in cross section the internal diameter of the capillary , d1 , varies for different kinds of samples and for other reasons . d1 generally may be between zero and 200 microns . a typical value for d1 is 50 microns . the wall thickness of tube 13 allows for efficient heat transfer and is small enough that the tube is flexible and may generally be manipulated without breaking . one end 14 of the capillary tube 13 is immersed in a first buffer solution 19 held in a first container 21 . the other end of the capillary tube 13 is immersed for the duration of the process in a second buffer solution 15 in a second container 17 . buffer solutions 15 and 19 are typically the same solution , and many are well known in the art . second container 17 preferably has an airtight top 25 to preclude evaporation . capillary tube 13 enters the second container through a stopper 27 maintaining an airtight seal . there are two additional penetrations through top 25 . a hollow tube 29 enters through a stopper 31 and an electrode 33 enters through another stopper 35 . stopper 35 is typically made of an electrically non - conducting material . an electrical lead 37 goes from electrode 33 to an insulated electrical feedthrough 39 which allows an electrical signal or power to cross the wall of the enclosure 11 without shorting to the enclosure . on the outside , electrical lead 41 goes to one terminal of a high voltage power supply 43 . another electrical lead 45 goes to another feedthrough 47 from an opposite terminal of the power supply 43 . a lead 49 inside the enclosure 11 goes from the feedthrough 47 to an electrode 51 attached to and positioned with the end 14 of the capillary tube 13 immersed in the first buffer solution 19 in the first container 21 . the electrode 51 and the end 14 of the tube 13 move together throughout the following discussion . the ends of the tube 13 are initially immersed in the buffer solution in the two buffer containers 17 and 21 . the power supply 43 , through the electrical leads , feedthroughs and electrodes , is used to maintain an electrical potential between the ends of the capillary tube 13 . the second container 17 rests on a support 53 with an electrical insulator 55 between the container and the support . the insulator 55 is needed if the container and support are electrically conductive . first container 21 rests on an insulator 59 on a movable , sliding support 57 for a similar reason . a detector 61 is positioned adjacent to one portion of the capillary tube 13 to measure the results of electrophoresis in the capillary tube . such detection instruments are well known in the art , and include for example an applied biosystems model 783 spectroflow uv / visible detector , which is a variable wavelength programmable detector that is specifically adapted for on - column detection . electrical leads through feedthroughs 63 carry power and signals for the instrument . there may be more than the two leads shown . an automatic sample handling system is incorporated into the apparatus to handle multiple samples . thus , when the electrophoresis process is complete on one sample , and another sample is wanted in the capillary tube 13 for analysis , a new sample may be loaded without manual intervention or disturbing the environmental enclosure 11 . a motor 65 , controlled by computer 117 via leads through feedthrough 67 and supported by bracket member 69 is activated to turn lead screw 71 . nut 73 supports an arm member 75 which has a clamp 77 securely holding capillary tube 13 , so that turning lead screw 71 will raise and lower the nut 73 and , in turn , tube 13 . the vertical travel of nut 73 is determined by the distance between stops 79 and 81 . this distance is set to be sufficient for the lower end of the capillary tube 13 along with the electrode 51 to be raised above the rim of the container 21 , and lowered again . with tube 13 raised above the rim of the container 21 , a pair of motors 83 ( one of which is not shown ) may be actuated by the computer 117 , one of the motors 83 activated via leads through feedthroughs 85 to turn lead screw 87 moving support 57 horizontally along support 89 in an &# 34 ; x &# 34 ; direction . similarly , the other motor 83 and lead screw ( not shown ) translates the sliding support 57 horizontally in a &# 34 ; y &# 34 ; direction transversely to the &# 34 ; x &# 34 ; direction , for x - y positioning of the support 57 under the end 14 of the capillary tube 13 . a sample container tray 91 with multiple microvolume sample containers 93 , arranged in at least one row in the container tray 91 , and more typically in an 8 × 12 array , is prepared in advance and placed adjacent to the container 21 on the sliding support 57 . each sample container 93 may contain a sample to be analyzed . a sample may be hydrodynamically drawn into the capillary tube 13 , e . g ., by pressurizing container 21 or by drawing a vacuum on the opposite end of the tube . the embodiment of the apparatus of the invention shown in fig1 uses the second approach , a relative vacuum is drawn in second container 17 by means of tubing 29 which exits the environmental enclosure 11 and is connected to a vacuum reservoir 99 to introduce a new sample into the capillary tube 13 , while one end of the capillary 13 is in one of the microvolumes 93 of sample material . a valve motor 95 controlled by computer 117 rotates a three - way rotary valve 97 to connect the tubing 29 to the vacuum reservoir 99 to draw a vacuum in the container 17 . the reservoir is maintained at desired vacuum level by vacuum pump 101 through isolation valve 103 . a vacuum sensing gauge 115 with programmable signal points monitors the vacuum level in reservoir 99 . the vacuum pump is powered by motor 105 . careful control of timing and vacuum level provides a very accurate method for drawing a predetermined amount of sample material into the capillary tube 13 . as an example , using a pressure differential of 5 . 0 in . of hg between the vacuum reservoir and the enclosure 11 , with a 65 cm long fused silica capillary filled with a buffer solution and having a 50 micron inside diameter , a 2 second open time for valve 97 results in an injection quantity of 5 nanoliters of an aqueous solution . typical injection volumes range from 1 nl to 10 nl in this preferred embodiment , although other size samples could , of course , be chosen depending on the size of the reservoir used to hold the sample and the size internal volumetric of the capillary tube 13 . the following discussion , for simplicity , assumes that the separation medium in the capillary tube is a buffer solution or entangled polymer solution . distinctions for rigid gel separation media will be made where appropriate . when a new sample is drawn into the one end 14 of the capillary tube 13 , the vacuum is removed from container 17 , the capillary tube end 14 and electrode 51 are again raised , the container 21 is returned to a position in registry under the capillary tube 13 , and the end 14 of the capillary tube 13 and electrode 51 are re - immersed in the buffer 19 by lowering the tube 13 via energizing motor 65 . the container tray 91 preferably also includes a vial 94 containing a meltable plug material such as an agarose gel if the electrophoresis separation medium being utilized is a buffer or entangled polymer solution . the vial 94 may alternatively be a separate container or trough located on the slide 57 adjacent the container 21 and the sample array container 91 . if the separation medium is an acrylamide gel , the meltable plug must be preinstalled in the end 14 of the capillary tube 13 and therefore a vial 94 is not required . the plugged end 14 of the capillary tube 13 is shown enlarged and in section in fig2 . the meltable plug 96 in the end 14 is sandwiched between the separation medium 98 and a receiving volume 100 of separation media or buffer solution . if a flowable liquid such as a buffer solution or entangled polymer solution is the separation medium , then the receiving volume 100 will also be a flowable liquid and the plug 96 will be sandwiched by the separation medium . if , however , the separation medium 98 is a gel which cannot readily move through the capillary tube , then the volume 100 may be filled with a buffer solution or , alternatively , the plug may be positioned flush with the end of the tube . a volume 100 of buffer solution is preferable to permit concentration of the analyte against the upstream face of the meltable plug 96 during electrokinetic sample loading . an important aspect of the preferred apparatus according to the invention is that the temperature inside the environmental enclosure 11 is automatically and accurately controlled and cycled by computer 117 to melt or solidify the plug of meltable material in the end 14 of the capillary tube 13 at a predetermined , user - defined time in order to separate the analytes of interest from the contaminant ions in the sample . a heating element 107 is powered through feedthroughs 109 to provide heat , and a heat sensing element 111 monitors temperature through leads 113 . cooling is provided by chiller 108 connected to cooling coils 110 in the environmental chamber 11 . a fan 112 may also be provided in the chamber 11 to circulate the internal air to achieve a uniform temperature throughout the chamber 11 . the amount of heating and cooling required is determined by the computer 117 into which is fed the desired temperature protocol for use during ce by the user and the actual enclosure temperature via temperature sensing element 111 . the apparatus in accordance with the present invention shown in fig1 operates as follows for free solution ce . first , the sample containers 93 and the meltable plug vial 94 are prepared in the tray 91 and placed inside the environmental chamber 11 on the platform 57 . the environmental chamber 11 is then closed . the computer 117 then automatically initiates and controls the following actions . the capillary tube 13 is lowered into the buffer container 21 and a vacuum is established in the container 17 by the computer sending a signal to open valve 97 in order to draw the buffer solution through the capillary tube 13 if the tube has not previously been filled . the vacuum is then removed from the container 17 . the motor 65 is then energized to raise the end of the tube 13 out of the container 21 . when the stop 81 is reached , the motor 65 is de - energized and the motor 83 is energized to translate the platform 57 in the &# 34 ; x &# 34 ; direction to a position at which the tube 13 is in registry over the vial 94 . the motor 65 is again energized in the opposite direction to lower the end 14 of the tube 13 into the vial 94 . when the lower stop 79 is reached , motor 65 de - energizes and the temperature of the chamber 11 raised , if not done previously , to at least the melting temperature of the plug material in the vial 94 , for example , 45 degrees c , to melt the plug material . when this temperature is reached , a vacuum is then drawn in container 17 . this vacuum causes a volume 96 of melted plug material to be drawn from the vial 94 into the end 14 of the capillary tube 13 . the vacuum is then removed and the capillary tube 13 is raised out of the vial 94 . any one of the microvolume sample containers 93 or the vials 94 of the container tray 91 may be selectively moved via computer control to a position directly beneath the raised end 14 of the capillary tube 13 and the electrode 51 . the end 14 and the electrode 51 may then be lowered into either the sample container 93 or vial 94 by computer control of motor 65 . there are two options for sample loading for free solution ec . first , the sample may be loaded electrokinetically . this method concentrates the analytes against the end face of the plug 96 . second , the sample may be loaded hydrodynamically as above described . alternatively , to achieve the same result , a seal may be provided on container 21 and container 21 pressurized to push a sample into the end 14 of the capillary tube 13 . if the separation medium is a rigid gel , however , the sample must be electrokinetically loaded . electrokinetic loading is preferred in either case . the volume 100 of buffer should be provided in the end 14 of the capillary tube 13 adjacent the plug 96 if the sample is to be loaded electrokinetically to permit concentration of the analytes . accordingly , the platform 57 is again translated via motor 83 to position the capillary tube 13 over the buffer container 21 . the tube 13 is lowered into the buffer solution 19 and a vacuum is established again in container 17 to hydrodynamically draw a predetermined volume of buffer into the end of the tube 13 . the vacuum is then removed from the container 17 , the capillary tube 13 raised out of the container 21 , and the platform 57 again translated to a position in registry above one of the sample containers 93 . the temperature in the chamber 11 is then lowered to a temperature below the solidification or gelling temperature of the plug 96 material . the end 14 of the capillary tube 13 is then lowered into the sample container 93 . a sample is drawn into the buffer volume 100 just established in the end 14 of the capillary tube 13 electrokinetically by establishing an electrical potential between the sample container 93 and the buffer container 17 at the other end of the capillary tube 13 via the high voltage power supply 43 through lead 121 , pass through 123 , and lead 125 connected to the electrode 51 alongside end 14 . during electrokinetic loading , the analytes concentrate on the end surface of the solidified plug 96 in the capillary tube 13 and the charged contaminant ions pass right through the plug into the separation medium 98 . if , on the other hand , the sample is to be hydrodynamically loaded , the volume 100 is eliminated and the plug 96 is located flush with the end 14 of the tube 13 . the plug must remain liquid at this point . the end 14 of the capillary tube 13 is lowered via motor 65 into the sample container 93 prior to lowering the chamber temperature below the solidification temperature of the plug . a vacuum is applied to the buffer container 17 , drawing the sample from the sample container 93 into the tube 13 and moving the still liquid plug 96 and the separation medium further into the tube 13 . alternatively , a positive pressure could be applied to container 21 to push the sample , liquid plug , and separation medium further into the tube 13 . this process does not concentrate the analytes . the vacuum is then removed as above described and the end 14 of the capillary tube 13 raised out of the sample container 93 and lowered again into the buffer container 21 . the temperature of the enclosure 11 is then lowered to solidify the plug 96 . a high voltage is then applied to electrodes 51 and 33 to draw the ion contaminants through the plug 96 into the separation medium 98 . at a predetermined subsequent time , the temperature of the enclosure 11 or specifically the plug 96 is raised to melt the plug 96 , allowing electrophoretic passage of the analytes to proceed through the melted plug 96 and through the separation medium 98 and past the detector 61 . the operative steps of the preferred method of the invention may be summarized as basically the steps of 1 ) providing melted plug 96 which is effective to substantially retard passage of analytes of interest only when solidified , i . e . gelled , in one end 14 of the ce capillary tube 13 filled with a separation medium 98 , 2 ) cooling the capillary tube 13 to gel the plug 96 , 3 ) placing the end 14 of the capillary tube 13 into a liquid sample 93 containing the analytes of interest and ionic contaminants , applying an electrical potential between the ends of the tube to electrophoretically draw the contaminants through the plug and at least partially through the capillary tube 13 , and 5 ) raising the temperature of the chamber to melt the plug , and 6 ) electrophoretically drawing the analytes through the capillary tube 13 to the detector 61 . step 1 of the method just described more preferably includes the step of introducing a volume 100 of a buffer solution 19 immediately after introduction of the melted plug into the capillary tube 13 and prior to cooling the capillary tube 13 to gel the plug 96 . this buffer volume in turn provides a space in the end 14 of the capillary tube 13 adjacent the plug 96 to receive and concentrate the analytes in the sample against the surface of the gel plug 96 during electrokinetic loading of the sample . the method more preferably includes the steps of 1 ) introducing a melted plug material which is effective to block passages of analytes of interest only when solidified into a tube filled with a separation medium ; 2 ) cooling at least the plug material to gel the plug 96 ; 3 ) placing the end 14 of the capillary tube 13 into a liquid sample 93 containing the analytes of interest and at least one contaminant ; 4 ) drawing a portion of the sample 93 into the capillary tube ; 5 ) placing the ends of the capillary tube into the buffer solutions 15 and 19 ; 6 ) applying an electrical potential between the ends of the capillary tube to electrophoretically draw the contaminants through the plug and at least partially through the capillary tube 13 , raising the temperature of the plug to melt the plug ; and 7 ) electrophoretically drawing the analytes in the sample through the melted plug and through at least a portion of the capillary tube 13 . when the high voltage is applied between the ends of the capillary tube , the contaminants begin to pass through the plug 96 and into the separation medium 98 . after the contaminants have traveled through the capillary tube sufficiently to preclude interference with the analytes during detection , the capillary temperature may be raised to melt the plug 96 . when the plug melts , the plug material and the analytes electrophoretically pass through the capillary tube if the medium is a free solution , i . e . a buffer or entangled polymer solution . otherwise , only the analytes and contaminants pass through the tube . as previously stated , the separation medium 98 in the tube may be a buffer solution or an entangled polymer solution used in free - solution capillary electrophoresis , or a rigid gel . the meltable plug 96 may be any material which melts at a specific temperature and which has the ability to selectively retard migration of analytes during the injection and subsequent steps . the meltable material may be any polymer colloid which has a lower temperature gel phase and a higher temperature liquid phase . the meltable plug 96 is preferably an agarose gel material which becomes liquid at a specific temperature , for example , about 45 ° c . the liquid plug is injected at or above that temperature hydrodynamically into the capillary tube which has been previously loaded with a separation medium which may also be an agarose gel having a higher melting temperature , for example , about 50 ° c . in this latter case , hydrodynamic plug injection would have to be done at a temperature above the melting temperature of the separation medium . in either case , injection of the liquid agarose gel plug is preferably immediately followed by introduction of a volume 100 of buffer solution . this provides a volume inside the entrance end of the capillary tube for analyte concentration the temperature of the capillary tube is then lowered below the solidification temperature of the agarose gel plug 96 ( and the separation medium if it is a rigid gel ) so that the crosslinking of the gel plug is of sufficient magnitude that macromolecules are not permitted to migrate freely through the plug ; however , small molecules may migrate unimpeded through the plug and the separation medium . the plugged end 14 of the capillary tube 13 is then inserted into a sample container 93 containing analytes of interest . the sample is then loaded electrokinetically into the capillary tube . by applying a voltage between the ends of the tube , the charged molecules migrate into the capillary . the macromolecules stack against the surface of the gel and the small ions continue migration through the separation medium in the capillary tube . at some subsequent point in time the temperature of the solidified gel plug is raised to the melting temperature of the agarose gel plug and electrophoresis of the concentrated macromolecules begins , now free of small molecule contamination . it is not necessary to completely flush all the small contaminant molecules through the separation medium before raising the plug temperature . only a sufficient amount of time is required so that the most mobile macromolecule does not electrophoretically overtake the small contaminant molecules prior to reaching the detection region of the capillary tube . the entire capillary tube 13 may be heated and cooled to achieve the separation of the small molecules as described above . alternatively , only the capillary portion containing the gel plug 96 may be heated and cooled separately from the portion of the capillary tube containing the separation medium 98 . however , for stability and viscosity considerations , it is preferred that the overall temperature of the capillary , e . g . the enclosure 11 be heated and cooled . viscosity and therefore electrophoretic mobility are often strong functions of temperature , so that for desired reproducibility in the system , temperature uniformity is preferred . power and control leads for all the electrical equipment associated with the apparatus of the preferred embodiment are carried by electrical conduit 121 to a control interface 119 which provides power terminations and switching of signals for control purposes . the control interface 119 is connected to and manipulated by the computer 117 which can be pre - programmed so that critical parameters may be maintained and sequences of analyses may be performed automatically by the apparatus . for example , the vacuum level desired can be entered by the operator as control data , and the computer 117 , through the control interface 119 , monitors the signal from vacuum gauge 115 and opens and closes vacuum isolation valve 103 so that the desired vacuum level is closely maintained . similarly , the computer 117 is used to control the temperature inside the environmental enclosure by monitoring temperature sensor 111 and controlling power to heating element 107 or the cooling device 108 as needed to maintain the programmed temperature . also , the computer can be programmed to allow a sequence of analyses to be made , using the several samples preloaded into the sample containers 93 in the container tray 91 , controlling the electrical devices in the required sequence . the computer program may be set to run analyses on all of the microvolume samples , one - after - the - other , or to allow for manual intervention and initiation between each analysis . it will also be appreciated by those skilled in the art that there are several ways to control the temperature of the solvent / solute system and the plug 96 . for example , one way has already been described which uses a heater and cooling system to control the interior of the environmental chamber 11 . another approach would be to use one or more electrical heaters wrapped around the capillary tube . those skilled in the art will undoubtedly be able to think of other equivalent methods for controlling the temperature to effect electrophoretic mobility . those skilled in the art will also understand that in some instances it may be preferred to not have all components inside the enclosure 11 . for example , the detector sometimes may be located outside the enclosure along with the corresponding portion of the capillary where the uv detection is to take place . such an approach would facilitate service of the uv detector system . also , instead of raising and lowering the capillary , one could raise and lower the sliding support to insert and remove the capillary from the sample and buffer reservoir . it should also be apparent that one could use electrophoretic media other than aqueous solutions , for example organic fluids could also be used , a specific example being acetonitrile . one alternative application of the present invention involves the electrophoretic analysis of serum . in this case , the small molecules are the analytes of interest and the large proteins , etc ., are the contaminants . when the macromolecules are restrained by the plug , the smaller molecules , the analytes of interest , can be electrophoresed past the detector . the plug may then be melted and the large molecules , proteins , etc ., flushed through the capillary tube in the case of a free solution or entangled polymer medium or electrophoresed through a rigid gel medium and the tube prepared for loading a subsequent sample . while the invention has been described with reference to particular embodiments thereof , it should be apparent that the apparatus and method may be practiced other than as specifically described . for example , although a capillary electrophoresis apparatus has been shown and specifically described , the method of the invention may be applied to other physical arrangements for electrophoretic separations such as a slab type gel electrophoresis apparatus , thus the embodiments of the invention are subject to modification , variation , and change without departing from the proper scope and fair meaning of the appended claims . accordingly , it is intended to embrace all such changes , modifications , and variations that fall within the spirit and broad scope of the appended claims . all patents , patent applications , and publications cited herein are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety . | 2Chemistry; Metallurgy
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referring to fig1 an inflatable disposable paper plastic dunnage bag is shown generally at 10 . such a bag is made from multi - layers of high grade paper , as shown at 11 on fig2 with an inner wall 12 of leak - proof polyethylene film . a valve is shown at 13 and comprises a valve of the automobile tire type wherein an actuate air inflow is permitted with no outflow . thus , a spring - pressed valve head is shown at 14 which seats against a valve seat 16 and which is carried in a valve body 17 . an air inlet 18 can be selectively closed by a snap - in cover 19 carried on the end of an arm 20 . a t - shaped handle 21 extends from the other side of the valve member to facilitate manipulation of the valve and the bag during inflation thereof . in usage , deflated , or partially inflated , bags are simply placed in an open space 22 between a load illustrated in fig1 as constituting any typical load having part a and part b on opposite sides of the space 22 and which parts a and b are loaded on pallets 23 and 24 , respectively . compressed air is then applied to the valve inlet 18 until the required pressure is reached . when the shipment reaches its destination , the bags are simply punctured and discarded . the inner wall of leak - proof polyethylene film formng the inside bladder of the inflatable dunnage bag is customarily provided as a high density polyethylene which is linear in molecular structure . thus , when air is initially introduced into the inlet 18 of the valve , there is sometimes a tendency of such airstream to set up vibratory forces and high frequency vibrations which tend to produce holes or ruptures in the polyethylene film . if that occurs , the bag will be prematurely broken and will lose its functional utility . under the circumstances , some effort has been made to correct such problem which is frequently referred to as &# 34 ; dry burn &# 34 ; by taping a loose flap of polyethylene film on the opposite inside surface of the bladder . however , such loose flap is not completely reliable and may actually be destroyed itself by the vibratory air forces since the flap is so thin as to be practically negligible insofar as its influence on the inrush of air is concerned , when the bag is in a deflated condition . in accordance with the principles of the present invention , it is contemplated that a baffle means be provided which is of sufficient size to have an included area for baffling substantially all of the air projected through the valve into the interior of the bag . moreover , such baffle means also has an expanded thickness sufficient to separate the confronting surfaces of the plastic ply or bladder a discrete distance . moreover , such baffle means is selected and constructed to form laterally disposed air passage means which diffuse the airstream directed through the valve transversely of the valve and the plastic ply to dissipate any vibratory forces tending to produce a dry burn effect on the surface of the plastic ply adjacent the valve outlet . referring specifically to fig2 it will be noted there is provided a baffle means shown generally at 26 and constituting a square approximately 3 inches in each direction of corrugated paper . thus , the baffle means 26 has a backing sheet 27 approximately 3 inches square and the backing sheet has connected thereto in firm assembly therewith a corrugated sheet 28 defining a plurality of individual undulations 29 , which project outwardly from the backing sheet 27 a discrete distance . as shown in fig3 the baffle means 26 may be secured to the plastic ply oppposite the valve by an adhesive tab shown at 30 and 31 , or any other adhesive securement could be utilized . for example , an adhesive medium could be interposed between the backing sheet 27 and the plastic ply . it is also contemplated that the backing sheet could be provided with a pressure - sensitive adhesive or any other well known form of adhesive connection to facilitate the permanent or semi - permanent connection of the baffle means 26 to the plastic ply . moreover , the baffle means 26 is positioned on the plastic ply opposite the valve head 14 . the baffle means 26 is located relative to the valve so that substantially all of the air projected past the valve head 14 will be substantially baffled . by using the corrugated paper , it will be apparent that even in fully deflated condition , when the plastic plies are in confronting adjacency to one another , the inner position of the undulations 29 of the corrugated sheet 28 will space the plastic plies from one another . for convenience in identification , the plastic ply on the side in which the valve is connected is shown at 12 , while the plastic ply opposite thereto is shown at 12a . thus , as depicted in dotted lines wherein the plies 12 and 12a are shown in deflated condition , the undulations 29 of the corrugated sheet 28 tend to separate the plies by a spacing dimension shown at s . by virtue of such provision , the corrugations provide a series of air passages shown at 32 which extend transversely relative to the axis of the valve . accordingly , when air is projected through the valve into the interior of the bag , the baffle means 26 diffuses the airstream through the air passages 32 transversely of the valve and the plastic ply to dissipate any vibratory forces tending to produce a dry burn effect on the surfaces of the plastic ply adjacent the valve outlet . good results have been obtained with corrugated paper in a 26 pound weight and utilizing pieces of corrugated paper approximately 3 to 4 inches square . similar baffle means providing the criterion of the present invention , i . e ., sufficient size to baffle substantially all of the air projected through the valve and sufficient thickness to separate the confronting surfaces of the plastic ply a discrete distance and sufficient lateral air passage means to diffuse the airstream transversely of the valve into the interior of the bag can also be used . thus , as shown in fig4 another form of the invention contemplates the utilization of expanded polyethylene . in fig4 there is shown a baffle means 126 which may be adhesively secured to one ply 120a of a dunnage bag bladder . the expanded polyethylene baffle means 126 has a discrete thickness 129 between a first face 127 and a second face 128 . it will be apparent that the expanded polyethylene is characterized by randomly disposed transverse air passages 132 which will tend to diffuse the air transversely of any valve through which air is directed towards the sureface 128 of the baffle means 126 . although various minor modifications might be suggested by those versed in the art , it should be understood that i wish to embody within the scope of the patent warranted hereon all such modifications as reasonably and properly come within the scope of my contribution to the art . | 1Performing Operations; Transporting
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the compounds of formula 1 are novel compounds belonging to the family of amino substituted monocycles . without wishing to be bound to any particular theory , it is believed that the interaction of the compounds of formula 1 with a kinase ( i . e ., one or more kinases ) results in modulation of the activity of the kinase ( s ). the compounds of formula 1 are thus expected to have therapeutic application in mammalian kinase - implicated conditions . as used herein , “ modulation ” refers to a change in kinase activity as a direct or indirect response to the presence of a compound of formula 1 , relative to the activity of the kinase in the absence of the compound . the change may be an increase in activity or a decrease in activity , and may be due to the direct interaction of the compound with the kinase , or due to the interaction of the compound with one or more other factors that in turn affect kinase activity . for example , the presence of the compound may increase or decrease kinase activity by directly binding to the kinase , by causing ( directly or indirectly ) another factor to increase or decrease the kinase activity , or by ( directly or indirectly ) increasing or decreasing the amount of kinase present in the cell or organism . when any variable occurs more than one time in formula 1 , its definition on each occurrence is independent of its definition at every other occurrence . by “ heteroaryl ” is meant systems , ( as numbered from the linkage position assigned priority 1 ), such as 2 - pyridyl , 3 - pyridyl , 4 - pyridyl , 2 , 3 - pyrazinyl , 3 , 4 - pyrazinyl , 2 , 4 - pyrimidinyl , 3 , 5 - pyrimidinyl , 2 , 3 - pyrazolinyl , 2 , 4 - imidazolinyl , isoxazolinyl , oxazolinyl , thiazolinyl , thiadiazolinyl , tetrazolyl , and the like . by “ heteroalkyl ” is meant an aliphatic ring containing at least 1 carbon atom in addition to 1 – 3 heteroatoms independently selected from oxygen , sulfur , or nitrogen . by “ sulfonamide ” is meant — s ( o ) 2 nr — in either s - linked or n - linked orientation , where the nitrogen atom can be unsubstituted ( i . e ., r is hydrogen ), mono - or disubstituted with cyclo ( c 3 – c 6 alkyl ) methyl ; or mono - or disubstituted with straight or branched chain ( c 1 – c 7 ) alkyl , in which the branched alkyl chains are allowed to also form a 3 – 7 member alkyl or heteroalkyl ring . by “ piperazinyl ” is meant unsubstituted piperazine , as well as piperazinyl independently substituted on 1 – 4 carbon atoms with hydroxy , cyano , amino , halogen , ( c 1 – c 6 ) alkyl , ( c 1 – c 6 ) alkoxy , mono - or di (( c 1 – c 6 ) alkyl ) amino , mono - or di (( c 1 – c 6 ) alkyl ) amino ( c 1 – c 6 ) alkyl , or sulfonamide . by “( c 1 – c 6 ) alkyl ” is meant straight or branched chain alkyl groups or cycloalkyl groups having 1 – 6 carbon atoms , such as , for example , methyl , ethyl , propyl , isopropyl , n - butyl , sec - butyl , tert - butyl , pentyl , 2 - pentyl , isopentyl , neopentyl , hexyl , 2 - hexyl , 3 - hexyl , and 3 - methylpentyl . preferred ( c 1 – c 6 ) alkyl groups are methyl , ethyl , propyl , butyl , cyclopropyl , cyclopropylmethyl , cyclohexyl , and the like . similarly , by “( c 1 – c 7 ) alkyl ” is meant straight or branched chain alkyl groups or cycloalkyl groups having 1 – 7 carbon atoms , such as , for example , methyl , ethyl , propyl , isopropyl , n - butyl , sec - butyl , tert - butyl , pentyl , 2 - pentyl , isopentyl , neopentyl , hexyl , 2 - hexyl , 3 - hexyl , and 3 - methylpentyl . preferred ( c 1 – c 7 ) alkyl groups are methyl , ethyl , propyl , butyl , cyclopropyl , cyclopropylmethyl , cyclohexyl , cycloheptyl , norbornyl , and the like . by “( c 1 – c 6 ) alkoxy ” is meant an alkyl group of indicated number of carbon atoms attached through an oxygen bridge such as , for example , methoxy , ethoxy , propoxy , isopropoxy , n - butoxy , sec - butoxy , tert - butoxy , pentoxy , 2 - pentyl , isopentoxy , neopentoxy , hexoxy , 2 - hexoxy , 3 - hexoxy , and 3 - methylpentoxy . preferred ( c 1 – c 6 ) alkoxy groups herein are ( c 1 – c 4 ) alkoxy groups . preferably , one of r 1 or r 2 is hydrogen ; straight or branched chain ( c 1 – c 7 ) alkyl , in which the branched alkyl chains are allowed to also form a 3 – 7 member heteroalkyl or alkyl ring ; r 1 or r 2 is each independently ( cyclo ( c 3 – c 6 ) alkyl ) methyl ; ( c 1 – c 6 ) perhaloalkyl ; ( c 1 – c 6 ) alkoxy ; phenyl , benzyl , or heteroaryl which may be unsubstituted , mono -, di -, or trisubstituted with one or more of hydroxy , nitro , cyano , amino , halogen , ( c 1 – c 6 ) alkyl , ( c 1 – c 6 ) perhaloalkyl , ( c 1 – c 6 ) alkoxy , ( c 1 – c 6 ) alkyloxy -( c 1 – c 6 ) alkoxy , mono - or di (( c 1 – c 6 ) alkyl ) amino , mono - or di (( c 1 – c 6 ) alkyl ) amino ( c 1 – c 6 ) alkyl , amino ( c 1 – c 6 ) alkyl , benzamide which may be unsubstituted , mono -, di -, or trisubstituted with one or more of hydroxy , nitro , cyano , amino , halogen , ( c 1 – c 6 ) alkyl , or ( c 1 – c 6 ) alkoxy , benzenesulfonamide which may be unsubstituted , mono -, di -, or trisubstituted with one or more of hydroxy , nitro , cyano , amino , halogen , ( c 1 – c 6 ) alkyl , ( c 1 – c 6 ) perhaloalkyl , or ( c 1 – c 6 ) alkoxy , heteroaryl which may be unsubstituted , mono -, di -, or trisubstituted with one or more of hydroxy , nitro , cyano , amino , halogen , ( c 1 – c 6 ) alkyl , ( c 1 – c 6 ) perhaloalkyl , ( c 1 – c 6 ) alkoxy , ( c 1 – c 6 ) alkyloxy -( c 1 – c 6 ) alkoxy , mono - or di (( c 1 – c 6 ) alkyl ) amino , mono - or di (( c 1 – c 6 ) alkyl ) amino ( c 1 – c 6 ) alkyl , mono - or dibenzylamino ( c 1 – c 6 ) alkyl wherein the benzyl may be unsubstituted , mono -, di -, or trisubstituted with one or more of hydroxy , nitro , cyano , amino , or halogen , amino ( c 1 – c 6 ) alkyl , or heteroaryl linked to the phenyl by an ether , sulfide , ( c 1 – c 3 ) carbonyl , or secondary amine ; heteroaryloxyphenyl or phenyloxyphenyl where each heteroaryl or phenyl may be independently unsubstituted , mono -, di -, or trisubstituted with one or more of hydroxy , nitro , cyano , amino , halogen , sulfonamide , ( c 1 – c 6 ) alkyl , ( c 1 – c 6 ) perhaloalkyl , ( c 1 – c 6 ) alkoxy , ( c 1 – c 6 ) alkyloxy -( c 1 – c 6 ) alkoxy , mono - or di (( c 1 – c 6 ) alkyl ) amino , or amino ( c 1 – c 6 ) alkyl ; 4 - phenyl - or 4 - heteroaryl - 1 - piperazinyl where the phenyl or heteroaryl ring may be independently unsubstituted , mono -, di - or trisubstituted with one or more of hydroxy , nitro , cyano , amino , halogen , sulfonamide , ( c 1 – c 6 ) alkyl , ( c 1 – c 6 ) perhaloalkyl , ( c 1 – c 6 ) alkoxy , ( c 1 – c 6 ) alkyloxy -( c 1 – c 6 ) alkoxy ; wherein x is c and r 4 – r 10 are independently hydrogen ; straight or branched chain ( c 1 – c 6 ) alkyl ; phenyl which may be unsubstituted , mono -, di - or trisubstituted with one or more of hydroxy , nitro , cyano , amino , halogen , ( c 1 – c 6 ) alkyl , or ( c 1 – c 6 ) perhaloalkyl ; or heteroaryl which may be unsubstituted , mono -, di - or trisubstituted with one or more of hydroxy , nitro , cyano , amino , or halogen ; wherein r 11 and r 12 are independently hydrogen ; straight or branched chain ( c 1 – c 7 ) alkyl , in which the branched alkyl chains are allowed to also form a 3 – 7 member heteroalkyl or alkyl ring ; ( cyclo ( c 3 – c 6 ) alkyl ) methyl ; ( c 1 – c 6 ) perhaloalkyl ; mono - or di (( c 1 – c 6 ) alkyl ) amino , mono - or di (( c 1 – c 6 ) alkyl ) amino ( c 1 – c 6 alkyl ); phenyl , benzyl , or heteroaryl which may be unsubstituted , mono -, di - or trisubstituted with one or more of hydroxy , nitro , cyano , amino , halogen , ( c 1 – c 6 ) alkyl , ( c 1 – c 6 ) perhaloalkyl , ( c 1 – c 6 ) alkoxy , ( c 1 – c 6 ) alkyloxy -( c 1 – c 6 ) alkoxy , mono - or di (( c 1 – c 6 ) alkyl ) amino , mono - or di (( c 1 – c 6 ) alkyl ) amino ( c 1 – c 6 ) alkyl , amino (( c 1 – c 6 ) alkyl ); heteroaryloxyphenyl or phenyloxyphenyl where each heteroaryl or phenyl may be independently unsubstituted , mono -, di - or trisubstituted with one or more of hydroxy , nitro , cyano , amino , halogen , sulfonamide , ( c 1 – c 6 ) alkyl , ( c 1 – c 6 ) perhaloalkyl , or ( c 1 – c 6 ) alkoxy ; phenyl - or heteroaryl - piperazinyl where the phenyl or heteroaryl ring may be independently unsubstituted , mono -, di - or trisubstituted with one or more of hydroxy , nitro , cyano , amino , halogen , or di ( c 1 – c 6 alkyl ) amino ( c 1 – c 6 alkyl ). more preferably , one of r 1 or r 2 is hydrogen ; straight or branched chain ( c 1 – c 7 ) alkyl ; r 1 and r 2 is each independently phenyl , benzyl , or heteroaryl which may be unsubstituted , mono -, di -, or trisubstituted with one or more of hydroxy , nitro , cyano , amino , halogen , ( c 1 – c 6 ) alkyl , ( c 1 – c 6 ) perfluoroalkyl , ( c 1 – c 6 ) alkoxy , ( c 1 – c 6 ) alkyloxy -( c 1 – c 6 ) alkoxy , mono - or di (( c 1 – c 6 ) alkyl ) amino , mono - or di (( c 1 – c 6 ) alkyl ) amino ( c 1 – c 6 ) alkyl , amino ( c 1 – c 6 ) alkyl , benzamide which may be unsubstituted , mono -, di -, or trisubstituted with one or more of hydroxy , nitro , cyano , amino , halogen , ( c 1 – c 6 ) alkyl , or ( c 1 – c 6 ) alkoxy , benzenesulfonamide which may be unsubstituted , mono -, di -, or trisubstituted with one or more of hydroxy , nitro , cyano , amino , halogen , ( c 1 – c 6 ) alkyl , ( c 1 – c 6 ) perhaloalkyl , or ( c 1 – c 6 ) alkoxy , heteroaryl which may be unsubstituted , mono -, di -, or trisubstituted with one or more of hydroxy , nitro , cyano , amino , halogen , ( c 1 – c 6 ) alkyl , ( c 1 – c 6 ) perfluoroalkyl , ( c 1 – c 6 ) alkoxy , ( c 1 – c 6 ) alkyloxy -( c 1 – c 6 ) alkoxy , mono - or di (( c 1 – c 6 ) alkyl ) amino , mono - or di (( c 1 – c 6 ) alkyl ) amino ( c 1 – c 6 ) alkyl , mono - or dibenzylamino ( c 1 – c 6 ) alkyl wherein the benzyl may be unsubstituted , mono -, di -, or trisubstituted with one or more of hydroxy , nitro , cyano , amino , or halogen , amino ( c 1 – c 6 ) alkyl , or heteroaryl linked to the phenyl by an ether , sulfide , ( c 1 – c 3 ) carbonyl , or secondary amine ; heteroaryloxyphenyl or phenyloxyphenyl where each heteroaryl or phenyl may be independently unsubstituted , mono -, di -, or trisubstituted with one or more of hydroxy , nitro , cyano , amino , halogen , sulfonamide , ( c 1 – c 6 ) alkyl , ( c 1 – c 6 ) perhaloalkyl , ( c 1 – c 6 ) alkoxy , ( c 1 – c 6 ) alkyloxy -( c 1 – c 6 ) alkoxy , mono - or di (( c 1 – c 6 ) alkyl ) amino , or amino ( c 1 – c 6 ) alkyl ; 4 - phenyl - or 4 - heteroaryl - 1 - piperazinyl where the phenyl or heteroaryl ring may be independently unsubstituted , mono -, di - or trisubstituted with one or more of hydroxy , nitro , cyano , amino , or halogen ; wherein x is c and r 4 – r 10 are independently hydrogen ; or straight or branched chain ( c 1 – c 6 ) alkyl ; wherein r 11 and r 12 are independently hydrogen ; straight or branched chain ( c 1 – c 7 ) alkyl , in which the branched alkyl chains are allowed to also form a 3 – 7 member heteroalkyl or alkyl ring ; phenyl , benzyl , or heteroaryl which may be unsubstituted , mono -, di - or trisubstituted with one or more of hydroxy , nitro , cyano , amino , halogen , ( c 1 – c 6 ) alkyl , ( c 1 – c 6 ) perfluoroalkyl , or ( c 1 – c 6 ) alkoxy ; or heteroaryloxyphenyl or phenyloxyphenyl where each heteroaryl or phenyl may be independently unsubstituted , mono -, di - or trisubstituted with one or more of hydroxy , nitro , cyano , amino , halogen , sulfonamide , ( c 1 – c 6 ) alkyl , ( c 1 – c 6 ) perhaloalkyl , or ( c 1 – c 6 ) alkoxy . most preferably , one of r 1 or r 2 may be hydrogen ; r 1 and r 2 each independently phenyl , benzyl , or heteroaryl which may be unsubstituted , mono -, di -, or trisubstituted with one or more of hydroxy , nitro , cyano , amino , halogen , ( c 1 – c 6 ) alkyl , ( c 1 – c 6 ) perfluoroalkyl , ( c 1 – c 6 ) alkoxy , ( c 1 – c 6 ) alkyloxy -( c 1 – c 6 ) alkoxy , mono - or di (( c 1 – c 6 ) alkyl ) amino , mono - or di (( c 1 – c 6 ) alkyl ) amino ( c 1 – c 6 ) alkyl , amino ( c 1 – c 6 ) alkyl , benzamide which may be unsubstituted , mono -, di -, or trisubstituted with one or more of hydroxy , nitro , cyano , amino , halogen , ( c 1 – c 6 ) alkyl , or ( c 1 – c 6 ) alkoxy , benzenesulfonamide which may be unsubstituted , mono -, di -, or trisubstituted with one or more of hydroxy , nitro , cyano , amino , halogen , ( c 1 – c 6 ) alkyl , ( c 1 – c 6 ) perhaloalkyl , or ( c 1 – c 6 ) alkoxy , heteroaryl which may be unsubstituted , mono -, di -, or trisubstituted with one or more of hydroxy , nitro , cyano , amino , halogen , ( c 1 – c 6 ) alkyl , ( c 1 – c 6 ) perfluoroalkyl , ( c 1 – c 6 ) alkoxy , ( c 1 – c 6 ) alkyloxy -( c 1 – c 6 ) alkoxy , mono - or di (( c 1 – c 6 ) alkyl ) amino , mono - or di (( c 1 – c 6 ) alkyl ) amino ( c 1 – c 6 ) alkyl , mono - or dibenzylamino ( c 1 – c 6 ) alkyl wherein the benzyl may be unsubstituted , mono -, di -, or trisubstituted with one or more of hydroxy , nitro , cyano , amino , or halogen , amino ( c 1 – c 6 ) alkyl , or heteroaryl linked to the phenyl by an ether , sulfide , ( c 1 – c 3 ) carbonyl , or secondary amine ; or phenyloxyphenyl where each phenyl may be independently unsubstituted , mono -, di -, or trisubstituted with one or more of hydroxy , nitro , cyano , amino , halogen , sulfonamide , ( c 1 – c 6 ) alkyl , ( c 1 – c 6 ) perhaloalkyl , ( c 1 – c 6 ) alkoxy , ( c 1 – c 6 ) alkyloxy -( c 1 – c 6 ) alkoxy , mono - or di (( c 1 – c 6 ) alkyl ) amino , or amino ( c 1 – c 6 ) alkyl ; wherein r 11 and r 12 are independently hydrogen ; straight or branched chain ( c 1 – c 7 ) alkyl ; phenyl , benzyl , or heteroaryl which may be unsubstituted , mono -, di - or trisubstituted with one or more of hydroxy , nitro , cyano , amino , halogen , ( c 1 – c 6 ) alkyl , ( c 1 – c 6 ) perfluoroalkyl , or ( c 1 – c 6 ) alkoxy ; or phenyloxyphenyl where each phenyl may be independently unsubstituted , mono -, di - or trisubstituted with one or more of hydroxy , nitro , cyano , amino , halogen , sulfonamide , ( c 1 – c 6 ) alkyl , ( c 1 – c 6 ) perhaloalkyl , or ( c 1 – c 6 ) alkoxy . if the compounds of formula 1 have asymmetric centers , then formula 1 includes all of the optical isomers and mixtures thereof . in addition , compounds with carbon - carbon double bonds may occur in z - and e - forms , with all isomeric forms of the compounds being included . these compounds can be , for example , racemates or optically active forms . in these situations , the single enantiomers , i . e ., optically active forms can be obtained by asymmetric synthesis or by resolution of the racemates . resolution of the racemates can be accomplished , for example , by conventional methods such as crystallization in the presence of a resolving agent , or chromatography , using , for example a chiral hplc column . where a compound of formula 1 exists in various tautomeric forms , the invention is not limited to any one of the specific tautomers , and includes all tautomeric forms of the compound . representative compounds of the present invention , which are encompassed by formula 1 , include , but are not limited to their pharmaceutically acceptable acid addition salts . non - toxic “ pharmaceutically acceptable salts ” include , but are not limited to salts with inorganic acids , such as hydrochlorate , phosphate , diphosphate , hydrobromate , sulfate , sulfinate , or nitrate salts ; or salts with an organic acid , such as malate , maleate , fumarate , tartrate , succinate , citrate , acetate , lactate , methanesulfonate , p - toluenesulfonate , 2 - hydroxyethylsulfonate , benzoate , salicylate , stearate , and alkanoate such as acetate , hooc —( ch 2 ) n — cooh where n is 0 – 4 , and the like salts . similarly , pharmaceutically acceptable cations include , but are not limited to sodium , potassium , calcium , aluminum , lithium , and ammonium . in addition , if the compound of the invention is obtained as an acid addition salt , the free base can be obtained by basifying a solution of the acid salt . conversely , if the product is a free base , an addition salt , particularly a pharmaceutically acceptable addition salt , it may be produced by dissolving the free base in a suitable organic solvent and treating the solution with an acid , in accordance with conventional procedures for preparing acid addition salts from base compounds . those skilled in the art will recognize various synthetic methodologies that may be used to prepare non - toxic pharmaceutically acceptable addition salts encompassed by formula 1 . the present invention also encompasses the prodrugs of the compounds of formula 1 , for example acylated prodrugs of the compounds of formula 1 . those skilled in the art will recognize various synthetic methodologies that may be used to prepare non - toxic pharmaceutically acceptable acylated and other prodrugs of the compounds encompassed by formula i . methods for obtaining the compounds described herein are known to those of ordinary skill in the art , suitable procedures being described , for example , in the references cited herein . the present inventors have discovered new amino - substituted monocycles and determined that they are active as kinase inhibitors . the inhibitors of the present invention are expected to have therapeutic application in mammalian kinase - implicated conditions . without wishing to be bound to any particular theory , it is believed that the interaction of the compounds of formula i with various kinases results in the pharmaceutical utility of these compounds . suitable kinases include but are not limited to tyrosine kinases and serine / threonine kinases , which may be classified as including the agc group ( cyclic nucleotide regulated family ) of protein kinases , which includes the cyclic nucleotide regulated protein kinase family ( e . g ., pka and pkg ), the diacylglycerol - activated / phospholipid - dependent family protein kinase c family ( e . g ., pkc ), the pka and pkc - related family ( e . g ., rac and akt ), the kinases that phosphorylate g protein - coupled receptors family , the budding yeast agc - related protein kinase family , the kinases that phosphorylate ribosomal protein s6 family , the budding yeast dbf2 / 20 family , the flowering plant pvpk1 protein kinase homolog family , and other agc related kinase families . the camk ( calcium calmodulin dependent ) group of protein kinases includes kinases regulated by ca 2 + / cam and close relatives family , the kin1 / snf1 / nim1 family , and other related camk related kinase families . the cmgc group ( named because it includes the cyclin - dependent kinases ) includes the cyclin - dependent kinases ( e . g ., cdks ) and close relatives family , the erk ( e . g ., map ) kinase family , the glycogen synthase 3 ( e . g ., gsk3 ) family , the casein kinase ii family , the clk family and other cmgc kinases . the ptk group of protein kinases includes protein - tyrosine kinases that may be nonmembrane - spanning or membrane - spanning tyrosine kinases . the ptk group of protein kinases includes the src family , the tek / atk family , the csk family , the fes ( fps ) family , the abl family , the syk / zap70 family , the ttk2 / jak1 family , the ack family , the focal adhesion kinase ( fak ) family , the epidermal growth factor receptor family , the eph / elk / eck receptor family , the axl family , the tie / tek family , the platelet - derived growth factor receptor family , the fibroblast growth factor receptor family , the insulin receptor family , the ltk / alk family , the ros / sevenless family , the trk / ror family , the ddr / tkt family , the hepatocyte growth factor receptor family , the nematode kin15 / 16 family and other ptk kinase families . the opk group ( other protein kinases ) includes the polo family , the mek / ste7 family , the pak / ste20 family , the mekk / ste11 family , the nima family , the wee1 / mik1 family , the kinases involved in transcriptional control family , the raf family , the activin / tgfb receptor family , the flowering plant putative receptor kinases and close relatives family , the psk / ptk leucine zipper domain family , the casein kinase i family , the pkn prokaryotic protein kinase family and other opk protein kinase families . a large number of kinases are found in g . hardie and s . hanks , eds ., “ protein kinase factsbook ”, academic press ( 1995 ), isbn 0 - 12 - 324719 - 5 ( 1995 ). accordingly , a method of treating a kinase - implicated disease or condition in a mammal , preferably a human , comprises administration to the mammal of a pharmaceutical composition comprising a therapeutically effective amount of a compound of formula 1 and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier . the mammal may be a human , a companion animal , such as , for example , a dog or a cat , or a livestock animal . as used herein “ therapeutically effective ” includes alleviation of disease , disease symptoms , preventative , and prophylactic treatment . kinases are implicated in a large variety of diseases , as certain mutations in protein kinases can lead to activation of pathways causing , for example , the production of tumors , while other mutations in protein kinases block pathways and prevent a response . some diseases that are linked to mutations in protein kinases are listed in the kinmutbase database ( stenberg et al ., nucleic acids research , vol . 28 , pp . 369 – 372 , 2000 ). diseases caused by protein kinase mutations include x - linked agammaglobulinemia ( xla ), and non - insulin dependent diabetes mellitus ( niddm ), and severe combined immunodeficiency ( scid ). mutations related to tumor development have been linked to such diseases as hirschprung &# 39 ; s disease , multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2 ( men2 ) a and b , medullary thyroid carcinoma ( fmtc ), papillary renal carcinoma ( hprc ), and peutz - jeghers syndrome . mutations in growth factor receptor kinases are linked to diseases such as mastocytosis , systemic mast cell disease , piebaldism , hypochondroplasia , thanatophoric dysplasia , and skeletal dysplasia . other protein kinase - linked diseases include coffin - lowry syndrome , congenital insensitivity to pain with anhidrosis ( cipa ), hypertension , vascular dysplasia , errors in vascular morphogenesis , and x - linked mental retardation . mutations in protein kinases have also been linked to neurodegenerative diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis ( als ) and alzheimer &# 39 ; s disease ( ad ). other diseases associated with protein kinases include gaucher disease , hypochromic anemia , granulomatous disease , ataxia - telangiectasia , familial hypercholesterolemia , certain types of muscular dystrophy such as driefuss - emory type , cystic fibrosis , type 1 hyperlipoproteinemia , treacher collins franceschetti syndrome 1 , tay - sachs disease , type 1 neurofibromatosis , adenomatous polyposis of the colon , x - linked ichthyosis , and beckwith - weidemann syndrome . altered pka ( cyclic amp - dependent protein kinase ) expression is implicated in a variety of disorders and diseases including cancer , thyroid disorders , diabetes , atherosclerosis , and cardiovascular disease . altered map ( mitogen - activated protein ) kinase expression is implicated in a variety of disease conditions including cancer , inflammation , immune disorders , and disorders affecting growth and development . rtks ( receptor tyrosine kinases ), cdks and stks ( serine / threonine kinases ) have all been implicated in a host of pathogenic conditions including , significantly , large number of diverse cancers . other pathogenic conditions that have been associated with ptks include psoriasis , hepatic cirrhosis , diabetes , atherosclerosis , angiogenesis , restinosis , ocular diseases , rheumatoid arthritis and other inflammatory disorders , autoimmune disease , and a variety of renal disorders . preferably , the conditions , diseases and / or disorders that can be affected using compounds and compositions according to the invention include , but are not limited to , psoriasis , cancer ( for example , chronic myelogenous leukemia , gastrointestinal stromal tumors , non - small cell lung cancer , breast cancer , ovarian cancer , recurrent ovarian cancer , prostate cancer such as hormonal refractory prostate cancer , kidney cancer , head and neck cancer , or colorectal cancer ), immunoregulation ( graft rejection ), atherosclerosis , rheumatoid arthritis , parkinson &# 39 ; s disease , alzheimer &# 39 ; s disease , diabetes ( for example insulin resistance or diabetic retinopathy ), septic shock , and the like . the invention also provides pharmaceutical compositions comprising at least one compound of the invention together with one or more non - toxic , pharmaceutically acceptable carriers and / or diluents and / or adjuvants and if desired other active ingredients . such pharmaceutical compositions include packaged pharmaceutical compositions for treating disorders responsive to modulation of kinase activity . the packaged pharmaceutical compositions include a container holding a therapeutically effective amount of at least one kinase modulator as described supra and instructions ( e . g ., labeling ) indicating that the contained composition is to be used for treating a disorder responsive to kinase modulation in the patient . those skilled in the art will also recognize a wide variety of non - toxic pharmaceutically acceptable solvents that may be used to prepare solvates of the compounds of the invention , such as water , ethanol , mineral oil , vegetable oil , and dimethylsulfoxide . the compounds of general formula 1 may be administered orally , topically , parenterally , by inhalation or spray or rectally in dosage unit formulations containing conventional non - toxic pharmaceutically acceptable carriers , adjuvants , and vehicles . oral administration in the form of a pill , capsule , elixir , syrup , lozenge , troche , or the like is particularly preferred . the term parenteral as used herein includes subcutaneous injections , intradermal , intravascular ( e . g ., intravenous ), intramuscular , spinal , intrathecal injection or like injection or infusion techniques . the pharmaceutical compositions containing compounds of general formula i may be in a form suitable for oral use , for example , as tablets , troches , lozenges , aqueous or oily suspensions , dispersible powders or granules , emulsion , hard or soft capsules , or syrups or elixirs . compositions intended for oral use may be prepared according to any method known to the art for the manufacture of pharmaceutical compositions and such compositions may contain one or more agents selected from the group consisting of sweetening agents , flavoring agents , coloring agents , and preserving agents in order to provide pharmaceutically elegant and palatable preparations . tablets may contain the active ingredient in admixture with non - toxic pharmaceutically acceptable excipients that are suitable for the manufacture of tablets . these excipients may be for example , inert diluents , such as calcium carbonate , sodium carbonate , lactose , calcium phosphate or sodium phosphate ; granulating and disintegrating agents , for example , corn starch , or alginic acid ; binding agents , for example starch , gelatin or acacia ; and lubricating agents , for example magnesium stearate , stearic acid or talc . the tablets may be uncoated or they may be coated by known techniques to delay disintegration and absorption in the gastrointestinal tract and thereby provide a sustained action over a longer period . for example , a time delay material such as glyceryl monostearate or glyceryl distearate may be employed . formulations for oral use may also be presented as hard gelatin capsules wherein the active ingredient is mixed with an inert solid diluent , for example , calcium carbonate , calcium phosphate or kaolin , or as soft gelatin capsules wherein the active ingredient is mixed with water or an oil medium , for example peanut oil , liquid paraffin , or olive oil . aqueous suspensions contain the active materials in admixture with excipients suitable for the manufacture of aqueous suspensions . such excipients are suspending agents , for example sodium carboxymethylcellulose , methylcellulose , hydropropylmethylcellulose , sodium alginate , polyvinylpyrrolidone , gum tragacanth and gum acacia ; dispersing or wetting agents may be a naturally - occurring phosphatide , for example , lecithin , or condensation products of an alkylene oxide with fatty acids , for example polyoxyethylene stearate , or condensation products of ethylene oxide with long chain aliphatic alcohols , for example heptadecaethyleneoxycetanol , or condensation products of ethylene oxide with partial esters derived from fatty acids and a hexitol such as polyoxyethylene sorbitol monooleate , or condensation products of ethylene oxide with partial esters derived from fatty acids and hexitol anhydrides , for example polyethylene sorbitan monooleate . the aqueous suspensions may also contain one or more preservatives , for example ethyl or n - propyl p - hydroxybenzoate , one or more coloring agents , one or more flavoring agents , and one or more sweetening agents , such as sucrose or saccharin . oily suspensions may be formulated by suspending the active ingredients in a vegetable oil , for example arachis oil , olive oil , sesame oil , or coconut oil , or in a mineral oil such as liquid paraffin . the oily suspensions may contain a thickening agent , for example beeswax , hard paraffin , or cetyl alcohol . sweetening agents , such as those set forth above , and flavoring agents may be added to provide palatable oral preparations . these compositions may be preserved by the addition of an anti - oxidant such as ascorbic acid . dispersible powders and granules suitable for preparation of an aqueous suspension by the addition of water provide the active ingredient in admixture with a dispersing or wetting agent , suspending agent , and one or more preservatives . suitable dispersing or wetting agents and suspending agents are exemplified by those already mentioned above . additional excipients , for example sweetening , flavoring , and coloring agents , may also be present . pharmaceutical compositions of the invention may also be in the form of oil - in - water emulsions . the oily phase may be a vegetable oil , for example olive oil or arachis oil , or a mineral oil , for example liquid paraffin , or mixtures of these . suitable emulsifying agents may be naturally - occurring gums , for example gum acacia or gum tragacanth , naturally - occurring phosphatides , for example soy bean , lecithin , and esters or partial esters derived from fatty acids and hexitol , anhydrides , for example sorbitan monoleate , and condensation products of the said partial esters with ethylene oxide , for example polyoxyethylene sorbitan monoleate . the emulsions may also contain sweetening and flavoring agents . syrups and elixirs may be formulated with sweetening agents , for example glycerol , propylene glycol , sorbitol , or sucrose . such formulations may also contain a demulcent , a preservative , and flavoring and coloring agents . the pharmaceutical compositions may be in the form of a sterile injectable aqueous or oleaginous suspension . this suspension may be formulated according to the known art using those suitable dispersing or wetting agents and suspending agents that have been mentioned above . the sterile injectable preparation may also be sterile injectable solution or suspension in a non - toxic parentally acceptable diluent or solvent , for example as a solution in 1 , 3 - butanediol . among the acceptable vehicles and solvents that may be employed are water , ringer &# 39 ; s solution , and isotonic sodium chloride solution . in addition , sterile , fixed oils are conventionally employed as a solvent or suspending medium . for this purpose any bland fixed oil may be employed including synthetic mono - or diglycerides . in addition , fatty acids such as oleic acid find use in the preparation of injectables . the compounds of general formula 1 may also be administered in the form of suppositories , e . g ., for rectal administration of the drug . these compositions can be prepared by mixing the drug with a suitable non - irritating excipient that is solid at ordinary temperatures but liquid at the rectal temperature and will therefore melt in the rectum to release the drug . such materials are cocoa butter and polyethylene glycols . compounds of general formula 1 may be administered parenterally in a sterile medium . the drug , depending on the vehicle and concentration used , can either be suspended or dissolved in the vehicle . advantageously , adjuvants such as local anesthetics , preservatives , and buffering agents can be dissolved in the vehicle . for administration to non - human animals , the composition may also be added to the animal feed or drinking water . it will be convenient to formulate these animal feed and drinking water compositions so that the animal takes in an appropriate quantity of the composition along with its diet . it will also be convenient to present the composition as a premix for addition to the feed or drinking water . dosage levels of the order of from about 0 . 1 mg to about 140 mg per kilogram of body weight per day are useful in the treatment of the above - indicated conditions ( about 0 . 5 mg to about 7 g per human patient per day ). the amount of active ingredient that may be combined with the carrier materials to produce a single dosage form will vary depending upon the host treated and the particular mode of administration . dosage unit forms will generally contain between from about 1 mg to about 500 mg of an active ingredient . frequency of dosage may also vary depending on the compound used and the particular disease treated . however , for treatment of most disorders , a dosage regimen of 4 times daily or less is preferred . for the treatment of eating disorders , including obesity , a dosage regimen of 1 or 2 times daily is particularly preferred . for the treatment of impotence a single dose that rapidly reaches effective concentrations is desirable . it will be understood , however , that the specific dose level for any particular patient will depend upon a variety of factors including the activity of the specific compound employed , the age , body weight , general health , sex , diet , time of administration , route of administration , and rate of excretion , drug combination and the severity of the particular disease undergoing therapy . preferred compounds will have certain pharmacological properties . such properties include , but are not limited to oral bioavailability , low toxicity , low serum protein binding , and desirable in vitro and in vivo half - lives . penetration of the blood brain barrier for compounds used to treat cns disorders is necessary , while low brain levels of compounds used to treat peripheral disorders are often preferred . assays may be used to predict these desirable pharmacological properties . assays used to predict bioavailability include transport across human intestinal cell monolayers , including caco - 2 cell monolayers . toxicity to cultured hepatocyctes may be used to predict compound toxicity . penetration of the blood brain barrier of a compound in humans may be predicted from the brain levels of the compound in laboratory animals given the compound intravenously . serum protein binding may be predicted from albumin binding assays . such assays are described in a review by oravcová , et al . ( journal of chromatography b 1996 , volume 677 , pages 1 – 27 ). compound half - life is inversely proportional to the frequency of dosage of a compound . in vitro half - lives of compounds may be predicted from assays of microsomal half - life as described by kuhnz and gieschen ( drug metabolism and disposition 1998 , volume 26 , pages 1120 – 1127 ). in another embodiment , the compounds of formula 1 are also useful as probes for the localization of kinases of therapeutic interest , that is , for both in vivo and in vitro identification and isolation the specific proteins to which it binds . in another embodiment , the compounds of formula 1 are also useful as probes for the localization of kinases of therapeutic interest , that is , for both in vivo and in vitro identification and isolation the specific proteins to which it binds . a method for identifying a kinase comprises contacting an organism , cell , or preparation comprising the kinase with compound or salt according to formulas 1 , 2 , or 3 , and detecting modulation of an activity of the kinase . suitable methods for detecting kinase modulation are known , for example those described herein . 3 , 5 - bis -( 4 - phenoxyphenyl )- pyrazin - 2 - ylamine ( 3 ). a solution of 1 . 00 equivalents ( eq .) of 3 , 5 - dibromo - 2 - aminopyrazine ( 2 ) in 3 ml toluene is treated with 10 mole percent tetrakis ( triphenylphospine ) palladium under nitrogen at room temperature . to this solution is added directly 2 . 00 eq . of 4 - phenoxyphenyl boronic acid at room temperature and then 2 ml na 2 co 3 ( 1 . 0 m ) solution . the reaction vial is capped and the reaction stirred under nitrogen at 90 ° c . for 10 hours . the toluene layer is separated and removed under reduced pressure , and the resulting oil is purified via flash chromatography to provide ( 3 ). mf = c 28 h 21 n 3 o 2 , mw = 431 . 49 mass spec m / z ( m + + 1 ) 432 . 14 . 5 - bromo - n3 -( 2 - methoxybenzyl )- pyrazine - 2 , 3 - diamine ( 4 ). a solution of 1 . 00 eq . of ( 2 ) is dissolved in n - methylpyrrolidine ( 2 ml ) at room temperature . to this solution is added 3 . 00 eq . of 2 - methoxybenzyl amine and 0 . 4 ml hunig &# 39 ; s base . the resulting solution is heated to 90 ° c . and stirred for 12 – 24 hours under nitrogen . the resulting mixture is partitioned between ethyl acetate and h 2 o . the aqueous layer is extracted twice with ethyl acetate and the combined organic extracts are dried over na 2 so 4 . the solvent is removed under reduced pressure and the resulting residue is purified via flash chromatography to provide ( 4 ). n3 -( 2 - methoxybenzyl )- 5 -( 4 - phenoxyphenyl )- pyrazine - 2 , 3 - diamine ( 5 ). a solution of 1 . 00 eq . of ( 4 ) in 1 ml toluene is treated with 10 mole percent tetrakis ( triphenylphospine ) palladium under nitrogen at room temperature . to this solution is added directly 2 . 50 eq . of 4 - phenoxyphenyl boronic acid at room temperature and then 1 ml na 2 co 3 ( 1 . 0 m ) solution . the reaction vial is capped and the reaction stirred under nitrogen at 90 ° c . for 10 hours . the toluene layer is separated and removed under reduced pressure , and the resulting oil is purified via flash chromatography to provide ( 5 ). the following compounds were prepared using the procedures described in example 1 a ) ( 4 -{ 6 -[( 4 - chlorobenzyl )- methyl - amino ]- pyrazin - 2 - yl }- phenyl )- piperidin - 1 - yl - methanone ( 6 ), mf = c 24 h 25 cln 4 o , mw = 420 . 93 mass spec m / z ( m + + 1 ) 420 . 98 . b ) 4 - chloro - n -( 3 -{ 6 -[( 4 - chloro - benzyl )- methyl - amino ]- pyrazin - 2 - yl }- phenyl )- benzamide ( 7 ), mf = c 25 h 20 cl 2 n 4 o , mw = 463 . 36 mass spec m / z ( m + + 1 ) 462 . 99 . c ) 4 - chloro - n -( 3 -{ 6 -[( 4 - chloro - benzyl )- methyl - amino ]- pyrazin - 2 - yl }- phenyl )- benzenesulfonamide ( 8 ), mf = c 24 h 20 cl 2 n 4 o 2 s , mw = 499 . 01 mass spec m / z ( m + + 1 ) 498 . 92 . d ) ( 4 - chlorobenzyl )-[ 6 -( 3 - dibenzylaminophenyl )- pyrimidin - 4 - yl ]- methylamine ( 9 ), mf = c 32 h 29 cln 4 , mw = 505 . 05 mass spec m / z ( m + + 1 ) 505 . 22 e ) n -( 3 -{ 4 -[( 4 - methoxybenzyl )- methylamino ]- pyrimidin - 2 - yl }- phenyl )- 4 - methylbenzamide ( 10 ), mf = c 27 h 26 n 4 o 2 , mw = 438 . 52 mass spec m / z ( m + + 1 ) 439 . 22 f ) 4 - methyl - n -( 3 -{ 4 -[ methyl -( 4 - trifluoromethylbenzyl )- amino ]- pyrimidin - 2 - yl }- phenyl )- benzamide ( 11 ), mf = c 27 h 23 f 3 n 4 o , mw = 476 . 49 mass spec m / z ( m + + 1 ) 477 . 16 in a final reaction volume of 40 microliters ( μl ), active recombinant n - terminus his - tagged akt - 1 / pkbα kinase expressed in sf21 cells ( ubi # 14 - 276 ; 50 – 100 ng ; 19 – 38 nm ; about 4 . 5 – 9 mu ) was incubated in 25 mm tris ph 7 . 6 ; 5 mm beta - glycerophosphate ; 2 mm dtt ; 100 μm sodium vanadate ; 10 mm mgcl 2 in a 96 - well pierce reacti - bind ™ streptavidin - coated high binding capacity coated white plate ( pierce # 15502 ) coated with saturating amounts of biotinylated crosstide peptide ( ubi # 12 - 385 ; biotin - kgsgsgrprtssfaeg ; 50 pmoles ; about 1 . 25 μm ) and initiated with the addition of 2 . 5 μci 32 p - γatp ( specific activity 3000 ci / mmole ; 10 mci / ml ; about 21 nm ). compounds were tested initially in duplicate wells for determination of initial ic 50 inhibition in half log serial dilutions starting at 100 μm with a final concentration of 2 % dmso . following a 30 min incubation at 30 ° c ., the reaction was stopped by aspiration and 4 × 100 μl washes with tbs plus 0 . 05 % tween - 20 prior to addition of 100 μl scintillant and counting in beckman topcount instrument . percent inhibition was calculated as [ 1 -(( ave cpm compound − ave cpm no peptide background )/( ave cpm no compound max − ave cpm no peptide background ))* 100 ]. staurosporine , a general atp competitive kinase inhibitor was used as a reference compound and showed an ic50 of approximately 60 – 100 nm for akt - 1 in the current assay format . approximate s / n ratios are 8 – 12 × with ave cpm of maximum about 15 k and no peptide background about 1 . 5 k . improved s / n ratios can be obtained using higher amounts of either akt - 1 kinase or 32 p - γatp . cold atp was not added in current format but has been added at up to 200 μm in the presence of 5 μci 32 p - γatp resulting in s / n ratios of approximately 5 – 10 ×. a generalized description the standard assay to evaluate modulation of cell growth in soft agar ( using cell lines hct - 15 ( colon cancer ), miapaca2 ( pancreatic cancer ), mcf - 7 ( breast cancer ) and a nih3t3 clone stably over - expressing transfected myrakt - 1 human gene , for example ) is as follows . preparation of the agar base layer : a quantity of 500 ml of 2 × dmem ( phenol red free , sigma cat # d2902 ) is prepared , and sterile filtered . to that solution is added 10 ml of sodium pyruvate ( gibco , cat # 11360 - 070 ), 10 ml of penicillin / streptomycin ( gibco , cat # 15140 - 122 ), 10 ml of glutamax ( gibco , cat # 33050 - 061 ) and 100 ml of heat - inactivated fbs ( gemini ) to make 2 × dmem complete media stock . two stock concentrations of sea plaque low melt agar ( biowhittaker , cat # 431097 ), 1 %, and 0 . 6 %, are prepared with ultra pure milliq water , and sterilized by autoclaving . to prepare the agar base layer for a 12 - well plate ( falcon # 353042 ), 6 ml of the 2 × dmem stock is mixed with 6 ml of 1 % agar stock , both at 37 ° c ., and 1 ml of the resulting mixture is added to each well of the 12 well plate , 3 hrs prior to setup of top layer . top layer with cells and compound for evaluation : cells at 60 – 80 % confluency ( log growth ) in t75 are trypsinized with 1 ml of 1 × trypsin solution ( gibco ), neutralized with 10 ml of 1 × dmem 10 % fbs and viable cells counted using a hemocytometer via trypan blue exclusion . a working stock of 2 . 5 × 10 4 cells / ml is prepared in 1 × dmem 10 % fbs . a 15 ml centrifuge tube is prepared for each concentration of compound tested in duplicate wells of a 12 well plate . the following are added in order : 1 ml of 2 × dmem stock at 37 ° c . ; compound at 2 × final desired concentration ( using 4 microliter volume from a 1000 × concentrated dilution series in 100 % dmso ); followed by 2 , 500 cells ( using 100 microliters of 1 × 10 4 cell / ml working stock ), and finally 1 ml of 0 . 6 % agar stock at 37 ° c . following careful mixing , 1 ml each is added to duplicate wells of the 12 - well plate . the plate is then placed in a 37 ° c ., 5 % co 2 , humidified incubator for 10 to 14 days and read . rapid diffusion of cpd throughout top and bottom agar layer results in final drug concentration of 1 ×. counting colonies : after 10 days of incubation , the plates are removed from the incubator for photography and colony counting . each well is scanned using an eyepiece with a micrometer guide and 5 × phase optics . colonies 50 micrometer or greater in diameter are scored as positive . duplicate wells are averaged and percent inhibition calculated using number of colonies in no compound control wells as 100 %. all compounds described in examples 1 and 2 were tested according to the above protocols in examples 3 and 4 and determined to exhibit an ic 50 value less than or equal to 25 micromolar . all cited references are incorporated herein in their entirety . while preferred embodiments have been shown and described , various modifications and substitutions may be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention . accordingly , it is to be understood that the present invention has been described by way of illustration and not limitations . | 2Chemistry; Metallurgy
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referring to fig1 a zif socket in accordance with the present invention comprises a rectangular base 1 , a rectangular cover movably connected to the base 1 , and a cam lever 3 pivotally received between the cover 2 and the base 1 for selectively driving the cover 2 to move along opposite directions of a virtual line 6 parallel to opposite sides of the cover 2 . the cover 2 has a hole 20 which is bound by a forward follower side portion 21 , a backward follower side portion 26 and two parallel walls ( not labeled ) between the side portions 21 , 26 . the cam lever 3 has a cam 3 a formed at one end thereof comprising a pivot 31 extending downward for pivotally engaging with the base 1 . the cam 3 a is confined in the hole 20 of the cover 2 and comprises a forward driving portion 32 operative to move the cover 2 forward on the forward follower side portion 21 thereof , and a backward driving portion 33 operative to move the cover 2 backward on the backward follower side portion 26 thereof . the cover 2 defines a plurality of upper passageways 200 each of which is adjacent to a corresponding retention aperture 210 defined through the cover 2 . referring to fig2 each upper passageway 200 has a main portion 200 a and a branch portion 200 b communicating with the main portion 200 a , wherein the main portion 200 a is conical for facilitating insertion of cpu pins 81 extending from a cpu 8 . the main portion 200 a is circular and has a diameter greater than the width of the branch portion 200 b for indicating and guiding a user to insert the cpu pin 81 thereinto . referring to fig4 b , the base 1 defines a plurality of lower passageways 10 ( only one is shown ) each of which has a lower narrow portion 100 extending downward through the base 1 . each lower passageway 10 communicates with a corresponding upper passageway 200 and receives a contact 5 therein , wherein the contact 5 exposes to exterior via the lower narrow portion 100 . referring to fig3 a and 3b , the contact 5 comprises an upper straight section 51 connected to a middle diverged section 52 , a contacting section 53 extending from an intersection between the upper section 51 and the diverged section 52 . an engagement section 54 extends from two sides of the diverged section 54 . a solder tail 55 extends downward from the engagement section 54 . referring to fig4 a , each lower passageway 10 ( shown by phantom line ) has opposite side narrow portions 10 a for firmly retaining the engagement section 54 of the contact 5 . further referring to fig4 , each lower narrow portion 100 of the lower passageway 10 has a diverged portion 10 b defined at a lower end thereof . when assembling , the contact 5 is top loaded into the lower passageway 10 and the cover 2 is then assembled to the base 1 , with each retention aperture 210 thereof accommodating the upper section 51 of the contact 5 . the retention aperture 210 is diverged at a lower portion which is bound by opposite tapered walls 210 a . a solder ball 9 is then soldered to the soldering tail 55 of the contact 5 and partially received in the diverged portion 10 b partially extending outward beyond the diverged portion 10 b . the solder ball 9 is then soldered onto conductive traces of a printed circuit board ( not shown ) to which the socket is mounted . the lower narrow portion 100 of the lower passageway 10 can effectively prevent wicking problem during soldering procedure due to its narrow width . the socket is in a neutral state as shown in fig4 a and 4b , wherein the contact 5 remains straight and the socket is not ready for receiving cpu pins 81 inserted therein . also referring to fig5 a and 5b , the cover 2 is driven by the cam lever 3 to a loosened state in which a vertical space constituted by the main portion 200 a of the upper passageway 200 and the lower passageway 10 can receive the cpu pin 81 extending from the cpu 8 with substantially zero insertion force . the cpu 8 is in advance fixed in a frame 7 before the pins 81 thereof being inserted into the socket . the upper section 51 of the contact 5 is bent by the cover 2 especially by one of the tapered walls 210 a bounding the engagement aperture 210 . the engagement section 54 can absorb most of the tension due to the bending of the upper section 51 thereby preventing the solder ball 9 from being damaged when the socket is changed from the neutral state to the loosened state . under this situation , the contacting section 53 is in an disengagement position which is away from the engagement position where the contacting section 53 substantially mechanically and electrically connects to the corresponding pin 81 . after the cpu pins 81 is inserted into the socket , the socket may be operated from the loosened state to a tightened state as shown in fig6 a and 6b . when the socket is changed from the loosened state to the tightened state , the cover 2 is driven by the cam lever 3 thereby bending the contact 5 from the upper section 51 thereof and rendering the contacting section 53 thereof to be in contact with the cpu pin 81 . the cpu pin 81 remains stationary when the cover 2 moves from the loosened state to the tightened state . the branch portion 200 b of the upper passageway 200 provide a free space allowing the cover 2 to move with respect to the cpu pin 81 without forcing the cpu pin 81 to move accordingly . specifically , the contact 5 is driven by one of the tapered walls 210 a bounding the engagement aperture 210 . the base 1 and the cpu 8 remain stationary when the cover 2 is moved from the loosened state to the tightened state . while the present invention has been described with reference to a specific embodiment , the description is illustrative of the invention and is not to be construed as limiting the invention . therefore , various modifications to the present invention can be made to the preferred embodiment by those skilled in the art without departing from the true spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims . | 7Electricity
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the present invention features an innovative approach for working with critical systems , data and infrastructure within complex and distributed organizations . the invention is uniquely designed to seamlessly overlay existing systems and acquire targeted information from these systems or data stores . the evaluation of information can now occur in real - time , enabling adjustments on - demand and presenting immediate visualization of results . ease of configuration ensures that our clients can continuously adapt models , recast analytics and evaluate results immediately under multiple scenarios , risk tolerances or operational slas . the highly distributed and parallel processing infrastructure enables organizations to distribute pneuron instances in close proximity to or on the target systems , and allows local processing , acquisition , and evaluation without aggregating and normalizing all of the enterprise information . this approach facilitates incremental and phased delivery of targeted information and intelligence . all configuration information is managed in the pneuron database and can be applied to creating a “ best practices ” suite of models that can be readily adapted to other activities and clients . consistent with the core invention principles , the build - out of the platform of the invention incorporates the following key features : distributed architecture — allows critical functions to be performed at the source rather than through layers of migration , translation , and normalization . this eliminates costly pre - processing of data integration and ongoing normalization challenges resiliency — robust performance via discovery , access , and use of available processing resources in a distributed , application - clustered , and fault - tolerant framework ; elastic execution — supports scalability and seamless access / provisioning / use of processing resources within and outside an enterprise ; lightweight footprint — optimizes system resources by allocating pneurons only when processing is required , limits impact on existing processing infrastructure , allows local processing by hosting functionality on source system servers , and minimizes requirements for added infrastructure investment ; service self - awareness — speeds up enterprise - wide integration and allows for many - to - many service integration ; instrumentation — capability for both operational and business process performance monitoring to allow analysis and follow - on optimization ; higher level , business oriented , integrated platform — combines the design / build / deploy / run activities of the solution to simplify environment setup , integration , configuration , and tuning ; provides for a single intuitive interface for business and technical users ; security & amp ; governance integration — provides simple integration with existing security policies and governance models ; target only the information required to solve a business problem and build on that foundation to any level of complexity . data can be selectively acquired as well as updated across target systems ; deploy remote pneuron instances in proximity to target systems , perform the acquisition and evaluation at the local level and marshal selected source and intelligence results in real time ; processing is clustered and configured to enable automatic concurrency and increases in pneuron instances based on load . clusters are reformed dynamically based on workload and health of the system ; combine multiple data acquisition results and evaluate at runtime without normalization of information , all using a meta - data virtualization model ; target only the information required for specific use cases and scenarios ; visualize real - time results and apply changes to recast and evaluate . pass results to any client or third party target system for seamless integration into the current application environment ; work with intuitive gui tools for configuration and management , minimizing pressure on it resources . enable a streamlined and incremental methodology for configuration , testing , and deployment . high availability , performance optimization , load management , dr and security inherently handled by the pneuron “ cortex ”; all information is maintained in the database and can be exported and applied for future use , enabling organizations to establish and build upon an ip base for future clients and expanded client initiatives . best practices models and organizational simplification can be realized quickly and effectively ; manual intervention activities can be configured and automated to perform activities programmatically ; and record all activities performed automatically with audit details on each acquisition , use case , and results for future reference . in literally every aspect of a project &# 39 ; s lifecycle , these value points radically improve organizational tco and ongoing roi versus traditional approaches . the illustration in fig1 a and 1b recaps the value comparison for the approach utilizing the present invention versus the traditional model , and highlights the intrinsic benefits of the invention — the stimulation of constant enterprise intelligence rather than declining value and replacement . according to the current solution , designs degrade in performance and value as volume and complexity grows . functional value becomes antiquated or a huge code - line base over time as requirements and user demands evolve , creating stagnation or over - reliance on vendor roadmap / costly customization . in contrast , the present invention provides intelligence segments that are easily and continuously updated in real - time . additionally , services allow for continuous creation of new products , output and models as business evolves and new data or product demands are invented . no replacement is required . just constant business driven enhancements and innovations . the primary vendors involved in business intelligence ( bi ) and data acquisition focus on a model that requires detail evaluation of all systems , implementation of extraction , transformation , and loading ( etl ) programs , acquisition of all enterprise information and mapping and normalization of data into an aggregated data warehouse . as a result , most organizations also adopt this model as the defacto standard when building internal systems to aggregate and combine all information . the present invention offers a unique set of innovations that shift the paradigm in managing distributed analytics . information can be selectively targeted at run - time , processed and evaluated without extracting all information and normalizing the data in a large aggregated data warehouse . the model according to the present invention shown in fig2 offers a profound new approach to ( business intelligence ) bi 110 , enterprise transparency and the resulting total cost of ownership ( tco ) challenges that hinder enterprise competitiveness namely , taking analytics to the data to finally realize enterprise transparency . there is no alien or abstract data model dependency , with full leverage of existing bi investments and intellectual property ( ip ). the database becomes a repository 114 of results and solutions rather than a slow and expensive source for raw enterprise data . the invention is agile , real - time , and cost effective in deployment and ongoing maintenance . unlike conventional data acquisition in enterprise applications that require normalized databases for efficient retrieval and processing , the present invention allows application designers to create custom data acquisition networks ( pneurons ) that do not require normalized data . these data acquisition networks can be a single query pneuron or a complex sub network constructed using simple query pneurons augmented with data from a completely different database using a matching pneuron , thereby creating a virtual relationship and linkage between the two potentially disparate databases in real time . data acquisition is selective and focused at obtaining targeted information from different systems . data acquisition is organized by type , including database , application programming interface ( api ) or service interaction , and file . specialized pneurons 116 are implemented for each data acquisition type in order to assist clients with easily configured access , regardless of source type ; e . g . db , service , file pneuron . these pneurons are configured for each data source and system , and become a function of configuration rather than creation . the configuration focuses on selective data acquisition specific to the pneuron network it will “ reside ” in , and workflow , and can obtain what is required in real - time . this , among other features of the present invention , is in direct contrast to traditional systems which obtain , normalize , and consolidate the total information in a delayed model . pneuron data acquisition networks can also be built to gather and process data as a scheduled operation , based on client preference or business process . these networks can easily be modified to include additional data sources to strengthen existing queries . pneuron data networks , which are created in the design studio 112 , provide a flexible and efficient approach to add , modify or delete sources or attributes during the data gathering phase . in addition to acquiring information , the pneurons can selectively update target systems of record with evaluated information , enabling synchronization of information where necessary . finally , the complexity associated with most traditional acquisitions in enterprise applications can be daunting , often requiring an organization to construct and run complex queries with multiple levels of nesting and joins in real time or scheduled mode on a centralized database or warehouse . this increases the cost and time of execution and is inefficient as the dataset inevitably grows larger . the pneuron data acquisition model of the present invention provides greater flexibility by breaking down complex queries into smaller coordinated queries that can be triggered at individual sources in real - time or in scheduled mode , thereby decreasing the cost and time of execution . the present invention includes a suite of rich internet architecture ( ria ) applications using the google web toolkit ( gwt ) and smart client . the applications are thin client and managed from the pneuron server , requiring no client applications to be installed on the client computers . pneuron provides an intuitive , graphical tool suite that enables business and subject matter experts to define and configure the pneurons and pneuron networks . graphical configuration tools are provided to define the data access configuration . the data acquisition sql and api service calls are generated automatically and can be adjusted . this approach minimizes the requirement of internal it resources , including dbas and programmers . fig3 a , 3 b and 3 c describe in greater detail some functionalities of the present invention utilizing some screen shots . for example , the design studio 118 shown in fig3 a allows the user or a team of users to centrally design , develop integrate , deploy across enterprise data sources and systems , and manage from a single user interface . the design studio provides for end - to - end integration , business intelligence and distribution for the creation of pneuron intelligence networks across the entire enterprise data and application environment . the design studio also provides the ability to organize multiple pneurons together into a processing plan ( neuron network ). tailored editors for each type of pneuron are also provided . the definition of each pneuron is stored in a pneuron database while simulation and testing of a pneuron network and adjustments thereto may be provided . the heads up display 120 shown in fig3 b provides floating real - time information . visualization widgets integrated with any legacy or third - party application is also provided by the heads up display . the heads up display also provides incremental information , such as data , from other systems as well as analysis , third - party or workflow information and automatically interfaces with and updates the legacy or third party application finally , the enterprise control manager 122 shown in fig3 c provides a suite of tools with interactive ability to perform what - ifs and to recast results instantaneously . easy to use graphical tool sets enable business users and the subject matter specific experts to visually configure , test , and deploy pneurons and pneuron networks specific to each business with no or minimal programming and customization . within the design studio , tailored editors for each pneuron provide ease of use in configuring data acquisition and rules processing . for example , a data acquisition editor allows users to link to target data sources , select the tables and columns and develop the queries without a deep knowledge of sql . a screen shot of a database data acquisition editor 124 is presented in fig4 . similar to the data acquisition editor , analytics and rules are also configured through an intuitive rules editor 126 , as shown in fig5 additionally , the pneuron report writer 128 shown in fig6 also applies the “ wizard ” driven approach to report creation , and allows for reporting of intelligence generated by pneuron networks or data accessed directly from target systems . as always , organizations can choose to utilize the pneuron reporting tool or simply use the generated intelligence for reporting in other applications , networks , workflows or modeling products . robust , flexible data integration infrastructure . the pneuron data model provides an enterprise level schema focused on managing security , cloud , pneuron configurations , audit and logging , and evaluated intelligence data . a representation of a virtualized data integration and meta - data model 130 is shown in fig7 . a meta - data dictionary is implemented and provides the definition and processing characteristics for each data element and its associated properties . the overall data dictionary and data acquisition configuration establishes a pneuron meta - data virtualization model , which deploys one or more customized remote pneuron instances in close proximity to the target system ( s ) for local data acquisition and / or processing . a normalized , aggregated data model is not required . changes to the pneuron meta - data model will automatically be synchronized across the remote pneuron instances while the meta - data mapping is aligned to the pneuron xml schema and is used for pneuron communications . the value of the pneuron approach disclosed and claimed herein includes the ability to wrap and apply existing integration adapters ; support for major data acquisition types ; selective data acquisition and mapping with meta - data definitions and structure implicitly defined and reusable ; real time acquisition and updates of information ; the ability to define transient and permanent information to persist ; and all acquisition managed through intuitive user interface . additionally , new sub - schemas can be incorporated into the present data model . sub - schemas are custom to a specific client . an organization may elect to apply custom schemas for various business reasons including : ( 1 ) performance optimization to maintain non - transactional reference information ; ( 2 ) critical source data that is used for time - series , comparative , or trending analysis ; ( 3 ) compliance and regulatory storage and reporting ; and ( 4 ) client preference . as the data is acquired from the pneuron processing , it is automatically updated in the custom schema . organized pneuron process models : pneuron networks are configured in the design studio and represent a collection of pneurons that are linked together to perform a series of processing steps , which can be a combination of synchronous and asynchronous functions based on the pneuron network process plan . see fig8 a and 8b for example . fig9 is an overview of different pneurons . depending upon the configuration of these pneurons , information acquired from previous pneurons is either stored in memory or inserted into a custom pneuron schema . pneurons , when connected together , become aware of previous data attributes and new data derived by pneuron operations . the data attributes or tags passed between pneurons can be configured and applied in subsequent pneuron operations . information is stored in memory is cached using either temporary in - memory tables or hash maps or maintained in distributed cache files . relevant , acquired information is then marshaled and utilized as subsequent queries and data acquisition for different systems . an example is shown in fig1 and involves acquiring the customer id and name from one system and then launching simultaneous data acquisition requests to multiple account and transaction systems using the acquired customer id and name from the first one system . these subsequent systems then return their results and are evaluated . by utilizing this approach , the present invention is able to construct ( create ) and maintain or persist holistic information across multiple systems and present a targeted and combined perspective of the information . as part of the configuration of distributed processing , the distributed remote pneuron instances are configured with their specific pneuron network and pneurons . the configurations are identified by their server or host identifier . this information is stored in the pneuron data model . using the pneuron deployment manager , multiple instances of the pneuron platform are provisioned to target servers for distribution . during the runtime pneuron processing , a configuration pneuron on each remote instance manages the processing and orchestration with the various pneurons required for the business process . pneuron messaging utilizes self - describing xml messages with the context of the message and the record set results incorporated within the message . the xml messages include context , meta - data , and acquired data . all pneurons communicate by passing xml requests to the pneuron cortex and remote pneuron instances , which then allocate pneurons and send the requests to pneuron for processing . the pneuron platform maintains an overall xml schema that is dynamically adjusted as the data dictionary and acquisition models are changed . automated cross referencing and matching . a matching pneuron 132 ( shown in greater detail in fig1 ) is configured within the pneuron network and is applied to perform different matching algorithms and weighting sequences across one to multiple systems of information acquired . the matching pneuron enables custom rules , confidence levels , and sequencing . by combining the matching process with the acquired multi - system information , a pneuron is able to evaluate and align records based on the criteria configured in real - time . the matching pneuron integrates multiple sources of data and applies multiple matching algorithms based on confidence levels . the result is the highest level of accuracy to link , reconcile and unify record sets and identification patterns . the system in method of the present invention allows a user to configure a neuron network in the design studio to create and link one or more data acquisition pneurons as well as to link dependent data sources together with he attributes . finally , the analytical output of various pneurons may be linked together is well easy configuration , distribution and management of rules and analytics . the pneuron platform is utilized to define , configure or import rules and analytics . rules can include use cases , business functions , deviation and threshold evaluation , ad - hoc criteria , algorithms , sequencing and confidence levels , as well as configuring custom matching algorithms and other choices defined by the client . analytics can include simple and complex math and statistics ( algorithms ), correlation , classifiers , and other types of analytics . a specialized predictive pneuron is also available for the import of scoring and predictive models . regardless of type , all configuration information is maintained in the pneuron data model . rules and analytics are then simply configured to the specific pneuron network . as a result , different pneuron networks can have different rules and analytics applied . the result is a system in method which taylor matches models and confidence levels to that required . records may be removed as criteria is met , focusing on exceptions . in addition , the system in method provides the ability to link and apply relationships across different systems for combined match aggregation and data linkage . the unique system and method of the invention streamlines the rules definition and management process , while providing a comprehensive suite of data acquisition , matching , rules , and analytics linked together . these definitions can be replicated for expedited creation of similar pneuron processes across disparate business units within an organization , preserved as global library for use across the enterprise , or exported into different pneuron instances to create focused products for an organization &# 39 ; s clients . there are several unique components that make up the present invention &# 39 ; s approach to rules , analytics and modeling capabilities . one component of the present invention is the rich rules and analytics capabilities in the invention , which has integrated the drools ® runtime rules engine . drools is considered one of the most capable rules engines available today . users have the option of configuring their own rules within the rules pneuron or importing existing rules definitions from third party rules systems using the ruleml ® standard . an example of the rules pneuron 134 is shown in fig1 . the rules pneuron shown in fig1 utilizes the rules tool / application to create and link data acquisition neurons ; import rule models using the ruleml standard ; and configure rules in the tool editor . an embedded platform runtime rules engine will process the rules . the rules tool allows the user to create and manage rule pneurons using design studio property editor to configure rules , import rules and set thresholds or learning . the value of this feature of the invention is the ability to encapsulate use cases into configured rules ; automate use cases , decision flows and outcomes based on rules evaluation ; and to adapt and evolve rules based on historical performance and machine learning . another component of the rules and analytics capabilities of the present invention is the analytical pneuron 136 , fig1 , which enables system users to define complete analytical models , varying from simple to highly complex . champion - challenger models can be applied by configuring the pneuron network to evaluate multiple analytical pneurons , with one being identified as the champion and the secondary analytical pneurons as the challengers . this approach enables fine - tuning and automated application of the best analytical results . the analytical pneuron is configurable in the design studio and allows the user to configure analytical models , operate on previously acquired data from pneurons , and initiate multiple simultaneous operations using the call pneuron . the design studio or property editor may also be used to manage the analytical pneuron and to define conditional logic ; analytical functions ; and to cluster neurons to maximize performance and specialize each pneuron by individual analytical function . the resulting configuration provides different analytical function configurations for each analytical pneuron providing separation of data acquisition and consolidation from decision tree and analytical functions . this allows the system user to tailor analysis specific to each model or in the performance is integrated into the user deployment methodology . rounding out the sophisticated rules and analytics function within the system of the present invention is the predictive model pneuron 138 , fig1 which enables the import of third party predictive model markup language ( pmml ®) standard files as well as the direct import and conversion of native sas programs into the system of the present invention . once the files are imported , the predictive model pneuron will perform the predictive and scoring processing , utilizing information obtained from the pneurons and generating the results . the solution provided by the present invention was developed with a single uncompromising guiding principle — eliminate the historic technological barriers that prevent organizations from functioning as a cohesive , transparent enterprise . pneuron &# 39 ; s technology design delivers on this promise by removing the traditional demands and costs associated with bringing data , analytics , rules , models and results together . the very nature of the technology manifests into a deployment model that minimizes human resource hours and maximizes speed to delivery . combining these intrinsic delivery benefits with a deployment methodology that is as unique as its technology , pneuron allows clients to implement distributed analytics solutions 140 ( see fig1 ) at a fraction of the traditional costs of most enterprise deployments . fig1 is an overview of an enterprise 10 incorporating the system and method of the present invention of utilizing pneurons , including several categories 12 of pneurons ( that will be described in detail below ) deployed as a comprehensive infrastructure to take control of an enterprise 10 and connect knowledge workers 18 to intelligence gathered from siloed application data 20 and or cloud services that was previously hidden from them . this is the top level generic view of the entire system . the data silos 20 containing various enterprise application data use the neurons 12 ( as will be described in connection with fig1 below ) to mine data stored in the silos 20 and / or to monitor activity logs ( not shown ). the knowledge workers 18 ( enterprise employees / users ) preferably have a heads up displays ( huds ) on their desktops that bond to their proprietary enterprise applications , feeding perspective data and suggestions , such as customer heuristics , buying trends and habits , impulsiveness , sensitivity to up sell or cross sell pressure , current receivables status and history and the like to the knowledge workers 18 . the hud may manifest itself as an advisor window and take the form most suitable for the specific enterprise application . the executive controller module 24 is preferably implemented as software and allows the system data or enterprise data manager to create and modify policies that effect how the data monitor neurons 30 , fig1 and application interception neurons 51 and 52 fig1 act , how the knowledge worker huds work , and reports on effectiveness of policies on a near - real time basis . cloud computing is a style of computing in which dynamically scalable and often virtualized resources are provided as a service ( i . e . cloud services ) over the internet . cloud computing is a general term for anything that involves delivering hosted services over the internet . these services are broadly divided into three categories : infrastructure - as - a - service ( iaas ), platform - as - a - service ( paas ) and software - as - a - service ( saas ). the name cloud computing was inspired by the cloud symbol that &# 39 ; s often used to represent the internet in flowcharts and diagrams . a cloud service has three distinct characteristics that differentiate it from traditional hosting . it is sold on demand , typically by the minute or the hour ; it is elastic — a user can have as much or as little of a service as they want at any given time ; and the service is fully managed by the provider ( the consumer needs nothing but a personal computer and internet access ). users need not have knowledge of , expertise in , or control over the technology infrastructure in the “ cloud ” 26 that supports them . cloud services are available , for example , from microsoft corporation , amazon , force . com , and a few others . the present invention is agnostic about programming languages , operating system environments , web application servers , and most technical choices made by an it organization in the past . the invention is also indifferent as to the source of information that can be used to distill business actionable intelligence . most large global companies have no need for cloud services . they have already invested heavily in highly customized enterprise software . as you move down the chain to smaller than global entities , however , the need for software as a service , due to the lack of investment in a critical area of enterprise software , begins to emerge . cloud services 26 , in effect , opens the flood gates of raw information to the smaller business , effectively flooding them , the way global enterprises are flooded with their own proprietary data . the system 10 of the present invention can be implemented to assimilate information from any source , introducing its relevance to a business &# 39 ; business model in real time , and stimulating any automated activity deemed important by the executives of the business . fig1 depicts specific neurons in the network deployed as knowledge gatherers atop the siloed application data 20 . the first category of neurons includes data farmers or condition monitors 30 . in the example of a mobile telephone carrier , the carrier has determined that they must regain lost market share while the economy is down . to do this , they must know their customers better . assigning a customer to a taxonomy ( cust_type ) ( 32 ) does not mean that the customer is impervious to the pressures associated with other drivers . for instance , an affluent customer , lost to at & amp ; t because of the iphone , will be categorized as driven by having the latest toy . it doesn &# 39 ; t infer that they wouldn &# 39 ; t be moved by an unsolicited call , offering to change their plan to accommodate and eliminate a $ 500 overcharge this month for unplanned minutes spent by one of their children overspending their text allocation in their first month of college . this taxonomy is used to direct the csr ( customer service rep ) toward the ‘ deal sweeteners ’ with the highest appeal . there is no reason why this has to be a singular taxonomy . it might be wise to capture a hierarchy of “ drivers ” that will uniquely identify the customer &# 39 ; s spending characteristics rather than group them . the one or more monitors or neurons 34 on or associated with the business &# 39 ; crm system 36 will gather the information from the ops log history and report the changes to the one or more neurons 34 . the neuron 34 receives the message , updates its state and evaluates the message based on its rules . if the execution rules are met , the neuron notifies the heads up display of the knowledge worker 18 ( fig1 ) with a prescribed message which is conveyed through the user experience to the knowledge worker 18 along with prescribed recommendations associated with the condition described in the message . the term user experience ( ux ) is in common usage today . it is a higher abstraction of the user interface ( ui ) or graphical user interface ( gui ). it addresses the entire user experience , including the incorporation of telephones or additive , advisory displays like the hud . for example , if the customer has been categorized as an impulse purchaser who is driven by the need to have the latest toy , the system will advise that the new plan that the enterprise is trying to sell them may include a new phone that is not yet available but would be included in the new plan . the customer neuron 31 is a state condition set by either the sales guy in the crm system , a workflow that sets this state to ‘ focused ’, or the engagement of a csr by phone , chat , twitter , or other contact initiated by the customer . the customer status neuron 33 holds the financial state of the current customer in focus . the complexity of this neuron will vary from client to client . the simplest version is that the customer status neuron 33 on top of the systems , applications and products ( sap ) 38 will query and maintain status changes for all customers in a binary fashion . 1 = status good , 0 = status delinquent . in the more sophisticated versions , a business may engage cloud services to track changes in their credit score , current credit card balances , or whatever to determine up - sell capacity . the caller neuron ( 48 ) is set with the unique identifier ( uid ) of the customer who has just initiated contact with the business , assuming it has come from a passive source like the web . this may also be set in the case of a phone call to a customer service rep . the plan neuron ( 47 ) maintains the meta - data based a description of the customer &# 39 ; s current plan , including renewal date . in this simplified model , plans are made up of the monthly limits associated with only three elements , data surfing minutes using the customer &# 39 ; s device as a browser , text messaging minutes , and voice telephony minutes . within the neuron are stored metadata rules that are unique and specific to its purpose . in the case of a monitor neuron , the variable or data name is stored as the element to be monitored . this data name is specific to the data schema of the database being monitored by said neuron . for example , in the mobile telephony example , a neuron could be created to monitor the customer &# 39 ; s current accumulated number of text messages in the current billing period . this value is compared whenever it changes to the limit of the customer &# 39 ; s plan . the executive control model will have determined the rule to apply to the comparison . the simplest rule would be that if the amount of messages exceeded the limit by a certain amount , the rule would fire the spu to change the state of the neuron , construct a message and transmit the message to another neuron ( that may be monitoring a related condition ) or transmit the message to the workflow initiation module of the crm ( sales ) system that would create a workflow that would show up in the in basket of the account representative who owned this customer account . with the customer set as focus or perspective , the data , text and voice minutes neurons ( 44 , 45 , and 46 ) maintain the current state of these three dimensions of standard plans . they have , built within their metadata rules , proximity alarms that will change their state from normal to concerned and to critical . these changes are triggered within the specific customer &# 39 ; s instance as the data changes within the customer usage log . the executive control system 24 sets and manages these thresholds on a real time basis , thus controlling when an action or event is fired ; for instance , contact the customer with a relief plan . fig1 illustrates perspective neurons ( customer ( 51 ) and caller ( 52 )) used to interact within the processes of existing applications enhancing the quality of decision making on the part of the knowledge worker . knowledge workers 18 run the client side of enterprise applications . they include sales and customer service representatives , although they are far from limited to these individuals . we will focus on them since they represent the customer facing side of a business &# 39 ; business model ; however it is understood that the present invention can be utilized by or implemented on behalf of various individuals having various titles and responsibilities within a given organization . this also introduces the ‘ transaction ( or application ) interception ’ class of neurons 51 , 52 and 54 . as a call is received , the caller is identified within the customer service application and the perspective neuron is set to that id . the ‘ transaction or application interception ’ neurons 51 , 52 and 54 interact with their farmer / monitor counterparts ( neurons 31 through 46 in fig2 ) in the same network . their primary function is to intercept transaction data on the fly from siloed application data 20 and to feed the knowledge worker useful intelligence at just the right time . in this simplified illustration , we see the desktops 56 of the sales and customer service knowledge workers 18 . they are primarily running instances of siebel and clarify enterprise software systems . the difference is that their perspective is set by in - coming calls for help ( caller ) ( mostly unless an outgoing policy is created in the executive controller for the clarify users ) and the customer in the out - bound call work packet in siebel . the present invention sets the knowledge worker &# 39 ; s 18 perspective based on one of these neural states for that user &# 39 ; s desktop . all associated intelligence is displayed in the heads up display ( hud ) along with any rules imposed by programs in place as dictated by the executive control system 24 . this includes special offers , early previews of new phones , forgiveness of overage in exchange for a new 2 year contract , etc . this hud acts as a business development , intelligent advisor that knows all about what information the business executives are willing to give up to expand the business . in this case , it can create a custom plan for each customer and feed it to the representative and billing system . any forgiveness of debt will have to be forced as an override to the billing system and to the sap system . this is accomplished automatically within the neural net by triggering update neurons 47 that fire additional transactions with acknowledgements . fig1 is a diagram of a generic business intelligence neuron 58 explaining its components and how it fulfills its purpose . a neuron is a software object that contains seven ( more or less ) primary methods or tasks . it is capable of interacting within the neural network in a number of ways . there are many types of neurons , but they all share this common prototypical construction . the neurons are all generally capable of subscribing to and receiving notification of system events , 60 and receiving messages 61 ; they are all capable of parsing xml messages and compiling them to the binary form recognizable by the spu , 62 ; they are all based on a ‘ soft processing unit ’ or spu , 64 ( this the neural network equivalent of a cpu in a computer , it can process a stream of binary codes and perform it &# 39 ; s primary purpose once it receives the appropriate code stream ); they are all capable of setting and preserving their state , 66 ( the state is persistent , similar to sram ); they are all capable of storing a metadata based rules matrix 68 that will determine whether or not the primary function is executed and in what way , ( the primary function is expressed as some combination of state setting , message construction 70 , message transmission 72 , and event broadcast 74 ); and they are all capable of constructing outgoing messages and of transmitting outgoing messages to the enterprise message bus or to a list of neuron receptors 70 , 72 and 74 . the unique instance of a neuron is defined by its rules , perspective and focus . perspective is the target of its core purpose . an example of perspective is customer . the depth dimension of a neuron may be viewed as instances tracking individual customers . this can be visualized as a ‘ stack ’ of neuron clones with most elements held consistent across instances , but some like ‘ state ’ stored uniquely . it is the nature of a neuron to be extremely small , simple and provide very simple processing , but as part of a complex network of inter - reactive neurons they can be assembled to serve much more complex purposes . the primary target for neural network enhancement is a company that has already seen the value in breaking down the walls of siloed applications to enhance the performance of knowledge workers in mission critical functions . the invention is designed to anneal to an existing it infrastructure without regard to programming language , operating system , or communication technology . in the perfect implementation , the company will have already deployed enterprise applications pertinent to their business model within their industry along with an enterprise message bus , like tibco for example . the neural consultants will focus on understanding the ‘ best practices ’ published for the company &# 39 ; s industry , and determine where the most leveraged processes exist within the company . they will then model the existing system in the executive controller simulator . this model is then shared with the executives of the company . the neural network consultants then poke and probe the executives deepest desires for the way that they would like the company to perform . adjustments are made to the model , and the consultants begin to build out the neural network to support the model in the simulator . this process includes building adaptors , standard services interfaces built on top of the application databases , where necessary for the databases of existing systems , creation of permissions across the various applications to be connected to the neural network , interceptor agents , as described in fig1 , for the targeted mission critical applications to be enhanced , and the design and implementation of custom huds ( heads up displays ) designed to interact with the knowledge workers of the designated mission critical applications . finally , any deficiency in the distributed neural network deemed important to fill by the operational executives that can be supplemented by available software services made available by any of the cloud computing vendors ( amazon , microsoft , force . com , etc ) will be provided by cloud computing neurons created to monitor information retrieved from the cloud services provider . these neurons react and interact with the network like any other neuron within the system , giving the company the power to automatically react to conditions outside of its proprietary data centers , like changes in the prognosis of future activities within an industry as predicted by forrester or gartner , or changes in and industry subsection of the s & amp ; p 500 . when the neural network is ready , the executive controller releases the current metadata to the neurons within the it infrastructure which activates them . from this point on , the it infrastructure of the company is forever bonded to the will of the executives as expressed by them through the executive controller 24 . new pricing can be rolled out from here ; new sales programs with incentives can be created here ; modifications of policies will be rolled out from here in real time and can be changed from moment to moment , giving operational executives real - time agility into the controls of their company . modifications and substitutions by one of ordinary skill in the art are considered to be within the scope of the present invention , which is not to be limited except by the allowed claims and their legal equivalents . | 6Physics
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in the following description , for purposes of explanation and not limitation , specific details are set forth , such as particular networks , communication systems , computers , terminals , devices , components , techniques , data and network protocols , software products and systems , operating systems , development interfaces , hardware , etc . in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention . however , it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced in other embodiments that depart from these specific details . detailed descriptions of well - known networks , communication systems , computers , terminals , devices , components , techniques , data and network protocols , software products and systems , operating systems , development interfaces , and hardware are omitted so as not to obscure the description . as used herein , the term video content includes , but is not limited to , movies , television programs ( e . g ., a sitcom , a comedy , an infomercial , a commercial , a documentary , news programming ), a sporting event , etc .— any of which can comprise video on demand , pay per view , and a live ( when possible ) or a recorded content . in addition , such content may comprise multiple segments between which the broadcaster may insert other content units ( e . g ., commercials and / or news alerts ). fig1 illustrates a system for practicing embodiments of the present invention . fig1 illustrates the interaction of the remote control 2 with the set top box 4 , and cloud digital video recorder ( dvr ) 8 as well as the interaction of the mobile device 10 with the set top box 4 , internet 14 and cloud dvr 8 . additional users 12 can access the dvr 8 through the internet 14 . the mobile device 10 can be any mobile device capable of connecting to the internet and playing video content , for example , but not limited to a smartphone or tablet . the cloud dvr 8 can be located anywhere as desired and is connected to the internet 14 . the set top box 4 is connected to a television 6 and to the internet 14 . the set top box 4 can comprise a stand along device , a circuit card configured to be inserted into a television , or be integrated into the television 6 . the mobile device 10 can have display for displaying recorded video content . not all embodiments need to make use of the internet 14 and instead may include a local or private network , or telephone network 16 . the cloud dvr 8 can include a computer system for hosting a website and user information . alternatively , a separate computer system can be used to host a website . an exemplary use of the system is illustrated in fig2 . as shown at 20 , the user can initiate the process by using the remote control 2 or mobile device 10 to create a video clip from the set top box 4 ( which can have a dvr ). the timing of the clip can be pre - determined or user determined , or limited by an application . an application can provide preset clip lengths for the user to select so that the provider of the content wants to limit the length of the clip that can be shared . the user interface ( the television or display on the mobile device ) informs the user of video content 22 . the user can select desired video content and initiate the start of the recording 24 . the user is prompted with a question as to whether a preset record time is desired 26 . if no , the user can press stop button at the desired end or enter a desired amount of time 30 . if yes , the recording ends at the pre - set time 28 . once the recording is completed , sharing options for the saved video clip are displayed to the user 32 . the user chooses a sharing option 34 . a link is generated for the saved video clip sent to sharing option selected by user 36 . a broadcaster or content provider can include ads , promotional information , or other information and track usage to the video clip 38 . users 12 can access the saved video clip by accessing the link . the link can be sent to the other users 12 via a sharing or social application , such as facebook , or any other method , such as email or messaging . in a preferred embodiment , both the set top box and cloud dvr are where the clip is created from . the clip &# 39 ; s storage and link distribution can be handled by another server on the cable network intranet ( cable headend ) or any server on the internet . the operations described in figs . and herein can be implemented as executable code stored on a computer or machine readable non - transitory tangible storage medium ( e . g ., floppy disk , hard disk , rom , eeprom , nonvolatile ram , cd - rom , etc .) that are completed based on execution of the code by a processor circuit implemented using one or more integrated circuits ; the operations described herein also can be implemented as executable logic that is encoded in one or more non - transitory tangible media for execution ( e . g ., programmable logic arrays or devices , field programmable gate arrays , programmable array logic , application specific integrated circuits , etc .). the server and / or dvr described herein can include one or more computer systems directly connected to one another and / or connected over a network . each computer system includes a processor , non - transitory tangible memory , user input and user output mechanisms , a network interface , and executable program code ( software ) comprising computer executable instructions stored in non - transitory tangible memory that executes to control the operation of the server . similarly , the processors functional components formed of one or more modules of program code executing on one or more computers . various commercially available computer systems and operating system software can be used to implement the hardware and software . the components of each server can be co - located or distributed . in addition , all or portions of the same software and / or hardware can be used to implement two or more of the functional servers ( or processors ) shown . the server can run any desired operating system , such as windows , mac os x , solaris or any other server based operating systems . it is to be understood that the foregoing illustrative embodiments have been provided merely for the purpose of explanation and are in no way to be construed as limiting of the invention . words used herein are words of description and illustration , rather than words of limitation . in addition , the advantages and objectives described herein may not be realized by each and every embodiment practicing the present invention . further , although the invention has been described herein with reference to particular structure , s and / or embodiments , the invention is not intended to be limited to the particulars disclosed herein . rather , the invention extends to all functionally equivalent structures , methods and uses , such as are within the scope of the appended claims . those skilled in the art , having the benefit of the teachings of this specification , may affect numerous modifications thereto and changes may be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention . | 7Electricity
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the disclosures of u . s . patent application ser . no . 13 / 651 , 213 filed oct . 12 , 2012 entitled “ data center network architecture ,” u . s . patent application ser . no . 13 / 651 , 212 filed oct . 12 , 2012 entitled “ affinity modeling in a data center network ,” u . s . patent application ser . no . 13 / 651 , 224 filed oct . 12 , 2012 entitled “ control and provisioning in a data center network with at least one central controller ,” u . s . patent application ser . no . 13 / 651 , 255 filed oct . 12 , 2012 entitled “ hierarchy of control in a data center network with at least one central controller ,” u . s . patent application ser . no . 13 / 528 , 501 filed jun . 20 , 2012 entitled “ optical architecture and channel plan employing multi - fiber configurations for data center network switching ,” u . s . patent application ser . no . 13 / 528 , 211 filed jun . 20 , 2012 entitled “ optical junction nodes for use in data center networks ,” and u . s . provisional patent application no . 61 / 554 , 107 filed nov . 1 , 2011 entitled “ data center network switching ,” are each incorporated herein by reference in their entirety for all purposes . u . s . provisional patent application ser . no . 61 / 733 , 154 , filed dec . 4 , 2012 and entitled “ method and apparatus for connectivity control in a data center network ” is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety for all purposes . for a better understanding of the embodiments of the present invention , a data center network 700 , as shown in fig1 , including a central controller ( c 3 ) 708 that provides centralized control of a plurality of optical nodes 710 . 1 - 710 . n will first be described . the optical nodes 710 . 1 - 710 . n are arranged on a logical optical ring network 702 . each of the optical nodes 710 . 1 - 710 . n includes a co - resident controller ( c 2 ) communicably coupled to the central controller ( c 3 ) 708 . each of the optical nodes 710 . 1 - 710 . n can further include a switch , e . g ., a packet switch , a packet switch and a cross - point switch , or a packet switch and a cross - bar switch , and a forwarding information base ( fib ). specifically , the co - resident controllers ( c 2 ) associated with the optical nodes 710 . 1 - 710 . n are communicably coupled to the central controller ( c 3 ) 708 by controller interfaces 711 . 1 - 711 . n , respectively . further , each of the optical nodes can employ in - band management through a switch fabric , or out - of - band management . in addition , each of the co - resident controllers ( c 2 ) associated with the respective optical nodes 710 . 1 - 710 . n is communicably coupled to one or more adjacent co - resident controllers ( c 2 ) on the optical ring network 702 by a common control channel , namely , a supervisor channel 734 . as a convention , each co - resident controller c 2 includes an eastbound port and a westbound port on the supervisor channel 734 each of the co - resident controllers ( c 2 ) includes a supervisor controller ( sc ) function . the sc is coupled to the supervisor channel 734 . the co - resident controllers ( c 2 ) can employ the supervisor channel 734 to perform at least the following exemplary tasks : ( 1 ) detect incorrect wiring and / or fiber connections , e . g ., “ east - to - east ” instead of “ east - to - west ”); ( 2 ) assist in locating physical wiring and / or fiber breaks ; ( 3 ) learn the topology of the optical nodes 710 . 1 - 710 . n on the optical ring network 702 , e . g ., the co - resident controllers ( c 2 ) can exchange neighbor - to - neighbor connectivity information , allowing the co - resident controllers ( c 2 ) to build the topology of the supervisor channel 734 , or a partial segment thereof , and , by inference , the topology of the optical nodes 710 . 1 - 710 . n on the optical ring network 702 ; ( 4 ) determine the placement of what is referred to herein as a “ logical break ,” e . g ., the co - resident controllers ( c 2 ) can determine the placement of the logical break , and move the logical break , if necessary — such a logical break is typically adjacent to the last known physical break in the fiber of the optical ring network 702 and will be further defined below ; ( 5 ) propagate real - time optical ring network connect and / or disconnect notifications ; ( 6 ) learn mac address / ip address entries , e . g ., the co - resident controllers ( c 2 ) can learn all of the mac addresses / ip addresses that represent host computers where the “ hosts ,” are , for example , servers and / or any other suitable network equipment attached to the access ports of the optical nodes 710 . 1 - 710 . n , and announce the mac addresses / ip addresses to the other co - resident controllers ( c 2 ) so that they can determine how each mac address / ip address can be reached ; ( 7 ) remove or update mac address / ip address entries ; and ( 8 ) propagate shared configuration information . the supervisor census protocol in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention maintains connectivity of the nodes across the supervisor channel 734 . as will be described in more detail below , a node on the network can go through several operational stages and its co - resident controller ( c 2 ) can restart , bog down or hang . these conditions may result in nodes appearing , disappearing or being excluded from active operation as determined and reported by the supervisor census protocol . the supervisor census protocol also negotiates the placement of the logical break on the supervisor channel and — by inference — the flooding break on the outer rings . more specifically , the census protocol is concerned with maintaining the “ supervisor topography ” where the term “ topography ” is referencing the physical layout of the nodes on the ring rather than any “ logical ” paths that may be defined for other purposes . the supervisor topography describes the configuration of the nodes on the supervisor channel ring as follows : active list : a sorted list of active nodes in the order they appear on the supervisor ring ( or segment thereof ) in the eastbound direction where each list entry is a tuple containing : the station mac address . the supervisor channel ip address . an operational condition or “ sub - stage .” the list ends with the node that currently controls the logical break ( named the “ übervisor ”) blocking its eastbound port . a node that has been excluded from operating on the ring will not be part of the active list . active checksum : a crc calculated over the active list used as a signature to quickly determine whether two active lists are the same . the checksum is calculated over the entire active list in order but starting at the node that has the lowest station mac address ( resuming the computation with the node at the start of the active list when the end is reached until all nodes have been included ). black list : an unsorted list of nodes to be excluded from the ring where each entry is a tuple containing : the station mac address of the excluded node . the station mac address of a node calling for the exclusion . an enumeration describing the reason for the exclusion . it is acceptable and expected that multiple nodes ( usually the direct neighbors ) are calling for exclusion of the same node but it is desirable that this list remains small ( no need for all nodes on the ring to pick on the same target ). nodes calling for exclusion will self - administer and eventually end their embargo so that the excluded node can then try to join the active nodes . in one embodiment , the c 3 controller may black list a node and use the null mac address as the station mac address of the excluding node so that the c 3 controller can recognize and modify the exclusion . a node may blacklist itself if , through onboard diagnostics for example , it detects a hardware failure , for example , a failed memory , a transceiver failure or even over heating . a node may be black listed by another node on the ring if an already operational node ( s ) detects the node is constantly rebooting . the already operational nodes would then place the offending node on the black list . once the offending behavior has been resolved the node may be removed from the black list . whole flag : a boolean indicating the ring is fully connected , i . e ., the nodes on the ring are sequentially connected without disruption . stable flag : a boolean indicating the topography has not recently changed . c 3 controller : a list of zero or more synonym ip addresses to reach one ( and only one ) c 3 controller . ring id : a uuid representing the ring or segment thereof ( null if unknown ). confluent rings : an integer ( n ) representing the number of outer rings shared by logical topology planes — as configured by the c 3 controller . in one embodiment of the present invention , l2 messaging is implemented in order to function independently of any l3 address assignment on the channel . in one embodiment of the present invention , a predetermined number of “ next - hop ” multicast mac addresses , for example , two , are reserved and predefined : advantageously , the sc can send a message from its own supervisor port ( source address is the station mac address ) to the east or westbound next - hop multicast address and the one receiving neighbor , if any , will respond to the requesting node if the multicast direction matches , i . e ., a request with the eastbound multicast address is received on the westbound port of the neighbor and vice versa , and will not otherwise forward the multicast frame further along the supervisor channel . in this way each node can communicate individually with its neighbor ( s ), either an immediately adjacent node on the supervisor ring or a more distant node , if one or more adjacent nodes are not in active mode . a logical break is created when an active node transitions to become an übervisor and configures its eastbound port to block all unicast , broadcast and multicast packets with the sole exception of the packets received with the westbound multicast destination address , which will be intercepted by the sc and not forwarded ( but only processed when received on the eastbound port ). the übervisor enforces the logical break on the supervisor channel to avoid creating a bridge loop when it is fully interconnected . if the supervisor channel is not whole , the easternmost active node on the supervisor ring segment becomes the übervisor and its logical break avoids temporary bridge loops in case all ring segments are joined at the same time . in addition an übervisor performs a beaconing process as described below . the supervisor census protocol is the lowest level protocol on the supervisor channel 734 and provides the following services to the sc : the supervisor topography ( defined above ) is conveyed to each node by beacon messages , described in more detail below , and is stored locally by the sc and made available upon request . the sc also provides a subscription service to help a subscriber identify what topography changes took place by providing the following information : an unsorted list of ( station mac , ip address ) tuples representing nodes removed with the last change , if any . an unsorted list of ( station mac , ip address ) tuples representing nodes added with the last change , if any . advantageously , implementing the census protocol throttles a rate at which active nodes can be added and , therefore , the logical break will not move in rapid succession so that , as a practical matter , subscribers to topography updates will not be overwhelmed with transients . the supervisor census protocol provides reliable and unreliable l2 messaging services for use internally and by other sc subcomponents , for instance , to propagate mac address attachment information , uplink state change events or transaction processing phases . the maximum payload is set to 9 , 000 bytes using ethernet jumbo frames . all messaging services will throw an exception if the payload size was too large if the node is not in active mode . the supervisor channel forms a separate l2 broadcast domain . an l2 broadcast message is used to convey information to all nodes on the ring but its delivery is considered unreliable . when this messaging primitive is used , recovery due to message loss must be considered as there is no indication whether the broadcast frame actually was transmitted or reached its destinations . when attachment information for a new mac address has been distributed to all nodes on the ring , a broadcast can be used to grant ejection eligibility ( each node is waiting for permission and will recover if broadcast message is lost ). an l2 multicast message is used to convey information to all or some nodes on the ring as per the given multicast destination address but its delivery must be considered unreliable . when this messaging primitive is used , recovery due to message loss must be considered as there is no indication whether the multicast frame actually was transmitted or reached its intended destinations . when the beacon message is propagated , a multicast message with the next - hop destination address is used to transfer the message to the next active node on the supervisor ring . a peer - to - peer l2 unicast message is used for unreliable information transfer between two individual nodes . when this messaging primitive is used , recovery due to message loss must be considered as there is no indication whether the unicast frame actually was transmitted or reached its intended destination . after ejection eligibility is granted with a broadcast message that was not received by a given node , it will recover by requesting the grant using a peer - to - peer message to the node that owns the mac address in question . a hop - by - hop relay is a sequential transfer of an l2 next - hop multicast message from node to node where the message is eventually returned to the originator to verify that the information made it to all intended destinations . the originator first copies the active list / checksum from the current topography and pre - calculates two crcs over the station mac addresses of the nodes to be visited given the current topography in the west and eastbound direction . next it transmits a copy of the message to the west and then the eastbound neighbors ( unless either direction represents an end of ring segment or logical break ) and if the hop - by - hop relay reaches the end of the segment or the logical break , the last node returns the message to the originator with a peer - to - peer unicast . if the originator receives the expected number of returns within a “ relay retransmission ” timeout ( 1 second ) it will verify that the actual nodes visited ( recorded inside the message during the hop - by - hop relay when each node calculates the cumulative crc by adding its own station mac address ) matches the expected nodes by verifying the pre - calculated crcs and if so , the originator considers the messaging completed without error . if the relay retransmission timeout elapses before the expected returns are received , or if the pre - calculated and recorded crcs do not match , the message relay is not repeated but a failure indication is returned to the caller . each message is only relayed to the next hop after it has been processed and each node can record a processing result in the relayed message that is eventually returned to the originator . when this messaging primitive is used , the processing result is further defined . a completion status provides a failure indication or else the active list / checksum ( that were copied by the originator ) representing the set of nodes on the ring that were reached . the caller must handle the race condition where the hop - by - hop relay messaging completes after the expiration of the relay retransmission timeout , either by reverting or retrying the intended operation . when a node learns a new mac address on an access link it can distribute the information using a hop - by - hop relay , which at the same time resolves concurrent learning conflicts ( when the same mac address is learned by multiple nodes as the result of external bridge loops ). some events need to be propagated both quickly and reliably . to that end the event relay combines an initial broadcast for instant propagation , followed by a hop - by - hop relay to ensure reliable delivery . the event relay messaging service implicitly combines the broadcast and hop - by - hop messaging services used under the covers and should perform an optimization so that a client does not get notified of both the broadcast and the hop - by - hop event but only of the latter if the former was not received . when an uplink state change occurs , the event needs to be propagated reliably across the supervisor channel so that all nodes can take action to adjust the topology . the event relay can is be used for that purpose . when a transaction needs to be committed , aborted or rolled back such operations are performed on all nodes at roughly the same time to reduce configuration glitches . in the data center network 700 each of the optical nodes 710 . 1 - 710 . n can perform an orderly transition through a plurality of successive operational stages s 0 - s 3 . operational stage s 0 corresponds to an optical node that is powered - off . operational stage s 1 corresponds to an optical node that is “ self - aware ,” but isolated from the uplinks of the optical node as well as the supervisor channel 734 . such an optical node operating in operational stage s 1 does not communicate with co - resident controllers ( c 2 ) associated with any other optical nodes , nor does it communicate with the central controller ( c 3 ) 708 . in operational stage s 2 , an optical node is not only self - aware , but also “ peer - aware .” such an optical node operating in operational stage s 2 can communicate with co - resident controllers ( c 2 ) associated with other optical nodes over the supervisor channel 734 , exchanging network traffic between one or more of the uplink ports and / or the access ports of the respective optical nodes , but does not communicate with the central controller ( c 3 ) 708 . in operational stage s 3 , an optical node can communicate with the co - resident controllers ( c 2 ) associated with the other optical nodes over the supervisor channel 734 , and with the central controller ( c 3 ) 708 . the operational stages s 1 , s 2 , s 3 of an optical node , with respect to the protocol are described in more detail below . in one embodiment of the present invention , the following census operation modes for a node are defined : reset : the supervisor switch is held in reset and will not forward frames at all , effectively causing a break in the supervisor ring . no software will send or receive frames on the supervisor port . this operation mode is an expected transient at boot time and an active westbound neighbor , if any , will move the logical break to handle the communication disruption on the supervisor ring . early bypass : the supervisor switch is configured to forward all multi - destination ( broadcast , multicast and unknown unicast ) frames along the supervisor ring , i . e ., a frame received east is forwarded westbound and vice versa . no frames will be sent or received on the supervisor port , which remains disabled . standby : the supervisor switch is configured to forward multi - destination frames along the supervisor ring and matching unicast , multicast and broadcast frames are received on the supervisor port . the sc processes received frames as necessary but is not allowed to transmit frames . note that standby mode is not a promiscuous operation in that the sc receives only frames with matching destination addresses . transit : the supervisor switch is configured to forward multi - destination frames along the supervisor ring and matching unicast , multicast and broadcast frames are received on the supervisor port with exception of special “ next - hop ” multicast frames that are received only on the supervisor port and not forwarded along the supervisor ring . the sc processes received frames as necessary and is allowed to transmit frames onto the supervisor channel but only if it can guarantee that there is no bridge loop on the supervisor channel , i . e ., a logical break is in place . ubervisor : the supervisor switch is configured as in transit mode but the eastbound port will not transmit any frames and all frames received on the eastbound port are blocked with the exception of special “ next - hop ” multicast frames that are received only on the supervisor port and not forwarded along the supervisor ring . the sc processes received frames as necessary and is allowed to transmit out the westbound port . this mode is used to create a logical break on the supervisor channel . excluded : identical to standby mode but persisting across c 2 controller or sc component restarts until such time that the node restarts or explicit permission is received to exit excluded mode . reset and early bypass modes are entered in operational stage s 1 . transit and übervisor modes are used in either s 2 or s 3 . standby and excluded modes are used exclusively in stage s 2 , which implies that any transition to these states causes the co - controller to disconnect from the c 3 controller . nodes in transit or übervisor mode are said to be active nodes and placed in the active list of the supervisor topography while excluded nodes are placed in the black list . nodes in other modes are not recorded in the supervisor topography , as they cannot communicate their presence on the supervisor channel . nodes in unmanaged , early bypass , standby or excluded mode are said to be passive nodes . the associated finite state machine for these census operation modes is shown in fig2 when a node is booted or rebooted , there is a brief period where it lingers in reset mode before early bypass mode is configured ( transition a ). when the c 2 controller ( more specifically its sc component ) is started , the node will transition from early bypass to standby mode ( b ) where it stays and observes the supervisor census protocol traffic until it can determine that it can become a transit node ( c ) or übervisor ( d ) or is excluded ( e ). a transit node can become an übervisor ( f ) when it needs to place a logical break or revert back to transit mode ( g ) when it removes the logical break . any time an active node recuses itself or determines that it has been blacklisted it will transition to excluded mode ( h , i ) where it remains until the node restarts or has received explicit permission to return to standby mode ( j ). note the case where the c 2 controller ( or just the sc ) restarts while in excluded mode ( k ) when the node must not be permitted to return to standby mode ( requiring some non - volatile information to be maintained outside the c 2 process space ). the übervisor not only places a logical break but also engages in a beaconing process . beacon messages are used to determine the current supervisor topography and to coordinate node transitions on the supervisor channel . the beacon message is always sent from the supervisor port in the westbound direction with the station mac address as the source mac address and the westbound next - hop multicast address as the destination . a diagram of the fields in a beacon message is presented in fig3 . every t1 , e . g ., 250 , milliseconds the übervisor will transmit a beacon message in the westbound direction that contains the most recent topography ( as maintained by the übervisor ) and an embedded “ stale ” flag initialized as false . the next active node on the supervisor channel ( or segment thereof ) processes the received beacon message as follows : if the stale flag is true , it will forward the beacon message unmodified . if the stale flag is false , it will verify that the source mac address of the node that transmitted the beacon message precedes the receiving node in the active list of the contained topography ( active nodes are listed in the eastbound direction ). if the embedded topography is incorrect , it will send an update unicast message with the modified topography back to the originating übervisor and then also forward the beacon message with the stale flag set to true . if the embedded topography is correct , it forwards the beacon message unmodified . thus the beacon message either reaches the last node on the ring segment or the originating übervisor itself when the ring is whole , propagating similarly to a hop - by - hop relay ( except that the last node does not report back to the originator ). in the degenerate case of a single übervisor on the ring ( no other active nodes ) this will result in a single - node topography . if the übervisor receives an update message it will immediately issue a corrected beacon message . the topography in the beacon message contains a “ stable ” flag that is controlled by the übervisor and set to false unless the topography information is considered stable , e . g ., defined as three consecutive beacon messages containing the same topography information while no other übervisor has been detected for the last 5 * t1 milliseconds . the “ whole ” flag in the topography is set by the übervisor once it receives its own , recently sent beacon frame as determined by comparing a “ rollover ” count incremented and embedded by the übervisor in each originated beacon frame . any update message copies the rollover count from the corresponding beacon message so that the übervisor can ignore stale update messages . the t1 interval is chosen so that the size of the ring and the processing latency per node permits using only the most recent rollover . to ensure that an übervisor is reachable by the unicast update message , and more generally that all active nodes are reachable , and not impeded by any stale mac address table entries , any active node sends a pre - beacon message before each beacon message until the propagated topography is marked as “ stable .” a pre - beacon message uses the station mac address of the transmitting node as the source address , the multicast address e1 - 39 - d7 - 00 - 00 - 02 as destination and has no payload . a pre - beacon message is sent in both the eastbound and westbound directions unless it is sent by an übervisor in which case it must be sent in the westbound direction only . source address learning cannot be disabled by all supervisor switch hardware . a pre - beacon message will be propagated through the supervisor switch but not received by software in any node and is a cost - effective way to leverage automatic source address learning to correct any stale mac address table entries , for instance , in nodes that are rebooting or excluded . note that nodes with stale mac address table entries do not hamper the propagation of the beacon message itself as the destination address is the next - hop multicast address but update and other unicast messages might be discarded , for instance , if a stale entry erroneously points westbound an update message received on the westbound interface will be dropped . determine if an übervisor is present on the segment by monitoring beacon messages . exclude other nodes from the ring by adding them to the black list . establish whether this node is excluded from becoming active ( which can only be determined once the topography is stable so that nodes further down the segment have been able to contribute to the black list ). maintain a local copy of the latest topography . immediately propagate any changes in the topography — no need to wait for a stable topography — to the c 2 manager component , which in turn will notify the c 3 controller if connected . the beacon message uses a next - hop multicast destination address because its westbound neighbor may change at any moment , i . e ., an adjacent node can transition to active or standby mode , which would cause disruptions if unicast addressing were used and the multicast address conveniently passes the logical break . the use of the update message causes immediate propagation of topography changes back to the übervisor on the segment and simplifies overall operation . alternatives , such as the use of a sole “ reflector ” node at the western end of a ring segment , require an election mechanism to handle cases where one or more westernmost node ( s ) are in standby mode and cannot transmit . forwarding the beacon message , even if it is stale , helps to converge on a single übervisor even in the face of stale mac address table entries that could hinder the delivery of update messages back to that übervisor . if the system did not propagate stale beacon frames , the rest of the ring would not receive any beacon frames and might select a second übervisor . in case of a supervisor channel segment , i . e ., the ring is not whole , the last node in the active list could disappear from the ring without the topography being corrected . this is because the beacon messaging and the validation of the topography where each node verifies its predecessor is essentially unidirectional . as this issue does not exist in a ring that is whole , it is an acceptable situation . while more than one übervisor can operate on the supervisor channel because each übervisor propagates the beacon message of the other as if it were a transit node , the intention is for one remaining übervisor to be selected per supervisor ring or segment because multiple logical breaks will disrupt inter - node communication . note that concurrent übervisors can advertise the same set of nodes but that the active list will be in a different order , however , the active crc will be the same . the beacon message contains a “ start of segment ” flag that is set by the originating übervisor if and only if one or two of the following conditions are true : the eastbound port is down . this facilitates the selection of a new übervisor on the west side of a cable break . no beacon message was received from any übervisor in the last 4 * t1 milliseconds while this node was übervisor itself . in other words , do not become übervisor with the east port up and immediately set the start of segment flag . this facilitates the selection of a new übervisor west of a hung node that absorbs beacon messages . when a given übervisor receives a beacon message from another übervisor it will immediately defer to the other übervisor under either of the following conditions : the start of segment flag in the beacon message from the other übervisor is true . the whole flag is set in both the current topography of the given übervisor and in the embedded topography in the beacon message from the other übervisor and the station mac address of the other übervisor is larger then the station mac address of the given übervisor ( applying unsigned arithmetic on the mac address in canonical representation ). merge its own topography information with the received topography and either send an update message to the other übervisor ( when the merged topography differs from its own ) or else forward the received beacon message westbound . enter transit mode using transition g , as shown in fig2 . the selected übervisor propagates the topography of the ring , which includes centrally provisioned information like the list of c 3 controller ip addresses , the ring id and the number of confluent rings . the übervisor propagates that information as retrieved from local storage or received through update messages ( or from any connected c 3 controller in operational stage s 3 ). each node on the ring retains the list of announced synonym c 3 controller addresses ( s ) in local non - volatile storage . the ring id and number of confluent rings are retained in volatile storage local to the supervisor controller and are lost when the latter restarts . an optical node 710 in operational stage s 0 represents a discontinuity in the supervisor channel . an optical node 710 can enter operational stage s 1 when the optical node is first powered - on or rebooted . in operational stage s 1 , the optical node is transparent to , and isolated from , the links connected to the uplink ports of the optical node , while interconnectivity is provided among the links connected to the access ports . further , in operational stage s 1 , one or more self - tests can be performed on the optical node , as desired and / or required , to determine whether or not the optical node is operational . it is noted that , in operational stage s 1 , an optical node is prohibited from exchanging network traffic with the links connected to its uplink ports , but is allowed to perform bidirectional pass - through with regard to such network traffic , and / or control traffic on the supervisor channel 734 . it is further noted that so - called “ bridge loops ” in the layer - 2 broadcast domain can be avoided when an optical node is operating in its bidirectional pass - through mode by assuring that : ( 1 ) all of the optical nodes on the network are operating in either operational stage s 0 or s 1 , and are therefore prohibited from exchanging network traffic with the links connected to their uplink ports , or ( 2 ) at least one of the optical nodes on the network is operating in either operational stage s 2 or s 3 , and therefore may have already established a logical break on a supervisor channel , and / or a flooding break on one or more outer rings of the network , to prevent the creation of such a bridge loop . for example , an optical node can place such a logical break on the supervisor channel 734 and / or can place such a flooding break on one or more outer rings of the optical ring network 702 . such outer rings generally correspond to a plurality of eastbound uplink ports , e . g ., four ( 4 ) eastbound uplink ports , or any other suitable number of ports , and a plurality of westbound uplink ports , e . g ., four ( 4 ) westbound uplink ports , or any other suitable number of ports , of an optical node . it is noted that a logical break can be placed on an optical ring network when it is fully connected , and can be co - located with the last known physical break in the fiber of the optical ring network . for example , an optical node may place a logical break on the supervisor channel , and / or a flooding break on one or more of the outer rings of an optical ring network , by filtering network traffic in both directions on the eastbound uplink ports of the optical node . specifically , when the optical node places the logical break on the supervisor channel , the optical node can filter the network traffic on its eastbound uplink ports to prohibit the propagation of all unicast , broadcast , and multicast data packets or frames except for a specified multicast data packet / frame , referred to herein as the “ beacon frame ,” which can be permitted to traverse the logical break to enable the network to determine whether or not the supervisor channel is faulty . moreover , when the optical node places the flooding break on the outer rings , the optical node can filter the network traffic on its eastbound uplink ports to prohibit the flooding of all multi - destination data packets or frames , while permitting unicast data packets / frames having known destinations to traverse the flooding break . such multi - destination data packets or frames are defined herein as broadcast data packets / frames , multicast data packets / frames , and unicast data packets / frames having unknown destinations . as a result , following the placement of such a flooding break , an optical node can still transmit unicast data packets / frames having known destinations in either direction around an optical ring network , and have the unicast data packets / frames successfully reach their respective destinations . in operational stage s 1 , a node will progress through reset mode to early bypass mode so the outer rings and the supervisor channel can transparently carry traffic through the node . this is the normal path from operational stage s 0 on a cold boot . the mac address table of the supervisor switch should remain disabled to avoid retaining learned mac addresses that might blackhole traffic once the logical break moves ( an event that a bypassed node cannot observe ). the supervisor port is disabled so that the node will leave the supervisor channel untouched . an optical node 710 can enter operational stage s 2 when its associated co - resident controller ( c 2 ) achieves connectivity to the links connected to the optical node &# 39 ; s uplink ports . in operational stage s 2 , the co - resident controller ( c 2 ) can communicate with one or more other co - resident controllers ( c 2 ) associated with the other optical nodes 710 on the network over the supervisor channel 734 without mixing any control traffic with the data plane . when an optical node enters operational stage s 2 from operational stage s 1 , the co - resident controller ( c 2 ) associated with the optical node can employ the supervisor channel to exchange information with its peer co - resident controllers ( c 2 ) to determine : ( 1 ) the topology of the optical network , or the topology of a partial segment of the optical network , and ( 2 ) the placement of a break , e . g ., a logical break , a flooding break , on the optical network . the optical node can then exchange network traffic between the links connected to its access ports and uplink ports . it is noted that the co - resident controller ( c 2 ) associated with the optical node can avoid creating bridge loops by learning the placement of the break , e . g ., a logical break , a flooding break , via the supervisor channel , and filtering network traffic in both directions on the eastbound uplink ports of the optical node , as required . when an optical node enters operational stage s 2 from operational stage s 3 , e . g ., communication between the optical node and the central controller ( c 3 ) may have been disrupted , all access ports and uplink ports of the optical node can remain operational . moreover , in operational stage s 2 , an optical node can employ the supervisor channel to remain in synchronization with the other optical nodes on the optical network ( or a partial segment of the optical network ), until : ( 1 ) the co - resident controller ( c 2 ) associated with the optical node is re - started , in which case the optical node reverts to operational stage s 1 , ( 2 ) the co - resident controller ( c 2 ) is considered to be non - responsive , and is therefore excluded from active participation on the supervisor channel , e . g ., adjacent co - resident controllers ( c 2 ) may detect this condition , causing the central controller ( c 3 ) to regard the optical node as being inoperable ; the optical node may eventually be re - started , in which case it will revert from operational stage s 2 to operational stage s 1 , or ( 3 ) a connection between the optical node and the central controller ( c 3 ) is established , causing a transition from operational stage s 2 to operational stage s 3 . it is noted that changing the placement of a logical break on a physical or logical optical ring network , e . g ., in response to a fiber cut , or an optical node powering - off , can cause at least some endpoint addresses learned by the optical nodes to become out - of - date . for example , a mac address learned on an eastbound port of an optical node may now be reachable through a westbound port of the optical node . in such a case , the co - resident controllers ( c 2 ) associated with the optical nodes on the optical ring network can cooperate to remove or re - point the mac address entries when a logical break is either first placed on the optical ring network or subsequently changed , as conveyed over the supervisor channel . an optical node operating in operational stage s 2 can provide connectivity between the links connected to its access ports and uplink ports via ( 1 ) any residual links that were previously configured by the central controller ( c 3 ) and are still operational , or ( 2 ) the outer rings . moreover , such an optical node operating in operational stage s 2 can recover from failures , for example , by tearing down any such residual links that are deemed to be inoperative , and / or by forwarding network traffic in an alternate direction on the outer rings . progress from early bypass mode to standby mode using transition b when the c 2 component is first started after a reboot . this is the normal path from operational stage s 1 on a cold boot . enter standby mode when the c 2 controller or sc component is restarted while in standby , transit or übervisor mode . this is the normal path after a software failure ( possibly exiting and re - entering operational stage s 2 ). remain in excluded mode using transition k when the c 2 controller or sc component is restarted while in excluded mode . this is the normal path after compounded failures to prevent continuous restarts from affecting the operation . a break message is broadcast with the station mac address as the source address and the broadcast address as the destination . no payload is defined . both nodes on either side of a downed supervisor link ( single - node rings are not of interest here ) detect the port state change and send a break message as an immediate notification to all active nodes of a disruption in the supervisor channel . the active nodes will clear their mac address table and the existing übervisor will transition to a transit node ( removing the logical break ) but only if it is not adjacent to the cable break . this will cause any subsequent unicast traffic to resort to flooding and find its way around the cable break resulting in minimal communication disruption . note that passive nodes will not listen to the break broadcast and may be left with stale mac address table entries and that makes the break message an optimization useful only to the normal case of rings with only active nodes . emitting a pre - beacon message when a break is received should be avoided because that causes a spike of multicast messages ( which on large rings may interfere with the propagation of the break messages itself ). loss of one or both break messages is not detrimental because the node with the cable break on the eastbound port will immediately become the übervisor ( placing a new logical break in case the link down was transient ) and start beaconing , which will correct any stale mac table entries on the ring ( including passive nodes )— just more slowly then the break broadcasts . if the node with the eastbound port down is already the übervisor there is no need to emit these break broadcasts . in standby and excluded modes the mac address table of the supervisor switch will rely on explicit break ( described above ) and pre - beacon messages ( also described above ) to correct stale mac address table entries in passive and active nodes . when a node enters standby mode the mac address table is cleared . when a node enters transit or übervisor mode the first time , the mac address table is enabled and a default aging time of 30 seconds should be configured . for simplicity , while in active mode , a node will track the last übervisor that originated a beacon message and will clear the mac address table every time the originating übervisor becomes known or changes once known . as described above , an active node will clear the mac address table when it receives a break broadcast . in standby mode the sc waits until one of the following conditions occurs : 1 . reception of a beacon message with a stable topography representing that another node functions as übervisor and has placed a logical break to prevent a bridge loop on the supervisor channel . this also represents that all nodes on the supervisor channel ( or segment thereof ) have had a chance to contribute to the black list so that this node can determine whether to transition to excluded mode ( i ) as described above or to transition to transit mode ( c ) and process beacon messages as described earlier . 2 . no beacon message is received for an interval of 3 * t1 milliseconds or the eastbound port goes down : transition to übervisor mode ( d ) after emitting a break broadcast . in excluded mode the sc waits for reception of beacon messages ( from any übervisor ). if the excluded node does not receive any beacon messages , it must not leave excluded mode to cover the case where an excluded node is located east of the übervisor on the easternmost section on a supervisor channel segment and will thus not receive any beacon messages . otherwise if over a 5 second interval , or other predetermined amount of time , after this node receives a stable topography ( as embedded in the beacon message ) this node is no longer blacklisted then it will transition to standby mode ( j ). in transit mode the node can immediately transition to excluded mode ( h ) when it is blacklisted in a topography ( whether stable or not ) embedded in any beacon message . if no beacon message is received for 2 * t1 milliseconds or if the eastbound port goes down the node will transition to übervisor mode ( f ) after emitting a break broadcast . in übervisor mode the node can immediately transition to excluded mode ( h ) when it is blacklisted by a topography ( whether stable or not ) embedded in any beacon message . if a beacon message is received from another übervisor a transition to transit mode ( g ) can result as described above . if the eastbound port of an existing übervisor goes down , it will not emit a break broadcast but immediately send a beacon message with the start of segment flag set . an optical node 710 can enter operational stage s 3 once the optical node has successfully established a connection with the central controller ( c 3 ) 708 . if the optical node were to lose contact with the central controller ( c 3 ), then the optical node can revert from operational stage s 3 to operational stage s 2 . it is noted that the address of the central controller ( c 3 ) 708 can be propagated through the supervisor channel 734 to allow all of the optical nodes 710 on the optical ring network 702 to connect to the same central controller ( c 3 ) 708 . as described above , in the data center network 700 each of the optical nodes 710 . 1 - 710 . n can perform an orderly transition through a plurality of operational stages , namely , operational stage s 0 , operational stage s 1 , operational stage s 2 , and operational stage s 3 . in normal operation , all of the optical nodes on a physical or logical optical ring network can eventually enter operational stage s 3 , establishing connectivity with a central controller ( c 3 ), which , in conjunction with co - resident controllers ( c 2 ) associated with the respective optical nodes , can configure the various links in the optical ring network for more efficient network traffic flow . in operational stage s 3 a node ( which must be in active mode ) connects to the c 3 controller , which is made known either by local configuration or by the topography embedded in a beacon message . the c 2 controller will independently cycle through all synonym ip addresses when trying to connect to the c 3 controller and there is no coordination among c 2 controllers which synonym c 3 controller address to use . the removal of a given synonym will cause any c 2 controller using it to switch to an alternate address , if available . once connected , the c 2 controller will present a ring id ( null if unknown ) and the c 3 controller either provisions or validates a non - null ring id so that the c 2 controller will obtain a valid ring id . from then on the c 3 controller can change the list of c 3 ip addresses , the ring id or the number of confluent rings . a node will distribute such changes either by issuing a new beacon message if it is the übervisor or else by issuing an update message to the last seen übervisor to get it to issue a corrected beacon . note that the c 2 controller must not store any new c 3 controller address without first negotiating them over the supervisor channel . this prevents the configuration of a c 3 controller address that might take effect later . when multiple c 2 controllers present null ring ids to the c 3 controller as they connect , repeated conflicts in negotiating ring ids over the supervisor channel could result . this scenario will happen when all nodes on the ring ( or segment thereof ) have previously learned the c 3 address , but are then rebooted and connect to the c 3 controller at the same time — now with a null ring id . this situation is avoided by requiring that when the ring id is null only the übervisor should connect to the c 3 controller . it is noted that the operations depicted and / or described herein are purely exemplary . further , the operations can be used in any sequence , as appropriate , and / or can be partially used . with the above illustrative embodiments in mind , it should be understood that such illustrative embodiments can employ various computer - implemented operations involving data transferred or stored in computer systems . such operations are those requiring physical manipulation of physical quantities . typically , though not necessarily , such quantities can take the form of electrical , magnetic , and / or optical signals capable of being stored , transferred , combined , compared , and / or otherwise manipulated . further , any of the operations depicted and / or described herein that form part of the illustrative embodiments are useful machine operations . the illustrative embodiments can also relate to a device or an apparatus for performing such operations . the apparatus can be specially constructed for the required purpose , or can be a general - purpose computer selectively activated or configured by a computer program stored in the computer to perform the function of a particular machine . in particular , various general - purpose machines employing one or more processors coupled to one or more computer readable media can be used with computer programs written in accordance with the teachings disclosed herein , or it may be more convenient to construct a more specialized apparatus to perform the required operations . instructions for implementing the network architectures disclosed herein can also be embodied as computer readable code on a computer readable medium . the computer readable medium is any data storage device that can store data , which can thereafter be read by a computer system . examples of such computer readable media include magnetic and solid state hard drives , read - only memory ( rom ), random - access memory ( ram ), blu - ray ™ disks , dvds , cd - roms , cd - rs , cd - rws , magnetic tapes , and / or any other suitable optical or non - optical data storage device . the computer readable code can be stored in a single location , or stored in a distributed manner in a networked environment . the foregoing description has been directed to particular illustrative embodiments of this disclosure . it will be apparent , however , that other variations and modifications may be made to the described embodiments , with the attainment of some or all of their associated advantages . moreover , the procedures , processes , components , and / or modules described herein may be implemented in hardware , software , embodied as a computer - readable medium having program instructions , firmware , or a combination thereof . for example , the functions described herein may be performed by at least one processor executing program instructions out of at least one memory or other storage device . it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that modifications to and variations of the above - described systems and methods may be made without departing from the inventive concepts disclosed herein . accordingly , the disclosure should not be viewed as limited except as by the scope and spirit of the appended claims . | 7Electricity
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hereinafter , an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail by reference to the drawings . fig1 a to 7 b are drawings showing a handle unit according to the embodiment . fig1 a and 1b are perspective views showing an overall configuration of the handle unit according to the embodiment , and fig2 is an exploded perspective view showing the overall configuration of the same handle unit . as is shown in fig1 a to 2 , the handle unit of the embodiment includes a main body 10 which is attached to a portion of a trunk board 1 to which the main body 10 is designed to be attached and a handle 30 which is attached to the main body 10 and is adapted to rotate freely within a preset range from a stored position to an operating position . fig1 a shows a state in which the handle 30 is in the stored position , while fig1 b shows a state in which the handle 30 is in the operating position . as will be described later , the handle 30 is normally disposed in the stored position by the urging force of a torsion coil spring . in addition , the main body 10 and the handle 30 are resin molded products made from a synthetic resin , such as plastic . as is shown , for example , in fig8 , the handle unit is attached to a position which lies in the vicinity of the center of one side edge of the trunk board 1 which closes a storage space under a floor 2 of a luggage compartment of an automotive vehicle . this trunk board 1 normally closes an opening of the storage space , and the opening of the storage space can be opened by the handle 30 of the handle unit being gripped and pulled up so as to lift up the trunk board 1 from the closed state . fig3 a to 3c are development views showing the handle of the handle unit according to the embodiment , of which fig3 a is a top view , fig3 b is a rear view and fig3 c is a side view of the handle . as is shown in fig2 to 3c , the handle 30 of the handle unit has a proximal end portion 31 which is pivotally supported on the main body 10 and an operating portion 32 which continues from the proximal end portion 31 and which is opened in the center thereof . on the proximal end portion 31 of the handle 30 , a pair of support walls 34 that extend downwardly from respective side edges of the proximal end portion 31 and a pair of rotational shafts 33 that project outwardly from respective exterior side of the support walls 34 are formed integrally . fig4 a to 4c are development views showing the main body of the handle unit according to the embodiment , of which fig4 a is a top view , fig4 b is a side view and fig4 c is a sectional view taken along the line a - a in fig5 a . as is shown in fig2 to 4c , a storage recess 12 is formed on the main body 10 of the handle unit in such a manner as to be recessed from a surface 11 thereof . in this storage recess 12 , a front portion thereof is formed as a first recessed portion 13 which has a given depth for storing the proximal end portion 31 of the handle , and a rear portion thereof is formed as a second recessed portion 14 for storing the operating portion 32 of the handle 30 which is made shallower in depth than the first recessed portion 13 . these first recessed portion 13 and second recessed portion 14 are formed continuously , and a stepped portion 15 is formed in a boundary portion therebetween . in addition , a bulge portion 16 is formed in the rear portion of the storage recess 12 in such a manner that a substantially central portion protrudes from the second recessed portion 14 to the same height as that of the surface 11 of the main body . a pair of bearings 18 made up of through holes are opened in inner surfaces of both side walls 17 of the storage recess 12 which face each other at both ends of the first recessed portion 13 . the rotational shafts 33 , which will be described later , of the handle 30 are inserted into these bearings 18 . in the embodiment , the bearings 18 are formed as through holes . however , the bearings 18 may be formed into concave or recessed grooves . in addition , in this storage recess 12 , a pair of holding walls 19 and a pair of rotation stoppers 20 are formed integrally in the first recessed portion 13 , and furthermore , a spring support piece 21 is formed integrally on the stepped portion 15 between the first and second recessed portions 13 , 14 . the pair of holding walls 19 are formed , respectively , in positions which are spaced a given distance apart from the corresponding bearings 18 in such a manner as to be in parallel , respectively , with the side walls 17 . on the other hand , the rotation stoppers 20 are each formed into a shape which protrudes from the first recessed portion 13 while being inclined at an arbitrary angle , so that a further rotation of the handle 30 is restricted through a contact between a proximal end of the handle 30 and the rotation stoppers 20 . the rotation stoppers 20 define the operating position of the handle 30 to be pulled by a user . as is shown in fig2 and 4b , in the spring support piece 21 which extends from the stepped portion 15 , a base portion 21 a extends from the stepped portion 15 of the main body 10 , and furthermore , a cylindrical spring support portion 21 b horizontally extends from a distal end of the support portion 21 a , a distal end of the spring support portion 21 b being made a free end . the spring support portion 21 b is positioned on a straight line which passes through the pair of bearings 18 , and a torsion coil spring 40 is mounted on the spring support portion 21 b . the handle 30 is normally urged in a rotating direction directed from the operating position towards the stored position by the urging force of the torsion coil spring 40 . in this embodiment , since the spring support piece 21 is formed integrally with the main body 10 , the number of constituent parts is not increased . fig5 a to 5c show sectioned side views showing rotating positions of the handle of the handle unit according to the embodiment , of which fig5 a shows the handle being in the stored position , fig5 b shows the handle being exposed or tilted up from the stored position , and fig5 c shows the handle being in the operating position . as is shown in fig5 a , the support walls 34 and the holding walls 19 are set so as to not face each other , when the handle 30 is in the stored position . when assembling the handle 30 on the main body 10 , firstly , the torsion coil spring 40 is mounted on the spring support piece 21 of the main body 10 , and following this , the pair of rotational shafts 33 of the handle 30 are inserted into the corresponding bearings 18 from inside of the main body 10 , whereby the handle 30 is assembled on to the main body 10 ( refer to fig2 ). as this occurs , since the support walls 34 of the handle 30 are brought into contact with the side walls 17 of the main body 10 to thereby generate deflection therein , by assembling the handle 30 onto the main body 10 while keeping the posture thereof so as to be in the stored position , the support walls 34 are prevented from interfering with the holding walls 19 , and the rotational shafts 33 can be brought into engagement with the bearings 18 . in the handle 30 assembled on to the main body 10 , the rotational shafts 33 are pivotally supported in the bearings 18 so that the handle 30 can rotate freely on the rotational shafts 33 . by lightly pushing the proximal end portion 31 of the handle 30 , the handle 30 is rotated from the stored position , whereby the handle 30 can come out of the storage recess 12 ( refer to fig5 b ). after the handle 30 came out of the storage recess 12 , the handle 30 is rotated to the operating position by being gripped at the operating position 32 thereof . the support walls 34 and the holding walls 19 are made to face each other when the handle 30 is in the operating position ( refer to fig5 c ). fig6 a and 6b are drawings which depict a relationship between the rotational shaft and the bearing of the handle unit according to the embodiment , of which fig6 a is an enlarged perspective view , and fig6 b is an enlarged sectional view . as is shown in fig6 a and 6b , a flat bearing surface 33 a is formed on the periphery of a proximal end of the rotational shaft 33 in such a manner as to protrude from an exterior side of the support wall 34 . in addition , a flat bearing surface 18 a is also formed on the periphery of the opening of the bearing 18 in such a manner as to protrude from an interior side of the main body . these bearing surfaces 18 a , 33 a are disposed to face each other when the handle 30 is assembled on to the main body 10 . a play of the rotational shaft 33 in an axial direction thereof is regulated by a length l 5 defined between these bearing surfaces 33 a , 18 a . with the main body 10 and the handle 30 which are the molded resin products , the machining accuracy of portions corresponding to corner portions such as the periphery of the proximal end of the rotational shaft 33 and the periphery of the opening of the bearing 18 is reduced in general . because of this , the handle 30 may be loosely assembled on to the main body 10 due to a gap being defined between the support walls 34 and the side walls 17 of the main body 10 . in the embodiment , however , the flat bearing surfaces 18 a , 33 a are formed on the periphery of the proximal end of the rotational shaft 33 and the periphery of the opening of the bearing 18 in such a manner as to protrude therefrom so as to regulate the play of the rotational shaft 33 in the axial direction between the bearing surfaces 18 a , 33 a , whereby the play can be adjusted with high accuracy . fig7 a and 7b are enlarged sectional views depicting a relationship between the rotational shaft and the bearing when the handle of the handle unit according to the embodiment is in the operating position , of which fig7 a shows a state in which no external force is applied on the handle in a direction in which the handle is lifted upwards , and fig7 b shows a state in which an external force is applied on the handle in the direction in which the handle is lifted upwards . as is shown in fig7 a , with the handle unit according to the embodiment , when the handle 30 is in the operating position , a length l 1 defined between a side of the holding wall 19 which faces the support wall 34 and an inner side of the side wall 17 is set to be smaller than a length l 2 from a side of the support wall 34 which faces the holding wall 19 to a distal end of the rotational shaft 33 . in addition , looking at this from a different point of view , a length l 3 defined between the facing sides of the holding wall 19 and the support wall 34 is set to be smaller than a length l 4 over which the rotational shaft 33 is inserted into the interior of the bearing 18 . then , when the handle 30 is gripped to lift up the trunk board 1 , a strong external force is applied on a contacting point between the rotational shaft 33 and the bearing 18 in a direction in which the handle 30 is pulled upwards . the support wall 34 is deflected in a way as shown in fig7 b due to the external force being so applied , causing the rotational shaft 33 to attempt to come out of the bearing 18 . however , since the lengths are set to satisfy l 1 & lt ; l 2 and l 3 & lt ; l 4 as has been described above , the support wall 34 is brought into contact with the holding plate 19 before the rotational shaft 33 comes out of the bearing 18 , whereby a further deflection of the support wall 34 is restricted . because of this , the rotational shaft 33 is prevented from being dislocated from the bearing 18 . in addition , as is shown in fig7 a , a length l 5 defined between the respective bearing surfaces 18 a , 33 a which are formed on the peripheries of the rotational shaft 33 and the bearing 18 is set to be smaller than the length l 3 defined between the facing sides of the holding wall 19 and the support wall 34 . consequently , even though the handle 30 shifts in the axial direction within the range of the length l 5 , the support wall 34 is never brought into contact with the holding wall 19 , whereby the generation of wear due to contact of the side wall 34 and the holding wall 19 and striking noise due to collision of the walls can be prevented , thereby making it possible to obtain a good operability . note that the invention is not limited to the embodiment that has been described heretofore , and hence , the invention can , of course , be modified and / or altered variously without departing from the spirit and scope thereof . for example , the invention can be applied to the handle unit with the latch which is disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 6 , 719 , 332 . as has been described heretofore , according to an aspect of the present invention , since the rotational shafts are formed integrally on the support walls of the handle , the number of constituent parts is reduced , and the assembling work and part management can be simplified , whereby the product costs can be reduced . moreover , even though a strong pulling force is applied on the rotational shafts to generate deflection in the support walls , since the holding walls are brought into contact with the support walls from inside to regulate the deformation of the support walls , the rotational shafts are surely prevented from being dislocated from the bearings . | 8General tagging of new or cross-sectional technology
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fig1 is a simplified block diagram showing an actuator system 10 for selectively operating the reciprocating trimming knives and the locking mechanism . a programmable logic controller ( plc ) 12 is programmed to operate the trimming and locking actuators in a predetermined sequence which can be modified according to the type of profile being trimmed . a source 14 provides the desired “ shop ” pressure , typically of the order of 90 psi , which is coupled through line 16 to a booster regulator 18 , and line 16 a to 16 b and 16 c which are respectively coupled to solenoid - operated control valves 18 and 20 for respectively operating the fixture locking cylinder 22 and trimming blade cylinder 24 . the output of booster 18 , which is of the order of 170 psi , is coupled to a safety valve 28 through reservoir 26 . a pair of one - way valves provided in valve structure 30 prevent the pressure in high pressure line 16 d from entering into low pressure line 16 b , and vice versa . the plc 12 receives a signal from the 4 - point welder , as will be more fully described , to initiate the operation of the trimming apparatus . the cooperating fixtures are shown in fig3 a and 3 b separated from one another while fig4 shows the fixtures in the trimming - ready position locked together in readiness for operation of the trimming blades . the upper and lower fixtures 32 and 34 embrace one of the frame members f 1 therebetween and are each provided with diagonally aligned faces 32 a and 34 a which are arranged to be directly opposite the diagonally aligned faces 36 a and 38 a of the upper and lower fixture members 36 and 38 , respectively , which receive a cooperating frame member f 2 . the fixtures 32 - 34 and 36 - 38 are arranged in the manner shown in fig2 and 4 and clamp the frame members f 1 and f 2 in the manner shown so that their cooperating surfaces to be joined are arranged in spaced , parallel fashion and are maintained in this alignment throughout the welding and trimming operation . the end surfaces of frame members f 1 and f 2 protrude of the order of 0 . 25 inches beyond the end surfaces of their associated fixtures . each upper and lower fixture 32 and 34 is provided with an elongated slot 32 b , 34 b for slideably receiving and guiding a locking actuator 22 as shown in fig1 , as well as a swingably mounted locking plate 40 and 42 . each locking plate is mounted to pivot about a pivot pin 44 , only one of which is shown in fig4 and in fig5 and is swingable between a retracted position 40 ′ shown in dotted fashion and a locking position 40 shown in solid line fashion in fig5 . other locking techniques may be used to restrain the fixture from moving during operation of the trimming blades . for example , making reference to fig5 , the plate 40 of fig5 , may enter into slot 50 in upper fixture 36 and containing pin 54 . plate 40 may have an opening for receiving pin 54 in the slot of fixture 32 . as the two fixtures 32 and 36 move together , the locking plate 40 may move over pin 54 . cylinder 22 operates by extending piston rod 22 a causing the end portion of the piston rod to press locking plate 40 downwardly causing pin 54 to enter the opening in plate 40 and thereby lock fixtures 32 and 36 against movement during the trimming operation . locking plate 40 of fig4 and 5 , for example , is swung about pivot 44 by means of a pin 46 on piston arm 22 a which is received within a slot 40 a provided in locking plate 40 . the fixture locking actuator cylinder 22 shown in fig1 , 3 a , 4 and 5 , drives piston arm 22 a in the direction of arrow a to move locking plate 40 , by pin 46 , in a counter clockwise direction about pivot pin 44 , as shown in fig5 so as to reach the locking position . as was mentioned hereinabove , the shop pressure ( typically 90 psi ) enters into cylinder 22 through line 16 e under control of the solenoid operated valve 18 when in a first state . piston 22 a is retracted by operating solenoid controlled valve to move to a second state to apply shop pressure to cylinder 22 through line 16 f causing the blocking plate 40 to occupy the dotted line position 40 ′ shown in fig5 . the upper and lower fixtures 36 and 38 shown in fig3 b are each provided with elongated slots 50 and 52 which slidably receive the free ends of the pistons 22 a and also receive at least a portion of the locking plate 40 . each of the slots 50 and 52 is provided with a locking pin 54 , 56 which cooperates with locking slot 40 b in each locking plate 40 . fig4 shows a portion of the upper fixture 32 removed to expose the locking mechanism actuator cylinder 22 and showing the piston 22 a in the extended state , causing the locking plate 40 to be pivoted into the position where its slot 40 b captures the pin 5 a shown in fig3 b , the locking position being shown best in fig4 and 5 . it should be understood that the upper fixtures 32 and 36 are locked to one another and that the lower fixtures 34 and 38 are locked to one another , the lower locking fixture assembly being substantially identical in design and function to the upper locking fixture description described hereinabove . the locking mechanism prevents the fixtures from moving relative to one another when the trimming blades are operated to prevent the frames being joined from experiencing any movement during trimming of the flashing and also to prevent the cooperating fixture members from moving during the trimming operation , thereby providing a trimming operation which completely removes the flashing , thus avoiding the need for any further trimming and / or polishing operations . the locking mechanism actuating cylinders 22 are operated to retract the pistons 22 a upon completion of the trimming operation to enable separation of the fixtures preparatory to removal of the joined frame members . each of the fixtures 32 , 34 , 36 and 38 is provided with a reciprocating trimming blade assembly 58 , 60 shown in fig3 a and 62 , 64 , shown in fig3 b . each trimming blade assembly has its blades joined to a boot b , each boot having a projection which is driven by an associated trimming cylinder 24 . fig6 a and 6 b are top and front end views of a boot holding four ( 4 ) trimming blades 1 , 2 , 3 , and 4 , which are secured to the boot b by suitable fastening screws ( not shown ). fig7 a - 10 c show front , side and top views of blades 1 - 4 . openings o in the blades 1 - 4 receive the aforementioned fasteners for securement to boot b . the cutting edges 1 a - 4 a are arranged along the edges of the boot b . a plurality of blades are employed to trim flashing in the embodiment of fig6 a , 6 b . blades may be provided to trim flashing from outside corners . surfaces s 1 , s 2 , etc . of the more complex frames of fig1 a to 12 c are the surfaces trimmed by the trimming blades . it should be understood that the number , sizes and configurations of the blades are a function of the surfaces of the frames to be trimmed and may be easily designed / modified to accommodate different profiles whether simple or complex . fig2 shows a simplified plan view of one corner trimming assembly showing the pneumatic lines coupled thereto for activating the latching and trimming assemblies . fig3 a is a perspective view showing a portion of the trimming assembly of fig2 which incorporates the latching hook and the pneumatic activators therefor . fig3 b is a perspective view showing the latching assembly portion which cooperates with that shown in fig3 a and having the latch receiving slot for receiving the latching hook which is latched to the pin provided in the slot . fig4 shows portions of the upper fixtures 32 and 36 removed , exposing the trimming actuator cylinders 24 the boots 58 a , 62 a and the boot projections 56 b and 62 b . each of the trimming actuator cylinders 24 is provided with a piston 24 a , each piston having its free end coupled to the associated boot projection 58 b , 62 b . making reference to fig1 and 2 , solenoid operated valve 20 , in a first position , couples the high pressure line 60 d to line 16 g causing the piston 24 a to be extended , driving the associated trimming blade toward the trimming / cutting position . when the solenoid operated valve 20 is moved to a second state , compressed air at shop psi ( typically 90 psi ) is coupled to cylinder 24 through line 16 h retracting the associated trimming blade at the lower pressure level . although fig1 shows only a single trimming actuator cylinder 24 and locking actuator cylinder 22 , it should be understood that two locking activating cylinders 22 are provided at each corner assembly comprised of upper and lower fixtures as shown in fig3 a and 3 b and that four trimming actuating cylinders are provided at each corner for selective operation of the trimming knives 58 , 60 , 62 and 64 . a typical operating sequence will now be described . initially , the welding operation takes place prior to the trimming operation . it should be understood that the welding operation may comprise equipment for fusing all four corners of a frame or alternatively for fusing only one corner , it being understood that the present invention may be utilized with equal success and efficiency in either single corner or four corner fusing equipment as well as 2 or 3 corner point welding units . the operation of the joining of two frame members at one corner will be described herein for purposes of simplicity , it being understood that the welding and trimming operations that are not shown are substantially identical in design and function . the frame members f 1 and f 2 to be joined are respectively placed between the fixture pairs 32 - 34 and 36 - 38 . although not shown for purposes of simplicity , it should be understood that suitable clamping means that such as hydraulically or pneumatically operated clamping pistons or electrically operated solenoids urge the cooperating fixtures 32 - 34 and 36 - 38 toward one another to suitably clamp the frame member f 1 and f 2 therebetween . a locator plate , not shown for purposes of simplicity , is extended into the region between the fixture pairs 32 - 34 and 36 - 38 and the fixtures are closed into the locator plate . the members being joined are inserted into the fixtures and the clamping actuators clamp the frame members in place . as is conventional , the processed ends f 1 a and f 2 a of the frame members of f 1 and f 2 are arranged by the locator plate so as to extend slightly beyond the end faces of the fixtures . for example , the mitred end of frame member f 1 is arranged to extended preferably about ⅛ th of an inch beyond faces 32 a and 34 a for fixtures 32 and 34 . frame member f 2 has its processed surface f 2 a extending a similar distance beyond the faces 36 a and 38 a of fixtures 36 and 38 . these distances may be modified according to the materials being joined , as well as other factors . with the frame members in this position and locked in place , the fixtures are moved apart and the locator plate is retracted . the heating plate is then extended into the gap between the mitred end surfaces and the fixtures are moved towards one another causing the end surfaces to make contact with the heated plate in order to melt the end portion of each frame member for a period sufficient to render the plastic material softened or molten . the ends of the frame members f 1 and f 2 are typically maintained in contact with the heat plate for approximately 20 seconds . the heat plate is typically maintained at a temperature of 450 ° f . when joining frames formed of pvc , for example , which is used for storm windows and the like . other materials may require different temperatures and different dwell times according to the material being used . for example , resilient gaskets used in refrigerators for sealing a refrigerator door , require less heat to soften the material sufficient for fusing two joined pieces . thereafter , the fixtures are moved apart and the heat plate is retracted from the region between the fixtures . the fixtures are then moved into an engaged position joining the heated , molten ends of the frame members . the members are maintained in this fusion position for about 20 to 25 seconds , allowing the frame members to be fused together and cooled . in the present invention , the plc 12 takes the signal from the welder assembly which may be signals provided to 24 volt dc solenoids employed in conventional welder machines . the trim cycle begins whereby plc 12 , upon receipt of the appropriate signal from the welder , operates the solenoid controlled valves 18 causing the valves to couple the “ shop ” psi to the line 16 e of the locking mechanism actuator cylinder 22 whereupon the piston arms 22 a are extended causing the latching plates 40 and 42 to enter into the cooperating slots 50 and 52 in fixtures 36 and 38 ( see fig3 a and 3 b ) whereby the slot 40 b in the upper latching plate 40 and 42 b in the lower latching plate 42 move into the locking position with the associated locking pins 54 and 56 , the manner in which the cooperating locking pin 54 is received within slot 40 b of locking plate 40 being shown best in fig5 . once the locking plates are in the locking position , the trimming operation can now be initiated . fig1 a shows a table of one trimming sequence comprised of 25 steps . the headings of the five columns reading from left to right are the step numbers ; relationship of each step to the prior step ( i . e . is it before or after ); the timing of each step ; the activity of each step and the total time elapsed . making reference to the table shown in fig1 a , initially the heads lock ( step 1 ) and thereafter actuating cylinders 24 are activated whereby the higher psi is applied to the lines 16 g causing both pairs of trimming blades , i . e . the upper pair of assemblies 58 - 62 and , simultaneously therewith the cooperating lower pair of trimming knife assemblies 60 - 64 provided in the lower fixtures 34 - 38 , to be extended ( step 2 ). at step 3 the left trimming knife of each trimming pair , i . e ., the trimming knives of assemblies 58 and 60 of fixtures 32 and 34 , are retracted at the lower psi . at step 4 the left trimming knives of assemblies 58 and 60 are then extended . at step 5 , the right trimming knives i . e . the trimming knives of assemblies 62 and 64 of the upper and lower fixtures 36 and 38 are retracted at the lower psi and then at step 6 they are extended at the higher psi . by retracting and extending the trimming blade assemblies 58 - 64 through a number of different steps , this assures the complete removal of the flashing . the number of steps typically may vary in accordance with the nature of the members and / or materials being fused . for example , when making gasket frames formed of a resilient compressible material , it has been found that such materials require a lesser number of steps to perform a trimming operation . thus , according to the material , the program is selected which removes the flashing without the need for further removal by cutting by hand and / or polishing . in addition to operating the trimming blades so as to open and close simultaneously or so as to hold one blade closed while the other is repeatedly opened and closed , a shearing operation may be performed by holding one of the cooperating blades of each blade pair in a retracted position and repeatedly extending and retracting the other blade of the blade pairs . for example , the right hand blades 62 and 64 ( fig3 b ) may be held in the retracted position while blades 58 and 60 are repeatedly retracted and extended , causing a shearing action whereby the blades 58 and 60 move to a position to shear and cut through the flashing formed at the jointure of the two joined frame members . the shearing sequence may be alternated whereby the left - hand blades of assemblies 58 , 60 perform shearing while the right - hand blades of assemblies 62 and 64 are retracted and the blade assemblies then reverse their operations so that the left - hand blades of assemblies 58 and 60 are retracted while the right - hand blades 62 and 64 perform the shearing operation . the program of fig1 b provides for repeated shearing operations where one blade assembly is retracted while the cooperating blade assembly is extended . see steps 3 - 5 ; 21 - 23 and 27 - 29 , for example , in addition to both extending and retracting at the same time . a variety of different combinations of cutting and shearing operations may be performed depending typically upon the nature of the material being trimmed . in the example given , the frame members have a fairly regular shape . it should be understood that the fixture and blades of the present invention may be provided with any desired configuration so as to conform to the profile of the frame members being joined and trimmed . for example , the frame profiles may be quite simple such as a gasket having substantially flat surfaces or maybe a frame for a window such as a storm window and have a much more complicated frame profile , as shown by the different profiles of fig1 a to 12 d . it can be seen that the present invention provides a novel apparatus and method for trimming plastic frame members and the like , and which is utilized in conjunction with conventional welding apparatus enabling the trimming operation to be performed while the frame members are retained at the welding apparatus thus eliminating the need for removing the fused frame members and relocating them to a separate independent apparatus . although the preferred embodiment is directed to joining frame members , it should be understood that the trimming apparatus of the present invention may be used to trim any joined plastic members , regardless of their orientation and may be used to trim members whose center lines are arranged to be parallel , perpendicular or any angle there between . in addition to the trimming apparatus embodiment described hereinabove , the present invention may be adapted for use in trimming joining members , such as , but not limited to , frame members and utilized with heating / fusing / joining apparatus capable of performing heating / fusing / joining operations on a single stack or frame or on multiple stacks of frames , simultaneously . for example , the embodiment shown in fig1 a , as well as the embodiment of fig3 and 3 a are utilized for trimming a single stack of profiles . fig1 a shows a somewhat complex “ right - hand ” profile p arranged in a suitable clamping fixture f to be joined to a “ left - hand ” profile , not shown for purposes of simplicity . for example , the fixture 32 , 34 of fig2 is assumed to hold the “ left - hand ” profile and the fixture 36 , 38 is assumed to hold the “ right - hand ” profile when viewing fig2 from the left - hand side of fig2 . the surfaces to be trimmed are s 1 - s 7 . heating / fusing / joining structures are also available which are capable of simultaneously operating on a stack of two ( 2 ) or more members . for example , fig1 b shows two identical “ right - hand ” profiles p arranged in a suitable clamping fixture f ′ in which the profiles p , similar to that shown in fig1 a , to be joined to “ left - hand ” profiles are arranged stacked one upon the other . thus , for example , a single point or multiple point welder capable of joining frame members of two frames stacked one upon the other , may be utilized with the present invention to thereby simultaneously trim two stacked frame members which have been joined . single or multiple point welders are not limited to joining double stacks and may be utilized to join multiple stacks greater in number than two . for example , fig1 c shows a “ quad ” stack in which four ( 4 ) “ right - hand ” profiles p 1 are arranged stacked one upon another in a frame assembly f ″ for joining with four ( 4 ) cooperating “ left - hand ” profiles . the trimmer arrangement of the present invention may trim surfaces s 1 - s 3 of the “ quad ” stack of profiles p 1 , the actual number of stacked profiles to be trimmed being a function of the single or multiple point welding apparatus as to whether it is capable of handling a single stack or multiple stacks of profiles . it should be understood that the “ right profiles ” for single , double or quad stacks are held by clamping fixtures similar to those respectively shown in fig1 a - 13 c . | 1Performing Operations; Transporting
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the present invention provides an edger / trimmer having a two - piece construction which is mountable to a variety of sized paint roller , as shown in fig2 a and 2b . the edger / trimmer according to the present technology may also be manufactured already attached to a paint roller , as shown in fig3 and 4 . the size of this invention can vary , depending on the size of the paint roller which it is intended for use . the edger can be manufactured as a plastic or medal product , or other suitable materials i . e ., wood , cardboard , composite , etc . the type of plastic used can be of multiple types , such as polyvinyl chloride , polyethylene , polyethylene terephthalate , high density polyethylene , low density polyethylene , polypropylene , polystyrene , polylactic acid , nylon , rubber , acrylic , polycarbonate , epoxy , for example , or any combination thereof . the type of metal can vary as well , such as aluminum or steel , for example , or any combination thereof . this edger can also be manufactured with a combination of plastic and metal , including all types previously mentioned . where the edger is manufactured as an attachment 40 , it will typically have be attached at a base of the handle 60 with an attachment clip 42 , which attaches to the metal frame 14 , 12 ( directly above the handle 60 ) of the paint roller , and is secured to the base of the handle 60 with a screw or multiple screws ( not shown ). the edger has a hinge 43 , which may include an elastic element , which allows the roller to be deployed from and retracted into the roller cover 37 as desired . an optional clamp 46 , as shown in fig2 a and 2b , can be provided to secure the edger in the deployed position by surrounding the metal frame 14 . a lip 33 along the top of the edger roller cover 37 provides a convenient location to manually displace the edger roller cover 37 between the deployed ( not shown ) and retracted position ( shown in fig2 a and 2b ). this lip 33 can also serve as a stop to prevent the roller 8 from abutting a surface along the line of the roller . there are a variety of techniques in which the edger as an accessory can be attached to a paint roller . this accessory can be attached to a paint roller with clamps or brackets of various types . the edger includes a paint roller cover 37 , which has a semi - circular shape , having an outside shield 46 at a respective side edge , beyond the outboard cover support assembly 26 , and an inside shield 32 with recess 35 through which the frame element 29 , 18 enters to axially support the roller 8 . the paint roller in use is shielded from view . the outside shield 46 of roller cover 32 has direct contact with the surface of the adjacent wall , and protects the adjacent wall from being painted . the outside shield 46 prevents the paint roller 8 from reaching the adjacent wall , therefore applying paint up to approximately ¼ of an inch from the adjacent wall . this outside shield 46 has rounded edges and a smooth surface , in order to avoid scratching or scathing the adjacent surface not to be painted ; specific types of plastic , or smooth applications to the shield ( such as teflon , cloth or foam ) are useful for this function . this outside shield 46 serves as a natural guide , directing the roller 8 along the edge or trim being painted , in a straight line . the outer shield &# 39 ; s lower edge , which touches the wall being painted , is preferably 1 / 32 inch or less thick , and has rounded edges as well . the edge consist of a very smooth and slippery ( low friction ) surface , as to travel along a piece of trim without getting stuck on imperfections on the surface of whatever material the paint is being applied to . this smooth and slippery edge can be created with various materials , for example slippery tape , and fiberglass . the paint roller cover holds four small paint brushes 34 a , 34 b , 34 c , 34 d on the under - carriage of the roller cover 37 , positioned directly under each corner end of the outside shield 46 and inside shield 32 . these four small paintbrushes 34 a , 34 b , 34 c , 34 d are removable , to permit insertion new paintbrushes when the original paintbrushes become old and worn out . the purpose of these four paintbrushes 34 a , 34 b , 34 c , 34 d is to assist in the process of creating a straight and accurate line along the edge or trim being painted . the paint roller applies paint to the wall or surface being painted ( approximately ¼ inch from the edge or trim ); the small paintbrushes 34 a , 34 b , 34 c , 34 d then push the paint applied by the roller closer to the edge or trim , creating a perfect line along the edge or trim being painted . the small paintbrushes 34 a , 34 b , 34 c , 34 d are able to get closer to the wall because of their positioning on the under - carriage of the paint roller cover 37 . the traditional style of a paint roller is challenged in creating a straight line near an edge because of the nature of its inherent structure ( it is not structured to create perfect lines against edges or trim ). the roller 8 edge can mar or mark the adjacent surface . the small paintbrushes 34 a , 34 b , 34 c , 34 d are structured to create perfect lines along edges and trim , and are able to do so only when positioned close enough to the edge or trim being painted . the painter is able to paint a perfect line to the intended surface of application , since the roller shield 37 guides the paint roller 8 along the adjacent wall in a steady and straight manner . the positioning of the paintbrushes 34 a , 34 b , 34 c , 34 d directly under the roller shield 37 allows the paint applied from the roller 8 to be perfectly pushed over to the edge or trim by the paintbrushes 34 a , 34 b , 34 c , 34 d . the brushes 34 a , 34 b , 34 c , 34 d also thin and spread paint applied at the edge of the roller 8 , which can often be thicker than in the central region of the roller 8 due to compression . the thickness of the roller shield 37 on the lateral edges is preferably 1 / 16 of an inch thick or less . the remaining area of the roller shield 37 is preferably ⅛ of an inch thick or less . the paint roller cover 40 will have a hinge 43 , which is adjacent to the point of attachment to the paint roller frame 12 , 14 , as to allow the roller cover 37 to swivel upward and away from the roller 8 . when in the open position , this feature allows the painter to apply paint to the roller 8 without getting paint on the cover , shield , or four small paintbrushes 34 a , 34 b , 34 c , 34 d on the under - carriage of the roller cover 37 . there is a small tab / handle 44 extended from the point of attachment , which will assist the painter in swiveling the shield to its open or closed position without getting paint on his / her hands . the hinge 43 also serves another very important purpose . when the painter is using the roller 8 on one side of a piece of trim , the roller shield 37 will be in the correct position in relation to the adjacent surface not to be painted . however , when the painter needs to paint the opposite side of the trim , the roller shield 37 will be in the incorrect position in relation to the adjacent surface not to be painted , and the roller 8 will need to be flipped onto its opposite side , completing a 180 degree turn . when the painter performs this task of rotating to the opposite side , it is necessary that the roller cover 37 be able to swivel to the opposite side of the roller 8 as well , which is also a function of the attachment clip 42 and hinge 43 . the attachment piece 42 and hinge 43 is thus structured as to be able to swivel to the opposite side of the roller 8 . there are many varieties of hinges that may be used in manufacturing this shield . when the roller cover 37 is in the open position , it would be necessary for it to stay open when applying paint to the roller 8 , such as in a roller pan . a lock ( not shown ) may be provided to hold the hinge open . the painter may also apply a pressure on the tab 33 while the painter applies the paint to the roller 8 . it is also desirable to have a manner in which the roller cover 37 can be held in a locked position when the roller cover 37 is closed . this is achievable in a variety of ways . directly in front of the roller cover &# 39 ; s 37 point of attachment ( i . e ., near the hinge 23 ), the roller cover stem 25 may have a notch or clamp 46 to permit secure connection to the metal frame 12 , 14 of the paint roller . when the roller cover 37 is in the closed position , it remains locked , so as not to move while painting any edge . this will ensure a straight line is painted upon the intended edge or trim . an alternate embodiment provides an integral edger for a roller 8 , as shown in fig3 a and 3b . in fig3 a , the roller 8 is shown protruding from the housing 50 . the roller 8 is spring loaded ( not shown ), and under pressure from the painter , is recessed into the roller cover housing 50 by way of groove 52 . the corner brushes 34 a , 34 b touch the wall when sufficient pressure is applied , and thus the painter is able to control the use of the corner brushes 34 a , 34 b by the amount of pressure applied . further , the protruding roller 8 permits paint to be applied to the roller 8 without immersing the roller 50 cover in paint . fig3 b shows a variation of the roller cover of fig3 a , in which extensions 51 from the lateral sides of the roller cover 50 may ensure that the roller cover 50 does not abut the adjacent wall . further , the corner brushes 34 e , 34 f , 34 g , 34 h may be splayed outwards , to paint the area adjacent to the edge of the roller . fig4 a , 4 b and 4 c show a paintbrush embodiment , of an edger , wherein a brush has a hinged attachment on a side . in the deployed position , the edger sits at right angles to the main brush , with a lateral shield to protect the wall surface adjacent to the surface being painted from getting marred by paint from the side of the brush . fig4 b shows the edger partially disengaged . in the fully disengaged state , the auxiliary brush is vertical ( away from main brush ), and may be held in either the deployed or disengaged state by a magnetic latch . the external side of the auxiliary brush may be coated with teflon or other non - stick surface , to help avoid paint sticking . the size of the edger can be varied in dependence on the size of the brush , or in some cases , the particular application . the edger may be formed of plastic ( polyvinyl chloride , polyethylene , polypropylene , polyethylene terephthalate , etc . ), metal ( steel , aluminum , etc . ), wood , cellulose fiber / cardboard , or other suitable materials . the edger can be provided as an attachment for a brush of standard type , or as an integral device . in the case of an attachment , a preferred embodiment has an attachment clip , which is attached to the paintbrush and secured with a screw or multiple screws as may be necessary . the accessory edger can also be mounted onto the side of the paintbrush without a clip and simply attached directly with a one or two screws , nails , adhesive ( e . g ., glue , double - sided tape , etc . ), or the like . a mounting bracket may also be used . a planar shield , having a first edge is provided , which has direct contact with the surface of the wall , edge or trim which is being painted . this planar shield prevents any paint from reaching the adjacent surface not intended for painting . the edger has a second edge as well , which blocks any paint from traveling or seeping around the first edge , and ensures that no paint reaches the adjacent surface to be protected . essentially , there are two planar shields with two edges , which can be manufactured as one piece , or as a laminated structure . in some cases , the planar shield is detachable and replaceable . for example , if the shield becomes soiled or contaminated , it may be replaced with a clean one . in the area between the two planar shields there is a hollow space , in essence a reservoir . if paint is able to travel around the first edge , the paint will be blocked by the second edge and travel up into the reservoir by capillary action , therefore reducing the tendency for the paint to leak to the adjacent wall . indeed , the reservoir may have a sponge or wick which actively draws paint into the space as it wets . such a sponge or wick would generally be disposable . the first and second edges of the shield are very thin ( 1 / 32 of an inch thick or less ) at the point in which they are touching the surface being painted . the top of the shield ( where the shield is attached to the paint brush ) has a thickness of no greater than ⅛ of an inch . the thickness of the shield becomes progressively thinner toward its distal edge . this creates a sloping effect , which has an important function in the edging process . as noted earlier , there are times in which small amounts of paint may travel around the first edge of the shield ; the angle the shield creates wicking force due to the surface tension of the paint , which assists the unwanted paint in traveling up the shield and away from the second edge . this system creates a an extra safety net in terms of keeping the excess and unwanted paint from reaching the adjacent surface , which is not intended to be painted . the distal edge of the planar shield , away from the handle , serves as a natural guide when inserted into the intended edge at a 45 degree angle ; and insures a straight line will be applied to the trim or edge of intended applied surface , as the painter moves the brush either up or down the intended line . that is , the brush is used to paint trim , and the edger is particularly useful in corners . when the painter inserts the brush with edger into the corner , it is preferred that the brush sit at a 45 degree angle to the corner , wherein one side is intended to be painted , and the other side is intended to be shielded . the planar edges consist of a very smooth and slippery surface , as to travel along an edge without getting stuck on imperfections on the surface of whatever material the paint is being applied to . this smooth and slippery edge can be created with various products , such as a slippery tape , teflon or fiberglass . the shape of the planar shield may be , for example , square or triangular in shape . the corners of the first and second edges at the bottom of the shield are preferably rounded , as to ensure a smooth path along any surface traveled . thus , the edges server as a guide for the brush in the corner , and the leading portion of the edger preferably does not have a sharp extension that might dig into the wall or otherwise become lodged . the planar shield has a hinge on the upper portion of the shield , as to allow the bottom half of the shield to swivel upward and away from the bristles of the paintbrush . this feature allows the painter to apply paint to the bristles of the brush without getting paint on the planar shield , and also to paint areas that do not require edging . a small tab / handle is provided on each side of the planar shield , which assists the painter in swiveling the shield to its open or closed position , without getting paint on his / her hands . for example , a piano hinge may be used for a metal edger attachment . the hinge may also be formed of a locally thinned line of plastic , and can be formed by molding or in a post - process . thus , an integral plastic hinge may be formed together with one or both shields . for example , a groove may be formed at the hinging line about ¾ of the way through the plastic shield , which creates a natural hinge . a latch or hitch may be provided on the bottom portion of the shield , which permits it to be locked in position when open ( for applying paint to the brush ) or closed ( for edging ). this will insure a straight line is painted upon intended edge or trim . another type of system may also be used for opening and closing the shield . this system involves a track in which the shield may slide up or down the paintbrush . this track system involves no hinges and allows the painter to slide the shield up the paintbrush , as to not get paint on the shield while applying paint to the bristles , with a locking mechanism to keep the shield in an open position . the shield would then be able to slide down the paintbrush to a closed position , with a locking mechanism to keep the shield in a closed position . therefore , a paint brush accessory mountable on a paint brush handle includes a planar shield having a first edge and an opposed second edge . the first edge is used as a sliding guide upon the intended surface to be guided in a straight line when inserted to said trim or edge at an angle . the first edge is very thin at the point of contact with the wall or said surface , and is preferably rounded at each end of the shield . the first edge blocks paint from reaching the adjacent wall to be protected . a second edge is provided between the brush bristles and the first edge , providing a double barrier and a space in between which acts by capillary action to remove paint from the distal edge of the edger attachment . this hollow space may cover the entire bottom half of the shield . the first and second edge are either formed of a low frictional coefficient material , or have a suitable lubricating coating , in order to provide a smooth ride over the intended surface . the shield may be displaced while applying paint to the bristles of the brush , and close while applying paint to the edge on the wall or trim . thus there has been shown various embodiments of the invention . the invention may encompass combinations and subcombinations of the features herein disclosed and described . the scope of the invention is limited solely by the scope of the claims hereinafter provided . | 1Performing Operations; 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preferred embodiment methods provide for distribution of items , such as blocks of identification numbers , for programming integrated circuits as part of circuit testing . fig1 illustrates a simple system of two sites with two automated testers at each site with each tester running various test software ( e . g ., tester automation and data collection tools ); the testers blow electrical fuses to program a circuit . the preferred embodiments extend the tester software to provide automatic distribution of programming items from a master database through site operational databases to each tester as needed while maintaining tester throughput and limiting item inaccuracies . a first preferred embodiment method provides distribution of identification numbers ( ids ) used in the bluetooth wireless standard plus additional items , such as customer identifications and encryption keys , for an integrated circuit manufacturer which makes multiple products for various customers and , additionally , has contracted some work out to one or more foundries . each pertinent site has multiple ( e . g ., 100 ) automatic testers for electrically testing each circuit ( still in wafer form or already packaged ), and these testers are also capable of electrically blowing fuses in circuits under test to program various items , from ids to activation of redundant circuitry , during the testing . the contract foundries would have similar setups . each tester runs various software tools ( e . g ., tester automation and data collection ) so its operator can set the tester to automatically test each circuit , record test results , program ( blow fuses ) ids for circuits which had tested as good , and so forth . fig1 illustrates a system where each tester at a site communicates with an operational database for the site . the tester downloads from the operational database blocks of bluetooth ids if bluetooth circuits are under test , and customer identifications or other keys such as for des , rc4 , . . . encryption if circuits requiring these are under test . conversely , the tester uploads to the operational database test results and requests for items being programmed into the circuits under test . for bluetooth ids every circuit requires a unique id ; whereas , for customer identification , the programmed item may be the same for all circuits within a lot ( e . g ., 24 wafers with 500 circuits per wafer may require a single customer identification but 12000 bluetooth ids ). the preferred embodiments have a tester download bluetooth ids in blocks of size 128 . any unused bluetooth ids at the end of a lot are simply discarded . the small size of the blocks in the tester implies little cost to discarding unused bluetooth ids . the operational database for a site ( including a foundry &# 39 ; s site ) acquires bluetooth ids from a master database in blocks of size 128k . and the master database has bluetooth ids stored in blocks of size 1m ; see fig1 . the preferred embodiment methods may waste bluetooth ids if the key handler task is shut down . however , by not recycling unused ids from the tester level , this allows for a robust system which will minimize the chance of duplicate ids being used for two different circuits . the system of fig1 operates as follows . an ic manufacturer acquires a block of 1m bluetooth ids or customer keys . a web interface is used by an engineer of ( a business unit of ) the ic manufacturer to input bluetooth ids or customer keys to the master database . in the case of bluetooth , each id has 48 bits or , equivalently , 12 hexadecimal digits . as an example , presume the block of acquired ids consists of the range from 0x0800e7300000 to 0x0800e73fffff . the ids are stored in blocks of size 128k ( 0x20000 ), that is , storing 1m ids would add just the 8 entries 0x0800e7300000 , 0x0800e7320000 , 0x0800e7340000 , . . . , 0x0800e73c0000 , 0x0800e73e0000 to the inventory of the master database . the master database is connected to the operational databases of the various testing sites ( using local / wide area network or vpn ) of the ic manufacturer ( and any contract foundries ) plus the manufacturer &# 39 ; s it systems which include entry points for the acquired ids . next , an operational database at a testing site pulls one 128k block of ids from the master database , and the corresponding entry ( e . g ., 0x0800e7340000 ) in the master database inventory is updated as “ allocated ” to the operational database which requested it . this pulling of a 128k block can be triggered by the inventory of available ids at the operational database dropping to near - empty ( low water mark ). the operational database divides the block of 128k ids into blocks of size 128 ( 0x80 ). thus the inventory addition from the 128k block would initially be 0x0800e7340000 , 0x0800e7340080 , 0x0800e7340100 , . . . , 0x0800e735ff80 ; a total of 1k entries . the site operational database is locally connected to the site testers , and the individual testers will pull a block of 128 ids from the operational database as needed . this hierarchical id storage has the following benefits : further minimizes the chance that an id will be used twice . allows histories of the used ids to be kept for a longer time period . the distribution of customer keys , such as customer identification , encryption keys , and so forth can likewise be distributed with a master database , site operational databases , and the testers programming the information . the following section has implementation details for a typical system . the web interface could be an application that can be accessed by anyone entering a valid user identification and password . in order to update the values in the bluetooth table or the customer key table , the user identification must be in a list of authorized users . the web form will enable a business unit engineer to load new bluetooth ids and customer / device - specific public and private keys , and to view current key status ( e . g ., available / allocated ). bluetooth ids are entered in a range , same as that given by the ieee : for example ids in the range 080028800000 - 080288fffff . bluetooth ids are stored in blocks of 128k ( 0x20000 ). only the beginning block address is stored in the master database . the web interface tool will verify that ids being entered do not duplicate ids already stored in the master database . it will also verify that the range of ids being entered is evenly divisible by 0x20000 . customer ids , public keys and other key types can be loaded and / or modified using the web interface tool . public keys are encrypted by the tool before they are stored in the master database . the low water mark for bluetooth ids is set by the user using the web interface . when this mark is reached , the master database notifies the escalation list that ids are running low and need to be replenished . one week leadtime is typically needed for getting additional ids from the ieee , so the low water mark should be set accordingly . the master database holds bluetooth ids in blocks of 128k . the operational database pulls one or more blocks from the master database whenever a low water mark is reached . the operational database breaks up one 128k block into smaller blocks of 128 ids . the operational database will tell the master database which site pulled the ids for tracking purposes and keep them in a history table . customer keys are automatically pulled from the master database when requested ; no push operation from the master database is required . if a new customer key is entered into the master database , it will be allocated to a local operational database when a tester requests it . a stored procedure on the operational database is used by the key handler ( from a tester , see below ) to grab the starting address of a block of 128 bluetooth ids . this stored procedure updates the table containing available ids . it will also update a history table to show which testers are being allocated the ids . a table - level lock is made when a block is requested , guaranteeing that multiple key handlers hitting the same table will not get a duplicate block of ids . tables for the master database include a table for authorized users , a table for available and allocated bluetooth ids and a table for current customer keys . the bluetooth id tables : the tables for the operational database include a table for available bluetooth ids , a table for allocated bluetooth ids and a table for current customer keys . a stored procedure allows the key handler task to easily pull one block of bluetooth ids ; the procedure will take care of locking the “ available ” table , getting the next id , and then it to the “ allocated ” table . key handler is a daemon task running a tester . key handler will not connect to the operational database or grab any bluetooth ids until the first request by the test program . key handler connects and disconnects to the operational database as needed . it does not remain connected while in an idle state . the test program can request one or more bluetooth ids , which key handler requests from the operational database and returns to test program . key handler will pull one block of 128 ids from the operational database and keep it as cache . this way the test program can request one id at a time without having the key handler hit the operational database every time . also , the ids are not recycled ( unused ids are not returned to the operational database ), so uniqueness is guaranteed at the expense of discarding unused ids in the blocks of 128 . if a customer public key is requested by the test program , the key handler will get it from the operational database , decrypt it , and then pass it back to the test program . the test program talks to the key handler task through a pair of named pipes or through a socket using a predefined set of ascii messages . for example , the pipe names could be / tmp / twkey_in for the input pipe to send messages to the key handler and / tmp / twkey_out for the output pipe to receive messages from the key handler . a predefined set of messages types are available . key_request message : get a key from a particular key type ( public key , customer id , etc .) and a key id ( device name , system item id , etc . ); and bt_request message : get one or more bluetooth ids . all messages to key handler are responded to with an acknowledge ack or a not acknowledge nak , along with additional information . note that in ascii “ ack ” is taken to be 0x06 and “ nak ” is 0x15 . a nak response message will include a reason . for example , the response could be one of : if a bluetooth id is needed , the test program can request one id , which key handler will return to it . the test program can also request a number of ids , such as a full block of 128 , which the key handler will return to it as a range . if a customer key is needed , the test program will request it by a key_type = customer_key and a key_id , which the key handler will request from the operational database and return to the test program . the customer key is the same for all circuits in a lot , so the test program will only need to request it once at the beginning of the lot . if a public key is needed ( or any other key that is encrypted in the operational database ), the key handler will decrypt it before giving it to the test program . if the key handler cannot get the required number of bluetooth ids or a customer key , it will return a nak to the test program . the preferred embodiments may be varied while retaining the hierarchical distribution feature . for example , the block sizes in the master database , operational databases , and testers could be varied such as block sizes 64 or 256 in a tester , 64k or 256k in an operational database , and so forth . | 6Physics
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a cast on strap machine 1 in accordance with an embodiment of the invention is arranged to provide liquid lead into the mould cavities of a mould 50 before tabs 82 of a set of battery plates 80 are moved into position by a jig box 70 with the tabs 82 within the mould cavities and the lead can solidify so as to form straps connecting the tabs . a lead delivery apparatus 5 is provided for delivering a predetermined volume of lead to the mould 50 . the lead delivery apparatus 5 generally comprises a housing 2 , which defines an inlet reservoir 4 , a block 10 , a mechanism 20 , a runway 30 and a chute 40 . the lead delivery apparatus 5 is connected to a lead supply 60 . it will be noted that in the illustrated embodiment a pair of identical lead delivery apparatus are provided to deliver to opposing sides of the mould 50 ( and fed from a common lead supply 60 ). it will be appreciated that this will depend upon the type of mould to be formed and therefore the invention may be used in a single or multiple arrangements . for clarity , the following description will describe the operation of only a single side of the apparatus but it will be appreciated from the figures that the two sides operate in an identical fashion ( albeit with their motions mirrored ). the housing 2 defines a lead reservoir 4 in its interior and is generally arranged to have an open upper surface such that dross which accumulates maybe easily skimmed from the lead in the reservoir . an inlet 8 is provided for the supply of lead and an outlet 6 is provided in the base of the reservoir . the housing may further be provided with a cover 3 which encloses the reservoir 4 but which is spaced apart from the lead fill level of the reservoir . as such an ullage 4 b ( i . e . an unfilled space ) is defined above the reservoir 4 . a gas inlet 9 is provided at the rear of the housing 4 which extends into the ullage 4 b such that , in use , the ullage 4 b may be filled with an inert gas ( for example pure nitrogen or argon ). typically , the gas will be introduced at atmospheric pressure ( so as not to effect the flow of lead ) but with a flow rate which is sufficiently high to expel the air from the ullage 4 b . the housing is further provided with a bleed opening 7 which ( as described in below ) is arranged to be aligned with the through cavity 12 when the block 10 is in the second position . the bleed opening 7 is in fluid communication with the ullage 4 b of the housing 2 . spaced apart from , and below , the housing 2 is a runway 30 which is arranged parallel to the lower surface of the housing and defines a slot therebetween which is shaped and sized to receive a block 10 . the runway is provided with a through hole 34 aligned with the inlet 8 on the housing 2 and a blind recess 36 in alignment with the outlet 6 of the housing 2 ( the blind recess 36 will form a sump as described below ). the runway 30 is sloped relative to the horizontal such that it &# 39 ; s inward ( i . e . closest to the mould 50 ) end is higher than its rearward end . this ensures that any lead which escapes during operation of the machine will run away from the mould 50 . adjacent to the rearward ( and lowermost ) point of the runway 30 there is provided a gully 39 ( which may be formed as part of the runway 30 or the lead supply pipe 66 which is positioned below the runway ) for catching any lead leakage . the gully may be arranged to return the lead to the lead supply 60 . the block 10 is provided with a through cavity 12 and a through hole 18 . in the non - displaced position of the block 10 the through hole 18 is aligned with the inlet 8 and through hole 34 to form the inlet path to the lead reservoir 4 . in the same position , the through cavity 12 is aligned with the outlet 6 of the lead reservoir 4 and the blind hole 36 of the runway 30 such that lead from the reservoir will enter the blind hole 36 and cavity 12 . the mechanism 20 comprises a crank mechanism attached to the block 10 and arranged ( as described below with reference to fig2 to 5 ) to move the block between its neutral position and a lead delivery position . a chute 40 is provided which defines a passageway 42 which , in use , is arranged to deliver lead from the block 10 to the mould 50 . the passageway 42 defines an inclined pathway for the lead and is provided with radiused corners to ensure smooth flow and minimise turbulence of the lead . the chute is provided with a moveable support 48 which is arranged to move the chute between a delivery position and a retracted position ( as will be described in more detail with reference to fig2 to 5 ). a wall 44 is provided at the end of the chute 40 proximal to the mould 50 and a gap 45 is provided between the passageway 42 and wall 44 . the gap 45 , thus , forms an outlet to the chute 40 . fig2 shows the apparatus in its starting position in which the block 10 is aligned such that the through cavity 12 is below the outlet 6 of the lead reservoir 4 and the through hole 18 is aligned with the inlet 8 of the lead reservoir 4 . thus , lead will flow from the constant head lead supply 60 ( as shown in fig1 ) through supply pipes 66 a and 66 b ( which may typically be heated ) and hole 34 in the runway 30 into the reservoir 4 . the reservoir will be maintained at a fill level defined by the head of the lead supply 60 ( which is defined by a weir 64 ). as the through cavity 12 is in fluid communication with the lead reservoir 4 , a predetermined volume of lead will fill the cavity 12 and an additional volume of lead will enter the blind hole 36 so as to provide a sump below the cavity 12 . it will be noted that in this step the chutes 40 are already in the delivery position in which the passageway 42 is below the end of the runway 32 and the gap 45 which defines the outlet of the chute is positioned above the mould recess of the mould 50 . to commence filling of the mould , the mechanism 20 is actuated to slide block 10 relative to the housing 2 and runway 30 , as shown by the arrows a in fig3 . the actuation mechanism will be described in more detail with reference to fig7 below , but may be any convenient mechanism which provides a reciprocating action of the block 10 . the block 10 slides inwards towards the chute 40 until it reaches its second position ( as shown in fig3 ) in which the delivery port 16 of the through cavity 12 is aligned with the end 32 of the runway 30 . in this position the bleed opening 7 provided in the housing 2 is in fluid communication with the inlet of the through cavity 12 such that gas may be drawn into the upper portion of the through cavity 12 . this arrangement helps to avoid any vacuum effect which may hinder the release of the lead within the through cavity 12 . further , since the bleed opening 7 is in fluid communication with the ullage 4 b the gas drawn into the cavity is inert gas . advantageously , this has been found to reduce or avoid the formation of lead oxides on the surfaces of the through cavity 12 which would otherwise ( over the course of many cycles ) reduce the volume defined by the through cavity 12 . this will , therefore , reduce the downtime required for cleaning and maintenance of the machine . the end 32 of the runway 30 and the outermost portion of the open passageway 42 are arranged to provide a gradual downward transition to guide the lead onto the chute with minimal turbulence which could otherwise result in splashing . the lead passes along the downwardly curved passageway until reaching the gap 45 which provides the outlet to the chute 40 . the wall 44 ensures a clean downwardly directed delivery of the lead into the mould cavity 50 with any lead which overshoots the gap 45 striking the wall and being downwardly directed back through the gap 45 . once the lead pouring has completed , the block 10 returns to its first position in which the through cavity is aligned with the outlet 6 of lead reservoir 4 ( moving in the direction of arrows b shown in fig4 ). in this position the reservoir is again in fluid communication with the lead supply such that the level of the reservoir will be replenished and the through cavity 12 will be refilled . at this stage the chute 40 is retracted from its lead delivery position by being moved away from the mould 50 towards the housing 2 . the chute is moved by rotation of the moveable support 48 in the direction shown by arrows c , resulting in the chute 40 moving in the direction of arrows d . a cut - out 38 is provided in the lower surface of the runway 30 to accommodate the initial movement of the chute . the cut - out is a stepped portion in the lower surface and may for example be a slot of substantially equal width to that of the chute . as shown in fig5 , the battery plates 80 are brought into position above the mould 50 by a downward motion ( in the direction of arrow e ) until the tabs 82 of the plates lie within the mould cavity ( which now contains molten but cooling lead ). a mechanical connection is provided between the moveable support 48 of the chute 40 and the jig box 70 such that the chutes move down ( as shown by arrow f ) below the upper surface of mould 50 in conjunction with the movement of the battery plates 80 towards the mould 50 . this is advantageous since the chute 40 will be hot ( and may typically be heated to ensure the required delivery temperature of the lead is achieved ) and may help to avoid any damage to the battery plates ( or , more specifically , to the separators between the battery plates ). this arrangement may , for example , enable the height of the tabs 82 to be reduced and / or may eliminate the need for providing a cooling air supply over the mould 50 as is known in conventional arrangements . finally , as shown in fig6 , the battery plates 80 are moved away from the mould 50 by the jig box 70 ( in the direction of arrow h ) and eject the formed straps with the tabs 82 . in conjunction with the movement of the jig box 70 the chutes 40 are moved upwards ( in the direction of arrow g ) and rotated inwards ( in the direction of arrow i ) to return to the delivery position . fig7 shows a mechanism 20 suitable for use in embodiments of the invention . the mechanism comprises a drive motor 100 arranged to rotate a crank 110 which is connected via a lever arm 120 to the block 10 . it will be noted that a plurality of blocks 10 a , 10 b and 10 c may each be connected to a common mechanism for actuation in use . each block 10 is associated with a separate housing 2 a , 2 b and 2 c defining an independent lead reservoir , each of which is in fluid communication with the feed line 66 . a simple connection may be provided between the block 10 and the mechanism 20 , for example a bar 21 and hook arm 22 arrangement , such that the block 10 and mechanism 20 may easily be disconnected for example to clean the block , housing or runway , or to replace the block ( for example , to provide a block with a different capacity through cavity 12 ). in some embodiments it may be desirable to provide a plurality of through cavities in a single block 210 as shown in fig8 . each cavity 212 a and 212 b may have a different predetermined volume depending on the mould feature for which the lead is acquired . for example , a larger mould cavity 212 a may be provided for forming a post detail while a small mould cavity 212 b may be provided for forming a strap . the cavities 212 a and 212 b may be suitably shaped such that their delivery ports 216 a and 216 b are of a standard profile such that no modification is required to the chute 40 . all of the invention has been described above with reference to one or more preferred embodiments . it will be appreciated that various changes or modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims . for example , the skilled person will appreciate that while the embodiment above has been primarily described in relation to the forming of straps , other formations may also be cast onto the lugs of battery plates ( for example posts ) and that a cast on strap machine may be used for the formation of any such formations without departing from the scope of the invention . in some embodiments it may be advantageous to provide a plurality of cavities 12 arranged to deliver lead to a single mould cavity . for example , this may be desirable for relatively large mould cavities . the plurality of cavities could be in multiple blocks or in single multiple cavity block ( of the type shown in fig8 ) for example , each cavity may measure a separate volume of lead and the total volume of the cavities may provide the volume require for the particular mould cavity . the cavities may for example deliver to different areas of a single mould cavity to ensure an even distribution of lead . | 1Performing Operations; Transporting
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referring to the drawings , a fabric shade screen 1 is a soft and flexible material made from an open mesh , non shrink , and water resistant material , such as nylon or plastic , that is of an appropriate shading effect , and that will conform to different sizes , shapes and contours of mirrors 7 . in fig1 the round outside rear view mirror 7 attached at the back side to the mirror frame 8 requires a round piece of the shade screen 1 , approximately four inches larger in diameter than the mirror 7 , and a strip of elastic 5 having a length smaller than the circumference of the mirror 7 . the shade screen 1 will be held in place using the following method . the elastic 5 is to be stretched to its fullest extent and sewn , while extended , to the perimeter of the shade screen 1 . when the shade screen 1 is attached to the mirror 7 , the larger diameter of the shade screen 1 will allow the shade screen 1 to lap over the edge to the back side of the mirror 7 , fig2 and be held snugly to the mirror 7 , fig3 by the contraction of the elastic 5 . the mirror shade screen has a number of pleats 10 taking up material about the circumference of the shade screen . in fig4 a rectangular or square outside rear view mirror 7 attached at the back side to the mirror frame 8 , requires a rectangular or square piece of the shade screen 1 approximately four inches wider and longer than the width and length of the mirror 7 , and a piece of elastic 5 having a length smaller than the perimeter of the mirror 7 . the shade screen 1 will be held in place using the following method . the elastic 5 is stretched to its fullest extent and sewn , while extended , to the perimeter of the shade screen 1 . when the shade screen 1 is attached to the mirror 7 , the larger size of the shade screen 1 will allow the shade screen 1 to lap over the edge to the back side of the mirror 7 , fig5 and be held snugly to the mirror 7 , fig6 by the contraction of the elastic 5 . in fig7 a rectangular or square outside rear view mirror 7 attached at the edge to the mirror support frame 8 , will require an envelope type shade screen 1 . the envelope type shade screen 1 will require two pieces of shade screen 1 , each being approximately four inches longer and wider than the mirror 7 . the two pieces of shade screen 1 are to be placed one on top of the other and sewn together on three sides 6 , thereof fig8 leaving the side on which the mirror 7 is attached to the mirror support frame 8 open . the shade screen 1 will be held in place using the following method . a strip of velcro 3 , ( nylon hook & amp ; loop tape fastener ), is sewn to the inside edges of the open side of the shade screen 1 , fig9 the hook part to one edge and the loop part to the other edge . when the shade screen 1 is placed on the mirror 7 , the velcro 3 ( nylon hook & amp ; loop tape fastener ) is pressed together closing the open side and holding the shade screen 1 in place . alternatively , the envelope type shade screen can be provided with a hem along the open side . a draw string is then installed in the hem , and is used to draw together the open side to hold the mirror shade screen in place on the mirror . fig1 shows a truck type outside rear view mirror 7 , that is rectangular in shape and attached to the mirror support frame 8 at the top and bottom edges with the shade screen 1 in place . the shade screen 1 for this type mirror 7 requires a piece of shade screen 1 wider than the width of the mirror 7 and approximately one inch longer than the mirror 7 , two strips of seam binder 2 , each equal in length to the width of the shade screen 1 , two pieces of string 4 approximately eight inches long , and two strips of velcro 3 ( nylon hook & amp ; loop tape fastener ) sufficient in length to extend across the back of the mirror . one strip of seam binder 2 is to be sewn to the top , and one strip to the bottom horizontal edges of the shade screen 1 , as an edge finisher to prevent raveling . the shade screen 1 will be held in place using the following method . one piece of string 4 is to be sewn with the seam binder 2 to the top and bottom edges of the fabric , in the center , for the purpose of tying the shade screen 1 to the mirror frame 8 to prevent movement of the shade screen 1 up or down . the velcro ( nylon hook and loop tape fasteners ) strips 3 extend horizontally from the respective edges of the shade screen fabric 1 . a hook portion of a velcro strip 3 , noting fig1 and 11 , is sewn to one edge , with a portion thereof extending beyond the edge of the shade screen , and a loop portion is sewn to the opposite edge of the shade screen , also extending beyond the shade screen , at a corresponding vertical position . as can be seen from fig1 and 11 , two such sets of hook and loop portions are provided , vertically spaced on the shade screen fabric &# 39 ; s edges . when the shade screen 1 is placed on the mirror 7 , it is wrapped around the mirror 7 , the velcro ( nylon hook & amp ; loop tape fastener ) strips are placed and pressed together at the back side of the mirror 7 , and the string 4 are tied to the frame 8 at the top and bottom , holding the shade screen 1 snugly in place , as seen in fig1 . | 8General tagging of new or cross-sectional technology
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the hybrid in - band on - channel ( iboc ) digital audio broadcasting system permits simultaneous transmission of analog and digitally encoded audio signals in the same channel . the transmitted signal includes of the current analog am signal , bandlimited to an audio bandwidth of about 5 khz , and digital carriers that extend about ± 15 khz from the am carrier . in addition to transmitting digitally encoded audio , the digital carriers also periodically carry known data called a training sequence . this broadcasting is accomplished by transmitting a digital waveform by way of a plurality of orthogonal frequency division modulated ( ofdm ) carriers , some of which are modulated in - quadrature with the analog am signal and are positioned within the spectral region where the standard am broadcasting signal has significant energy . the remaining digital carriers are modulated both in - phase and in - quadrature with the analog am signal and are positioned in the same channel as the analog am signal , but in spectral regions where the analog am signal does not have significant energy . in the united states , the emissions of am broadcasting stations are restricted in accordance with federal communications commission ( fcc ) regulations to lie within a signal level mask defined such that : emissions 10 . 2 khz to 20 khz removed from the analog carrier must be attenuated at least 25 db below the unmodulated analog carrier level , emissions 20 khz to 30 khz removed from the analog carrier must be attenuated at least 35 db below the unmodulated analog carrier level , and emissions 30 khz to 60 khz removed from the analog carrier must be attenuated at least [ 35 db + 1 db / khz ] below the unmodulated analog carrier level . fig1 shows the spectrum of an am digital audio broadcasting signal of a type that can be utilized by the present invention . curve 10 represents the magnitude spectrum of a standard broadcasting amplitude modulated signal , wherein the carrier has a frequency of f 0 . the fcc emissions mask is represented by item number 12 . the ofdm waveform is composed of a series of data carriers spaced at f 1 = 59 . 535 · 10 6 /( 131072 ), or about 454 hz . a first group of twenty four of the digitally modulated carriers are positioned within a frequency band extending from ( f 0 − 12 f 1 ) to ( f 0 + 12 f 1 ), as illustrated by the envelope labeled 14 in fig1 . most of these signals are placed 39 . 4 db lower than the level of the unmodulated am carrier signal in order to minimize crosstalk with the analog am signal . crosstalk is further reduced by encoding this digital information in a manner that guarantees orthogonality with the analog am waveform . this type of encoding is called complementary encoding ( i . e . complementary bpsk , complementary qpsk , or complementary 32 qam ) and is more fully described in the previously discussed u . s . pat . no . 5 , 859 , 876 . complementary bpsk modulation is employed on the innermost digital carrier pair at f 0 ± f 1 to facilitate timing recovery . these carriers are set at a level of − 28 dbc . all other carriers in this first group have a level of − 39 . 4 dbc and are modulated using complementary 32 qam for the 48 and 32 kbps encoding rates . complementary 8 psk modulation is used on carriers ranging from ( f 0 − 11 f 1 ) to ( f 0 − 2 f 1 ) and from ( f 0 + 2 f 1 ) to ( f 0 + 11 f 1 ) for the 16 kbps encoding rate . for all three encoding rates , the carriers at ( f 0 − 12 f 1 ) and ( f 0 + 12 f 1 ) carry supplementary data and may be modulated using complementary 32 qam . additional groups of digital carriers are placed outside the first group . the need for these digital waveforms to be in - quadrature with the analog signal is eliminated by restricting the analog am signal bandwidth . the carriers in a second and a third group , encompassed by envelopes 16 and 18 respectively , may be modulated using , for example , 32 qam for the 48 and 32 kbps rates , and 8 psk for the 16 kbps rate . the carriers are set at levels of − 30 dbc for all encoding rates . fig2 is a block diagram of a receiver constructed to receive the composite digital and analog signals of fig1 . an antenna 110 receives the composite waveform containing the digital and analog signals and passes the signal to conventional input stages 112 , which may include a radio frequency preselector , an amplifier , a mixer and a local oscillator . an intermediate frequency signal is produced by the input stages on line 114 . this intermediate frequency signal is passed through an automatic gain control circuit 116 to an i / q signal generator 118 . the i / q signal generator produces an in - phase signal on line 120 and a quadrature signal on line 122 . the in - phase channel output on line 120 is input to an analog - to - digital converter 124 . similarly , the quadrature channel output on line 122 is input to another analog - to - digital converter 126 . feedback signals on lines 120 and 122 are used to control the automatic gain control circuit 116 . the signal on line 120 includes the analog am signal which is separated out as illustrated by block 140 and passed to an output stage 142 and subsequently to a speaker 144 or other output device . an optional highpass filter 146 may be used to filter the in - phase components on line 128 to eliminate the energy of the analog am signal and to provide a filtered signal on line 148 . if the highpass filter is not used , the signal on line 148 is the same as that on line 128 . a demodulator 150 receives the digital signals on lines 148 and 130 , and produces output signals on lines 154 . these output signals are passed to an equalizer 156 and to a switch 158 . to obtain higher signal - to - noise ratios ( snr ) for the complementary carriers , the fft outputs for pairs of complementary carriers are combined . the output of the switch is sent to a deinterleaving circuit and forward error correction decoder 164 in order to improve data integrity . the output of the deinterleaver / forward error correcting circuit is passed to a source decoder 166 . the output of the source decoder is delayed by circuit 168 to compensate for the delay of the analog signal at the transmitter and to time align the analog and digital signals at the receiver . the output of delay circuit 168 is converted to an analog signal by a digital - to - analog converter 160 to produce a signal on 162 which goes to the output stage 142 . additional control features are provided by a mode control and data synchronization processor 163 and a normal / training synchronization block 165 . mode control and data synchronization processor 163 processes the control information and determines the audio encoding rate and the boundaries of the inner interleaver . normal / training synchronization block determines if the received baud is a normal baud or a training baud . fig3 is a functional block diagram that illustrates the operation of a demodulator 150 and an adaptive equalizer 156 in accordance with the present invention . the snr estimates can be used to control the convergence factors of an equalizer to permit rapid response to channel changes when the snr is high and robustness against noise when the snr is low . also , the snr estimates can be used in the error correction processing to obtain improved performance . both in - phase ( i ) and quadrature ( q ) signals are provided on lines 148 and 130 as inputs to a windowing and guard interval removal circuit 170 . these signals may be provided by using down converter elements similar to those shown in fig2 . the window should be applied such that the digital carriers remain orthogonal , or at least the lack of orthogonality among the digital carriers is small enough not to impact system performance . the i and q signals are synchronized to the transmitted baud intervals and each baud is input to an fft circuit 172 . in some cases it may be advantageous to perform the windowing and guard band removal operations prior to processing by highpass filter 146 . the outputs from the windowing and guard interval removal circuit 170 are input to the fft 172 . the output of the fft is input by way of lines 154 to the coefficient multiplier 174 . the coefficient multiplier adjusts the magnitude and phase of the data for each digital carrier to compensate for channel effects , transmitter and receiver filtering , and other factors that can affect the magnitude and phase of the received digital information . the coefficient multiplier output is used to make symbol decisions , which determines the constellation point that was transmitted . processor 176 determines which of the frequency domain constellation points was transmitted . these decisions , along with the pre - equalized constellation points and the previous values of the equalizer coefficients are used to update the equalizer coefficients as illustrated by block 178 . block 178 can utilize a known algorithm such as the least mean squares ( lms ) or recursive least squares ( rls ) to update the equalizer coefficients . this invention is particularly applicable to receivers that use trellis coded modulation and make use of the snr of the information at the input to the trellis decoder . the invention includes a method in which two estimates of the snrs for the carriers in an ofdm digital audio broadcasting system are calculated , one based on the received digitally encoded audio information and one based on the received training sequences . the more reliable one of the snr estimates is chosen and used to perform hypotheses testing for typical interference scenarios and possibly improve the estimates so that the more reliable estimates can be used in the trellis decoder . the more reliable estimate can also be used to set the convergence factors in an equalizer . u . s . pat . no . 5 , 559 , 830 describes one mode of operation for an equalizer having an equalizer coefficient update algorithm . the present invention enhances the operation of the equalizer and equalizer coefficient update algorithm by estimating the snr as illustrated in block 180 . block 182 illustrates that the snr estimates are used to adjust the equalizer convergence factor . the snr estimates can also be used to improve the performance of the error correction processing . error correction that uses convolutional or turbo codes and trellis coded modulation are examples of cases where the snr estimates can be used to improve the error correction performance . as shown in fig2 and 3 , the carrier snr estimates from block 180 are input to a switch 158 . when the current baud is determined to be a normal baud by block 165 , the switch passes the carrier snr estimates to the deinterleaving and fec processing block 164 . as shown in fig3 the symbol decision information and the equalized frequency domain data are used to estimate the snr for the digital carriers . the operation of the carrier snr estimate processing is detailed in fig4 . for each digital carrier , the equalizer output , shown as being supplied on lines 184 and 186 , is subtracted from the symbol decisions , supplied on lines 188 and 190 , when a normal data baud is received by closing switches 192 and 194 , or from the known training information , supplied on lines 196 and 198 , when a training baud is received by closing switches 200 and 202 . the result of the subtraction , which is the norm of the vectors a and b , is squared to give an estimate of the power of the noise , as illustrated in blocks 204 , 206 , 208 and 210 . note that when the symbol decisions are correct , such as will be the case when the received snr is high , the information from the normal data baud results in a good estimate of the snr . however , when the symbol decisions are not correct , the information from the normal data baud can be unreliable and only the information from the training baud results in a good estimate of the snr . however , because the normal data baud information is transmitted more frequently than the training baud information , it is desirable to use the normal data baud information when possible . the information from the normal and training baud actually estimates the power of the noise , but if the digital carriers are transmitted at a constant average power , the snr can be determined by normalization of the noise power estimate . as shown in fig4 lowpass filters 212 , 214 , 216 and 218 can be used to smooth the snr estimates . the parameters of the lowpass filter can be adjusted such that the lowpass filter bandwidth is decreased as the number of snr estimates is increased . following lowpass filtering , the normal and training baud snr estimates from all carriers are input to a hypotheses testing circuit 220 . the hypotheses testing circuit 220 processes the snr information , determines the most likely interference scenario based on known typical interference scenarios in the am band , and can improve the estimates based on the most likely interference scenario . one of the most likely scenarios is that of second adjacent channel interference . fig5 shows the spectral overlap that occurs when a second adjacent interfering hybrid digital audio broadcasting signal 222 that is lower in frequency is present . as can be seen , the digital carriers from the interfering signal 222 overlap the digital carriers from the desired hybrid digital audio broadcasting signal 224 in the region 226 from about − 15 khz to about − 5 khz . a hypothesis test to determine the presence of a second adjacent interferer has been developed and simulated . the test processes the snr estimates in two groups of about 10 khz , with the two groups extending from about − 15 khz to about − 5 khz and about 5 khz to about 15 khz to detect a second adjacent station that is lower or higher in frequency , respectively . for each region , the average snr , in db , is calculated . if the average level is less than a preset threshold , the estimated snr from the training baud is used for all of the carriers in that region because the estimated snr from the normal baud may be inaccurate . conversely , if the average level is greater than the preset threshold , the snr estimates from the normal baud are used . the advantage of comparing the average snr over a 10 khz region to a threshold instead of comparing each carrier to a threshold is that when a second adjacent interferer is present the average over the 10 khz region gives an snr estimate with a lower variance . similar hypotheses tests can be developed for other typical interference scenarios such as third adjacent , first adjacent , and co - channel interference . for example , fig6 shows the spectral overlap that occurs when a first adjacent interfering hybrid digital audio broadcasting signal 228 is present . because there is no digital carrier at about ± 10 khz , where a first adjacent am carrier would be located , the presence of significant energy at this spectral location could be used as an indicator of the presence of a first adjacent station . in addition , if the snr estimates for the digital carriers increases for carriers that are farther from this location , up to about ± 5 khz away , this would further indicate the presence of a first adjacent interferer . also , the snr estimates for the digital carriers about − 5 khz to about 5 khz from the desired am carrier could be averaged to determine the presence of the digital portion of a first adjacent interfering station . if a first adjacent interferer is determined to be present , snr estimates for the carriers near about ± 10 khz could be calculated based on the snr estimate of the carriers in the regions that are about 5 khz away from the interfering am carrier and knowledge of a typical spectral slope of the analog portion of an am station . the advantage of this approach is that the snrs for the digital carriers that are about 5 khz away from the interfering am carrier will be higher than for the digital carriers located near the interfering am carrier , and the power spectral densities for different am stations is similar . processing in this manner could improve the snr estimates in the region near the interfering am carrier . as described above for the second adjacent interferer , the hypothesis testing could use only the training baud estimates if the data baud estimates are below a threshold . the carrier snr estimates are used to control the convergence factor , or adaptation constant , for the equalizer update algorithm . each digital carrier has two associated equalizer convergence factors , one for normal baud and one for training baud . the equalizer coefficients can be updated using an algorithm such as least mean squares ( lms ) or recursive least squares ( rls ). these algorithms have a parameter that controls the response time to changing channel conditions . fast response , corresponding to a large convergence factor , permits rapid tracking of channel conditions . a slower response , corresponding to a small convergence factor , allows more robust performance in the presence of noise . as shown in fig3 the carrier snr estimates are used to adjust the equalizer convergence factors . when the snr estimate for a carrier is relatively high , its convergence factor can be large . the equalizer coefficient update algorithm relies on correct symbol decision information . because the symbol information is known for each training baud , a larger convergence factor can be used for training baud than for normal baud because the symbol decisions will not be reliable if the carrier snr is low . the use of this equalizer convergence factor adjustment algorithm with the carrier snr estimate algorithm as described above has been shown to result in improved performance over systems that utilize a constant convergence factor or do not use hypotheses testing to estimate the snr of the digital carriers . in an alternative embodiment , a combination of the two signal - to - noise ratio estimates can be used to form one signal - to - noise ratio estimate . this resulting signal - to - noise ratio estimate can be used to control the convergence factor and used in the error correction processing . this invention provides a system for estimating snr and adaptively equalizing an amplitude modulated compatible digital audio broadcast signal . in the foregoing specification certain preferred practices and embodiments of this invention have been set out , however , it will be understood that the invention may be otherwise embodied within the scope of the following claims . | 7Electricity
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fig1 to 5 are directed to a first embodiment in which the frame is manufactured as two castings . fig1 and 2 illustrate the assembled stator assembly 1 and rotor assembly 2 . the stator assembly is illustrated in fig3 and the rotor assembly in fig4 . the rotor assembly 2 consists of a conventional squirrel cage rotor characterized by an iron core 3 constructed of punched electrical grade steel laminations with either a brazed , welded , or cast copper or aluminum rotor cage 4 . the rotor assembly 2 is attached to a steel shaft 5 which is supported on both ends with bearing assemblies 7 and 8 . the bearing assemblies 7 and 8 are fit into bearing housings 9 and 10 which are designed to allow the rotor assembly 2 to be inserted through the cylindrical bore of the stator assembly 1 . the stator assembly 1 includes a laminated iron core 12 that is totally enclosed by a frame 17 about its outer diameter and a canister seal 11 on its inner diameter . the laminated iron core 12 is constructed of punched electrical grade steel laminations , welded at the outside diameter to solidify the core ( only exemplary laminates are illustrated in fig1 and 3 ). winding coils 13 are inserted into slots in the iron core 12 , connected and insulated . the canister seal 11 forms a cylinder covering the winding coils 13 placed into the slots punched in the iron core laminations . an electrically insulating silicone potting compound 14 ( see fig5 ) is poured into the pocket formed by the canister seal 11 , the winding coils 13 , and the laminated iron core 12 . this compound seals the joint and provides corona discharge resistance between the coil windings and core . a flexible and compressible conformal coating 15 is applied to the winding coil extensions . the conformal coating 15 is a modified silicone , polyester , or epoxy product with additions to improve heat conductivity . to allow assembly , the frame 17 is split into two sections 17 a , 17 b which are heated , bolted together while maintaining separation between the frame 17 and iron core 12 , then allowed to cool and shrink around the iron core 12 and follows the contour of the winding coils . it is not necessary for the sections to be separate along a single diametrical plane . the canister seal 11 is then bolted to the frame 17 . the resulting sealed assembly is subjected to a process which fills the voids at the coil end turns 13 et , the frame 17 , the canister seal 11 , and the iron core 12 , with a modified thermosetting compound 16 , including additions to improve thermal heat transfer . bearing assemblies 7 and 8 and bearing housings 9 and 10 are added to the rotor assembly 2 and then rotor assembly 2 is dropped through the bore and bolted by bolts 32 to the frame 17 at each axial end . an external fan 23 with axial air passages 18 is shrunk onto the end of the shaft 5 . the frame 17 has a plurality of radially extending fins 25 . air from the external fan 23 is directed axially over the fins with fan baffle 19 and through an axial passage 21 by the pressure developed by external fan 23 . the preferable solution for potting compound 14 is a silicone - based product that is pourable . other embodiments of the present invention might use compounds based on epoxy , ceramics , or thermo - plastics . the characteristics important to the present invention are that the compound provide good dielectric properties and corona discharge resistance . the preferable solution for conformal coating 15 is a silicone - based putty . other embodiments of the present invention might use compounds based on epoxy , polyester , or ceramic materials , or the application of silicone tapes during coil forming . the characteristic important to the present invention is that the coating be flexible and expand and contract with the thermal expansion and contraction of the coils , yet bond well to the coil windings 13 and iron core 12 . there are many examples of thermosetting compounds 16 . among these are filled silicone resins , filled silicone gels , filled ceramics , filled thermo - plastics , and filled epoxies . the preferred fillers are mineral , glass , aluminum oxides , and metals . the properties important to the present invention are that the compound be free of voids or air pockets after filling , have good thermal conductivity , and bond well to the frame 17 and canister seal 11 . examples of potting compounds 14 , conformal coatings 15 , and thermosetting compounds 16 could also be a single compound that is applied to all three locations and meets all the properties of the present invention . the canister seal 11 may be a temporary fixture that is removed after thermoset compound 16 is applied and cured . according to one embodiment of this invention , a frame 17 is made from two half castings 17 a and 17 b of nodular or spheroidal iron which are secured together at the edges parallel to the shaft by bolts to make a whole cylindrical frame . referring to fig6 and 7 , in a second embodiment of this invention , frame 17 is an extruded aluminum or iron half frame , machined after extrusion to accommodate the iron core 12 and coil windings 13 . frame 17 is extruded in two parts which are secured together at the edges parallel to the shaft by bolts to make a whole cylindrical frame . two additional end housings machined from steel plate 38 , 39 or cast nodular iron are used to complete the frame ends . referring to fig7 , the closely hatched area is indicative of the volume that is machined away from the extrusion of casting . fig8 to 11 relate to a third embodiment which comprises a frame , two end pieces , and two split rings which assembled together form a frame according to this invention . fig8 is an end view of the cast frame 31 that requires little or no machining . fig9 illustrates all pieces that comprise the assembled frame , the frame 31 , end pieces 33 , 34 , and the split rings 35 , 36 . this third embodiment involves more parts than the first and second embodiments but has the advantage that it can be assembled without special machines and the split occurs in smaller end rings . the preferred method of air cooling is a small internal fan 6 ( see fig4 ) to cool the rotor and an external fan 23 ( see fig1 ) to blow air over the fins 25 as shown in fig2 . there are other possible embodiments for air flow as depicted in fig1 , 13 , 14 , and 15 . “ series air flow ”, fig1 , requires one fan 23 that draws air through passage 20 , rotor passage 21 , and passage 22 and discharges it over the fins in the frame . air inlets and air outlets are on the same end of the motor . “ dual fan arrangement ”, fig1 , requires a fan on both ends . one fan 26 a draws air through the rotor passage 21 . the other fan 27 a blows air over the fins in the frame . air inlets are on the opposite end of the motor from the air outlets . “ parallel flow ”, fig1 , requires one fan 27 drawing air from the fins in the frame and from the rotor passage 21 and then discharging the air to ambient . air inlets are on the opposite end of the motor from the outlets . “ mixed flow ”, fig1 , requires fan 27 b with blades on both sides of a fan hub . the inside set of blades draws air from the rotor passage 21 . the outside set of blades blows air over the fins in the frame after mixing with the rotor vent air . the air inlets and outlets are on the same end of the machine . a die cast aluminum or brazed , welded , copper rotor is impervious to rain and snow ingestion . enclosing it in the frame structure serves no beneficial purpose . by opening up the rotor to external air flow , rotor losses can be dissipated into the air stream directly from rotor surfaces , increasing heat dissipation efficiency . air also will flow past the bearing housings keeping the bearings cool . the ingestion of dust , dirt , or moisture to the stator coils can damage motor insulation . by encapsulating just the stator coils in an enclosed housing that completely surrounds the coils , a motor is realized with the sealed winding benefits of a standard tefc motor , yet air can now flow over both the interior enclosure surfaces as well as the exterior enclosure surfaces , doubling the enclosure surface area available for heat dissipation . the encapsulation of the coils within a sealed enclosure that surrounds the coils seals the coil insulation from dirt and moisture . the present invention may be realized by a cylindrical stator assembly , coaxial with the rotor assembly bolted to bearing housings . the rotor assembly is cooled by a small radial fan drawing air over the bearing housing , through axial air gaps or axial rotor vent holes , and discharging air through the opposing bearing housing . the stator parts are placed inside a cylindrical frame that surrounds the parts . the coils are encapsulated and molded into the frame structure using heat conductive compounds . a first heat conductive layer fills the gaps between coils and encases the coils in a flexible , heat conductive , electrically insulating , compound . the first layer is covered by a second layer that is a highly thermal conductive non - hygroscopic material . the second layer fills the internal air gap between the coils and enclosure with maximum contact pressure and fit to ensure good heat transfer into the enclosure walls . this structure increases the effective surface area of the coil end turns , increasing the heat transfer rate into the enclosure . the first layer is flexible to allow for movement and thermal expansion of the coil windings . the stator assembly has a plurality of fins extending radially from the frame . an external fan and fan shroud direct air through the fins . the hub of the external fan has air passages under the hub to allow air to enter the rotor assembly . a feature of the present invention is obtaining a sealed stator enclosure with a good thermally conductive layer to allow heat from the coil end turns to flow directly into the enclosure walls rather than flowing back through the iron core . the heat transfer surface , the sum of the core to enclosure interface and the encapsulate to enclosure surface , needs to be large , in order to overcome thermal capacitance of the encapsulate . a unique feature of the present invention is the selection of materials to achieve the required heat transfer rates to realize a motor with the same overall size as a self - cooled open ventilated motor . the use of an open rotor and sealed stator is unique to the transit industry . the joining of the first and second layers to allow for thermal expansion and mechanical movement of the coil end turns while maintaining long term heat transfer rates also has not been previously achieved . having thus described our invention with the detail and particularity required by the patent laws , what is desired protected by letters patent is set forth in the following claims . | 7Electricity
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the present invention relates to an ink jet recording medium . the ink jet recording medium of the present invention comprises a receiving layer which is water resistant and offers long term durability of the printed image , which includes a blend of an ethylene vinylacetate copolymer and a hydrolyzed polyvinyl alcohol . for it has been found that ethylene vinylacetate copolymers form the backbone of an excellent water resistant ink jet coating , which coating can also provide ink jet prints exhibiting excellent uv light resistance and resistance to moisture sensitivity . in particular , the ethylene vinylacetate copolymers are blended with a hydrolyzed polyvinyl alcohol . an ethylene vinylacetate copolymer is important for the purposes of the present invention as use of simply a polyvinyl acetate does not provide a receiving layer which exhibits the same level of water fastness as the ethylene vinylacetate copolymers . any ethylene vinylacetate copolymer will generally be suitable for purposes of the present invention . such copolymers are commercially available , e . g ., such as random ethylene vinylacetate copolymers available from air products and chemicals , inc . it is also important to blend the ethylene vinylacetate copolymer with a hydrolyzed polyvinyl alcohol to achieve the water resistance as well as long term durability of the printed images . the polyvinyl alcohol is most preferably fully hydrolyzed , which is 98 - 99 % hydrolyzed . the polyvinyl alcohol should generally be at least 88 % hydrolyzed for purposes of the present invention . the blend of ethylene vinylacetate copolymer and hydrolyzed polyvinyl alcohol can range from about 0 . 5 : 1 to about 15 : 1 in weight ratio of the ethylene vinylacetate copolymer to the polyvinyl alcohol , with a weight ratio of from 1 : 1 to about 4 : 1 being most preferred . ethylene vinylacetate copolymers and hydrolyzed polyvinyl alcohol are both commercially available , for example , from air products and chemicals inc . of allentown , pa . the blend of polymers used as the receiving layer of the recording medium can also include solid particulates such as pigments . the addition of such solid particulates can be added in order to obtain a coating that works well for both dye based and pigmented ink systems . the solid particulates that work best for the present invention are small particle sized hydrated silica . such silica can be obtained , for example , from grace davidson . another type of preferred particulate that gives both good water fast and print quality properties is synthetic calcium silicate . the use of the calcium silicate such as commercially available hubersorb 600 from j . m . huber is preferred as such a calcium silicate has a very high oil absorption . the blend of ethylene vinylacetate copolymer and polyvinyl alcohol ( and optionally solid particulate ) can be coated onto a suitable substrate using any conventional coating process or method . a mixture of the polymers , generally in a solution having sufficient water such that the solution has a viscosity suitable for coating , is simply coated onto the substrate using a coating rod or another suitable coating method . once coated , the coating can be dried using any conventional technique , such as air drying or oven drying . the substrates upon which coating can be applied can vary greatly . it is preferred that the coating be applied to a substrate such as white film , polyethylene clad paper ( photobased paper ), adhesive backed vinyl paper , plain paper or canvas . other suitable substrates can also be coated with the receiving layer in accordance with the present invention to provide an aqueous waterfast ink jet receiver sheet . the invention will be illustrated in greater detail by the following specific examples . it is understood that these examples are given by way of illustration and are not meant to limit the disclosure or the claims that follow . all percentages in the examples , and elsewhere in the specification , are by weight unless otherwise specified . the reagents used in the following examples are commercially available and may be generally described as follows : airflex 110 -- vinyl acetate / ethylene copolymer latex , from air products and chemicals , inc . of allentown , pa . airvol 325 -- fully hydrolyzed polyvinyl alcohol from air products and chemicals , inc . of allentown , pa . hubersorb 600 -- synthetic calcium silicate , from j . m . huber corporation of havre de grace , md . pvp k90 -- polyvinyl pyrrolidone molecular weight ˜ 1 , 000 , 000 , from international specialty polymers of wayne , n . j . carbowax 1450 -- polyethylene glycol , molecular weight 1450 , from union carbide of danbury , conn . cyanamer p - 21 -- acrylamide / acrylic acid copolymer , from cytec industries inc . of west patterson , n . j . agefloc a - 50hv -- poly ( hydroxyalkene ammonium chloride ), from c . p . s . chemicals of old bridge , n . j . gafquat 755n -- quaternized copolymer of vinylpyrrolidone and dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate , from international specialty products of wayne , n . j . ______________________________________deionized water 47 . 16syloid w - 300 - amorphous silica 16 . 81airflex 110 - polymer latex 3 . 6710 % airvol 325 - pva 30 . 26agefloc a50hv 2 . 02zonyl fsn - surfactant 0 . 08______________________________________ the above mix was prepared by dispersing the syloid w - 300 amorphous silica in water with a waring blender for 4 minutes . the airflex 110 was then mixed for about 5 minutes in a mixer . the final three ingredients ( airvol 325 , agefloc a - 50hv , and zonyl fsn ) were added and stirred for an additional 5 minutes . the composition was then coated onto v400f vinyl with a gapped 130 rod to achieve a coating weight of about 6 . 0 lb ./ msf . the coating was dried in a laboratory blue m convection oven for 8 minutes at 265 ° f . the sample was then printed on an encad novajet ii ink jet printer using a full color test pattern . visual densities of cyan , magenta , yellow , red , green , blue , and black were run using an xrite 938 color densitometer . the print was allowed to air dry for one hour , then it was completely immersed in water for ten minutes . after immersion , one section of the print containing all seven colors was allowed to air dry for one hour , and then remeasured on the densitometer . the other section was blotted dry to remove excess water , then rubbed with a cloth rag . all results are recorded in table 1 below . the following mixture was prepared in the same manner as described in example 1 . the coating , printing and waterfast testing were all run in the same manner as example 1 . the results can be seen in table 1 below . ______________________________________deionized water 56 . 41hubersorb 600 - calcium silicate 7 . 56airflex 110 - polymer latex 3 . 6710 % airvol 325 - pva 30 . 26agefloc a50hv 2 . 02zonyl fsn - surfactant 0 . 08______________________________________ the following mixture was prepared in the same manner as described in example 1 . the coating , printing and waterfast testing were all run in the same manner as example 1 . the results can be seen in table 1 below . ______________________________________deionized water 15 . 46ethanol 65 . 68silcron g - 100 6 . 86pvp k90 - polyvinyl pyrrolidone 5 . 71zonyl fsj - surfactant 0 . 18glycerin 6 . 10______________________________________ the following mixture was prepared in the same manner as described in example 1 . the coating , printing and waterfast testing were all run in the same manner as example 1 . the results can be seen in table 1 below . ______________________________________deionized water 80 . 22syloid 234 - silica 5 . 44pvp k90 - polyvinyl pyrrolidone 4 . 28carbowax 1450 8 . 66agefloc a - 50hv 1 . 40______________________________________ the following mixture was prepared in the same manner as described in example 1 . the coating , printing and waterfast testing were all run in the same manner as example 1 . the results can be seen in table 1 below . ______________________________________deionized water 65 . 32syloid 620 - silica 2 . 11cyanamer p - 21 3 . 6728 % ammonium hydroxide 1 . 522 - pyrrolidone 0 . 44cx - 100 0 . 15______________________________________ table 1______________________________________print water immersion wet wet / dryquality ( delta e ) rub rub comments______________________________________exam - very good black - 1 . 15 good good no inkple 1 cyan - 2 . 75 seen in yellow - 1 . 44 water magenta - 1 . 12 red - 0 . 54 green - 1 . 65 blue - 1 . 49exam - good black - 2 . 22 good good / no inkple 2 cyan - 1 . 76 fair seen in yellow - 2 . 90 water magenta - 4 . 91 red - 3 . 48 green - 2 . 95 blue - 1 . 14com - fair black - 70 . 18 poor poor high inkparative cyan - 41 . 36 loss inexam - yellow - 41 . 43 waterple 1 magenta - 36 . 57 red - 86 . 85 green - 39 . 82 blue - 41 . 07com - good black - 58 . 12 poor poor moderateparative cyan - 52 . 25 ink lossexam - yellow - 15 . 38 in waterple 2 magenta - 59 . 71 red - 11 . 67 green - 7 . 58 blue - 33 . 46com - good black - 0 . 63 good fair some inkparative cyan - 3 . 28 loss inexam - yellow - 1 . 36 waterple 3 magenta - 1 . 98 red - 3 . 67 green - 9 . 72 blue - 5 . 67______________________________________ from the foregoing results , it can be seen that the recording media of the present invention provide an ink jet print exhibiting excellent water resistance and stability as compared to other media containing other recording layers . the recording media of the present invention also provide excellent uv fade resistance for ink jet prints . while the invention has been described with preferred embodiments , it is to be understood that variations and modifications may be resorted to as will be apparent to those skilled in the art . such variations and modifications are to be considered within the purview and the scope of the claims appended thereto . | 8General tagging of new or cross-sectional technology
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fig1 illustrates a seal designated 10 constructed in accordance with one embodiment of this invention . the seal is designed to contain within the housing a pressurized process fluid such as a gas or a highly volatile carbon - based liquid . the housing is indicated at 12 enclosing the interior 14 of the device for which the seal is provided . such a device may be a pump , a compressor or the like . a shaft 16 extends through an opening 18 in the housing 12 to the ambient environment 20 . generally speaking , the seal 10 has a tandem arrangement of spiral groove mechanical end face seal modules , each module having portions thereof mounted on the housing and shaft . each seal module is generally of the type shown in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 212 , 475 . the seal may include dual or double seal module arrangements . alternatively , a single seal module , such as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 212 , 475 , could be used to obtain the benefit of this invention . the disclosure of u . s . pat . no . 4 , 212 , 475 is incorporated herein by reference for providing a disclosure of the pumping of fluid by each of the seals . the tandem seals include an upstream or inboard seal module 22 and a downstream or outboard seal module 24 which define an annular chamber 26 between them . the inboard seal module 22 includes a pair of annular rings comprising an inboard primary ring 28 having a radially extending face 30 and an inboard mating ring 32 having a radially extending face 34 opposite the face 30 of the primary ring 28 . similarly , the outboard seal module 24 has a pair of annular rings comprising an outboard primary ring 38 having a radially extending face 40 and an outboard mating ring 42 having a radially extending face 44 opposite the face 40 of the primary ring 38 . the primary rings 28 , 38 are each affixed to the housing by a retainer assembly . similarly , the mating rings 32 , 42 are affixed for rotation with the shaft 16 by one or more sleeve assemblies . an inboard shaft sleeve 46 which fits upon the shaft 16 is held against rotation by a drive pin 48 or other means ( not shown ). sleeve 46 is fixed to the shaft by appropriate means ( not shown ) to prevent outward axial motion of the sleeve . an o - ring is also positioned at a flanged portion of sleeve 46 to seal between the sleeve and shaft . an outboard shaft sleeve 50 also fits upon the shaft 16 and adjoins the inboard shaft sleeve 46 so that adjoining surfaces of the two sleeves 46 and 50 do not permit fluid leakage between them . the connection between outboard shaft sleeve 50 and inboard shaft sleeve 46 is completed by an appropriate attachment means , such as a screw 52 ( shown in phantom ). the sleeves 46 , 50 further include a spacer sleeve 54 which extends to and engages the radial surfaces 34 , 44 adjacent the inside diameter of the mating rings 32 , 42 . thus , the mating rings 32 , 42 are locked in place between the flanged portions of the respective shaft sleeves 46 , 50 . an o - ring 55 seals between a shoulder in the spacer sleeve 54 and the ring face 42 . the seal 10 further comprises inboard and outboard retainers 58 and 60 for retaining inboard and outboard primary rings 28 , 38 , respectively . retainers 58 and 60 are connected to each other by an appropriate fastener , such as cap screws 62 ( shown in phantom ). the inboard retainer 58 mounts the inboard primary ring 28 . the outboard retainer 60 similarly mounts the outboard primary ring 38 . a protruding portion 59 of the inboard retainer 58 is shaped and dimensioned to conform to an annular groove 61 in the outboard retainer 60 , so that when the cap screws 62 are tightened , retainer 60 becomes sealed against retainer 58 . each retainer carries multiple springs 64a , 64b and discs 66a , 66b which urge the primary rings into engagement with the mating rings . the discs 66a , 66b and springs 64a , 64b permit primary rings 28 and 38 to move axially of the shaft 16 . o - ring seals 68a , 68b provide a secondary seal between discs 66a , 68b and the respective retainers 58 , 60 . the outboard seal assembly provides for another o - ring 70 for further secondary sealing between the disc 66b and the primary ring 38 . a gland plate 72 connects to housing 12 . the plate is attached to the housing by screws 74 ( shown in phantom ). the gland plate has a flanged portion 76 for engaging the outer end face of the outboard retainer 60 . the retainer 60 is connected to the flanged portion by cap screws 78 ( in phantom ). suitable o - rings are provided as shown to seal the gland plate against the housing 12 and against the retainers 58 , 60 . a vent passage 80 communicates with an opening 82 in the retainer 60 and with chamber 26 . the vent passage 80 is connectable to a flare stack or other combustion apparatus ( not shown ) for disposing of the controlled amount of gas passing across the rotating faces of upstream seal module 22 . such gas may , for example , be used for heating buildings associated with the apparatus containing the seal or the gas may be recompressed for other uses . fig2 shows a portion of a mating surface which may comprise either the mating ring or primary ring of the upstream or inboard seal module 22 . the sealing , mating surface can be a conventional spiral groove surface according to the teaching found in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 212 , 475 . for purposes of description , the face 34 of mating ring 32 is shown . the face has a plurality of downstream pumping spiral grooves 92 extending from the outer circumference partially across the width of the face 34 . an ungrooved annular surface defines a sealing dam 94 which provides a contacting static seal when the seal faces are not rotating relative to each other . fig3 shows a portion of a mating surface on either the mating ring or the primary ring of the downstream or outboard seal module 24 . the sealing , mating surface is not identical to that of the sealing face 34 shown in fig2 but instead has a grooved portion adjacent the inside diameter of the ring 42 . the sealing mating surface may have a configuration similar to the grooved seal face shown in u . s . patent no . 4 , 212 , 475 with the major obvious difference being the location of the grooves adjacent the inner diameter . also for purposes of description , the face 44 of mating ring 42 is shown . the face 44 also has a plurality of downstream pumping grooves 98 which are disposed adjacent the inner diameter of ring 42 . unlike the seal face shown in fig2 which during rotation of the shaft is intended to pump fluid across the seal interface from the outer diameter toward the dam 94 , which is disposed adjacent the inner diameter , the seal face shown in fig3 pumps fluid across seal face 44 from the inner diameter of ring 42 toward the dam 100 which is disposed adjacent the outer diameter of the ring . another difference between mating seal ring faces 34 and 44 is in a second annular band 102 between the inner diameter of the ring 42 and the inner circumferential boundary 104 of the grooves 98 . as used in the context of this invention , &# 34 ; adjacent the inner diameter &# 34 ; does not require the ends of grooves 98 to be contiguous with the inner diameter of ring 82 . as can be seen in fig3 the phantom lines which indicate the grooves 98 in ring 42 do not extend to the inner diameter of the ring . the portion of the face 44 which corresponds to annular band 102 abuts one end of the spacer sleeve 54 . o - ring 56 seals the abutment between the ring face 42 and the spacer sleeve 54 , and a smooth surface is provided by the annular band 102 for more effecting sealing by the o - ring . the grooves 98 do , however , extend beyond the interface area of the two rings 38 , 42 and into chamber 26 . this configuration permits the grooves to more effectively pump the fluid from chamber 26 across the seal interface and out to the ambient environment 20 . in general , spiral grooves are conventionally disposed adjacent to or extending from the outer diameter of the rotating ring , as is shown in fig2 . it has been suggested in the prior art that the pumping effect would also be expected to arise in a configuration in which the spiral grooves are disposed on the stationary ring or on the rotating ring adjacent to or extending from the inner diameter of the seal ring . spiral grooves disposed on the inner diameter also have been proposed by the assignee of the present invention for upstream pumping of an inert buffer fluid against the pressure of the process fluid which is sealed in the upstream chamber . for inner diameter pressurized seal rings , however , considerations of outwardly directed hoop stress enter into the seal ring design . specifically , carbon graphite rings which heretofore have been used in o . d . pressurized seals cannot normally withstand the radially outwardly directed hoop stresses which result from inner diameter pressurization and the rings are therefore susceptible to cracking or breaking when the seal is i . d . pressurized . in o . d . pressurized seals , the o . d . pressure provides compressive force on the ring radially inward from all directions and the ring is able to withstand this pressure . the compressive force strengthens the resistance of the ring , as by analogy , a semicircular arch is able to bear the weight of the arch resting on it . for i . d . pressurized rings , however , the process fluid presents pressure that is exerted from the inner diameter outwardly , resulting in stress on the ring . this stress is sometimes referred to as hoop stress . the hoop stress generated by the outwardly directed pressure works against the ring , and subjects the ring to forces which tend to fracture the ring into pieces . referring again to fig1 both seal modules 22 and 24 pump fluid downstream or from the side where fluid pressure is higher toward the lower pressure side . however , the fluid which is passing through inboard seal module 22 is propelled inwardly by the spiral grooves 92 of the rotating ring 32 , whereas the fluid which is passing through the outboard seal module 24 is propelled outwardly from the seal interface because of the spiral grooves 98 and also because of centrifugal force imparted to the fluid by the rotation of ring 42 . the direction of fluid flow in the radially outward direction which is imparted both by the fluid pressure differential and by the rotational centrifugal force of ring 42 greatly increases the resistance to upstream seepage of fluid flow in the opposite direction from that provided by the pumping action of the grooves 98 . thus , the seal configuration minimizes contaminants , such as oil , from entering the sealing gap . under normal use parameters , an o . d . pressurized stationary primary ring 28 is subject to structural stress from centrifugal and dynamic pressure forces . these forces are countered by the compressive resistance of the primary ring , which resistance increases with increasing inwardly directed force . however , in an i . d . pressurized configuration , a carbon graphite primary ring is subject to an outwardly directed pressure on its inner circumferential surface which is not countered by the tensile resistance of the material . thus , to maintain structural integrity , the primary ring must be capable of withstanding pressures in excess of 1200 psi . current typical primary rings made of carbon graphite material are very fragile when used in this fashion . one feature of the present invention is thus providing a primary ring comprising a material which can withstand pressures normally encountered in pumps or compressors . the invention contemplates that certain types of composite plastic materials , such as polyamide - imide , commercially available under the trade name torlon from amoco torlon products of atlanta , ga ., can be used in the manufacture of the primary rings , and in certain applications , also of the mating rings . torlon is known to be approximately three times stronger than carbon graphite in withstanding the hoop stress which results from inner diameter fluid pressures of great magnitude , i . e ., up to about 1200 psi . another dual seal arrangement in which the features of the present invention may be incorporated is a seal in which the buffer fluid is disposed in an intermediate chamber between two seal modules . such an arrangement is illustrated in fig4 . the buffer fluid seal modules are also disposed upstream and downstream , respectively , of each other . the seal 110 is constructed in accordance with another embodiment of this invention , and in many respects the seal 110 is similar in construction and operation to seal 10 ( fig1 ). where possible , similar elements in each of the seals have been indicated with similar identification numerals by adding one hundred for the identification numerals in seal 110 , so that the numerals correspond to the numerical sequence of the seal elements of seal 10 shown in fig1 . the housing 112 encloses the interior chamber 114 of the device for which the seal 110 is provided . a shaft 116 extends through an opening 118 in the housing 112 and to the ambient environment 120 . the upstream or inboard seal module 122 and the downstream or outboard seal module 124 define an annular chamber 126 between them . the inboard seal module 122 includes a pair of annular rings comprising an inboard primary ring 128 having a radially extending face 130 and an inboard mating ring 132 having a radially extending face 134 opposite the face 130 of the primary ring 128 . similarly , the outboard seal module 124 has a pair of annular rings comprising an outboard primary ring 138 having a radially extending face 140 and an outboard mating ring 142 having a radially extending face 144 opposite the face 140 of the primary ring 138 . the primary rings 128 , 138 are each affixed to the housing by a retainer assembly . similarly , the mating rings 132 , 142 are affixed for rotation with the shaft 116 by one or more sleeve assemblies . an inboard shaft sleeve 146 which fits upon the shaft 116 is held against rotation by a drive pin 148 or by other means ( not shown ). sleeve 146 is fixed to the shaft 116 by appropriate means ( not shown ) to prevent outward axial motion of the sleeve . an o - ring is also positioned at a flanged portion of sleeve 146 to seal between the sleeve and shaft . an outboard shaft sleeve 150 also fits upon the shaft 116 and adjoins the inboard shaft sleeve 146 so that adjoining surfaces of the two sleeves 146 and 150 do not permit fluid leakage between them . the connection between outboard shaft sleeve 150 and inboard shaft sleeve 146 is completed by an appropriate attachment means , such as by cap screws 152 ( shown in phantom ). the sleeve assemblies 146 , 150 further include a spacer sleeve 154 which extends to and engages the radial surfaces 134 , 144 adjacent the inside diameter of the respective mating rings 132 , 142 . thus , the mating rings 132 , 142 are locked in place between the flanged portions of the respective shaft sleeves 146 , 150 . an o - ring 156 is also provided for sealing between the spacer sleeve 154 and the ring face 144 , similar to the arrangement in seal 10 , ( fig1 ). the retainer assembly comprises inboard and outboard retainers 158 and 160 for retaining the inboard and outboard primary rings 128 , 138 , respectively . retainers 158 and 160 are connected to each other by cap screws 162 ( one of which is shown in phantom ). the inboard retainer 158 mounts the inboard primary ring 128 . the outboard retainer 160 similarly mounts the outboard primary ring 138 . a protruding portion 159 of inboard retainer 158 is shaped and dimensioned to conform to an annular groove 161 in the facing portion of outboard retainer 160 . tightening of cap screws 162 attaches the outboard retainer 160 to the inboard retainer 158 . each retainer carries multiple springs 164a , 164b and discs 166a , 166b which urge the primary rings into engagement with the mating rings . the discs 166a , 166b and springs 164a , 164b permit primary rings 128 and 138 to move axially of the shaft 116 . o - ring seals 168a , 168b provide a secondary seal between discs 166a , 168b and the respective retainers 158 , 160 . another o - ring 170 is provided in each module for further secondary sealing between each disc 166a , 166b and each primary ring 128 , 138 . a gland plate 172 connects to housing 112 . the gland plate is attached to the housing by screws 174 . the gland plate has a flanged portion 176 engaging the outer end face of the outboard retainer 160 . the flanged portion 176 is connected to the retainer 160 by cap screws 178 . suitable o - rings are provided , as shown , to seal the gland plate against the housing 112 and the retainers 158 , 160 . the spacer sleeve 154 is dimensioned to provide enough clearance between the retainers 158 , 160 to define a space for intermediate chamber 126 . intermediate chamber 126 , which may also be called the buffer chamber , lies between the two seal modules 122 and 124 and between the retainers 158 , 160 . the seal modules 122 , 124 seal chamber 126 from the process fluid chamber 114 and from the ambient environment 170 , respectively . a buffer fluid passage 180 extends through the housing 112 to a buffer fluid pot ( not shown ). the buffer fluid passage 180 communicates with an opening 182 ( shown in phantom ) which provides fluid communication between the buffer fluid passage 180 and the intermediate seal chamber 126 . another significant difference between the seal 10 embodiment shown in fig1 and the seal 110 embodiment shown in fig4 is that seal 10 has a vent 80 for venting process fluid out from the intermediate chamber 26 . the seal 110 , on the other hand , has a buffer fluid passage which provides an inert buffer fluid , such as nitrogen gas , into the intermediate chamber 126 from the buffer fluid pot ( not shown ). moreover , in seal 10 the process fluid in housing 14 is at the highest pressure and is at a higher pressure than the intermediate chamber 26 . in seal 110 , on the other hand , the buffer fluid in chamber 126 and is maintained at a higher pressure than either the process fluid in chamber 114 or the ambient pressure at 120 . both the rotating mating seal rings 132 and 142 have spiral grooves which are adjacent the inner diameter . as shown in fig4 and 5 , the spiral grooves do not extend to the edge of the inner diameter of mating rings 132 , 142 , but the spiral grooves 198 ( fig4 ) extend at least partially into the intermediate chamber 126 formed between the two seals , so that the mating rings 132 , 142 both have a similar configuration to ring 42 ( fig1 and 3 ). an outer diameter dam 200 is provided against which grooves 198 pump fluid . during operation of the seal 110 , the spiral grooves 198 of ring 132 pump buffer fluid across the seal interface between the faces 130 and 134 , from the inner diameter to the outer diameter of the seal rings , and into the housing chamber 114 . an inner diameter annular band 202 provides a sealing surface for an o - ring between band 202 and spacer sleeve 154 . the buffer fluid pressure in chamber 126 is also greater than the pressure of the process fluid in chamber 114 . thus , the pressure differential further aids the leakage of the buffer fluid across the seal interface and into the process fluid chamber 114 . it is contemplated that seal 110 is for use in specific conditions where it is important that no leakage of the process fluid occur , and where the contamination of the process fluid by an inert buffer fluid does not present a difficulty . an appropriate use of this type of seal may be in the sealing or pumping of a process fluid which is toxic . use of a nitrogen gas buffer fluid may be acceptable because the nitrogen will not react with other reactants in the process fluid and also because nitrogen will not interfere with any proposed use of the process fluid . at the outboard seal module 124 , the spiral grooves are also disposed adjacent the inner diameter of mating ring 142 to provide pumping of the buffer fluid from the intermediate chamber 126 across the seal interface to the ambient environment 120 . the operation of seal module 124 is similar to that described above in relation to seal module 24 ( fig1 ). the inner diameter higher pressure of the buffer fluid chamber 126 relative to the pressure of the ambient environment 120 , as well as the centrifugal force of the rotating mating ring 142 , inhibit leakage of fluid , such as bearing oil , from traveling upstream . the seal configuration also avoids or prevents contamination of the seal which may result from fluid seepage from the ambient chamber 120 into the gap between the seal faces . | 5Mechanical Engineering; Lightning; Heating; Weapons; Blasting
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as shown in fig1 and 9 the panoramic light emitter of the present invention is particularly adapted for installation adjacent the ends of airport runways . a series of such emitters is located so as to flash at fraction of a second intervals leading toward the runway and identifying the front corners of the runway . these lights in the series repeat themselves each every second so as to guide the pilots of aircraft safely to the landing . the emitters are mounted on vertical support members , as shown in fig1 and are erected a minimal distance above the plane of the runway . as may be noted especially in fig1 and 9 , the light emitters of the present invention are constructed to provide a flashing light in a 360 ° arc so that pilots of aircraft may immediately determine the proper landing end of the runway from innumerable points around the airport . referring now to fig2 the panoramic light emitter comprises a plastic refractor 2 imaging a reflector 4 which is illuminated by a circular lamp 6 . the top edge of the reflector 4 is imaged by horizontal lenses 8 on the outside of refractor 2 to create the bottom edge 10 of the light beam 12 . the relationship of the optical components , refractor 2 and reflector 4 , is maintained by insulators 14 , supports 16 , base pan 18 and clamp 20 . preferably , the clamp 20 extends all the way around the interface of pan 18 and refractor 2 . the circular lamp 6 , which is a form of flash tube , is triggered to its &# 34 ; on &# 34 ; state by high voltage generator 22 . heat is primarily removed by convection through the open bottom and open top of the reflector 4 and rises into dome 24 through which heat is transferred to the outside air . the cooled air within the dome 24 then falls down the interior walls of refractor 2 and of base pan 18 and between insulators 14 and supports 16 to repeat its convection cooling of reflector 4 and of the flash tube 6 . base pan 18 and dome 24 are preferably constructed of lightweight aluminum , which is corrosion protected , as are supports 16 and clamp 20 . the reflector 4 is preferably formed of aluminum with a specular reflective surface 26 . the surface 26 reflectors at least eighty percent of the light which is incident upon it . preferably , the surface has a clear anodized coating to insure a long life of reflectivity . the reflector 4 is operated at the same voltage as trigger wire 28 ( see fig3 ) which is wrapped around flash tube 6 to avoid voltage breakdown . the reflector 4 is supported by low capacity insulators 14 to minimize the required trigger energy which is supplied in the 15 kv range . the nominal 15 kv energy is supplied by the high voltage generator 22 once each second to trigger the flash tube 6 . the anode and cathode of flash tube 6 are by - passed with low inductance capacitors contained in the high voltage generator 22 directly to the return connection of the 15 kv high voltage generator 22 , thus preventing the 15 kv energy from being expended anywhere other than in the flash tube 6 . such an arrangement reduces the insulation requirements in the light emitter 1 . referring now to fig3 the flash tube 6 and the reflector 4 form a source of illumination . the source is comprised of a generally conically shaped reflector 4 which is internally illuminated by circular flash tube 6 . the generally conically shaped surface is optimized for the single turn circular flash tube which is illustrated by having each vertical section , when viewed in a plane which includes the vertical axis of the source , seen as a parabola with its focus at the tube 6 . a generally conical surface for cooperation with a two - turn tube would itself have a different element shape . because the reflector 4 and the tube 6 are within the depth of field of the focal plane of the associated refractor 2 , they are accurately imaged in the vertical cross - section of beam 10 . the electrodes 30 and 32 , which are disposed in the adjacent ends of flash tube 6 are so close to each other that light variations caused by them are integrated in the horzontal plane by blondel prisms 34 ( see also fig2 b ) on the interior surface of refractor 2 . referring now to fig4 a source similar to that shown in fig3 is illustrated . the source in fig4 is comprised of a generally conically surfaced reflector 4a illuminated by a linear flash tube 6a . the image 6a &# 39 ; of the flash tube 6a is located in the focal plane of a cooperating refractor ( not shown ) situated with respect to the reflector 4a in the same relationship as refractor 2 is situated with respect to reflector 4 . when the image 6a &# 39 ; is viewed by the cooperating refractor , the image 6a &# 39 ; extends beyond and off the top edge of the reflector 4a . because the image 6a &# 39 ; is at full reflected brightness at the top edge of the reflector 4a and does not exist off the reflector 4a , the image 6a &# 39 ; has a very sharp edge which is projected as a sharp edge of a beam . referring now to fig5 a radiation sensitive matrix 36 is illustrated . the construction of the emitter 1 , shown in fig2 may be readily modified by substituting the matrix 36 for the combination of reflector 4 and flash tube 6 , and with suitable sensitive electronic registry means the emitter construction becomes a radiation sensitive receiver which discriminates in azimuth and elevation . matricies of custom photodiodes are recommended as being available on page 2 of eg & amp ; g catalog entitled &# 34 ; electro - optics division , condensed catalog &# 34 ; salem , mass ., printed january 1978 . each segment , of the group of segments 38a , 38b , 38c , 38d and 38e in the matrix 36 , produces a separate electrical signal when radiation to which it is sensitive falls upon it . the matrix 36 is located in the focal plane of a cooperating refractor ( not shown ). the cooperating refractor for matrix 36 would not have blondel prisms because integration in the horizontal plane is not desired . when the optical system which includes matrix 36 in its focal plane has a common axis vertically oriented , a signal from segment 38a indicates a source of radiation in the lower - most portion of the imaged far field . similarly , a signal from segment 38b indicates a radiation source just above the lowermost portion of the imaged far field , but still below the center of the imaged far field . similarly , a signal from segment 38c indicates a source of radiation above the center of the imaged far field , and a signal from segment 38d indicates a source of radiation at the top edge of the imaged far field . a signal from segment 38e indicates a source of radiation at the same elevation as the source of radiation imaged on 38d , but at a different azimuth . electronic scanning of the segment signals eliminates the need for mechanical scanning in an omnidirectional azimuth and elevation discriminating receiver . referring now to fig6 a schematic drawing and block diagram of a flashlamp discharge controlling circuit is shown for use with the panoramic light emitter shown in fig1 . further detailed discussion of this figure will be reserved to follow the discussion of the schematic drawing in fig7 the concept of which is applied to the discharge controlling circuit of fig6 . in fig7 most of the energy to be discharged into a flash tube 40 is stored in the electrolytic capacitor 42 at voltage levels which are usually below the minimum flashing requirement voltage specified by the lamp manufacturer . the conventional triggering of the lamp 40 is accomplished by discharging the trigger capacitor 44 through the trigger impedance transformer 46 when the &# 34 ; kindling &# 34 ; capacitor 48 is charged to a voltage level always above the minimum flashing requirement and below the maximum anode voltage . when the &# 34 ; kindling &# 34 ; capacitor 48 discharges down to a voltage below the capacitor 42 , which &# 34 ; kindling &# 34 ; capacitor 48 discharging through the arc to a lower voltage constitutes a dynamic impedance matching , then capacitor 42 begins to discharge through the diode 50 into the partially ionized lamp 40 and increases the ionization of the lamp 40 until discharged down to a voltage level which can no longer sustain ionization in the lamp . then the lamp 40 ionization percentage gradually decreases , and the lamp impedance gradually rises to such a high value that , when the &# 34 ; kindling &# 34 ; capacitor 48 subsequently is recharged to a value above the lamp minimum flashing requirement , the lamp 40 will conduct to such an insignificant extent as to be considered an open circuit , and the lamp is then considered extinguished . the cycle timing of the circuit of fig7 is complete in one second , and it repeats itself every second . switch 52 and switch 54 operate at the same time and cycle once per second . switch 56 and switch 58 are operated to change the effective candella power of the lamp 40 output . the circuit of fig7 conveniently models the disclosed flashlamp discharge control method . at 0 . 25 seconds after the lamp 40 has been triggered , flashed , and allowed to cool , switch 52 is opened and switch 54 is closed . if switch 56 and switch 58 are opened , then the lowest effective candella power has been selected . the lamp 40 minimum flashing requirement is 250 volts , and maximum anode voltage is 315 volts when it is a radio shack 272 - 1145 flashlamp . the trigger impedance matching transformer , which may be a radio shack 272 - 1146 , puts out a 4 kv minimum pulse when 250 volts from the trigger capacitor 44 is connected to the primary winding through switch 52 . the trigger is a class 1 trigger in voltage and energy . when the power switch 54 is closed , the 240 volt 60 hertz a . c . line source 60 is connected to the anode of the power rectifier 62 which is a 1 n 5062 rectifier , and current flows on 45 positive half cycles of the a . c . line source 60 . this current through resistor 64 charges the 1 . 0 microfarad capacitor 48 to 300 volts and through resistors 64 and 66 charges the 0 . 1 microfarad trigger capacitor 44 to above 250 volts . forty - five cycles after the power switch 54 was closed , the power switch 54 is open - circuited and the trigger switch 52 is closed . three millijoules of energy flows from the trigger capacitor 44 into the primary of the trigger transformer 46 , where its impedance is changed to produce a 4 kilovolt pulse from the secondary . that pulse is applied through a conductor of less than twelve inches in length to the trigger electrode 68 distributed along the outside wall of the lamp 40 . a portion of the 3 millijoules is then coupled through the high impedance wall of the lamp to the interior xenon gas . because the lamp cathode 70 is 4 kilovolts away from the trigger electrode 68 and the lamp anode 72 is held by the capacitor 48 to within 300 volts of 4 kilovolts away from the trigger electrode 68 , the voltage stresses across the xenon gas cause ionization of the gas . this reduces the anode - to - cathode impedance of the lamp 40 , so that energy stored at 300 volts in &# 34 ; kindling &# 34 ; capacitor 48 will start to discharge into the lamp 40 . referring momentarily to fig8 a and 8b which depict lamp anode - to - cathode voltages , in conventional fashion the discharge of &# 34 ; kindling &# 34 ; capacitor 48 will follow the solid curves on the graphs of the lamp anode - to - cathode voltage with respect to time and a low effective candella power flash will be the output . referring back to fig7 resistor 66 allows the trigger capacitor 44 to be quickly discharged into the primary of transformer 46 without substantially affecting the charge on the capacitor 48 in 0 . 1 milliseconds . when medium power output is desired for each flash , the power switch 56 is closed . when the power switch 54 is closed , the 100 microfarad electrolytic capacitor 42 is charged through the resistor 74 more slowly than the &# 34 ; kindling &# 34 ; capacitor 48 is charged through its associated resistor 64 . the associated resistor 74 is chosen so that , at the end of 45 cycles of charging from the 60 hertz line source 60 , the electrolytic capacitor 42 has reached approximately 100 volts plus or minus the inverse capacity tolerance of the 100 microfarad electrolytic capacitor 42 . to discharge for a medium effective candella power output from the flashlamp the previous sequence for a low power flash is initiated . however , when the 1 . 0 microfarad &# 34 ; kindling &# 34 ; capacitor 48 discharges down to just below the voltage level of the 100 microfarad capacitor 42 , energy begins to flow from the main storage electrolytic capacitor 42 through the diode 50 and into the lamp 40 . referring momentarily again to fig8 a and 8b , depicting lamp anode - to - cathode voltages , the discharge of the &# 34 ; kindling &# 34 ; capacitor 48 follows the solid curve from 300 volts down to 100 volts , and then it proceeds along the dotted line , supported by the discharge of the electrolytic capacitor 42 for a discharge of greater energy than the low power discharge . referring back to fig7 when high power is desired for each flash , the power switch 56 and the power switch 58 are both closed . when the power switch 54 is closed , the 100 microfarad electrolytic capacitor 42 is charged through the resistor 74 , and through the resistor 76 , in parallel , and still more slowly than the &# 34 ; kindling &# 34 ; capacitor 48 is charged through its associated resistor 64 . the resistor 76 is chosen so that , at the end of 45 cycles of charging from the 60 hertz line source 60 , the 100 microfarad capacitor 42 has reached approximately 150 volts plus or minus the inverse capacity tolerance of the 100 microfarad capacitor 42 . to discharge for a high effective candella power output from the flashlamp 40 , the previous sequence for a low power flash is initiated . however , when the 1 . 0 microfarad &# 34 ; kindling &# 34 ; capacitor 48 discharges down to just below the voltage level of the 100 microfarad capacitor 42 , energy begins to flow from the main energy storage electrolytic capacitor 42 , through the diode 50 , and into the lamp 40 . referring momentarily again to fig8 a and 8b , after conventional triggering of the lamp 40 , the discharge of the &# 34 ; kindling &# 34 ; capacitor 48 follows the solid curve from 300 volts down to 150 volts and then proceeds along the dashed line , supported by the discharge of the electrolytic capacitor 42 for a discharge of greater energy than the medium power discharge . the diode 50 is preferably type 1n 3663 operated entirely within its manufacturer &# 39 ; s integrated forward and reverse limits . motorola , inc ., rates its 1n 3663 diode at a peak repetitive reverse voltage of 400 volts maximum at 25 ° c . diode case temperature and an average half - wave rectified forward current with a resistive load of 25 amperes at 150 ° c . case temperature . at 150 ° c ., the instantaneous forward conduction drop at 25 amperes is 0 . 87 volts . the diode heating equivalent to that endured in a peak 1 - cycle surge - current of 400 amperes from a 60 hertz source when the case temperature is 150 ° c . is to be avoided . referring now to fig6 the power line 78 , rated at 240 volts 60 hertz , center tapped for 120 volts 60 hertz on either side of the grounded neutral conductor 80 , supplies the charge and discharge timing and control logic module 82 , a module which is a conventional one and well known to those skilled in the art of semi - conductor switching , and the optical relays 84 , 86 and the interlock relay 88 through line fuses 90 and 92 , and is connected to transient overvoltage limiters 94 , 96 . the fuse circuits include inductance , and the overvoltage limiters include by - pass capacitance , to prevent electromagnetic interference from passing into or out of the power line 78 at the flasher power supply . the interlock relay 88 is controlled by the power supply interlock switch 98 and flasher interlock switch 100 for safety purposes and controls power to the charge and discharge timing and control logic module 82 , to the optional thermostatically controlled heater 102 , controlls the operation of line power semiconductor switch 104 and controls the 120 volt 60 hertz current - limited trigger 106 , and high signal input 108 from the system distant control box . the open circuiting of either one of the interlock switches 98 or 100 turns off all 120 volt and 240 volt circuits coming into the power supply which also turns off all optical isolator outputs from the logic module 82 . power at the power line 78 is controlled at the system distant control box ( not shown ) and only exists when the flashlamp system operation is desired by activating the system distant control box . a plurality of flashlamp optical pulses from a plurality of locations distributed from the end of each airport runway is controlled in intensity and sequence from the system distant control box to prevent any single flash from occurring at the wrong time in a sequence which would mislead an aircraft pilot . power at the power - line 78 is in parallel with the powerline connection of other similar flasher units so that intensity and sequence of flashing arc controlled entirely through the trigger 106 and high signal input 108 control wires . when 120 volt / 240 volt 60 hertz grounded neutral power appears at the power line 78 , the interlock relay 88 will close and turn on the power switch 104 . the charge and discharge timing and control logic module 82 will reset its internal clock and start clocking the power line cycles in order to turn on the low optically controlled switch 84 for forty - five cycles of the 60 hertz powerline 78 . if low intensity was selected at the system distant control box , then no 120 volt 60 hertz voltage will appear at the high signal input 108 line , and the high optically controlled switch 86 will never turn on . if high intensity operation was selected , then 120 volt 60 hertz voltage will appear continuously on the high signal input line 108 , and the high optically controlled switch 86 will be turned on for the same forty - five cycles of the 60 hertz powerline 78 for which the low switch 84 was turned on . if medium intensity operation was selected , then 120 volt 60 hertz voltage will appear continuously on the high signal input line 108 , but the high optically controlled switch 86 will be turned on only during the last fifteen cycles of the time in which the low switch 84 is on . this medium mode is accomplished by the lengthening of the 120 volt 60 hertz voltage trigger signal in the control box from 0 . 25 seconds duration , which is 15 cycles of the 60 hertz voltage trigger signal . the trigger signal is lengthened to prevent high charging through the high optically controlled switch 86 , and the longer trigger signal voltage on line 106 is converted to a shorter charging time by the charge and discharge timing and control logic module 82 . because the flashlamp discharge controlling method of this invention uses dynamic impedance matching to a capacitance whose voltage can be varied over a wide range , the system distant control box can be made to incrementally select any intensity of flash over a wide range from near minimum intensity to maximum intensity just by incrementally varying the length of the trigger signal produced at the distant control box . however , practical applications as airport signaling devices indicate that 5000 , 1500 and 700 effective candella powers are sufficient variations . each time a trigger signal starts , the clock in the logic module 82 is reset and begins counting again . if another trigger signal is not received in 1 . 1 seconds , then the charging switches 84 , 86 are turned off and the module 82 , optically isolated outputs to the power schmitt triggers 110 , 112 are also turned off , and this allows the power schmitt triggers 110 , 112 to begin their 4 second discharge of the 2000 microfarad of electrolytic energy storage capacitance to below 50 volts . this assures that the lamp will not flash at a wrong time . when a trigger signal is received by the logic module 82 , one second plus or minus 4 / 60 of a second from the beginning of the preceding trigger signal , then that subsequent trigger signal is accepted for normal flasher operation and the logic module 82 passes a portion of the trigger signal through an optical isolator to the trigger amplifier 114 . the trigger amplifier 114 derives its power from the charged electrolytic energy storage capacitance and passes the trigger signal through the cable 116 and the transient limiting resistors 118 and 120 . the trigger signal is transient limited by the zener diode 122 and is time integrated by the resistor 124 and the capacitor 126 to enhance system noise immunity . when the capacitor 126 is charged to 8 volts by the processed trigger signal , then the five layer diode 128 turns on to begin an 8 volt discharge which is developed across the resistor 130 and turns on the transistor 132 . the pulse output from the emitter of transistor 132 is current limited by the resistor 134 and turns on the triac 136 . the triac gate is shunted by a resistance 138 , built into the triac 136 which further enhances system noise immunity . the supply voltage to triac 136 is limited to 340 volts by the zener diode 138 and allowed to ring for a greater a . c . component in the trigger voltage of the lamp 140 by the diode 142 . the 0 . 3 microfarad lamp trigger capacitor 144 is charged to 340 volts through the diode 146 and the limiting resistor 148 . the turn - on of the triac 136 discharges the 0 . 3 microfarad capacitor through the primary of the trigger transformer 150 which has a 50 to 1 turns ratio raising the trigger impedance so that a 15 kv class ii trigger pulse is delivered to the lamp 140 through the trigger electrode 152 . because the return of the 15 kv pulse developed in the secondary of the trigger transformer 150 is directly by - passed through the 0 . 15 microfarad capacitor 154 to the lamp anode 156 , and through the 0 . 15 microfarad capacitor 158 to the lamp cathode 160 , the maximum available trigger energy is applied to the high impedance xenon gas inside the lamp 140 and begins to reduce that gas impedance . just prior to the start of the 120 volt 60 hertz trigger signal pulse at the trigger line 106 , the &# 34 ; kindling &# 34 ; capacitors 154 , 158 , 162 and 164 , which are of identical ratings for this lamp 140 , completed charging to 560 volts each in the polarity provided by the voltage multiplier diodes 166 , 168 , 170 and 172 and the charging current limited by the foil - and - film capacitors 174 , 176 through the low power switch 84 and through the damping resistor 178 . at the same time , most of the energy for the low 700 effective candella power flash had been stored as a charge of constant current into the electrolytic capacitances 180 , 182 at approximately 270 volts each in the polarity provided by the voltage multiplier diodes 184 , 186 , 188 and 190 , and was current - limited by the foil - and - film capacitors 192 and 194 . the power diodes 196 and 198 isolate the &# 34 ; kindling &# 34 ; capacitors 162 and 164 from the low ecp capacitances 180 and 182 , and the resistor 200 damps transients . storage of a portion of the main discharge energy at a voltage not much below the lamp 140 minimum operating requirement assures not only an easy dynamic impedance matching step from the &# 34 ; kindling &# 34 ; capacitors &# 39 ; impedance level while using only a minimal capacity at the &# 34 ; kindling &# 34 ; voltage level , but also provides an intermediate impedance step to the last main energy storage voltage , when that voltage is at a low value , for the medium 1500 effective candella power flash output . when medium intensity operation is selected , the &# 34 ; kindling &# 34 ; capacitors 154 , 158 , 162 and 164 and the low ecp electrolytic capacitances 180 and 182 will charge as they did when the low intensity mode of operation was selected . additionally , the trigger 120 volt 60 hertz signal on the signal line 106 from the distant control box will be 45 cycles long , and 120 volt 60 hertz voltage will exist on the high signal line 108 , causing the charge and discharge timing and control logic module 82 to turn on the high optically controlled switch 86 during the last fifteen cycles of the time in which the low switch 84 is on . conduction of the high switch 86 for fifteen cycles of the 60 hertz line source 78 raises the voltage of the main energy storage electrolytic capacitances 202 and 204 to approximately 160 volts each in the polarity provided by the voltage multiplier diodes 206 , 208 , 210 and 212 and current - limited by the foil - and - film capacitors 214 and 216 . the power diodes 218 and 220 isolate the low energy storage electrolytic capacitances 180 and 182 from the main energy storage electrolytic capacitances 202 and 204 whenever the main energy storage capacitances 202 and 204 are at voltages lower than the voltages on the low capacitances 180 and 182 . when high intensity operation is selected , the &# 34 ; kindling &# 34 ; capacitors 154 , 158 , 162 and 164 and the low electrolytic capacitances 180 and 182 will charge as they did when the low intensity operation was chosen . the trigger 120 volt 60 hertz signal at the trigger input line 106 will be the same as it was for the low intensity operation , namely , 15 cycles long , and 120 volt 60 hertz will exist on the high line 108 , causing the charge and discharge timing and control logic module 82 to turn on the high optically controlled switch 86 during all forty - five cycles of the available charging time . using all forty - five cycles for charging the main energy storage electrolytic capacitances raises them to their maximum charged voltage of approximately 270 volts so they can supply the energy for the high intensity flash of 5000 plus or minus 2000 effective candella power . using the foil - and - film capacitors 214 , 216 , 192 , 194 , 174 and 176 conveniently limits the input currents on any cycle of the line source 78 so that surges associated with resistive charging are avoided , and the foil - and - film capacitors accurately convey controlled amounts of charge to be accumulated by the energy storage capacitances 202 , 204 , 180 , 182 , 162 , 164 , 154 and 158 . because high intensity operation applies approximately maximum rated electrolytic capacitor working voltage during routine operation of the flashlamp system , the electrolytic capacitors will not deform . overvoltage stress on the electrolytic capacitors is avoided by the threshold voltage sensor in each of the two power schmitt triggers 110 and 112 . when the threshold of either of the sensors is exceeded , the associated power schmitt trigger is activated , which latter then immediately activates the other power schmitt trigger through the logic module 82 . while the scmitt triggers are conducting and dissipating energy in their load resistances 222 and 224 , they also signal the logic module 82 that they are in heavy conduction , and the low and high optically isolated power switches 84 and 86 are held in a nonconducting mode , although trigger signals are allowed to pass to the lamp 140 to enable the lamp 40 to be triggered at the proper times . surges in line source 78 can be accommodated , and the flashing of lamp 140 can be continued with this arrangement of the power schmitt triggers 110 and 112 , although the primary function of these power schmitt triggers is to safely discharge the main energy storage capacitances 202 , 204 , 180 and 182 when the line source 78 voltage is removed . neon lamps 226 and 228 , and their respective ballast resistors 230 and 232 regulate the &# 34 ; kindling &# 34 ; voltage to within the flashlamp 140 manufacturers &# 39 ; specifications and also indicate circuit functioning for rapid and safe maintenance evaluation . light emitting diodes ( not specifically shown ) in the control logic module and in the power schmitt triggers also indicate circuit functioning for rapid and safe maintenance evaluation . the optional thermostatically controller heater 102 warms the electrolytic capacitances 202 , 204 , 180 and 182 when the ambient temperature falls below minus 35 ° c . (- 31 ° f .). use of this heater in combination with premium electrolytic capacitors designed for - 55 ° c . operation insures immediate adequate operation of the flasher down to - 55 ° c . the heater is operated by applying the line source 78 voltage to the power supply while providing no trigger voltage pulse at connection 106 . the charge and discharge timing and control logic module 82 and the circuit components may be appropriately chosen to produce a variety of flashlamp controlled discharge optical output waveforms varying from short high instantaneous intensities of high rms current value to long low instantaneous intensities of low rms current value . other arc devices can be similarly controlled in various applications of the present invention . such applications are not limited to those which require visual detection . while particular embodiments of the present invention have been shown , it will be understood , of course , that the invention is not limited thereto since modifications may be made by those skilled in the art , particularly in light of the foregoing teachings . it is , therefore , contemplated by the appended claims to cover any such modifications as incorporate those features which come within the true spirit and scope of the invention . | 7Electricity
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fig1 is a diagram showing , as an example , the overall arrangement of a distributed control network to which this invention is applied , including a plurality of communication stationa 1a - 1e and a ring transmission path 2 interconnecting the stations . the transmission path 2 may be a double ring . an example of this type of network constituted by a plurality of stations operating on the basis of equally distributed control is the foregoing token ring ( ieee 802 . 5 ) lan . fig2 shows in brief the arrangement of the station 1 . each station includes a communication circuit section 11 for communication control of the physical layer , and a communication circuit section 12 for communication control of the media access control layer ( termed simply mac hereinafter ). other circuit blocks included in each station , such as the interface with other communication stations in connection , are not directly related to this invention and they are not shown in the figure . the following deals with the determination of a master station ( that is a candidate master station ) in the network . in this case , the master station can be a station located on the immediate downstream side of a fault point , as has been mentioned previously , or an active monitor which supervises the normal circulation of a token in the above - mentioned token ring lan . determination of a master station is to distinguish one of a plurality of stations which are related equally with one another . in this case , each station performs the master station ( or active monitor ) determination control operation through mac - level information . this information ( master station determination frame ) is sent from the mac 12 . the mac 12 , upon receiving a master station determination frame from the transmission path , implements the master station determination control based on the information included in the frame . the master station determination control implemented here includes a method in which , for example , a station repeats only master station determination frames including source addresses smaller ( or larger ) than its own address so that only a master station determination frame with a minimum ( maximum ) address is allowed to circulate the network thereby to determine a specific station , i . e ., a station having the minimum ( maximum ) address , to be the master station . the scheme of master station determination control is not related directly to this invention . the substance of this invention is to allow each station to determine as to whether or not the state of the currently running master station determination control is to be continued . fig3 shows , as an example , the structure of the master station determination frame 20 . indicated at 21 is a start delimiter ( sd ) indicative of the top of the frame , 22 is a destination address ( da ) indicative of the destination of the frame , 23 is a source address ( sa ) indicative of the frame transmission source , 24 is a field ( info ) including information to be sent , 25 is a frame check sequence ( fcs ), and 26 is an end delimiter ( ed ) indicative of the end of the frame . in accordance with this invention , a master station determination frame includes , in the information field 24 , a function code ( fc ) indicating that this frame is a master station determination frame and an identifier ( id ) 28 for identifying the time of transmission of the frame . the id 28 may be a serial number which indicates the order of transmission time , a value which indicates the time of transmission , or any other value which can distinguish individual master station determination frames . fig4 is a flowchart of the program for the transmission of a master station determination frame executed by the mac 12 in each station . the program is initiated at the detection of a fault in the network or at the start - up of the network , for example as mentioned previously . initially , the first step 110 sets an initial value &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ; to the counter which indicates the id value to be appended to the transmission frame . next , a master station determination frame which contains the id counter value in its id field 28 is created , and it is sent onto the ring transmission path by way of the physical layer circuit 11 :( step 120 ). after that , a check is conducted as to whether the master station determination is completed :( step 130 ), and if it is not yet completed the id is updated :( step 140 ) and the sequence returns to the step of frame creation and transmission 120 . the transmission operation for the master station determination frames including different id &# 39 ; s continues until the master station determination completed . the completion of from determination transmission of a master station can be known , for example , by the reception of a master station determination frame which includes a source address smaller than its own address or by the reception of the master station determination frame having its own address in the reception operation for master station determination frames , as will be explained in detail with reference to fig5 . fig5 is a flowchart of the program which is executed by the mac 12 at the time of reception of a master station determination frame . upon receiving a master station determination frame , each station extracts the id 28 to check the validity of the frame :( step 210 ). this check may be the usual serial number check used in data communication . namely , serial numbers ( id &# 39 ; s ) of already received frames are memorized in correspondence to source addresses sa , and absence of data or duplication of data is detected from the values . the rationality of the received frame is checked :( step 220 ), and in case it is irrational the master station determination frame transmission operation described in connection with fig4 is commenced :( step 230 ). if the received master station determination frame is rational , the following master station determination process will be executed . irrationality mentioned here includes a case , for example , in which a newly received master station determination frame has its sa 23 , fc 27 , id 28 , etc . coincident with the counterparts of an already received master station determination frame , and in this case the master station determination process for the new frame is not carried out . the master station determination process is , for example , to extract the source address sa from the received frame and compare it with the address assigned to its own station ( self address ) ma :( step 240 ). if the self address is larger than the source address ( ma & gt ; sa ), the received frame is repeated :( step 250 ), and the transmission operation for the master station determination frame ( fig4 ) from that station is terminated . in case the self address ma is equal to the source address sa in the master station determination frame ( ma = sa ), the station established itself as the master station and completes the master station determination operation :( step 270 ). subsequently , it notifies the end of master station determination to the other stations , creates a new token for the resumption of communication , and sends it onto the ring transmission path :( step 280 ). if the self address is smaller than the source address ( ma & lt ; sa ), the received master station determination frame is removed :( step 290 ), and the master station determination frame transmission operation for established that station as the source commences or proceeds :( step 300 ). although in the above example the master station determination frame sending station sets the id in the master station determination frame and each receiving station judges the rationality based on the id , the above id may not be set , as another conceivable method . for example , when stations of a first group provided with the reconfiguration function and stations of a second group without the provision of the reconfiguration function coexist in a network , the above master station determination operation may be carried out by assuming that only master station determination frames having specific source addresses sa inherent to the first group are rational . in addition , in order to speed up the recovery of the communication function , an alternative scheme may be adapted in which , when all master station determination frames have been received , the rationality check for the frames is omitted and the master station determination process ( steps 240 - 300 in fig5 ) is conducted for the all received master station determination frames , and thereafter the rationality check is conducted . in this case , if a master station determination frame is judged to be irrational , the result of a process which has been done is invalidated and the master station determination frame transmission operation is commenced . what is required is to carry out master station determination by checking the rationality of received master station determination frames , instead of validating all master station determination frames addressed to the self station . | 7Electricity
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referring to fig1 there is shown in generic form two connectors 10 and 12 , the connector 10 to plug into the microprocessor and the connector 12 to plug into the crt monitor , either directly or through a cable at either end . it is not important to the invention as to whether one is male or female , or as to whether the other is female or male . all that is important is that they have corresponding pins or receptacles numbered 1 through 9 . assuming male connectors , like pins are connected directly together except the video intensity signal pin 7 and the vertical sync signal pin 9 . these pins are connected to contacts of a three - pole double - throw switch 13 in the following manner : pin 9 of either connector 10 or 12 to contact a 1 ; and pin 7 of connector 10 to the moving contact c 2 and pin 7 of connector 12 to the moving contact c 3 . contacts b 2 and b 3 are connected together , and contact b 1 is left open . the moving contact c 1 provides power (+ 4 vdc ) to an inverter 14 , such as a 74hco4 high performance cmos ( low - power complementary mos silicon ) gate . the contact a 2 is connected to the input of the inverter 14 , and the contact a 3 is connected to the output of the inverter 14 . a capacitor 16 ( 50 pf ) is connected between the moving contact c 1 and circuit ground to filter the power supply thus provided by the vertical sync signal , and a resistor 18 is connected between the contact a 2 and circuit ( chassis ) ground . note that pins 6 of the connectors provide a common circuit ground between the microprocessor and the crt monitor ( not shown in fig1 ), and that the connectors are conventional in that their housings are metal to make electrical connection bewteen them , thus assuring that the microprocessor and monitor are at the same reference ground . for instance , the outer conductors of a coaxial cable are &# 34 ; grounded &# 34 ; at the monitor and microprocessor , and connected to the connector housings so that the monitor and microprocessor have a common ground . the select switch box is than connected to the connector housings to provide a common ground for the circuit . if the &# 34 ; box &# 34 ; is provided in the form a potting compound , the circuit ground could be provided by connections to pins 6 , such as through a circuit board , while connecting the pins 6 to the ground conductors of the cables to the monitor and microprocessor . this is represented by a ground symbol connected to pins 6 . when the three - pole double - throw switch is in the &# 34 ; on &# 34 ; position shown , the video signal at pin 7 of the connector 10 to the microprocessor is inverted and applied to the crt monitor via the inverter 14 and pin 7 of the connector 12 . when the switch is placed in its alternate &# 34 ; off &# 34 ; position , the connection for power supplied to the inverter via pin 9 of the connector 10 is open , and the video signal at pin 7 of the connector 10 bypasses the inverter 14 through contacts b 2 and b 3 . the &# 34 ; off &# 34 ; position provides conventional white character display on a dark background . the &# 34 ; on &# 34 ; position provides dark character display on a white background . this is so because the video signal which normally intensifies the electron beam for a white dot to be displayed is inverted to virtually shut off the electron beam for a dot generation , thus leaving the crt screen dark , and intensifies the electron beam at all other times . fig2 illustrates in waveform a the vertical sync signal typically provided to the crt monitor . it is typically high (+ 4 v ) and drops to a low ( 0 v ) during vertical scan retrace at the end of each sequence of raster scans that fill the crt monitor screen . waveform b illustrates a typical video signal which may vary from a high (+ 4 v ) to a low ( about - 0 . 5 v ) according to the characters displayed . a white dot display on a dark background would normally be produced by a high video signal , but in the &# 34 ; on &# 34 ; position of the switch 13 shown in fig1 the video would be inverted , and the dot display would become a dark dot on a white background , or vice versa . in that way , the select switch box shown in fig1 in which the &# 34 ; box &# 34 ; is represented by a dotted line 20 , provides the selection of black on white , or white on black for data display without the need for any external power and with equal bandwidth response for both selections . the select switch box is noise free , injects no interference in the video signal and places no dc on the pins that is not otherwise present . consequently , the select switch box requires no fcc approval since it will not radiate rf energy , and requires non ul approval ( or the equivalent ) since it does not connect to any outside source of power . the very low power required ( v cc ) by the inverter is derived from the vertical sync signal at + 4 v . when the inverter is driven by a high input (+ 4 v ), its output will be low ( 0 to - 0 . 5 v ), and vice versa . for that reason the inverter , functions as a logic gate such that the output y in response to an input a is equal to the complement a . the description of fig1 was with generic terminology for the connectors 10 and 12 . normally the connector 10 would be a male connector , and the connector 12 would be a female connector which normally receives the male connector at the end of a coaxial cable provided with the crt monitor . that is the first arrangement illustrated in fig3 ( a ), but other possibilities are illustrated in fig3 ( b ) through 3 ( d ). still other possibilities will occur to those skilled in the art . a preferred arrangement would be two male connectors for the select switch box with cables to both the microprocessor and the crt monitor as illustrated in fig3 ( b ), but one connector may be a female connector as shown in fig3 ( c ) for connection to the microprocessor with a cable having a male connector at both ends , or both connectors may be female connectors as shown in fig3 ( d ). note that the possibilities illustrated in fig3 ( a ) and ( d ) assume the crt monitor has a fixed cable with a male connector at the end . this is quite common , so if the select switch box is provided with two male connectors , a short patch cable with two female connectors will be required . still other possibilities may occur , as noted hereinbefore . consequently , the term connectors used in the claims to define the invention is to be construed generically to apply to either a male or a female connector . the qualification &# 34 ; input &# 34 ; or &# 34 ; output &# 34 ; will distinguish which is to be connected to the microprocessor and which is to be connected to the monitor . also the term &# 34 ; pin &# 34 ; is to be construed generically to apply to either a pin of a male connector , or a receptacle for a pin in a female connector . finally , the term box as used herein may be a metal or plastic box , or simply a mass of plastic of any suitable shape into which all elements , including the connectors , have been potted or encapsulated . the only difference between potting and encapsulating is that in potting , the container for the potting compound remains as part of the assembly , whereas in encapsulating , the container ( mold ) is removed after the encapsulating material has set ( solidified ). the &# 34 ; box &# 34 ; itself need not be grounded , although in the case of a metal box , it would be good practice to connect it to one of the ground pins . | 6Physics
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referring now to the drawings , a vertical window 10 of tempered glass is provided as a closure for a window opening in one side of a tractor cab . the window 10 is hinged ( not shown ,) at its forward edge to a part of the tractor frame structure which forms the opening . the opposite edge portion 12 bears against a part of the frame structure which is a vertical post 14 . the vertical post 14 is a u - shaped channel and has a vertical leg portion 16 that is positioned opposite the edge portion 12 of the window 10 . a u - shaped rubber seal 18 is provided between the edge portions of the window 10 and the frame structure 14 that forms the opening for the window . while only a part of the seal 18 and the frame post structure 14 is shown , the remainder of the frame structure and its seal 18 is of conventional nature and it is believed that further detail is not necessary for purposes of understanding the present invention . welded to the bight portion 20 of the post 14 and extending inwardly behind the window 10 is an upright u - shaped latch element 22 that has the upper and lower horizontal legs welded to the vertical portion 20 of the post 14 . the latch element 22 includes a vertical portion 24 that is parallel to the post 14 and also to the window 10 . a latch mounting bracket 28 is mounted on and projects inwardly from the window 10 . the bracket 28 is composed of two parts , the main part having a threaded section 30 that extends through the window pane 10 and receives a matching internally threaded head end 32 . suitable seals , such as at 34 , are provided between the glass of the window 10 and the respective surfaces of the mounting bracket 28 . the innermost end of the mounting bracket 28 carries a vertical pivot pin 36 that is both parallel to the latch rod 24 and the window 10 . mounted on the vertical pin 36 is a latch plate 40 . the latch plate 40 is composed of a hard plastic material and has integral therewith a vertical handle 42 that has portions thereof extending above and below the plate 40 . the plate 40 has an edge 44 facing the rod portion 24 and the post 14 . the edge contains notches 46 , 48 . the notch 46 is adjacent the vertical pin 36 and the notch 48 is spaced further from the pin 36 . as is clearly apparent , the notches 46 , 48 are for purposes of receiving the latch rod portion 24 . the notch 46 opens toward the window 10 and has a cam edge 50 that extends from the notch entry area to the base of the notch 46 . when it is desired to close the window , the operator uses the handle 42 to swing the latch plate inwardly with respect to the post 20 until the outermost end of the cam edge 50 engages the rod or latch portion 24 . the handle 42 is then pushed towards the post 14 and the latch rod 24 moves along the cam edge 50 to the base of the notch 46 . at the same time , the edge portion of the glass adjacent the edge 12 compresses the weather seal 18 . such compression creates or series as a biasing force tending to separate the window 10 from the post 20 . however , the latch portion 24 is trapped in the notch 46 and the latch plate 40 is then positioned to resist the force . thus , the window 10 is held in its closed position . when it is desired to open the window or disengage the latch , handle 42 is pulled in a direction away from the post 20 and the window 10 is forced away from the seal 18 . the second notch 48 is a keyhole shaped notch having a comparatively narrow throat 52 which is smaller than the outside dimension of the latch rod portion 24 . when it is desired to hold the window 10 in a slightly opened position , as shown in fig3 the handle 42 is moved toward the post 14 and the latch portion 24 is forced through the throat 52 to seat in the base of the notch 48 . the latch plate 40 , being of a plastic or resilient material , will permit the throat 52 to expand sufficiently to permit the rod portion 24 to move through the throat . however , once seated in the base of the notch 48 , the throat will tend to resist dislodgment of the rod portion 24 from the notch 48 . also , there is no weight or force tending to separate the latch rod 24 from the notch 48 and consequently , it will retain in a seated position in the notch 48 until the handle 45 is utilized to pull the latch plate 40 clear of the rod portion 24 . while only one notch 48 is provided , it is clearly apparent that there could be a plurality of notches which would position the window 10 at different open positions by merely expanding the length of the latch plate 40 and cutting the keyhole notches as desired . however , in most instances , it is only desirable to open the window 10 a slight amount for ventilation and / or prevention of condensation within the cab . it should be understood that the window can be opened entirely if such is desired , or it can be placed in a completely closed position . the present latch adds the additional feature of latching it in the slightly opened position . | 8General tagging of new or cross-sectional technology
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in the following description , color references are made to the royal horticultural society colour chart , 2001 edition , except where general terms of ordinary dictionary significance are used . plants used for the description were approximately two years old and were grown in 11 . 8 l containers under outdoor conditions in watkinsville , ga . colors are described using the royal horticultural society colour chart ( r . h . s .). botanical classification : lagerstroemia l ., cultivar ‘ purple magic ’. parentage : female , or seed , parent : lagerstroemia 16 - 02 ( unpatented ). male , or pollen parent : unknown ( open - pollinated ). propagation : terminal cuttings . time to initiate roots , summer : about 21 days at 32 ° c . plant description : flowering shrub ; compact , rounded to upright growth habit . freely branching ; pruning enhances lateral branch development . root description .— numerous , fine , fibrous and well - branched . plant size .— the original plant , now about four - years - old in the ground , is about 116 cm high from the soil level to the top of the inflorescences and about 90 cm wide . first year stems have a diameter of about 2 . 5 mm . shape : squarish . second year and older stems have a diameter of about 5 mm or more . shape : round . trunk diameter .— 3 cm at the soil line . color : n199b . i internode length .— about 1 . 9 cm . strength .— flexible when young , easily broken once mature . first year stem color ( young ).— 183a . color ( woody ): 200d . second year and older stem color .— n199b . bark .— exfoliates in strips beginning on second or third year stems . vegetative buds : sub - opposite to alternate in arrangement , imbricate , conical , with no pubescence . color : 183b . size : about 2 . 5 mm in length and 1 mm in width . foliage description : arrangement .— sub - opposite to alternate , simple . length : about 4 . 7 cm . width : about 2 . 5 cm . shape : elliptical . apex : acuminate . base : cuneate . margin : entire . texture ( upper and lower surfaces ).— glabrous and glossy . venation pattern .— pinnate . venation color of emerging foliage ( upper and lower surfaces ): 178b . venation color of fully expanded foliage ( upper and lower surfaces ): 178b at the base , changing to 35c at the apex . color in developing foliage ( upper and lower surfaces ).— 178b . color in fully expanded foliage ( upper surface ): 147a . color in fully expanded foliage ( lower surface ): 146b . petiole length .— about 2 mm . petiole diameter : about 1 mm . petiole color ( upper and lower surfaces ): 177a . pubescence : none . flower description : flowers are produced from about june to september in watkinsville , ga . an inflorescence is showy for about two weeks , and individual flowers last about one day and are self - cleaning . inflorescence type .— panicle . inflorescence length : about 10 cm . inflorescence width : about 8 cm . peduncle .— about 8 cm in length , about 2 mm in diameter , color is 183a , and no pubescence . individual flowers .— about 2 cm in height and 3 . 6 cm in diameter . flower buds .— length : about 8 mm ; diameter : about 8 mm ; color : 178b . pedicels .— about 7 mm in length , 178b in color , and no pubescence . calyx .— about 9 mm in length , about 1 . 1 cm in diameter , 176a in color , and no pubescence . arrangement / appearance .— usually 6 or 7 per flower . petal length .— about 1 . 8 cm . petal width .— about 1 . 2 cm . petal shape .— fan - shaped . petal apex : ruffled , rounded . petal base : sagittate . petal margin : ruffled . petal texture ( upper and lower surfaces ): glabrous . petal color .— upper and lower surfaces are 77a . quantity / arrangement .— about 25 to 30 short stamens clustered in the center , about 8 mm long , filament color is 62b , and anther color is 13b . the short stamens are surrounded by 6 longer stamens , about 1 . 2 cm long , filament color is 63a , and anther color is n199c . the stamens are not pubescent . pollen : produced in moderate quantities and is 13b in color on the short stamens and 144c in color on the long stamens . quantity .— one superior pistil per flower . pubescence : none . pistil length : about 1 . 8 cm in length . stigma shape : round , about 1 mm in diameter . stigma color : 146a . style color : 183c and about 1 . 5 cm in length . ovary color : 5d and about 2 mm in diameter . type / appearance .— six - valved , dehiscent , broad ellipsoidal capsule . length : about 8 mm . diameter : about 7 mm . immature color : 144a . mature color : 200c . each capsule contains many seeds that are about 5 mm long , 3 mm wide , and 200c in color . disease / pest resistance : plants of the claimed lagerstroemia variety grown in field and container trials have exhibited resistance to powdery mildew and cercospora leaf spot . | 0Human Necessities
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it is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the particular methodology , compounds , materials , manufacturing techniques , uses , and applications , described herein , as these may vary . it is also to be understood that the terminology used herein is used for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only , and is not intended to limit the scope of the present invention . it must be noted that as used herein and in the appended claims , the singular forms “ a ,” “ an ,” and “ the ” include the plural reference unless the context clearly dictates otherwise . thus , for example , a reference to “ an element ” is a reference to one or more elements and includes equivalents thereof known to those skilled in the art . similarly , for another example , a reference to “ a step ” or “ a means ” is a reference to one or more steps or means and may include sub - steps and subservient means . all conjunctions used are to be understood in the most inclusive sense possible . thus , the word “ or ” should be understood as having the definition of a logical “ or ” rather than that of a logical “ exclusive or ” unless the context clearly necessitates otherwise . structures described herein are to be understood also to refer to functional equivalents of such structures . language that may be construed to express approximation should be so understood unless the context clearly dictates otherwise . unless defined otherwise , all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meanings as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs . preferred methods , techniques , devices , and materials are described , although any methods , techniques , devices , or materials similar or equivalent to those described herein may be used in the practice or testing of the present invention . structures described herein are to be understood also to refer to functional equivalents of such structures . all references cited herein are incorporated by reference herein in their entirety . as described in this specification , applied force is shown as being in the same general direction and magnitude to each element . the type of force is immaterial to this explanation and thus a generic force vector will be used . cases involving a different force applied versus film area or changes in force direction may readily be inferred from this case by an ordinarily skilled artisan . small variables due to discrete component characteristics are not shown as specific component values because they can vary ; and further because , although this may optimize performance , it does not affect primary performance . in general , force applied to a pvdf film may cause longitudinal motion of at least a portion of the film . this longitudinal displacement of a portion of the film can generate a voltage output . the magnitude of the voltage output depends , for example , on the force applied , the physical dimension of the pvdf film , and the capacitance of the film . the pvdf film may be coated with a conductive surface to remove coulombs of charge . in another embodiment , the pvdf film may be in contact with a conductor to remove charge . this process may be reversible , thus , for example , voltage applied to a conductively coated pvdf film surface may cause physical motion in the film . in axially poled pvdf , most of such voltage induced movement may be in the longitudinal direction . typically only about 1 / 1000 of the movement will be in any other direction . pvdf film that may be used in accordance with the present invention may be such film as dt - 1 film from measurement specialties incorporated . fig1 is a circuit diagram of an embodiment of the present invention . the diagram illustrates one way in which five piezoelectric elements 150 may be electrically connected together . although the piezoelectric elements 150 are similar to each other , they are not identical . the segments of piezoelectric material 130 may be of increasing size and the capacitors 140 may be selected to correspond to the particular segment of piezoelectric material 130 . an example of such an arrangement is described in fig7 a , 7 b , and 7 c , which is further described below . referring again to fig1 , each piezoelectric element 150 may include a bridge rectifier 120 . the bridge rectifier 120 may , for example , be a full - wave rectifier including four diodes 110 . the bridge rectifier 120 may be connected to the piezoelectric material 130 , and may be connected to a capacitor 140 . a stacked array of piezoelectric elements 150 may be connected electrically by connecting their capacitors 140 in series . one terminal of one of the capacitors 140 may be provided as a sensor output 170 , and another may be connected to ground 160 . it may be observed that a four element stack may be created by removing the connection between the bottommost piezoelectric element 150 and instead connecting directly to ground . fig2 a and 2b provide two examples of ground switching applications of the present invention : a single pulse diagram in fig2 a , and a latched power diagram in fig2 b . in one embodiment , as shown , for example , in fig2 a , the sensor output 170 may be connected to the gate of an n channel fet 210 . the source of the n channel fet 210 may be connected to ground 160 . the drain of the n channel fet 210 may be connected to monitor circuit ground 240 . a battery 220 may provide a voltage differential between monitor circuit power 230 and ground 160 . thus , a sensor high pulse from the sensor output 170 may apply the monitor circuit ground for the pulse duration . in another embodiment , as shown , for example , in fig2 b , the sensor output 170 may be connected to the gate of an n channel fet 210 . the source of the n channel fet 210 may be connected to ground 160 . the drain of the n channel fet 210 may be connected to monitor circuit ground 240 . a battery 220 may provide a voltage differential between monitor circuit power 230 and ground 160 . additionally , a monitor circuit power latch 250 may be connected through a diode 110 to the gate of the n channel fet 210 . thus , the high pulse from sensor output 170 may indirectly activate the monitor circuit power latch 250 , enabling the circuit to latch power beyond the duration of the pulse . fig3 a , 3 b , and 3 c provide three examples of power switching application of the present invention : a single pulse diagram in fig3 a , an active - high power latching diagram in fig3 b , and an active - low diagram in fig3 c . in one embodiment , as shown , for example , in fig3 a , the sensor output 170 may be connected to the gate of an n channel fet 210 . the source of the n channel fet 210 may be connected to ground 160 . the drain of the n channel fet 210 may be connected to a resistor 310 and the gate of a p channel fet 320 . the resistor 310 may be connected to the source of the p channel fet 320 . the source of the p channel fet 320 may also be connected to a battery 220 which may , in turn , be connected to ground 160 . the drain of the p channel fet 320 may be connected to monitor circuit power 230 . thus , a sensor high pulse may apply monitor circuit power 230 for the pulse duration . in another embodiment , as shown , for example , in fig3 b , the sensor output 170 may be connected to the gate of an n channel fet 210 . the source of the n channel fet 210 may be connected to ground 160 . the drain of the n channel fet 210 may be connected to a resistor 310 and the gate of a p channel fet 320 . the resistor 310 may be connected to the source of the p channel fet 320 . the source of the p channel fet 320 may also be connected to a battery 220 which may , in turn , be connected to ground 160 . the drain of the p channel fet 320 may be connected to monitor circuit power 230 . thus , a sensor high pulse may apply monitor circuit power 230 for the pulse duration . additionally , a monitor circuit power latch 250 may be connected through a diode 110 to the gate of the n channel fet 210 . thus , the high pulse from sensor output 170 may indirectly activate the monitor circuit power latch 250 , enabling the circuit to latch power beyond the duration of the pulse . in another embodiment , as shown , for example , in fig3 c , the sensor output 170 may be connected to the gate of an n channel fet 210 . the source of the n channel fet 210 may be connected to ground 160 . the drain of the n channel fet 210 may be connected to a resistor 310 and the gate of a p channel fet 320 . the resistor 310 may be connected to the source of the p channel fet 320 . the source of the p channel fet 320 may also be connected to a battery 220 which may , in turn , be connected to ground 160 . the drain of the p channel fet 320 may be connected to monitor circuit power 230 . thus , a sensor high pulse may apply monitor circuit power 230 for the pulse duration . additionally , a monitor circuit power latch 250 may be connected to the gate of the p channel fet 320 . thus , the high pulse from sensor output 170 may indirectly activate the monitor circuit power latch 250 , enabling the circuit to latch power beyond the duration of the pulse . fig4 a and 4b provide two examples of relay power switching applications of the present invention : a single pulse diagram in fig4 a , and a latched power diagram in fig4 b . in one embodiment , as shown , for example , in fig4 a , a sensor output 170 may be attached to a relay 410 at pin one . a resistor 310 may be connected between the relay 410 at pin two and ground 160 . a battery 220 may be connected between the relay 410 at pin three and ground 160 . the relay 410 at pin five may remain open . the relay 410 at pin four may be connected to monitor circuit power 230 . thus , a sensor high pulse may apply the monitor circuit power for the pulse duration . in another embodiment , as shown , for example , in fig4 b , a sensor output 170 may be attached to a relay 410 at pin one . a resistor 310 may be connected between the relay 410 at pin two and ground 160 . a battery 220 may be connected between the relay 410 at pin three and ground 160 . the relay 410 at pin five may remain open . the relay 410 at pin four may be connected to monitor circuit power 230 . additionally , a monitor circuit power latch 250 may be connected via a diode 110 to the relay 410 at pin one . thus , a sensor high pulse may apply the monitor circuit power for the pulse duration . thus , the high pulse from sensor output 170 may indirectly activate the monitor circuit power latch 250 , enabling the circuit to latch power beyond the duration of the pulse . fig5 a and 5b provide two examples of motion sensing with the sensor mounted on the object of interest : a window example in fig5 a and a door example in fig5 b . in one embodiment , as shown , for example , in fig5 a , the sensor 510 may be mounted on a portion of the window 520 . in one embodiment , the sensor 510 may be disguised as a sticker that is advertising a security company . in another example , the sensor 510 may be placed on an opaque portion of the window 520 . in another embodiment , as shown , for example , in fig5 b , a sensor 510 may be placed on a door 530 . the sensor 510 may , for example , be attached by means of an adhesive . the sensor 510 may be placed on a portion of the door 530 that is particularly likely to move in the event that there is an attempt made to open or shut the door 530 . fig6 is an example of a sensor 510 that is pre - loaded by being placed beneath an object of interest : in this case , a diamond 610 . the sensor 510 may initially be placed on the surface of , for example , a pedestal 620 . in this embodiment , if the diamond 610 is lifted from the pedestal 620 , the sensor 510 will provide an output . fig7 a , 7 b , and 7 c are drawings of a five - element stack . fig7 a corresponds to a top view of a five - element stack . fig7 b corresponds to a bottom view of a five - element stack . finally , fig7 c shows the application of force though a force application center 720 in view that superimposes top and bottom views . this embodiment , for example , converts ambient mechanical energy . a single pvdf film may be sectioned into five segments of increasing lengths as shown . these segments ( or elements ) 711 , 712 , 713 , 714 , and 715 ( which may correspond to particular segments of piezoelectric material 130 in fig1 ) may be ordered from smallest to largest as depicted . elements may be created in different sizes to provide specifically higher voltages as the film size increases for an evenly applied force across the pvdf film . this permits the stack to obtain a positive charge from top to bottom ( for example , from the sensor output 170 to ground 160 in circuit diagram , fig1 ). capacitors 140 ( as shown in fig1 ) may preferably be matched in size to the specific capacitance value of the pvdf element with which they are paired . they may be paired via rectification bridges — shown as 120 in the circuit diagram . these rectification bridges 120 ( as shown in fig1 ) may preferably be full - wave rectification bridges , but may alternatively be half - wave bridges . one advantage of full - wave bridges may be the ability to capture energy of both polarities . such a matched pairing may permit maximum charge transfer from the film . essentially , the charge transfer may preferably allow the maximum voltage generated on the pvdf film , minus two diode forward voltage drops , to be collected on the associated capacitor . a preferred rectification block , for use with the present invention , is a full wave rectifier as this allows voltages lower in the stack to appear on both surfaces of elements higher in the stack . this configuration may also help , for example , in preventing or diminishing the effect of individual segments of piezoelectric material 130 that may convert applied voltage on one side to mechanical motion within the film in a direction contrary to applied force . force may be applied to the film of an embodiment of the present invention roughly perpendicular to the top surface at the center of the film , along the force line in the drawing , via an attached mass . for any applied force , a voltage may be generated across each piezoelectric element inversely proportional to the size of the element . fig7 a , 7 b , and 7 c are an embodiment of the present invention in which the five elements are in a single film . in , for example , rectangular areas , such as the areas for segments 711 , 712 , 713 , 714 , and 715 , the elements may be defined by the application of silver ink . care may be taken in the definition of the areas to avert the creation of parasitic capacitances , by controlling the geometry of the application . fig8 a and 8b are depictions of an embodiment of the present invention that employs a piezoelectric element 150 in a rotational setting . as such an embodiment rotates , the gravitational force on the piezoelectric element 150 changes through 360 degrees of rotation . in a situation in which gravitational attraction is 1 g , the force ( in the longitudinal direction ) on the element ( due to gravity ) will vary between 1 g ( as seen in fig8 b ) and − 1 g ( as seen in fig8 a ) over the course of the rotation . fig9 is a graph of voltages output from an embodiment of the present invention including a pvdf film and stack capacitors . the voltages , in this example , are generated by a pvdf film and stored in five stack capacitors by percentage of total output . this percentage may be based on the ratio of film element capacitance to total element capacitance using the element sizing depicted in , for example , fig7 a - 7c . if a circuit such as the one shown in fig1 is employed , the voltages across the individual capacitors 140 may vary as shown in corresponding proportional voltages ( 931 , 932 , 933 , 934 , and 935 ) depicted as waveforms . in this example , the proportional voltage 931 of the capacitor 140 connected to sensor output 170 is 25 . 7 % of the total output voltage 936 ( also depicted as a waveform ). similarly , the proportional voltage 935 of the capacitor 140 connected to ground 160 is 14 . 3 % of total voltage 936 . fig1 is a circuit diagram of another embodiment of the present invention . the diagram illustrates one way in which five piezoelectric elements 150 may be electrically connected together . although the piezoelectric elements 150 are similar to each other , they are not necessarily identical . the segments of piezoelectric material 130 may be of increasing size and the capacitors 140 may be selected to correspond to the particular segment of piezoelectric material 130 . an example of such an arrangement is described in fig7 a , 7 b , and 7 c , described above . referring again to fig1 , each piezoelectric element 150 may include a bridge rectifier 120 . the bridge rectifier 120 may , for example , be a full - wave rectifier including four diodes 110 . the bridge rectifier 120 may be connected to the piezoelectric material 130 , and may be connected to a capacitor 140 . each piezoelectric element 150 may also include a signal phase delay element , such as an inductor 180 , provided between each bridge rectifier 120 and said capacitive element . a stack of piezoelectric elements 150 may be connected electrically by connecting their capacitors 140 in series . one terminal of one of the capacitors 140 may be provided as a sensor output 170 , and another may be connected to ground 160 . it may be observed that a four - element stack may be created by removing the connection between the bottommost piezoelectric element 150 and instead connecting directly to ground . other embodiments of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from consideration of the specification and the practice of the invention disclosed herein . it is intended that the specification and examples be considered as exemplary only , with a true scope and spirit of the invention being indicated by the following claims . | 7Electricity
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in fig1 , there is shown a contact centre system , enclosed by broken line 10 . the contact centre 10 line allows a contact centre management system or manager 12 to connect to customers 14 via public switch telephone network pstn 16 . connection is made by means of appropriate telephony equipment , such as the illustrated session initiation protocol ( sip ) server 18 and telephony gateway 20 . similarly , customers 22 who are connected to the internet 24 may be contacted using , for example , the sip protocol via sip server 18 . in this way , and is as generally known in the art , a hardware implemented or software - implemented predictive dialler 26 may place multiple calls to a plurality of customers 14 , 22 . when calls are successfully answered and are determined to be connected to a live customer , an agent call allocation application 28 connects the call to a conference bridge 30 via a contact centre local area network ( lan ) 32 . typically , this will occur in the seconds before an agent becomes free , or in a brief idle period allocated to the agent . a plurality of human agents are provided in the contact centre , but only one agent workstation 36 is shown . the agent workstation is provided with software which runs a contact centre agent desktop application 38 , and , in the context of a particular outbound telemarketing campaign , an outbound campaign script 40 is created , and this is running on each agent workstation 36 . the agent will be provided with telephony hardware ( not shown ) which is integrated with the agent desktop application 38 , such that the agent call allocation software 28 can “ push ” a call to the agent workstation , with call details appearing within the agent desktop application 38 , and the call being connected to the agent telephony equipment , in a known manner . when a call is connected , the outbound campaign script initialises and operates according to a workflow 42 . typically , a workflow will present a series of lines to be spoken by the agent , and will provide for different branching outcomes according to the response of the customer . normally , the goal is to identify customers who are interested in a product or service or who are willing to provide information or participate in research , and to complete the transaction as quickly and efficiently as possible , and the workflow will be tailored to that end . as the skilled person is aware , the predictive dialler will operate an algorithm which takes account of the number of agents currently active , the number of calls currently in progress , the number of calls currently being dialled , the statistical likelihood of a dialled number giving rise to a live customer interaction , the average idle time allowed for each agent between terminating a call and being presented with the next call , including time for the agent to complete “ wrap up ”, and so on . while conventional predictive diallers may be aware of the time spent by a particular agent on a call , and may attempt to predict from this the time before the agent is free to accept the next call , based either on a contact centre average , an agent group average , or even an individual agent average time to complete a call in a particular campaign , the system of fig1 provides additional benefits . in particular , the outbound campaign script 40 is designed to notify certain trigger events 44 to an event notification aggregator 46 . the aggregator 46 is a service running within the contact centre manager which receives , from each agent workstation , notified trigger events . other applications and services within the contact centre ( or indeed , external to the contact centre ) can subscribe to the event notification aggregator in respect of particular classes of events . this allows other components and services in the contact centre to monitor the progress of an agent through a script in a particular call , and to take action in response to the script progress . as an example , a supervisor workstation 48 may subscribe to notifications aggregator 46 to be informed when a particular agent reaches a particular point in a script , where it has been noted that agent is experiencing particular difficulty or is achieving success rates greatly above or below other agents in relation to that point in the script . further examples of how the event notification may be used will now be described . fig2 shows a flowchart of a process involving ( generally on the left hand side of fig2 ) the predictive dialler and ( generally on the right hand side of fig2 ) the agent workstation , with the aggregator providing a link between these entities . the predictive dialler 26 ( fig1 ) subscribes to the aggregator for call progress events , step 50 . as each agent progresses through the script on every call , trigger events 44 are automatically detected by the script 40 and notified to the event aggregator 46 , as will be described further below , and thus the predictive dialler receives an updated status of each calls progression , step 52 . as will be described further with reference to fig3 , the predictive dialler adjusts the current outbound call - dialling rate based on the actual progress of each call , step 54 . it will be appreciated that this is a more sophisticated and accurate method of monitoring call progress than estimating the time to completion , since such estimates cannot take account of the difficulty or ease with which an agent is progressing towards a conclusion in the script , and nor can such estimates take account of what branch within the script an agent is currently traversing . accordingly , as the outbound call dialling rate is adjusted in line with the actual activity of each agent ( and thus the expected time for the agent to become free ), the predictive dialler makes a certain number of outbound calls to customers , step 56 , in order to balance the number of expected live connections with the number of agents becoming free over the same time period . a certain proportion of these calls will result in non - completion step 58 , such as if the call is not answered or the customer hangs up , or an answer machine or invalid number tone is detected . such non - completions are noted by the predictive dialler in step 54 , which adjusts its call rate accordingly . when a call is connected and a live customer is detected , step 60 , this call is allocated to an agent by the agent call allocation software 28 , step 62 . on the agent workstation , step 62 occurs at the point in time when an agent is free , step 64 , following which the agent receives the call which has been allocated to it , step 66 . upon receiving the call , a call script is initiated on the agent workstation for the agent to follow in speaking with the customer , step 68 . the event aggregator is notified of each significant step occurring in relation to the agent workstation and in particular , in relation to the agent script . thus , when the agent became free , this may have been notified , as may the fact that the agent received the call in step 66 , as indicated by step 70 . when the call script initiated on the agent workstation , this is a significant event and is notified to the aggregator , as it provides a start point for the interaction between the agent and the customer , and this may be of interest to the predictive dialler . because the dialler subscribes to the aggregator in step 50 , all such events are notified to the predictive dialler . as the script progresses , when it reaches the next significant stage , as stored within the script as a trigger event , step 72 , that event is also notified to the aggregator , step 70 . after each significant event , a check is conducted whether the script has ended , step 74 , and if not , the script progresses to the next significant stage , step 72 . in this way , an agent who progresses unusually quickly or slowly through a call , or who is directed into a branch of the script which is likely to significantly affect the call duration , will cause such events to be notified to the predictive dialler . when the script eventually finishes , as detected in decision 74 , the call will end , this event will similarly be notified to the aggregator , which indicates to the predictive dialler that the agent is entering the wrap up / idle time and is expected to become free in a known period . because this event will have been foreseen more accurately than the previously , the likelihood that the predictive dialler has balanced the number of dialled calls with the number of agents becoming free is greatly increased . the additional steps used by the predictive dialler to adjust the call dialling rates are illustrated in fig3 . the predictive dialler employs an algorithm which is based on a conventional algorithm , which is well known to a skilled person . such conventional algorithms operate to predict the time at which an agent will become free following termination of the call , wrap up and allowed idle time . such algorithms maintain , for each active call , an indication of the time at which the agent will become free , or a clock is used to countdown towards that expected time at which the agent will become free . in such conventional algorithms , the expected time for the agent to become free is fixed throughout the call duration , based on a prediction made according to the campaign and / or agent in question . the only adjustment to this expected time occurs when the call ends , as it is then known that the wrap up and idle time will complete in ( say ) 15 seconds . the process of fig3 begins in a similar way , receiving a notification that a call has been connected to a particular agent , step 80 . the predictive dialler software consults campaign and agent averages for call duration , step 82 , and makes an estimate of the time to completion of the call , step 84 . the connection of the call to the agent is one of the events used as an input for the algorithm , step 86 . when the estimated time to completion of the call has been calculated , this is also input to the algorithm , step 86 , as in conventional predictive algorithms . when each event notification is received , indicating further progress through the script , step 88 , the predictive dialler updates the estimated time to completion of the call , step 90 and notifies this updated estimate to the algorithm in step 86 . thus , whereas conventional algorithms are only notified of the call commencement , the estimated time to completion , and the call termination , this algorithm is provided with variations to the estimated time to completion as the call progresses . when each such updated estimate is provided , the current outbound call rate can be adjusted to take account of the new estimated time to completion , in step 92 . the process continues in this way as further event notifications of progress through the script are received , step 94 , with each such relevant event leading to an updated estimate , step 90 . when notification is received that the script or call has been completed , step 96 , a wrap up time for that agent is estimated , step 98 , and this is notified to the algorithm in step 86 . the skilled person will appreciate that by varying the estimated time of outbound call rates , an improved management of a call centre can be obtained , with consequent increases in efficiency for the call centre and less likelihood of breaching regulatory limits on the number of dropped calls . further use for the event notifications is shown in fig4 . this process is carried out in software running within a supervisor workstation . the software subscribes to the aggregator for call progress events ( i . e . trigger events based on the outbound campaign script as described previously ), step 100 . in step 102 , a supervisor can input into the software application a definition of combinations of agent identifiers and particular script trigger events , step 102 , such events when occurring on the specified agent &# 39 ; s workstation , being referred to herein as “ flag ” events . as each agent works through the script on each call , the trigger events specified in the campaign script are notified to the aggregator , as described previously , step 104 . the software application running on the supervisor workstation may subscribe for all such events , or may only subscribe for a limited sub - set of events . the subscription can be placed on the supervisor &# 39 ; s input on step 102 . in preferred embodiments , the supervisor workstation will subscribe for all events , and this will then allow the supervisor to filter for flag events based on the input in step 102 . thus , the supervisor &# 39 ; s workstation application receives an updated status of each call &# 39 ; s progression , step 106 , and of the occurrence of a flag event , step 108 . matching the specified trigger event and agent identifier in step 102 , various possibilities are available , depending on the wishes of the system designer . first , the supervisor can be alerted by an alert appearing on the screen of the supervisor workstation , step 110 . alternatively , or additionally , an automated call recorder can be conferenced into the call automatically step 112 . as a further alternative or additionally , the supervisor may be conferenced automatically into the call , step 114 . the skilled person will appreciate that in conventional systems , call monitoring is either conducted on a random basis , or the supervisor must listen to an agent &# 39 ; s call without knowing in advance whether or not the agent will reach the point in the script in which the supervisor has a particular interest . by employing the agent &# 39 ; s workstation to notify trigger events to the supervisor &# 39 ; s workstation ( using , in this embodiment , the intermediary of the event notification aggregator ), improved supervision can be achieved . it should be appreciated that the event notification aggregator can be omitted , and the supervisor workstation can subscribe directly to each agent workstation to be notified of events , or a subscription module may not be employed , and instead communication systems are set up between the various pieces of software to ensure event notifications arriving at the supervisor workstation from the agent workstations . in fig5 , improved real time statistics are generated according to the illustrated process . a statistics generation application ( or “ statistics package ”) is provided within the contact centre . conventionally , such statistics have been generated on a historical basis , e . g . during agent wrap up , data from the call is notified to the statistics package , which collates and aggregates the statistics for presentation to supervisors and for later reporting purposes . in fig5 , the statistics package subscribes to the aggregator for call progress events , step 120 . a statistics designer defines statistics of interest based on script events , step 122 . the statistic definitions may be revised frequently , in particular when outbound campaigns are being modified in competitive environments to optimise the effectiveness of the scripts . in such cases , the supervisors may wish to obtain information as to where the “ sticking points ” are for customers , e . g . if the wording of an offer is changed , do customers progress more frequently to the point of enquiring about price ? if the customer enquires about price , does the progress of the script indicate resistance to that price ? what happens if the wording “ discounted price ” is substituted for “ low price ” in the script ? in this way , the events within the modified script can be flagged as important for statistical monitoring purposes in step 122 . when an event is notified to the aggregator , step 124 , the statistics package receives an updated status of the call &# 39 ; s progression , step 126 as previously described . this is used to update the real time statistics , assuming that the event in question is defined as having an impact on the collation of statistics , step 128 . such statistics may optionally be notified to the supervisor &# 39 ; s workstation , step 130 . in this way , the operation of the call centre in real time can be monitored , and the generation of statistics can be varied in a more useful and time effective manner . the invention is not limited to the embodiments described herein but can be amended or modified without departing from the scope of the present invention . | 7Electricity
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the present invention finds particular application in a decimal character execution unit for executing a predetermined class of instructions , namely decimal arithmetic and character operations . before describing the present invention , it will be helpful to understand its operating environment , which will now be described . referring to fig1 a central processing unit ( cpu ) is shown as a module of a data processing system ( dps ) 10 . a first central processing unit ( cpu 0 ) 20 and a second central processing unit ( cpu 1 ) 20 &# 39 ; comprise the cpu modules of dps 10 , each having full program execution capability and performing the actual information processing of the data processing system 10 . cpu 0 20 and cpu 1 20 &# 39 ; are each operatively connected to a first main memory unit ( mmuo ) 21 and a second main memory unit ( mmu1 ) 21 &# 39 ;, through a first central interface unit ( ciu 0 ) 22 and a second central interface unit ( ciu 1 ) 22 &# 39 ;, respectively . mmu 0 and mmu 1 store programs and data utilized by cpu 0 and cpu 1 . ciu 0 and ciu 1 act as the memory managers for the respective memories . ciu 0 and ciu 1 are each connected to an input / output multiplexer ( iox ) 23 which provides an interface between the mmu and the various system peripherals . all cpu communication and interaction with other system modules is via the ciu . the dps 10 of fig1 shows a two cpu / two ciu configuration . it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various configurations are possible , including a single ciu / cpu configuration . referring to fig2 there is shown a block diagram of the preferred embodiment of the cpu 20 in which the present invention may be found . a cache memory ( or more simply cache ) 201 is provided for storing small blocks of words read from the main memory unit 21 . the small blocks of words stored in cache 201 contain some instruction words and data words ( or operand words ) which will presently be executed and operated on by the execution units of cpu 20 . an instruction unit 202 is included which comprises an instruction prefetch logic 203 and an instruction execution pipeline 204 . the instruction prefetch logic 203 provides the instruction execution pipeline 204 with a supply of instructions to be executed . this is accomplished by including logic to predict the instruction sequence , prefetching instruction words from the cache memory 201 , and storing them within the instruction prefetch logic block 203 . the instruction execution pipeline 204 ( also referred to herein as a central unit pipeline structure ( cups )) performs the steps required for the execution of an instruction in individual stages . the first stage ( i - decode ) 205 receives the instruction to be executed from the instruction prefetch logic 203 and decodes the instruction . the second stage ( prepare address ) 206 prepares the virtual address . the third stage ( page / cache ) 207 performs a paging operation of the operand address and cache directory lookup . the fourth stage ( compare / select ) 208 initiates an operand access from cache 201 or from the main memory unit 21 in the case of a cache miss . the fifth stage ( execute / transmit ) 209 performs the actual execution of the instruction or dispatches information to an appropriate execution unit for execution . in the preferred embodiment of the cpu , while all instructions must pass through all five stages of the central unit pipeline structure 204 , not all instructions are fully executed in the fifth stage 209 of the pipeline . some instructions are transmitted to other execution units outside the central unit pipeline structure 204 , while the central unit pipeline structure 204 continues execution of succeeding instructions . the fifth stage 209 includes a basic operations execution unit ( not shown ) and central execution unit ( not shown ). the basic operations execution unit ( not shown ) performs the execution of those predetermined instructions which may be classified as basic operations . these are mostly very simple instructions requiring one or two cycles , including fixed point arithmetic ( except multiply and divide ), boolean operations , fixed point comparisons , register loads and shift operations . the central execution unit ( not shown ) executes a different set of predetermined instructions which refer to other instructions , move the contents of address registers or address related quantities between registers and storage , or alter processor stages . three additional instruction execution units are provided outside the central unit pipeline structure 204 . a binary arithmetic execution unit 210 ( binau ) performs the execution of both binary and hexadecimal arithmetic operations and a fixed point multiply and divide . a decimal character execution unit ( deccu ) 211 executes instructions involving decimal arithmetic , move and translate operations , character manipulations and binary string operations . the virtual memory execution unit ( vmsm ) 212 performs the execution of many privileged instructions including segment descriptor register manipulation , and handling fault and interrupt situations which manipulate the respective fault and interrupt registers . each of the aforementioned execution units receives operands from the cache 201 , and instructions ( or commands ) and descriptors from logic ( not shown ) of the fifth stage 209 . further , each execution unit usually operates independently of any activity occurring in the other execution units . a collector execution unit , or more simply collector , 213 is the execution unit for most store instructions and is also the final execution unit involved in all other instructions . the collector 213 retrieves results from various results stacks of the other execution units , and updates cache 201 through a ports unit 214 . the collector 213 also keeps a master copy of all program visible registers ( not shown ). the collector 213 permits the execution units to generate results independently and at different rates of speed , then updates the respective registers and cache in the original program sequence . the collector is more fully described in u . s . patent application ser . no . 434 , 129 filed 13 oct . 1982 , entitled &# 34 ; collector &# 34 ; by r . guenthner , g . edington , l . trubisky , and j . circello , assigned to the same assigness as the present application , the aforementioned application being incorporated by reference herein to the extent necessary for an understanding of the present invention . the ports unit 214 handles the ciu / cpu command interface processing , and the hierarchy control communication , i . e ., the ciu / cpu memory hierarchy . although the preferred embodiment of the cpu 20 described above includes among its features paging , a 5 - stage pipeline , instruction prefetch , virtual addressing , etc ., it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the architecture of the dps 10 or the cpu 20 described above is in no way intended to limit the decimal character execution unit 211 ( or more simply decimal character unit ) or to limit the present invention incorporated into the decimal character unit . referring to fig3 there is shown a 36 - bit computer word of the preferred embodiment having a nine - bit character format , a four - bit character format , and a six - bit character format . the nine - bit character format ( fig3 a ), also referred to as unpacked data , utilizes 9 bits to define a character , bits 0 - 8 , 9 - 17 , 18 - 26 , and 27 - 35 defining characters 0 , 1 , 2 and 3 , respectively . the four - bit character format ( fig3 b ), also referred to as packed data , utilizes four bits to define a character , bits 1 - 4 , 5 - 8 , 10 - 13 , 14 - 17 , 19 - 22 , 23 - 26 , 28 - 31 , and 32 - 35 , defining characters 0 , 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 and 7 , respectively . characters 0 and 1 of the four - bit character format are defined by dividing character 0 of the nine - bit character format in half . the remaining bit assigned to the high order bit ( i . e ., the left most bit as shown in the figure ), bit 0 , is essentially a &# 34 ; dont &# 39 ; t care &# 34 ; or &# 34 ; irregular &# 34 ; bit . likewise , characters 2 and 3 , 4 and 5 , and 6 and 7 , of the four - bit character format is defined by dividing characters 1 , 2 , and 3 of the nine - bit character format , respectively , in half . the high order bit , or dont &# 39 ; t care bit , of the four - bit character format word , bits 0 , 9 , 18 and 27 can always be set to zero . the six - bit character format ( fig1 c ) utilizes 6 bits to define a character , bits 0 - 5 , 6 - 11 , 12 - 17 , 18 - 23 , 24 - 29 , and 30 - 35 defining characters 0 , 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , and 5 respectively . four additional bits in both the 9 and 4 bit character formats p 0 , p 1 , p 2 , and p 3 , can be carried along as the parity bits of respective characters . the &# 34 ; don &# 39 ; t care &# 34 ; bit of the four - bit character bit is utilized , in the preferred embodiment , as a parity bit , and will be described in detail hereinunder . fig4 a shows the computer instruction format of the preferred embodiment . the instruction word is the first word of the grouping and resides in the main memory unit 21 of the dps 10 at a location y . up to three operand descriptor words , or simply descriptor words , reside in contiguous locations y + 1 , y + 2 , and y + 3 , the number of descriptor words being determined by the particular instruction word . the instruction word contains the operation code , op code , which defines the operation to be performed by the cpu . a second field mf 1 is the modification field which describes the address modification that is performed for descriptor 1 . a third field , the variable field , contains additional information concerning the operation to be performed and will differ from instruction to instruction . when descriptors 2 and 3 are present , the variable field will contain information to describe the address modification to be performed on these operands . the descriptor words can be either the operand descriptor or an indirect word which points to the operand descriptor . the operand descriptors which describe the data to be used in the operation , and provide the address for obtaining it from the main memory unit 21 are shown in fig4 b , 4c , and 4d . a different operand descriptor format is required for each of the three data types , the three data types comprising the bit string , alpha - numeric , and numeric types . the field denoted y defines the original data word address , c defines the original character position within a word of nine bit characters , b defines the original bit position within a 9 bit character , and n defines either the number of characters or bits in the data string or a 4 - bit code which specifies a register that contains the number of characters or bits . cn defines the original character number within the data word referenced by the data word address . ta defines the code that defines which type alpha - numeric characters are in the data , i . e ., 9 bit , 6 bit , or 4 bit . tn defines a code which defines which type numeric characters are specified , i . e ., 9 bit or 4 bit . s defines the sign and decimal type , that is leading sign - floating point , leading sign - scaled , trailing sign - scaled , or no sign - scaled . sf defines the scale factor , the scale factor being treated as a power of 10 exponent where a positive number moves the scaled decimal point to the right and a negative number moves the scaled decimal point to the left . the decimal point is assumed to be immediately to the right of the least significant digit . referring to fig5 there is shown the decimal character execution unit ( deccu ) 211 in functional block diagram form where the apparatus of the present invention can be found . the deccu 211 is the execution unit of the cpu 20 for a predetermined set of multiword instructions , including decimal arithmetic instructions , various character manipulation instructions , and instructions which operate on binary strings . the deccu 211 is partitioned into two functional units , the character unit ( dcu ) 30 and the arithmetic unit ( dau ) 40 . the dcu 30 comprises two stages , a first stage 31 , and a second stage 32 . the dau 40 comprises the third stage of the deccu 211 . the deccu 211 receives operands from cache 201 and command information from instruction unit 202 . the cache 201 and instruction unit 202 comprise the central unit 200 which is also operatively connected to main memory 21 . results from the deccu 211 are transmitted to cache 201 ( via the action of the collector 213 as discussed . the dcu 30 executes the character manipulation instructions including bit string instructions , and the dau 40 executes the arithmetic instructions . the instructions executed by deccu 211 are listed in table 1 . a complete description of each instruction is included in a honeywell software document entitled , &# 34 ; dps 8 assembly instructions ,&# 34 ; copyright 1980 by honeywell information systems inc . ( order no . dh03 - 00 ), and can be referred to for more detailed information . referring to fig6 a functional block diagram of the stages ( or also referred to herein as levels ) of the deccu 211 is shown . the first stage 31 receives instruction and descriptor information from the instruction unit 202 , and further receives the operand information from cache 201 . the operands are stored in an input buffer 310 within the first stage 31 , and the instructions are decoded and held in temporary registers and control flip flops of the first stage 31 . table 1______________________________________alphanumericmlr move alphanumeric left to rightmrl move alphanumeric right to leftmvt move alphanumeric with translationcmpc compare alphanumeric character stringscd scan character doublescdr scan character double in reversetct test character and translatetctr test character and translate in reversescm scan with maskscmr scan with mask in reverseeis numericmvn move numericcmpn compare numericad3d add using three decimal operandsad2d add using two decimal operandssb3d subtract using three decimal operandssb2d subtract using two decimal operandsmp3d multiply using three decimal operandsmp2d multiply using two decimal operandsdv3d divide using three decimal operandsdv2d divide using two decimal operandseis bit stringcsl combine bit strings leftcsr combine bit strings rightsztl set zero and truncation indicator with bit strings leftsztr set zero and truncation indicator with bit strings rightcmpb compare bit stringseis conversiondtb decimal to binary convertbtd binary to decimal converteis edit movemve move alphanumeric editedmvne move numeric editednew eis multiwordcmpct compare characters and translatemrf move to register formatmmf move to memory formatten instructions : ebcdic / overpunched sign capabilitymvnxcmpnxad3dxad2dxsb3dxsb2dxmp3dxmp2dxdv3dxdv2dxmvnex move numeric edited extended______________________________________ second stage 32 contains edit logic 321 , sign / exp logic 322 , alignment network 323 , and compare network 324 required to perform the character manipulation and alignment operations . the output of the second stage 32 is either the final result which is transmitted to an output buffer 311 to be stored in cache 201 , or is aligned data passed to the dau 40 . the dau 40 , which comprises the third stage of the deccu 211 , performs the arithmetic operation on the aligned data ( arithmetic operation may also be referred to herein as numeric execution ). each stage of the deccu 211 will be described in detail hereinunder . the input buffer 310 and output buffer 311 of the decimal character unit is shown in fig7 . the input buffer 310 comprises a first and second operand input stack , rdca and rdcb 330 and 331 , respectively ( also referred to as stack a and stack b , respectively ), and an instruction / descriptor input buffer 333 , ibuf . a third stack rdcc 332 ( also referred to as a wraparound buffer or stack c ) forms the wraparound buffer for repetitive decimal numeric operations of the present invention and will be described in further detail hereinunder . a first and second switch 334 and 335 ( also denoted as the zdca and zdcb switches , respectively ) is included as part of input buffer 310 . first switch 334 is operatively connected to stack a 330 and stack c 332 for transferring selected data , zdca , to alignment network 323 . second switch 335 is operatively connected to stack a 330 , stack b 331 , and stack c 332 for transferring selected data zdcb to compare network 324 . a rewrite register 336 , rwrt , is operatively connected to stack b 331 , the output of rwrt being connected to output buffer 311 . the loading of ibuf 333 , and the operand input stacks 330 , 331 is from cups 204 and cache 201 , respectively under the control of cups 204 . the ibuf 333 is a 16 word by 36 bit buffer . upon receipt of an instruction available signal from cups 204 , an instruction / descriptor word is read into the corresponding location of ibuf 333 . ibuf is organized in 4 four - word blocks , thereby capable of storing up to a maximum of four instructions at a time . the first word of the block is for storing the instruction word i , the second word of the block is for the first descriptor word d1 , the third word of the block is for the second descriptor word d2 and the fourth word of the block is for the third descriptor word , if any . the information contained in the instruction / descriptor words is transferred to the various control logic for the generation of control signals to effect the execution of the functions required to execute the instruction . an ibuf - full control signal is sent to cups 204 when ibuf 333 is full . the format of the instruction / descriptor words and the significant control signals are described in the related patent application , paragraph ( 4 ) identified above and incorporated by reference herein . operand input data ( also denoted by signal name rd ) is loaded into stack a 330 and stack b 331 as a function of the instruction . in the preferred embodiment , stack a 330 and stack b 331 are each 16 word × 72 - bit memory devices . double word writes are made into the operand stacks 330 , 331 and can hold operands awaiting execution for a maximum of 4 instructions . when the deccu 211 receives a control signal from cups 204 indicating operands are available , the operands are fetched by doubleword reads . the input operands are loaded into stacks a and b 330 , 331 according to steering control signals . an operand full control signal is transmitted to the cups 204 from the deccu 211 when either operand stack is full . a stack full signal from stack a 330 and a stack full signal from stck b 331 is ored to generate the operand full control signal to cups 204 . operand 1 data is loaded into stack a 330 , and operand 2 data is loaded into stack b 331 for character type instructions . operand 1 and operand 2 data are loaded into stack a 330 for numeric - type instructions ( instructions sometimes being referred to as operations or ops ). rewrite data and translated data are loaded into stack b 331 . the loading of the operands into the operand stacks is selected according to the instructions as shown in table 2 . table 2______________________________________deccu stack a stack binstruction rdca rdcb______________________________________mlr , mrl op1 op2mrf , mmf op1 -- mvt op1 op2 , op3mve , mvne op1 op2 , op3tct , tctr op1 op2scm , scd op1 op2cmpc op1 op2cmpct op1 op2 , op3csl , cmpb , sztl op1 op2dtb op1 , op2 -- btd op1 op2mvn op1 , op2 op2ad2d , mp2d op1 , op2 op2ad3d , mp3d op1 , op2 op3cmpn op1 , op2 -- lpl , spl op1 -- ______________________________________ operand data can be read from stack a 330 a double word at a time if it is to be packed 9 - bit to 4 - bit . this can occur with unpacked numeric operands and the mlr and mrl instructions . otherwise the operand data is read on a single word basis . operands from stack b 331 are single word reads . rewrite data from stack b 333 is loaded into the rwrt ( the rewrite register ) 336 by a double word read . it can be seen that either a double word can be selected from stack a 330 or two single words from stack a 330 and b 331 by the zdca and zdcb switches 334 , 335 , but not both . deccu numeric results are stored in stack c 332 as well as result stack rdrs 314 ( the result stack will be described in detail hereinunder in conjunction with the output buffer 311 ) in case the result is to be one of the input operands for a numeric instruction immediately following . the normal operand fetches for that operand are cancelled , and that operand is read instead from stack c 332 thereby eliminating the delay introduced by waiting for the writing of the data into cache 201 followed by reading the data from cache 201 , the delay referred to as a store - load break . the reading of operand data ( also referred to as wraparound data ) from stack c 332 ( also referred to as the wraparound buffer ) will be described in further detail hereinunder . wraparound data from stack c 332 can be read on either a double word or single word basis just as if the operand were in stack a 330 . the selected operand data , zdca and zdcb , are sent to the alignment network 323 for alignment , to the compare network 324 for character comparison and selection , and to the sign / exp logic 322 to extract signs and exponents . the control logic , which will be described in detail hereinunder , generates the read and write addresses for the stack a 330 , stack b 331 , and stack c 332 . the control logic also generates the select controls for the zdca and zdcb switches 334 , 335 . in addition , the control logic generates data available signals that allow the input registers of the alignment network 323 and the compare network 324 to be loaded . the control logic signals the cups 204 when ten or more locations in either stack a 330 or stack b 331 are used to prevent writing over good data . the output buffer 311 comprises a 1 - of - 4 select double word register 312 ( more simply referred to as the rdcr register ), having inputs zds , arithmetic results from dau 40 , zas from alignment network 323 , and resultant output from edit logic 321 ( rwc register to be discussed hereinunder ). an output buffer selected switch 313 ( or more simply referred to as zdcr switch ) receives inputs from rdcr register 312 , rwrt register 336 , the sign , ovp data from sign / exp logic 322 , and the exp , fill data from compare network 324 . the data selected by the zdcr switch 313 is stored in a results stack rdrs 314 . the results stack rdrs 314 is a 16 word by 72 bit memory device or stack . the results stack 314 stores data to be stored in cache 201 via a rcwr register 315 . the output buffer 311 also includes an indicator results stack 316 and a fault results stack 317 . indicator results stack 316 is a 14 bit × 15 high stack , and fault results stack 317 is a 3 bit × 15 high stack . inputs are received from edit control logic and output results are transferred to the collector 213 . the format of the deccu instruction / descriptor words is shown in fig8 . the words are generated by the cups 204 in the format shown . the instruction word includes the scale factor and sign information of the first operand . this format is important from timing considerations which will be described in detail hereinunder . sf , indicates scale factor for numeric operands . typ identifies the data type as follows : 00 for 9 - bit format , 01 for 6 - bit data , and 10 for 4 - bit data . sn indicates sign and decimal type for numerics . seq # inidicates a sequence number and fill is the fill character field . dcw indicates position within double word of first character , bp indicates position within first byte of first bit , and w indicates this operand is in stack c 332 . ln indicates the length of operand n , zn is set if ln is zero , and gn is set if ln is greater than 256 . referring to fig9 there is shown a logic block diagram of the control logic for reading ( and writing ) operand data from stack a 330 . the control logic can read operand data stored in stack a 330 in a forward or reverse direction , wherein the operand data can be multiple variable length data . the first operand input stack 330 ( stack a ) stores operand data , stack a being a 16 high × 72 bit stack . as mentioned above , the computer word of the preferred embodiment of cpu 20 is a 36 - bit word . therefore , each addressable location of the stack a 330 is a double word . the stack a 330 is divided into an even and odd half , each half storing single computer words , bits 0 - 35 define the even half of the stack and bits 36 - 71 define the odd half of the stack . control logic 500 , which controls the reading and writing of operand data into stack a 330 , includes a write address register ( rdca - wa ) 501 and a read address register ( rdca - ra ) 502 , both registers being operatively connected to stack a 330 . operand data from the central unit 200 is stored into sequential locations indicated by a write address value stored in the write address register rdca - wa 501 , the write address value denoted herein as the write address pointer ( wa or wa pointer ), and the write address value being incremented by one by an adder add 503 . the first write address value of a set of data is also a starting address value for that data set , and is stored in a starting address register ( rdca - sa ) 504 . the starting address register 504 is a 4 - high × 4 - bit bank of registers . since as many as four sets of operand data can be stored in stack a 330 ( a data set being associated with an instruction ), four starting address values ( sa or sa pointer ) can be stored in the starting address register 504 and four bits are required to address the 16 locations of stack a 330 ( the numbers in the parenthesis of fig1 indicate the bits , e . g ., 0 - 3 references bits 0 through bits 3 ). the starting address register 504 is operatively connected to the read address register 502 through a start address switch 505 . the start address switch 505 operates to load the read address register 502 with either the start address value or the sum from adder2 403 . the start address value stored in the starting address register 504 is concatenated with a wa - 4 signal ( one bit , bit 4 of wa , whereby a 0 value indicates the even half of stack a , and a 1 value indicates the odd half of stack a ) and makes up the rdca - sa : wa - 4 signal . the sum from adder2 403 comprises the adca - ra signal . the wa - 4 signal is the output of odd / even memory switch 510 . the wa - 4 signal ( from odd / even select switch 510 ), which indicates the odd or even half of memory for single word reads , is generated by selecting the word bit from the ibuf 333 for the operand to be read , namely , bit 0 or d 1 for operand 1 and bit 0 of d 2 for operand 2 . since double word reads are performed on double word boundaries ( i . e ., from bits 0 to 71 ), the wa - 4 signal from odd / even select switch 510 for double word reads is a logic ` 0 `. included as part of control logic 500 is adder1 506 which adds the length of the operand ( l - 1 ) and the position within the double word of the first character ( p ). these quantities are received from cups 204 is discussed above in conjunction with fig8 . the output of adder 1 506 indicates the number of double words minus one which are to be loaded and defined as signal apr ( 0 - 4 ). the apr signal is loaded into a constant register ( rdca - k ) 507 via an apr switch 508 and a constant switch 509 . the output of apr switch 508 is a zapr signal which is either the apr signal or two times the apr signal , the apr signal being utilized for four - bit data format words ( packed data ) and two times the apr signal being used for the nine - bit data format words ( unpacked data ). adder1 506 and apr switch 508 are utilized for detecting a predetermined trailing character , described more fully in the application of related patent applications par ( 5 ). adder2 403 generates the read address by adding the current read address stored in read address register 502 to a constant value stored in the constant register 507 , the resulting sum being loaded in read address register 502 via start address switch 505 . the constant switch 509 is utilized in part for controlling the selection of single word reads or double word reads of stack a 330 and for controlling the forward or reverse read of the operand data stored in stack a 330 as will be described in further detail hereinunder . although not shown , it is understood that a duplicate set of control logic 500 &# 39 ; exists for stack b 331 ( the reference numerals with a prime denote the duplicate element for the stack b control logic ). the operation of the control logic 500 for reading operand data from the input stacks 330 , 331 , will now be described in conjunction with fig9 , and 11 . fig1 shows a timing diagram of the steps performed in the overall operation of the control logic 500 for the reading of stack a 330 in a forward or reverse direction . for purposes of example , assume that operand data is loaded into stack a 330 ( rdca ) and stack b 331 ( rdcb ) starting at location 4 and location 2 , respectively , as shown in fig1 a , a cross - hatched area denoting the words to be read . further , for purposes of example here , the first word to be read from stack a 330 is in the odd half of location 4 of stack a 330 , and the first word to be read from stack b 331 is in the even half of location 2 . in the execution of the instruction shown here starting at cycle 6 , such as a cmpc instruction , the operand data stored a 330 will be read . the starting address of the data in stack a 330 will have a binary value of 4 ( 0100 ) in this example . thus , the starting address register ( rdca - sa ) 504 will contain the starting address value of 4 . the starting address value contained in starting address register rdca - sa 504 will be selected by start address switch 505 along with the wa - 4 signal which indicates the odd or even half of memory , in this example the wa - 4 signal will have a value of 1 indicating the odd half of memory . the start address switch 505 initially selects switch position 0 and subsequently selects switch position 1 . therefore , the read address register 502 will contain the rdca - sa : wa - 4 value , that is , the start address value concatenated with the wa - 4 signal ( a resultant binary value of 01001 ). constant switch 509 selects position 0 such that constant register 507 will contain a binary value of 00001 . switch position 0 of constant switch 509 is for forward signal word reads , switch position 1 ( a constant value of 2 ) is for forward double word reads , and switch position 2 whereby xxx varies between logic one and logic zero , i . e ., a value of - 1 and + 3 is for reverse reads . position 0 of constant switch 509 is selected here since single word reads from the stack are to be performed , i . e ., a single word of 36 bits is to be read . during cycle 7 , the stack a 330 location is read as specified by the read address register 502 , in this example the odd half of location 4 will be read and directed to the alignment register 341 . also , the control signal fanld1 is set to enable the loading of the operand into the raln register 341 . also , during cycle 7 , the reading of stack b 331 is initiated . the starting address value of stack b , in this example a value of 2 , which has been stored in the starting address register for stack b ( rdcb - sa ) 504 &# 39 ; is loaded into the read address register for stack b ( rdcb - ra ) 502 &# 39 ;. [ note here that the ` b ` designation and prime nomenclature indicates the equivalent elements of the duplicated control logic 500 &# 39 ; for the control for stack b .] also , the constant kb is loaded into the constant register for stack b ( rdcb - k ) 507 &# 39 ;. also during cycle 7 , the value initially stored in the read address register 502 ( 01001 binary ) is added to the value stored in the constant register ( 00001 binary ) by adder2 403 , and stored in the read address register 502 through the start address switch 505 , the start address switch on subsequent cycles selecting position 1 ( i . e ., the adca - ra signal ). during cycle 8 the value now stored in read address register 502 ( 01010 binary ), the value specifying the even half of location 5 of memory , is now read and transmitted to the alignment register 341 . the value stored in the read address register 502 ( 01010 binary ) is added to the value stored in the constant register 507 ( 00001 binary ) and transmitted to the read address register 502 . the constant register 507 is loaded with constant k ( position 0 , having a value of 00001 binary ). also during cycle 8 , the value stored in read address register rdcb - ra 502 &# 39 ; ( having a value of 00100 binary ) specifies the location to be read from stack b 331 , namely the even half of memory of location 2 . the word read from stack b 331 is transmitted to the rcmp register 380 of the compare network 324 . the control signal fanld2 is raised to enable the loading of the data read from stack b into the rcmp register 380 . the value stored in the read address register rdcb - ra 502 &# 39 ; ( 00100 binary ) and the value stored in constant register rdcb - k 507 &# 39 ; ( a value of 00001 binary ) is added by adder2 403 &# 39 ; resulting in a sum having a value of 00101 binary , this value specifying the odd half of location 2 of memory , and is directed to the read address register rdcb - ra 502 &# 39 ;. cycle 9 repeats the steps of cycle 8 , reading the next sequential word from the stack from the respective stacks , until cycle 11 when all the data has been read . from the above example , it can be seen that adding a constant of + 1 to the old read address value achieves the forward single word read operation . since the address of stack a 330 is defined by the upper four bits n of fig1 b ( i . e ., bits 0 -- 3 of the read address value in read address register 502 ), and bit 4 ( m of fig1 b ) indicates the odd or even half of the stack a 330 , it can be seen that a constant of + 2 adds a one to the address value each cycle , resulting in a sequential double word read . the m bit ( wa - 4 signal from the odd / even memory select switch 510 ) is a logic 0 for double word reads , as discussed above . for a reverse single word read , the operand data is loaded in stack a 330 as shown in fig1 c by the central unit 200 . for reverse reads , it is desired to read the data out lsb first . in this case , the initial value loaded into the read address register is 00011 binary indicating the odd half of location 1 of stack a 330 ( this is the value of the rdca - sa : wa - 4 signal ). on the next cycle the constant of - 1 is added to the value contained in the read address register 502 . this is achieved by selecting switch position 2 of constant switch 509 in which the values of x are caused by control logic ( not shown ) to have a logic 1 value . this results in an output signal adca - ra from adder2 403 to have a 00010 binary value which is the even half of location 1 of stack a 330 . this is the location read out on this cycle . on the subsequent cycle , a constant of + 3 is added to the value of the read address register 502 , the value in the read address register now being 00010 binary . the constant of + 3 is formed by the control logic causing x to have a logic 0 value which when added to the contents of the read address register 502 results in a sum ( adca - ra signal ) of 00101 which is the odd half of location 2 . thus it can be seen that a reverse single word read occurs by causing the constant values selected to vary between - 1 and + 3 on alternate cycles . cycles 1 through 5 are utilized by the central unit 200 to fetch and decode the instruction as explained in detail in related application , noted in paragraph ( 4 ) above . the control signal flvl2 - bsy indicates the second stage of the deccu 211 is busy . it was assumed in the above example that the stack a 330 and stack b had been loaded sometime prior to cycle 6 . the operand data selection from the input stacks , stack a 330 ( rdca ) and stack b 331 ( rdcb ), incorporating stack c ( rdcc ) 332 ( i . e ., the wraparound buffer ) of the present invention will now be described . referring to fig1 , there is shown a functional block diagram of the data processing system ( dps ) 10 specifically showing the data flow through the dps 10 . operand data is loaded into stack a 330 and stack b 331 from cache 201 under control of cups 204 . the first switch 334 is operatively connected to stack a 330 and the second switch 335 is operatively connected to stack b 331 , and is also operatively connected to stack a 330 . stack a 330 and stack b 331 are each operatively connected to execution logic 390 , as discussed above , the execution logic 390 comprising edit logic 321 , sign / exp logic 322 , alignment network 323 , compare network 324 , and dau 40 . the output of the execution logic 390 ( results ) is transferred to the results stack rdrs 314 and wraparound buffer 332 via rdcr register 312 and the output buffer select switch 313 . the data stored in the result stack 314 is subsequently stored in cache 201 under control of the collector 213 , as discussed above . the output of wraparound buffer 332 is further operatively connected to first switch 334 and second switch 335 . hence , the results stored in wraparound buffer 332 can also be used as an input operand by the next instruction . ( note that the result is a completed or final result of the extended instruction and not a temporary or partial result that would occur during the execution of the instruction .) in cases where the operand can be obtained from the wraparound buffer 332 rather than from the cache 201 , a speedup is realized since the fetch from cache 201 is eliminated . the conditions which allow an operand to be obtained from the wraparound buffer 332 rather than from the cache 201 are detected by the cups 204 , and are as follows : a . the immediately preceding instruction must have been one of the following : b . the current instruction must be one that requires a numeric input operand . instructions in this category are : c . the result descriptor for the immediately preceding instruction must compare exactly with the input descriptor for the current instruction . d . the mf fields ( discussed above in conjunction with fig4 ) associated with these descriptors must also compare exactly . when these conditions are detected , the cups 204 sets the &# 34 ; w &# 34 ; bit in the descriptor sent to the deccu 211 indicating that the input operand is to be fetched from the wraparound buffer 332 . ( the w bit of the descriptor was discussed above in conjunction with fig8 .) still referring to fig1 , select control logic 391 receives inputs from ibuf 333 , including the w bit and provides the control to first and second switches 334 , 335 for selecting the input operand , the select control logic to be discussed in further detail hereinunder . referring to fig1 , there is shown the control logic 500 &# 34 ; for reading ( and writing ) operand data from wraparound buffer 332 . the wraparound buffer 332 of the preferred embodiment of the present invention is a 16 - high × 72 - bit stack . data is input from the output buffer select switch 313 by double word writes ( i . e ., 72 bits ) and can be packed or unpacked data . a single register , read / write register 502 &# 34 ;, is provided for addressing the wraparound buffer 332 for read and write operations . when data is to be loaded into wraparound buffer 332 , a start address switch 505 &# 34 ;, operatively connected to the read / write register 502 &# 34 ;, initially loads the read / write register 502 &# 34 ; with zero value . hence , data is always loaded into wraparound buffer 332 starting at location 0 . adder2 403 &# 34 ;, operatively connected to the read / write register 502 &# 34 ; and also operatively connected to a constant register 507 &# 34 ;, decrements the current address contained in read / write register 502 &# 34 ; by the value of the constant provided by constant register 507 &# 34 ;. hence , the next address loaded in wraparound buffer 332 will be location 15 . a wa - 4 signal for indicating odd / even half of wraparound buffer 332 , and a constant switch 509 &# 34 ; for providing the constant to constant register 507 &# 34 ; corresponding to packed or unpacked data , are provided in control logic 500 &# 34 ;. from the above discussion , it can be seen that data is therefore loaded into wraparound buffer 332 as shown in fig1 . referring to fig1 , the wraparound buffer 332 is shown after the write operation is completed , and is redrawn showing the wraparound condition , i . e ., location 0 is the first location loaded , location 15 is the next contiguous location loaded , etc ., since adder2 403 &# 34 ; decrements the current address by the constant from constant register 507 &# 34 ;. the first location loaded , location 0 , will contain the least significant digit ( lsd ), since the results are generated lsd first . for a read operation , if the w1 bit is set ( i . e ., the w bit of descriptor 1 ), operand 1 data is to be obtained from the wraparound buffer 332 . since , for operand 1 data , it is desired to read the most significant digit ( msd ) first , read / write register 502 &# 34 ; will contain the address of the last value loaded , i . e ., the address of the msd . each read cycle for operand 1 data , adder2 403 &# 34 ; is incremented by the constant , thereby reading operand 1 data in the desired order . still referring to fig1 , stack a 330 contains only operand 2 data as shown . in this example , operand 2 will be read from stack a 330 starting at location 2 to obtain the msd , i . e ., to obtain the sign as described more fully in the related application of para . ( 8 ). subsequent operand 2 data is then read in order starting from location 3 , 4 . . . etc ., the data having previously been preloaded by cups 204 into stack a 330 in order that the data may then be read least significant digit first to most significant digit . this order is desired such that arithmetic operations may start without requiring the execution to be held up until all the data has been read . still referring to fig1 , and also referring to fig1 , the read sequence of the above example is in accordance with table 1 . the first step reads the msd of operand 1 ( op 1 ) data , the operation of the control logic 500 &# 34 ; being as discussed above . the select control logic 391 causes first select switch 334 to select position 2 on the first read cycle and then position 3 on the second read cycle for packed data . for unpacked data select control logic 391 causes first select switch 334 to select position 2 and causes second select switch 335 to select position 1 . the second step reads operand 2 ( op 2 ) data from stack a 330 , the select control logic 391 selecting the positions of the select switches as indicated in table 1 . step 3 reads op 1 data from wraparound buffer 332 , step 3 being repeated as many times as is necessary to read all of the op 1 data . step 4 reads op 2 data and is repeated as often as is required to read all of the op 2 data from stack a 330 . referring to fig1 , there is shown a timing diagram of the read operation discussed above . starting at cycle 6 , control logic 500 &# 34 ; for reading operand 1 data from wraparound buffer 332 is set up such that at that start of cycle 7 the actual read is performed . a state flip - flop ( not shown ) forming part of select control logic 391 indicates a state fg6 ( also denoted as fg11 ). fg xy denotes the states of the logic where x = 1 or 2 signifying operand 1 or operand 2 data respectively , and where y = 1 , m , or l , signifying first word , more words , or last words . in this example , operand 1 data is read until operand 1 data is exhausted ( exh1 ), cycle 10 is this example , and then operand 2 data is read until operand 2 data is exhausted ( exh2 ). the data read from the input stacks is transferred to the alignment registers ( not shown ) as discussed more fully in the related application of para . ( 8 ). fig1 shows a state diagram corresponding to the timing diagram of fig1 . table 2 shows the constant selected by the control switch 509 of the control logic 500 . constant switch 509 &# 34 ; selects a constant of + 2 for unpacked data and a constant of + 1 for packed data . wrap1 signifies a wrap 1 condition in which the w bit of descriptor 1 is set , i . e ., operand 1 data is to be fetched from the wraparound buffer 332 . wrap2 indicates a wrap 2 condition , that is operand 2 data is to be obtained from the wraparound buffer 332 . table 1______________________________________ select read 1st switch 2nd switchstep data from for 334 position 335 position______________________________________1 op1 rdcc packed 2 , 3 -- unpacked 2 12 op2 rdca packed 0 , 1 -- unpacked 0 03 op1 rdcc packed 2 , 3 -- unpacked 2 14 op2 rdca packed 0 , 1 -- unpacked 0 0______________________________________ table 2______________________________________constant selected unpacked packedstate data data condition______________________________________fg6 2 2 no wrap 0 0 wrap1 2 1 wrap2fg21 2 - 1 wa - 4 = 0 2 2 wa - 4 = 1 2 2 wrap1 notfg12 2 3 wa - 4 = 0 exh1 2 1 wa - 4 = 1 2 1 wrap2fg1m 2 1fg21 2 2fg12 2 3 wa - 4 = 0 exh1 2 2 wa - 4 = 1fg1m 2 2fg2l 2 3 wa - 4 = 0 2 - 1 wa - 4 = 1fg2m 2 3 wa - 4 = 0 2 - 1 wa - 4 = 1______________________________________ referring to fig1 , there is shown a logic circuit diagram of the select control logic 391 for causing the first select switch 334 and the second select switch 335 to select the operand data from the proper input stack . the input stack is selected in accordance with the boolean equations as follows : ## equ1 ## ( fwrap1 is a f / f set by the w1 bit .) the logic equations above indicate that if op2 data is not being read ( i . e ., op1 data is being read ) and a wrap1 condition exists , then the op1 data is to be read from rdcc ( wraparound buffer 332 ), or if op2 data is to be read and a wrap2 condition exists , then the op2 data is to be read from rdcc . rdcb is selected if the data to be read is not numeric and the data is packed data . still referring to fig1 the control signals czdca - 0 and czdca - 1 are utilized to control the first select switch 334 . likewise , signal czdcb - 0 and czdcb - 1 are utilized to control the second select switch 335 . the logic of fig1 essentially implements the select switch positions indicated in table 1 , and other combinations of op1 , op2 data and packed and unpacked data . rdcb - ra ( 4 ) is bit 4 of the read address register 502 &# 39 ;, rdca - ra ( 4 ) is bit 4 of the read address register 502 of control logic 500 shown in fig9 and rdcc - rwa ( 4 ) is the contents of read / write register 502 &# 34 ; of control logic 500 &# 34 ; of fig1 . bit 4 of these signals indicates the odd or even half of memory which is utilized in making the selection of the first or second select switch . flip flops 392 and 393 are set by the respective select signals defined above by the logic equations . while there has been shown what is considered to be the preferred embodiment of the invention , it will be manifest that many changes and modifications can be made therein without departing from the essential spirit and scope of the invention . it is intended , therefore , in the annexed claims , to cover all such changes and modifications which fall within the true scope of the invention . | 6Physics
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referring now to the drawings in greater detail , fig1 shows in exploded view a chassis or frame 12 and a float 14 employed in the novel watercycle . the float 14 is generally do - nut shape , made of expanded or cellular plastic and provided with protective skin to shield from damage which may be caused by weather , rough handling or impact with hard objects . inflatable rubber or plastic or any other selected from highly buoyant material may also be used . underneath the front end of the float 14 is a longitudinally oriented concave portion 16 to provide sufficient room for the knees of a pedaling rider 18 like for example when the seat 20 is at higher and / or forward adjustments . an underside bulge 22 rearward of the float is provided . the bulge is adapted to displace additional volume of water in the rear portion and thereby become a buoyant booster for that portion of the watercycle wherein more weight is anticipated . channels 24 ( not shown ) are provided in the region of the underside bulge 22 to accommodate the elevated members 26 of the frame when mounting the float . the frame 12 shown in fig1 includes two generally parallel runners 28 with front ends 30 bent diagonally upwardly and joined together by a transverse member 32 , for resting the watercycle on solid surface . two generally parallel elevated members 26 are provided for suitably mounting the float thereto . the front ends 36 are bent downwardly , each connecting a respective runner 28 immediately after the upwardly bent portion 30 . the rear ends 38 of the elevated members 26 are likewise bent downwardly and each connecting a respective rear end of the runners . the frame 12 is preferably of metal tubing , closed - end in order to provide strength and added buoyancy . a horizontal twin beam 40 is provided about midway between the runners 28 and the elevated members 26 , for supporting the handlebar column 42 , rider &# 39 ; s seat 20 , plurality of pulleys 44 , 46 and 48 therealong underneath and a swivel arm 50 for the steerable propeller units 52 - a and 52 - b . a front arch 54 and a rear arch 56 are welded transversely apart at their ends along the length of the runners . the front arch 54 , with an upstanding riser 58 welded on top , supports the twin beam on its forward end . the rear portion of the twin beam 40 is welded crosswise underneath the upper portion of the rear arch 56 , for support . upper and lower plates 60 and 62 respectively are fixedly attached opposed the front end of the twin beam adapted to support a handlebar column 42 . a bushing or plain bearing 43 is affixed tight through the holes 64 and 66 ( not shown ) on the plates 60 and 62 for rotatably mounting the handlebar column 42 . a retainer collar 68 is secured to the handlebar column immediately above the plain bearing 43 to keep the handlebar column from sliding down . at a convenient distance above the collar 68 is a rather loose sleeve 70 with support braces 72 as shown , provide strength to the steering column . on the rear end of the twin beam 40 is welded with another pair of opposed upper and lower plates 74 and 76 . a plain bearing 78 is likewise affixed tight through openings 80 and 82 ( not shown ) on plates 74 and 76 for rotatably mounting the shaft portion 84 of swivel arm 50 . fixedly attached to the bottom end of the handlebar column 42 ( fig4 ) is a front or first pulley 44 , and at about mid - portion of the swivel arm shaft 84 is also attached with a rear or second pulley 46 . a center or third pulley 48 is rotatably mounted underside a plate 88 welded underneath the twin beam . fig5 shows in schematic an operative hitching of an endless actuating cord 90 onto the pulleys 44 , 46 and 48 for translating steering movement from handlebar to the steerable propeller units 52 - a and 52 - b . the cord &# 39 ; s front segment 92 , between the front and center pulleys 44 and 48 , are hitched in parallel , while the cord &# 39 ; s rear portion 94 , between the center and rear pulleys 48 and 46 respectively are crossed in figure “ 8 ” pattern . thus , when the handlebar , and hence the front pulley 44 , is rotated in one direction for example , the rear pulleys 46 including the shafted swivel arm 50 will rotate in the opposite direction , as shown . the rider &# 39 ; s seat 20 is rigidly affixed atop a threaded seat post 96 and is adjustable vertically for desired submergence of a seated rider . likewise , the seat is adjustable horizontally for convenient foot - reach to the pedals 98 . a mechanism for adjusting the seat vertically and / or horizontally is shown in fig6 , taken along line 6 — 6 of fig4 . the seat post 96 is threadably mounted to cooperating nut 100 connected fixed to a slidable base plate 102 that straddles along the twin beam 40 . a clamping plate 104 with large center opening is loosely positioned below the twin beam and being supported by flanges 106 of the guide portion 108 of the base plate 102 . a spacer 110 with large center opening is welded to the underneath of the clamping plate 104 . a wing nut 112 is threadably connected to the lower portion of the seat post 96 below spacer 110 . to adjust the seat 20 either vertically or horizontally , or both , is to first loosen the wing nut 112 until the clamping plate 104 drop down fully to about one - eight inch and thereby loosen its grip against the underside of the twin beam 40 . the slidable base plate 102 ( and thus the seat post ) is then moved forward or backward for convenient pedalling distance to the pedals 98 . and , to adjust the seat vertically , the seat , and thus the seat post , is appropriately rotated until the right height for desired submergence of the rider is obtained . finally , the wing nut 112 is tightened to secure the seat from wobbling . shown better in fig1 is a pedal unit 114 which includes a jointer 116 and cranks 118 with outwardly extending shafts 120 ( see fig7 ) on either ends and having a common axis , is utilized with this concept . the extended shafts 120 include coupling jaws 122 for connection with corresponding jaws 124 on an input shaft 126 located in a gearbox unit 128 . the coupled extended shafts 120 of the pedal unit and the input shafts 126 of the gearbox unit 128 is journalled in plain bearing 129 . the gearbox unit 128 is suitably mounted onto a support bracket 130 welded to the intermediate of the downwardly bent front ends 36 of the elevated member of the frame 12 . the gearbox unit 128 , shown in fig7 , is adapted to transform a relatively low rpm input from the pedal unit 114 into much higher rpm output for the propeller units 52 - a and 52 - b . it includes a gear train utilizing a pair of spur gears 132 - a and 132 - b and a pair of bevel gears 134 - a and 134 - b , with respective ratios . other gearing combinations familiar in the art of gearbox designed may also be used . conventional design propeller is employed to propel the watercycle of the present invention . one propeller unit is shown mounted on each side , however , any other setup may be incorporated . the front end of a main propulsion shaft 136 is connected , by use of coupling jaws 138 , to corresponding jaws 140 on the output shaft 142 of the gearbox unit 128 , as shown in fig3 and 7 . a universal joint 144 each interpose the propeller units 52 - a and 52 - b and the propulsion shafts 136 , seen better in fig3 and 5 . an upright post 146 ( fig3 ) is connected in any suitable means , on its top and bottom ends , to lugs 148 and 150 welded intermediate the elevated member 26 and the runner 28 respectively . a plain bearings 152 is positioned about mid - point of the post 146 for rotatably supporting the propeller main shaft 136 on its rear portion thereof . extended pivotal arms 154 and 156 , each with upright pivot pin 158 and 160 , are attached rigidly to post 146 . in fig3 , 4 and 8 is shown a c - frame 162 provided to support the propeller unit 52 . the c - frame is swivelable such that the supported propeller unit can swing sidewise to a certain extent . the vertical leg 164 of the c - frame is fitted with bearing 166 to rotatably support the rear end of the propeller unit . on the ends of the upper and lower horizontal legs 168 and 170 of the c - frame are lugs 172 and 174 with openings ( not shown ) for receiving pivotal pins 158 and 160 . the universal joint 144 and the pivotal pins 158 and 160 are aligned perfectly vertically , as viewed in fig3 and 8 . shown in fig5 , lugs 176 - a and 176 - b are welded horizontally inwardly to the vertical leg 164 of the c - frame in the vicinity of bearing 166 , ( see also fig3 ). lugs 176 - a and 176 - b have each an opening 178 - a and 176 - b of size on their free ends . the swivel arm 50 , located between propeller units 52 - a and 52 - b , includes adjacent openings 180 - a and 180 - b on its free end . links rods 182 - a and 182 - b have on their respective end portions a bend of about 90 - degrees . the outboard bent end 183 - a ( not shown ) of link rod 182 - a is inserted through opening 178 - a , while its inboard bent end 183 - b ( not shown ) is inserted through opening 180 - a . similarly , the outboard bent end 184 - a ( not shown ) of link rod 182 - b is inserted through opening 178 - b , while its inboard bent end 184 - b ( not shown ) is inserted through opening 180 - b . it is evident therefore that any steering movement initiated on the handlebar is imparted onto the interlinked propeller units 52 - a to better understand the steering operation of the watercycle , when a pedalling rider wants to steer to the right for example , the handlebar 186 is rotated clockwise as shown by dotted lines in fig5 . with the operative hitching arrangement of pulleys 44 , 46 , and 48 and including the cord 90 as has been earlier discussed , the swivel arm shaft 188 will rotate counter - clockwise and will cause the swivel arm 50 and including the interlinked swivelable or steerable propellers 52 - a and 52 - b to assume their new positions shown by dotted lines . hence , the rear end of the forwarding watercycle tends to swing to the left side and thereby will cause the forward end of the craft an apparent turn to the right . oppositely , to steer the watercycle to the left for example , the operation is a complete reversal of the above example just discussed . the embodiment having been described , changes in shape and form may be incorporated by those skilled in the art and such may be within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the claim herein appended . | 1Performing Operations; Transporting
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in the design of the digital instrument control for a nuclear power plant with advanced boiling water reactor , the master control room is responsible for signal logic operation and automatic and manual signal generation . various types of signals subject to signal logic operation come from reactor building , control room building , steam generator building and switch building , where the detection units are located . the signal actuation r equipment in the control room is also located in the above buildings . the signal transmission between buildings , switch buildings and master control room is completed through network system . to comply with the characteristic for network system to transmit digital signals only , the analog signal generated by the detection unit is converted to digital signal before entering network system . the digital signal from the network system is also converted to analog signal first to comply with the characteristic for equipment actuation to accept analog signal only . the digital instrument control design for the nuclear power plant with advanced boiling water reactor can be divided into the following eight different units , which can facilitate the simulation for signal transmission and operation by boolean algebra during fault tree analysis . the following provides details about the function and characteristics for each unit : they are responsible for detecting signals of water level , pressure , temperature and rotation speed and output continuously analog signals . they are responsible for signal conversion . when the input signals are analog , they will be converted to corresponding digital signals and sent out . when the signals are digital , they will be converted to corresponding analog signals and sent out and sent out . each signal conversion unit is only responsible for a single signal conversion . thus , each measurement unit or actuation unit has its own designated signal conversion unit to handle single conversion for a single signal . they are responsible for verifying digital signals from measurement units . when the signal meets the default setting , it outputs digital trip signal , which can be transmitted to equipment end to actuation single equipment or to logic processing unit for logic operation . they are responsible for signal transmission between main control room and other remote control unit . although network units can transmit massive volume of signals , to prevent single failure to adversely affect instrument control system , the nuclear power plant with advanced boiling water reactor divides the network units to safety and non - safety related types . all the non - safety related signal transmission is through a single non - safety related network unit . since the safety related signal transmission involves safety related system operation , network units are deployed according to safety system division . each safety related division has a completely independent network unit . all safety related signals are transmitted through the network unit in their designated division . they are responsible for all signal logic operation and output the results to equipment actuation units to activate the equipment startup , shut off , operation and stop . besides outputting single signals to actuation single equipment , they also output multiple signals to actuation multiple equipments according to logic setting . because of the need of receiving signals from different terminals , the unit is always located in the control room and all digital signals through network unit transmission are concentrated in the logic processing units in the control room for further logic operation . the output signals are also transmitted to the destination through the network unit . equipment actuation unit is located near the equipment to be actuated and responsible for equipment startup , shut off , operation or stop according to the input signals . since the unit only accepts analog signal , when the source signal is digital , it is necessary to convert it to analog signal through signal conversion unit . the manually generated equipment actuation signal can be designed to be digital or analog . when the designed output signal is digital , it can be transmitted to destination through network unit or after logic operation by logic processing unit it become single equipment actuation signal or multiple equipment actuation signal . if the designed output signal is analog , it will be transmitted through the designated signal transmission line directly to the equipment actuation unit . the unit is located on the control panel of the control room and operated by the operation room personnel through press button or turn knob to drive the unit to generate the preset analog or digital output signal . this is a unique design for the nuclear power plant with advanced boiling water reactor . through a single screen , it enables a large number of system or module operations . through tough screen function the operator can touch and select the control menu for the operation system or module to be operated and through the operation function on the control menu touch and select the desired system or module . the unit is located in the control room and comprised of the screen for display and operation , the computer for display management and operation , and the unit to generate and output digital signals according to the setting . after the operator makes a selection on the touch screen , the unit generates the corresponding digital output signal , which then through logic processing unit drives multiple systems or is directly transmitted through network unit to the corresponding equipment actuation unit to drive single system or equipment . after dividing the entire digital instrument control system into the above eight units , the related digital instrument control for the nuclear power plant with advanced boiling water reactor according to the actual design can be divided into six operation modes as shown in the figures from fig1 to fig6 . the blocks in the figures represent instrument control units . signal transmission is represented by solid line for analog signal and by dot line for digital signal through optical fiber . the standard fault tree corresponding to each operation mode is shown in sequence from fig7 to fig1 . the failure mode for each instrument control unit is the traditional hardware failure mode . it is all simulated by externally connected fault tree . besides , in fig1 a common type is used to represent the development mode for the fault tree for each instrument control unit . in addition to the spontaneous hardware failure for instrument control unit itself , there are also failure modes indirectly caused by foreign support system like power and air conditioning . further , the common cause failure as a critical cause to system failure is also simulated in the developed standard fault tree . according to the design concepts for the digital instrument control for the nuclear power plant with advanced boiling water reactor , the essential common cause failure mainly includes the following reasons : 1 . several detection units ( du ) for the same type or identical signal detection fail at the same time due to design flaw , poor environment for equipment location , poor maintenance or incorrect calibration . 2 . several data trip units ( dtu ) for verifying signals fail at the same time due to software design flaw , poor database or maintenance . 3 . several network units ( nu ) for massive signal transmission fail at the same time due to software design flaw , failure for network system to support simultaneous signal transmission needs or poor maintenance . 4 . several logic - processing units ( lpu ) for signal logic operation fail at the same time due to software design flaw or poor maintenance . according to the above reasons for common cause failure , in the standard fault tree simulation is conducted for common cause failure mode with focus on measurement unit , data trip unit , network unit and logic processing unit , while other instrument control units do not simulate common cause failure . the following briefly describes the characteristics for each operation mode and important subjects for the development of standard fault tree . the operation process as shown in fig1 is mainly for actuation of supporting equipments to non - safety or safety related equipments . it is the instrument control design without fault tolerance . after the analog signal from single measurement unit is converted to digital signal by the signal conversion unit and input to data trip unit to verify with the setting . then the data trip unit outputs trip signals to the designated signal conversion unit to the specific equipment . the digital signal is converted to analog signal and output to the equipment actuation unit to actuate the equipment . the developed fault tree is shown in fig7 . since it is serial linear process , the failure of any unit will cause the failure of the entire instrument control process . mode 1 only has single signal measurement unit and therefore does not simulate common cause failure for measured signals . mode 2 : multiple measurement unit after logic operation automatically actuates multiple equipments the operation process as shown in fig2 is mainly used for safety related equipment . to prevent unnecessary action due to failures for some measurement units or data trip units , the measurement signals from several different measurement units of the same design are concentrated in the logic - processing unit for logic operation . with fault tolerance , the logic - processing unit undergoes logic operation and outputs single or multiple equipment operation signals . the signals are transmitted to the signal conversion unit through the network unit . the input digital signal is converted to analog signal and then input to the equipment actuation unit to actuate the equipment . the operation for the safety related equipments of the nuclear power plant with advanced boiling water reactor is handled by four independent instrument control divisions . signal measurement , conversion and transmission are all conducted by the specific independent division . when the logic - processing unit is undergoing logic operation , it adopts two - out - of - four fault - tolerant strategy . it means it is not until at least two divisions input trip signals , the logic - processing unit will output equipment operation signal . in the development for the standard fault tree as shown in fig8 a ˜ 8e , the fault - tolerant strategy should be changed and therefore it is not until at least three divisions have fault the logic processing unit will output equipment operation signals . the standard fault tree for mode 2 is developed with focus on unit e failure . since unit e belongs to division i ( div i ), after the operation signal is processed and output by the logic processing unit in div i , the logic units in other divisions ( div ii ˜ div iv ) also process and output the signals that are verified and come from their own measurement unit . in the simulation of common cause failure , measurement unit , data trip unit , network unit and logic processing unit are involved . for failure of other units ( unit f ˜ unit j ), except for the use of their own designated signal conversion unit and equipment actuation unit , they have the same signal source and the simulation mode for common cause failure as unit e . the operation process is shown in fig3 . when the operator presses the button or turns the knob on the operation panel , the corresponding mechanical signal generation unit will output a digital signal and transmit the signal through the network unit to the signal conversion unit . then the digital signal will be converted to analog signal and input to the equipment actuation unit to actuate the equipment . the developed standard fault tree is shown in fig9 . since it is serial linear process , the failure of any unit will cause the failure of the entire instrument control process . since the equipment actuation relies on manual operation by the operator , the fault tree also includes the failure mode for manual operation by the operator . the operation process is shown in fig4 . when the operator presses the button or turns the knob on the operation panel , the corresponding mechanical signal generation unit will output a digital signal . since it is to actuate multiple equipments , the output signal is transmitted to the corresponding logic - processing unit , through which multiple equipment signals are output . through network unit , the signals are transmitted to the designated signal conversion unit . after the digital signals are converted to analog signals , they are output to the equipment actuation unit to actuate the equipment . since the fault tree uses equipment failure as top event , the developed standard fault tree as shown in fig1 is also a serial linear process . the failure of any unit will cause the failure of the entire instrument control process . since the equipment actuation relies on manual operation by the operator , the fault tree also includes the failure mode for manual operation by the operator . since the standard fault tree in mode 4 is developed with focus on unit a failure , for failure of other units ( unit b ˜ unit f ), except for the use of their own designated signal conversion unit and equipment actuation unit , they have the same signal source and the simulation mode for common cause failure as unit a . the operation process is shown in fig5 . when the operator touches and makes selection on the selection menu , the screen touch signal generation unit will output the corresponding digital signal to the signal conversion unit through the network unit , and then the digital signal will be converted to analog signal and output to the equipment actuation unit to actuate the equipment . the developed standard fault tree is shown in fig1 . since it is serial linear process , the failure of any unit will cause the failure of the entire instrument control process . since the equipment actuation relies on manual operation by the operator , the fault tree also includes the failure mode for manual operation by the operator . the operation process is shown in fig6 . when the operator touches and makes selection on the selection menu , the screen touch signal generation unit will output the corresponding digital signal . since it is to actuate multiple equipments , the signal is output to the corresponding logic - processing unit , which will output multiple equipment operation signals through the network unit to their own designated signal conversion unit . after the digital signal is converted to analog signal , it is output to the equipment actuation unit to actuate the equipment . since the fault tree uses equipment failure as top event and the developed standard fault tree as shown in fig1 also belongs to a serial linear process , the failure of any unit will cause the failure of the entire instrument control process . since the equipment actuation relies on manual operation by the operator , the fault tree also includes the failure mode for manual operation by the operator . the standard fault tree for mode 6 is developed with focus on unit a failure . for failure of other units ( unit b ˜ unit f ), except for the use of their own designated signal conversion unit and equipment actuation unit , they have the same signal source and the simulation mode for common cause failure as unit a . the establishment of the fault tree for equipment operation is based on the above eight instrument control units and six standard digital instrument control processes , which all function by splitting signal source and connecting to standard fault tree to build the fault tree for the nuclear power plant with boiling water reactor that involves complicated operation signals . the establishment procedures are described as follows : step 1 . analyze signal source for equipment operation with the instrument control logic diagram when analysis is conducted for signal source for equipment operation for the advanced boiling water reactor that not only involves signals for traditional automatically and manually operated single equipment but also automatic and manual signals to simultaneously operate multiple equipments , it is necessary to summarize and structure all the signals for the target equipments in the same system in details . after summarizing and structuring all the operation signals for the target equipments , the first thing necessary is to build the process flow diagram for all equipments to clarify the details with the generation and transmission of signals associated with each instrument control unit . all the instrument control units in the process flow control diagram should correspond to the above eight standard instrument control units . fig1 shows the signal process flow diagram for all target equipments in a single system in a nuclear power plant with advanced boiling water reactor . the system includes seven equipments ( eau - 1 ˜ eau - 7 responsible for actuation ) that participate in the analysis . each equipment has its own signal source . there are seven sources of signals to actuate the seven equipments . water level detection unit , first pressure detection unit and second pressure detection unit provide automatic operation signals . the signals from these units will be sent to different logic processing units ( lpu - 1 , lpu - 2 ) for logic operation . upon meeting the preset operation conditions for each equipment , the logic - processing unit will generate equipment operation signals that enable multiple equipment operation . there are four sources for manually generated operation signals . the manual signal from the mechanical signal generation unit msgu - 1 can go through lpu - 1 and lpu - 2 and simultaneously handle multiple equipment operation . the manual signal from the mechanical signal generation unit msgu - 2 is directly transmitted through hard wire to the equipment end . the manual signals from video signal generation units , vsgu - 1 and vsgu - 2 , have different functions . vsgu - 1 and msgu - 1 have the same function , complimentary to each other as backup signal generation unit . the signal from vsgu - 2 can only operate one equipment at a time . fig1 clearly shows that a single instrument control module can be designed to handle multiple signal logic processing or transmission . nu - 1 from the figure , as an example of network unit , is responsible for transmitting not only detection unit signals but also automatic and manual operation signals for equipment operation . therefore , the establishment of a detailed system signal process flow diagram not only helps check the rationality for signal transmission and logic operation but also facilitates simulate common cause failure in the fault tree analysis . after completion of the signal process flow diagram for system instrument operation , it is to split all the signal sources into an independent typical digital instrument control process based on the previously mentioned eight instrument control units and six typical digital instrument control flow processes . all the operation signals in fig1 , as an example , can be split into 12 signal flow processes , including ( 1 ) 2 automatic operation signal flow processes provided by water - level detection unit , ( 2 ) 2 automatic operation signal flow processes provided by the first pressure detection unit , ( 3 ) 2 automatic operation signal flow processes provided by the second pressure detection unit , ( 4 ) 2 manual operation signal flow processes provided by msgu - 1 , ( 5 ) 1 manual operation signal flow processes provided by msgu - 2 , ( 6 ) 2 manual operation signal flow processes provided by vsgu - 1 , ( 7 ) 1 manual operation signal flow process provided by vsgu - 2 . after splitting , it is necessary to match all the signal flow processes to the six modes from fig1 to fig6 . after splitting in step 3 for system equipment operation signals , every signal flow process can match one of the six modes . each signal flow process should be revised by the corresponding standard fault tree . the instrument control units in an actual flow process are used to revise the standard fault tree . in revising fault tree , special attention shall be paid to the common instrument control unit shared by different signal sources . the common units shall use the same basic event name in different standard fault tree . next , the signal logic operation in the fault tree shall select the suitable logic gate for actual design . with the system instrument control flow process in fig1 as an example , the manual operation signal flow process provided by the water - level detection unit , first pressure detection unit and second pressure detection unit can be classified as the mode 2 process in fig2 ; the manual operation signal flow process provided by msgu - 1 can be classified as the mode 4 process in fig4 ; the manual operation signal flow process provided by msgu - 2 can be classified as the mode 3 process in fig3 ; the manual operation signal flow process provided by vsgu - 1 can be classified as the mode 6 process in fig6 ; the manual operation signal flow process provided by vsgu - 2 can be classified as the mode 5 process in fig5 . in revising fault tree , special attention shall be paid to the common instrument control units such as nu , dtu and lpu shared by different signal sources . the common units shall use the same basic event name in different standard fault tree . next , regarding the signal logic operation for the three detection units in the fault tree , it adopts two - out - of - four fault - tolerant design strategy and three - out - of - four logic gate . after completion of the fault tree for all signal sources , it is to link the fault tree to establish the specific fault tree to specific equipment operation . for specific equipment in the system , it is to select all the signal sources on the signal flow process diagram to operate the specific equipment , and then link all the corresponding standard fault trees into the fault tree for the specific equipment operation . with the eau - 1 ˜ eau - 7 actuated equipments in fig1 as example , eau - 2 and eau - 3 can accept all automatic or manual operation signals in the figure . the difference is that eau - 2 and eau - 3 receive the operation signal from different logic processing units , lpu - 1 and lpu - 2 . eau - 7 cannot be operated by the automatic signals in the figure and is manually operated by the signals from msgu - 2 or vsgu - 2 . | 6Physics
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as shown in the drawings , the towel drier includes a drum 10 having a pair of laterally spaced flanges 12 mounted on an axle 14 . the axle 14 is journalled at 16 in the frame 18 of the system and is rotated by any suitable means , such as a hydraulic motor diagrammatically indicated at 20 . the frame 18 supports the drum 10 over the path of advance 22 of a vehicle 24 to be washed . the drum 10 is sufficiently wide ( typically 7 feet or more ) that it spans the entire width of the vehicle to be dried . spaced circumferentially around the periphery of the drum 10 are towel holders 26 . each towel holder 26 includes a flat plate 28 welded to an axle 30 . each axle 30 is journalled in bushings 31 in the flanges 12 for free rotation about its own axis . the axles 30 together define a circle with the central axle 14 at its centre . each flat plate 28 is of width nearly equal to the distance between the flanges 12 , and is of length sufficient to bridge the gap between adjacent axles 30 . thus , when a towel holder 26 is pivoted in a counter clockwise direction , its flat plate 28 moves against and is stopped by the axle 30 of the next towel holder , as shown in fig1 . attached to the outer surface of each flat plate 28 , by any suitable means , is a towel 32 . each towel 32 is of substantial length , typically 6 feet , so that it can reach down to contact the vehicle 24 to be dried . each towel 32 is of width slightly less than that of its flat plate 28 and has a side edge 33 inset from that of its flat plate 28 for a reason to be described . normally each towel 32 consists of an upper support portion 34 , made of canvas , plastic or other relatively low friction material , and a lower drying portion 36 made of chamois or other suitable water absorbent material . in a typical embodiment of the invention , utilizing a 4 foot diameter drum 10 with 12 towel holders 26 , each support portion 34 is about 41 / 2 feet long and each drying portion 36 is about 11 / 2 feet long . as shown in fig2 the axle 30 of each towel holder 26 projects outwardly past one of the flanges 12 . the outward projection is indicated at 38 . welded to each outward projection 38 is a lever 40 which is also shown in fig1 . each lever 40 typically extends at right angles to its associated flat plate 28 . a fixed trip pin 42 extends inwardly from the frame 18 in a position to be engaged by each lever 40 as the drum rotates , as will be explained . located beneath the drum 10 is a guide rail 44 . the guide rail 44 is secured to the frame 18 by struts 46 and is located laterally between the edges 33 of the towels 32 and the edges of the flat plates 28 . as best shown in fig1 and 3 , a wringer 50 is provided to squeeze access water from the towels 32 after the towels have absorbed water from the vehicle being dried . the wringer 50 includes a large roller 52 rotatably mounted on a central axle 54 . the axle 54 is fixedly mounted at the free ends of a pair of laterally spaced l - spaced arms 56 . the arms 56 are pivotally mounted at their apex on axles 58 which are secured to the frame 18 . the other ends 60 of the arms 56 extend upwardly and rearwardly and carry heavy counterweights 62 at their ends . the counterweights 62 bias the roller 52 bodily clockwise as indicated by arrow 64 . the operation of the system as so far described is as follows . the path through which the drum 10 locates may be divided into two sectors , namely a vehicle drying sector 66 , and a return sector 68 . as shown in fig1 as the towel holders 26 pass through the vehicle drying sector 26 , they assume a position in which the flat plates 28 project at least partly radially outwardly of the drum 10 . the reason for this will be described shortly . then , as each towel holder 26 passes through the return sector 68 , its towel 32 begins to wrap around the drum 10 , due to gravity . this pivots each towel holder 26 counterclockwise , until the free end of its flat plate 28 rests against and is stopped by the axle 30 of the adjacent towel holder . when a towel holder 26 leaves the return sector 68 and enters the vehicle drying sector 66 , the operation is as follows . consider the towel holder 26a in fig1 . the towel 32a of this towel holder is wrapped nearly half way around the periphery of the drum 10 ( assuming a 4 foot diameter drum and a 6 foot long towel ) and would not normally fall down into vehicle drying position until the towel holder 26a had rotated most of the way through the vehicle drying sector 66 . according to the invention , and as shown in fig4 when the lever 40a of towel holder 26a is carried into contact with trip pin 42 , the towel holder 26a is caused to rotate clockwise in the direction of rotation of the drum 10 . as shown , the extent of the rotation is typically more than 80 ° and may be nearly 90 ° or more . since each flat plate 28 will typically be slightly more than 1 foot in length ( assuming 12 towel holders on a 4 foot diameter drum ) the free end of the flat plate 28 will typically rotate through an arc 69 of about 18 inches or more in length . this will pull the towel 32a partly off the drum 10 . the portion of the towel 32a suspended in the air will be between about 2 and 3 feet in length . since the remainder of the towel 32a rests on the support portion 34b of the next towel 32b , and since the support portion 34b is relatively smooth and slippery ( as contrasted with the drying portion 36b of the towel ), the weight of the suspended portion of the towel 32a is sufficient to drag the entire towel 32a off the drum and to cause it to fall into the hanging position shown in fig1 . if necessary , the diameter of the drum 10 can be increased so that the length of the flat plates 28 can be correspondingly increased , to increase the distance through which the towels are pulled . however , it is preferred to keep the drum diameter no larger than about 4 feet , to reduce the height requirements of the car wash in which it is installed . however , the angle through which each towel holder 26 is rotated can be controlled by the position of the trip pin 42 and also by the angle between the lever 40 and the flat plate 28 of each towel holder . if this angle is increased beyond 90 °, then the angle through which each towel holder is rotated can also be made greater than 90 ° , increasing the length of the arc through which the free end of each flat plate 28 travels . for example , if the angle between the flat plate 28 and the lever 40 of a towel holder is 110 °, then the arc through which each towel holder rotates may typically be about 100 ° or more , which would pull a towel down about 22 inches for the 4 foot diameter drum mentioned . it will be appreciated that in the example given , in which the length of the flat plates 28 is about 1 foot and the length of the drying portion 36 of each towel is about 18 inches , the drying portion of one towel will overlap the drying portion of the next towel ( when both are wrapped around the drum 10 ) only by about 6 inches . the distance by which each towel 32 is pulled by its towel holder is preferably substantially greater than this , so that in all cases , the drying portion of the towel being pulled will rest , after it has been pulled by its towel holder , only on the relatively smooth support portion 34 of the next towel . this facilitates unwrapping of the towels . as best shown in fig1 the extent to which the towel holders 26 can pivot is limited by the guide rail 44 . the guide rail 44 slopes downwardly from front to rear , so that the rear towel 32 hangs lowest , and the towels forwardly of the rear towel hang at progressively higher positions . this permits the water load on the towels to be more evenly distributed and produces improved drying of the vehicle . in effect it improves the distribution of towels on the vehicle . after the towels have dried the vehicle 24 , they are carried upwardly past the roller 52 . the towels are here squeezed between the roller 52 and the flat plates 28 , forcing excess water from the towels . to prevent the excess water from running back onto the following towels or onto the vehicle being dried , a wiper 80 is provided . as shown in fig1 and 3 , the wiper 80 includes a wiper sheet 82 having a trough 84 formed at its lower end . both the wiper sheet 82 and the trough 84 extend the width of the roller 52 . the wiper 80 is secured at its lower end to an axle 86 pivotally mounted at 88 to the frame 18 . connected to the axle 86 are counterweights 90 which bias the free end of the wiper sheet 82 against the towels . a tube 92 connected to one or both ends of the trough 84 leads the water removed from the towels to a suitable drain , not shown . after the towels pass through the wringer 50 , they are carried through the return sector 68 and back to the vehicle drying sector 66 . if desired , other means may be employed to pull the towels part way off the drum when the towel holders enter or approach the vehicle drying sector 66 . for example , and as indicated in fig4 where primed reference numerals indicate parts corresponding to those of fig1 to 4 , each towel holder 26 &# 39 ; may be a radially oriented member mounted for radially reciprocating movement and guided by pins 100 in slots 102 in the flanges 12 &# 39 ;. an actuating device , not shown , may be used to drive each towel holder 26 &# 39 ; radially outwardly as it enters the vehicle drying sector 66 , and appropriate means ( e . g . a spring ) may be used to return the towel holders immediately thereafter to their withdrawn position . alternatively , the towel holders may be drawn radially inwardly , pulling their towels over an appropriate fixed bar , not shown , to pull the towels along the circumference of the drum . however , the rotary motion shown for the towel holders in the fig1 to 4 embodiment is much preferred because of its greater simplicity , lower cost , and more inherently trouble - free performance . | 1Performing Operations; Transporting
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a top view of a first preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown in fig1 . bottom portion 4 of pawl plate 1 is rigidly connected to surgical plate 9 . six hex screws 7 a - 7 f are inserted through holes 10 in surgical plate 9 . each hex screw has a ratchet wheel 8 . torsion bars 5 a - 5 f of pawl plates 1 engage the ratchets on ratchet wheels 8 to prevent counter - clockwise rotation of hex screws 7 a - 7 f after surgical plate 9 has been screwed into the bone of a patient . fig2 shows a top view of surgical plate 9 . fig3 shows a cutout side view of surgical plate 9 and fig4 shows a perspective view of surgical plate 9 . fig5 shows a bottom view of surgical plate 9 . in the first preferred embodiment , surgical plate 9 is stainless steel and is cast by sintered powder metallurgy . as shown in fig2 surgical plate 9 is approximately 1 . 8 inches long and approximately 0 . 7 inches at its widest point . as shown in fig3 surgical plate 9 is slightly curved and is approximately 0 . 1 inch thick . as shown in fig1 and fig4 surgical plate 9 has three recesses 11 cut into the top of the plate . recesses 11 are preferably approximately 0 . 02 inches deep . six holes 10 are drilled through surgical plate 9 . preferable , holes 10 are wider at the top of surgical plate 9 than they are at the bottom . in the preferred embodiment hole 10 is approximately 0 . 2 inches in diameter across the top of surgical plate 9 and approximately 0 . 14 inches in diameter across the bottom of surgical plate 9 . preferably , the walls of hole 10 are slightly curved , as shown in fig3 . as shown in fig3 and 5 , the bottom of surgical plate 9 preferably has seven “ v ” shaped compression ridges 13 . when surgical plate 9 is screwed onto a bone , compression ridges 13 are able penetrate soft tissue that may be covering the bone and grip solid bone underneath the soft tissue . fig6 shows a top view and fig7 shows a side view of pawl plate 1 . pawl plate 1 has bottom portion 4 and torsion bars 5 a and 5 b . a preferred pawl plate 1 is approximately 0 . 02 inches thick . as shown in fig7 pawl plate 1 is slightly curved so that it fits appropriately into recess 11 ( fig4 ). as shown in fig8 each pawl plate 1 is fitted into each recess 11 . bottom portions 4 are then rigidly bond to surgical plate 9 . in the preferred embodiment , bottom portions 4 are brazed to surgical plate 9 . fig9 - 10 illustrate a preferred method for drilling holes into the bone . fig9 shows a cutout side view of surgical plate 9 positioned on top of bone 20 . note that the curvature of plate 9 conforms to the curvature of bone 20 . also “ v ” shaped compression ridges 13 assist in the gripping of bone 20 . in the preferred embodiment , drill bushing 28 is connected to spring 30 . spring 30 is connected to drill chuck 26 , which is connected to drill 22 . drill bit 24 is inserted inside and rigidly held by drill chuck 26 and extends through spring 30 . as shown in fig9 drill bushing 28 is positioned over hole 10 of surgical plate 9 . as shown in fig1 , drill bushing 28 is lowered so that it mates with hole 10 of surgical plate 9 . drill bushing 28 aligns drill bit 24 so that it is properly directed through the center of hole 10 and into bone 20 . as shown in fig1 , drill bit 24 is pressed downward and into bone 20 . as the hole is drilled , spring force from spring 30 helps keep bushing 28 properly positioned in hole 10 and keeps the axis of the drilled hole centered . after the holes have been drilled into the bone , surgical plate 9 is securely fastened to the bone via screws 7 a - 7 f . fig1 - 16 illustrate how pawl plate 1 prevents screws 7 a and 7 b from backing out after they have been screwed into the holes in the bone . in fig1 , torsion bar 5 a is engaged with ratchet wheel 8 of screw 7 a so as to prevent counterclockwise rotation of screw 7 a and torsion bar 5 b is engaged with ratchet wheel 8 of screw 7 b so as to prevent counterclockwise rotation of screw 7 b . in fig1 , screw 7 a has been turned clockwise ½ of a notch so that pawl 80 of torsion bar 5 a has been moved downward as it has ridden along a ratchet of ratchet wheel 8 . in fig1 , screw 7 a has been turned clockwise another ½ of a notch so that torsion bar 5 a has snapped back upward and is in a position to prevent counterclockwise rotation of screw 7 a . in this manner , screw 7 a is continually tightened until it is tightly pressing plate 9 against the bone . screw 7 a is prevented from backing out through unwanted counterclockwise rotation by pawl 80 of torsion bar 5 a engaging ratchet wheel 8 of screw 7 a . in fig1 , screw 7 b has been turned clockwise ½ of a notch so that pawl 82 of torsion bar 5 b has been moved downward as it has ridden along a ratchet of ratchet wheel 8 . in fig1 , screw 7 b has been turned clockwise another ½ of a notch so that torsion bar 5 b has snapped back upward and is in a position to prevent counterclockwise rotation of screw 7 b . in this manner , screw 7 b is continually tightened until it is tightly pressing plate 9 against the bone . screw 7 b is prevented from backing out through unwanted counterclockwise rotation by pawl 82 of torsion bar 5 b engaging ratchet wheel 8 of screw 7 b . in a similar fashion , screws 7 c - 7 d ( fig1 ) are all tightened . as described above , all screws are prevented from accidental unwanted backout by pawl plates 1 . however , it may be desirable to eventually purposely remove a screw after it has been tightly secured against surgical plate 9 . for example , to intentionally unscrew screw 7 a , a surgeon would move pawl 80 of torsion bar 5 a downward to a position shown in fig1 with a scalpel ( or other sharp instrument ). the surgeon could then merely turn the screw counterclockwise to back it out . fig3 shows a side view of two surgical plates 9 screwed into broken bone 100 . fig1 and 18 illustrate the utilization of conventional ratchet screws with the present invention . it should be noted that holes 10 of plate 9 allow for screw 30 to be inserted through plate 9 in a variety of angles . in this manner , the surgeon can screw conventional ratchet screw 30 into the bone at the optimum angle . fig1 and 20 illustrate another preferred embodiment in which ratchet screw 32 has bottom hemisphere portion 33 . as with conventional ratchet screw 30 shown in fig1 and 18 , ratchet screw 32 can be inserted through plate 9 in a variety of angles . however , hemisphere portion 33 of ratchet screw 32 enables it to also achieve a more secure fit against the curved walls of hole 10 . fig2 shows a side view and fig2 shows a top view of a preferred embodiment of the present invention in which holes 10 have dimples 40 protruding from their walls . in this preferred embodiment , screw 32 is seated against dimples 40 when tightened down . by seating against dimples 40 , unwanted debris 50 ( such as skin tissue or bone chips ) will not accidentally get squeezed between screw 32 and the surgical plate . while the above description contains many specifications , the reader should not construe these as limitations on the scope of the invention , but merely as exemplifications of preferred embodiments thereof . those skilled in the art will envision that many other possible variations are within its scope . for example , although approximate measurements were given for the first preferred embodiment , the size of the plate could be easily modified to accommodate various bone sizes . also , although fig3 shows that surgical plate 9 is only slightly curved , the degree of curvature could be increased to have a plate that is more curved or eliminated to have a flat plate . also , although it was stated that pawl plate 1 was brazed to surgical plate 9 , pawl plate 1 could be rigidly attached to surgical plate 9 utilizing other known methods , such as welding . also , although it was stated that surgical plate 9 was cast from of stainless steel , surgical plate 9 could be made from other materials , such as titanium . also , although fig1 shows surgical plate 9 having a specific shape , it would be easy to modify the shape of the plate . for example fig2 - 31 show surgical plates having a variety of shapes . also , although pawl plate 1 was shown in discussed in the above preferred embodiments , it would also be possible to torsionally connect a pawl directly to the surgical plate . for example , as shown in fig2 , pawl 90 is connected to torsion bar 60 , which has been welded to recess 70 of surgical plate 9 at its base 62 . likewise , pawl 92 is connected to torsion bar 64 , which has been welded to recess 70 of surgical plate 9 at its base 66 . also , the present invention can not only be used for human bone repair , but it can also be used for bone repair for animals . also , in addition to the repair of a broken bone , the present invention may be used for the repair of a fractured bone , unstable vertebra and for spinal fusion . accordingly the reader is requested to determine the scope of the invention by the appended claims and their legal equivalents , and not by the examples which have been given . | 0Human Necessities
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preferred embodiments of pattern defect inspecting apparatuses and methods thereof according to the present invention will hereinafter be described with reference to fig1 through 12 . fig1 is a diagram showing a first embodiment of a pattern defect inspecting apparatus according to the present invention . in the present invention , an ultraviolet laser light source ( ultraviolet laser generating device ) 3 for emitting duv laser light is provided to carry out high - luminance illumination in a duv region . a stage 2 has degrees of freedom in x , y , z and θ directions and places an inspected object ( e . g ., a semiconductor wafer ) formed with an inspected pattern thereon as a specimen 1 . further , the stage 2 is connected to a central processing unit 19 through a stage control circuit 320 . an illumination optical system for illuminating a duv laser light beam on the specimen 1 comprises an ultraviolet laser light source 3 which increases a source voltage for excitation laser light l 1 under the control of a control device 350 to thereby perform an output adjustment to the excitation laser light l 1 and which comprises a laser device 80 and a wavelength converting device 81 , a detector ( amount - of - light or light intensity monitor means ) 215 which is placed in an optical path of the laser light emitted from the ultraviolet laser light source 3 and allows the intensity of some laser light free of trouble upon inspection using the laser beam to branch by a mirror 214 , followed by detection thereof , a density adjusting device ( light intensity adjuster ) 210 placed in the illumination optical path , for adjusting the amount of laser light l 2 , a beam expander 5 for enlarging a laser beam spot , a multispot shaper 65 and a coherence reduction optical system 6 for reducing coherence , a polarizing beam splitter 9 for reflecting polarized laser light , a polarizing devices group 10 , and an objective lens 11 . the illumination optical system is further provided with an observation optical system 25 through 27 capable of observing the duv laser light . a detection optical system for detecting an ultraviolet reflected - light image from the specimen 1 comprises the objective lens 11 , the polarizing devices group 10 , the polarizing beam splitter 9 for allowing the reflected light to pass therethrough , an image forming lens 12 , and an image sensor 13 . the detection optical system is further provided with an observation optical system 29 and 30 capable of observing a spatial image for a pupil 11 a of the objective lens 11 . owing to the above construction , the ultraviolet laser light l 2 emitted from the ultraviolet laser light source 3 is launched into the objective lens 11 through a mirror 4 , the mirror 214 , the density adjusting device ( light intensity adjuster ) 210 equipped with a large number of density filters 220 having transmittances different from one another , the beam expander 5 , the multispot shaper 65 , a lens 66 , the coherence reduction optical system 6 , a lens 7 , the polarizing beam splitter 9 and the polarizing devices group 10 and is applied onto an inspected object 1 formed with an inspected pattern . the laser light l 2 whose light flux is expanded with the beam expander 5 , is focused on the neighborhood of the pupil 11 a of the objective lens 11 by means of the lens 7 , followed by application onto the specimen 1 . the ultraviolet reflected light from the specimen 1 is detected by the image sensor 13 through the objective lens 11 , the polarizing devices group 10 , the polarizing beam splitter 9 and the image forming lens 12 as viewed vertically from above the specimen 1 . the polarizing beam splitter 9 has the function of reflecting the light when the polarizing direction of the laser light is parallel to its reflected surface ( as viewed in an x direction ) and allowing it to pass therethrough when it is vertical thereto . in the present embodiment , the polarizing beam splitter 9 is placed in such a manner that the laser light l 2 is totally reflected . the polarizing devices group 10 has the function of changing polarizing conditions for the ultraviolet laser illumination light and the ultraviolet reflected light from the specimen 1 . meanwhile , in the case of the duv laser light , the intensity of the reflected light thereof subtly changes according to the shape of an inspected pattern formed on the specimen 1 and the difference in density thereof . therefore the polarizing devices group 10 adjusts a polarization ratio of the illumination light so that the difference in the intensity of light reflected from the pattern does not reach the image sensor 13 as the unevenness of lightness , and comprises a ½ - wavelength plate 10 a and a ¼ - wavelength plate 10 b for applying a change in phase to the illumination light . when the ¼ - wavelength plate 10 b is turned 45 ° about the optical axis , for example , the illumination light is brought to circularly polarized light and applied to the specimen 1 . further , since the reflected light passes through the ¼ - wavelength plate 10 b twice , it is placed in the direction of polarization orthogonal to the illumination light and passes through the polarizing beam splitter 9 , followed by arrival onto the image sensor 13 . the image sensor 13 comprises , for example , a storage type image sensor ( e . g ., a tdi sensor or the like ) having detection sensitivity for the duv region and outputs a density image signal 13 a corresponding to the lightness ( light and shade or density ) of the light reflected from the inspected pattern formed on the specimen 1 . namely , the image sensor 13 detects lightness information ( density signal 13 a ) of the inspected pattern formed on the specimen 1 while the stage 2 is moving in a y direction to move the specimen 1 at a constant speed . a focal - point detection optical system 300 is used to detect a displacement of the specimen 1 as viewed in a z direction while the stage 2 is being moved . a signal 301 detected by the focal - point detection optical system 300 is inputted to a central processing unit 19 through a position detecting circuit 340 . the central processing unit 19 drives the stage 2 through a stage control circuit 320 in such a manner that the surface of the specimen 1 is always placed in a focusing focal position , and sets its position by offsetting as a focal position detected by using a reference specimen 55 placed in a position free of interfere upon inspection , thereby making it possible to carry out focal - point focusing control at an arbitrary position of a thin - film surface formed on the specimen 1 . thus the density image signal 13 a obtained from the image sensor 13 is inputted to an image signal processing circuit 23 where a detect inspection for a circuit pattern is performed . the image signal processing circuit 23 comprises a nd converter 14 , a gradation converter 15 , a delay memory 16 for forming a reference image signal and a comparator 17 , etc . the nd converter 14 converts the density image signal 13 a obtained from the image sensor 13 into a digital image signal . the gradation converter 15 comprises , for example , a 8 - bit gradation converter and effects such gradation or tone conversion as described in japanese patent application laid - open hei 8 ( 1996 )- 320294 on the digital image signal outputted from the nd converter 14 . namely , the gradation converter 15 performs logarithmic , exponential and polynomial conversions , etc . to thereby correct a thin film formed on the inspected object 1 , such as a semiconductor wafer or the like in a process , and the unevenness of lightness of an image produced by interference of a laser light beam . the delay memory 16 stores and delays an image signal outputted from the gradation converter 15 with a scanning width of the image sensor 13 by one cell , one chip ( one die ) or one shot repeatedly configured on the specimen 1 to thereby form a reference image signal used as the reference for comparison . the comparator 17 compares the detected image signal outputted from the gradation converter 15 with the reference image signal obtained from the delay memory 16 and detects a portion determined as inconsistency on the basis of a criteria for determination as a defect or a defect candidate . namely , the comparator 17 is used to compare a reference image signal delayed by an amount equivalent to a cell pitch or a die pitch or the like outputted from the delay memory 16 , with a detected image signal . in short , the comparator 17 detects a defect candidate such as a pseudo defect or the like without detecting a true defect in relation to the detection of a defect of from about 20 nm to about 50 nm by the duv laser light . it is further necessary to analyze the defect candidate in detail by use of a review apparatus ( e . g ., a sem length measuring apparatus , a sem visual inspecting apparatus or the like ). incidentally , the details of the comparator 17 may be one disclosed in japanese patent application laid - open no . sho 61 ( 1986 )- 212708 , for example . the comparator 17 comprises , for example , an image registration circuit , a difference image detecting circuit for detecting a difference between the aligned or registered images , an inconsistence detecting circuit for binarizing or digitizing the difference image , a feature extracting circuit for extracting an area , a length , coordinates , etc . from the digitized output , etc . the central processing unit 19 is used to control and process the whole pattern defect inspecting apparatus . further , the central processing unit 19 takes input thereto of coordinates such as sequence data obtained based on design information , on the specimen 1 such as the semiconductor wafer by input means 18 comprising a keyboard , a recording medium , a network or the like , thereby creating defect inspection data on the basis of the result of comparison and inspection by the comparator 17 according to the input coordinates such as the sequence data or the like on the specimen 1 and allowing a memory device 20 to store the data therein . the defect inspection data can also be displayed on display means 21 such as a display as needed . further , the data is outputted to output means ( including a network as well ) 22 , where a defective point can also be observed through the use of another review apparatus or the like , for example . an embodiment of the ultraviolet laser light source ( ultraviolet laser light generating device ) 3 will next be explained . obtaining high resolution needs to bring the wavelength into short - wavelength form . an improvement in inspection speed needs to high - luminance illumination . for example , a discharge lamp such as mercury xenon or the like is used as illumination means . of an emission spectrum ( emission line ) of the lamp , a visible region is extensively used to obtain a light intensity . however , a light intensity based on an emission line in each of ultraviolet and deep ultraviolet regions is only a few percentages as compared with a broad band for visible light . a large light source is needed to ensure a desired light intensity . there are restrictions such as the provision of a lamp light source away from an optical system for the purpose of taking all possible measures against radiation when the lamp light source is used , and preventing the transfer of heat to the optical system since the lamp light source generates heat . in the present invention , ultraviolet laser light ( duv : deep ultraviolet rays ) capable of easily ensuring a short wavelength is set as the light source 3 from such a viewpoint . the ultraviolet laser light indicates laser light whose wavelength ranges from about 100 nm to about 400 nm , whereas the duv laser light indicates laser light whose wavelength ranges from about 100 nm to about 314 nm . the ultraviolet laser light source ( ultraviolet laser generating device ) 3 comprises a laser device 80 for emitting a laser fundamental wave light l 1 having a wavelength of 532 nm , for example , and a wavelength converting device 81 for changing the fundamental wave light l 1 into a double wave as shown in fig2 by way of example . the wavelength converting device 81 includes mirrors m 1 through m 4 placed thereinside . excitation laser light l 1 emitted from the laser device 80 passes through the mirror m 1 so as to reach the mirror m 2 . the mirror m 2 allows some of the incident light to pass therethrough and reflects the remainder therefrom . the laser light reflected by the mirror m 2 reaches the mirror m 3 . a non - linear optical crystal 85 is placed in an optical path between the mirrors m 3 and m 4 . the laser light totally reflected by the mirror m 3 passes through the non - linear optical crystal 85 so as to reach the mirror m 4 . an optical member comprising these mirrors m 1 through m 4 and having high reflectance constitutes a resonator . further , since the non - linear optical crystal 85 is placed in an optically - calculated suitable position , the incident light l 1 of 532 nm is converted into a second harmonic wave l 2 having a wavelength of 266 nm by the crystal 85 . only the ultraviolet laser light l 2 of the second harmonic wave is outputted through the mirror m 4 . namely , reflecting coating is applied to the mirror m 4 so that the second harmonic wave is transmitted therethrough and waves other than that are reflected . laser light l 3 non - converted by the non - linear optical crystal 85 is reflected by the mirror m 4 so as to reach the mirror m 1 . the laser light l 3 then traces the same optical path again as the laser light l 1 having passed through the mirror m 1 . here , some incident light transmitted through the mirror m 2 is one for synchronizing the frequency of the incident light with the resonance frequency of the wavelength converting device 81 in such a manner that an error therebetween is detected by unillustrated detecting means and both are always kept in a resonant state . by means of an unillustrated servo mechanism ( e . g ., an actuator such as a piezoelectric device ), the mirror m 3 , for example , is precisely moved at high speed to control a resonator length with high accuracy and thereby electrically feed it back so as to produce stable resonance . simultaneously , the laser light l 1 launched into the wavelength converting device 81 is also controlled by an unillustrated mirror serve mechanism provided in the laser device 80 so that the laser light l 1 always coincides with the optical axis of the wavelength converting device 81 . the ultraviolet laser light l 2 of 266 nm outputted from the wavelength converting device 81 has ability coherence and leads to the occurrence of speckles ( interference patterns ) when laser is illuminated to the circuit pattern on the inspected object 1 . thus it is necessary to reduce the coherence upon illumination of the ultraviolet laser light l 2 . in order to reduce the coherence , either of time coherence and spatial coherence may be reduced . thus the coherence reduction optical system 6 is used to reduce the spatial coherence in the present invention . fig3 is a typical diagram showing one embodiment of an illumination optical system including the coherence reduction optical system 6 according to the present invention , and fig4 is a perspective view showing one embodiment of the coherence reduction optical system 6 , respectively . in the present invention , two scan mirrors 41 and 44 ( swinging optical devices ) orthogonal to each other , which are provided in an optical path , two - dimensionally scan ultraviolet laser light to thereby reduce coherence . namely , ultraviolet laser light l 2 emitted from an ultraviolet laser light source 3 is expanded to a given magnitude by a beam expander 5 , which in turn is launched into a multispot shaper 65 , where a plurality of laser spots ( multispot image ) are formed at a focal position 52 of the multispot shaper 65 . afterwards , the ultraviolet laser light l 2 is focused on a pupil 11 a of an objective lens 11 through lenses 66 , 62 and 63 , a lens 7 and a polarizing beam splitter 9 . meanwhile the focal position 52 of the multispot shaper 65 is conjugated with respect to a focal position 42 for the lenses 62 and 63 and the pupil 11 a of the objective lens 11 . further , the reflected surfaces of the mirrors 41 and 44 are conjugated with respect to the surface of a specimen 1 . multispot light ( shown in fig5 ( a )) formed at the focal position 52 of the multispot shaper 65 is two - dimensionally scanned on the pupil 11 a of the objective lens 11 by means of the mirrors ( swinging optical devices ) 41 and 44 mounted to reciprocatingly rotated motors 61 and 64 shown in fig4 . the motors 61 and 64 are reciprocatingly rotated according to the continuous input of an electric signal such as a triangular wave , a sine wave or the like . a turning angle of each motor is changed according to a change in the width of a signal waveform , whereby a scan trajectory on the pupil 11 a of the objective lens can be adjusted to change illumination conditions ( illumination sigma ). however , the ultraviolet laser light used as the light source is invisible light and invisible . thus as shown in fig1 , the mirror 24 is placed in the illumination optical path to cause the optical path to branch off . thereafter , the scan trajectory of the laser light is projected onto the screen 25 to enable its observation . the screen 25 is placed in a position conjugated with respect to the pupil 11 a of the objective lens . the screen 25 has the action of emitting fluorescence according to the radiation of the ultraviolet light and is capable of obtaining such a laser scan trajectory 35 as shown in fig5 ( a ). the laser scan trajectory 35 on the screen 25 is detected by the lens 26 and tv cameral 27 . in such a case as shown in fig5 ( b ), a diffusion plate ( rotating optical device ) 50 is rotated at high speed as will be described later to thereby make it possible to reduce coherence of multispot light 33 b . incidentally , designated at numerals 34 in fig5 ( a ) and 5 ( b ) respectively indicate pupils 11 a of objective lenses 11 . the magnitudes or sizes of the multispot light 33 a and 33 b formed in the pupils 11 a of the objective lenses 11 are determined according to the ratio between the focal distances of the lens 66 and lens 7 . therefore some of the illumination optical system including the coherence reduction optical system 6 is changed into unitization or replaced with another to thereby make it possible to change the magnitudes of the multispot light 33 a and 33 b formed in the pupils 11 a ( 34 ) of the objective lenses 11 . in this case , the optical length extending from the focal position 52 of the multispot shaper 65 to its corresponding pupil 11 a of the objective lens is set so as to remain unchanged . fig5 ( a ) is a reduced or scaled - down example of the multispot light 33 , and fig5 ( b ) is an enlarged example of the multispot light 33 , respectively . when the multispot light 33 is scaled down , the illumination sigma can be varied with a change in the amplitude of the waveform of a drive signal inputted to each of the motors 61 and 64 . on the other hand , when the illumination sigma is scaled up , the amplitude of the waveform of the drive signal inputted to each of the motors 61 and 64 can be reduced . further , for example , a circular aperture stop is provided at a position ( e . g ., the focal position 42 of the lens 62 ) conjugated with respect to the pupil 11 a of the objective lens 11 to restrict light flux of laser , whereby the illumination sigma can be changed . on the other hand , it is necessary to thinly narrow down the diameter of each multispot light 33 on the pupil 11 a of each objective lens 11 for the purpose of increasing an illumination visual field on the specimen 1 as large as possible . further , an increase in the number of multispots and high - speed rotation are needed to bury the pupil 11 a of the objective lens 11 by the multispot light 33 from thereabove . in the laser scan example shown in fig5 ( a ), scanning may preferably be carried out at least once or a whole number of times within a storage time of the image sensor 13 . a drive signal may be supplied from outside through a signal generator . as one example , a scan trajectory may be set so as to reach at least one scan or more within the storage time of the image sensor 13 through the use of a clock pulse or the like of a linear encoder for coordinate position control , which is provided at the stage 2 . incidentally , as multispot forming means , for example , even one can be achieved wherein a cylindrical lens array 71 shown in fig6 ( a ) is placed in a vertical form , or a rod lens 72 is placed on a two - dimensional basis ( see fig6 ( b )). in this case , a mask 110 ( see fig6 ( c )) comprised of transmissive portions 112 and a light - shielding portion 11 is placed in the focal position 52 of the multispot shaper 65 to enable the removal of stray light other than spots . changing the curvature of a lens in an orthogonal direction enables even rectangular illumination . here , the ultraviolet laser light used as the light source has linear polarization . since the resolution of the optical system changes according to the illumination or the polarized state of detection , the polarizing devices 10 a ( e . g ., ½ - wavelength plate ) and 10 b ( e . g ., ¼ - wavelength plate ) placed in the optical path are respectively rotatably constructed and detect polarized light in a specific direction , of reflected light emitted from a circuit pattern formed on the specimen 1 in accordance with a semiconductor process . incidentally , the mirror 28 , lens 29 and detector 30 , which are provided in the optical path extending from the polarizing beam splitter 9 to the image sensor 13 , are used to detect spatial images on a pupil surface of the objective lens 11 . fig7 is a typical diagram showing a state in which spatial images 142 through 144 in the pupil 11 a of the objective lens 11 are detected as light or bright images by the detector 30 such as the tv camera or the like . reference numeral 140 indicates a field of view for detection of the detector 30 . reference numeral 142 indicates a bright image of zero - order reflected light ( o - order diffraction reflected light : regular reflected light ) from a circuit pattern . reference numerals 143 and 144 respectively indicate bright images of 1 - order reflected light ( 1 - order diffraction reflected light ). of these , one largest in the reflected amount of light corresponds to the 0 - order reflected light from the surface of the specimen 1 . this occurs in excess at a portion where micro patterns on the specimen 1 are in close formation . since the 1 - order reflected light is low in regular reflection component when compared with the 0 - order reflected light , its light intensity is low . thus the uniform or even detection of both by the image sensor 13 needs to make adjustments to the balance between the reflected pieces of light . attention is now paid to specific regions p 1 through p 5 of the spatial images detected by the detector 30 . the average brightness of each region is calculated by an image processing apparatus ( not drawn ), and the polarizing device 10 is rotated by drive means ( not drawn ) so that the 0 - order and 1 - order reflected pieces of light are made uniform . while this work is made possible by , for example , measuring light reflected from each circuit pattern pre - formed on the specimen 1 through the use of design data or the like to thereby control the polarizing device 10 , the details thereof are determined according to experiments . meanwhile in the pattern defect inspecting apparatus according to the present invention , the image sensor 13 detects the brightness information about the inspected pattern formed on the specimen 1 with high accuracy in the state of the specimen 1 being focused on the inspected pattern while the specimen 1 is being moved at the constant speed by the stage 2 . the comparator 17 compares the image signal detected with a high degree of accuracy with the reference image signal lying within the delay memory 16 , which has been stored by one cell , one chip ( die ) or one shot , whereby the inconsistent portion is detected as the defect . therefore when , for example , the lightness unevenness of an image due to a variation in the amount of illumination light occurs in either of the delay image ( reference image signal ) outputted from the delay memory 16 and the detected image signal , the normal portion of the circuit pattern is determined as a defect , thereby causing a possibility of misdetection . as factors responsible for the lightness unevenness , there are considered a variation in the amount of ultraviolet laser light emitted from the ultraviolet laser light source 3 , etc . the ultraviolet laser light source 3 is one wherein as described above , the laser fundamental wave light l 1 is launched into the non - linear optical part 85 provided inside the wavelength converting device 81 and caused to pass therethrough , thereby obtaining the second harmonic wave having the wavelength corresponding to one half that of the incident light . in order to obtain stable oscillations of the ultraviolet laser light , the error between the frequency of the incident light from the laser device 80 and the resonant frequency of the wavelength converting device 81 is detected , and the servo mechanism using the actuator such as the piezoelectric device or the like is electrically fed back so that the two are always kept in the resonant state , thereby allowing the optical axis thereof to coincide with the laser light . thus the ultraviolet laser light source is so delicate thereinside . therefore in the pattern defect inspecting apparatus according to the present invention , the central processing unit 19 detects the output of the ultraviolet laser light emitted from the ultraviolet laser light source 3 by means of the detector ( amount - of - light or light intensity monitor means ) 215 and an integration circuit 216 to thereby detect the malfunction of the ultraviolet laser light source 3 based on a signal obtained from a comparator 218 , and feeds back it for inspection . namely , as shown in fig1 , some of the ultraviolet laser light l 2 emitted from the ultraviolet light source 3 is reflected by the mirror 214 and then received by the detector 215 comprised of a division type light - detecting device or the like , after which it is compared with a reference value ( ith ) 217 by the comparator 218 , whereby the malfunction of the ultraviolet laser light source is detected . fig8 is a typical diagram showing a state in which ultraviolet laser light emitted from the ultraviolet laser light source 3 is detected by the detector 215 and the detected amount of light is represented with the elapse of time ( the vertical axis indicates a light intensity i and the horizontal axis indicates time t ). upon the pattern defect inspection , the stage 2 with the specimen 1 mounted thereon is controlled so as to move by an inspection width of the image sensor 13 within the storage time of the image sensor 13 to thereby obtain a pattern image having tetragonal pixels . therefore when the amount of light received within the storage time of the image sensor 13 changes , the unevenness of lightness occurs in the detected image . fig8 ( a ) is a diagram typically showing the relationship between the time t ( t = 1 ˜ n ) at which the stage is moved by an inspection width , and the amount of light p ( p = 1 ˜ n ) stored in the image sensor 13 . the light - received signal outputted from the detector 215 is integrated by the integration circuit 216 within the storage time of the image sensor 13 and converted into an electric signal , followed by transfer to the comparator 218 for each storage time . the comparator 218 compares the electric signal sent from the integration circuit 216 with the reference value ( ith ) 217 inputted from and set by the input means 18 or the like in advance . when the electric signal sent from the integration circuit 216 is judged to be an abnormal value exceeding an allowable value with respect to the reference value 217 , the position of coordinates of the specimen 1 at a time tx thereof is stored in the central processing unit 19 . the coordinate position of the specimen 1 can be recognized from a position signal ( linear encoder pulse ) of the stage 2 . therefore the central processing unit 19 is also capable of inspecting that point again based on the coordinate position data stored in the memory device 20 or the like . reflecting it on the result of inspection obtained from the comparator 17 or the like allows prevention of disinformation caused by the instabilization of the light source . further , when the electric signal sent from the integration circuit 216 frequently exceeds the allowable value for the reference value 217 , the central processing unit 19 may judge the system lying within the laser light source as faulty and thereby may stop inspecting . as described above , the central processing unit 19 is capable of detecting the prediction of the life of the ultraviolet laser light source 3 and the malfunction thereof , based on the result of detection of the variation in the amount of laser light detected by the detector ( amount - of - light monitor means ) 215 , and thereby determining whether the inspection should be carried out continuously . meanwhile , the excitation laser light l 1 is gathered at and applied to the non - linear optical crystal 85 provided within the wavelength converting device 81 of the laser light source 3 to improve the conversion efficiency of the second harmonic wave . therefore the laser focused - point on the crystal surface is degraded with the elapse of time , and the transmittance of the crystal is reduced . fig8 ( b ) is a typical diagram showing the manner thereof ( the relationship between a light intensity i of ultraviolet laser light outputted from the ultraviolet laser light source 3 and the elapse of time t ). a reduction in transmittance gradually proceeds during the use of laser and is quickened or made faster with the elapse of time . the output of the ultraviolet laser light emitted from the ultraviolet light source 3 is reduced when the transmittance of the crystal is lowered . therefore , for example , the central processing unit 19 sends a command to the control device 350 of the ultraviolet laser light source 3 to set the ultraviolet laser light l 2 received by the detector 215 to a set value , thereby increasing the source voltage for the excitation laser light l 1 so as to adjust the output of the excitation laser light l 1 . alternatively , each of the density filters 220 attached to the density adjusting device 210 placed in the illumination optical path is rotated by the motor 200 so as to be set to suitable transmittance . as a result , the transmitted amount of ultraviolet laser light l 2 is adjusted . incidentally , the density adjusting device 210 takes such a construction that it is provided on the stage 250 movable in a y direction by a motor 251 as shown in fig3 and moved for each predetermined time , thereby making it possible to change a position to apply laser to each of the density filters 220 . however , when the ultraviolet laser light l 2 does not reach the set value ( when the light intensity i is lowered by δi from a constant value 165 a ) even if the output of the excitation laser light l 1 is raised as described above , an unillustrated moving mechanism moves the non - linear optical crystal 85 provided within the wavelength converting device 81 by a predetermined amount to thereby change the position to apply laser light to each density filter . while this work is automatically executed inside the wavelength converting device 81 , the central processing unit 19 manages and controls the crystal so that it is not moved freely in the course of the inspection of the specimen 1 . about several tens of position coordinates are determined in advance as the positions to apply the laser to the crystal , and the lifetime per one laser - irradiated position is mostly determined according to the internal property of the crystal . when all the laser - irradiated positions are used up , the crystal per se is replaced with another . the number of the laser - irradiated positions for the crystal has been inputted to the central processing unit 19 in advance . when the last laser - irradiated position is reached , the central processing unit 19 produces a warning signal . incidentally , as another factor responsible for deterioration of the crystal , there is also considered that contaminants floating in the air are attached to the crystal by the irradiation of the laser light to thereby reduce or deteriorate transmittance . thus while the central processing unit 19 generates the warning signal when the last position to apply the laser light to the crystal is reached , it may produce a warning signal where the life of the crystal expires when it is used over , for example , 50 hours with the maximum power , e . g ., where it is used over 40 hours at which its life is brought to a rate ( 80 %) determined with respect to 50 hours . thus in the present invention , a second embodiment according to a defect inspecting apparatus will be explained with reference to fig9 and 10 . fig9 is a diagram showing an ultraviolet laser light source 3 as viewed from a z direction and shows a schematic structure ( section ) provided within a container 86 . a laser device 80 and a wavelength converting device 81 both constituting an ultraviolet laser light source 3 are first formed as structures provided within the closed container 86 . further , the container 86 is provided with a supply or feed port 90 and an exhaust port 91 . a clean gas 93 is supplied to within the container ( particularly , a container 87 of the wavelength converting device 81 ) formed as a closed structure from the feed port 90 through a dustproof filter 92 and a flexible piping 90 ′. the gas is discharged from the exhaust port 91 through ventilation holes 88 defined in the container 87 and circulated therethrough , thereby cleaning the interior of the container is cleaned inclusive of even the interior of the wavelength converting device 81 , whereby the lifetimes of the optical parts and crystal placed inside the container can be made long . in this case , a structure is used wherein connecting cables or the like can detachably be mounted in a state of being independent of the interior thereof . incidentally , the container 87 of the wavelength converting device 81 is formed as a closed structure without providing the ventilation holes 88 . further , the piping 90 ′ is omitted and the clean gas 93 is supplied to within only the container 86 from the feed port 90 through the dustproof filter 92 and discharged from the exhaust port 91 to circulate it . by doing so , the interior of the container 86 is cleaned and hence the optical parts placed inside the container 86 can be made long - lived . particularly , the clean gas 93 is circulated between a transparent window 89 through which the ultraviolet laser light l 2 is outputted from the wavelength converting device 81 and a transparent window 95 defined in the container 86 , through which the ultraviolet laser light is outputted from the ultraviolet laser light source 3 , whereby the lifetime of each optical part lying between the transparent windows 89 and 95 inclusive of the transparent windows 89 and 95 can be made long . in addition to the above , the whole optical system including an illumination optical system 5 through 11 , a detection optical system 9 through 13 , etc . is covered with a cover ( container ) 100 as shown in fig1 . a clean gas 150 is supplied to within the optical system from a feed port 151 and set to such a flow rate as not to exert an influence such as fluctuations on each internal optical system , followed by discharge from an exhaust port 152 to circulate it . thus each optical part or the like provided inside the optical system can also be made long - lived as well as an ultraviolet laser light source 3 . incidentally , since the clearance defined between a specimen 1 and an objective lens 11 cannot be increased , an air curtain is provided therebetween to bring it to negative pressure . thus the interior of the cover ( container ) 100 can be held in an atmosphere of the clean gas . the ultraviolet laser light source 3 , stage 2 , and illumination optical system 4 through 11 and detection optical system 9 through 13 covered with the cover ( container ) 100 are mounted on an antivibration table 120 . in particular , the ultraviolet laser light source 3 is positioned by being engaged or fit in an engaging or fitting member 171 provided on the antivibration table 120 , thus making it possible to place it on the antivibration table 120 . as a result , when the ultraviolet laser light source 3 reaches the end of its life and is thereby replaced with anther , a new ultraviolet laser light source 3 can be placed on the antivibration table 120 so that the light - outgoing optical axis of the ultraviolet laser light source substantially coincides with the optical axis of the illumination optical system . in the present invention in this manner , in order to facilitate an optical - axis adjustment , the outside of the container for the ultraviolet laser light source 3 is first mechanically positioned by use of the engaging or fitting member 171 or the like . next , for example , 4 - division type light - detecting devices are used for a detector 215 , and the mirror 4 or the like is precisely moved by an unillustrated actuator or the like so that the outputs of the light - detecting devices lying in x and z directions become equal to each other , whereby the adjustment to the optical axis can be simplified . further , when all the positions to apply the laser to the non - linear optical crystal 85 are used up within the wavelength converting device 81 , the entire ultraviolet laser light source 3 , the whole wavelength converting device 81 , or the non - linear optical crystal 85 lying within the wavelength converting device 81 is replaced with another . thus the whole ultraviolet laser light source 3 or the whole wavelength converting device 81 may be replaced with another because the time required to replace it with another can be shortened . in either case , the position to apply the ultraviolet laser light l 2 with respect to the container 86 or the illumination optical system changes after the replacement of the crystal or the like . it is therefore necessary to re - align the optical axis of the ultraviolet laser light source 3 with that of the illumination optical system ( inspecting apparatus ). another embodiment of the coherence reduction optical system 6 will next be described . in the present embodiment , as shown in fig1 ( a ), a circular diffusion plate ( rotating optical device ) 50 is placed in a focal position 49 in an optical path in place of the scan mirrors ( swinging optical devices ) 41 and 44 shown in fig4 and rotated at high speed by means of a motor 51 . namely , the diffusion plate 50 whose surface has been processed to suitable roughness , is placed in the focal position 49 of a lens 63 ( and a lens 7 ). an ultraviolet laser spot which converges on a pupil 11 a of an objective lens 11 with a certain degree of expansion , is scanned under the rotation of the motor 51 to reduce spatial coherence , thereby reducing coherence . in fig1 ( b ) as well , a relay system 60 including a diffusion plate ( rotating optical device ) 50 is newly provided between a scan mirror 44 and a lens 7 . the diffusion plate ( rotating optical device ) 50 is rotated in combination with the scan mirrors ( swinging optical devices ) 41 and 44 at high speed by means of a motor 51 to thereby achieve a reduction in coherence . further , fig1 ( c ) shows a case in which two types of diffusion plates 50 a and 50 b , and motors 51 a and 51 b for respectively rotating them are used . one diffusion plate 50 a is placed in a focal position 42 of a lens 62 ( and a lens 63 ), i . e ., a position conjugated with respect to a pupil 11 a of an objective lens , whereas the other diffusion plate 50 b is placed in a focal position 49 of a lens 7 ( and the lens 63 ) in a manner similar to fig1 ( a ) and 11 ( b ). they are rotated ( in the same direction or opposite direction ) at high speed by means of the motors 51 a and 51 b to thereby reduce coherence . while ultraviolet laser light is expanded to some extent by the diffusion plate 50 , the lens 7 will be selected as a lens having a numerical aperture , which covers it . the detailed specifications of the diffusion plate 50 will be determined according to experiments . incidentally , it is needless to say that the rotating cycles of the scan mirrors 41 and 44 and the diffusion plate 50 are set in accordance with the storage time of the image sensor 13 . the coherence reduction optical system is not limited to the above - described construction . a polyhedral mirror or the like may be used in place of the scan mirrors . using a two - dimensional scan mirror such as a dmd ( digital mirror device ) or the like enables the lightening of a mechanism portion . these coherence reduction optical systems 6 can also be attached in unitized form as shown in fig1 . in this case , there is an effect in that an exchange working time can be shortened owing to the provision of positioning means 170 a and 170 b comprising engaging portions or fitting portions for facilitating the positioning of units to an illumination optical system ( inspecting apparatus ) at their corresponding ends . according to the present invention as described above , an advantageous effect is brought about in that micro patterns can be implemented with high resolution and a stable pattern defect inspection can be achieved with high reliability , with ultraviolet laser light as a light source . according to the present invention as well , even if an output variation is produced from the ultraviolet laser light source due to some influence during inspection , inspection information at that time can be stored and reflected on the result of inspection . thus the occurrence of disinformation caused by the influence of an output variation in laser can easily be analyzed , and re - inspection can also be carried out , thus making it possible to prevent the inspection from being missed and improve the reliability of the inspection . further , according to the present invention , an advantageous effect is brought about in that the work of replacing each optical part or the like with another can also be carried out with ease , and a clean gas is circulated through the interior of an optical system to enable the prevention of contaminants peculiar to ultraviolet rays from being attached to the optical parts , whereby a pattern defect inspecting apparatus can be made long - lived . while the present invention has been described with reference to the illustrative embodiments , this description is not intended to be construed in a limiting sense . various modifications of the illustrative embodiments , as well as other embodiments of the invention , will be apparent to those skilled in the art on reference to this description . it is therefore contemplated that the appended claims will cover any such modifications or embodiments as fall within the true scope of the invention . | 6Physics
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the present invention provides a bioactive glass composition which is useful in , for example , enamel remineralization , incipient caries remineralization , carious dentin remineralization , caries prevention , arresting decay , reversing decay , anti - caries , pit and fissure sealants , prophylactic pastes , fluoride treatments , dentinal sealants , etc . it can also be included in toothpastes , liners , bases , gels , and restorative material e . g . packing , indirect pulp capping agent , etc . compositions in accordance with the present invention are also useful in the treatment of surfaces after periodontal surgery to decrease dentinal sensitivity and enhance tissue attachment . the compositions are active in treating various defects associated with a variety of dental and other conditions and actually chemically and physically bond to the tooth thereby remineralizing tooth structure . as referred to herein , remineralization is the formation of hydroxyapatite . the formation of hydroxyapatite begins with exposure of a bioactive glass composition to aqueous solutions . it is believed that the sodium ions ( na +) in the bioactive glass exchanges with h + ions in body fluids causing ph to increase . calcium and phosphorus then migrate from the bioactive glass forming a calcium - phosphorous rich surface layer . an underlying silica rich zone slowly increases as the sodium ion in the bioactive glass continues to exchange with the hydrogen ion of the solution . after time , the calcium - phosphorous rich layer crystallizes into a hydroxyapatite material . collagen can become structurally integrated with the apatite agglomerates . as hereinafter referred to , an effective remineralizing amount is any amount capable of forming hydroxyapatite . as the term &# 34 ; a tooth structure &# 34 ; is used herein , it is intended to refer to any feature or features of a tooth including but not limited to enamel , dentin , pulp , tooth root structure , cementum , root dentin , coronal dentin , any dental manufacture , etc . a bioactive glass in accordance with the present invention is a glass composition that will form a layer of hydroxycarbonate apatite in vitro when placed in a simulated body fluid . for example , the following composition by weight will provide a bioactive glass : ______________________________________ sio . sub . 2 40 - 60 cao 10 - 30 na . sub . 2 o 10 - 35 p . sub . 2 o . sub . 5 2 - 8 caf . sub . 2 0 - 25 b . sub . 2 o . sub . 3 0 - 10 k . sub . 2 o 0 - 8 mgo 0 - 5______________________________________ bioactive glasses with these properties provide a more efficacious material for interaction with the tooth structure . a biocompatible glass in accordance with the present invention is one that does not trigger an overwhelmingly adverse immune response . in accordance with the present invention , it has been found that bioactive glasses of specified particle sizes are particularly useful in treating the above - mentioned conditions . specifically , surprising results are obtained by the present invention where small and very small particles are combined . for example , when compositions including small particles that are capable of bonding with tooth structure ( e . g . less than about 90 microns ) as well smaller particles ( e . g . less than about 10 ) are used in combination , the larger of these particles adhere to tooth structure and act as ionic reservoirs while the smaller are capable of entering and lodging inside of various tooth structure surface irregularities . the larger of these particles provide a reservoir of additional calcium and phosphorous so that the mineralization , or depositing of the calcium phosphate layer begun by the small particles can continue . additional calcium and phosphorous can be leached to all tooth structure as well as to particles which have become attached to the inside or at the openings of surface irregularities of tooth structure such as dentinal tubules . this in turn provides for continuation of the entire reaction and continued growth of the smaller of these particles which have lodged inside or over the openings of such surface irregularities and can result in effectively coating or filling the surface irregularity . this excess concentration of ions of calcium and phosphorous is necessary for continued reaction of the smaller of these particles to take place because the smaller particles quickly exhaust their ions as a result of their relatively high surface area . the larger of these particles will react and release their ions more slowly as a longer term effect . furthermore , the larger of these particles will mechanically abrade the tooth surface opening various surface irregularities allowing small particles to enter and react with the surface irregularity . this effect is very beneficial in a variety of applications . for example , in preventing caries or decay , the composition of the present invention is capable of penetrating into the depths of the smallest of surface irregularities and receiving a continued supply of ions from larger nearby particles so that it is able to grow after exhausting its stored ion supply . this is also very useful in sealing pits and fissures and a much more effective and long lasting seal is obtained . in some embodiments of the present invention , extremely small particles are used . for example , particles that are in the range of 2 μm to submicron fit inside dentin tubules that are approximately 1 - 2 μm in diameter . the occlusion of these tubules leads to a significant reduction in the amount of sensitivity after , for example , periodontal surgery . preferably , a mixture of particles less than two microns and larger than 45 microns in diameter are used . it has been found that this combination yields a particularly effective composition . compositions in accordance with the present invention generally do not require time to set . previous compositions were easily washed away by mechanical abrasion caused by brushing , exposure to mild acids in food , salivary flow or other liquids which normally come in contact with the teeth . however , some compositions in accordance with the present invention have been able to generally withstand significant agitation , rinsing with water and long term soaking in simulated saliva for five days . moreover , many of the small particles of the present invention do not require a set time because they begin to chemically react and adhere to tooth structure as soon as they come into contact with these surfaces and fluids naturally present in the mouth . although compositions in accordance with the present invention are effective with a single application , it is likely that multiple applications will be more efficacious . surprisingly , the relatively small bioactive particulate glass of the present invention does not generate a significant immune response . moreover , it is generally not engulfed by macrophages and rendered inactive in this application . the composition of the present invention is capable of providing a bioactive layer that will form a new structural layer which is a lasting remineralization of tooth structure . this has been verified by the reformation of a hydroxycarbonate apatite layer on dentin surfaces after treatment with compositions in accordance with the present invention with fourier transform infrared spectroscopy ( ftir ). in one embodiment in accordance with the present invention , the particles have a particle size of about 20 microns with about 30 percent of the particles less than 10 microns . in another embodiment in accordance with the present invention the particles have an average particle size of 10 microns with at least 25 % smaller than 2 microns . the compositions of the present invention may be formulated into toothpaste . in fact , the particles may replace the silica currently used in toothpastes . the addition of fluoride in the glass composition will enhance and strengthen the tooth structure . in addition to direct application of the bioactive glass to the teeth , the bioactive glass composition of the present invention can also be applied in a saline or distilled water based medium . the compositions of the present invention may also be formulated into mouthwash , gel or they may be applied by a dentist as a paste . in vitro experiments were performed using a standardized slab of human tooth dentin from extracted teeth . these discs were cut from the extracted teeth using an isomet diamond saw ( buchler ltd .). the discs were 1 . 0 mm thick and the size of the tooth . the occlusal surfaces were ground on a series of wet silicon - carbide papers ranging from 320 to 600 grit . this was done to standardize the test surfaces . the surfaces were treated with 37 % phosphoric acid for 60 seconds to remove the smear layer created during the grinding process and open and enlarge all the dentin tubules ( see fig1 and 2 ). the surface was rinsed with distilled water for 20 seconds and dried with a stream of oil free air . each slab was split in half and the experimental material placed on one - half of the specimen as described in the examples . an untreated slab with open and enlarged tubules is shown in fig1 and 2 . scanning electron microscopy was performed on the slab surface in each group . the slabs were mounted on scanning electron microscope stubs using sliver paste . all specimens were vacuum dried , sputter coated and examined in a jeol - t200 scanning electron microscope . ______________________________________ sio . sub . 2 45 cao 24 . 5 na . sub . 2 o 24 . 5 p . sub . 2 o . sub . 5 6______________________________________ the mixture was melted in a covered platinum crucible at 1350 ° c . for 2 hours to achieve homogenization . the mixture was later quenched in deionized water at 0 ° c . fritted glass was placed in an appropriate milling apparatus including ball mill , impact mill . the glass is milled for 2 hours and separated into appropriate size ranges . the particle size range less than 90 μm was obtained using this process and confirmed by scanning electron microscopy and laser light scattering technique ( coulter ls 100 ). these mixtures were placed on the dentin slabs previously described . the exposure times to the dentin varied between two minutes with scrubbing to 3 days with no agitation . the occlusion of the tubules is depicted in fig3 - 7 . visible in fig3 - 7 are total and partial occlusion of the dentin tubules with multiple size of small ( 1 - 5 μm ) particles present . in addition , larger particles that are visible that will act as reservoirs for the chemical composition . early formation of hydroxyapatite crystals is beginning on the dentin surface confirmed by ftir . fig8 and 9 indicate the results obtainable by using submicron particles made in accordance with example 1 . the samples of fig8 and 9 are dentin surfaces which have been acid etched with phosphoric acid , treated with a bioactive glass for 2 minutes and immersed in a phosphate buffered saline for 5 days . with the lack of large particles for reservoir activity , there was less complete regeneration as confirmed by ftir . example 3 was conducted to illustrate the benefits associated with multiple applications of compositions in accordance with the present invention . first , an acid etched dentin surface was treated with a single treatment of bioactive particulate glass for two minutes and is depicted in fig1 . a dentin surface which has been acid etched and treated three times for two minutes is depicted in fig1 . fig1 shows significant penetration and occlusion of the tubules with a bonding over the surface of the dentin . there are not many large particles visible in fig1 . in fig1 , there is even more significant penetration and occlusion of the tubules and a greater number of particles present . this demonstrates the benefits associated with multiple application including the tubules as well as increased presence of larger reservoirs of ca and p ions . this also demonstrates interparticle welding of the larger particles to the smaller particles already bound to the surface . example 4 further illustrates the benefits associated with the use of particles less than 2 microns in combination particles greater than 45 microns in size . ftir spectra for the following samples are included in fig1 to illustrate remineralization : sample no . 3 treated with particles of bioactive glass less than 2 microns in particle size for two minutes sample no . 4 treated with particles of bioactive glass wherein 40 % were less than 2 microns , 15 % were in the range of 8 to 2 microns , 15 % were in the range of 8 to 20 microns , 15 % were in the range of 20 to 38 microns and 15 % were in the range of 38 - 90 microns . as illustrated in fig1 , the control sample provides a representative view of the spectrum of hydroxycarbonate apatite ( hca ). the shape of the peaks between wave number 1150 to 500 are very characteristic of hca . in sample 2 , the peaks are disrupted after treatment with the acid etchant , especially in the 1150 to 900 range . this indicates a loss of the mineral components of the tooth structure , calcium and phosphorous . sample 3 shows a partial remineralization of the ca and p on the tooth structure . sample 4 was treated with the optimal size and shape mixture of bioactive glass and shows an almost complete remineralization . a photomicrograph of sample 4 is included as fig1 . comparative example 5 shows the benefits associated with the use of particles less than 10 microns in combination with particles greater than 45 microns in size over the use of just particles less than 2 microns or 53 - 90μ . a control sample of untreated dentin surface was used in addition to treated surfaces as described below : ______________________________________number of sampleapplications composition score observations______________________________________single 53 - 90μ 2 about 50 % occluded tubules with large particles present control 0 no particles presentsingle & lt ; 2μ 2 above 50 % closure , no large particles seen control 0 open tubulessingle 50 % 53 - 90μ + 3 75 % + tubules occluded 50 % & lt ; 2μ control 0 open tubulesmultiple 53 - 90μ 2 partial closure of tubules with large particles present control 0 minimal occlusion seenmultiple & lt ; 2μ 2 partial closure of tubules with small particles present control 0 minimal occlusion seenmultiple 50 % 53 - 90μ best results -- tubules closed ; difficult 50 % & lt ; 2μ to find open tubules control 0 minimal occlusion seen______________________________________ all samples in the above table were subjected to a moist environment for 24 hours and then dried for 48 hours . as seen above , the combination of particles less than 2 microns and 53 - 90μ provided the best results . it is believed that the presence of both size ranges permits the smaller particles which have lodged in the tubules to continue growth after they have exhausted their own ca and p ions and are able to make use of such ions from other nearby larger particles acting as reservoirs of ca and p ions . the composition of the starting product for the following examples was the same as example 1 except the level of sio 2 was 45 %, 55 %, and 60 %. also , the method of preparation was different . the mixture was melted in a covered platinum crucible at 1350 ° c . for 2 hours to achieve homogenization . the mixture was poured into a slab , allowed to cool to room temperature and crushed with a hammer . crushed glass fractions were then separated by sieving through a standard screen . fractions were then separated and retained . the particle size range less than 90 μm was obtained using this process and confirmed by scanning electron microscopy and laser light scattering technique ( coulter ls 100 ). these mixtures were placed on the dentin slabs previously described . samples containing 45 %, 55 %, and 60 % sio 2 were utilized in the preparations with the same results seen in example 1 . again , the key to this data was the presence of the size range of particles . present in these examples are ranges up to 60 % silica with a size range in particles from submicron to 90 micron showing like reactions to example 1 on the dentin surfaces . although the present invention has been described in one or more embodiments , this description is not intended to in any way limit the scope of the claims . | 2Chemistry; Metallurgy
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while embodiments are described with reference to certain liquid delivery systems , embodiments may be applicable to any liquid delivery system requiring a purge of a liquid delivery line . additionally , embodiments may be particularly useful when the liquid is susceptible to contamination or poses a potential health risk . referring to fig1 , a chemical delivery system 101 is shown . the chemical delivery system 101 includes a remote cabinet 125 which is physically and electronically coupled to a reactor 175 as shown . in other embodiments , the remote cabinet 125 may be coupled to other semiconductor fabrication equipment . however , in the embodiment shown , the reactor 175 is for chemical vapor deposition ( cvd ) where a liquid chemical such as tetraethylorthosilicate ( teos ) is delivered to a surface of a semiconductor substrate to form a teos film thereat . the teos may be delivered in this manner as part of a conventional semiconductor fabrication technique . additionally , other semiconductor materials such as titanium tetrachloride , tetramethylcyclotetrasiloxane , tetrikis dimethylamino titanium , tetraethylorthosilicate , trimethylborate , triethylborate , trimethylphosphite , trimethylphosphate , triethylphosphate , trimethyl silane , and others may be employed . in the embodiment shown in fig1 , a bulk canister 105 is coupled to a process canister 120 ( or ampule ) through a manifold assembly 106 . the manifold assembly 106 couples to the bulk canister 105 through a delivery line 115 and a guarded coupling 100 . the manifold assembly 106 similarly couples to the process canister through a refill line 107 . through a series of pressurization and depressurization techniques , the manifold assembly 106 allows delivery of liquid chemical from the bulk canister 105 and for purging of the delivery line 115 as described further herein . with the chemical delivery system 101 of fig1 , a liquid chemical , such as that indicated above , may be driven from the bulk canister 105 to the process canister 120 for eventual delivery to the reactor 175 through a transfer line 150 . the bulk canister 105 may be a removable container for storing between about 5 and about 10 gallons of liquid chemical , whereas the process canister 120 may be a smaller container remaining in place within the remote cabinet 125 . in another embodiment , however , the bulk canister 105 is coupled directly to the reactor 175 and no process canister 120 is present . delivery of liquid chemical may be directed by a user at a user interface 127 of the remote cabinet 125 . the user interface 127 may be a touch screen coupled to a central processor of the chemical delivery system 101 for directing a delivery procedure . in the embodiment shown , the central processor is contained within cabinet hardware 128 of the remote cabinet 125 and coupled to reactor hardware 176 of the reactor 175 by manifold wiring 155 . in this manner , communication is provided between the central processor and the reactor hardware 176 which further directs a cvd procedure of the reactor 175 as described further below . during a cvd procedure the bulk canister 105 may be depressurized by a conventional technique . the delivery line 115 is opened to allow a liquid chemical , such as high purity teos , to be removed from the bulk canister 105 and into the process canister 120 as directed through the manifold assembly 106 . the manifold assembly 106 may simultaneously direct an inert gas , such as helium , into the bulk canister 105 to help force the high purity teos out of the bulk canister 105 . the process canister 120 includes a process level sensor 111 coupled to the central processor for indicating when the process canister 120 is filled . once filled , the process canister 120 may deliver a liquid chemical therefrom to a storage chamber 177 of the reactor 175 through the transfer line 150 as described above . depending upon the parameters of the delivery procedure , the reactor hardware 176 directs the high purity liquid material from the storage chamber 177 to a reaction chamber 179 where a cvd technique is used to form a film of semiconductor material on a substrate . as procedures such as that described above are run , the bulk canister 105 may periodically deliver liquid chemical to the process canister 120 . the bulk canister 105 is configured for removal from the remote cabinet 125 and replacement . thus , the bulk canister 105 includes a bulk level sensor 110 to indicate when replacement of the bulk canister 105 is required . before the bulk canister 105 is changed , a line purge procedure may be employed to ensure that any liquid chemical is removed from the delivery line 115 . in one embodiment , purging is coordinated through the manifold assembly 106 wherein the bulk canister 105 is pressurized through the delivery line 115 following removal of high purity chemical therethrough . that is , once the bulk canister 105 is substantially emptied through the delivery line 115 , air pressure is applied through the delivery line 115 in the opposite direction toward the bulk canister 105 . the pressure applied may be in the range of between about 45 psi and about 60 psi . this purges the delivery line 115 forcing any remaining high purity liquid chemical back into the bulk canister 105 . referring to fig1 and 2 , the guarded coupling 100 is open as the purging described above takes place . this allows the escape of air , which may include an inert gas as described above , as pressure is applied to the bulk canister 105 during the pressure applied through the delivery line 115 . in the embodiment shown , purging as described above substantially removes all of the high purity chemical from the delivery line 115 . thus , the bulk canister 120 may be replaced without contamination or safety concerns through the delivery line 115 . in order to ensure that similar concerns are not present with respect to the guarded coupling 100 , a guard 200 is provided as described further herein . fig5 is a flow - chart summarizing an embodiment of employing the guard 200 in a canister such as the bulk canister 120 during a liquid delivery and line purging process . fig5 is referenced throughout the remainder of the specification as an aid in describing embodiments of the guard 200 and chemical delivery system 101 generally . referring now to fig2 and 5 a guard 200 is shown coupled to a guarded coupling 100 at the bulk canister 105 as indicated at 520 . the guard 200 is about a 4 inch to 6 inch long shield that may be removably inserted into the bulk canister 105 as indicated at 520 . the bulk canister 105 may then be coupled to the chemical delivery system 101 as indicated at 530 for removal of a liquid chemical therefrom as indicated at 540 . continuing with reference to fig5 , a purge , for example , of the delivery line 115 , may be applied as indicated at 550 . as the bulk canister 105 is pressurized through the delivery line 115 during purging , splattering and splashing of the high purity chemical may occur . as described below , the guard 200 is configured to prevent liquid chemical from escaping the bulk canister 105 through the guarded coupling 100 . referring to fig2 and 3 , guard 200 is equipped with lower inlets 350 with baffle inlets 310 thereabove to allow air through to the guarded coupling 100 exterior of the bulk canister 105 . as shown in fig3 , air may exit the bulk canister 105 during purging as shown by arrows 375 . as described further herein , the air must traverse baffles 300 as it escapes the bulk canister 105 . thus , as the air escapes the bulk canister 105 , the baffles 300 shield any high purity chemical from also escaping the bulk canister 105 . the guard 200 terminates at a sealed bottom 325 limiting the likelihood of high purity chemical entering the guard 200 . air may only enter the guard 200 through the lower inlets 350 and the baffle inlets 310 at the side of the guard 200 . once air enters the guard 200 it encounters and passes around the baffles 300 as described above . the baffles 300 may extend at least half the distance ( d ) across the guard 200 from sidewalls thereof . thus , the baffles 300 may overlap one another to ensure that the path of air exiting through the guard 200 is not linear . in this manner , any high purity chemical traveling with the air as shown at arrows 375 must encounter the baffles 300 . this configuration serves to block the high purity chemical from exiting the guard 200 with the exiting air . in one embodiment , the uppermost baffles 300 lack baffle inlets 310 in order to ensure that exiting air and any high purity chemical are forced to traverse lower positioned baffles 300 . this further prevents any direct escape route of exiting air and high purity liquid chemical . the guard 200 and baffles 300 may be formed of stainless steel , a synthetic fluorinated hydrocarbon , or other suitable material . the materials chosen may be selected based on the high purity chemical contained within the bulk canister 105 , ease of manufacture , and other factors . additionally , in one embodiment , the entire guard may be replaceable for cleaning and reuse with the same or another bulk canister 105 as described below . continuing with reference to fig2 and 3 , a replaceable guard 200 may be used to retrofit currently existing bulk canisters 105 . for example , where the guarded coupling 100 as shown in fig2 , couples to about a 1 inch orifice at the top of an industry standard bulk canister 105 , the guard 200 may have a diameter ( d ) which does not exceed 1 inch . in such an embodiment , the guard 200 may be between about ½ and about ¾ inches allowing it to fit through the orifice at the top of the bulk canister 105 . the guard 200 may further include a lip 360 greater than about 1 inch in diameter at the top thereof to allow the guard 200 to rest within the bulk canister 105 without falling through the orifice . in this embodiment , the lip 360 may rest at a rim of the orifice similar to a gasket for a conventional fitting for coupling to the guarded line 100 . similarly , in an alternate embodiment , where the orifice is about ½ inch in diameter , the guard may have a diameter ( d ) of between about ⅛ and about ¼ inches with a lip 360 exceeding about ½ inches in diameter . with reference to fig1 – 3 and 5 , once a purge of the delivery line 115 , as indicated above , is complete , the bulk canister 120 may be disconnected of or disassociated from the chemical delivery system 101 as indicated at 560 . the guard 200 may then be removed as indicated at 570 . the user then has the option of refilling and reusing the bulk canister 120 with a new guard ( see 540 ), coupling the used guard 200 to a new canister ( see 580 ), or neither , before coupling the canister to the chemical delivery system 101 to begin delivery and purge anew . referring to fig4 an alternate configuration of a bulk canister 405 is shown employing a guard 401 . in the embodiment shown , the delivery line 415 enters the bulk canister 405 from a position opposite the guard 401 and guarded coupling 400 . preferably , the delivery line 415 enters from the bottom of the bulk canister 405 to facilitate emptying of the bulk canister 405 . additionally , the delivery line 415 terminates at an angled portion 450 within the bulk canister 405 . the angled portion 450 is directed away from the guard 401 to discourage splashing of residual liquid chemical toward the guard 401 during purging as described above . the embodiments described substantially prevent liquid chemical from exiting a canister through an outlet even though the canister is being pressurized through an inlet . in this manner a liquid chemical line of a liquid delivery system may be purged into the canister without subsequent contamination or health risk concerns once the canister is removed from the system . although exemplary embodiments describe particular liquid delivery systems and guard configurations additional embodiments are possible . additionally many changes , modifications , and substitutions may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of these embodiments . | 2Chemistry; Metallurgy
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the present invention is directed to improving object preservation through a hybrid methodology involving quantization parameter ( qp ) offset , a weighted distortion metric , and perceptual quantization ( qp ) offset . the invention is applicable to various types of object - aware encoders and can involve decreasing the qp or quantization step size for macroblocks constituting important objects or regions and can further involve decreasing the qp or quantization step size for macroblocks constituting unimportant objects or regions . in an embodiment of the invention , a method preserves important objects in a video . based on some criteria , the encoder can use , for example , qp offsets , a weighted distortion measure , and perceptual qp offsets ( or a combination thereof ) for relevant macroblocks ( mbs ). a novel weighted distortion measure is introduced which allows object information to influence encoding mode decisions . fig1 shows the object highlighting system applicable to embodiments of the invention . in particular , an object enhancing system , constructed in accordance with the present invention , may span all the components in a transmitter 10 , or the object enhancement component may be in a receiver 20 . there are three stages in the process chain where object highlighting may be performed : ( 1 ) pre - processing where the object is enhanced in transmitter 10 prior to the encoding ( i . e ., compression ) stage ; ( 2 ) encoding where the region of interest that contains the object is given special treatment in transmitter 10 by the refinement of information about the object and its location ; and ( 3 ) post - processing where the object is enhanced in receiver 20 after decoding utilizing side - information about the object and its location transmitted from transmitter 10 through the bitstream as metadata . an object enhancing system , constructed in accordance with the present invention , can be arranged to provide object highlighting in only one of the stages identified above , or in two of the stages identified above , or in all three stages identified above . the fig1 system for enhancing the visibility of an object in a digital picture includes means for providing an input video containing an object of interest . the source of the digital picture that contains the object , the visibility of which is to be enhanced , can be a television camera of conventional construction and operation and is represented by an arrow 12 . the fig1 system also includes means for storing information representative of the nature and characteristics of the object of interest ( e . g ., an object template ) and developing , in response to the video input and the information representative of the nature and characteristics of the object , object localization information that identifies and locates the object . such means , identified in fig1 as an object localization module 14 , include means for scanning the input video , on a frame - by - frame basis , to identify the object ( i . e ., what is the object ) and locate that object ( i . e ., where is the object ) in the picture having the nature and characteristics similar to the stored information representative of the nature and characteristics of the object of interest . object localization module 14 can be a unit of conventional construction and operation that scans the digital picture of the input video on a frame - by - frame basis and compares sectors of the digital picture of the input video that are scanned with the stored information representative of the nature and characteristics of the object of interest to identify and locate , by grid coordinates of the digital picture , the object of interest when the information developed from the scan of a particular sector is similar to the stored information representative of the nature and characteristics of the object . in general , object localization module 14 implements one or more of the following methods in identifying and locating an object of interest : object tracking — the goal of an object tracker is to locate a moving object in a video . typically , a tracker estimates the object parameters ( e . g . location , size ) in the current frame , given the history of the moving object from the previous frames . tracking approaches may be based on , for example , template matching , optical flow , kalman filters , mean shift analysis , hidden markov models , and particle filters . object detection — the goal in object detection is to detect the presence and location of an object in images or video frames based on prior knowledge about the object . object detection methods generally employ a combination of top - down and bottom - up approaches . in the top - down approach , object detection methods are based on rules derived from human knowledge of the objects being detected . in the bottom - up approach , object detection methods associate objects with low - level structural features or patterns and then locate objects by searching for these features or patterns . object segmentation — in this approach , an image or video is decomposed into its constituent “ objects ,” which may include semantic entities or visual structures , such as color patches . this decomposition is commonly based on the motion , color , and texture attributes of the objects . object segmentation has several applications , including compact video coding , automatic and semi - automatic content - based description , film post - production , and scene interpretation . in particular , segmentation simplifies the object localization problem by providing an object - based description of a scene . fig2 illustrates approximate object localization provided by object localization module 14 . a user draws , for example , an ellipse around the region in which the object is located to approximately locate the object . eventually , the approximate object localization information ( i . e ., the center point , major axis , and minor axis parameters of the ellipse ) can be refined . ideally , object localization module 14 operates in a fully automated mode . in practice , however , some manual assistance might be required to correct errors made by the system , or , at the very least , to define important objects for the system to localize . enhancing non - object areas can cause the viewer to be distracted and miss the real action . to avoid or minimize this problem , a user can draw , as described above , an ellipse around the object and the system then can track the object from the specified location . if an object is successfully located in a frame , object localization module 14 outputs the corresponding ellipse parameters ( i . e ., center point , major axis , and minor axis ). ideally , the contour of this bounding ellipse would coincide with that of the object . when , however , the parameters might be only approximate and the resulting ellipse does not tightly contain the object and object enhancement is applied , two problems might occur . first , the object might not be wholly enhanced because the ellipse does not include the entire object . second , non - object areas might be enhanced . because both these results can be undesirable , it is useful , under such circumstances , to refine the object region before enhancement . refinement of object localization information is considered in greater detail below . the system in fig1 further includes means responsive to the video input and the object localization information that is received from object localization module 14 for developing an enhanced video of that portion of the digital picture that contains the object of interest and the region in which the object is located . such means , identified in fig1 as an object enhancement module 16 , can be a unit of conventional construction and operation that enhances the visibility of the region of the digital picture that contains the object of interest by applying conventional image processing operations to this region . the object localization information that is received , on a frame - by - frame basis , from object localization module 14 includes the grid coordinates of a region of predetermined size in which the object of interest is located . in addition , as indicated above , object enhancement helps in reducing degradation of the object during the encoding stage which follows the enhancement stage and is described below . the operation of the fig1 system up to this point corresponds to the pre - processing mode of operation referred to above . when enhancing the object , the visibility of the object is improved by applying image processing operations in the region in which the object of interest is located . these operations can be applied along the object boundary ( e . g . edge sharpening ), inside the object ( e . g . texture enhancement ), and possibly even outside the object ( e . g . contrast increase , blurring outside the object area ). for example , one way to draw more attention to an object is to sharpen the edges inside the object and along the object contour . this makes the details in the object more visible and also makes the object stand out from the background . furthermore , sharper edges tend to survive encoding better . another possibility is to enlarge the object , for instance by iteratively applying smoothing , sharpening and object refinement operations , not necessarily in that order . this object highlight system which is shown in a more simplied view in fig3 detects important objects 310 in input video 305 , performs object enhancement by appropriate pre - processing 315 , and has the object - aware encoder 320 preserving objects . the object - aware encoder uses the object information from the object localization module in order to better preserve objects of interest during the encoding process . the object information for a video frame is represented by an “ encoder weights array ” w ( x , y ) which is a sequence of values , one for each pixel ( x , y ) in the frame . more important objects have larger weights for their constituent pixels . the background pixel weights could be set to 0 by convention . to better preserve objects , several methods may be used in an object - aware video encoder . these preservation methods can be naïve qp offset , weighted distortion measure and perceptual qp offset . the naïve qp offset method generally involves using the encoder weights array such that it is possible to determine which macroblocks ( mbs ) in a frame contain objects of interest . depending on the object weights and the number of object pixels in the mb , it is possible to apply an appropriate offset to reduce the qp of the mb . this allocates more bits to these mbs resulting in better perceived quality . the weighted distortion measure involves having the encoder makes several mode decisions for each mb such as intra / inter / skip / direct coding and mb partitioning method ( 16 × 16 , 8 × 8 , 4 × 4 , etc .) shown in fig4 . these decisions are based on a rate - distortion ( r - d ) tradeoff where rate corresponds to the number of bits allocated and distortion is a measure of coding fidelity . the distortion is normally computed as a sum of absolute differences ( sad ) between the original and the encoded mb pixel values . in order to better preserve objects , the process uses a weighted sad instead , wherein the differences at object pixels are weighted higher ( i . e . multiplied by a value greater than 1 ) than non - object pixels . the object pixel weights are obtained from the encoder weights array . the weight of pixel ( x , y ) is given by w ( x , y )+ 1 . by emphasizing the distortion at object pixels , the weighted distortion measure results in better object preservation , since the r - d optimization tries to choose modes that minimize the overall mb distortion . the perceptual qp offset method can be characterized as the perceptual frame - level qp offset approach . perceptual qp offset is especially useful when the objects to be preserved span many mbs . essentially , perceptual qp offset yields a better quality in the reference frame ( i - and p - frame ) and subsequently yields to better total coding efficiency . perceptual qp offset is premised on the following relationship : where qp i , qp p , and qp b denote qp of i -, p - and b - frame , respectively . the formulation of rate control with constant frame qp , the ultimate qp of a frame is the summation of the assumed constant qp ( i . e ., same for all frames ) with that frame &# 39 ; s particular qp offset . in this case , the preferred qp offset for each frame type is equivalently : where δqp i , δqp p , and δqp b denote qp offset of i -, p - and b - frame , respectively . another important factor for frame - level qp offset calculation is the temporal or motion masking effect of human visual systems ( hvs ). basically , human eyes are less sensitive to quality degradations of high motion frames than to low motion frames . as such , smaller qps should be applied to high motion frames than that for low motion frames , due to their higher temporal masking effect , while the same level of perceptual quality can still be perceived in the coded video . the approach seeks to effectively calculate per - frame qp offset contribution from the amount of temporal masking effect at a frame , and then , properly combine that with the original qp offset contribution from frame type . the resultant frame - level qp offset accounts for both the frame type and temporal masking effect , and hence , is more comprehensive . the approach fine tuned for frame bit allocation ( fba ) of a whole video clip or sequence in offline video coding . in spite of this , the approach is generally applicable to online real - time video coding as well , with various degrees of quality improvement depending on the involved look - ahead time . extensive experiments have demonstrated that accounting for temporal masking effect into per - frame qp offset is more necessary and critical than the frame type factor to guarantee significant visual quality improvement from the global optimized fba in offline video coding . most rate control schemes for either online or offline video coding only account for the frame type factor in fba , but not any impact from hvs masking effect at all . hence , in the offline coding case , even if their objective coding efficiency measured in average peak signal - to - noise ratio ( psnr ) can be significantly improved over online coding via fba of frame - type based per - frame qp offset , significant perceptual quality improvement still cannot be observed . it has been found that due to the global optimization of all frames &# 39 ; bit allocation of a sequence , high motion frames are allocated and coded with more bits than they are in the case of online coding . in the online coding case , bits are first allocated to each gop ( group of pictures ), and in order to guarantee constant bit rate ( cbr ), the allocated bits of a gop are proportional to the involved number of frames , i . e . gop size , only , but not affected by their different coding complexity , e . g . high or low motions , etc . therefore , in the offline coding case , given more bits , high motion frames are coded with higher psnrs than they are in online coding . on the other hand , since the total amount of bits is the same , low motion frames are coded with lower psnrs . the psnr variations are indeed greatly reduced in this case . however , more constant psnr does not mean more constant perceptual quality . due to the hvs temporal masking effect , the high motion frame psnr gains are much less perceivable than the low motion frame psnr drops . thus , the overall perceptual quality is , more often than not , worse than that of online coding . as such , the approach identifies that considering temporal masking effect in global fba of a whole clip is necessary and critical for perceptual quality enhancement . it is important to note that particular approaches that involve fba accounting for temporal masking often have an underlying rate model that is either classification based or frame complexity based , which is not as accurate and general as the widely adopted r - qp modeling approach for rate control . furthermore , widely adopted way of considering temporal masking is not via per - frame qp offset in fba , and hence , cannot be applied for r - qp model based rate control solutions . accordingly , the perceptual frame - level qp offset approach is actually a proper combination of qp offset portion due to temporal masking , denoted by δqp masking , and the portion due to frame type , denoted by δqp type . this scheme is critical to render significant perceptual quality improvement of offline multi - pass coding over real - time single pass coding . the temporal masking effect with frame complexity metric is defined as follows : where , cmpl denotes the complexity of a frame . r mv denotes the average mv coding bits per mb of the frame . mad denotes the averaged mean - absolute - difference ( mad ) of the prediction residue over all the mbs in a frame . hence , their sum indeed represents the motion intensity of the current frame , which also equivalently signifies the coding complexity , and inter - frame change . the simple summation form in ( 3 ) is derived from good heuristics via extensive experiments . in the encoder , r mv , mad , and hence , cmpl are all computed based on original input frames before the encoding of a frame , and mad only accounts for the luma component . the calculation follows a simplified encoding process , including : only checking inter 16 × 16 and intra 16 × 16 mode , and only searching integer motion vectors . complexity of a frame , calculated from ( 3 ), is further constrained via ( 4 ). when the complexity is below 0 . 1 , the prediction residue will be considered present due to inherent image noise , and hence , one can set the minimum complexity as 0 . 1 , which also serves to prevent possible “ dividing with zero ” errors . also , even without motion vector differences , the minimum average motion vector bits r mv in ( 3 ) is still 2 . hence , this portion is always removed . note that herein the frame complexity is calculated for each frame via forward inter - frame prediction only , as the frame display or viewing order follows the forward direction . that is for any frame , no matter its frame type ( i . e .. either i , p , or b - frames ), one will just use the frame complexity calculated in ( 3 ) to measure its motion intensity , and hence , its motion masking effect . as can be seen from equation ( 10 ) below , that the final qp offset is actually a proper combination of qp offset portion due to temporal masking , denoted by δqp masking , and the portion due to frame type , denoted by δqp type . this scheme is critical to render significant perceptual quality improvement of offline multi - pass coding over real - time single pass coding . the scheme involves the following calculations : here , k = 1 . 2k + 1 = 3 is the window size . complmax = 40 . a = 0 . 5 . n denotes total number of frames in the video clip . δqp masking , max = 8 , δqp masking , min = − 8 . • calculate δqp type : for frame n : • if i - frame : if gopsize = 1 → δqp type ( n ) = 0 . else if gopsize ≦ 10 { if gopavgcompl & lt ; 6 → δqp type ( n ) = − 6 . else if gopavgcompl & lt ; 14 → δqp type ( n ) = − 4 . else → δqp type ( n ) = − 2 . } else { if gopavgcompl & lt ; 6 → δqp type ( n ) = − 8 . else if gopavgcompl & lt ; 14 → δqp type ( n ) = − 6 . else → δqp type ( n ) = − 4 . } • if p - frame : if it is used for prediction of b - frames → δqp - type ( n ) = − 2 . else → δqp type ( n ) = 0 . • if b - frame : → δqp type ( n ) = + 4 . herein , gopavgcompl is the average frame complexity of the current gop excluding the 1 st i - frame . in ( 5 ), temporal masking complexity of a frame is calculated as the average frame complexity of the current frame &# 39 ; s neighboring frames in a certain size of window ( i . e . 2k + 1 ). this is to apply some low - pass filtering to avoid high dynamic change of the temporal masking complexity of a frame due to possible high dynamic change of frame complexity . for a scene - change frame , its frame complexity will be very high . hence , its temporal masking complexity is specially calculated as in ( 6 ), where a maximum constraint is applied for its frame complexity , and the averaging only applies to its forward neighboring frames in the same scene . given the temporal masking frame complexity , the portion of qp offset from temporal masking effect is calculated via linear mapping as in ( 7 ). this is derived from good heuristics , which works effectively with the complexity metric . δqp masking ( n ) from ( 7 ) is then normalized with the average δqp masking , and bounded within a certain reasonable range , as shown in ( 9 ). the δqp type calculation of the present invention embodies the heuristic rule as described in ( 2 ). specifically , if a gop has more frames , or if a gop is of lower motion , more bits for the first i - frame in the gop will be more preferred , as this will bring more coding efficiency benefit for the following frames in the gop . therefore , in these cases , a more negative qp offset will be desired , and vice versa . the qp offset contributions from both the temporal masking effect and the frame type impact are then combined together via simple addition and bounding in ( 10 ). the resultant per - frame qp offset from ( 10 ) will then be used in an r - qp modeling based rate control solution to calculate allocated bits for every frame in a sequence , while assuming constant op for constant quality in bit allocation . a brief description of such a rate control solution for frame - level bit allocation is described as follows . 1 . search for the optimal qp , denoted as qp opt , s . t . 2 . calculate allocated bit budget for each frame based on qp opt : here , r total denotes the total number of bits for the whole video sequence . n is the total number of frames in the video sequence . r i is the number of bits for frame i . δqp i is the perceptual frame - level op offset as calculated in ( 8 ). ri , alloc is the allocated number of bits for frame i . an example of the process 500 of a whole video sequence using the perceptual frame - level qp offset in globally optimized r - qp model based frame - level bit allocation is illustrated in the flow diagram of fig5 . as shown , the whole input video sequence is received and for each frame , the frame complexity is calculated ( 502 ) using simplified encoding as described above ( equations ( 3 ) and ( 4 )). then for each fame , the frame type is selected ( 504 ) using decisions on gop boundary and gop coding pattern of each gop . then , for each frame , the δqp masking is calculated ( 506 ) using equation ( 7 ) and the δqp type as discussed above . the average δqp masking is then calculated ( 508 ) over all the frames . for each frame , δqp masking is normalized using equation ( 9 ) and calculate ( 510 ) the final δqp using equation ( 10 ). using the calculated final δqp , one then calculates the allocated bit budget ( 512 ) for each frame using r - qp based rate control as described above with respect to equations ( 11 ) and ( 12 ). at this stage , the whole sequence is encoded ( 514 ) with the allocated bit budget for each frame achieved using the mb - level rate control and encoding . extensive experimental results show that : without considering the temporal masking effect , using δqp type only as frame qp offset , the globally optimized rate control with the whole sequence available as in equations ( 9 ) and ( 10 ) performs no better than the locally optimized rate control with only one current gop available . however , with further considering the temporal masking effect as set forth in the embodiments of the invention , significant perceptual quality improvement can be achieved . specifically , compared with gop optimized rate control , the sequence optimized rate control with the proposed frame - level qp offset approach can achieve much better coding quality on : ( i ) low motion frames that are neighboring with high motion frames ; and ( ii ) low motion short gops at the end of a scene , while a little worse quality on low motion gops . overall , the visual experience of coded video is always better . fig6 shows an block diagram of an exemplary video encoder 600 to which the present invention may be applied . initially , the processor 601 and memory 602 are in signal communication with all elements of the encoder and operate to control the same . an input to the video encoder 600 is connected in signal communication with a non - inverting input of a summing junction 610 . the output of the summing junction 610 is connected in signal communication with a transformer / quantizer 620 . the output of the transformer / quantizer 620 is connected in signal communication with an entropy coder 640 . an output of the entropy 640 is available as an output of the encoder 600 . the output of the transformed / quantizer 620 is further connected in signal communication with an inverse transformer / quantizer 650 . an ouput of the inverse transformer / quantizer 450 is connected in signal communication with an input of a deblock filter 660 . an output of the deblock filter 660 is connected in signal communication with reference pictures stores 670 . a first output of the reference picture stores 670 is connected in signal communication with a first input of a motion estimator 680 . the input to the encoder 600 is further connected in signal communication with a second input of the motion estimator 680 . the output of the motion estimator 680 is connected in signal communication with a first input of a motion compensator 690 . a second output of the reference pictures stores 670 is connected in signal communication with a second input of the motion compensator 690 . the output of the motion compensator is connected in signal communication with an inverting input of the summing junction 610 . regarding the naïve qp offset process , it changes the qp after a frame - level rate control method has determined the qp of the mb . changing many mbs this way , however , could cause instability in the rate control process and reduce the overall perceived quality . it is been determined that it is better to specify the desired qp offset for each mb ( based on its desired perceptual quality ) prior to the frame - level rate control process . the rate control process then takes into account all the information in order to allocate resources accordingly to each mb . strategies to preserve objects of interest according to the invention could be determined by combinations of the above three processes ( i . e . naïve quantization parameter ( qp ) offset , a weighted distortion metric , and perceptual quantization ( qp ) offset ). the combination may depend on several criteria which can take into account the characteristics of the objects to be preserved and the scene . one strategy involves considering the total area of the objects of interest in the frame . if the number of pixels with encoder weights exceeding 0 ( i . e ., w ( x , y )& gt ; 0 ) encompasses an area that is less than a predetermined threshold area ( t area ), then the perceptual qp offset methodology should be employed . a second strategy involves considering the total number of mbs containing object pixels or the number of object pixels . if the total number of mbs containing object pixels or the number of object pixels have an area less than a threshold ( t area ), use the naïve qp offset methodology or the weighted distortion measure . the two strategies are based on the expectation that the perceptual qp offset methodology is more robust when the number of mbs to be preserved is large . however , the naïve qp offset methodology and the weighted distortion measure methodology provides better results when only a few mbs are involved . the criteria that determine the strategy is determined based on a number of objects and scene characteristics such as , areas of the objects of interest , importance of the objects , velocities of the objects , and history of object preservation ( e . g . whether the corresponding mb in previous frames was given a higher qp ). in one application of the invention , face regions are detected in video - conferencing videos and used to control the quantization granularity of the background regions . the foregoing illustrates some of the possibilities for practicing the invention . many other embodiments are possible within the scope and spirit of the invention . it is , therefore , intended that the foregoing description be regarded as illustrative rather than limiting , and that the scope of the invention is given by the appended claims together with their full range of equivalents . | 7Electricity
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in fig1 a portable , battery powered cableless starting device 10 generally includes a housing 100 , connector terminals 210 , and control terminal 211 . the housing 100 has an elongated stick shape , with a connector terminal or plug end 110 . as used herein the term &# 34 ; portable &# 34 ; means something that weighs no more than 25 pounds , and has total linear dimensions ( avg . length plus avg . height plus avg . width ) of no more than 108 inches . in fig2 the battery powered cableless starting device 10 has , within the lower portion of housing / enclosure 100 , connector terminals / contacts 210 , control terminal 211 , batteries 220 , and recharge socket 230 . batteries 220 ( see fig2 , and 7 - 9 ) are preferably of the thin film type , having thin metal electrodes separated by insulating materials like glass cloth , with the electrode and cloth layers rolled up . any suitable chemistry can be employed , including nickel cadmium , nickel zinc , nickel metal hydride , and lithium ion chemistries . preferred batteries provide power surges of up to approximately 500 amps for short durations , are compact in size and light in weight , operate in cold temperatures , have a relatively flat discharge voltage , are capable of storing at least 1 . 0 ah of energy , have little or no memory effect from partial discharge / charge cycles , generate only minor excess heat while operating , and are cost effective . the term &# 34 ; compact in size &# 34 ; is used herein to mean that an embodiment &# 39 ; s size is kept relatively close to that of the batteries enclosed within it , and that the volume taken by the batteries is less than v cubic inches where v is 160 , 120 , 90 , 80 , 60 , 50 , 40 , 30 , or 20 . the &# 34 ; light in weight &# 34 ; is used herein to indicate that an embodiment may weigh less than n lbs . where n is 50 , 25 , 20 , 15 , 10 , 5 , or 3 . fig3 shows a highly preferred embodiment in which batteries 220 are serially connected . less preferred embodiments may , however , use other configurations such as having all the batteries in parallel , or having some batteries in parallel and some serially connected ( series - parallel ). alternative embodiments may augment one or more of batteries 220 with one or more capacitors having capacitance of at least one , five , or ten farads . recharge socket 230 ( see fig2 ) may be included in a particular embodiments to allow recharging of the batteries 220 . recharge socket 230 may have any reasonable size or dimensions , and may be positioned in any reasonable position on device 10 . less preferred embodiments may recharge batteries 220 by providing power to connector terminals 210 . connector terminals 210 ( see fig1 , and 3 ) each have a contact surface 215 sized and dimensioned to electrically contact an auxiliary power or electric starter input terminal and are electrically coupled to batteries 220 . connector terminals 210 are preferably incorporated where applicable so as to provide easy insertion into the external power connector of various apparatus , especially aircraft and other vehicles . of course , the connector terminals 210 and or plug end 110 may be specific to individual manufacturers , and could vary according to the nominal voltage of the electrical system . thus , a 12 volt dc piper type 2 - conductor connector will generally differ from a cessna 3 - conductor 24 volt dc or nato 24 / 28 volt dc systems . in some embodiments , connector terminals 210 and or plug end 110 may be configured in a manner particularly suitable for starting a particular type of vehicle ( i . e . a cessna ™ or an piper ™ airplane ) or use anderson connectors for certain starting motor connections like race cars . in other embodiments , the connector terminals 210 and or plug end 110 may be configured in a manner particularly suited for starting engines not contained in vehicles such as those utilized in power generators . although the position of connector terminals 210 may be varied , it is preferred that connector terminals 210 be positioned at an end of the housing 100 such as plug end 110 . plug end 110 ( see fig1 , and 4 - 6 ) may be removably coupled to the rest of housing 100 to facilitate replacing connector terminals 210 and plug end 110 having a configuration suitable for one type of vehicle with one having a configuration suitable for another type of vehicle , or application . in such an embodiment , plug end 110 could be sized and dimensioned to be coupled to an electric power input terminal which is part of a standard connector sized and dimensioned to receive a mating connector or plug . in addition to , or as an alternative to being removably coupled to the rest of housing 100 , plug end 110 may be movably coupled to the rest of housing 100 , possibly through the use of a flexible or expandable coupling . movably coupling the plug end 110 to the rest of the housing would allow the orientation or position of the plug end to be changed relative to , and independently of , that of the rest of the housing . housing 100 ( see fig1 , and 4 - 6 ) may be sized and dimensioned in a variety of ways , but it is contemplated that embodiments having housings which are approximately 1 &# 34 ;× 3 &# 34 ;× 14 &# 34 ;, 2 &# 34 ;× 3 &# 34 ;× 14 &# 34 ;, 3 &# 34 ;× 4 &# 34 ;× 15 &# 34 ;, 4 &# 34 ;× 3 &# 34 ;× 6 &# 34 ;, and 1 &# 34 ;× 3 &# 34 ;× 7 &# 34 ; will have particular utility and may vary in weight between 1 . 6 and 10 lbs . such &# 34 ; stick &# 34 ; and special shaped configurations are thought to facilitate convenient handling , and are contemplated as having a length which is between l and l + 1 feet where l is 5 , 4 , 3 , 2 , 1 or 0 . although the embodiment of fig1 shows a housing which at least partially encloses both the terminal connectors and the batteries , other embodiments may only partially enclose the batteries or the terminal connectors , or a subset of the batteries or terminal connectors . alternatively , less preferred embodiments may not even have a housing but use some other coupling mechanism to keep the batteries and terminal connectors coupled . possible alternatives may include , but are not limited to , coupling the batteries and terminal connectors to or within a flexible or a rigid rod , cable , or sleeve . other configurations are contemplated as well , however , including a shoulder hung pack or a back pack . it is preferred that the coupling mechanism prevents the contact surface from being positioned more than x inches from the battery where x is one of 60 , 36 , 24 , 12 , 6 , 3 , and 1 , or alternatively prevent the distance between the contact surface and at least one battery from being varied by a factor y where y is greater than or equal to one of 10 , 5 , 2 , and 1 . it is thought that a device in which the distance between the contact surfaces of the connector terminals and the batteries is limited is desirable despite the potential loss of flexibility . the term &# 34 ; potential loss &# 34 ; is used because one of the advantages of the claimed device is that it is able to perform the same function as prior art devices without having many of the limitations of the prior art devices . thus there is no need to have a special vehicle in order to use this device , nor is there any need to fuss with cables which must be coiled and uncoiled and which must be maintained , transported , and tracked in addition to maintaining , transporting , and tracking the prior art device . furthermore , electric power losses in the connecting cables are minimized , making more power available for the starting motor . preferred embodiments can be readily recharged using known circuits from the electrical output of the engine generator or alternator of the device being started , or from an external ac power supply . since preferred embodiments of the invention will hold a charge for extended periods of time , they are contemplated to be kept in airplanes or other vehicles and be available when needed . in some configurations a small additional set of parallel batteries may be connected for maintaining full charge voltage of the device . these optional &# 34 ; maintenance charge &# 34 ; batteries may be located within the device housing or external to the device . preferred embodiments may also include a special monitor and control circuit board which allows the user to check the voltage of the device prior to use and requiring the user to recharge the device before use if the voltage is too low . when a user decides to employ the device to start an engine and pushes the control button to activate the monitor / control board circuit , power is provided to the control terminal contact 211 for a period of up to 10 minutes , as long as sufficient voltage is available in device to safely start engine without damage to batteries . ( a positive voltage is required on contact 211 to cause the aircraft or other vehicle to switch the main power bus over to connect to the external power input , thereby connecting the power from pins 210 and the device to the aircraft or vehicle main power bus . this special control circuit continually monitors the voltage during use of the device and will disable power to the control contact 211 should the output voltage of the device drop below a preset level , thus protecting the batteries in the device from potential damage . once the control circuit has disabled the power to the control contact 211 , the device cannot be used again until it is fully recharged . referring to fig1 , a method for a person to temporarily provide power to an electric starting motor of an engine comprises the following steps : step 310 , providing a portable battery powered starting device containing at least one battery ( such as device 10 of fig1 ); step 320 , the person grasping and lifting the starting device in one or two hands ; step 330 , the person positioning the device so that it electrically contacts at least one input terminal of the external power connector 910 for an apparatus 900 and at least one battery is within z inches of at least one input terminal where z is one of 60 , 36 , 24 , 12 , 10 , 8 , 6 , 4 , and 2 ; and step 340 , the person repositioning the device so that it is no longer in electrical contact with at least one input terminal of the electric starter . in an alternative embodiment , the step of positioning the device may involve lifting the device at least partially over the person &# 39 ; s head . it is contemplated that the claimed invention can be advantageously used when apparatus 900 is a vehicle . referring to fig1 , a preferred method for a person to temporarily provide power to an electric starting motor comprises the following steps : step 410 , providing a portable battery powered starting device containing at least one battery ( such as device 10 of fig1 ); step 420 , the person pushing down the control button for 3 or more seconds and grasping and lifting the starting device in one or two hands ; step 430 , the person positioning the device so that it electrically contacts at least one input terminal of the external power connector for an electric starter and the at least one battery is within z inches of at least one input terminal where z is one of 60 , 36 , 24 , 12 , 10 , 8 , 6 , 4 , and 2 ; and step 440 , the person repositioning the device so that it is no longer in electrical contact with the at least one input terminal of the electric starter . in an alternative embodiment , the step of positioning the device may involve lifting the device at least partially over the person &# 39 ; s head . referring briefly to fig1 , in some instances an apparatus 900 may comprise an auxiliary power input 910 , a power bus 915 , a power solenoid 916 which acts as a switch for controlling whether power from auxiliary power input 910 reaches power bus 915 , an electric starter 920 and an engine 950 . the electric starter of the vehicle may comprise an electric motor 930 for starting engine 950 , and a starter solenoid 940 , the starter solenoid 940 coupled to the power bus 915 and acting as a switch for controlling whether power applied to power bus 915 reaches electric motor 930 . for such embodiments , a positive voltage on contact 211 activates power solenoid 916 to allow power from the auxiliary power input 910 to pass through the power bus 915 of apparatus 900 . once power is provided to power bus 915 , it is available to all systems of apparatus 900 including , when starter solenoid 940 is activated , the electric motor 930 . thus , specific embodiments and applications of the battery powered cableless starting device have been disclosed . it should be apparent , however , to those skilled in the art that many more modifications besides those already described are possible without departing from the inventive concepts herein . the inventive subject matter , therefore , is not to be restricted except in the spirit of the appended claims . | 7Electricity
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the present invention is directed to a laminated printed package comprising a cellulosic substrate having a sheet of metalized paper printed with graphics applied to the outer surface of the substrate through use of an adhesive . it is a further benefit of the present invention over prior art metalized film cartons that the metalized paper cartons are more environmentally friendly than metalized film cartons because metalized paper repulps and cleans with relative ease promoting recycling . the paper web used in the present invention is preferably a free sheet or groundwood paper that has been metalized . in an embodiment , the metalized paper in coiled form is unwound and printed by conventional techniques , preferably by high speed , offset printing , operating at a speed generally in the range of 1500 to 3200 ft . per minute . after printing , the paper is rewound into coiled form and stored for subsequent application to a cellulosic substrate at the location of the carton manufacturer . alternatively , after the metalized paper is printed , the paper can be used in an inline process , so that it is attached to the cellulosic substrate without having to be wound first . the cellulosic substrate can be produced by conventional procedures and can consist of unbleached virgin kraft pulp , recycled pulp produced from old corrugated containers , newsprint , white office waste , and the like , or mixtures or virgin pulp and recycled pulp . the substrate is produced in one or more plies and generally has a basis weight of 40 lbs . to 90 lbs . per 1 , 000 sq . ft ., and a thickness of 0 . 012 to 0 . 025 inches . when producing beverage carrier , where high tear strength is required in the laminated product , long fiber , virgin soft wood pulp is preferred as the base layer of the substrate , and an outer or top ply of finer fiber hardwood pulp can be applied to the base ply . wet strength chemicals may also be added to the pulp to enhance tear strength characteristics in the presence of moisture . when producing a laminated product that is designed to contain products of lesser weight , such as cereal boxes , milk cartons , or the like , the substrate can be formed of one or more plies of recycled pulp , produced from old corrugated cartons , newsprint , office waste , and the like . the cellulosic substrate , when producing a high strength product , such as a beverage carrier , can be produced by a typical kraft process , in which wood chips are cooked at a temperature of approximately 340 degrees f . with the addition of sodium hydroxide and sodium hydrosulfide ( conventional kraft white liquor ) for a period of about 20 to 60 minutes to dissolve the lignin and hemicellulose . after cooking , the pulp is washed which acts to remove up to 98 % of the treating chemicals . the pulp is then diluted with water to a solids content of about 4 % and treated with sulfuric acid and alum to obtain the desired ph . the pulp stock is then delivered to the headbox of the forming section of the paper making machine , and the pulp slurry is fed from the headbox onto the forming fabric to provide a pulp mat . water is removed from the pulp mat by both gravity and mechanical induced vacuum , and the partially dewatered pulp then passes through the press section and drying section of the paper making machine , in a conventional manner , to produce the dry cellulosic substrate . if the substrate consists of multiple plies , the pulp for each additional ply is fed from a second headbox located downstream of the first headbox onto the base ply to provide the composite structure in a conventional manner . when producing paperboard packaging , such as cereal box , the cellulosic substrate will generally consist of multiple plies of recycled fibers . the pulping of the recycled fibers is carried out in a conventional manner , in which the recycled cellulosic waste is mixed with water and chemical dispersants , such as sodium hydroxide . the mixture is then subjected to a shear type of pulping agitation to break down the cellulosic waste into individual fibers and to liberate inks and toners . during pulping , the dispersant chemicals act to dissociate the ink from the fibers , and disperse the ink particles in the aqueous pulp slurry . following the dispersion , the pulp can then be subjected to conventional ink removal operations , which can be accomplished either by froth floatation or dilution washing . when utilizing virgin unbleached kraft pulp , the cellulosic substrate will be brown in color , while the substrate formed from recycled materials will generally be grey in color . at the site of the carton manufacturer , the printed metalized paper is uncoiled , and continuously bonded to the moving sheet of the cellulosic substrate through use of an adhesive . the metalized paper with the adhesive on its under surface is then applied to the upper surface of the cellulosic substrate to provide a laminated product which is passed through compression rolls to firmly bond the printed metalized paper to the substrate . in the laminated product , in a preferred embodiment , the printed metalized paper extends over the entire surface area of the substrate . the laminated product is then die cut into a plurality of sections or segments of the desired shape or configuration . each section is then folded and glued to form an open - ended box - like structure , and the flat boxes are then shipped to the manufacturer of the product to be contained . at the site of the product manufacturer , the flat boxes are opened , the product inserted , and the end flaps are then glued to provide the final packaged product that can be sent for distribution . in certain instances , items , such as beverage cans , inserted into the laminated package may be cold or refrigerated , and in this case , moisture may condense on the cans . it has been found that the condensed moisture may tend to warp or disfigure the laminated package . to overcome this problem , a layer of water absorbent kraft paper , corrugated medium or newsprint , can be applied to the inner surface of the cellulose substrate or base layer , through use of a water resistant adhesive which can take the form of an epoxy resin , urea formaldehyde resin , or the like . any moisture condensing on the refrigerated cans will be absorbed in the inner layer of cellulosic material and will not migrate through the laminated package due to the barrier created by the water resistant adhesive , thus eliminating warping or other disfigurement of the package . in a further embodiment , a layer or film of water resistant material , such as polyethylene film , can be applied to the inner face of the cellulosic substrate prior to cutting and folding of the laminated material . the water resistant film will prevent migration of water or moisture through the laminated package to aid in minimizing any warpage or disfigurement of the package . the invention combines the strength of the publishing business with the need for enhanced graphics in packaging , by laminating printed rolls of metalized paper to a heavier weight cellulosic substrate , immediately preceding the die cutting , folding and gluing process . | 8General tagging of new or cross-sectional technology
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in the following description , for the purposes of explanation , numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a more thorough understanding of the present invention . it will be apparent , however , to one skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced without these specific details . fig1 depicts an exemplary embodiment of a lta device in accordance with the present invention . in fig1 lta device 100 includes buoyant element 102 containing a lta gas , and a flexible surface 104 . seam 106 runs along the length of buoyant element 102 , whereas seams 108 and 110 runs along the height of buoyant element 102 . as for the shape of the element , for the same reasons as applied to conventional lta devices , a sphere is the most efficient shape , i . e ., it encloses the greatest volume with the least surface area . it is noted that a spherically shaped lta device may practically be considered only in the academic sense . in particular , an lta device must respond to several forces , and corresponding moments . non - limiting examples of forces include gravity , buoyancy , thrust , and pressure , whereas the corresponding non - limiting examples of moments include the moments which act upon the center of gravity , center of buoyancy , center ( or axis ) of thrust , and center of pressure , respectively . unfortunately , the vector quantities ( weight , buoyancy , thrust , and aerodynamic lift and drag ) are never co - located , and all are capable of fairly large changes in location and magnitude over relatively short periods of time . consequently , an lta device that is generically termed “ spherically shaped ,” is not in actuality in the shape of a sphere . more specifically , as a result of the external forces and moments acting upon the lta device , the shape is distorted , so as not to resemble a sphere . however , the terms “ sphere ” and “ spherical ” are used herein to describe an lta device that would be a sphere , absent the effect of external forces and moments . similarly , for the same reasons as applied to conventional lta devices , a simple cylindrical , or tubular , balloon of equal volume may be lighter than a spherical balloon as a result of fewer seams . further , for the same reasons as described above with respect to a spherical lta , a cylindrical or tubular lta may not have , in actuality , the shape of a cylinder or tube , respectively . however , the terms “ cylindrical ” and “ tubular ” are used herein to describe an lta device that would be a cylinder or tube , absent the effect of external forces and moments . of course , most any shape element may be used for an lta device in accordance with the present invention , so long as its size and shape permit sufficient lift for the element itself in addition to the flexible material attached thereto . the flexible material may be created as a unitary fabric or assembled by connecting multiple segments of similar or dissimilar fabrics . an individual working surface may incorporate embedded or attachable power and signal lines , special tensile strength members and attachment points , such as eyelets or “ velcro ” pads . as for the flexible material , the types , sizes , shapes , and other characteristics of materials may be chosen depending on the intended use of the lta device non - limiting examples of materials that may be used in accordance with the present invention include existing gas tight fabrics such as those used in the present generation of airships and aerostats . the sizes and shapes of flexible materials of a lta device in accordance with the present invention may be chosen to fit design parameters commensurate with the designed lift of the buoyant element . non - limiting examples of characteristics of materials to be considered when choosing the flexible materials of a lta device in accordance with the present invention include density , tensile strength , elasticity , reflectance , transparency , opacity , color , cost , and durability in field service . as described above , the choice of the material for the flexible material of the lta device in accordance with the present invention may be dependent , among other things , upon the intended use of the lta device . for example , for use as a fog harvester , a porous material having proficient hydrophobic properties should be chosen , so as to permit the condensed water to drip down the flexible surface to a water collector at the bottom . for use as an air dam / wind break , a material with high tensile strength and low elasticity may be chosen so as to be sturdy without stretching under the wind force . for use as a turning vane for windmills , as a stirring vane for frost prevention , or as a sail , primary or secondary ship propulsion , the material should be highly flexible so that it can be folded and stowed for extended periods without damage . for use as a visual barrier ( e . g . a privacy screen or alternatively a movie screen ) a material may be chosen having a desired reflectance , transparency , opacity , and color . for use as various mechanical barriers , a material may be chosen having a desired filtration ability in light of the particulate to be filtered ; a porous membrane for filtering vapor or small pollen and dust particles , a screen for larger items such as bugs , leaves and construction debris , and netting for birds and large items . fig2 depicts another exemplary embodiment of a lta device in accordance with the present invention . in fig2 lta device 200 includes buoyant element 202 having two end faces 208 and 210 and containing an lta gas , and a flexible surface 204 . seam 206 runs along the length of buoyant element 202 , whereas seams 212 and 214 runs along the circumference of each respective end face 208 and 210 . fig3 a - 3c illustrate an exemplary method of manufacturing a lta device in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention . a top portion of sheet 300 of material , as depicted in fig3 a , is rolled onto itself to form a tubular element , as depicted in fig3 a . sheet 300 may be a unitary piece of material . alternatively , sheet 300 may be a composition of a plurality of segmented pieces attached together by known methods , non - limiting examples of which include sewing , buttons , pressure sensitive adhesives , thermo - sensitive adhesives , etc . as for the composition of sheet 300 , many materials may be used , limited by factors such as their respective density , cost , and availability , in addition to their respective characteristics pertaining to a particular intended use as will be described further below . once the top portion of sheet 300 is rolled onto itself , it may be attached along a seam 302 . the seam 302 may be created by known methods , non - limiting examples of which include sewing , buttons , pressure sensitive adhesives , thermo - sensitive adhesives , etc . end portions 304 and 306 , which may or may not be comprised of a material different than that of sheet 300 , may then be attached to both open ends of the rolled top portion of sheet 300 by known methods along respective seams 308 and 310 . a device 314 is thus produced , comprising element 306 and flexible surface 312 . in the embodiment of fig1 end portions are not attached to both open ends of the rolled top portion of the sheet . alternatively , in this embodiment , the end portions of the rolled top portion of the sheet are closed with seams 108 and 110 by known methods . non - limiting examples of other methods of attaching the flexible material to the element , as opposed to direct attachment , include remote attachment with lines , chains , netting , etc . fig4 depicts yet another exemplary embodiment of a lta device in accordance with the present invention . specifically , fig4 illustrates how a preexisting lta device may be modified include a usable flexible surface in accordance with the present invention . in fig4 lta device 400 includes ; spherical balloon 402 containing a lta gas , and a flexible surface 404 . seam 406 runs along the lower perimeter of buoyant element 402 . fig5 depicts yet another embodiment of lta device 500 in accordance with the present invention in which a plurality of flexible surfaces 504 and 506 are attached to element 502 . anchors 510 and 514 are attached to respective flexible surfaces 504 and 506 by lines 508 and 512 , respectively . as such , flexible surfaces 504 and 506 may be disposed at a desired distance x , thereby providing a floating enclosure for containing flow of materials such as wind or artificial snow from a snow making machine . furthermore , the lta device 500 may be moved , while retaining its shape , by moving the anchors such as by towing each with a vehicle . further applications of a lta device in accordance with the present invention will now be discussed . fig6 depicts an exemplary method of using a lta device in accordance with the present invention as a mast - less sail for a boat . in fig6 lta device 602 includes ; element 606 containing a lta gas , and a flexible surface 608 , wherein the lta device 602 attached to the deployment rigging 626 , which is pivotally mounted to boat 604 . seam 610 runs along the length of buoyant element 606 , whereas seams 618 and 620 runs along the circumference of each respective end face 612 and 614 . control lines 622 and 624 may optionally be added to inhibit twisting of the element 606 relative to the deployment rigging 626 . in operation as a mast - less sail , as exemplified in fig6 first the element 606 must be inflated with a lta gas . once inflated , the buoyancy of element 606 enables deployment of the mast - less sail , which will be discussed in detail below . fig7 depicts an exemplary deployment rigging to be used with boat having a lta device in accordance with the present invention . the deployment rigging 626 includes left and right crossbars 702 and 704 respectfully , meet at a t - section 706 , which is mounted into rotatable base plate 708 , which is fastened into the deck of the boat . winding bar 714 is rotatably mounted between crossbars 702 and 704 . end plates 710 and 712 , concentrically mounted to the winding bar 714 , assure even retracting and deploying of the flexible material . gear 728 , additionally concentrically mounted to winding bar 714 , is meshed with chain 726 . motor 716 provides power to turn the winding bar 714 in either one of a retracting and deploying direction . a manual crank may be used in place of motor 716 . the power transmission system includes chain 718 , receiving gear 722 , transfer bar 720 , gear 724 and chain 726 . the transfer bar 720 is mounted to crossbar 704 by support members 730 and 732 . in operation , motor 716 drives chain 718 to rotate transfer bar 720 via gear 722 . the rotation of transfer bar 720 , and consequently gear 724 , drives chain 726 , which then rotates winding bar 714 , via gear 728 , to thereby retract or deploy the flexible material . motor 716 thus fully deploys or detracts the flexible material , thereby raising or lowering the mast - less sail once deployed , the mast - less sail may be steered by rotating the rotatable base plate 708 , such as with a controllable motor ( not shown ). fig8 a is a cross - sectional view of the winding bar 714 with the flexible material 608 mounted therein and fully deployed . as seen in fig8 a , the flexible material includes an end 802 , which contains a member 806 , wherein circumference of end 802 is too large to pass through slit 804 in the winding bar 714 . fig8 b is a cross - sectional view of the winding bar 714 with the flexible material 608 mounted therein , after the winding bar 714 has been rotated in a direction w , for a time t . fig9 illustrates an exemplary system and method for assembling the flexible material 608 with the winding bar 714 . as illustrated in fig9 endplate 710 is removeably mounted to winding bar 714 via a collar 906 , that contains projections 908 that slidably mate with slots 904 in winding bar 714 . as a result of the mated connection of projections 908 and the slots 904 , as the winding bar 714 rotates , endplate 710 additionally rotates . endplate 710 additionally includes mounting bar 910 to be mounted into left crossbar 702 . with endplate 710 removed from winding bar 714 , the flexible material 608 may be inserted into winding bar 714 by guiding the end 802 into inlet 902 such that the remainder of the flexible material may slide along slit 804 . once the flexible material 608 is inserted into the winding bar 714 , endplate 710 is remounted to contain the flexible material 608 therein . fig1 illustrates an exemplary system and method for assembling the winding bar 714 with left cross bar 702 . as illustrated in fig1 , the end of crossbar 702 includes a locking latch portion 1002 , having a receiving groove 1004 therein . although a locking mechanism is not shown , any known locking mechanism may be used . once latch portion 1002 is opened , mounting bar 910 of endplate 710 may be inserted to rest on a groove 1004 located therein . a second groove , not shown , formed in the non - latch portion of the end of crossbar 702 additionally receives the mounting bar 910 when the latch portion is closed . of course , various lubricants , bearings , or other friction reducing mechanisms may be used at the junction of the left cross bar 702 and endplate 710 , in order to decrease friction and permit smooth rotation of the winding bar 714 . fig1 illustrates an exemplary system and method for assembling the winding bar 714 with right cross bar 704 . as illustrated in fig1 , the end of crossbar 704 includes a locking latch portion 1104 , having a receiving groove 1106 therein . although a locking mechanism is not shown , any known locking mechanism may be used . once latch portion 1104 is opened , mounting bar 1102 of endplate 712 may be inserted to rest on a groove 1104 located therein . a second groove , not shown , formed in the non - latch portion of the end of crossbar 704 additionally receives the mounting bar 1102 when the latch portion is closed . of course , various lubricants , bearings , or other friction reducing mechanisms may be used at the junction of the left cross bar 704 and endplate 712 , in order to decrease friction and permit smooth rotation of the winding bar 714 . in the exemplary embodiment of the winding bar as described above with reference to fig1 - 11 , the winding bar is loaded into the crossbars in a direction between the direction facing down and a direction facing the rear of the boat . this loading direction is chosen to maximize the integrity of the latches in the crossbars retain the winding bar . more specifically , the buoyancy of the mast - less sail will produce a force pulling the winding bar in a direction up from the deck of the ship , while the wind will produce a force pulling the winding bar in a direction toward the front of the ship . as such , the exemplary embodiment of the present invention provides the integral portion of the end of the crossbars to withstand such pulling forces , whereas the latches in the crossbars merely retain the winding bar . however , the latches may be provided in any position of the crossbar in order to provide numerous winding bar mounting designs . deployment of an lta device is not limited to the exemplary embodiment as described above with respect to fig7 - 11 . on the contrary , any deployment and corresponding retrieval technique known in the sailing industry may be used . a non - limiting example of which includes reefing . in another exemplary method of using an lta device in accordance with the present invention as a mast - less sail . for example , the combination of element and flexible surface is mounted to the port or starboard side of the vessel . in particular , one end of the flexible surface is fastened to the vessel . non - limiting examples of means for fastening may include a plurality of lines and individually controlled winches , or any other known spar , boom , or sail deployment system . the other end of the flexible surface is connected to the element as described , for example , above . mounting the lta device along the hull of the ship lowers the applied force and reduces the healing moment , over that of conventional mast - sail systems . furthermore , such a use of an lta device in accordance with the present invention may be employed to propel other objects through fluids . in another application , for example as a fog harvester , an lta in accordance with the present invention may work best under calm or light wind conditions . the large exposed surface and its supporting balloon , with or without additional cooling , efficiently condenses and collects airborne aerosols . if there is insufficient wind , or if the purpose is to clear fog from a specific area , such as an airport runway , the entire assembly 1202 can be propelled against the wind down the entire length of the runway , for example by way of towing from a vehicle 1204 , as illustrated in fig1 . in another application , as illustrated in fig1 , an lta 1300 in accordance with the present invention includes a low - tethered ( low - tethered as differentiated from high tethered . . . fastened close to the ground .) balloon 1302 having an attached segmented skirt 1304 , wherein the lta 1300 may be used as a tent . fig1 illustrates a modification of the lta device of fig1 , wherein a displacement ring 1402 is provided to increase the usable area under the low - tethered balloon 1302 . although certain specific embodiments of the present invention have been disclosed , it is noted that the present invention may be embodied in other forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof the present embodiments are therefor to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive , the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims , and all changes that come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein . | 1Performing Operations; Transporting
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the present invention provides a solution to the disadvantages of the first and second conventional methods of checking design rules as explained above . from a broad perspective , the method generally applies the right set of rules to the right regions of the mask pattern data . to simplify the process ( i . e ., to avoid having to create an entire set of design rule checks from scratch , or to harmonize several different types of design rules from different memory cell vendors ) and ensure its accuracy with respect to any particular set of foundry rules , the customized design rules are based on modifying a standard set of logic rules as needed to reflect needs of particular regions in the chip . thus , a customized design rule is created for each different type of region that may be present on the chip , and this customized design rule is in fact simply based on pushing more liberal parameters onto stricter parameters contained in the standard logic rules , and only in circumstances where it is necessary to do so . accordingly , because different types of circuitry ( logic , memory ) may require different processing steps , lithographic constraints , etc ., they can be treated independently by the present invention to ensure that design rules are accurately resolved for a system on chip integrated circuit design which uses a mix or blend of such circuitry . for instance , since memory circuits tend to be more aggressively sized and manufacturable than comparably sized and spaced logic designs , the former are subject to fewer layout constraints . these constraints include , among other things , minimum feature size , allowed feature shapes . ( i . e ., avoiding notches and similar undesirable shapes ), minimum distances between different types of feature shapes , etc . for example , a gate width might be smaller in a memory design than a logic design , and the minimum spacing between two signal lines may be smaller as well . allowable contact sizes and feature shapes may vary from region to region . other examples will be apparent to those skilled in the art . this system and method is described below with reference to fig4 . a system 400 includes a conventional computer system and various software routines and libraries for performing a design rule check as now explained . in particular , system 400 includes a standard logic design rule ( for logic areas ) 410 that is supplemented by additional customized logic rules 411 - 414 ( for other types of areas such as specialized memory areas ). one or more rules from this set are used to check a design in gds form 430 , depending on the types of regions presented in the ic . for example , if logic and ( bdsp ) sram were included in a design , both of these design rules would be used by design rule checker 440 ( a software routine operating on the computer system ) to check different areas of an ic layout as explained below . as seen in fig4 , each type of memory has its own set of customized rules to check against with . note that in fig4 , “ bdsp sram ” stands for bordered single port static random access memory ; “ blsp sram ” stands for borderless single port static random access memory ; “ dp sram ” stands for dual port static random access memory and “ rom ” stands for read only memory . the result is that a design rule check result 450 includes a number of separate error reports for layout violations detected in a layer ( or layers ) of an ic , including 451 ( for real logic errors ) 452 ( for real bdsp sram errors ) 453 ( for real blsp sram errors ) 454 ( for real dp sram errors ) and 455 ( for real rom errors ). similar customized design rules could be created , of course , for embedded dram , flash , etc . the necessity for manual checking , and the possibility of so - called “ false ” errors , is substantially eliminated . this principle could be extended beyond just memories , of course , to include other design rules for other areas that have differing design rule requirements . a system 500 which derives the customized memory rules from standard logic design rules is shown in fig5 . note that the system 500 also can be any conventional computing system appropriately configured with the libraries , files and routines explained herein , and in fact , in a preferred embodiment , is the same system as system 400 noted earlier . the first step performed by system 500 is to run a design rule check with checker 540 on a memory bit cell mask pattern data 530 ( from the appropriate memory type ) against a design rule command file 520 that consists of only standard foundry logic rules 510 . from this report 550 — an example of which is shown in fig7 a for a bdsp sram — a list of violations is created at 551 as presented by the bit cells . in other words , the various features of the memory cell are checked against standard logic rules to determine where they will fail , and to generate a comprehensive list of all possible errors . these errors are analyzed to determine how the standard logic rules 510 should be modified for a customized design rule set for the particular memory cell for this vendor . thus , an analysis of the actual memory design rules of such memory cell is made at step 560 , and then the appropriate parameter ( minimum dimension ) is then “ pushed ” onto a modified form of the standard logic design rules to create a set of distinct and separate design rules 571 - 575 at step 570 . further examples are illustrated in fig7 b and 7c for blsp and dp sram cells in such memories for a 0 . 18 micron design as tested against the present assignee &# 39 ; s own generic design rules as published as of the current date ( version 2 . 2 p0 ). it is apparent that different violations would be presented by different logic and memory design rules , so that different types of parameters would be pushed as needed onto standard logic rules when creating customized design rules . all these extracted values are used to derive customized memory rules ( 571 - 575 ) for each type of memories . thus , this invention can be applied to any mask pattern database , including one having no memory blocks , or even multiple types of memory blocks . the only modification required to implement the present invention using conventional gds formatted data is that different types of memory should be identified in some way , such as with different memory id layers to defined core bit cell regions . this can be done in advance , by modifying the gds data file directly , by adding a distinct memory id layer on top of each type of memory to identify such different respective memory region types . other techniques for identifying such layers will be apparent to those skilled in the art , and the present invention is by no means limited to any particular embodiment in this respect . the main goal is simply to ensure that design rule checker 540 is able to correlate a particular region in a layer with a particular set of design rules , and this can be accomplished in any number of ways either explicitly or implicitly . fig6 a and 6b illustrate the relationships of different polygons on a mask pattern data , and shows how different design rules are effectuated on a layer 600 within the chip layout . for polygons 610 , 615 within a logic area 605 , logic rules 620 should be applied . for polygons 630 , 635 within a memory area 625 , memory rules 640 should be applied . for a polygon 660 that is an intermediate area , i . e ., extending from a logic area 605 to a polygon within a memory area 625 , logic rules 620 are also applied in a preferred embodiment . this is because memory rules can only apply to polygons within the memory area due to different process impact . as suggested earlier , the conventional prior art methods do not and cannot distinguish between logic polygons and memory polygons within a layer . therefore , the same set of rules is used to check against all polygons in a mask pattern data regardless of logic and memory regions , and this leads to improper results . the manner in which the invention checks different regions with different design rules is shown in fig6 b as follows . first , in a particular layer a 600 of a layout , a polygon 605 in a logic area is derived as a_logic whereas a polygon 625 of layer a in a memory area is derived as a_memory . to satisfy a foundry &# 39 ; s design rules for implementing a design into silicon , some minimum geometric constraints or dimensions must be observed ; these include : a ) minimum a_logic to a_logic spacing defined as logic_value ; b ) minimum a_memory to a_memory spacing defined as memory_value ; and c ) minimum spacing between a_logic and a_memory is also defined as logic_value . accordingly , an appropriate standard logic design rile check is executed on region a_logic 605 using logic rules 571 , and not on any other region . a_logic is derived as layer a not memory ). this yields any appropriate errors for this logic region of this layer , and is accurate for such region . next , any memory regions 625 are treated ( by examining their id ) in accordance with an appropriate memory region design rule ( 572 - 575 ). the a_memory layer is derived as ( layer a and layer memory ). this yields any appropriate errors for this memory region of this layer , and is accurate for such memory region . any other memory regions are examined in the same way , with a design rule selected based on a particular memory id . it is apparent , of course , that the sequence is not critical , and that the steps could be reversed . it is only important that the appropriate region receive proper treatment in accordance with an appropriate design rule . all of the above processes can be performed in software with a conventional computer system as noted earlier that is adapted to execute the types of code described herein . moreover , the aforementioned software routines / programs may be implemented using any number of well - known computer languages known to those skilled in the art in this area , and thus the invention is not limited in this regard . accordingly , the invention ensures that all types of memory regions have to fulfill all memory rules of their group . correspondingly , all logic regions have to fulfill logic and memory rules ( all logic regions that passed logic rules should have also passed memory rules since memory rules are looser compare to logic rules ). the process is superior to prior art techniques in that it avoids false errors , and is more reliable , mote efficient , etc . thus , as noted fig4 , mask pattern data 430 is fed into design rule checker 440 to check against both the logic and different memory rules as such may be needed . it is understood , of course , that in the case where an ic does not require mixed types of circuit types ( i . e ., logic and memory ) that it may not be necessary to run both types of checks on each layer . the output of this process is a design rule check result file 450 . the results consist of only real logic 451 and real memory errors 452 . thus , the present method divides layers of a mask pattern data into logic , bdsp , blsp ; dp and rom regions ( or as many regions as there are different circuit types ) so that the right sets of rules will only apply to the right regions . in this manner , false design rules are eliminated , and the implementation of circuit designs into silicon form is expedited as well . although the present invention has been described in terms of a preferred embodiment , it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that many alterations and modifications may be made to such embodiments without departing from the teachings of the present invention . in addition , many other industries , including liquid crystal display manufacturing and similar micro - patterned technologies , may benefit from the teachings herein . accordingly , it is intended that the all such alterations and modifications be included within the scope and spirit of the invention as defined by the following claims . | 6Physics
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the non - rotating protector p is illustrated in fig2 . the drillpipe 28 supports split collar 30 . split collar 30 has two pieces that are bolted , screwed , or clamped together . the bolts , the threads , the clamps are not shown in fig2 . split collar 30 has an internal shoulder 32 adjacent surfaces 34 and 36 ( see fig3 ). radial surface 38 is covered by the wear pad 40 . the sleeve 42 has a cage 44 extending therethrough , as shown in fig2 and 3 . the cage 44 is a rigid reinforced member which is attached to and stiffens the sleeve and additionally handles the radial and axial bearing function . in other words there is now load transmission throughout the sleeve 42 which transfers mechanical wear to a location other than the od wear of the sleeve itself . the sleeve 42 itself see &# 39 ; s only od wear no shoulder wear . the cage 44 extends beyond the upper end 46 of sleeve 42 . cage 44 has a radially extending tab 48 on which is found radial surface 50 . wear pad 52 is mounted in opposed orientation with wear pad 40 for eventual contact in response to loads applied to the sleeve 42 when in contact with the casing or borehole ( not shown ) such that a longitudinal force in an uphole direction is applied to sleeve 42 which will be happen when drilling or tripping in the hole . this condition is depicted in fig4 . wear pad 52 and wear pad 40 can be made of one singular ring structure or of multiple segments . the cage 44 has a tab 54 which defines an annularly shaped radial top surface 56 . as seen in fig4 when the wear pads 40 and 52 make contact , a gap 58 exists between surface 56 and surface 36 , which is part of split collar 30 . thus , when an uphole force is delivered to the sleeve 42 , while the drill pipe 28 is rotating , wear pads 40 and 52 contact each other to absorb the thrust load . the cage 44 can be hinged ( not shown ) in an effort to allow easy installation because the open - end could not be easily spread to go around the pipe if a hinge isn &# 39 ; t used . the cage 44 can also have a wavy fluted or corrugated appearance ( not shown ) and openings like holes and slots ( not shown ) to enhance the bonding effect of other materials to the cage 44 . the sleeve 42 can be made of heat resistant nitrile rubber or polyurethane . the split collar 30 can be made of steel , aluminum or zinc alloy . referring to fig2 the sleeve 42 has an outer surface 64 which can contain a series of elongated wear pads 66 . the pads 66 can also be in segmented form , as shown on the left - hand portion of fig2 . thus , the outer surface 64 can be substantially covered with a wear sleeve 66 or with longitudinal segments serving as wear pads 66 , or even split circumferential bands , as illustrated on the left - hand side of fig2 as an alternative embodiment . referring again to fig3 it can be seen that the split collar 30 has a wear pad 68 mounted to shoulder 32 . the cage 44 comprises radial surface 70 on which is mounted a wear pad 72 . when downhole thrust forces are applied to the sleeve 42 , the wear pads 68 and 72 connect , as shown in fig3 such that relative rotation exists as the movement of the sleeve 42 stops when it encounters the casing and the split ring or collar 30 continues to rotate because it is connected to the drillpipe 60 . wear pad 68 and wear pad 70 can be made of one singular ring structure or of multiple segments . when the sleeve 42 is subjected to a longitudinal force in a downhole direction , as illustrated in fig3 a gap 74 exists as wear pads 72 and 68 make contact . by virtue of the gap 74 , shown in fig3 and gap 58 , shown in fig4 the sleeve 42 does not come into rubbing contact with a metallic component such as the split collar 30 . the wear pads , such as 38 , 68 , 70 , and 52 , can be formed from any variety of materials depending on the particular well application and the durability that is desired . to some extent , the circulating drilling fluids in the annular space will facilitate lubrication and removal of heat generated due to the mating rotating contact between pairs of wear pads as previously described . additional grooves 39 which are placed in the mating surfaces of the wear pads 38 , 68 , 70 , and 52 will support the lubrication and heat removal . fig5 illustrates an alternative embodiment wherein the split collar 30 is of a nonrenewable design featuring an integral wear pad 76 that rubs directly on radial surface 78 of tab 80 , which is part of the cage 44 . the top of the cage 44 has an integral wear pad 82 which opposes radial surface 84 and forms a clearance 86 when wear pad 76 contacts surface 78 , as illustrated in fig5 . this occurs when the sleeve 42 is subjected to a longitudinal load in an uphole direction . wear pad 76 and wear pad 82 can be made of one singular ring structure or of multiple connected segments . when the load on sleeve 42 is reversed , the cage 44 with sleeve 42 moves downwardly until surfaces 88 and 90 connect to resist loads placed on the sleeve 42 in a downhole direction . again , in this embodiment , the cage 44 is part of the bi - directional thrust bearing and , in conjunction with split collars 30 , forms the balance of the bi - directional thrust bearing . under load , the thrust bearing assembly wears by design while protecting the softer rubber or other resilient component used to make sleeve 42 from direct contact with the thrust bearing components , thereby minimizing the wear from thrust loading on sleeve 42 . the relative rotation between the drillpipe 28 and the sleeve 42 can be improved by use of bearings or bearing segments 92 and 94 . each of the bearings 92 and 94 are preferably of the roller type , split into two 180 ° components and retained by cages 96 and 98 , respectively . the bearing cages 96 and 98 with are interposed between the cage 44 of the sleeve 42 and the pipe 28 function as planet gears relatively to the sleeve 42 which acts as an outer ring and the pipe 28 which acts as a sun gear of a planetary train . that means the non - rotating pipe protector system is actually a friction driven planetary train . the cages 96 and 98 which connect the balls or rollers are the arm of the planetary train systems . therefore , the rotating torque will be even more reduced by an amount of approximately 10 - 20 % due to the rolling movement as compared to frictional sliding movement . the seal 110 which is placed in the id of the shoulder of the sleeve 42 in opposite to the split rings 30 will reduce cuttings and mud flowing between the pipe 28 and the sleeve 42 . fig7 shows a cross - section through one of the bearings illustrating the use of rollers 100 against the drillpipe 28 . the bearing cages 98 which are interposed between the cage 44 of the sleeve 42 and the pipe 28 are illustrated in fig7 . those skilled in the art will now appreciate that the illustrated design for a non - rotating protector describes features which present a clear improvement over prior designs . the illustrated design of the preferred embodiment is an economical construction which , if used with the wear pads as shown in fig3 and 4 , facilitates reuse upon renewal of the wear pads . the thrust loads are conveyed from the sleeve 42 directly into the thrust bearing assembly illustrated in fig3 , or 5 , and the sleeve material is protected from contact with the thrust bearing components . the cage 44 , which is provided to give strength to the sleeve 42 and to be used in securing the sleeve 42 around the drillpipe 28 , also acts as the conduit for longitudinal forces in both directions . the thrust bearing assembly can be used above the sleeve 42 , as shown in fig2 or it could be used below the sleeve 42 without departing from the spirit of the invention . if desired , the thrust bearing can be made unidirectional and a pair of thrust bearings employed above and below the sleeve 42 , using a construction where the cage 44 extends outwardly from both ends of the sleeve 42 to form a portion of two thrust bearings located at opposite ends , each functioning to resist a thrust load in an opposite direction from the other . the wear pads 66 , as shown in fig2 can be secured to the cage 44 , as shown schematically in fig6 using ties 102 . the illustrated design of the preferred embodiment is also a construction which , if used will reduce the time to install the non - rotating pipe protector by 50 % compared to presently utilized designs . the amount of initial clearance between the drillpipe 28 and the sleeve 42 can be varied according to the application , as well as the construction dimensionally of the bi - directional thrust bearing illustrated in fig3 and 4 . the sleeve 42 can also have internal liners which can wear preferentially before the actual material of sleeve 42 wears on its internal diameter . the foregoing disclosure and description of the invention are illustrative and explanatory thereof , and various changes in the size , shape and materials , as well as in the details of the illustrated construction , may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention . | 4Fixed Constructions
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the basic elements for the apparatus described by this invention are shown as a block diagram in fig1 . the apparatus consists of a light source , excitation filters , focusing optics , collection optics , emission filters and detectors . electromagnetic radiation is directed from the light source towards the sample , passing through the excitation filters and focusing optics if necessary , to excite the intrinsic fluorophores in the sample . the scattered and reflected excitation radiation , along with the emitted fluorescence radiation , are collected with the collection optics and directed towards the detectors . emission filters ensure that only the energies of interest are measured . various embodiments of the invention , including different configurations and utilizing diverse components , are possible . the fundamental components for this microbial detection method permit : the excitation of multiple intrinsic microbial fluorophores , collection and detection of emitted and reflected / scattered light energies , and analysis of the detected signals with a method that is able to correct for background interferences and compare the relative signal strengths to known physiological parameters . the configuration and components employed in any apparatus using this method should be matched with the application requirements and expected interferences . it is possible , and sometimes desirable , to utilize a light source that provides a broad band illumination . the kind of light source employed is influenced by its ability to produce electromagnetic radiation of the wavelengths required to excite the intrinsic microbial components of interest . additionally , it is sometimes desirable to use a pulsed light source allowing measurement of the environmental background during the off cycle . the light sources that can be used include lamps with various bulbs ( e . g ., mercury , tungsten , deuterium , xenon ), light emitting diodes ( leds ), and diode lasers specific for the required excitation energies . the kind of light source used depends upon the intensity of excitation radiation needed and detection limit required . the excitation and emission filters used in the various embodiments of the invention include interference filters , impregnated glass , series of cutoff filters , gelatin filters , monochrometers , gratings and the like . the light cutoff characteristics of the emission filters used depend on how much of the scattered and reflected excitation radiation signal can be tolerated by the analysis method or what detection limit is required . if light sources having only the energies of interest are employed , the excitation filters may not be necessary ; if the light source is collimated ( such as a laser ) then the focusing optic may not be required . ( the purpose of the focusing optic is to direct the excitation radiation to the sampling area or volume .) it is important to note that with multi - photon excitation it is possible to use light sources with energies less than the excitation energies of the fluorophores of interest . the purpose of the collection optics is to deliver the light emitted from the excited microbial fluorophores and that scattered and reflected from the sample to the detectors . if interference filters are utilized to discriminate these emission energies , then the collected light needs to be collimated for these filters to work optimally . fiberoptic cables can also be used to both deliver the excitation radiation to the sample and to collect the emitted radiation and direct it towards the detectors . it is possible , and sometimes desirable , to utilize polished metal reflective , sapphire , fused silica , quartz , mgf 2 , and / or caf 2 optical components as many optical components exhibit fluorescence in the ultraviolet and visible range . the detectors are used to convert the emitted electromagnetic radiation into an electrical signal that can be measured . numerous detectors , with different sensitivities , can be utilized in the embodiments of the invention : photomultiplier tubes ( pmts ), avalanche photodiodes ( apds ), pin diodes , ccds , and the like . the detector chosen would depend upon the energy of the radiation to be detected , the strength of the emission signal , and the required detection limit of the apparatus . the collected emission energies , having been converted to amplified electrical signals , are analyzed with a method capable of removing any background fluorescence and scattered excitation contributions . the choice of excitation and emission energies used in a specific embodiment depends upon the target microbes and their expected physiological status . table i lists the excitation and emission ranges of some of the more abundant intrinsic fluorescent compounds found in various microbes ( and proteinaceous toxins ) and indicates their likely presence in each . ( proteinaceous microbial toxins can be detected using this method and apparatus in a manner similar to that used for the detection of viruses .) table i excitation and emission ranges for microbial fluorophores . excitation emission non - range range viable viable ( nm ) ( nm ) fluorophore cells cells spores viruses toxins 260 - 285 340 - 360 nucleic acids x x x x 265 - 280 340 - 360 tryptophan x x x x x 265 - 280 340 - 360 tyrosine x x x x x 270 - 280 380 - 400 atp x 270 - 290 460 - 480 ca - dipic x 310 - 330 400 - 430 ca - dipic x 320 - 330 430 - 450 rpn x 340 - 365 430 - 450 rpn x 340 - 360 470 - 490 rpn x 430 - 450 520 - 535 flavins x 470 - 485 560 - 580 flavins x 560 - 585 615 - 680 porphyrins x x 560 - 580 620 - 700 flavins x x 610 - 650 750 - 800 unknown x x 650 - 670 730 - 780 unknown x x ( in table i , atp is adenosine triphosphate and rpn refers to the reduced pyridine nucleotides .) [ 0043 ] fig2 shows the emission spectra of a bacterial solution ( bacillus thuringiensis ) in a minimally fluorescing media when excited with light at 345 nm . the solid line shows the observed emission spectra of the bacteria and the dashed line indicates the contribution of the rayleigh scattering to this spectra . subtraction of the rayleigh background from the observed spectra results in the true emission spectra due to the metabolites excited by 345 nm light ( fig3 d ). the magnitude of the background from rayleigh scattering at wavelength λ can be described by the equation : ( in this equation , i is the intensity of the incident light ; a is determined by the experimental conditions ; the value for the constant c is typically determined by the characteristics of the instrument used to collect the data .) the combined emission spectrum of the bacterial solution when excited with 325 nm , 345 nm and 570 nm shows minima near 515 nm and 850 nm . the measured fluorescence intensities at 515 nm and 850 nm are used to calculate the unknown values of a and c from the aforementioned equation , ultimately allowing for the subtraction of the background signal from the detected signal . ralyleigh scattering background subtraction is particularly suited for liquid and air samples ; other sample media exhibit different backgrounds and can be treated with the appropriate methods ( e . g ., mie scattering , etc .). [ 0045 ] fig3 shows the background - subtracted emission spectra of viable bacteria , non - viable bacteria and spore solutions ( bacillus thuringiensis ) due to the various intrinsic fluorophores excited at 280 nm ( a ), 315 nm ( b ), 325 nm ( c ), 345 nm ( d ), 570 nm ( e ) and 660 nm ( f ). fig4 shows the obvious differences of the fluorescence signals ( normalized to the emission at 440 nm after background subtraction ) between said viable cell ( a ), non - viable cell ( b ) and the spore ( c ) solutions . the analysis method uses these differences between the viable cells , non - viable cells and spore solutions to distinguish between these in samples . the magnitudes of the detected and background - subtracted signals are used to quantitate the number of microbes in the sample . in the one embodiment of the invention , the use of excitation filters at 325 nm , 345 nm and 570 nm would allow for the detection of and discrimination between live cells , dead cells and spores . these excitation filters would allow the excitation of reduced pyridine nucleotides , various flavins , calcium dipicolinate , hemoproteins and other components . the selection of filters for the emission detection of the excited fluorophores would include those at 405 nm , 440 nm , 480 nm and 650 nm ; these filters correspond to maxima in the emission spectra of the excited flurophores . additionally , other emission filters ( 545 nm and 850 nm ) allow for the determination of the magnitude of the reflected / scattered background . to achieve a low detection limit , the following configuration was constructed . a pulsed xenon lamp was used as the light source with interference excitation filters . a focusing optic is added to collimate the light before the interference filters . the focusing and collection optical pieces were constructed from polished reflective optics to eliminate any background fluorescence . the parabolic collection optics , which collected ca . 90 % of the emitted signal , were fitted with interference emission filters , collimating optics and pmts . the instrument functions , data collection , integration and analysis were controlled by a microcontroller . in this embodiment of the invention , the detection method required the relative ratios of the detected and background - corrected signals to lie within certain physiological ranges . analysis of greater than 500 samples from more than twenty different species of bacteria and spores showed that the numerous ratios could be used to ensure a statistically significant identification . fig5 shows the distribution for just one of these ratios ( 440 nm / 480 nm ratio after background subtraction ) of 22 species of bacteria , thus defining the physiological range required for the detection method . the method could also discriminate bacteria - containing solutions from sterile media and other biochemical buffers . using a variety of methods and the following ratios ( 650 / 405 , 405 / 440 , 480 / 440 , 650 / 440 , 405 / 480 and 650 / 480 ), e . g ., neyman - pearson test , fuzzy logic and a trained neural network ( utilizing a multilayer perceptron ), these gave a 99 %, 95 . 6 % and 100 % probability of detection , respectively for the presence of bacteria . ( false alarm probabilities of the 500 data points taken for these detection algorithms were as follows : neyman - pearson ( 0 . 01 %), fuizzy logic ( 0 %), and neural net ( 0 %).) [ 0048 ] fig6 shows data from one emission ( rpn ) of the instrument for viable and non - viable salmonella typhi cells on the surface of a glass slide . the difference between viable and non - viable cells in the signal from this fluorescence is clear . fig7 shows the response of the rpn emission to escherichia coli on the surface of turkey . a detection limit well below that observed for other microbial detection methods is observed in real - time , without the need for reagents or touching the meat surface . in another embodiment of the invention , leds centered around 570 and 660 nm are used to excite the component ( s ) found in spores and dead cells shown in fig3 d and 3f . fig8 shows the emission spectra of paper and various samples of envelopes when excited with light at 660 nm ; the arrow in this figure shows the location of the emission expected from spores and non - viable cells at this excitation . as the paper and envelopes contain this spectroscopic window it is possible to detect bacterial endospores behind paper and inside envelopes . it is possible , and sometimes desirable , to include excitation at 570 nm as the resulting emission from non - viable cell component ( s ) between 610 and 680 nm excites the spore components that fluoresce in the aforementioned spectroscopic window . fig9 shows the differences between the 780 nm background - corrected fluorescence signals of an envelope and a sample of freeze - dried bacillus thuringiensis spores sealed inside of the same envelope . with this embodiment of the invention it is possible to quickly detect spores in envelopes without the need for reagents , sample processing , contact with the sample or opening the envelope . the embodiments of the present invention described above are intended to be merely exemplary , with other configurations , variations and modifications utilizing the fore mentioned basic ideas available to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention . the scope of this method and apparatus to detect microbes includes utilization of simultaneous excitation of multiple intrinsic microbial fluorophores with subsequent analysis of the detected emissions with methods that concurrently account for background signals and require said signals to lie within physiological ranges . all variations , modifications and configurations are intended to be within the scope of the present invention as defined in the appended claims . | 6Physics
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fig1 shows an end member 10 such as an electric contact , prior to its connection to the end of an electric cable 12 formed from a core 14 and an insulating sheath 16 . the core 14 of the cable 12 can be made from a random metal , although the invention is advantageously applicable to the case where said core is made from a light metal such as aluminium . the insulating sheath 16 is made from a plastics material having high mechanical and electrical performance characteristics . it covers the core 14 of the cable 12 , with the exception of its end , which is bared or stripped over a predetermined length l . the end member 10 is made from an electrically conductive material having good cold deformation characteristics , such as a copper alloy . the end member 10 has a symmetry of revolution about a longitudinal axis and has a standardized front portion 10a strictly identical to the front portion of existing contacts , as well as a rear connection portion 10b , whose shape has been modified in accordance with the invention . in the case where the end member is constituted by an electric contact in the manner illustrated in fig1 the front portion 10a is identical to that of standardized male contacts . however , said front portion 10a can assume other shapes and dimensions in accordance with the envisaged application . these shapes can in particular be those of a female contact or an end fitting . for a reason which will become apparent hereinafter , it is important to observe that the front portion 10a of the end member 10 has a flange 18 defining a shoulder 20 turned towards the rear connection portion 10b . the rear connection portion 10b of the end member 10 , which commences immediately to the rear of the shoulder 20 , has an outer surface which successively defines , starting from the said shoulder , a uniform diameter , cylindrical portion 22 and a truncated cone - shaped portion 24 , whose diameter increases from the cylindrical portion 22 up to the rear end of the member 10 . as illustrated by fig1 the length of the truncated cone - shaped portion 24 is substantially double the length of the cylindrical portion 22 . moreover , a stepped blind hole or bore 26 is formed coaxially in the rear connection portion 10b of the end member 10 and extends up to the interior of the flange 18 . starting from the bottom , said bore or hole 26 has a cylindrical bottom section 26a with a relatively small diameter , an intermediate , cylindrical section 26b , whose diameter slightly exceeds that of the bottom section 26a and a cylindrical , entrance section 26c , whose diameter slightly exceeds that of the intermediate section 26b . at their entrance end , each of the cylindrical sections 26a , 26b and 26c has a chamfer 28a , 28b and 28c respectively . outside its end located within the flange 18 , the bottom section 26a of the hole 26 is completely located within the cylindrical portion 22 of the outer surface of the rear connection portion 10b . the intermediate section 26b of the hole 26 , whose length slightly exceeds that of the bottom section 26a is mainly located within the truncated cone - shaped portion 24 of the outer surface of the rear connection portion 10b and extends slightly into the cylindrical portion 22 . finally , the entrance section 26c of the hole 26 is totally located within the truncated cone - shaped portion 24 and has a length less than that of the cylindrical sections 26a and 26b . it should also be noted that the length l of the bared portion of the cable 12 is predetermined so as to slightly exceed the combined length of the sections 26a and 26b of the hole 26 , but is significantly less than the total length of said hole 26 . the bottom section 26a of the hole 26 has a calibrated diameter equal to the diameter of the core 14 of the cable 12 , increased by a slight clearance and two thicknesses of a transparent sealing sleeve 30 provided for slight force fitting in said bottom section 26a . the transparent sealing sleeve 30 can be manufactured from a tubular , extruded plastics material sheath cut at regular intervals . it has a totally symmetrical shape , so that it can be fitted in the bottom section 26a of the hole 26 without having to carry out a long and costly foolproofing . an inspection hole 32 is made radially in the rear connection portion 10b of the end member 10 , so as to issue onto the cylindrical portion 22 of the outer surface of said rear portion 10b and in the bottom section 26a of the blind hole 26 . this inspection hole 32 facilitates the treatment of the surface of the blind hole 26 , i . e . the optional deposition of protective coatings on said surface , as well as its rinsing . it also makes it possible to visually check the presence of the core 14 of the cable 12 when the connection has been made . the intermediate , cylindrical section 26b of the blind hole 26 has a calibrated diameter equal to the diameter of the core 14 of the cable 12 , increased by a very slight clearance and two thicknesses of an interface ring 34 . the interface ring 34 is slightly force fitted into the intermediate section 26b of the hole 26 . it is machined in a highly conductive material making it possible to improve the contact between the core 14 of the cable 12 ( e . g . of aluminium ) and the end member 10 ( e . g . of a copper alloy ). the interface ring 34 also makes it possible to compensate the expansion difference between the materials forming these two parts ( expansion coefficient approximately 17 for a copper alloy and approximately 23 for an aluminium alloy ). in order to best fulfil these two functions , the interface ring 34 is advantageously made from silver . thus , the conductivity of silver is satisfactory and its expansion coefficient is approximately 19 . it is also an easily machinable and relatively malleable metal . it should be noted that it is sometimes possible to avoid the presence of the interface ring 34 . this is in particular the case when the core 14 of the cable 12 is also made from a copper alloy . it is also the case when the interface ring can be replaced by a metal deposit fulfilling the same function within the hole 26 . in order to facilitate the introduction of the cable 14 , the interface ring 34 has at each of its ends an internal chamfer 36 . this symmetrical configuration of the interface ring 34 avoids having to use a long and costly foolproofing during installation . the different stages of the connection of the electric cable 12 to the end member 10 will now be described with successive reference to fig2 a to 2h . firstly , a certain number of surface treatments are carried out on the end member 10 using conventional procedures . these surface treatments usually consist of a copper coating of all the internal and external surfaces of the member 12 , facilitating the adhesion of the other deposits . a nickel coating can also take place on the front portion 10a of the member 10 . there can also be either a thin gilding of all the internal and external surfaces of the member 10 , or a thick , selective gilding on the front portion 10a of said member . finally , as stated , a silver deposit can be made within the hole 26 , particularly when it is wished to obviate the need for the interface ring 34 . the inspection hole 32 permits the escape of the air contained within the hole 26 during electrolytic deposition and facilitates the various rinsing operations . finally and as illustrated in fig2 a , the transparent sealing sleeve 30 is slightly force fitted in the bottom section 26a of the hole 26 . this operation is facilitated by the presence of the chamfer 28a at the entrance of the section 26a . when completed , the transparent sealing sleeve 30 extends over the entire length of the bottom section 26a and thus tightly caps the inspection hole 32 ( fig2 b ). the interface ring 34 is slightly force fitted in the intermediate section 26b of the hole 26 . this operation is facilitated by the chamfer 28b located at the entrance of the section 26b . when completed , the interface ring 34 occupies the entire length of the intermediate section 26b . into the hole 26 , equipped with the sleeve 30 and the ring 34 , is then introduced the partly bared end of the cable 12 , as illustrated in fig2 b . as the length l of the bared portion of the cable 12 is less than the total length of the hole 26 and scarcely exceeds the combined length of the sections 26a and 26b of said hole , the end of the unbared portion of the cable 12 is located in the interior of the entrance section 26c of the hole 26 in the vicinity of the chamfer 28b , when the end of the cable 10 abuts against the bottom of the hole . it should be noted that the introduction of the cable 10 is facilitated , for its core 14 , by the chamfer 36 formed at the entrance of the interface ring 34 and , for its sheath 16 , by the chamfer 28c formed at the entrance of the entrance section 26c of the hole 26 . the penetration of the end of the core 14 into the transparent sealing sleeve 30 causes no particular problem , as a result of the internal diameter of said sleeve being slightly larger than the internal diameter of the interface ring 34 . it is visually checked through the inspection hole 32 through the transparent sleeve 30 . as is also illustrated by fig2 c , the introduction of the end of the cable 12 into the end member 10 is preceded or followed by the putting into place of the end member 10 in the crimping or swaging tool illustrated in a very diagrammatic manner . this crimping tool comprises pliers 38 and a calibrated die 40 . the pliers 38 are formed by at least two jaws locking the end member 10 around the cylindrical portion 22 of its outer surface , so that it can bear on the shoulder 20 , as illustrated in fig2 d . the die 40 is also formed from two half - shell portions , which are closed on the cylindrical portion 22 of the outer surface of the end member 10 , when the pliers 38 are closed in the manner illustrated by fig2 d . this is followed by the radial compacting of the rear connection portion 10b of the end member 10 by wiredrawing , as illustrated by fig2 e and 2f . as indicated by the arrows f therein , this wiredrawing or crimping operation is carried out by exerting a tensile stress on the end member 10 , along the axis thereof , by means of the pliers 38 , so as to pass over its entire length the rear connection portion 10b through the calibrated die 40 . this operation transforms the outer surface of the rear connection portion 10b into a cylindrical surface , whose uniform diameter is substantially equal to the initial diameter of the cylindrical portion 22 . thus , the intermediate section 26b and the entrance section 26c of the hole 26 are given truncated cone shapes , whose diameter decreases towards the open end of the hole 26 . the deformation of the intermediate section 26b of the hole leads to an identical deformation of the interface ring 34 . consequently and as illustrated in fig2 g , when this wiredrawing operation is at an end , there is a mechanical connection both between the end member 10 and the core 14 of the cable 12 and between the end member 10 and the cable sheath 16 . this mechanical connection prevents any accidental tearing away of the end member and ensures an adequate mechanical strength when the core 14 of the cable 12 has a small diameter and is formed from a light metal such as aluminium . moreover , the mechanical strength obtained between the end member 10 and the sheath 16 of the cable 12 ensures the sealing of the connection , together with the transparent sealing sleeve 30 to the right of the inspection hole 32 ( fig2 h ). thus , a connection is obtained which is particularly appropriate for the use of an aluminium core cable , but whose sealing and non - aggressive character make it possible to envisage its application in the case of a cable having a core made from any other material and in particular copper . | 8General tagging of new or cross-sectional technology
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fig1 shows an example of prior art demodulator used for infrared light wireless communication . modulated infrared light signals ( 101 ) are detected by a photo diode ( 102 ). the output current ( lip ) of the photo diode is magnified and filtered by a preamplifier ( 103 ) and a band - pass filter ( 105 ) to separate the carrier signal ( ia ) from background noise . the carrier signal ( ia ) is sent to a phase detector ( 111 ). the phase detector ( 111 ) calculates the phase difference between the carrier signal ( ia ) and the output ( sv ) of a voltage controlled oscillator ( vco ). the output of the phase detector ( 111 ) is filtered by a low - pass filter ( 112 ) to generate the control voltage ( vvco ) of the vco ( 113 ). the phase detector ( 111 ), the low - pass filter ( 112 ), and the vco ( 113 ) form a pll ( 110 ) which forces the vco output signal sv to be in - phase with the carrier signals ( ia ). the digital signal ( sv ) generated by the pll ( 110 ) is sent to a mixer ( 121 ) and a low - pass filter ( 122 ) to extract information signals ( vout ). operation principle of this prior art demodulator is well known to the art ; there is no need to describe it in further details . many components of this prior demodulator are not suitable for integrated circuit implementation . the high frequency band - pass filter ( 105 ) needs discrete passive components that are not suitable for ic implementation . the pll is a sensitive linear feedback circuitry that requires careful calibration the maximum operational frequency of the demodulator is also limited by the stability of the pll . the mixer is often manufactured as a separated discrete ic chip . the prior art system in fig1 needs many discrete components , it is not optimized for ic implementation . fig2 ( a ) shows a demodulator of the present invention that serves the same functions as the prior art demodulator shown in fig1 . the input stages contain a light detector ( 202 ) and a preamplifier ( 203 ) identical to those in fig1 . the output current ( io ) of the preamplifier 203 is duplicated by a current mirror ( 204 ). the output currents ( iai , ibi ) of the current mirror ( 204 ), are sent to two sets of current switches ( 205 ). detailed designs of those current switches ( 205 ) are shown in fig2 ( b ) the input current ( ii ) to the current switch ( 205 ) is duplicated by an n - channel current mirror ( 221 ) that comprises four transistors ( mn 0 , mn 1 , mn 2 , mn 3 ). one of the output currents ( im ) of the n - channel current mirror ( 221 ) is connected to the input of a p - channel current mirror ( 222 ) that contains three transistors mp 1 , mp 2 , mp 3 ). one output of the p - channel current mirror ( ip 2 ) is connected to the source of a p - channel transistor ( mp 4 ) that is controlled by a reference control signal sw . the other output of the p - channel current mirror ( ip 3 ) is connected to the drain of another p - channel transistor ( mp 5 ) that is controlled by a reference control signal ( sw #). the second reference control signal ( sw #) is the inverted signal of the first reference control signal ( sw ). the second output of the n - channel current mirror ( im 2 ) is connected to the source of an nchannel transistor ( mn 4 ) that is controlled by the same reference control signal ( sw ) of transistor mp 4 . the third output of the n - channel current mirror ( im 3 ) is connected to the source of an n - channel transistor ( mn 5 ) that is controlled by the same reference control signal ( sw #) of transistor mn 5 . sources of transistors mp 4 and mn 4 are connected as the first output node ( iout #) sources of transistors mp 5 and mn 5 are connected as the second output node ( iout ). when the reference control signal ( sw ) is high , the output current at the first output node ( iout #) has the same magnitude as the input current ( ii ) but of opposite direction , while the output current at the second output node ( iout ) equals the input current ( ii ) in both amplitude and direction . when the reference control signal ( sw ) is low , the output current at the second output node ( iout ) has the same magnitude as the input current ( ii ) but of opposite direction , while the output current at the first output node ( iout #) equals the input current ( ii ) in both amplitude and direction . those two output currents ( iout , iout #) always equals in amplitude but opposite in directions . going back to fig2 ( a ), the outputs of those two current switches ( iaout , iaout #, ibout , ibout #) are sent to low - pass filters ( 206 ) to generate filtered low frequency output signals ( iaf , iaf #, ibf , ibf #). these low - pass filters ( 206 ) are manufactured using the switching capacitor technique for ic implementation . those information signals are sent to an output signal generator ( 209 ) to generate output currents ( ioutf , ias , ibs ). this output signal generator ( 209 ) comprises two absolute current generators ( 207 ) and one current adder ( 208 ). details of the output signal generator ( 209 ) is shown in fig2 ( c ). the output current of the first current switch ( iaf ) is sent to the input of an n - channel current mirror 231 . the inverted output current of the first current switch ( iaf #) is sent to the input of another n - channel current mirror 232 . the outputs of those two current mirrors ( 231 , 232 ) are connected together to generate an absolute current ( ias ). since iaf and iaf # are always equal in amplitude but opposite in direction , the combined output current ias always equals to the positive current of those two inputs ( iaf , iaf #). on the other word , those two n - channel current mirrors ( 231 , 232 ) form an absolute current generator . similarly , the other two n - channel current mirrors ( 233 , 234 ) form another absolute current generator . its output current ( ibs ) equals the absolute value of its inverted input current pairs ( ibf , ibf #). the two outputs of those two absolute current generators ( ias , ibs ) are connected before they are sent to the input of a p - channel current mirror ( 237 ). the output ( ioutf ) of the p - channel current mirror ( 237 ) is therefor equal to the summation of those two absolute currents ( ias , ibs ). going back to fig2 ( a ), the reference control signals ( swa , swb ) for those two current switches ( 205 ) are provided by a reference signal generator ( 200 ). the frequency of the input clock signal ( clk ) to the reference signal generator ( 200 ) is four times higher than the carrier signal frequency . this clock signal is used to generate two reference control signals ( swa , swb ) of the same frequency as the carrier signal . the timing relationship between the clock signal ( clk ) and those two reference control signals ( swa , swb ) are illustrated in fig2 ( d ). both reference control signals have 50 % duty cycles , and their frequencies are identical to the carrier frequency ; the phase difference between them is 90 degrees . fig3 shows the timing relationships between the reference control signals ( swa , swb ) and the input signals . for simplicity , we assume that the input carrier signals 301 are square waves with their amplitudes modulated by low frequency information signals 302 . two cycles of those signals are magnified to reveal more details as shown in fig3 . all of those signals have the same period ( t ). we define th as the time when the input carrier signal is high in each period , twa as that of the first reference control signal ( swa ), and twb as that of the second reference control signal ( swb ). the rising edge of swa is lagged by da after the rising edge of the carrier signal ( 301 ). the rising edge of swb is lagged by db after the rising edge of the swa . based on the above definitions , the filtered output signals ( iaf , ibf ) and the final output signal ( ioutf ) can be written as iaf = [ ∫ da da + twa amp t - ∫ da + twa da + t amp t ] / t ( 1 ) ibf = [ ∫ da + db da + db + twa amp t - ∫ da + db + twa da + db + t amp t ] / t ( 2 ) ioutf = abs ( iaf ) + abs ( ibf ) ( 3 ) where amp is the amplitude of the carrier signal . those integrals are limited in one period of the carrier signal based on the assumption that the low pass filter will filter out high frequency components in amp ; we also can treat amp as a constant within one period based on the same assumption . at ideal condition , the input carrier and the switching signals are all ideal square waves with 50 % duty cycles ; we have twa = twb = th = t / 2 and db = t / 4 . from eqs . ( 1 - 3 ), we have iaf = ( 1 / 2 - 2 da / t ) * amp when da & lt ; t / 2 = ( 2 da / t - 3 / 2 ) * amp when da & gt ; t / 2 ( 4 ) ibf = - 2 da / t * amp when da & lt ; t / 4 = ( 2 da / t - 1 ) * amp when t / 4 & lt ; da & lt ; 3 t / 4 = ( 2 - 2 da / t ) * amp when 3 t / 4 & lt ; da & lt ; t ( 5 ) ioutf = abs ( iaf )+ abs ( ibf )= ias + ibs = amp / 2 ( 6 ) where ias = abs ( iaf ) is the absolute value of iaf , and ibs = abs ( ibf ) is the absolute value of ibf . these relationships are further illustrated in fig4 ( a ). there are many useful results described in eqs . ( 4 - 8 ). eq . ( 6 ) shows that the summing output current ( ioutf ) of the demodulator in fig . ( 2 a ) is proportional to the amplitude ( amp ) of the information signal , and it is completely independent on the phase difference ( da ) between the carrier signals ( 301 ) and internal reference control signals ( swa , swb ). on the other word , we do not need to use a pll to synchronize internal control signals with the carrier signals ; the phase difference between them does not influence results if we use a demodulator of the present invention to extract am signals . when da is a constant , any one of the signals iaf , iaf #, ibf , ibf #, ias , and ibs can be used to determine am signals . eqs . ( 4 , 5 ) show that there is a linear relationship between the filtered output currents ( iaf , ibf ) and da within each quadrant ( q 1 , q 2 , q 3 , q 4 ) of a period , as illustrated in fig4 ( a ). on the other words , fm signals can be determined from iaf and ibf , as long as the fm signal does not move the operation condition cross one of the quadrant boundaries . as a matter of fact , iaf , ia #, ibf , ibf #, ias , and ibs all can be used to extract fm signals under the same constraint . again , there is no need to use a pll . eqs . ( 7 , 8 ) show that the ratios of filtered outputs ( iaf / ioutf , ibf / ioutf ) are independent on the amplitude ( amp ) of the input signal while they have linear relationship with da within each quadrant ( q 1 - q 4 ) of a period . it is therefore possible to determine both am and fm signals simultaneously ; am signals are determined by ioutf ; fm signals are determined from any one of the normalized output signals ( iaf / ioutf , iaf #/ ioutf , ibf / ioutf , ibf #/ ioutf , ias / ioutf , ibs / ioutf ). there is no need to use a pll . in the above discussions , we assumed that both input signals and switching signals are ideal square waves with 50 % duty cycles . in a practical environment , the input signals are not likely to be ideal after they are transmitted through complex , noisy environments . the switching signals ( swa , swb ) can be very close to ideal because they are generated internally from the same clock signal . however , we still need to make sure that the outputs of our circuits are stable when those switching signals are not ideal . non - ideal conditions are discussed in the following sections . practical methods to avoid undesired effects caused by non - ideal conditions are described thereafter . assume that we still have ideal switching signals so that twa = twb = t / 2 , and db = t / 4 , but the carry duty cycle is less than 50 % so that th =( 1 − δ ) t / 2 . using eqs . ( 1 - 3 ), we have iaf = [ ( 1 - δ ) t / 2 - 2 da ] * amp when da & lt ; ( 1 - δ ) t / 2 = - ( 1 - δ ) t / 2 * amp when ( 1 - δ ) t / 2 & lt ; da & lt ; t / 2 = [ 2 da - ( 2 - δ ) t / 2 ] * amp when t / 2 & lt ; da & lt ; t / 2 + ( 1 - δ ) t / 2 = ( 1 - δ ) t / 2 * amp when t / 2 + ( 1 - δ ) t / 2 & lt ; da & lt ; t ( 9 ) ibf = [ ( 1 - δ ) t / 2 - 2 da - t / 2 ] * amp when da & lt ; ( 1 - δ ) t / 2 - t / 4 = - ( 1 - δ ) t / 2 * amp when ( 1 - δ ) t / 2 - t / 4 & lt ; da & lt ; t / 4 = [ 2 da - ( 2 - δ ) t / 2 ] * amp when t / 4 & lt ; da & lt ; t / 4 + ( 1 - δ ) t / 2 = ( 1 - δ ) t / 2 * amp when t / 4 + ( 1 - δ ) t / 2 & lt ; da & lt ; 3 t / 4 = [ ( 4 - δ ) t / 2 - 2 da ] * amp when 3 t / 4 & lt ; da & lt ; t ( 10 ) ioutf = [ ( 1 - δ ) t - 2 da ] * amp when ( 1 - δ ) t / 2 - t / 4 & lt ; da & lt ; ( 1 - δ ) t / 4 = 2 da * amp when ( 1 - δ ) t / 4 & lt ; da & lt ; t / 4 = [ t / 2 + ( 1 - δ ) t - 2 da ] * amp when ( 1 - δ ) t / 2 & lt ; da & lt ; ( 2 - δ ) t / 4 = ( 2 da - t / 2 ) * amp when ( 2 - δ ) t / 4 & lt ; da & lt ; t / 2 = [ ( 2 - δ ) t - 2 da ] * amp when ( 3 / 2 - δ ) t / 2 & lt ; da & lt ; ( 3 - δ ) t / 4 = ( 2 da - t ) * amp when ( 3 - δ ) t / 4 & lt ; da & lt ; 3 t / 4 = [ ( 5 / 2 - δ ) t - 2 da ] * amp when ( 2 - δ ) t / 2 & lt ; da & lt ; ( 4 - δ ) t / 4 = ( 2 da - 3 t / 2 ) * amp when ( 4 - δ ) t / 4 & lt ; da & lt ; t = t / 2 * amp otherwise . ( 11 ) results in eqs . ( 9 - 11 ) are plotted in fig4 ( b ). in similar ways , we can determine the output currents ioutf , iaf , ibf , for the case when the carrier duty cycle is larger than 50 %, that is , when th =( 1 + δ ) t / 2 . the results are plotted in fig4 ( c ). fig4 ( b , c ) reveal many interesting results . the output ioutf remains identical to the ideal value ( amp / 2 ) except at the regions within δt / 2 to the boundaries of each quadrant . the linear relatonships between filtered output currents ( iaf , ibf ) and da remain the same except the regions within δt / 2 to the boundaries of each quadrant . for all the outputs ( iab , ibf , ioutf ), the maximum error caused by the above non - ideal effect is δ times their ideal values . the above observations show that non - ideal carrier duty cycle has no effect to the demodulation methods of the present invention if we can operate away from the quadrant boundaries . the width of the regions we need to avoid is directly proportional to the magnitude of the non - ideal effect ( δ ). the effects of non - ideal reference control signals also can be calculated from eqs . ( 1 - 3 ). for simplicity , the results are plotted graphically in fig4 ( d , e ). fig4 ( d ) illustrate s the non - ideal effect when the phase difference between swa and swb is not 90 degree . the conditions plotted in fig4 ( d ) are twa = twb = th = t / 2 , and db =( 1 − δ ) t / 4 , the results show that ioutf remains as a constant in each quadrant ( q 1 - q 4 ) except at regions near the quadrant boundaries . the amplitude of ioutf is reduced to ( 1 − δ ) times of its ideal value in quadrants q 1 and q 3 . the amplitude of ioutf is increased to ( 1 + δ ) times of its ideal value in quadrants q 2 and q 4 . lbf still has a linear relationship with da , except its phase is shifted by δ . fig4 ( e ) illustrates the non - ideal effects when the duty cycle of one of the switching signal ( swb ) is less than 50 %. the conditions plotted in fig4 ( e ) are twa = th = t / 2 , db t / 4 and twb =( 1 31 δ ) t / 2 . the results show that ioutf remains as a constant in each quadrant ( q 1 - q 4 ) except at regions near the quadrant boundaries . the amplitude of ioutf is reduced to ( 1 − δ ) times of its ideal value in quadrant q 3 . it is increased to ( 1 + δ ) times of its ideal value in quadrant q 2 , and it remains at its ideal value in quadrants q 1 and q 4 fbf still has a linear relationship with da , except at quadrant boundaries . the non - ideal effects of other parameters , including the conditions when multiple parameters are not ideal , also can be calculated and plotted in similar ways . we will not repeat more descriptions on the effects of other parameters because all of such studies lead to the same conclusions as : conclusion 1 : for most conditions , the output ioutf does not depend on da except at the regions within δ * t / 2 to the boundaries of each quadrant , where δ is a ratio representing the combined non - ideal effects from all sources . conclusion 2 ; the linear relationships between filtered output currents ( iaf , ibf ) and da remain the same except at the regions within δ * t / 2 to the boundaries of each quadrant . conclusion 3 : for all the outputs ( iaf , ibf , ioutf ), the maximum error caused by the above non - ideal effect is δ times their ideal values . the above discussions show that the effect of non - ideal input or control signals are negligible if δ is small . even when δ is significant , we still can avoid it by operating at regions away from error sensitive regions that are represented by the shaded regions ( 460 ) in fig4 ( f ). as soon as we stay in the “ safe zones ” around the center regions ( 462 ) in one of the quadrants q 1 - q 4 , the outputs of the represent invention are the sane as ideal results in eqs . ( 4 - 8 ). it is noteworthy to point out one difference between conventional pll demodulators and demodulators of the present invention . pll circuits require internal clock to be in phase with carrier signals . on the other word , pll only operates at one “ safe point ” when the phase difference is zero . demodulators of the present invention can operate at wide ranges of safe zones . it is therefore obvious that the present invention is by far more stable . view fig4 ( a - f ) carefully , we have another important conclusion as : conclusion 4 : the absolute values of ioutf and the absolute values of the slopes of the filtered output currents ( iaf , iaf #, ibf , ibf #, ias , ibs ) remain roughly the same when da is shifted by an integer multiple of 4 / t . conclusion 4 is not absolutely true because none - ideal effects cause by internal reference control signals ( swa , swb ) can cause small differences . however , it is a practical approximation because the non - ideal effects of swa and swb are typically very small in practical integrated circuits of the present invention . we will call this special property of the present invention the “ quadrant independence ” property this quadrant independence property of the present invention leads to novel modulation methods as illustrated in fig5 ( a - c ). fig5 ( a ) shows an example of a typical pulsed am signal . fig5 ( b ) shows an example of modulated carrier signals of the present invention that contain the same am information signal . the differences between the signals in fig5 ( a ) and the signals in fig5 ( b ) are that the phases of the carrier pulses in fig5 ( b ) are shifted by 180 degrees for every two pulses . prior art demodulators will not be able to extract the information carried by the signals in fig5 ( b ), while demodulators of the present invention will obtain the same results when those pulses are shifted by integer multiples of 90 degrees . another example of this type of encoding method is shown in fig5 ( c ); 180 degree phase shifts are done for every two pulses then for every three pulses . there are infinite numbers of ways for such encoding methods of the present invention . the phase shift can be any integer multiples of 90 degrees at any combinations . both am and fm information can be carried by this encoding method . the resulting signals will not be detectable with conventional demodulators . the information can be extracted only by systems equipped with demodulators of the present invention . this is therefore an excellent method to protect the information in the transmitted data . if the transmission channel has enough bandwidth , the carrier signal of the present invention can carry three types of information simultaneously : ( 1 ) am signal represented by variations of the amplitudes of carrier pulses , ( 2 ) fm signal represented by small variations of the phase of the carrier pulses , and ( 3 ) carrier codes represented by 0 , 90 , 180 , or 275 degree phase shifts of carrier pulses . the carrier codes can be used for security purpose or for digital data transfer . the fm signals also can carry digital data . the difference between the fm signal and the carrier code is in the magnitudes of phase shifts . the fm signal use small phase shifts of the pulses to transfer low frequency data while the security codes use 90 , 190 , or 275 degree phase shifts to represent digital data at carrier frequency . for simplicity , we assumed that the input carrier signals are square waves in the above discussions . in fact , the present invention is applicable to input signals of any shapes we will discuss another common condition when the input carrier is sine wave . based on the examples for square wave and sine wave , applications of the present invention to other shapes of input waves should be obvious to those skilled in the art . using the same definitions of the parameters in fig3 and assuming the carrier is a sine wave , the filtered output signals ( iaf , ibf ) and the final output signal ( ioutf ) can be written as where we assume that amp can be treated as a constant within a few periods of the carrier . at ideal conditions we have twa = twb = th = t / 2 and db = t / 4 . from eqs . ( 12 , 13 ), we have eq . ( 16 ) shows that the am signals is proportional to ( iaf 2 + ibf 2 ) 1 / 2 , and the result does not depend on the phase difference da . the fm signal can be determined by iaf , ibf , or ibf / iaf as shown in eqs . ( 14 , 15 , 17 ). simultaneous demodulation of both am and pm signals can be done based on eqs . ( 16 , 17 ). although analog circuits for calculating ( iaf 2 + ibf 2 ) 1 / 2 are known in current art ic design , we prefer using digital signal processing ( dsp ) methods as illustrated in fig6 . the outputs of low pass filters ( 606 ) are captured by sample - and - hold ( s / h ) circuits . the outputs of those s / h circuits are digitized by analogy - to - digital ( a / d ) converters , and the resulting digital data are analyzed by a dsp processor ( 609 ). such dsp circuits are well known to the art ; they provide flexibility to adapt for different cases . for cost - sensitive applications , we can avoid using dsp methods by using any one of the output signals ( iaf , iaf #, lbf , ibf #, ias , ibs ) to extract the information signals . those signals are proportional to amp as soon as the phase difference da can be treated as a constant . the non - ideal effects for the cases when the carrier signals are not square waves also can be analyzed in similar ways as shown in fig4 ( b - f ). those who are familiar with the art should be able to reach the conclusion that we can obtain near - ideal results if we can operate away from those error - sensitive quadrant boundaries . theoretically , results obtained by demodulators of the present invention are independent of the phase difference between internal clock and the carrier signal . practically , we should avoid non - ideal effects by operating away from the quadrant boundaries . a demodulator designed to avoid those non - ideal effects are shown in fig7 ( a - e ). fig7 ( a ) shows the system block diagram of another demodulator of the present invention . this system has the same input stages as the one in fig2 ( a ) so that the mechanism to generate the filtered outputs ( iaf , iaf #, ibf , ibf #) are identical . its output signal generator 709 is similar to the one in fig2 ( a ) except that it has more p - channel current mirrors ( 750 , 751 ) as shown in fig7 ( b ). one p - channel current mirror ( 750 ) duplicates absolute current ias to generate an identical current ias ′; the other p - channel current mirror ( 751 ) duplicates absolute current ibs to generate identical currents ibs ′ and ibs ″. one output from each p - channel current mirror ( 750 , 751 ) is connected together to generate the summing output current ioutf . referring back to fig7 ( a ), output currents ioutf and ibs ″ are sent to a divider ( 702 ) to generate an output voltage ( vout ) that is proportional to ibs / ioutf . fm signals can be extracted from vout , and am signals can be extracted from ioutf . the output current ias ′ and ibs ′ are sent to a reference signal generator ( 700 ) that contains mechanisms to avoid non - ideal effects . fig7 ( c ) is the block diagram of the reference signal generator ( 700 ) in fig7 ( a ). the clock signal ( clk ) is sent to binary counters ( 721 ) to generate four reference control signals ( swa , 5 wa ′, swb , swb ′). fig7 ( d ) illustrates the timing relationships between those reference control signals . all of those signals have the same period ( t ) that is 4 times longer than the clk period . the rising edge of swb lags that of swa by t / 4 ; the rising edge of swb ′ lags that of swa ′ by t / 4 ; the rising edge of swa ′ lags that of swa by t / 8 . referring back to fig7 ( c ), reference control signals swa , swa ′, swb , swb ′ are connected to two multiplexers ( 722 ). those multiplexers select either pair ( swa , swb ) or pair ( swa ′, swb ′) as the reference control signals ( swa , swb ) for current switches ( 205 ) in fig7 ( a ) based on a select signal ( sl ) provided by an error margin detector ( 723 ). details of the error margin detector ( 723 ) are shown in fig7 ( e ). current ias ′ is sent to an n - channel current mirror ( 741 ) that has two outputs ( ian 1 , ian 4 ). the maximum amplitude of ian 4 is four times larger than that of ias ′, and the amplitude of ian 1 is the same as that of ias ′. output current ibs ′ is sent to another n - channel current mirror ( 742 ) that has two outputs ( ibn 1 , ibn 4 ). the maximum amplitude of ibn 4 is four times larger than that of ibs ′, and the amplitude of ibn 1 is the same as that of ibs ′. output currents ian 1 and ibn 1 are sent to p - channel current mirrors ( 745 ) to generate currents iap and ibp . the maximum magnitude of iap is the same as that of ias . the maximum magnitude of ibp is the same as that of ibs . the output node for iap is connected to the output node for ibn 4 at node ag . the voltage at ag will be low unless the magnitude of ias ′ is more than four times larger than that of ibs ′. the output node for ibp is connected to the output node for lan 4 at node bg . the voltage at bg will be low unless the magnitude of ibs ′ is more than four times larger than that of ias ′. nodes ag and bg are connected to an or gate ( 747 ). the output ( fl ) of the or gate remains low unless one of the filtered absolute currents ( ias , ibs ) is more than four times larger than the other current . the signal fl is connected to the clock input of a binary counter that contains a flip - flop ( 748 ) and an inverter ( 749 ). the output of the flip - flop is connected to the select signal sl . when sl stays low , which means current operation condition of the demodulator in fig7 ( a ) is away from quadrant boundaries , sl will not change . when sl goes high , which means that the operation condition of the demodulator in fig7 ( a ) is close to the error sensitive quadrant boundaries , sl will change value to select another set of reference control signals that is 45 degrees out of phase relative to the original reference control signals . the new selection will make the demodulator operate in the safe zone . another method to shift the reference control signals by roughly 45 degrees is illustrated in fig . ( 7 f ). when the error margin detector ( 723 ) senses that current operation condition is too close to quadrant boundaries , a blocking signal ( bk ) is sent to pause the input dock ( clk ) so that the reference control signals ( swa , swb ) are shifted by roughly 45 degrees as shown in fig7 ( t ). in this way , we do not need to generate 4 reference signals ; the 45 degrees shift is provided by pausing the clk signal . the examples in figs . ( 7 a - f ) contain feedback mechanisms to adjust the phase difference between internal clock and carrier signals . these feedback mechanisms are different from pll by the fact that the present invention allows a wide range in phase difference . it is therefore possible to use switching circuits to put the internal control signals within effective operation conditions . there is no need for sophisticated calibration . there is no need to use slow and sensitive feedback mechanism . fig7 ( g ) describes a method to avoid non - ideal effects without using any feedback mechanisms the input stages of the system in fig7 ( g ) are the same as the one in fig2 ( a ). carrier signal lip is processed by pre - amplifier ( 203 ). the output ( ia ) of the pre - amplifier ( 203 ) is duplicated by a current mirror ( 204 ). three duplicated currents are sent to three signal processing units ( 800 , 845 , 890 ). each signal processing unit contains a current switch ( 205 ), low pass filters ( 206 ) and an absolute current generator ( 207 ). the current switch has been described in fig2 ( b ). the absolute current generator ( 207 ) has been described in fig2 ( c ). a reference signal generator ( 891 ) provides reference control signals ( sw 00 , sw 45 , sw 90 ) to the current switch ( 205 ) in each signal processing unit ( 800 , 845 , 890 ). the phase of sw 45 is roughly 45 degrees behind sw 00 . the phase of sw 90 is roughly 90 degrees behind sw 00 . the phase differences between those reference control signals ( sw 00 , sw 45 , sw 90 ) do not need to be 45 degrees . those phase differences can have any arbitrary combination , and they do not need to be accurate . the filtered output of the current switch ( iif ) follows similar relationship as those described in eqs . ( 2 ), except that the parameter db should be replaced with the phase difference of each reference control signals . the absolute current generator ( 207 ) sends the absolute value of iif to a multiplexer ( 895 ) and a “ middle amplitude select logic ” ( masl ). we know that among three outputs , the output with the largest amplitude and the output with the smallest amplitude would be doser to quadrant boundaries than the one with middle amplitude . the masl ( 893 ) determines which one of the three outputs from those three signal processing units ( 800 , 845 , 890 ) has an amplitude in the middle , and sends a select signal ( msel ) to control the multiplexer ( 895 ) to select the output with middle amplitude as the final output ( iout ). this method does not use any feedback mechanism . the circuitry is therefore very stable . fig8 is a general symbolic block diagram for demodulators of the present invention the carrier input signal ( ic ) is processed by switching circuits ( 851 ) that are controlled by at least one reference control signal ( sw ). the output of the switching circuit ( ia ) changes sign when sw switches . the signal ia is filtered by a low pass filter to generate output signal iaf . an error margin detector ( 857 ) checks if the reference signal sw is close to quadrant boundaries or not . outputs of the error margin detector controls the reference signal generator ( 855 ) to make sure the operation condition of the demodulator is in the safe zone . while specific embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and described herein , it is realized that other modifications and changes will occur to those skilled in the art . for example , signal processing circuits disclosed in the above discussions are transferring signals using currents . it will be obvious for those skilled in the art to change part of those circuits using voltage processing circuits . another obvious modification is to execute part or all of those analyses using digital signal processing methods . the inputs are infrared light signals in our examples while the present invention will be able to support any other types of modulated signals such as radio , television , telephone lines , microwaves , . . . etc . there are many ways to generate the reference control signals . other than square waves , the reference control signals can be any type of shapes . these and other modifications and changes are considered within the spirits of the present invention , one major advantage of the demodulation methods described in previous sections is the “ quadrant independence ” property . we can shift the phases of individual carrier pulses by an integral of 90 degrees without changing the demodulation results . these quadrant independent demodulation methods make it possible to transmit digital signals at the carrier frequency while carrying am and / or fm signals simultaneously . a carrier signal of the present invention is shown in fig1 . individual pulses of the carrier signal can carry three types of signals : ( 1 ) am signals represented by the amplitudes ( ap 1 - ap 4 ) of individual pulses , ( 2 ) fm signals represented by small phase shifts ( ph 1 - ph 4 ) of individual pulses , and ( 3 ) digital signals ( dg 1 - dg 4 ) represented by 90 or 180 degrees phase shifts . the quadrant independent demodulation methods described in previous sections already demonstrated their capability to extract fm signal while individual pulses are shifted by an integral of 90 degrees . now we will describe methods to extract digital data when each individual pulse may have a small phase shift caused by overlapping fm signals . fig1 ( a ) shows the block diagram of an example circuitry designed to extract digital data from carrier signals of the present invention . the input carrier signal hip is digitized by an input amplifier ( 911 ) to generate a digital input signal ( din ). a delay circuit ( 912 ) generates a delayed signal ( dinb ) that is identical to din but delayed by a few gate delays , roth din and dinb are sent to an xor gate ( 913 ) to generate a transaction signal ( xr ). internal clock signal ( clk ) is processed by a counter logic ( 916 ) to generate a valid signal vldc . vldc and xr are sent to an and gate ( 914 ) to generate a latching signal ( lat ). the digital input signal ( din ) is inverted by an inverter ( 917 ) then sent to the input of a flip - flop ( 915 ). the flip - flop latches its input at the falling edges of lat to generate digital output data ( dout ). fig1 ( b ) shows further details of the counter logic in fig1 ( a ). the transaction signal ( xr ) is sent to an initial pulse detector ( 951 ). the output ( cnt ) of the initial pulse detector ( 951 ) is turned on at the first pulse of xr after an idle state , and turned off at the second pulse of xr . signal cnt turns on a counter ( 953 ) to count the number of internal clock ( clk ) pulses between the first and the second xr pulses . the counter ( 953 ) holds the final count ( c 3 q ) after cnt is turned off . the latching signal ( lat ) is sent to a delay circuit ( 959 ) that delays lat by a pre - defined margin . the output signal ( crst ) of the delay circuit ( 959 ) is sent to another counter ( 954 ). after each latching signal ( lat ), the counter ( 954 ) is reset by crst , then starts to count the number of internal clock ( clk ) pulses as ct . c 3 q and ct are compared by a comparator ( 955 ) to generate the valid signal ( vldc ). the valid signal ( vldc ) is turned off when ct is smaller than c 3 q plus a small number ( as additional margin ). fig1 ( c ) shows the waveforms of critical signals in fig1 ( a , b ). for the digitized input signal ( din ), digital “ 1 ” is represented by a pulse with 0 degrees phase shift plus a small fm modulation , while digital “ 0 ” is represented by a pulse with 180 degrees phase shift plus a small fm modulation . at idle state , the signal stay at ground voltage . data transmission pulses always start with a digital “ 1 ” as a reference cycle . this type of data format has been used by the well - known ethernet local area network . the difference is that ethernet data transmission started with 5 digital “ 1 ” pulses . the transaction signal ( xr ) generated by the xor gate ( 913 ) always output a pulse ( 901 , 902 ) whenever din has a high - to - low or low - to - high transaction . the signal xr has two types of pulses as represented by solid lines ( 902 ) and dashed lines ( 901 ) in fig1 ( c ). the first type of xr pulse is called “ data transaction pulse ”; they always happen in the middle of each carrier cycle . since din represents a digital “ 1 ” by a high - to - low transaction in the middle of a carrier pulse and a digital “ 0 ” by a low - to - high transaction , xr always has a data transaction pulse ( 902 ) in the middle of each carrier cycle . if we latch inverted values of din at the falling edges of those data transaction pulses ( 902 ), we will obtain the digital data correctly . when a carrier pulse contains a digital signal that is the same as its previous pulse , xr also has a pulse ( 901 ) at the beginning of a din cycle ( called the “ false transaction pulse ”), as shown in fig1 ( c ). in order to screen out the false transaction pulses , we use an internal clock signal clk to generate a valid signal vldc . after each data transaction pulse , the counter logic ( 916 ) in fig1 ( a ) turns off the valid signal ( vldc ) for a period of time ( toff ) long enough to screen out false transaction pulses but short enough to detect the next data transaction pulse . it is very important to have enough margins in toff so that overlapping fm signals will not influence the results . this time toff is defined by the counter logic ( 916 ) shown in fig1 ( b ). vldc and xr are sent to an and gate ( 914 ) to generate a latching signal ( lat ) that contains only the data transaction pulses . the digital data signal ( dout ) is therefore extracted using a flip - flop ( 915 ) controlled by lat . the above method works only when we are able to locate the first data transaction pulse . that is why the first pulse of any data transmission must be a digital “ 1 ”. the circuits in fig . ( 10 a ) allow us to decode digital data at carrier frequency without using phase - locked loop . with proper definition of toff , the same carrier signal can carry fm data without influencing detection of digital data . it is therefore possible to carry and detect all three types ( am , fm , digital ) of data simultaneously in one carrier signal . all the circuit elements used are ready for manufacture using typical logic ic technologies . no feedback mechanisms are used ; the circuits are stable , reliable , and fast . detection of ghz digital signal can be easily done . while specific embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and described herein , it is realized that other modifications and changes will occur to those skilled in the art . for example , we can request the first pulse to be digital “ 0 ”, and the second pulse to be “ 1 ”, while still define toff using the same circuitry . there are many other ways to define toff . for example , one can use charging and discharging of a capacitor to define toff . if the frequency of the carrier is know , toff can be pre - defined without using internal timing mechanisms . these and other modifications and changes are considered within the spirits of the present invention . comparing with prior art modulation and demodulation methods , the present invention has the following advantages : ( 1 ) all the circuit modules used by the present invention are suitable for implementation using standard ic technologies . it is therefore possible to integrate all elements into a single ic chip to achieve optimum performance . ( 2 ) all the high frequency circuits can be implemented by switching circuits or current mirrors ; there is no need to use filters or linear feedback circuits such as pll . it is therefore possible to support carrier frequency higher than ghz using existing ic technologies . ( 3 ) practical methods are provided to avoid distortions caused by non - ideal operation conditions . ( 4 ) reliability and stability are improved significantly by avoiding noise sensitive circuits . ( 5 ) maximized data transfer rate by carrying three types of data , ( am , fm , and digital ) simultaneously . ( 6 ) provide flexible data transmission methods that are not detectable using conventional demodulation methods . while specific embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and described herein , it is realized that other modifications and changes will occur to those skilled in the art . it is therefore to be understood that the appended claims are intended to cover all modifications and changes as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention . | 7Electricity
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disclosed is a bag stand to assist holding and filling refuse bags . fig1 displays a bag stand 100 having a plurality of side panels 110 ( a , b , c , d , e , f , g , h ) connected together and arranged along the outside of the bag stand 100 to form a hollow structure for holding a refuse bag . the current embodiment of the bag stand 100 includes eight side panels 110 a , b , c , d , e , f , g , h . any number of side panels 110 may be used in alternative embodiments . in the current embodiment , all side panels 110 a , b , c , d , e , f , g , h are dimensioned about the same size and are about rectangular in shape . however , in alternative embodiments , the side panels 110 may be of different sizes or shapes from each other and from the current embodiment . each of the side panels 110 has a top end 112 , a bottom end 114 , a left end 116 , and a right end 118 . the side panels 110 are connected to each other having the left end 116 of one side panel 110 connected to the right end 118 of an adjacent side panel 110 . all references to “ left ” and “ right ” in this disclosure are intended to refer to the left and right directions when viewed from the outside with the top end up and the bottom end down . all connections to which this disclosure refers may be any connection sufficient to hold together the elements to be connected , including an integrated construction , glue , a notched end , or other types of connecting means . located adjacent to each side panel 110 and connecting each side panel 110 to another side panel is a connecting panel 111 . in the current embodiment , each connector is rounded or filleted so that each side panel 110 is flat and each connecting panel 111 provides an angle of curvature between each side panel 110 and each adjacent side panel 110 . because there are eight side panels 110 a , b , c , d , e , f , g , h in the current embodiment , each connecting panel 111 provides 45 - degrees of angle between the two side panels 110 to which that connecting panel 111 connects . connected to the bottom end 114 of each side panel 110 is a foot panel 120 . each foot panel has a top end 122 , a bottom end 124 , a left end 126 , and a right end 128 . each foot panel 120 is connected to another foot panel 120 by a connecting panel 121 . because there are eight foot panels 120 a , b , c , d , e , f , g , h in the current embodiment , each connecting panel 121 provides 45 - degrees of angle between the two foot panels 120 to which that connecting panel 121 connects . a foot panel cutout 135 b , d , f , h is defined in the bottom end 124 b , d , f , h of every other foot panel 120 b , d , f , h . the foot panel cutouts 135 b , d , f , h allow air to pass from inside the bag stand 100 to the outside . the foot panel cutouts 135 are semi - circular in shape in the current embodiment but may be any shape in other embodiments . further , although four foot panel cutouts 135 are present in the current embodiment , any number of foot panel cutouts 135 may be included in various embodiments . handle cutouts 140 b and 140 f ( not shown ) are defined in side panels 110 b and 110 f . the bag stand 100 is composed of one - piece blow molded plastic . however , other generally - rigid materials may also be used to compose the bag stand 100 , including corrugated cardboard or paper , linerboard , polymer , metal , alloy , wood , mesh , laminate , reinforced woven or nonwoven fabric , cellulose , resin , styrofoam , composite , and combinations or mixtures of the foregoing , among others . the bag stand 100 of the current embodiment is not collapsible , although a collapsible bag stand 100 is considered part of this disclosure . fig2 displays a bottom view of the bag stand 100 . in fig2 , the draft angle of the bag stand 100 can be seen as the bottom of the bag stand is larger than the top . as seen in fig3 , the bag stand 100 is capable of nesting with another bag stand 100 ( 2 ). additionally , it can be seen that each foot panel 120 is not directly connected to each side panel 110 in the current embodiment . instead , a step panel 210 connects the two pieces and allows a step out for the foot panel 120 . this allows the region of the foot panel 120 to be substantially vertical while the region of the side panel 110 is drafted , as discussed above . additionally , a connection step panel 211 connects each connection panel 111 with each connection panel 121 . the step panel 210 and connection step panel 211 can be seen in cross - sectional detail view in fig4 . a perspective view of the nesting bag stands 100 , 100 ( 2 ) can be seen in fig5 . in another embodiment , seen in fig6 , a bag stand 1000 is composed of two half stand panels 1100 ( denoted as 1100 and 1100 ′ in fig6 for reference ). each half panel 1100 includes four side panels 410 a , b , c , d . each side panel 410 includes a top end 412 , a bottom end 414 , a left end 416 , a right end 418 , an inner surface 417 , and an outer surface 419 . a panel foot cutout 435 is defined in the bottom end 414 of each side panel 410 , although any number of panel foot cutouts 435 may be included . in the current embodiment , the panel foot cutout 435 is semi - circular in shape , although it may be various shapes in various embodiments . a handle cutout 440 c is shown defined on the side panel 410 c , although handle cutouts 440 may not be included in some embodiments , may be included on any of the side panels 410 in some embodiments , and may be included on more than one side panel 410 in some embodiments . fig7 shows one half panel 1100 alone in a flattened arrangement . the arrangement of the half panel 1100 includes a living hinge 510 between side panels 410 in the current embodiment such that living hinge 510 a connects side panel 410 a to side panel 410 b , a living hinge 510 b connects side panel 410 b to side panel 410 c , and a living hinge 510 c connects side panel 510 c to side panel 510 d . a clearance void 515 is shown between connected side panels 410 . the clearance voids 515 allow the side panels 410 room to flex inwardly to create the shape required to build the bag stand 1000 . also shown on left end 416 a is a matching slope 520 a . a matching slope 520 d located on the right end 418 d . the matching slopes 520 a , d allow the ends 416 a , 418 d to align flushly with the side panels 410 when the bag stand 1000 is assembled . in the current embodiment , each side panel 410 a , b , c , d has a visible thickness between the outer surface 419 and the inner surface 417 . in various embodiments , the thickness may be small or large . with embodiments of smaller thickness , matching slopes 520 a , d and clearance voids 515 may not be included or may be negligible . further , in other embodiments , matching slopes 520 a , d and clearance voids 515 may not be included although thickness is visible , as in the current embodiment , or large . fig7 displays the connection mechanism for the half panel 1100 to connect to another half panel 1100 . connection recesses 550 a , b are defined in side panel 410 a proximate the left end 416 a . connection fingers 560 a , b protrude from matching slope 520 d . the connection fingers 560 a , b are intended to insert into the connection recesses 550 a , b . a top view of the bag stand 1000 is seen in fig8 . the clearance voids 515 are smaller , as the side panels 410 have been bent along the living hinges 510 . various connection mechanisms known in the art may also be used without deviating from the scope of the current embodiment . as can be seen in fig9 , a bottom view of the half panel 1100 , the connection finger 560 b can be seen . each connection finger 560 a , b includes a clearance portion 562 a , b and a clasp portion 564 a , b . an inner profile of the half panel 1100 can be seen in the side view of fig1 showing the connection fingers 560 a , b and the connection recesses 550 a , b . as can be seen in fig1 , a detail view of the inner surface 417 a at the bottom end 414 a of side panel 410 a , each connection recess 550 a , b includes a clearance portion 552 a , b and a lock portion 554 a , b . fig1 displays a top view of the half panel 1100 . the unbent profile of the living hinges 510 and the clearance voids 515 can be seen . moreover , the matching slopes 520 a , d are also seen in the profile from the top view . as seen in fig1 , to assemble the bag stand 1000 , the half panel 1100 is bent along the living hinges 510 a , b , c until it covers a path of approximately 180 - degrees . another half panel 1100 is introduced ( not shown ). each clearance portion 562 a , b is aligned with and inserted into each corresponding clearance portion 552 a , b . once the clearance portion 562 passes fully into the clearance portion 552 , each clasp portion 564 is allowed to slide downward into each lock portion 554 . once the clasp portion 564 slides into the lock portion 554 , the connection finger 560 cannot be removed from the connection recess 550 without first raising the clearance portion 562 above the lock portion 554 . although half panels 1100 are shown in pairs in the current embodiment , any number of subpanels may be used to accomplish the objective of a collapsible bag stand . in some embodiments , three third panels may be utilized , each third panel include a certain number of side panels . in some embodiments , quarter panels may be used . in further embodiments , various arrangements of side panels may be used to make the bag stand expandable or contractible in size to accommodate various bag sizes . various arrangements would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art . to use the bag stand 100 or the bag stand 1000 , a user places a refuse bag over the bag stand 100 , 1000 . the user may fill the refuse bag , remove the refuse bag , and discard the refuse bag separately of the bag stand 100 , 1000 . the bag stand 1000 may be disassembled after use by removing each connection finger 560 from each connection recess 550 and unfolding the side panels 410 a , b , c , d . the bag stand 100 as disclosed herein is not collapsible , although a collapsible bag stand is included in this disclosure . although this disclosure describes bag stands 100 , 1000 including all side panels ( 110 , 410 ) connected to each other , this disclosure is intended to include an embodiment of a bag stand 100 , 1000 with fewer side panels or with some side panels absent to achieve certain advantages . it should be emphasized that the embodiments described herein are merely possible examples of implementations , merely set forth for a clear understanding of the principles of the present disclosure . many variations and modifications may be made to the described embodiment ( s ) without departing substantially from the spirit and principles of the present disclosure . further , the scope of the present disclosure is intended to cover any and all combinations and sub - combinations of all elements , features , and aspects discussed above . all such modifications and variations are intended to be included herein within the scope of the present disclosure , and all possible claims to individual aspects or combinations of elements or steps are intended to be supported by the present disclosure . one should note that conditional language , such as , among others , “ can ,” “ could ,” “ might ,” or “ may ,” unless specifically stated otherwise , or otherwise understood within the context as used , is generally intended to convey that certain embodiments include , while alternative embodiments do not include , certain features , elements and / or steps . thus , such conditional language is not generally intended to imply that features , elements and / or steps are in any way required for one or more particular embodiments or that one or more particular embodiments necessarily include logic for deciding , with or without user input or prompting , whether these features , elements and / or steps are included or are to be performed in any particular embodiment . unless stated otherwise , it should not be assumed that multiple features , embodiments , solutions , or elements address the same or related problems or needs . various implementations described in the present disclosure may include additional systems , methods , features , and advantages , which may not necessarily be expressly disclosed herein but will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art upon examination of the following detailed description and accompanying drawings . it is intended that all such systems , methods , features , and advantages be included within the present disclosure and protected by the accompanying claims . | 1Performing Operations; Transporting
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the ability to monitor physiological data for the study of brain performance during the normal course of daily activities including but not limited to sleep , in the past , has required cumbersome detection and analysis equipment and in many instances has required the need for technical assistance . the present invention disclosed herein provides a benefit over existing conventional methods by allowing the collection of data related to a physiological event from the comfort of the patient &# 39 ; s home . the present invention employs a novel physiological data acquisition assembly and easy to follow system that is user friendly and overcomes the disadvantages of the conventional monitoring methods . referring to fig1 , an exploded perspective view of the physiological data acquisition assembly for use in combination with a head harness 10 is depicted . the head harness 10 may house one or more devices or wires . the head harness is worn over the head and hair of a patient . the head harness includes a front pad 12 having a first end 14 and second end 16 . the front pad 12 is adapted to extend across the patient &# 39 ; s forehead . the first end 14 and second end 16 are adapted to be adjustably secured around the circumference of a user &# 39 ; s head using a fastener preferably a hook 22 and loop 24 . in another embodiment , the fastener may be a hook and loop , velcro , snap , button , buckle or any other fastening device that allows for custom fit , adjustment and comfort . the head harness also includes an upper portion 40 including longitudinally extending straps 18 and 20 for detachably securing the upper portion 40 to the base strap 12 , 14 , & amp ; 16 . the longitudinally extending straps 18 and 20 are detachably secured to the base strap at 14 & amp ; 16 using a fastener , preferably a hook 26 & amp ; 28 and loop 42 , fig2 . in another embodiment , the fastener may be a hook and loop , velcro , snap , button , buckle or any other fastening device that allows for custom fit , adjustment and comfort . in a preferred embodiment , the head harness may be made of one or more layers of material to create a hollow core through all parts of the harness . the physiological data acquisition module 50 is removably received in the hollow core 42 & amp ; 44 , fig2 of the upper portion 40 . in this preferred embodiment , the upper portion 40 and longitudinally extending straps 18 & amp ; 20 include a plurality of slots 32 , 34 , 36 & amp ; 38 for receiving the electrode snap connector assemblies 68 & amp ; 69 and associated lead wires 56 , 58 & amp ; 60 coupled to the physiological data acquisition module 50 . the electrode snap connector assemblies 68 represent a combination of a biased ground electrode and a reference electrode snap connectors and in the preferred embodiment the electrodes 67 are placed behind the left and right ear of the patient , fig2 . the biased ground electrode snap connector assembly and the reference electrode snap connector assembly 68 may be color coded to distinguish the two . in another embodiment of the present invention , only a reference electrode snap connector assembly is required for the acquisition of electrical physiological data . the electrode snap connector assembly 69 represents the active electrode snap connector and in the preferred embodiment the electrode 67 is placed on the forehead of the patient . the active electrode and reference / biased ground electrodes 67 may be a self - adhesive conductive electrode , a wet , dry , contact , non - contact or ekg electrode . the electrode snap connector assemblies also include a noise reducing or cancelling amplifier 62 at the electrode connection level to reduce any electrical noise that may be picked up by the lead wires 56 , 58 & amp ; 60 . to further improve the performance of the physiological data acquisition module 50 , the module or the electrode snap connector assemblies 68 & amp ; 69 are configured to continuously monitor electrode impedance and may include lights indicative of the current status of the integrity of the electrode contacts . in another embodiment of the present invention , both active and reference electrodes 67 are placed in close proximity with respect to each other but are not electrically connected . in this embodiment , the active and reference electrodes are located on a singular sensor patch . in a preferred embodiment , the physiological data acquisition module 50 includes a battery power component that includes a rechargeable small form factor , high capacity battery . the physiological data acquisition module 50 includes a power supply and recharging circuitry for receiving power through an electrical power cord 82 and ac unit 80 . the electrical power cord 82 is coupled to the physiological data acquisition module for recharging the small form factor , high capacity battery through a port 54 , which may be but is not limited to usb , db - 25 or the like . the physiological data acquisition module 50 includes a power on and off function 52 for preserving the power supply of the small form factor , high capacity battery when not in use . the physiological data acquisition module 50 may also include power on and off indicator lights indicative of the current status of the physiological data acquisition module 50 . in another embodiment , the physiological data acquisition module rechargeable small form factor , high capacity battery may be recharged through a usb connection to a computer . the physiological data acquisition module 50 is configured to record , transmit and store encrypted data collected from the electrode snap connector assembly 69 for use on an active electrode 67 applied to the forehead region of a patient . the electrode snap connector assemblies 68 for use on a reference and biased ground electrode 67 are placed behind the ears of the patient . the biased ground electrode 67 functions to stabilize the baseline and improve immunity from external interferences . in a preferred embodiment , the physiological data acquisition module 50 is configured to include a wireless transmitter / receiver for transmitting wirelessly the recorded and stored encrypted data to a remote center or computer for further display , storing , processing and analysis or for transmitting wirelessly in real time the encrypted data to a remote center or computer for further display , storing , processing and analysis . in another aspect of the present invention , the recorded and stored data may be transmitted wirelessly to a device including but not limited to a cellular telephone , smart - phone , ipad ® and / or computer . the wireless transmitter / receiver may also be included on the singular sensor patch to transmit wirelessly to a device including but not limited to a cellular telephone , smart - phone , ipad ® and / or computer . the recorded and stored data may also be transmitted directly to a computer , cellular telephone , smart - phone and / or ipad ® via usb transfer capabilities incorporated at port 54 of the physiological data acquisition module 50 . referring now to fig2 , a front perspective view of the physiological data acquisition assembly for use in combination with a head harness as applied to a patient is depicted . in a preferred embodiment , the physiological data acquisition module 50 is housed in a hollow cavity 44 of the upper portion 40 of the head harness . in another embodiment , the physiological data acquisition module 50 is removably affixed to the head harness by a fastener that may be a hook and loop , velcro , snap , button , buckle or any other fastening device that allows for custom fit , adjustment and comfort . in yet another embodiment of the head harness there may be openings that allow access to the interior of the harness as well as allow for connections to be made from the interior of the harness and exterior components . in another embodiment the design may be independent of any specific device or wire purpose other than those listed here . the head harness allows any devices or wires or electronic components to be removed for service , replacement or safety . the head harness may be washable , cleaned or sterilized . the head harness may be disposable , independent of the devices or wires housed . referring now to fig3 , a flowchart of the system according to the present invention is depicted . in the preferred embodiment , a user is supplied with the invention and allowed to use its application in the home 100 . it is to be understood that the nature of the present invention allows the user to apply the device in any setting and is not limited to home or clinical use . at 102 , due to the ease of application , the user applies at least one electrode designated the active electrode and at least one electrode designated the reference electrode . in one embodiment , the active and reference electrode may be applied to the forehead and behind the ear respectively . in another embodiment , the active electrode is applied to the forehead while a reference electrode and a biased ground electrode are applied behind the ears of the user . in yet another embodiment , the active electrode and reference electrode are contained in close proximity on a singular sensor patch and applied to the head of the user . it is to be understood that the application of the electrodes may or may not be used in combination with a head harness . once the electrodes have been placed by the user , physiological electrical data is collected . at 104 , the physiological data is transmitted either wirelessly by a physiological data acquisition module 50 or is transmitted wirelessly directly from the singular sensor patch to a peripheral device that may be but is not limited to a computer , cellular telephone , smart - phone and / or ipad ®. the peripheral device is configured to record and store the data 106 . further , the peripheral device is configured to display , store , process and analyze 108 the transmitted encrypted data . the means for displaying , storing , processing and analyzing may be but is not limited to a computer , cellular telephone , smart - phone and / or ipad ® or any other remote display device . in certain alternative embodiments of the present invention , the assembly and system are configured to accommodate more than one channel of physiological data . for example and not by way of limitation , the assembly and system incorporate sensors , i . e ., head position sensor , airflow sensor using acoustics , nasal pneumotachometer , body temperature sensor and oximeter , alone or in various combinations for collecting data . the assembly and system may also be in communication with a remote control device . the remote control device may function as a gateway device to other peripheral devices . in this capacity , the remote control device is configured to record and store encrypted data transmitted by the assembly and system , monitor the small form factor , high capacity battery life and recorded and stored data levels maintained by the physiological data acquisition module . further , the remote control device in its capacity as a gateway device may transmit and receive recorded and stored encrypted data either through a wired or wireless connection with a peripheral device for display , storage , processing and analysis . systems and materials are described herein . however , systems and materials similar or equivalent to those described herein can be also used to obtain variations of the present invention . the materials , systems , and examples are illustrative only and not intended to be limiting . it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the present invention without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention . other embodiments of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from consideration of the specification and practice of the invention disclosed herein . it is intended that the specification and examples be considered as exemplary only , with a true scope and spirit of the invention being indicated by the following claims . the previous description of some aspects is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use the present invention . various modifications to these aspects will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art , and generic principles defined herein may be applied to other aspects without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention . for , example one or more elements can be rearranged and / or combined , or additional elements may be added . thus , the present invention is not intended to be limited to the aspects shown herein but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein . | 0Human Necessities
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in the following , an embodiment of the invention is described referring to the drawings . in this embodiment , a projection lens 5 corresponds to a “ projecting portion ” in the claims . a prism cover 10 corresponds to a “ cover ” and a “ second cover ” in the claims . a lamp cover 11 corresponds to a “ cover ” and a “ first cover ” in the claims . a lamp unit 13 corresponds to a “ light source ” in the claims . a prism unit 16 corresponds to an “ optical component ” in the claims . a prism opening 602 corresponds to an “ opening ” and a “ second opening ” in the claims . a lamp opening 606 corresponds to an “ opening ” and a “ first opening ” in the claims . guide ribs 603 correspond to a “ holding portion ” and a “ second holding portion ” in the claims . guide grooves 609 and guide holes 609 a correspond to a “ holding portion ” and a “ first holding portion ” in the claims . the description regarding the correspondence between the claims and the embodiment is merely an example , and the claims are not limited by the description of the embodiment . fig1 a and 1b are diagrams showing an arrangement of a projector . fig1 a is a perspective view of the projector when viewed from a front of the projector . fig1 b is a perspective view of the projector when viewed from a rear of the projector . referring to fig1 a and 1b , the projector includes a cabinet 1 having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape with a longer size in left and right directions . the cabinet 1 is constituted of a lower cabinet 2 with an upper surface thereof being opened , and an upper cabinet 3 for covering the upper surface of the lower cabinet 2 . a projection opening 4 is formed in a central part on a front surface of the lower cabinet 2 . a front portion of a projection lens 5 is exposed through the projection opening 4 . a left side surface of the lower cabinet 2 is constituted of an air inlet cover 6 , except for a front end and a rear end of the left side surface . the air inlet cover 6 has a hinge structure ( not shown ) at a lower end thereof , and is pivotally opened in the left direction about the lower end ( see fig2 a and 2b ). an air inlet 7 is formed in the air inlet cover 6 . the air inlet 7 is constituted of a large number of slit holes . an exhaust port 8 is formed in a right rear corner of the lower cabinet 2 . the exhaust port 8 is constituted of a large number of slit holes . an av terminal portion 9 is formed on a rear surface of the lower cabinet 2 , and an av ( audio visual ) signal is inputted from the av terminal portion 9 . the upper cabinet 3 has a prism cover 10 and a lamp cover 11 . the prism cover 10 is a cover for covering a prism opening formed in the upper cabinet 3 . the prism opening is used for e . g . replacement of a prism unit or adjustment of a polarizer . the lamp cover 11 is a cover for covering a lamp opening formed in the upper cabinet 3 . the lamp opening is used for replacement of a lamp unit . upper surfaces of the prism cover 10 and the lamp cover 11 are formed flush with an upper surface of the upper cabinet 3 . an attachment structure as to how the prism cover 10 and the lamp cover 11 are attached to the upper cabinet 3 will be described later . an indicator portion 12 is formed on a right - side front end of the upper cabinet 3 . the indicator portion 12 has plural leds . a user is notified of whether the projector is in an operation state or in a standby state , or notified of various error statuses by on / off states of the respective leds . for instance , the indicator portion 12 may notify the user of a timing when the lamp unit is to be replaced . fig2 a and 2b are diagrams showing an inner structure of the projector . fig2 a is a perspective view of the projector in a state that the upper cabinet 3 is detached . fig2 b is a perspective view of the projector in a state that a control circuit board 26 , the av terminal portion 9 , and an air inlet member 22 are detached from the state shown in fig2 a . referring to fig2 b , the lower cabinet 2 is internally provided with a lamp unit 13 , and an optical system 14 for modulating light from the lamp unit 13 to generate image light . the lamp unit 13 is disposed at a central part on a right side surface of the lower cabinet 2 in such a manner that the lamp unit 13 is detachably attached from above . the lamp unit 13 is constituted of a light source lamp 300 , and a lamp holder 400 for holding the light source lamp 300 ( see fig1 a and 10b ). a fan unit 15 is disposed in front of the lamp unit 13 . the fan unit 15 supplies an air to cool the light source lamp 300 . the lamp holder 400 is formed with an air duct through which the cooling air from the fan unit 15 is guided to the light source lamp 300 . the detailed arrangement of the lamp unit 13 will be described later . the optical system 14 is disposed on the left of the lamp unit 13 and in a central part of the lower cabinet 2 . the optical system 14 includes a prism unit 16 . the prism unit 16 is disposed inside the lower cabinet 2 in such a manner that the prism unit 16 is detachable from above . the detailed arrangement of the optical system 14 will be described later . a lens shift unit 17 is disposed in front of the optical system 14 . the projection lens 5 is mounted on the lens shift unit 17 . the projection lens 5 enlarges image light generated by the optical system 14 , and projects the enlarged image light onto a projection plane such as a screen . the lens shift unit 17 shifts the projection lens 5 in up and down directions and left and right directions by using a driving force of a motor . by performing the above operation , the position of a projected image can be adjusted . a power source unit 18 is disposed behind the optical system 14 . the power source unit 18 has a power source circuit , and supplies a power source to each of the electrical components of the projector . a lamp ballast 19 is disposed at an upper portion of the power source unit 18 . the lamp ballast 19 converts a power source supplied from the power source unit 18 into a power source suitable for the light source lamp 300 , and supplies the converted power source to the light source lamp 300 . the lower cabinet 2 is further internally provided with a cooling device 20 . the cooling device 20 has six cooling fans , and supplies the external air drawn in through the air inlet 7 to the exothermic components of the optical system 14 such as the prism unit 16 to cool the exothermic components . the detailed arrangement of the cooling device 20 will be described later . a power source cooling fan 21 is disposed on the left of the power source unit 18 and the lamp ballast 19 . the power source cooling fan 21 supplies an air to the power source unit 18 and the lamp ballast 19 to cool the power source unit 18 and the lamp ballast 19 . an axial fan is used as the power source cooling fan 21 , for example . next , referring to fig2 a , the air inlet member 22 is mounted on a left side portion of the lower cabinet 2 . the air inlet member 22 is constituted of a frame member 23 , and a filter member 24 mounted on the frame member 23 . an air inlet ( not shown ) is formed in a surface of the frame member 23 opposing to the filter member 24 . the filter member 24 is covered by the air inlet cover 6 . in replacing the filter member 24 , the air inlet cover 6 is opened , and the filter member 24 is detached from the frame member 23 . an air flow velocity sensor ( not shown ) is disposed in the air inlet member 22 at a position downstream of the filter member 24 . a determination is made as to whether the filter member 24 is clogged , based on an air flow velocity to be detected by the air flow velocity sensor , and the user is notified of whether the filter member 24 is clogged by e . g . the indicator portion 12 . in response to activation of e . g . the lamp unit 13 , the cooling device 20 , and the power source cooling fan 21 , the external air is drawn in through the air inlet 7 of the air inlet cover 6 , the filter member 24 , and the air inlet of the frame member 23 . an exhaust fan 25 is disposed at the right rear corner of the lower cabinet 2 . the exhaust fan 25 is disposed in oblique direction with respect to the right side surface and the rear surface of the lower cabinet 2 , and an intake surface of the exhaust fan 25 is directed obliquely leftward in the front direction . an axial fan is used as the exhaust fan 25 , for example . in response to activation of the exhaust fan 25 , as shown in fig2 b , the cooling air which has cooled the power source unit 18 and the lamp ballast 19 is drawn in toward the exhaust fan 25 in the direction from the left side , and the cooling air which has cooled the light source lamp 300 and exited the lamp unit 13 is drawn in toward the exhaust fan 25 in the direction from the front side . further , the cooling air which has cooled the optical system 14 is drawn in toward the exhaust fan 25 obliquely leftward from the front direction . in performing the above operation , since the intake surface of the exhaust fan 25 is directed obliquely leftward in the front direction , the cooling air to be supplied in the three directions i . e . from the side of the lamp unit 13 , the side of the power source unit 18 , and the side of the optical system 14 is easily drawn in toward the exhaust fan 25 . thus , the above arrangement enables to smoothly discharge the cooling air which has cooled the exothermic components to the exterior of the projector , thereby advantageously cooling the exothermic components . further , since the air inlet 7 is formed in aside surface ( the left side surface ) opposite to the position where the exhaust fan 25 is disposed , the external air drawn in through the air inlet 7 is drawn in toward the exhaust fan 25 , after having been sufficiently used for cooling the lamp unit 13 , the power source unit 18 , and the optical system 14 . thus , the arrangement is further advantageous in cooling the exothermic components . furthermore , the cooling air to be supplied in the three directions is not discharged immediately after exiting the exhaust fan 25 , but is discharged after having been sufficiently mixed in a space between an exhaust surface of the exhaust fan 25 and a corner of the lower cabinet 2 . the light source lamp 300 is heated to an exceedingly high temperature , as compared with the power source unit 18 or a like member . accordingly , the cooling air from the side of the lamp unit 13 is heated to an exceedingly high temperature , as compared with the cooling air in the other directions . however , as described above , since the cooling air which has been drawn in toward the exhaust fan 25 from the side of the lamp unit 13 is discharged after having been sufficiently mixed with the cooling air in the other directions , the temperature of the discharged air can be lowered . furthermore , since the exhaust fan 25 is disposed in oblique direction , it is possible to dispose a largest possible exhaust fan in a limited space enclosed by the corner of the lower cabinet 2 , the lamp unit 13 , and the power source unit 18 . furthermore , since the exhaust port 8 is formed in the corner of the lower cabinet 2 , it is possible to increase the opening area of the exhaust port 8 . thus , a more smooth air discharge operation can be performed . the exhaust fan 25 may be disposed at a corner other than the right rear corner , depending on the dispositions of the respective constituent components in the lower cabinet 2 . as shown in fig2 a , the control circuit board 26 is disposed above the optical system 14 and the power source unit 18 . the control circuit board 26 is provided with a control circuit for controlling driving components such as liquid crystal panels and the light source lamp 300 . the control circuit board 26 is cut away at a position above the prism unit 16 . in this arrangement , the prism unit 16 is detachably attached from above in a state that the control circuit board 26 is mounted . fig3 is a diagram showing an arrangement of the optical system 14 . white light emitted from the light source lamp 300 is transmitted through a condenser lens 101 , a fly - eye integrator 102 , and a pbs array 103 . the fly - eye integrator 102 makes a light amount distribution of light of each of the colors to be irradiated to liquid crystal panels ( which will be described later ) uniform . the pbs array 103 aligns polarization directions of light of the respective colors toward a dichroic mirror 105 in one direction . light transmitted through the pbs array 103 is transmitted through a condenser lens 104 , and entered into the dichroic mirror 105 . the dichroic mirror 105 reflects only light ( hereinafter , called as “ b light ”) in a blue wavelength band , and transmits light ( hereinafter , called as “ g light ”) in a green wavelength band and light ( hereinafter , called as “ r light ”) in a red wavelength band , out of the light entered into the dichroic mirror 105 . b light reflected on the dichroic mirror 105 is irradiated onto a liquid crystal panel 108 for b light in a proper irradiation state by a lens function by the condenser lens 104 and a condenser lens 106 , and reflection on a reflection mirror 107 . the liquid crystal panel 108 is driven in accordance with an image signal for b light to modulate the b light depending on a driven state of the liquid crystal panel 108 . one incident - side polarizer 109 is disposed on the incident side of the liquid crystal panel 108 . b light is irradiated onto the liquid crystal panel 108 through the incident - side polarizer 109 . further , two output - side polarizers 110 are disposed on the output side of the liquid crystal panel 108 , and b light emitted from the liquid crystal panel 108 is entered into the output - side polarizers 110 . g light and r light transmitted through the dichroic mirror 105 are entered into a dichroic mirror 111 . the dichroic mirror 111 reflects the g light and transmits the r light . g light reflected on the dichroic mirror 111 is irradiated onto a liquid crystal panel 113 for g light in a proper irradiation state by a lens function by the condenser lens 104 and a condenser lens 112 . the liquid crystal panel 113 is driven in accordance with an image signal for g light to modulate the g light depending on a driven state of the liquid crystal panel 113 . one incident - side polarizer 114 is disposed on the incident side of the liquid crystal panel 113 , and g light is irradiated onto the liquid crystal panel 113 through the incident - side polarizer 114 . further , two output - side polarizers 115 are disposed on the output side of the liquid crystal panel 113 , and g light emitted from the liquid crystal panel 113 is entered into the output - side polarizers 115 . r light transmitted through the dichroic mirror 111 is irradiated onto a liquid crystal panel 121 for r light in a proper irradiation state by a lens function by the condenser lens 104 , a condenser lens 116 , and relay lenses 117 and 118 , and reflection on reflection mirrors 119 and 120 . the liquid crystal panel 121 is driven in accordance with an image signal for r light to modulate the r light depending on a driven state of the liquid crystal panel 121 . one incident - side polarizer 122 is disposed on the incident side of the liquid crystal panel 121 , and r light is irradiated onto the liquid crystal panel 121 through the incident - side polarizer 122 . further , two output - side polarizers 123 are disposed on the output side of the liquid crystal panel 121 , and r light emitted from the liquid crystal panel 121 is entered into the output - side polarizers 123 . b light , g light , and r light modulated by the liquid crystal panels 108 , 113 , and 121 are transmitted through the output - side polarizers 110 , 115 , and 123 , and entered into a dichroic prism 124 . the dichroic prism 124 reflects b light and r light , and transmits g light , out of the b light , the g light , and the r light , to thereby combine the b light , the g light , and the r light . thus , image light after the color combination is projected toward the projection lens 5 from the dichroic prism 124 . an imager constituting the optical system 14 may be a reflective liquid crystal panel or an mems device , in place of the transmissive liquid crystal panels 108 , 113 , and 121 . further , the optical system 14 may be constituted of e . g . a single - panel optical system incorporated with an imager and a color wheel , in place of the three - panel optical system incorporated with three imagers as described above . fig4 a and 4b are diagrams showing an arrangement of the prism unit 16 . fig4 a is a perspective view of the prism unit 16 , and fig4 b is a bottom plan view of the prism unit 16 . the prism unit 16 is assembled into one unit by assembling the liquid crystal panels 108 , 113 , and 121 , the output - side polarizers 110 , 115 , and 123 , and the dichroic prism 124 on a prism holder 125 . the liquid crystal panels 108 , 113 , and 121 are fixedly attached to the prism holder 125 via brackets 126 . an attachment leg 127 is provided at three positions on a bottom portion of the prism holder 125 . each of the attachment legs 127 is formed with an attachment hole 128 and a positioning hole 129 . further , an insertion hole 130 is formed in a central part on a bottom surface of the prism holder 125 . an inwardly protruding annular flange portion 131 is formed at an entrance of the insertion hole 130 . fig5 is a perspective view showing an arrangement of an attachment frame 132 on which the prism unit 16 is mounted . the attachment frame 132 on which the prism unit 16 is mounted is provided in the lower cabinet 2 . the attachment frame 132 is provided with three bosses 133 corresponding to the three attachment holes 128 of the prism holder 125 . the attachment frame 132 is further provided with positioning projections 134 corresponding to the three positioning holes 129 of the prism holder 125 . the attachment frame 132 is furthermore provided with a stopper pin 135 corresponding to the insertion hole 130 . fig6 a is a perspective view showing a state that the prism unit 16 is fixedly mounted on the attachment frame 132 . fig6 b is a cross - sectional view showing essential parts of the prism unit 16 in a state that the stopper pin 135 is received in the insertion hole 130 . the prism unit 16 is placed on the attachment frame 132 in such a manner that the positioning projections 134 are received in the corresponding positioning holes 129 . thereby , the attachment holes 128 of the prism holder 125 are aligned with the corresponding bosses 133 . in the alignment operation , the stopper pin 135 is fitted into the insertion hole 130 of the prism unit 16 . then , by fastening the attachment legs 127 of the prism unit 125 to the bosses 133 by screws , the prism unit 16 is fixedly mounted on the attachment frame 132 . as shown in fig6 b , an engaging portion 136 which is flexed in the circumferential direction is formed at a lead end of the stopper pin 135 . by inserting the stopper pin 135 in the insertion hole 130 , the engaging portion 136 is engaged with the flange portion 131 . in this state , there is no likelihood that the stopper pin 135 may come out of the insertion hole 130 , even if a force substantially equal to the weight of the prism unit 16 is exerted in a direction of disengaging the stopper pin 135 from the insertion hole 130 . the installation manner of a projector includes a ceiling mount , wherein a projector is suspended from a ceiling , in addition to a fixed mount , wherein a projector is mounted on a floor surface or a desk surface . in the case of the ceiling mount , a projector is mounted upside down . in this embodiment , in the case where a projector is suspended from a ceiling , there is no likelihood that the prism unit 16 may come out of the attachment frame 132 by the weight thereof , even if screws are unfastened from the bosses 133 . accordingly , mounting / dismounting operations of the prism unit 16 can be easily performed in replacing the prism unit 16 . in this embodiment , the stopper pin 135 as an independent member is fixedly attached to the attachment frame 132 . alternatively , a stopper portion formed with the engaging portion 136 may protrude from the attachment frame 132 . in the modification , the stopper portion may be integrally formed with the attachment frame 132 . fig7 a and 7b , fig8 a and 8b , and fig9 a and 9b are diagrams showing an arrangement of the cooling device 20 of the optical system 14 . fig7 a and 7b are perspective views of the cooling device 20 . in fig7 a , only the prism unit 16 and the pbs array 103 in the arrangement of the optical system 14 are shown together with the cooling device 20 . fig8 a and 8b are respectively a top plan view and a bottom plan view of an upper casing 202 , a first duct 210 , a second duct 211 , and a third duct 212 . fig9 a and 9b are respectively a top plan view and a bottom plan view of a lower casing 203 , a fourth duct 217 , a fifth duct 218 , and a sixth duct 219 . the cooling device 20 has a fan casing 201 . the fan casing 201 is constituted of the upper casing 202 and the lower casing 203 . a rear surface and a bottom surface of each of the upper casing 202 and the lower casing 203 are opened . the lower casing 203 is mounted on the bottom surface of the lower cabinet 2 , and the upper casing 202 is mounted on the lower casing 203 . the interior of the upper casing 202 is divided into three housing portions ( a first housing portion 204 , a second housing portion 205 , and a third housing portion 206 ) by two partition walls 202 a and 202 b . likewise , the interior of the lower casing 203 is divided into three housing portions ( a fourth housing portion 207 , a fifth housing portion 208 , and a sixth housing portion 209 ) by two partition walls 203 a and 203 b . the first housing portion 204 , the second housing portion 205 , and the third housing portion 206 of the upper casing 202 are respectively connected to the first duct 210 , the second duct 211 , and the third duct 212 . each of the first duct 210 , the second duct 211 , and the third duct 212 has a bottom surface thereof opened , and extends to a position below the prism unit 16 . the first duct 210 , the second duct 211 , and the third duct 212 are integrally formed with the upper casing 202 by a resin material . an air outlet 213 is formed in a lead end of the first duct 210 . the air outlet 213 is directed toward the incident - side polarizer 114 and the liquid crystal panel 113 for g light . a partition member 213 a is formed in the middle of an exit of the air outlet 213 to guide the cooling air to each of the incident - side polarizer 114 and the liquid crystal panel 113 . an air outlet 214 is formed in a lead end of the second duct 211 . the air outlet 214 is directed toward the output - side polarizers 115 for g light . two air outlets 215 and 216 are formed in a lead end of the third duct 212 . the air outlet 215 is directed to the incident - side polarizer 122 and the liquid crystal panel 121 for r light , and the air outlet 216 is directed to the output - side polarizers 123 for r light . the fourth housing portion 207 , the fifth housing portion 208 , and the sixth housing portion 209 of the lower casing 203 are respectively connected to the fourth duct 217 , the fifth duct 218 , and the sixth duct 219 . each of the fourth duct 217 , the fifth duct 218 , and the sixth duct 219 has a bottom surface thereof opened . the fourth duct 217 extends to a position below the pbs array 103 , and the fifth duct 218 and the sixth duct 219 each extends to a position below the prism unit 16 . the fourth duct 217 , the fifth duct 218 , and the sixth duct 219 are integrally formed with the lower casing 203 by a resin material . an air outlet 220 is formed in a lead end of the fourth duct 217 . the air outlet 220 is directed toward the pbs array 103 . an air outlet 221 is formed in a lead end of the fifth duct 218 . the air outlet 221 is directed toward the incident - side polarizer 109 and the liquid crystal panel 108 for b light . an air outlet 222 is formed in a lead end of the sixth duct 219 . the air outlet 222 is directed to the output - side polarizers 110 for b light . another air outlet 223 is formed adjacent to the air outlet 220 for the pbs array 103 . the air outlet 223 is communicated with a cooling fan ( not shown ) different from the cooling device 20 , and the cooling air from the cooling fan is drawn through the air outlet 223 . an air deflector 220 a is provided at exits of the air outlets 220 and 223 to guide the air toward the pbs array 103 . as shown in fig9 a , bottom surface members 210 b , 211 b , and 212 b corresponding to the first duct 210 , the second duct 211 , and the third duct 212 are integrally formed on upper surfaces of the fourth duct 217 , the fifth duct 218 , and the sixth duct 219 . when the upper casing 202 is mounted on the lower casing 203 , the bottom surfaces of the first duct 210 , the second duct 211 , and the third duct 212 are closed by the corresponding bottom surface members 210 b , 211 b , and 212 b , whereby an air duct having an airtight structure is formed . on the other hand , when the lower casing 203 is mounted on the lower cabinet 2 , the bottom surfaces of the fourth duct 217 , the fifth duct 218 , and the sixth duct 219 are closed by a bottom member ( not shown ) which is integrally formed with the lower cabinet 2 , whereby an air duct having an airtight structure is formed . cooling fans ( first through sixth fans 224 through 229 ) are respectively disposed in the first through the sixth housing portions 204 through 209 of the fan casing 201 . as shown in fig8 b and 9b , air outlets 224 a through 229 a of the respective cooling fans 224 through 229 are connected to entrances 210 a through 212 a of the corresponding first through the third ducts 210 through 212 , and entrances 217 a through 219 a of the corresponding fourth through the sixth ducts 217 through 219 . each of the cooling fans 224 through 229 is a centrifugal fan having the same performance , with both surfaces thereof being formed into intake surfaces . air inlets 224 b through 229 b are formed on both ends of each of the cooling fans 224 through 229 . each of the first fan 224 , the second fan 225 , and the third fan 226 is fixedly fastened to an attachment boss 230 provided on the upper surface of the lower casing 203 by a screw . likewise , each of the fourth fan 227 , the fifth fan 228 , and the sixth fan 229 is fixedly fastened to an attachment boss 231 provided on the bottom surface of the lower cabinet 2 by a screw . in a state that the first through the sixth fans 224 through 229 are fixedly attached to the attachment bosses 230 and 231 , a clearance for drawing in the external air is formed between upper end surface of each of the cooling fans 224 through 229 and the upper surface of each of the first through the sixth housing portions 204 through 209 , and a clearance for drawing in the external air is formed between the bottom surface of each of the cooling fans 224 through 229 and the bottom surface of each of the first through the sixth housing portions 204 through 209 . as shown in fig2 a , the rear surface of the fan casing 201 is covered by the air inlet member 22 . in the above arrangement , in response to activation of the cooling fans 224 through 229 , the external air is drawn into the cabinet 1 through the air inlet member 22 . the drawn external air passes through the upper and lower clearances of the first through the sixth housing portions 204 through 209 from the rear of the fan casing 201 , and is drawn to the cooling fans 224 through 229 through the air inlets 224 b through 229 b formed in both end surfaces of each of the cooling fans 224 through 229 . the cooling air from the first fan 224 passes through the first duct 210 , and is drawn in toward the incident - side polarizer 114 and the liquid crystal panel 113 for g light through the air outlet 213 . as a result of the above operation , the incident - side polarizer 114 and the liquid crystal panel 113 are cooled . the cooling air from the second fan 225 passes through the second duct 211 , and is drawn in toward the output - side polarizers 115 for g light through the air outlet 214 . as a result of the above operation , the output - side polarizers 115 are cooled . the cooling air from the third fan 226 passes through the third duct 212 , and is drawn in toward the incident - side polarizer 122 and the liquid crystal panel 121 for r light through the air outlet 215 , and is also drawn in toward the output - side polarizers 123 for r light through the air outlet 216 . as a result of the above operation , the incident - side polarizer 122 , the liquid crystal panel 121 , and the output - side polarizers 123 are cooled . the cooling air from the fourth fan 227 passes through the fourth duct 217 , and is drawn in toward the pbs array 103 through the air outlet 220 . as a result of the above operation , the pbs array 103 is cooled . the cooling air from the fifth fan 228 passes through the fifth duct 218 , and is drawn in toward the incident - side polarizer 109 and the liquid crystal panel 108 for b light through the air outlet 221 . as a result of the above operation , the incident - side polarizer 109 and the liquid crystal panel 108 are cooled . the cooling air from the sixth fan 229 passes through the sixth duct 219 , and is drawn in toward the output - side polarizers 110 for b light through the air outlet 222 . as a result of the above operation , the output - side polarizers 110 are cooled . in the prism unit 16 , concerning the light amounts to be absorbed at the time of modulation , the calorific value generated by a green imager ( constituted of the liquid crystal panel 113 , the incident - side polarizer 114 , and the output - side polarizers 115 ) becomes largest , and the calorific value generated by a blue imager ( constituted of the liquid crystal panel 108 , the incident - side polarizer 109 , and the output - side polarizers 110 ) becomes second largest . as compared with the calorific values generated by these imagers , the calorific value generated by a red imager ( constituted of the liquid crystal panel 121 , the incident - side polarizer 122 , and the output - side polarizers 123 ) is small . as compared with the calorific values generated by the liquid crystal panels 108 , 113 , and 121 , and the incident - side polarizers 109 , 114 , and 122 , the calorific values generated by the output - side polarizers 110 , 115 , and 123 are large . thus , the calorific values are different from each other depending on the imagers . in this embodiment , applied voltages to the second fan 225 and the third fan 226 are set equal to each other . this is because there is no significant difference in the required air volume between the second fan 225 and the third fan 226 . further , applied voltages to the first fan 224 , the fifth fan 228 , and the sixth fan 229 are set equal to each other . this is because there is no significant difference in the required air volume between the first fan 224 , the fifth fan 228 , and the sixth fan 229 . further , applied voltages to the second fan 225 , the third fan 226 , and the fourth fan 227 are set higher than the applied voltages to the first fan 224 , the fifth fan 228 and the sixth fan 229 . the applied voltage to the second fan 225 is set high , because the calorific value generated by the output - side polarizers 115 for g light is largest , and it is necessary to increase the air volume for the output - side polarizers 115 for g light . the air volume for the third fan 226 is set high , because the red imager constituted of the incident - side polarizer 122 , the liquid crystal panel 121 , and the output - side polarizers 123 is cooled only by the third fan 226 , and it is necessary to increase the air volume for the red imager . as described above , by setting the air volumes of the second fan 225 and the third fan 226 larger than the air volumes of the first fan 224 , the fifth fan 228 and the sixth fan 229 , it is possible to efficiently cool the output - side polarizers 115 for g light , and the red imager . the applied voltage to the fourth fan 227 is set equal to the applied voltages to the second fan 225 and the third fan 226 . this is because the length of the fourth duct 217 extending to the pbs array 103 is longer than the lengths of the other air ducts , and a pressure loss of the fourth duct 217 is large . as described above , in this embodiment , the cooling air from the third fan 226 is supplied to the red imager , the cooling air from the third fan 224 and the second fan 225 is supplied to the green imager , and the cooling air from the fifth fan 228 and the sixth fan 229 is supplied to the blue imager . thus , the embodiment is configured to supply the cooling air from the individual cooling fans to each of the imagers . accordingly , it is possible to set the air volumes of the cooling fans 224 , 225 , 226 , 228 , and 229 depending on the calorific values generated by the respective imagers . this is advantageous in efficiently cooling the prism unit 16 , while reducing noises and electric power consumption . further , with respect to the green imager , the cooling air from the first fan 224 is supplied to the air outlet 213 directed toward the incident - side polarizer 114 and the liquid crystal panel 113 , and the cooling air from the second fan 225 is supplied to the air outlet 214 directed toward the output - side polarizers 115 . thus , since the cooling air is supplied from the plural cooling fans to the green imager whose calorific value becomes largest , it is possible to secure a sufficient air volume to thereby sufficiently cool the target imager . further , by setting the air volume of the first fan 224 depending on the calorific value generated by the incident - side polarizer 114 and the liquid crystal panel 113 , and setting the air volume of the second fan 225 depending on the calorific value generated by the output - side polarizers 115 , it is possible to efficiently cool these optical elements . similarly , with respect to the blue imager , the cooling air from the fifth fan 228 is supplied to the air outlet 221 directed to the incident - side polarizer 109 and the liquid crystal panel 108 , and the cooling air from the sixth fan 229 is supplied to the air outlet 222 directed to the output - side polarizers 110 . thus , since the cooling air is supplied from the plural cooling fans to the blue imager whose calorific value is second largest to the green imager , it is possible to secure a sufficient air volume to thereby sufficiently cool the target imager . further , by setting the air volume of the fifth fan 228 depending on the calorific value generated by the incident - side polarizer 109 and the liquid crystal panel 110 , and setting the air volume of the sixth fan 229 depending on the calorific value generated by the output - side polarizers 110 , it is possible to efficiently cool these optical elements . in the case where the projector is configured to supply the cooling air from a single cooling fan to the two air outlets 213 and 214 ( 221 and 222 ) for the green ( blue ) imager through individual ducts , a large - sized cooling fan is necessary . an increase in the size of a cooling fan results in an increase in the size of an air outlet . as a result , a difference in opening area between the air outlet of the cooling fan , and the air outlets 213 and 214 ( 221 and 222 ) is increased . then , the air flow rates of the respective air passages from the cooling fan to the air outlets 213 and 214 ( 221 and 222 ) are increased , which resultantly increases the pressure loss , and lowers the air supply rate of the cooling fan . in this embodiment , since each of the cooling fans 224 and 225 ( 228 and 229 ) individually supplies the cooling air to the air outlets 213 and 214 ( 221 and 222 ) for the green ( blue ) imager , it is possible to reduce the size of the individual cooling fans 224 and 225 ( 228 and 229 ). thus , since it is possible to reduce a difference in opening area between the air outlets 224 a and 225 a ( 228 a and 229 a ) of the cooling fans 224 and 225 ( 228 and 229 ), and the air outlets 213 and 214 ( 221 and 222 ), it is possible to enhance the air supply rate of the cooling fans 224 and 225 ( 228 and 229 ). in this embodiment , the six cooling fans 224 through 229 are divided into two groups , in each of which a required air volume is approximate to each other , and an applied voltage is set for each of the groups . alternatively , for instance , the six cooling fans 224 through 229 may be divided into three or more groups depending on a required air volume , and an applied voltage may be set with respect to each of the groups . further alternatively , applied voltages may be set individually with respect to all the six cooling fans 224 through 229 . further alternatively , temperatures of the optical elements of the prism unit 16 , and the pbs array 103 may be detected , and applied voltages to the cooling fans 224 through 229 may be changed , based on the detected temperatures . the modification is further advantageous in reducing noises and reducing electric power consumption . further , in this embodiment , one cooling fan ( the third fan ) is provided for both of the air outlets 215 and 216 . alternatively , a cooling fan may be provided for each of the air outlets 215 and 216 . further alternatively , three or more cooling fans may be provided for at least one of the imagers , as necessary . fig1 a and 10b , fig1 , fig1 a and 12b , fig1 a and 13b , and fig1 are diagrams for describing a cooling structure of the lamp unit 13 . fig1 a is a perspective and elevational sectional view of the lamp unit 13 , when viewed from a rear of the lamp unit 13 . fig1 b is a perspective and transverse sectional view of the lamp unit 13 , when viewed from a front of the lamp unit 13 . fig1 is a perspective view of the lamp unit 13 , when viewed from the front of the lamp unit 13 . fig1 a and 12b are respectively a left side view and a rear view of the lamp unit 13 . fig1 a and 13b are respectively a top plan view and a bottom view of the lamp unit 13 . fig1 is a front view showing a state that the lamp unit 13 is connected to the fan unit 15 . in fig1 , the general contour of a housing 503 is shown by the dotted line so that cooling fans 501 and 502 disposed in the fan unit 15 can be seen . referring to fig1 a through 14 , the lamp unit 13 is constituted of the light source lamp 300 , and the lamp holder 400 for holding the light source lamp 300 . the light source lamp 300 is provided with an arc tube 301 and a reflector 302 . in this embodiment , a metal halide lamp is used as the arc tube 301 . alternatively , other lamp such as an ultra high - pressure mercury lamp or a xenon lamp may be used . an inner surface of the reflector 302 is formed into a paraboric shape to reflect white light emitted from the arc tube 301 on the inner surface of the reflector 302 , and guide the reflected light in the forward direction . a reflector base 303 made of e . g . plaster is formed on a rear end of the reflector 302 to fixedly mount the arc tube 301 on the reflector 302 . the arc tube 301 has a seal portion 304 at an inner position of the reflector base 303 . the lamp holder 400 is provided with a holder main body 401 , an upper plate 402 mounted on a rear end of an upper surface of the holder main body 401 , and a bottom plate 403 mounted on a rear end of a bottom surface of the holder main body 401 . an emission window 404 through which light from the light source lamp 300 is emitted is formed in a front surface of the holder main body 401 . a heat resistant concave lens 405 is fitted in the emission window 404 . a rear surface of the holder main body 401 is opened , and the light source lamp 300 is mounted in the opening from a rear side . a guide piece 406 is formed on both ends of a front portion of the holder main body 401 . a guide member ( not shown ) having vertically extending guide grooves is formed in the lower cabinet 2 at a housing position of the lamp unit 13 . the guide pieces 406 are fitted in the guide grooves from above in housing the lamp unit 13 in the lower cabinet 2 . a first air outlet 407 is formed in the upper surface of the holder main body 401 . a first air deflector 408 extending obliquely downward in rearward direction is provided in the first air outlet 407 . further , a second air outlet 409 is formed in the bottom surface of the holder main body 401 . a second air deflector 410 extending obliquely upward in rearward direction is provided in the second air outlet 409 . exhaust ports 411 and 412 are formed in a right side surface and a left side surface of the holder main body 401 , respectively . filters 411 a and 412 a in the form of a mesh are provided in the exhaust ports 411 and 412 , respectively , to prevent pieces of the arc tube 301 from coming out of the projector , in case that the arc tube 301 be damaged or broken . a third air outlet 413 is formed in the upper plate 402 at a position substantially right above the reflector base 303 . further , a fourth air outlet 414 is formed in the bottom plate 403 at a position substantially right below the reflector base 303 . an upper duct portion 415 is mounted on an upper surface of the lamp holder 400 . as shown in fig1 a , the upper duct portion 415 has a substantially t - shape in plan view to guide the cooling air that has been drawn in through an entrance 415 a formed in a right side surface of the upper duct portion 415 to the first air outlet 407 and the third air outlet 413 . on the other hand , a lower duct portion 416 is mounted on a bottom surface of the lamp holder 400 . as shown in fig1 b , the lower duct portion 416 has a substantially t - shape in plan view to guide the cooling air that has been drawn in through an entrance 416 a formed in a right side surface of the lower duct portion 416 to the second air outlet 409 and the fourth air outlet 414 . similarly to the filters 411 a and 412 a , filters 415 b and 416 b in the form of a mesh are provided in the upper duct portion 415 at a position near the first air outlet 407 and in the lower duct portion 416 at a position near the second air outlet 409 , respectively , to prevent pieces of the arc tube 301 from coming out of the projector , in case that the arc tube 301 be damaged or broken . as shown in fig1 , the fan unit 15 is disposed in the housing 503 in a state that two cooling fans 501 and 502 are vertically stacked one over the other . when the lamp unit 13 is mounted in the lower cabinet 2 , the entrance 415 a of the upper duct portion 415 is connected to an upper exit 504 of the housing 503 , and the entrance 416 a of the lower duct portion 416 is connected to a lower exit 505 of the housing 503 . in the above arrangement , in response to activation of the cooling fans 501 and 502 , cooling airs generated by the cooling fans 501 and 502 are respectively allowed to flow through the upper duct portion 415 and the lower duct portion 416 . in fig1 a and 10b , flows of the cooling air are shown by the arrows . the cooling air through the upper duct portion 415 is branched out in the duct portion into a flow in the forward direction and a flow in the rearward direction . the flow of the cooling air in the forward direction is passed through the filter 415 b , drawn into the holder main body 401 through the first air outlet 407 , has its direction changed by the first air deflector 408 , and flows into the reflector 302 . further , the cooling air through the lower duct portion 416 is branched out in the duct portion into a flow in the forward direction and a flow in the rearward direction . the flow of the cooling air in the forward direction is passed through the filter 416 b , drawn into the holder main body 401 through the second air outlet 409 , has its direction changed by the second air deflector 410 , and flows into the reflector 302 . the interior of the reflector 302 is cooled by the flows of the cooling air which have flown into the reflector 302 from both sides i . e . from the upper and lower duct portions . thereafter , the cooling air in the reflector 302 is passed through the filters 411 a and 412 a , and discharged to the exterior of the lamp unit 13 through the exhaust ports 411 and 412 . on the other hand , the flow of the cooling air in the rearward direction in the upper duct portion 415 is drawn in through the third air outlet 413 , and impinges on the reflector base 303 of the light source lamp 300 from above . further , the flow of the cooling air in the rearward direction in the lower duct portion 416 is drawn in through the fourth air outlet 414 , and impinges on the reflector base 303 of the light source lamp 300 from below . as a result of the above operation , the reflector base 303 is cooled from both sides i . e . from the upper and lower duct portions , and the seal portion 304 is cooled via the reflector base 303 . as described above , the cooling air which has exited the lamp unit 13 is discharged to the exterior of the cabinet 1 by the exhaust fan 25 . the upper portion of the light source lamp 300 is heated to a high temperature , as compared with the lower portion of the light source lamp 300 at the time of light emission , due to an influence of a gravitational force . in the case where the projector is mounted in a fixed position , the lamp unit 13 is brought to a state as shown in fig1 a , and a portion of the light source lamp 300 corresponding to the upper duct portion 415 is heated to a high temperature , as compared with a portion of the light source lamp 300 corresponding to the lower duct portion 416 . on the other hand , in the case where the projector is suspended from a ceiling , the lamp unit 13 is brought to a state opposite to the state shown in fig1 a , and the portion of the light source lamp 300 corresponding to the lower duct portion 416 is heated to a high temperature , as compared with the portion of the light source lamp 300 corresponding to the upper duct portion 415 . in this embodiment , since the flows of the cooling air branched out by the upper duct portion 415 and the lower duct portion 416 are guided into the reflector 302 from both sides i . e . from the upper and lower duct portions , it is possible to efficiently cool a high - temperature portion of the light source lamp 300 , without depending on whether the projector is mounted in a fixed position or mounted from a ceiling . in the case where the projector is mounted in a fixed position , it is desirable to set the air volume of the cooling fan 501 for supplying the air to the upper duct portion 415 higher than the air volume of the cooling fan 502 for supplying the air to the lower duct portion 416 to efficiently cool the portion of the light source lamp 300 corresponding to the upper duct portion 415 . on the other hand , in the case where the projector is mounted from a ceiling , it is desirable to set the air volume of the cooling fan 502 higher than the air volume of the cooling fan 501 to efficiently cool the portion of the light source lamp 300 corresponding to the lower duct portion 416 . further , in the light source lamp 300 , the seal portion 304 is heated to a high temperature by heat generation in the arc tube 301 resulting from light emission of the arc tube 301 . if the seal portion 304 is exceedingly heated , the seal portion 304 may be deteriorated , with the result that the performance of the light source lamp 300 may be deteriorated . since the seal portion 304 is disposed at a position relatively away from the inner surface of the reflector 302 , the seal portion 304 may not be sufficiently cooled by the cooling air that has been draw into the interior of the reflector 302 . it may be possible to enhance the cooling performance by increasing the air volume of the cooling air . however , an enhanced cooling performance may excessively cool the arc tube 301 , which may obstruct a normal light emission . in this embodiment , since the flows of the cooling air which have branched out by the upper duct portion 415 and the lower duct portion 416 are directly supplied to the reflector base 303 from both sides i . e . from the upper and lower duct portions , the entirety of the reflector base 303 is efficiently cooled , and the seal portion 304 is efficiently cooled via the reflector base 303 . thus , it is possible to prevent lowering of the performance of the light source lamp 300 due to deterioration of the seal portion 304 . fig1 is a perspective view of the upper cabinet 3 in a state that the prism cover 10 and the lamp cover 11 are detached . a recess 601 in which the prism cover 10 and the lamp cover 11 are mounted is formed in an area of the upper cabinet 3 from a central part to a right side surface of the upper cabinet 3 . the recess 601 has a first area 601 a where the prism cover 10 is mounted , and a second area 601 b where the lamp cover 11 is mounted . a prism opening 602 is formed in the first area 601 a . the prism opening 602 is formed at a position substantially right above the prism unit 16 disposed in the lower cabinet 2 , and has a size capable of mounting and dismounting the prism unit 16 . guide ribs 603 are formed at two positions on each of a front wall surface and a rear wall surface of the first area 601 a . predetermined clearances are formed between the guide ribs 603 and a bottom surface of the recess 601 . further , an insertion hole 604 is formed at two positions on a left wall surface of the first area 601 a . furthermore , a nut 605 is embedded in upward direction in a central part on a right end of the first area 601 a , and a screw hole of the nut 605 faces upward . a lamp opening 606 is formed in the second area 601 b . the lamp opening 606 is formed at a position substantially right above the lamp unit 13 disposed in the lower cabinet 2 , and has a size capable of mounting and dismounting the lamp unit 13 . a pair of guide portions 607 is formed on a front edge and a rear edge of the lamp opening 606 . each of the paired guide portions 607 is constituted of two ribs arranged side by side in transverse direction with a predetermined clearance . when the lamp unit 13 is housed in the lower cabinet 2 , the guide pieces 406 of the lamp holder 400 are guided between the respective rib pairs . in the second area 601 b , the lamp opening 606 , and left and right portions of the lamp opening 606 are recessed from the first area 601 a . an insertion hole 608 is formed at two positions in a wall surface corresponding to the step difference between the first area 601 a and the second area 601 b . a transversely extending guide groove 609 is formed in each of the front edge and the rear edge of the second area 601 b . a transversely extending guide hole 609 a is formed in a side surface of each of the guide grooves 609 . further , an opening 609 b for passing a stem portion 808 of the lamp cover 11 is formed at an outer position substantially in the middle of each of the guide grooves 609 . a nut 610 is embedded in transverse direction in a right end of the second area 601 b , and a screw hole of the nut 610 faces transversely through an attachment hole 611 formed in a side surface of the recess 601 . further , an attachment hole 612 for screw fastening is formed in a right end of the second area 601 b in fixedly mounting the upper cabinet 3 on the lower cabinet 2 . furthermore , a transversely extending groove portion 613 is formed in the right end of the second area 601 b . an opening 613 a is formed in a left end of the groove portion 613 , and a micro switch ( not shown ) for detecting whether the lamp cover 11 is completely closed faces the groove portion 613 through the opening 613 a . fig1 a and 16b are diagrams showing an arrangement of the prism cover 10 . fig1 a is a perspective view of the prism cover 10 , when viewed from a front side of the prism cover 10 , and fig1 b is a perspective view of the prism cover 10 , when viewed from a back side of the prism cover 10 . the prism cover 10 is formed into a rectangular shape , and has a thickness substantially equal to the depth of the recess 601 . a projection 701 is formed at two positions on a left end of the prism cover 10 . further , an attachment piece 702 having an attachment hole 702 a is provided substantially in the middle on a right end of the prism cover 10 . a metal shield plate 703 is mounted on a back surface of the prism cover 10 to suppress unwanted radiation from e . g . the prism opening 602 . further , a transversely extending guided rib 704 is formed on each of a front end and a rear end of the prism cover 10 . fig1 a and 17b are diagrams showing an arrangement of the lamp cover 11 . fig1 a is a perspective view of the lamp cover 11 , when viewed from a front side of the lamp cover 11 , and fig1 b is a perspective view of the lamp cover 11 , when viewed from a back side of the lamp cover 11 . the lamp cover 11 is constituted of an upper plate 801 and a side plate 802 . as shown in fig1 a and 1b , the upper surface of the upper cabinet 3 has a moderately curved shape such that the upper surface is lowered from a central part thereof in leftward and rightward directions . the upper plate 801 is moderately inclined toward the side plate 802 in conformity with the upper surface shape of the upper cabinet 3 . a metal shield plate 803 is provided on a back surface of the upper plate 801 . the shield plate 803 is mounted on a holding portion 804 which is slightly bulged from the back surface of the upper plate 801 . the shield plate 803 shields the lamp opening 606 in mounting the lamp cover 11 on the upper cabinet 3 . the shield plate 803 suppresses unwanted radiation from the lamp opening 606 , and protects the lamp cover 11 from a heat generated in the lamp unit 13 ( light source lamp 300 ). a projection 805 is formed at two positions on a left end of the holding portion 804 . support ribs 806 are respectively formed on a front end and a rear end on the back surface of the upper plate 801 . because of the arrangement that each of the support ribs 806 has such a shape that a certain part thereof is cut away between a left end and a right end thereof , and the upper plate 801 is inclined , the height of each of the support ribs 806 is reduced toward the side plate 802 . the support ribs 806 support the upper plate 801 with respect to the bottom surface of the recess 601 in mounting the lamp cover 11 on the upper cabinet 3 ( see fig1 b ). further , an arm portion 807 is formed on each of the front end and the rear end of the back surface of the upper plate 801 . each of the arm portions 807 has a lead end thereof bent toward the side plate 802 , and the outwardly extending stem portion 808 is formed at the lead end of each of the arm portions 807 . further , a stopper portion 809 extending in parallel to the lead end is formed on each of the arm portions 807 ( see fig2 ). further , a rib 810 to be housed in the groove portion 613 of the upper cabinet 3 is formed on the back surface of the upper plate 801 . when the lamp cover 11 is completely closed , the micro switch is pressed by the rib 810 . then , the micro switch is turned on , and it is detected that the lamp cover 11 is completely closed . an attachment hole 811 is formed in the side plate 802 . thus , when the prism cover 10 is mounted on the upper cabinet 3 , the prism cover 10 is housed in the recess 601 from the right end of the first area 601 a , and slidingly moved in leftward direction . then , as shown in fig1 a , the guided ribs 704 are housed in the clearances between the guide ribs 603 and the bottom surface of the recess 601 . this suppresses an upward movement of the prism cover 10 . when the prism cover 10 is completely closed , the projections 701 are received in the insertion holes 604 of the recess 601 . this suppresses an upward movement of the left end of the prism cover 10 . further , the attachment hole 702 a of the prism cover 10 is aligned with the screw hole of the nut 605 . then , by screw - fastening the nut 605 , the prism cover 10 is fixedly mounted on the upper cabinet 3 . next , as shown in fig1 b , when the lamp cover 11 is mounted on the upper cabinet 2 , the arm portions 807 are housed in the guide grooves 609 from above , and the stem portions 808 are received in the guide holes 609 a . in the insertion operation , the stem portions 808 are received in the guide holes 609 a through the openings 609 b . thereafter , the lamp cover 11 is slidingly moved in leftward direction . then , the stem portions 808 are moved in leftward direction along the guide holes 609 a . as a result of the above operation , an upward movement of the lamp cover 11 is suppressed by the stem portions 808 received in the guide holes 609 a and the support ribs 806 . when the lamp cover 11 is completely closed , the left end of the lamp cover 11 is placed over the right end of the prism cover 10 . as a result of the above operation , the screws of the prism cover 10 are covered by the lamp cover 11 . further , the projections 805 of the lamp cover 11 are received in the insertion holes 608 of the recess 601 . as a result of the above operation , an upward movement of the left end of the lamp cover 11 is suppressed . further , the attachment hole 811 of the lamp cover 11 is aligned with the screw hole of the nut 610 . then , by screw - fastening the nut 610 , the lamp cover 11 is fixedly mounted on the upper cabinet 3 . as described above , as shown in fig1 a and 1b , by performing the above operations , both of the prism cover 10 and the lamp cover 11 are mounted on the upper cabinet 3 . the lamp unit 13 ( light source lamp 300 ) and the prism unit 16 are deteriorated by a long - time operation . in such a case , it is necessary to replace the lamp unit 13 and the prism unit 16 with new ones . the lamp unit 13 is easily deteriorated , as compared with the prism unit 16 , and the replacement frequency of the lamp unit 13 is larger than the replacement frequency of the prism unit 16 . in the case where the lamp unit 13 is replaced , the lamp cover 11 is opened to mount or dismount the lamp unit 13 through the lamp opening 606 . replacement of the lamp unit 13 may be performed by the user . fig1 a and 19b are diagrams showing a state that the lamp cover 11 is opened . fig1 a shows a state that the lamp cover 11 is halfway opened , and fig1 b shows a state that the lamp cover 11 is completely opened . fig2 is a cross - sectional view showing essential parts of the upper cabinet 3 for describing an operation to be performed for the lamp cover 11 in the case where the lamp cover 11 is opened . in the case where the lamp unit 13 is replaced , the user unfastens the screw , and slidingly moves the lamp cover 11 in rightward direction . by performing the above operation , as shown in fig1 a , the lamp opening 606 is gradually opened . then , as shown by the broken line in fig2 , the user is allowed to move the stem portions 808 in rightward direction within the guide holes 609 a . when the stem portions 808 reach the right end of the guide holes 609 a , the lamp cover 11 is not slidingly moved any more . in this state , a right end portion of the lamp opening 606 is still covered by the lamp cover 11 . next , the user pushes a portion of the lamp cover 11 projecting from the right end of the upper cabinet 3 in downward direction . then , as shown by the solid line in fig2 , the lamp cover 11 is pivotally moved about the stem portions 808 . in this state , as shown in fig1 b , since the support ribs 806 are cut away at a position around the arm portions 807 , there is no likelihood that the support ribs 806 may be abutted against a corner of the upper cabinet 3 in pivotally moving the lamp cover 11 . as described above , as shown in fig1 b , the lamp cover 11 stands upright along the right side surface of the upper cabinet 3 , and the lamp opening 606 is completely opened . in this state , as shown in fig2 , the stopper portions 809 are abutted against the right side surface of the upper cabinet 3 . as shown in fig2 , a bulging projection 609 c is formed below and at a right end of each of the guide holes 609 a . the height of the projection 609 c is very small . accordingly , by applying a small external force in slidingly moving the lamp cover 11 , the stem portions 808 are moved over the projections 609 c , and reach the right ends of the guide holes 609 a , respectively . in this state , left portions of the stem portions 808 are supported by the projections 609 a . since the stem portions 808 are easily rotatable , the lamp cover 11 is smoothly and pivotally moved . when the lamp opening 606 is completely opened , the user is allowed to dismount the deteriorated lamp unit 13 through the lamp opening 606 . then , the user is allowed to house a new lamp unit 13 in the lower cabinet 2 through the lamp opening 606 . then , the user is allowed to close the lamp cover 11 , and fasten the screw to fixedly mount the lamp cover 11 on the upper cabinet 3 by a sequence opposite to the sequence to be performed in opening the lamp opening 606 . in the case where the prism unit 16 is replaced , the prism opening 10 is opened , and the prism unit 16 is mounted or dismounted through the prism opening 602 . replacement of the prism unit 16 is performed by a serviceperson . fig2 a and 21b are diagrams showing a state that the prism cover 10 is opened . fig2 a shows a state that the prism cover 10 is halfway opened , and fig2 b shows a state that the prism cover 10 is completely opened . in the case where the prism unit 16 is replaced , a serviceperson opens the lamp cover 11 by the above sequence . then , the serviceperson unfastens the screw , and slidingly moves the prism cover 10 in rightward direction . then , as shown in fig2 a , the prism cover 10 is slidingly retracted in the space of the recess 601 which is defined by opening the lamp cover 11 . then , as shown in fig2 b , by slidingly moving the prism cover 10 to the right end of the recess 601 , the prism opening 602 is completely opened . when the prism opening 602 is completely opened , the serviceperson is allowed to dismount the deteriorated prism unit 16 through the prism opening 602 . then , the serviceperson is allowed to house a new prism unit 16 in the lower cabinet 2 through the prism opening 602 . then , the serviceperson is allowed to close the prism cover 10 , and fasten the screw to fixedly mount the prism cover 10 on the upper cabinet 3 by the sequence opposite to the sequence to be performed in opening the prism opening 602 . lastly , the lamp cover 11 is closed . as described above , in this embodiment , by slidingly moving the prism cover 10 , the prism opening 602 is opened . further , by slidingly moving the lamp cover 11 , the lamp opening 606 is opened . in this way , even if the space defined above the cabinet 1 is small in installing the projector , the prism opening 602 and the lamp opening 606 can be sufficiently opened . further , in this embodiment , since both ends of each of the prism cover 10 and the lamp cover 11 are securely fixed so that the both ends are not moved in upward direction in slidingly moving the prism cover 10 and the lamp cover 11 , there is no or less step difference between the prism cover 10 and the lamp cover 11 , and the upper cabinet 3 . thus , a sophisticated appearance of the projector is secured . further , the embodiment is configured to slidingly move the prism cover 10 with respect to the second area 601 b in opening the prism cover 10 . accordingly , there is no need of additionally forming a recess in the upper cabinet 3 to house the slidable prism cover 10 . this is advantageous in simplifying the arrangement of the upper cabinet 3 . in the above case , it is necessary to open the lamp cover 11 to open the prism cover 10 . however , since the replacement frequency of the prism unit 16 is smaller than the replacement frequency of the lamp unit 13 , a burden of operation is reduced . further , in this embodiment , when the lamp cover 11 is slidingly moved to some extent , the lamp cover 11 is bent downward , thereby completely opening the lamp opening 606 . this enables to reduce the sliding amount of the lamp cover 11 , and suppress a projecting amount of the lamp cover 11 from the cabinet 1 in slidingly moving the lamp cover 11 . thus , it is possible to reduce the space for sliding movement , which is necessary in opening or closing the lamp cover 11 . further , even if an external force is applied from above by e . g . hitting of a user &# 39 ; s / serviceperson &# 39 ; s hand in a state that the lamp cover 11 is opened to the right end , the force is absorbed by pivotal movement of the lamp cover 11 . thus , it is possible to prevent damage or breakage of the lamp cover 11 . in this embodiment , the prism unit 16 is disposed in the central part of the cabinet 1 , and the lamp unit 13 is disposed near the right side surface of the cabinet 1 . alternatively , the prism unit 16 may be disposed at a position near the side surface of the cabinet 1 , depending on the structure of the projector . in the modification , the arrangements of the prism cover 10 and the lamp cover 11 are opposite to those in the embodiment . in the modification , since it is necessary to open the prism cover in order to open the lamp cover , a burden of operation may be slightly increased . further , it is not necessary to dispose the prism opening 602 and the lamp opening 606 independently of each other . alternatively , the prism opening 602 and the lamp opening 606 may be communicated with each other . specifically , a single opening for covering the disposition areas of the lamp unit 13 and the prism unit 16 may be formed in the cabinet 1 so that the lamp unit 13 and the prism unit 16 can be dismounted through the single opening . in the modification , the prism cover 10 and the lamp cover 11 may be formed into one cover . the embodiment of the invention has been described as above , but the invention is not limited to the foregoing embodiment . further , the embodiment of the invention may be changed or modified in various ways as necessary , as far as such changes and modifications do not depart from the scope of the claims of the invention hereinafter defined . | 6Physics
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fig1 shows an embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention applied to a voltmeter , wherein an analog signal as a measurement value detected by a voltage sensor 1 is converted by an a / d converter 2 into a digital signal at a predetermined sampling period . a latch circuit 3 retains the digital signal which is updated at the predetermined period and outputs the same as a piece of sampling data x to a first digital comparator 4 . the first digital comparator 4 is connected with a digital display unit 5 arranged to include a decoder driver and serves to compare the data currently retained by a latch circuit 6 , which is for retaining the display data y corresponding to the value displayed on the display unit 5 , with the above mentioned updated sampling data x from the latch circuit 3 . according to the difference w between the sampling data x and the display data y and a piece of data to be output from a later discussed third comparator , an addend c is provided by an adder 7 , and this addend c is accumulated in a first counter 8 . a second comparator 9 compares a reference value a , which is predetermined and used for determining a display updating period to indicate the timing for updating the display , with the above mentioned accumulated addends in the first counter 8 . a second counter 10 is for counting the number of times of the display updates made , for which display updating instructions have been output to the latch circuit 6 from the second comparator 9 when the value of the accumulated addends therein have exceeded the reference value a . a third comparator 11 is for comparing a preset reference value k for the number of times of display updates with the number of times of the display updates made counted by the second counter 10 . according to the result of this comparison and to the result of the comparison made in the first comparator 4 , the value of the above mentioned addend c is determined . a timer circuit 12 , depending on the result of comparison made by the third comparator 11 , determines the set time t for measurement to detect whether or not the sampling data x is in the stabilized state , i . e ., the state in which the difference w is smaller than a predetermined value , as well as clears the count of the display updates made in the second counter 10 , so that a stabilized state of display updating is provided as soon as possible . a sign comparator 13 makes a successive comparison of the accumulated addends in the first counter 8 to detect a change of the sign of the addend input from the adder 7 , i . e ., a change of the sign of the difference between the sampling data x and the display data y , and clears the second counter 10 when the change of the sign is detected . operations of the present invention structured as above will be described below with concrete values used by way of example . first , the difference between the sampling data x , updated at intervals of a predetermined sampling period of 1 / 128 second and retained by the latch circuit 3 and the display data y , maintained in the latch circuit 6 and corresponding to the value currently displayed on the display unit 5 , w (= x - y ), inclusive of its plus or minus sign , is detected by the first comparator 4 . the dotted line in fig2 indicates the sampling data x , and the solid line indicates the display data y , and it is assumed that these data x and y were virtually equal and in a stabilized state at the start . then , suppose that the sampling data x is increased from 100 to 110 and a difference w = 10 is produced between the same and the display data y . the adder 7 decides the value of the addend c depending on whether or not the difference w is less than a predetermined value s (= 4 ) and whether or not the number of times of the display updates made is detected to be less than the reference value k (= 1 ) of the number of times of display updates in the third comparator 11 . more specifically , the same judges the sampling data x to be in a changed state since the difference w is more than the predetermined value s , and , further , judges the state to be the first changed state a since it is detected in the third comparator 11 that the display updates made is 0 -- because any display update was not made within a set time t set by the timer circuit 12 on the ground that the difference w before the sampling had been smaller than the predetermined value s and the sampling data x then had been in a stabilized state -- and less than the reference value k of the number of times of display updates , and thus the same sets up c 1 (= 2 ) as the value for the addend c . this value c 1 is supplied to the first counter 8 . the second comparator 9 compares the reference value a (= 52 ) with the value of the accumulated addends in the first counter 8 in order to determine the timing for the display updating . this comparison is made at intervals of the sampling period and the display updating is not made until the value of the accumulated addends exceeds the reference value a . since c 1 is accumulated every sampling period , 1 / 128 second , the value of the accumulated addends amounts to the reference value a after 26 / 128 second , when the latch circuit 6 is allowed to retain 101 , the earlier display data y plus the unit value b (= 1 ) for display updating , and the display on the display unit 5 is updated by the new display data y . at the same time , the second counter 10 counts the number of times of the display updates made every time the updating is made . the third comparator 11 , when the number of times of the display updates made reaches the reference value k (= 1 ) of the number of times of display updates , issues an instruction to the adder 7 to change the value of the variable c . the adder 7 sets the variable c to c 2 (= 18 ) on the ground that the difference w has exceeded the predetermined value s in absolute value and the number of times of the display updates made has exceeded the reference value k and hence the sampling data is now in the second changed state b . thereafter , when the difference w is larger than the predetermined value s every sampling period , the first counter 8 accumulates the value c 2 , and therefore , the value of the accumulated addends exceeds the reference value a after 3 / 128 second , when 1 is again added to the display data y and the display is updated . then , the display updating is made by an increment of 1 in like manner every 3 / 128 second until the difference w becomes smaller than the predetermined value , and thus , the display data rapidly approaches the actual sampling data . when , after the above described operations have been repeated , the different w becomes a value smaller than the predetermined value s (= 4 ), i . e ., 3 , the adder 7 judges the sampling data to have reached a stabilized state and sets the variable c to c 0 (= 1 ). and , if the difference w is smaller than the predetermined value s , the first counter 8 accumulates the value c 0 . therefore , after that time , the display on the display unit 5 is updated with an increment of 1 every 52 / 128 second . in the described manner , when the sampling data has approached the display data to a certain degree , the display updating period is made longer than before so that a stable state is brought about as soon as possible . the timer circuit 12 is for setting the set time t to find if the sampling data x is in a stabilized state in the first and second changed states a and b , that is , the timer circuit 12 sets the set time t to t 0 (= 36 / 128 ) in the first changed state a since the sampling data was brought from a stabilized state to a changed state , and unless the number of times of the display updates made is increased in the second counter 10 within the set time , it judges the sampling data x to be in a stabilized state and clears the second counter 10 . and , in the second changed state b , the same sets the set time t to t 1 (= 5 / 128 ). these set times t 0 and t 1 are determined by the third comparator 11 . the sign comparator 13 successively compares the accumulated addends in the first counter 8 and detects if the plus or minus sign of the addend c from the adder 7 differs from the previous one , and if a change of the sign is detected , the same judges that a different state from the earlier changed state has been produced and clears the second counter 10 . such a change of the sign is regarded as an indication of a stabilized state . that is , on the ground that it is uncertain whether the one time of change of the sign of the addend c output from the adder 7 is just that of a transient nature due to noise or that of the real change in the opposite direction to the earlier change of the sampling data x , and therefore , the real state cannot be found until the succeeding behaviors of the sampling data x are observed , the change of the sign is regarded as an indication of a stabilized state . incidentally , the first comparator 4 detects the difference w inclusive of a plus or minus sign and the adder 7 outputs the addend inclusive of the plus or minus sign to the first counter 8 . as described above , when the sampling data abruptly changes from a stabilized state in which the display data y has been unchanging for some time , the period for updating the display is changed depending on the difference between the sampling data x and the display data y and the number of times the display updates made , and thereby , as shown in fig2 the display updating period is made relatively long in the earlier stage when the sampling data x has just started to abruptly change , then the display updating period is made shorter so that the display data is rapidly brought closer to the sampling data x , and then , as the display data y is brought close to the sampling data x , the display updating period is again prolonged . thus , as shown in fig3 the displayed value , in the normal changed state , is made to change following the change in the measured value with the display updating period shortened and the response quickened , and in case of the noise having a large amplitude but a narrow width , the accumulation therefor is not made continuously , and hence , the display is not updated , i . e ., the displayed value does not change following the change in the measured value , and therefore , the occurrence of flickers can be prevented . while an embodiment of the present invention has been described in the foregoing , appropriate variations can be made therein without departing the spirit of the present invention . for example , the above mentioned value of the addend c , reference vale a for display updating period , reference value k for the number of times of display updates , the set time t set in the timer circuit , etc . can be modified in various ways and established depending on the apparatus to which the invention is applied . and , the apparatus to which the invention is applicable may be fuel gages , and so on , in addition to the above described voltmeter . | 6Physics
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referring to the drawings , and particularly to fig1 there is shown a convertible , multiple sports apparatus embodying features of the present invention , and indicated generally by the reference numeral 10 . multiple apparatus 10 is defined by two support members 12 , each of which is substantially triangular in outline , and has a base 14 , a rear leg 16 , and a front leg 18 , the base 14 and the two legs of each support member being joined together by junction units 20 , 22 and 24 . all of these parts are suitably hollow and may be formed from any convenient material , such as a molded plastic , e . g . each part may be formed separately and joined to the adjacent part by means of screws or bolts but , most conveniently , parts 14 , 16 , 18 , 20 , 22 and 24 , are all formed as a unitary structure , e . g . as a single molding . when hollow , the support members 12 can be filled with water or sand to stabilize them , if desired . the enlarged junction units 24 at rear as shown are particularly useful for this purpose . this not only reduces the cost of manufacture , but adds to the strength and rigidity of the support units . lightness of weight is also achieved by using a plastic . extending upwardly from junction units 22 are hollow shafts 26 , which are suitably separately formed from metal and connected to junction units 22 by means of screws or bolts or other securing means 25 as seen in fig4 passing through appropriately aligned holes . connecting the two support members 12 and shafts 26 is an inverted u - shaped extension unit 27 defined by two vertical members 28 , a horizonal member 30 , and elbows 32 . the vertical members 28 and the elbows 32 are hollow and can be formed as a unit , e . g . by molding , and the two elbows 32 are connected by the horizontal member 30 in any convenient manner , e . g . by means of screws 34 , which are received in a corresponding openings ( not shown ) in horizontal member 30 . suitably , vertical members 28 have an internal diameter greater than the external diameter of shafts 26 so that shafts 26 telescopically receive vertical members 28 . each of shafts 26 and members 28 are formed with apertures 36 into which a bolt or screw or like securing means ( not shown ) is received , ( i . e ., the bolt passes through the aperture at member 28 , and and then into the aligned aperture of shaft 26 at which it can be threadingly received .) by providing a plurality of such apertures 36 in shafts 26 , the height of u - shaped extension unit relatively to support members 12 , and thus the height of horizontal member 30 relatively to the ground , can be readily adjusted . shafts 26 can be longer than illustrated and can be provided with additional apertures to permit additional adjustability . disposed between the rear portions of support members 12 is a net 40 , which is suitably secured at its lateral ends to support members 12 , and the net 40 suitably has a height such that it extends between at least portions of vertical members 28 , and is suitably secured to them , as by screws or bolts ( not shown ). the net serves as an effective back - stop for thrown , batted , or kicked balls , so that they will be contained within the playing area . a principal feature of the apparatus of the invention is the adjustably rotatable backboard 45 , which is rotatably mounted upon horizontal member 30 , and can be positioned in the upright or vertical position as shown in fig1 or , by simple adjustment , can be positioned horizontally as shown in fig2 . the backboard 45 can be formed from any convenient material , such as plastic , and is preferably hollow , to decrease weight . for the purpose of mounting and adjusting the position of backboard 45 on horizontal member 30 , there are provided blocks 48 attached to the rear of back - board 45 . each of blocks 48 is formed with a concave , contoured recess for smoothly receiving horizontal member 30 , as seen fig3 . each of the blocks 48 has extending from it the threaded end of a bolt 50 , which is suitably embedded in the block . cooperating with block 48 is an arm 52 , which is hingedly connected at 54 to block 48 , and is shaped to accommodate the arcuate surface of horizontal member 30 . at its non - hinged end , the arm 52 is apertured ( not shown ) to receive bolt 50 and , for adjustably tightening arm 52 and block 48 around horizontal member 30 , bolt 50 is provided a wing nut 56 , which suitably cooperates with a washer 58 . it will thus be seen that by loosening wing nut 56 , the backboard 45 can be adjustably rotated about horizontal member 30 , from a vertical position to a horizontal position , and held in either of these positions , or in any intermediate position , by tightening the nut 56 associated with each arm 52 , and each block 48 . referring now particularly to fig1 the forward face of back - stop 45 is suitably provided with a basketball goal which is in the form of a ring or annular 55 attached to a supporting block 60 , which in turn is attached in any convenient manner , as by bolts or screws , to backboard 45 . the ring or annular member 55 of the basketball goal is provided on its inner surface with the usual hooks ( not shown ) by means of which can be hung the strands of a basketball goal net 64 or conventional form . there is thus provided an apparatus for multiple sports activities , and for practicing and developing skills in several sports involving a ball or other sports projectile . for example , as previously mentioned , the net 40 stretchd between the support members 12 effectively serves as a back - stop for a thrown or batted baseball , whiffle ball , or a kicked soccer ball , or these parts serve as a goal for practicing soccer , lacrosse or hockey . at the same time , the backboard 45 , with its goal 55 , serves as a goal for practicing the shooting of basketballs when the back - board 45 is in its upright or vertical position , and the goal 55 extends horizontally . however , the backboard 45 can be rotated by 90 °, either downwardly or upwardly into a horizontal position with the goal 55 extending vertically , either below or above the horizontal backboard , and the goal 55 can then effectively serve as a target for footballs or basketballs to practice throwing these sports projectiles . when so used , the net can be left in place to slow or stop the thrown ball or projectile ; or the net can be removed as shown in figure 2 . also the degree of rotation can be selected to meet an individual interest -- i . e . an angle of greater or less than 90 ° can be set . as previously mentioned , the height of the backboard , and thus of the goal 55 , can be readily adjusted by reason of the adjustable connection between the shafts 26 and vertical members 28 , to increase or decrease the difficulty of using the goal 55 as a basketball goal or as a target , or to accommodate the growing size and / or experience of the child using the apparatus . even when the basketball goal 55 is not being used either as a goal or a target as described above , it is advantageous to rotate the backboard 45 , and secure it with the goal 55 extending upwardly in order that there will be free access to the net 40 so that there will be no interference when the net 40 is used as a backstop for baseball , whiffle ball , soccer , hockey , or the like , or when it is used as a soccer , hockey , or lacrosse goal . there is thus provided a single apparatus unit which can be used without the need for any interchangeable parts which have to be separately stored , and the convertible features of the apparatus make it possible to carry out a wide variety of sports activities . the apparatus is easily assembled , readily portable , and can be used in a field , or playground , or in the child &# 39 ; s backyard at any time and , because of its versatility , it offers increased incentive for the child to increase his skills at several sports , as he chooses . it will be obvious that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the impended claims , and is intended therefore , that all matter contained in the foregoing description and in the drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative only , and not in a limiting sense . | 0Human Necessities
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[ 0026 ] fig5 illustrates one embodiment of the present invention for terminating unwanted signal propagation . in fig5 as is known , each physical stripe is configured with a virtual stripe by , for example , writing a configuration word to the physical stripe . a detailed explanation of configuration management and data management is provided in schmit , et al , “ managing pipeline - reconfigurable fpgas ” published in acm 6 th international symposium on fpgas , february 1998 , the entirety of which is hereby incorporated by reference . the reader desiring more details on the task of writing a configuration word to a physical stripe is referred to the above - identified article . additional details regarding the construction and operation of reconfigurable fabrics may be found in schmit , et al , “ piperench : a virtualized programmable data path in 0 . 18 micron technology ”, in proceedings of the ieee custom integrated circuits conference ( cicc ), 2002 , the entirety of which is hereby incorporated by reference , schmit , “ piperench : a reconfigurable , architectural and compiler ”, ieee computer , pages 70 - 76 ( april 2000 ), the entirety of which is hereby incorporated by reference , schmit , “ incremental reconfiguration for pipelined applications ”, proceedings of the ieee symposium on fpgas for custom computing machines , pp . 47 - 55 , 1997 , the entirety of which is hereby incorporated by reference and schmit et al , “ piperench : a coprocessor for streaming multimedia acceleration ”, international symposium on computer architecture , pp . 38 - 49 , 1999 , the entirety of which is hereby incorporated by reference . one aspect of the present invention is to include some additional information in the encoding of a stripe ( e . g . in the configuration word ) that indicates whether a read from the register file is the last read of that data value in the application . the “ last read ” information can be generated by the compiler or physical design tool that generates the virtual stripe information , or it can be done by a separate program that analyzes a set of virtual stripes to determine when is the last read . the first and last stripes in an application present special cases . in the last stripe in a virtual application , there are no subsequent stripes . therefore , there are no further reads of values in the register file . in the first virtual stripe , none of the values currently in the register files in physical stripes that are located before the first virtual stripe are going to be used . for stripes other than the first and last stripes in an application , the information about the last time a value in a register needs to be read ( sometimes referred to as the last read information ) can be used in a number of ways to reduce power consumption . [ 0028 ] fig5 illustrates one embodiment for using the last read information to reduce power consumption by masking the value after a final read . in fig5 there are four register files 42 , 44 , 46 , 48 each having one register 42 ′, 44 ′, 46 , 48 ′, respectively , for purposes of simplicity . the reader will understand that in practice each register file will have a plurality of registers as shown , for example , in fig3 . in addition , the reader will understand that each register could store more than one bit . in the actual piperench implementation described in the previous publications , each register in each register file stores eight bits . in the embodiment of fig5 the last read information is used to fix the value in subsequent stripes in the fabric to a constant value . in the embodiment of fig5 that is accomplished with an and 52 gate located prior to ( or in ) register file 42 , and 54 gate located prior to ( or in ) register file 44 , and 56 gate located prior to ( or in ) register file 46 , and and 58 gate located prior to ( or in ) register file 48 . assuming that the value read from register 44 ′ is the last time that value needs to be read , inputting a zero on one of the input terminals of the and gate 56 forces the value at the output terminal of the and gate 56 , and in the subsequent pass register files , to zero . the value input to the input terminals of the other and gates 52 , 54 , and 58 is not of significance in terminating the propagation of the signal produced by the register 44 ′. other gates that can be used in place of the and gates include or gates , a nand gate . any type of gate that exhibits a monotonic function , i . e . a gate that “ forces ” the output based on a controlling value at one of the inputs , can be used . it will be noticed that the value output by register 44 ′ is terminated , i . e . prevented from propagating , by and gate 56 by forcing that value to zero . in a register , clocking in a constant value consumes less power than clocking in a changing value . thus , forcing the value to zero results in power savings . a similar result can be achieved by masking of the multiplexor read bit for the appropriate multiplexor responsive to the last read register so that the value output by the register is no longer read when no longer needed . in fig6 another method of using the last read information to stop a signal from propagating and for saving power is illustrated . the circuit of fig6 is similar to the circuit of fig5 except that the and gates 52 , 54 , 56 , 58 are positioned to receive a clock signal 60 . the clock signal output by and gates 52 , 54 , 56 , 58 is input to registers 42 ′, 44 ′, 46 ′ and 48 ′, respectively . another way the last read information can be used to reduce power in a register is to stop the register from clocking . in fig6 that is performed by masking ( blocking ) the clock signal 60 to those registers 42 ′, 46 ′, 48 ′ that are unused by inputting a zero to one of the input terminals of and gates 52 , 56 , 58 , respectively . only the one register 44 ′ in use is actually clocked by inputting a one to one of the input terminals of the and gate 54 , which saves significant clock distribution power , as well the power dissipated in the register itself . the set of values input to and gates 52 , 54 , 56 , 58 ( e . g . 0100 ) may be referred to as a clocking mask . [ 0031 ] fig7 illustrates a somewhat more complex embodiment of the circuit shown in fig6 in that instead of the providing a plurality of gates and a clocking mask to the gates , information is provided to a plurality of mask units 62 , 64 , 66 , 68 which locally determine if registers within register files 42 , 44 , 46 , 48 , respectively , should be clocked . the design of fig7 requires the additional circuitry of the mask units 62 , 64 , 66 , 68 and two and gates per mask unit to compute the value of the clock mask variable for each stripe ( register file ). the clock mask bit is determined based on what happened “ most recently ” in each register within each register file . what happened most recently is determined from the inputs “ readadd 0 ”, “ readadd 1 ”, “ writeadd ”, “ lastread 0 ”, “ lastread 1 ”, and “ lastvirtual ”, as well information on the state of the previous mask unit . if that register has been “ read for the last time ”, then the clock is masked off . if the register has been written more recently than it has been “ read for the last time ”, the clock is enabled . that can be implemented with a small finite state machine receiving the inputs identified above . in this state machine , shown in fig8 a register in the register file would be clocked if that register is not in the last virtual stripe and was either written in this stripe ( as indicated by the write address ) or was clocked in the previous stripe and was not the last read ( as indicated by the read address and the last read bit corresponding to that port ). [ 0033 ] fig9 illustrates the circuit of fig6 modified to provide local mask units . the previous embodiments use exactly the same information , whether a value in a register is being read for the last time , to determine that the value should not be allowed to propagate , either by forcing the value to a constant ( e . g . zero ) or not clocking the registers , to reduce power . when the pass register file includes more than one register , the combination of the read port address ( which specifies which register is being accessed ), and the bit indicated “ last read ” can be combined to determine which value is being read for the last time in the application . there are other ways to encode this information which , at present , seem less efficient . for example , it is possible to have an explicit “ in - use ” bit for each register in each register file such that it would not be necessary to combine the information with the read port address . thus , the present invention is directed to using any “ register use ” information for power savings . furthermore the information that a stripe is either the first or last virtual stripe can also be used by the mask unit to save power . at the first virtual stripe , the application knows that any data coming from previous stripes is not meaningful for this application . this bogus data could be the results from a prior computation that was executed on the stripes in the fabric . as a result , a mask unit that is informed that a stripe is the first virtual stripe could mask the clock or gate the data for any data arriving from a physical stripe prior to the physical stripe containing the first virtual stripe . [ 0036 ] fig1 shows a complex register file with four registers , two read ports , one write port , and a set of four gates that can make the output values from a register that has been read for the last time constant . fig1 shows a register file with the same parameters as fig1 , but with separate clocks that would be generated by a mask unit . the register file in fig1 , if it were reduced to containing two registers , could be used in fig7 to replace 44 . finally , to address the special cases of the first and last virtual stripe , a register file should have unused register file entries masked ( e . g . see fig1 ) or have their clocks gated by , for example , providing separate clock signals for each register ( see fig1 ). while the present invention has been described in connection with preferred embodiments thereof , those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that many modifications and variations are possible . the present invention is intended to be limited only by the following claims and not by the foregoing description . | 8General tagging of new or cross-sectional technology
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the present invention is described with reference to the enclosed figures wherein the same numerals are used . in a most preferred embodiment , the invention is a system and method for paying off a plurality of debts , specifically , debts with a shorter term to maturity , highest interest rate , and / or high balance , highest interest expense . in a most preferred embodiment , the invention is directed to more rapidly paying off a plurality of consumer or business debt items such as installment and revolving debt . in one embodiment , the consumer pays off a pre - set amount in excess of the minimum or monthly payment required . referring to fig1 , the initial embodiment is based upon categorizing payments according the length of the payment term , i . e ., whether the debt or loan is 24 , 48 , 60 months of longer . the debt with the shortest payoff term is set in the first position sequentially and the debts with longer payoff terms are then set forth in ascending sequence . the debtor may determine an additional monthly amount ( the excess amount ), which can be paid . it is assumed that the total monthly debt of the consumer plus the additional excess amount can be paid throughout the full term of all the debts . initially , the additional excess amount is used to pay off the shortest - term debt . with the addition of the excess amount , paid monthly , the payoff of the shortest - term debt is accelerated . after the payoff of the shortest term debt , the excess amount , which may include the payment of paid off accounts , plus the amount of the monthly payment of the shortest term debt is then used to pay off the second shortest term debt . the additional payments from the excess and shortest - term debt accelerate the payment schedule of the second shortest - term debt . after the second shortest term debt is paid off , the excess , shortest term and second shortest term debts may be applied to the third shortest - term debt . this process repeats until all debts are paid off . referring to fig2 , in a second embodiment , the priority is given to the highest interest rate of the debts . here the additional excess amount is used to pay off the highest interest rate debt . with the addition of the excess amount , paid monthly , the payoff of the highest interest rate debt is accelerated . after the payoff of the highest interest rate debt , the excess amount , plus the amount of the monthly payment of the next highest interest rate debt is then used to pay off the second highest interest rate debt . the excess , which may include the payment of paid off accounts , plus the payment schedule of the second highest interest rate debt is then used to pay off the second highest interest rate debt . after the second highest interest rate debt is paid off , the excess , which may include the payment of paid off accounts plus the payment schedule of the next highest interest rate debt may be applied to the third highest interest rate debt . this process repeats until all debts are paid off . in a third embodiment of fig3 , the priority is given to the largest - aggregate periodic balance . here , the system identifies the largest aggregate balance for the period ; the additional excess amount is used to pay off the largest aggregate balance debt . with the addition of the excess amount , paid monthly , the payoff of the largest aggregate balance debt is accelerated . after the payoff of the largest aggregate balance debt , the excess amount , which may include the payment of paid off accounts , plus the amount of the monthly payment of the next largest aggregate balance debt is then used to pay off the second largest aggregate balance debt . after the payoff of the second largest aggregate balance debt , the excess amount , which may include the payment of paid off accounts , plus the amount of the monthly payment of the next largest aggregate balance debt is then used to pay off the third largest aggregate balance debt . this process repeats until all debts are paid off . in a fourth embodiment of fig4 , the priority is given to the highest periodic interest expense amount , which is the interest rate multiply by the balance , multiple by the number of days , divided by the total business days in a calendar year . the system identifies the highest interest expense amount for each period . here the additional excess amount is used to pay off the highest interest expense debt . with the addition of the excess amount , paid monthly , the payoff of the highest interest expense debt is accelerated . after the payoff of the highest periodic interest expense debt , the excess amount , which may include the payment of paid off accounts , plus the amount of the monthly payment of the next highest interest expense debt is then used to pay off the second highest interest expense debt . after the payoff of the second highest interest expense debt , the excess amount , which may include the payment of paid off accounts , plus the amount of the monthly payment of the next highest interest expense debt is then used to pay off the third highest interest expense debt . this process repeats until all debts are paid off . as can be seen , the present invention suggests a plurality of permutations . in general , the invention can group all amortizing debt accounts as a portfolio . it computes the initial minimum periodic total cash flow and may maintain that amount in schedule until the last debt is paid off . whenever additional amounts of money are added to the portfolio or become available by paying off any of the creditors , the invention identifies the creditor to be paid next and increase the periodic payment respectively . this feature of the invention helps determine the most optimal method for paying off the debts based on the largest amount of economic savings , which is the different between the total scheduled repayment and the total actual repayment of the portfolio , for each method . investment features can be applied to determine the most optimal method of paying off the debts that would produce the highest investment return . as additional monies become available when each debt is paid off , the system considers the possible return on investment for each method . in the first embodiment where the priority was given to the shortest - term debt , after paying off the last debt the excess amount used in the portfolio is considered for investment until the maximum scheduled term of the portfolio . in the second embodiment where the priority was given to the highest interest rate of the debts , after paying off the last debt the excess amount used in the portfolio is considered for investment until the maximum scheduled term of the portfolio . in the third embodiment where the priority was given to the aggregate periodic balance debt , after paying off the last debt the excess amount used in the portfolio is considered for investment until the maximum scheduled term of the portfolio . in the fourth embodiment where the priority was given to the highest interest expense debt , after paying off the last debt the excess amount used in the portfolio is considered for investment until the maximum scheduled term of the portfolio . these methods are weighted against each other and against the investment return of a situation where no excess amount was applied to pay off debt . the feature help to consider the most optimal method that would produce the highest investment return when paying off debts is a consideration . the present invention has been described with reference to the enclosed detailed description , the true nature and scope of the invention is to be determined with reference to the attached claims . these and other features of the present invention will become apparent from the claims attached hereto . | 6Physics
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the rotary engine ( 1 ) consists of a housing ( 24 ) with a first , center main well ( 23 ), a second , compression well ( 21 ) communicating with the first side of the main well ( 23 ), and a third , separation well ( 22 ) communicating with a second side of the main well ( 23 ). the well ( 23 ) contains the main rotor ( 2 ) with three evenly spaced lobes ( 3 ) mounted on the first output shaft . the compression well ( 21 ) contains the c / c rotor ( 4 ) with three evenly spaced cavities ( 5 ) ( 6 ) mounted on the second output shaft . the separation well ( 22 ) contains the separation rotor ( 7 ) with three evenly spaced cavities ( 8 ) ( 9 ) mounted on the third output shaft . an air / fuel intake port ( 10 ) in the housing ( 24 ) communicates with the main well ( 23 ). an exhaust port ( 11 ) communicates with the main well ( 23 ) opposite from the intake port ( 10 ). a first stage compression chamber ( 12 ) in the main well ( 23 ) between the intake port ( 10 ) and the compression well ( 21 ). an expansion power chamber ( 13 ) in the main well between the compression well ( 21 ) and the exhaust port ( 11 ). a passage ( 18 ) communicates the compression well with the main well at the expansion power chamber ( 13 ) from the compression well power port ( 19 ) to the main well power port ( 20 ). a passage ( 17 ) connects the compression well at compression well relief port ( 14 ) with the exhaust port at the secondary exhaust intake port ( 15 ). a spark plug ( not shown ) communicates with the compression well ( 21 ) at the combustion chamber ( 6 ) to ignite the fuel . the spark plug is replaced by a fuel injector when the design parameters are used for compression ignition . three gears ( not shown ) operatively connect the three output shafts together to hold the lobes of the main rotor ( 3 ) in the main well ( 23 ) in mesh with the cavities in the second ( 4 ) and third ( 7 ) rotors . the design geometry of the lobe ( 3 ) and compression chamber ( 5 ) enable compressing air / fuel mixture directly into a combustion chamber ( 6 ) in the c / c rotor ( 4 ) thence sealing the combustion chamber with the top of the lobe at maximum compression . given two cylinders with cross section and geometry in plane c with planes a and b in c , with centers at points a and b respectively , and that are free to rotate about their center points . point a is not equal to point b . point q is the midpoint between a and b ( fig1 & amp ; 2 ). ar is a circle with center point a with radius r , as is a circle with center point a with a radius s . br is a circle with center point b and radius r . points i and j define the intersection points of the circles as and br . i a and i b are the points on circles as and br respectively at point i . point q is the intersection of ar and br with p a and j b on circles ar and br respectively at q . m a is a point on ar where the arc p a m a is congruent to the arc j b i b . the compression chambers ( 5 ) ( 8 ) ( fig1 b ) in the secondary rotors ( 4 ) ( 7 ) respectively comprise the area defined primarily by two arcs i a and j a . i a is a set of points in br defined by i a as a and b rotate at the same rate in opposite directions ( fig2 ) until i a again intersects br ( fig2 b ). a and b counter rotate until m a and i b intersect q ( fig3 a ). j a on as is defined at intersection j with m a at q . j b is also now at j . j a is the set of points in br defined by j a as a and b continue to counter rotate until j a again intersects br ( fig3 b ). i a and j a intersect at a point d in b . with p a and j b set at q , lobe 3 ( fig1 c ) of the first main rotor ( 2 ) comprise the area defined primarily by the two arcs i b and j b . i b is a set of points in as defined by i b , and j b is a set of points in as defined by j b as a and b rotate at the same rate in opposite directions ( fig4 ) until i b intersects ar , which is at point m a . i b intersects m a at the same time j b intersects j a . the top of the lobe between i a and j a is recessed for clearance at d ( fig1 c ). the combustion chamber ( 6 ) ( fig1 b ) in the secondary rotor ( 4 ) is expanded by creating an elliptical arc with endpoints between e and f ( fig1 b ). the segment ef is congruent to the segment i a j a . e is a point on the arc j a between j b and d . f is a point on the arc i a between d and i b . the chamber is shaped and sized for the desired compression . the corresponding chamber ( 9 ) in the separation rotor ( 7 ) is constructed in much the same manner as the combustion chamber . however this chamber need not be of the same size , shape , or placement since its function is to communicate the separation chamber with the transfer port ( 25 ) and vacuum relief port ( 27 ) at the proper time . in the rectangular cartesian system of coordinates the faces of the lobe and chamber is the set of ordered pairs ( x , y ) where x = 2r cos ( u )− s cos ( 2u ) and y = 2r sin ( u )− s sin ( 2u ). for the face of the lobe r = s and for the face of the chamber s = ar where 1 & lt ; a & lt ; 2 . the engine design can vary by choosing the number of lobes and chambers desired for each rotor then setting a for the desired design . utilizing the law of cosines the domain of u is readily determined to construct the rotors . in the diagrams a = 1 . 5 for the three lobe / chamber design . by construction as the synchronized rotors turn the lobe and compression chamber make contact at the base of the leading face of the lobe with the base of the leading wall of the compression chamber while the trailing peak of the lobe makes contact with the base of the trailing wall of the compression chamber ( 3 c ) ( fig9 ). the trailing peak of the lobe and the trailing wall of the compression chamber , and the base of the trailing wall of the compression chamber and the trailing face of the lobe maintain contact making a double seal ( 3 a ) ( fig5 ), and the base of the leading wall of the compression chamber and leading face of the lobe maintain contact ( 3 a ) ( fig5 ), until the combustion chamber is reached and closed by contact of the leading peak of the lobe ( 3 a ) ( fig6 ) with the leading wall of the compression chamber . this results in the compressed gases being forced into the combustion chamber as the leading face of the lobe and the leading wall of the compression chamber close . the combustion chamber is then sealed on either side by the two peaks of the lobe against the leading and trailing walls of the compression chamber and the two base points of the compression chamber against the leading and trailing face of the lobe ( 3 a ) ( fig6 ). after combustion , as the lobe and compression chamber open , the leading peak of the lobe and the leading wall of the compression chamber , and the base of the leading wall of the compression chamber and the face of the leading lobe maintain contact making a double seal . the trailing face of the lobe and the base of the trailing wall of the compression chamber maintain contact . these seal points are maintained until lobe and compression chamber separate ( 3 a ) ( fig7 ). the improvements further include a lobe and combustion chamber design that at peak compression and ignition results in a positive moment arm in the desired direction of rotation of the main rotor ( 2 ) and c / c rotor ( 4 ) ( fig6 ). this is accomplished by moving the center of the opening of the combustion chamber forward of point d . the exact placement is easily adjusted to the specific design parameters desired . the improvements further include an improved seal . as a result of the two peaks the lobe creates a double seal while operating within the center main well ( 23 ) along the housing wall of the first stage of the compression chamber ( 12 ) during the first stage compression phase ( 3 c ) ( fig7 ) and the housing wall of the expansion power chamber ( 13 ) during the power phase ( 3 a ) ( fig9 ). the improvements further include extending the availability of expanding gases from the combustion chamber to the power chamber . after the lobe separates from the c / c rotor a passageway ( 18 ) ( fig9 ) communicates the expanding gases in the chamber ( 5 a ) ( 6 a ) in the secondary compression well ( 21 ) to the expansion power chamber ( 13 ) behind the lobe ( 3 a ) utilizing the kinetic energy of those expanding gases in the power phase thereby increasing engine efficiency . the compression well power port ( 19 ) and the main well power port ( 20 ) are positioned such that as the trailing base of the compression chamber enters the compression well the leading peak of the lobe is forward of the main well power port ( 20 ), the trailing peak of the lobe passes the trailing side of the main well power port ( 20 ), and the leading base of the compression chamber passes the trailing side of the compression well power port ( 19 ). the improvements further include a means of reducing residual exhaust gases from entering the separation chamber ( 8 ) and clearing the exhaust gases from the compression / combustion chamber ( 5 ) ( 6 ). the separation rotor ( 7 ) in addition to separating the intake from the exhaust also serves as a pump to clear exhaust gases from the system . as the lobe ( 3 b ) ( fig7 ) enters the separation chamber ( 8 b ) the gases start to compress in the same manner as described for the c / c rotor . however , the relief chamber ( 9 b ) starts communicating with the separation relief port ( 25 ) in which the gases are forced through . separation relief port ( 25 ) is communicated to secondary compression well ( 21 ) at the compression purge port ( 16 ) by a passageway ( 26 ), providing means for communicating a compression zone of the female separation rotor with a cavity of the c / c rotor to purge the cavity of the c / c rotor of residual exhaust gases . the passageway may contain a one - way check valve ( not shown ) to prevent any back flow of gases . the system is timed ( fig8 ) such that the purging gases are communicated through the combustion chamber ( 6 b ), through the compression chamber ( 5 b ), out the compression well relief port ( 14 ), through the secondary exhaust manifold ( 17 ), and into the main exhaust at the secondary exhaust intake port ( 15 ). the secondary exhaust intake port ( 15 ) is configured such that as the primary exhaust flows past the port a low pressure area is created which is transmitted by passage ( 17 ) to the compression well relief port ( 14 ) further aiding in clearing the combustion and compression chambers of residual gases . this compression well relief port ( 14 ) provides a means for communicating the combustion chamber of the c / c rotor with an exhaust port in order to assist the purging of combustion chamber of residual exhaust gases . as the rotors continue to rotate a vacuum is created in the expanding cavity in the separation chamber ( 8 b ) ( fig9 ) as the lobe ( 3 b ) separates from the separation chamber ( 8 b ). the relief chamber ( 9 b ) is now communicating with the vacuum relief port ( 27 ) and fresh air is being drawn into the separation chamber ( 8 b ). as lobe ( 3 b ) again approaches the separation chamber ( 8 b ) ( fig5 ) ( fig6 ) purging the exhaust gases from lobe ( 3 c ) exhaust gases are restricted from entering the separation chamber which is already occupied by the air drawn . the improvements further include a wiper and wiper groove ( 30 ) ( fig1 ) designed with a toe ( 28 ) at the base . this toe limits the distance the wiper can extrude outside the groove . the portion of the wiper that extends past the wiper groove in the rotor is profiled similar to the section of the rotor it replaces . the wiper facilitates a smooth transition alternately between the surface of the opposing rotor and the surface of the rotor housing compensating for any backlash in the timing gears and adjusting for any thermal expansion of the system . this limited range allows the wiper to maintain contact and form a seal with the opposing rotor and wall of the rotor housing during rotation while preventing the wipers from extending past the profile required for a smooth transition of the wipers between surfaces . a spring ( 29 ) under the foot of the wiper maintains an outward pressure so the wiper will maintain contact with the opposing surfaces . a wiper is located at the leading and trailing base of each compression and separation chamber and the tips of the lobes . | 5Mechanical Engineering; Lightning; Heating; Weapons; Blasting
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a detailed description of one preferred embodiment of a shape measurement apparatus embodied by the present invention is provided below with reference to the accompanying drawings . the description will be given with an example of a handheld - type ophthalmic apparatus capable of measuring eye refractive power and a corneal shape ( corneal radius of curvatures ). fig1 is an external view schematically showing an ophthalmic apparatus used in the preferred embodiment , and fig2 is a view schematically showing an optical system included in the apparatus . a measurement window 4 is placed on an examinee &# 39 ; s side ( a side of an object to be examined ) of an apparatus 1 , and measurement light from an eye refractive power measurement optical system described later is irradiated ( projected ) onto an eye e to be examined along a measurement optical axis l1 which goes through the center of the window 4 . besides , an image of an anterior segment of the eye e is picked up via the window 4 . two illumination windows 7 a and 7 b are provided below the window 4 , and illumination light from anterior segment illumination light sources described later illuminates the eye e through each of the windows 7 a and 7 b . in addition , four irradiation ( projection ) windows 8 a to 8 d are provided vertically and horizontally symmetrical about the window 4 being their center . target light from a target projection optical system described later is irradiated ( projected ) onto the eye e through each of the windows 8 a to 8 d . right below the windows 8 a and 8 b are two irradiation ( projection ) windows 9 a and 9 b which target light used for detecting alignment condition in a z - direction ( a direction of a working distance ) goes through . a lcd monitor 5 and a switch part 6 are placed on an examiner &# 39 ; s side of the apparatus 1 . the image of the anterior segment of the eye e , alignment information and measurement information are displayed on the monitor 5 . the lower part of the apparatus 1 is a grasping part 2 for the examiner . in fig2 a half mirror 10 is placed on the optical axis l1 which is a central axis of the apparatus 1 opposed to the eye e , and the eye refractive power measurement optical system 20 is placed on the rear side of the half mirror 10 . on the side of an optical axis l 2 made coaxial with the optical axis l1 by a half mirror 21 , a light source 22 shared for measurement of eye refractive power and detection of alignment condition in x and y directions ( horizontal and vertical directions ), a rotation sector 23 having a slit aperture , a projection lens 25 , and a limiting diaphragm 26 are placed . the light source 22 emits infrared light . in addition , on the rear side of the half mirror 21 on the optical axis l1 , a photo - receiving lens 31 , a diaphragm 32 , and a photo - receiving part 33 including three pairs of photodetectors are placed . eye refractive power is measured by obtaining signals indicating the phase difference in accordance with the scanning direction of slit light using the three pairs of photodetectors on the photo - receiving part 33 . the measurement of the eye refractive power has little relationship with the present invention , and the details are omitted ( see japanese patent application unexamined publication hei10 - 108836 corresponding to u . s . pat . no . 5 , 907 , 388 for the details ). on an optical axis l 3 made coaxial with the optical axis l1 by the half mirror 10 a light source 11 which emits visible light , a fixation target plate 12 on which a fixation target is formed , and lenses 13 and 14 are placed to form a fixation target optical system . the light source 11 and the fixation target plate 12 integrally move in the direction of the optical axis l 3 by a fixation target moving part described later to fog the eye e . in addition , a dichroic mirror 15 is placed between the lens 14 and the half mirror 10 . on an optical axis l 4 on the reflecting side of the dichroic mirror 15 ( the optical axis l 4 is mode coaxial with the optical axis l 3 by the dichroic mirror 15 ), an image forming lens 16 , a telecentric diaphragm 17 and a ccd camera 18 having an image pickup element are placed to form an observation optical system . the ccd camera 18 has a sensitivity of near - infrared and infrared regions . the observation optical system serves as a target detection optical system for detecting targets projected onto the eye e , and as a part of a corneal shape measurement optical system . reference numeral 40 indicates the target projection optical system , which is composed of four groups of first target projection optical systems 40 a to 40 d as a part of the corneal shape measurement optical system placed on the circumference of a single circle having the optical axis l1 at its center , and of second target projection optical systems 50 a and 50 b for irradiating ( projecting ) the target light used for detecting the alignment condition in the z - direction . the first target projection optical systems 40 a and 40 b are placed so that each of their projection optical axes intersects with the optical axis l1 at a predetermined angle in the horizontal direction of the apparatus 1 . likewise , the first target projection optical systems 40 c and 40 d ( illustrations are omitted in fig2 ) are placed so that each of their projection optical axes intersects with the optical axis l1 at a predetermined angle in the vertical direction of the apparatus 1 . reference numeral 41 a to 41 d are point light sources which emit infrared light , 42 a to 42 d are spot diaphragms , and 43 a to 43 d are collimating lenses which project targets at a infinite distance onto the eye e . the second target projection optical systems 50 a and 50 b are placed below the first target projection optical systems 40 a and 40 b ( in fig2 a and 50 b are deviated toward the optical axis l1 for convenience in illustration ), and are placed symmetrically with respect to the optical axis l1 . the second target projection optical systems 50 a and 50 b are provided with point light sources 51 a and 51 b which emit infrared light , and spot diaphragms 52 a and 52 b , and project targets at a finite distance onto the eye e . [ 0029 ] fig3 is a view schematically showing a configuration ( arrangement ) of the light sources 41 a to 41 d included in the first target projection optical systems 40 a to 40 d and the light sources 51 a and 51 b included in the second target projection optical systems 50 a and 50 b , when viewed from the examinee &# 39 ; s side . the light sources 51 a and 51 b are placed at positions not symmetrical about a point with respect to the optical axis l1 ( an asymmetric pattern ). the target projection optical system 40 irradiates light to form totally six reflexes ( target images ) at the periphery of a cornea ec of the eye e off the corneal center . besides , in fig2 the anterior segment illumination light sources 45 a and 45 b which emit near - infrared light are placed at the same height as the distance from the optical axis l1 , and placed to have a predetermined positional relationship with the optical axis l1 , so as to illuminate the eye e from an oblique - lower direction . the light sources 45 a and 45 b irradiate light at a finite distance , and form two reflexes on the cornea ec . the reflexes are detected by the camera 18 as target images not symmetric about a point with the optical axis l1 ( an asymmetric pattern ). [ 0031 ] fig4 is a block diagram schematically showing primary parts of a control system of the apparatus 1 . an output image from the camera 18 is provided with a predetermined processing and captured in an image memory 61 . besides , the image from the camera 18 is displayed on the monitor 5 via an image synthesizing part 62 . a character generating part 63 generates various characters and letters to be displayed on the monitor 5 , and a signal therefrom is electrically synthesized with a picture signal from the camera 18 by the image synthesizing part 62 . an image processing part 65 detects a signal from the image captured in the image memory 61 , and a calculating / controlling part 60 obtains positions of the target images based on the signal detected by the image processing part 65 to measure a spherical shape such as a shape of the cornea ec , a shape of a contact lens , or the like . in addition , the calculating / controlling part 60 is connected to the light source 22 , the light sources 41 a to 41 d , and the light sources 51 a and 51 b , the photo - receiving part 33 for measuring the eye refractive power , a fixation target moving part 57 and the like , and controls measurement of the corneal shape and measurement of the eye refractive power and calculates the eye refractive power . further , a memory part 66 is capable of storing the obtained spherical shape data ( the radius of curvatures and the axial angles of the steepest and flattest meridians ) such as the obtained corneal shape data or the like , the obtained eye refractive power data and the like . various data stored by the memory part 66 are sent to a printer 70 via an outward output part 67 so that measurement data are printed out . with the configuration as described above , the operation will be described referring to a flowchart shown in fig7 . firstly , measurement of a spherical shape of a convex surface of the cornea ec will be described . secondly , measurement of a spherical shape of a concave surface of a contact lens will be described . & lt ; measurement of a spherical ( convex surface ) shape of a cornea & gt ; the light source 22 , the light sources 45 a and 45 b , the light sources 41 a to 41 d , and the light sources 51 a and 51 b light up , and the window 4 is positioned opposed to the eye e , corneal reflexes of those light sources and an image of the anterior segment are thereby picked up by the camera 18 to be displayed on the monitor 5 . on the display of the monitor 5 shown in fig4 reference numerals 22 ′, 41 a ′ to 41 d ′, and 51 a ′ and 51 b ′ indicate the corneal reflexes of the light sources 22 , 40 a to 40 d , and 51 a and 51 b , respectively . reference numeral 45 a ′ and 45 b ′ indicate the corneal reflexes of the light sources 45 a and 45 b . light emitted from the light source 22 is irradiated ( projected ) onto the eye e along the optical axis l1 to form the reflex 22 ′ on a corneal vertex . further , at a predetermined position on the monitor 5 , an aiming marker 110 having a square shape generated by the character generating part 63 is displayed being electrically synthesized by the image synthesizing circuit 62 , the center of the aiming marker 110 is considered as an alignment center in x and y directions , and the examiner performs alignment in the x and y directions by moving the apparatus 1 with respect to the eye e so that the reflex 22 ′ is positioned at the center of the aiming marker 110 . furthermore , an alignment condition in the z - direction is detected by comparing the distance between the reflex 41 a ′ and the reflex 41 b ′ with the distance between the reflex 51 a ′ and the reflex 51 b ′ ( see japanese patent application unexamined publication hei 6 - 46999 corresponding to u . s . pat . no . 5 , 463 , 430 for judgment of the alignment condition ). from the image of the anterior segment captured in the image memory 61 by the image processing part 65 , central coordinates of each reflex ( target image ) are detected . the control part 60 judges whether the object is measured on the convex surface shape ( the measurement of the corneal shape ) or on the concave surface shape ( the measurement of the base curve of the contact lens ), according to the positional relationship among the detected reflexes ( a relation in the configuration ( arrangement ) of the reflexes ). precisely , a configuration ( arrangement ) pattern of the reflexes at the time of the measurement of the convex surface shape is stored in advance as a reference pattern , then the positional relationship among the reflexes detected by the image processing part 65 is compared with the reference pattern in order to judge whether the measurement is performed on the convex surface or concave surface . [ 0037 ] fig5 a is a schematic diagram showing a positional relationship among the reflexes detected at the time of the measurement of the convex surface shape . at the completion of the alignment , the reflex 22 ′ being the central reference point , the reflexes 41 a ′ to 41 d ′, the reflexes 51 a ′ and 51 b ′, and the reflexes 45 a ′ and 45 b ′ are detected in a positional relationship as shown in fig5 a . in other words , the reflexes 51 a ′, 51 b ′, 45 a ′ and 45 b ′ are positioned below the reflex 22 ′ being the central reference point . the configuration pattern is stored in the memory part 66 as the reference pattern . when this configuration pattern is detected , the control part 60 judges that the convex surface shape is measured , and controls measurement in the mode for the concave surface shape measurement . based on the judgment of the alignment condition in the z - direction and in the x and y directions , the control part 60 starts the measurement automatically giving a trigger signal when the predetermined alignment condition is completed . the control part 60 calculates the corneal shape data of the eye e such as the corneal radius of curvatures , the axial angle and the like , based on a photo - received position ( a detected position ) of the reflexes 41 a ′, to 41 d ′, detected by the image processing part 65 , the calculated corneal shape data are stored into the memory part 66 while being displayed on the monitor 5 by the character generating part 63 . at the time of the corneal shape measurement , the corneal radius of curvatures and the axial angle may be calculated if three reflexes ( target images ) are detected as described in japanese patent no . hei1 - 19896 . the corneal shape data are sent to the printer 70 via the outward output part 67 using the print switch provided in the switch part 6 in order to be printed out . at this time , the data may be clearable if provided with a notice informing whether the convex surface shape measurement or the corneal shape measurement . next , the measurement of the base curve of the contact lens will be described . after pouring water into a concave part formed on a holder 101 of a fixed jig 100 shown in fig8 the convex surface of the contact lens is mounted on the holder 101 . then , the same alignment as that for the measurement of the corneal shape is performed on the concave surface of the contact lens , and an automatic measurement is performed . at this point , the control part 60 , as described above , detects the positional relationship among the reflexes ( target images ) detected by the image processing part 65 from the image of the anterior segment captured in the image memory 61 by the camera 18 , and judges whether the object of the corneal shape ) or the concave surface shape ( the measurement of the base curve of the contact lens ). [ 0042 ] fig5 b is a schematic diagram showing a positional relationship among the reflexes detected at the time of the measurement of the concave surface shape . in measuring the concave surface shape , a configuration ( arrangement ) pattern of the reflexes is obtained by vertically and horizontally reversing that obtained at the time of the measurement of the convex surface shape shown in fig5 a with respect to the reflex 22 ′. that is , the reflexes 51 a ′, 51 b ′, 45 a ′ and 45 b ′ are positioned above the reflex 22 ′. when the reflexes are detected with such a configuration pattern , that pattern does not coincide with the reference pattern . therefore , the coordinates of all of the detected reflexes are reversed vertically and horizontally ( rotated 180 degrees about the measurement optical axis on the image ). then , the configuration pattern becomes applied to the condition of the reference pattern . if the configuration pattern after the calculation coincides with the condition of the reference pattern , the control part 60 confirms that the analysis common to the measurement of the concave surface shape can be performed , and sets the mode for the concave surface shape measurement . further , when the concave surface shape of the contact lens is judged to be under measurement , the control part 60 displays letters “ cl ” on the monitor 5 using the character generating part 63 to inform the examiner of the measurement of the base curve of the contact lens . furthermore , in order to suppress reflection light ( a back - surface reflection ) from the convex surface of the contact lens , the control part 60 makes adjustments so that target projection light intensity of each light source is reduced within a range where the radius of curvatures may be calculated while the back - surface reflection is suppressed ( the reduction of the light intensity may be applied to light sources used at least for the spherical shape measurement .) detecting sensitivity to the reflexes may be reduced instead . this reduction may be performed by adjusting photo - receiving sensitivity of the camera 18 , using the circuit of the image processing part 65 or a processing software thereof , and the like . as in the case of the measurement of the corneal shape , when the predetermined alignment condition is completed , the control part 60 starts the measurement automatically giving the trigger signal , calculates the radius of curvatures and the axial angle of the concave surface of the contact lens , and displays the calculated result on the monitor 5 . at this time , if the contact lens to be measured is for astigmatic correction , it is necessary to calculate the axial angle . for this purpose , the control part 60 performs calculation for horizontally reversing a principal meridian axial angle ( axis ) obtained from the four reflexes for the spherical shape measurement ( i . e . transform the axial angle of 45 to 135 degrees ), and displays a value applied to the axial angle in the case of wearing contact lens ( the axial angle when viewed from the convex surface ) as the measurement result . in addition , at the same time , the control part 60 makes the memory part 66 store the obtained shape data ( the radius of curvatures and the axial angle on the concave surface ) as the data from the measurement of the base curve of the contact lens . the shape data stored into the memory 66 is sent to the printer 70 via the outward output part 67 using the print switch provided in the switch part 6 , and printed out with the letters “ cl ” indicating that the shape data is obtained from the measurement of the base curve of the contact lens . besides , the measurement mode in the initial state of the apparatus 1 is set for the convex surface shape , which is for the corneal shape measurement . after setting the mode for the concave surface shape measurement , the mode is kept the same till it is changed to the mode for the convex surface shape measurement . once the mode is changed for the concave surface shape measurement , if the coordinates of all the reflexes are reversed vertically and horizontally , and a judgment is made whether or not they comply with the condition of the reference pattern , the calculation may be performed effectively . and , when the convex surface shape is measured again , since the configuration pattern of the reflexes is not compatible with the condition of the reference pattern , the configuration pattern is reversed vertically and horizontally again . if the reversed configuration pattern coincides with the condition of the reference pattern , it is judged that the convex surface shape measurement has been performed . then , the vertical and horizontal reverse may be stopped . the vertical and horizontal reverse of the reflexes requires a simple calculation and a short processing time . therefore , if the configuration pattern of the reflexes is judged not compatible with the condition of the reference pattern , the reflexes may be reversed vertically and horizontally so as to be judged with respect to the condition of the reference pattern again . in addition , in the preferred embodiment , when the concave surface shape is measured , the reflexes are reversed vertically and horizontally , and the same calculation as that for the convex surface shape measurement is performed thereon to obtain measurement data . however , the present invention is not limited thereto . when the reflexes are not arranged intendedly , another program different from that program for the convex surface shape measurement may be run for the concave surface shape measurement to calculate the measurement data . further , the mode for the convex surface shape measurement and that for the concave surface shape measurement are not set automatically , but may be set by manual operation by the examiner using a mode changing switch 6 a placed in the switch part 6 . furthermore , the mode for the concave surface shape measurement may be that for the contact lens as well . generally , in measuring a contact lens using this kind of ophthalmic apparatus , a concave surface shape is measured to obtain the base curve data . when the measurement mode is selected for the contact lens , the control part 60 displays the letters “ cl ” on the monitor 5 and on the printed - out data , and sets the measurement condition such as reducing the light intensity of the measurement light for the spherical shape measurement . in the preferred embodiment described above , totally nine reflexes are provided on the eye e , including the illumination light , but the present invention is not limited thereto . for example , the reflexes of a number which is capable of performing the measurement of the corneal shape and the like , may be formed on the object , while the targets projected onto the object may be arranged in an asymmetric pattern with respect to the optical axis l1 . since the corneal radius of curvatures may be measured by projecting two targets being symmetrical about a point and one target on the circumference of the same circle as the two targets , the targets for judging whether the convex or concave surface may be used as the measurement targets . moreover , it is essential only that the targets for judging whether the convex or concave surface have an asymmetric pattern . for example , a triangle - shaped pattern as shown in fig6 may be used . furthermore , in the preferred embodiment , the reference pattern stored in advance and the configuration pattern of the actual reflexes are consistent with each other , but the present invention is not limited thereto . for example , among the plural reflexes detected by the camera 18 , the detecting condition of part of the reflexes are captured to detect whether the convex or concave surface is measured . when using the nine reflexes presented in the preferred embodiment , as shown in fig5 a , if one of the reflexes at the upper edge of the image of the anterior segment and two of the reflexes at the lower edge are detected , it may be judged that the convex surface shape is measured . as above , in the preferred embodiment , the description is given to the handheld - type ophthalmic apparatus provided with functions of the corneal shape measurement and the eye refractive power measurement . however , the present invention is not limited thereto . for example , the present invention may be applied to an ophthalmic apparatus of a stationary type or an apparatus having only the function of the corneal shape measurement . additionally , the present invention may simply be applied to an apparatus for measuring a spherical shape of the convex and concave surfaces of correctives like the contact lens , the spectacles lens and the like . in this case , it is judged whether the measurement is on the convex or concave surface , and the judgment result is therefore added to the measurement data to be displayed and printed out , thereby eliminating the trouble of management by the examiner . as described above , according to the present invention , the apparatus may be provided , which is capable of avoiding troubles for the examiner and has an excellent operability . in addition , the measurement accuracy is improved . the foregoing description of the preferred embodiments of the invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description . it is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed , and modifications and variations are possible in the light of the teachings described above or may be acquired from practice of the invention . the embodiments chosen and described in order to explain the principles of the invention and its practical application to enable one skilled in the art to utilize the invention in various embodiments and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated . it is intended that the scope of the invention be defined by the claims appended hereto , and their equivalents . | 0Human Necessities
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[ 0017 ] fig1 illustrates a diagram of a system 10 incorporating features of the present invention . although the present invention will be described with reference to the embodiments shown in the drawings , it should be understood that the present invention may be embodied in many alternate forms of embodiments . in addition , any suitable size , shape or type of elements or materials could be used . the present invention provides a post with the ability to authenticate indicia without the need to maintain a database relating indicia to a specific customer . the embodiments relate to a database maintained by a service provider , from which information is extracted as necessary to authenticate indicia at post sites which may be remote from the database and from each other . the embodiments also relate to a methodology and system for providing authentication without requiring a post to access to a customer database . referring to fig1 system 10 generally includes an indicia generating facility 15 and an indicia verification facility 20 . the indicia generating facility is generally adapted to mark a mail piece 155 with unique identifying information and may include a computer 105 , a database 135 , and a franking device 115 . the indicia verification facility 20 is generally adapted to receive the marked mail piece 155 to verify the unique information and generally includes a scanner , or other reading device 145 , and a computing device 120 . a more detailed embodiment of a system 100 incorporating features of the present invention is illustrated in fig2 . a computer 105 is coupled to a first data communications network 110 . one or more devices suitable for providing indicia , in this example a psd 115 , are also coupled to first communications network 110 , and may communicate bi - directionally through first communications network 110 with computer 105 . computer 105 may also be connected to a remote computing device 120 through a second communications network 125 . computer 105 may be any type of processing device capable of performing the functions described herein . while a single computer 105 is shown , computer 105 may represent a plurality of computers , servers , or other suitable devices , which may be situated at a single location , or may be widely distributed and remotely sited . for example , a plurality of distributed computers 105 may be used for servicing psds 115 in different geographic locations , according to particular postal regulations , such as north america , south america , europe , africa , japan and southeast asia . alternately , a single computer 105 can be used for servicing all psd &# 39 ; s 115 . computer 105 could be located at an enterprise location or site 130 , which could be an office of a psd provider , or other provider of postal indicia . computer 105 may also include or be connected to one or more databases 135 that hold indicia authentication data 185 . the one or more data bases 135 may be centralized at a specific location or may be distributed among a number of distributed computers . indicia authentication data 185 present in database 135 may include psd serial numbers , psd public keys , vendor public keys specific to a vendor of psd &# 39 ; s , other public key information , cryptographic parameters , and any other parameters that may be required for verification and authentication of indicia . first and second communications networks 110 , 125 may include any suitable communications network , for example , the public switched telephone network ( pstn ), a wireless network , a wired network , a local area network ( lan ), a wide area network ( wan ), virtual private network ( vpn ) etc . psd &# 39 ; s 115 and remote computing device 120 may communicate with the computer 105 using any suitable protocol , or modulation standard , for example , x . 25 , atm , tcp / ip , v34 , v90 , etc . in an alternate embodiment , first and second communications networks 110 , 125 may be the same communication network . one or more devices suitable for providing postal indicia , in this example a psd 115 , are also connected to first communications network 110 , and may communicate bi - directionally through first communications network 110 with computer 105 . psd 115 may include a communications port 117 and a microprocessor 118 for performing electronic accounting and control functions , franking functions , and mail handling functions according to programs stored in a storage device 119 . microprocessor 118 typically performs electronic accounting functions in relation to franking mail items with postage charges . data associated with the accounting functions may include an accumulated total value of credit entered into psd 115 , an accumulated total value of postage charge dispensed by psd 115 by franking mail items , a count of the number of mail items franked by psd 115 , and a count of the number of mail items franked with a postage charge in excess of a predetermined value . the accumulated total value of credit may be stored in an ascending credit register 160 , the accumulated total value of postage charges dispensed may be stored in an descending tote register 165 , the count of items may be stored in an items count register 170 , and the count of items franked with a postage charge in excess of a predetermined value may be stored in a large items register 175 . the various registers may be located in storage device 119 . the franking functions typically include marking items with indicia and reporting the number of items , value marked and other parameters to the accounting functions . the control functions may include uploading postage funds , downloading accounting data , and secure communications with computer 105 through network 110 , including implementing new public key , private key combinations . according to the present invention , the control functions may also include encrypting information into the indicia for verification and authentication . to support the control functions , storage device 119 may also include a psd public key , private key combination specific to psd 115 , a vendor public key , private key combination specific to the vendor of psd 115 , a psd serial number , the present time and date , and other cryptographic parameters . psd 115 may also include or be integral to a device for marking objects with postal indicia , shown in this embodiment as a printer 140 . computer 105 may also be connected to a remote computing device 120 through a second communications network 125 . remote computing device may be a dedicated controller , a work station , a desktop personal computer , a laptop or other portable computer , or any other computing device suitable for providing the functions of the present invention . remote computing device 120 may be operably connected to a scanner 145 capable of scanning indicia . remote computing device 120 may optionally operate scanner 145 in conjunction with a mail handling facility 180 . the operation of the embodiment of fig1 will now be described with reference to fig3 and 4 . a user utilizes psd 115 to provide for secure imprinting of postal indicia 150 onto a mail piece . postal indicia 150 includes all indicia required by the governing post , for example , an identifier such as a psd serial number 185 , ascending and descending registers , postage value , mailing date , rate category , etc . in accordance with the present invention , postal indicia 150 also includes information for authentication and verification which may take the form of a digital signature . [ 0033 ] fig3 shows a diagram of an exemplary digital signature technique . device data 310 , for example , the psd serial number , postage amount , contents of the accounting registers , date , etc . is provided to a first hash function 315 . the resulting first hash value 320 is then provided to a first digital signature function 325 which utilizes the psd private key 330 . the resulting first signature value 335 , the “ unsigned ” first hash value 320 , and optionally , the psd public key 332 are incorporated into the indicia 150 . additional information is incorporated in the indicia 150 for authenticating the psd public key 332 . referring again to fig3 a certificate authority may utilize predetermined components from psd data 310 and psd public key 332 which are provided to a second hash function 340 . the resulting second hash value 345 is provided to a second digital signature function 350 which utilizes the vendor private key 355 . the resulting second signature value 360 , the “ unsigned ” second hash value 345 , and the vendor public key 365 are then also incorporated into the indicia 150 . in one embodiment , the first and second hash functions may be the same function and the first and second digital signature functions may be the same function . mail piece 155 is marked with the indicia and deposited into the mail stream . at some point in the mail stream , the indicia is authenticated . returning to fig1 as part of the authentication process , scanner 145 is used to scan indicia 150 . the indicia information is conveyed to remote computing device 120 which in turn conveys the indicia information to computer 105 through network 125 . upon receiving the indicia information , computer 105 invokes an indicia signature verification function . referring to fig4 the indicia signature verification function 410 first identifies the psd serial number 185 ( fig1 ) and the unsigned first hash value 320 embedded in the indicia information . computer 105 then determines the psd public key 332 for the particular psd 115 , either from a stored table , database 135 , or any other location accessible by computer 105 . optionally , the psd public key 332 may be determined from the indicia information itself . the indicia signature verification function 410 then uses the psd public key 332 to extract the first hash value 320 a from the first digital signature value 335 . the extracted first hash value 320 a and the “ unsigned ” first hash value 320 are then compared 415 and if they do not match , the indicia 150 is determined to be invalid and this determination is conveyed to the remote computing device 120 . if the extracted first hash value and the “ unsigned ” first hash value do match , computer 105 then invokes a key signature verification function 420 to verify the psd public key 332 . the key signature verification function 420 identifies the second digital signature value 360 and the unsigned second hash value 345 embedded in indicia 150 . the computer 105 then determines the vendor public key 365 for the particular psd 115 , either from a stored table or optionally from the indicia 150 itself . the key signature verification function 420 then uses the vendor public key 365 to extract the second hash value 345 a from the second digital signature value 360 , and performs a comparison 425 . if the extracted second hash value 345 a and the “ unsigned ” second hash value 345 do not match , the indicia is determined to be invalid . if they do match , the indicia is determined to be valid . the determination of validity or invalidity is then conveyed to remote computing device 120 . referring to fig2 upon receiving a determination of indicia validity or invalidity , remote computing device 120 may operate to cause mail handling facility 180 to process the mail piece accordingly . for example , mail pieces may be sorted according to valid and invalid indicia , and those with valid indicia may be processed for delivery while those with invalid indicia may be held for further inspection or investigation . [ 0040 ] fig5 shows another embodiment of system 100 according to the present invention . in this embodiment , verification procedures are accomplished within the remote computing device 120 , eliminating the need for a link to computer 105 . remote computing device 120 includes or has access to a database 500 that includes indicia authentication data 505 . in this embodiment , indicia authentication data 505 may include information similar to that stored in database 135 , that is , psd serial numbers , psd public keys , vendor public keys specific to a vendor of psd &# 39 ; s , other public key information , cryptographic parameters , and any other parameters that may be required for verification and authentication of indicia . indicia authentication data 505 may be periodically updated and distributed to remote computing device 120 by the post . distribution mechanisms may include mail , email , the internet or other network communication , paper documentation , etc . remote computing device 120 is operable to perform the indicia signature verification function and key signature verification function as described above and may include a storage device 510 and processing capability 520 to support such operations . in this embodiment , psd 115 franks mail piece 155 with indicia 150 as mentioned above , incorporating the first and second signature values , the first and second “ unsigned ” hash values , and optionally , the psd and vendor public keys . mail piece 155 is deposited into the mail stream and at some point is authenticated . scanner 145 is used to scan indicia 150 and indicia information is conveyed to remote computing device 120 . remote computing device performs the indicia signature verification function and , if required , performs the key signature verification function as described above using indicia authentication data 510 . the resulting determination of indicia validity or invalidity may then be used to further process the mail piece as described above . an infrastructure in which the invention may be practiced may employ public key cryptography techniques that incorporate both encryption and digital signing techniques . to protect the integrity of data being communicated through the infrastructure and to authenticate its origin , communications may be digitally signed . to protect the confidentiality of the communications , they may be encrypted . one type of infrastructure in which the invention may be practiced could be a key management system or a public key infrastructure that supports secure operation of devices suitable for providing postal indicia . such a system could have a “ star ” configuration with a key management system server 200 in the center and postage payment entities such as psd &# 39 ; s 210 at the end of the spokes as shown in fig6 . the use of psds is advantageous because their electronics and software are housed within a cryptographic boundary and within a secure , tamper responsive enclosure . while the present invention has been described in the context of postal indicia , it should be understood that the present invention may be used with any suitable type of indicia or marking scheme . furthermore , while the present invention has been described in the context of utilizing public key , private key based encryption , hashing techniques and digital signature techniques , it should be understood that the present invention may utilize any other suitable techniques for securing and verifying the origin of data . thus , the present invention provides a facility that allows authentication in one embodiment by using a database maintained by a service provider . in another embodiment , the present invention provides an authentication facility that includes all the data required for authentication locally , eliminating the need for access to the service provider database . it should be understood that the foregoing description is only illustrative of the invention . various alternatives and modifications can be devised by those skilled in the art without departing from the invention . accordingly , the present invention is intended to embrace all such alternatives , modifications and variances which fall within the scope of the appended claims . | 6Physics
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fig1 shows a barrel shaped cart 10 . cart 10 is comprised of a middle section 12 and wheels 14 and 16 connected to opposite ends of middle section 12 . preferably , middle section 12 remains stationary while wheels 14 and 16 rotate . extending from wheels 14 and 16 are legs 18 and 20 of a handle 17 . legs 18 and 20 extend out away from cart 10 and attach to opposite ends of a cross bar 22 . wrapped around cross bar 22 is a shade 24 which can extend out as is shown in fig4 . fig2 shows a disassembled view of the preferred embodiment of the present invention . middle section 12 is comprised of a lower section 26 , a chair assembly unit 28 , a removable upper storage compartment 30 and a lid 32 which is connected to lower section 26 by means of hinges 29 , 31 and 33 . lid 32 shuts to contain upper storage section 30 and chair assembly 28 within middle section 12 . chair assembly is comprised of a seat 34 and backrest 36 . chair assembly 28 is pivotally connected to lower section 26 such that chair assembly 28 can be lifted up to expose storage space within lower section 26 . when lid 32 is unfolded it also serves to support the backrest of the chair . wheels 14 and 16 are attached to wheel connection assemblies 38 and 40 respectively which extend up from opposite ends of lower section 26 . holes 42 and 44 extend through wheel connection assemblies 38 and 40 respectively . axle pins 46 and 48 extend through holes 42 and 44 respectively and extend into and through holes 50 and 52 contained within the center of wheels 14 and 16 respectively . rods 54 , 56 , 58 and 60 extend out of the four corners of lower section 26 . rods 54 and 56 insert into annular groove 62 ( not shown ) recessed within the inner side of wheel 14 . likewise , rods 58 and 60 insert into annular groove 64 recessed within the inner side of wheel 16 . in this manner the wheels can rotate while middle section 12 remains stationary and stable . cart handle 17 is comprised of legs 18 and 20 joined together by cross bar 22 . leg 18 is comprised of two sections , upper leg 66 and lower leg 68 . lower leg 68 is wider than upper leg 66 and lower leg 68 has side edges which extend out in an ` l ` shape such that upper leg 66 slides into lower leg 68 . lower leg 68 has an elongated slot 70 . upon exiting hole 50 within wheel 14 axle pin 46 proceeds through slot 70 of lower leg 68 so as to connect leg 18 to barrel 12 . likewise , leg 20 has an upper leg 72 and a lower leg 74 . lower leg 74 is wider than upper leg 72 and lower leg 74 has side edges which extend out in an ` l ` shape such that upper leg 72 can slide into lower leg 74 . lower leg 74 has an elongated slot 76 present towards its lower end . upon exiting hole 52 within wheel 16 axle pin 48 proceeds through slot 76 of lower leg 74 so as to connect leg 20 to barrel 12 . in this way handle assembly 17 is attached to cart 12 thus allowing 12 to be pushed or pulled . shade 24 is wrapped around rod 25 which has a hollow core 27 which fits over cross bar 22 . shade 24 is further supported by support rods 78 and 80 which are attached to opposite corners of the end of shade 24 which is not connected to rod 25 . the end of support rod 78 which is not connected to a corner of shade 24 is pivotally connected to leg 18 and the end of support rod 80 which is not connected to a corner of shade 24 is pivotally connected to leg 20 . fig3 shows cart 10 of the present invention in a folded compact position applicable for storing in an automobile trunk . upper legs 66 and 72 are inserted totally within lower legs 68 and 74 respectively . lid 32 is closed and shade 24 is rolled up and upper section 30 is in place . fig4 shows lid 32 unfolded and upper section 30 having an outer lid 35 which is shaped to conform to the circumference of lid 32 is removed . upper section 30 is shown in more detail in fig5 . upper section 30 is comprised of lid 35 having two halves 37 and 39 which swing open along axis 41 to reveal storage space . within upper section 30 is a cooler 43 having lid 45 and storage compartment 47 . also contained within upper section 30 is a convenient holding compartments for drink containers 49 , 51 , and 53 . fig6 shows cart 10 being opened so that it converts into a seat . lid 32 is opened and placed rearward to give support to the cart . back 36 is flipped up to expose seat 34 thus creating a chair . shade 24 is drawn out to give protection from the sun . the present invention is a multipurpose cart applicable in the recreation industry . the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention . further , since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art , it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described , and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to , falling within the scope of the invention as claimed . | 0Human Necessities
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the first embodiment of the invention will be described with reference to fig1 a - 1 d . these figures show an improvement of the two piece insulator disclosed in co - pending u . s . application ser . no . 09 / 170 , 054 , wherein the improvement consists of a “ snap - on ” detent feature on the inner piece that allows the insulator to be removably attached to the tip . fig1 a shows a hot runner tip 1 having an insulator assembly 2 ′ comprising an inner piece 2 and an outer piece 3 attached thereto . the outer piece is held in place on the inner piece by a shoulder 5 and a lip 6 . the insulator assembly is “ snapped ” onto the tip by deflecting the inner piece &# 39 ; s flange 4 over the protruding lip 7 of the hot runner tip so that the flange 4 moves into groove 8 machined on the tip . fig1 b - 1 d are additional three - dimensional views of the nozzle tip with the insulator removably attached thereon . the inner piece is a conductive material capable of withstanding high temperatures without deforming , cracking , or otherwise deteriorating . the preferred material for the inner piece may be , or include , titanium . the outer piece is an insulating material that is also capable of withstanding high temperatures without deforming , cracking , or otherwise deteriorating . the preferred material for the outer piece may be , or include , vespel . an alternate version of this insulator style , not shown , is a one - piece insulator made of or including an elastic , heat - resistant material such as vespel comprising both the inner and outer shapes into one item having the same external dimensions as the two - piece insulator it replaces . the one - piece insulator is attached to the tip 1 in the same fashion , i . e . “ snapping ” over the flange 7 into groove 8 . it is to be understood that in the context of the present invention , the term nozzle or nozzle tip may be used interchangeably , and may refer to either of a nozzle tip for a hot runner application , or a nozzle tip on the end of an injection molding machine &# 39 ; s injection unit that is coupled to a mold sprue bushing . insulators that can be removably attached to either type of injection molding nozzle tip are considered useful and within the scope of the present invention , which should not be limited to one application or the other . it is to be further understood that the present invention should not be limited only to the use of hot runner nozzles with molds . the present invention includes the use of hot runner nozzles that are installed as extensions between machine injection units and inlets to mold hot runners , which are outside the mold structure . as shown in the block diagram of fig1 , the hot runner nozzle tip 1402 may form a connection between hot runner structures 1404 , 1406 , or between an injection machine nozzle and a heating channel for conveying melted materials . insulators that can be removably attached to hot runner nozzle tips used in any setting are considered useful and within the scope of the present invention , which should not be limited to the use of hot runner nozzles with molds . an assembly tool for use with the insulator shown in fig1 a - 1 d and described above is illustrated in fig2 a - 2 d . the assembly tool aids with the assembly of the insulator and nozzle tip using the “ snapping ” action of the first embodiment . the assembly tool 20 is designed to securely hold the insulator 2 while properly positioning the insulator over the hot runner nozzle tip 1 in order to releasably attach it to the nozzle tip . pressure is applied to the assembly tool 20 in a direction parallel to and toward the nozzle tip , causing the flange 4 of the insulator to deflect over the protruding lip 7 of the hot runner nozzle tip , moving the flange 4 into the groove 8 on the nozzle tip , causing the insulator to become releasably attached to the nozzle tip . although it is possible to attach the insulator of the present invention to the nozzle tip without the use of an assembly tool , it is advantageous to use the tool of fig2 a - 2 d to attach the insulator so that it is applied to the hot runner nozzle tip in such a way that a proper attachment is formed without placing unnecessary pressure on the tip , which may cause damage , and without causing excessive wearing of the flange 4 , protruding lip 7 , and groove 8 . thus , the functional life of both the nozzle tip and the insulator are extended by use of an assembly tool . the assembly tool is preferably made of a material that can be machined to fit the dimensions of the nozzle tip and insulator while remaining strong and durable for repeated use in attaching insulators to tips that may or may not be at an elevated temperature . such materials may include , but are not limited to , metal ( such as steel ), heat - resistant plastic , and fiberglass . a disassembly or removal tool for use with the insulator shown in fig1 a - 1 d and described above is illustrated in fig3 a - 3 d . to aid with the disassembly of this “ snapping ” action releasable attachment , a removal tool 30 is used . the disassembly tool 30 is designed to securely hold the insulator 2 while deflecting arms 31 are positioned under the insulator . when pressure is applied to the disassembly tool 30 in a direction parallel to and away from the inujection molding nozzle tip , the deflecting arms 31 cause the flange 4 of the insulator to be pulled out of the groove 8 and over the protruding lip 7 on the nozzle tip , causing the releasably attached insulator to become unattached from the nozzle tip , allowing easy removal . although it is possible to remove the insulator from the nozzle tip without the use of a removal tool , it is advantageous to use the tool of fig3 a - 3 d to remove the insulator so that the insulator is removed in such a way that no damage or excessive wearing of any of the nozzle tip , the insulator , or the snap - on attachment assembly occurs . use of the disassembly tool helps to extend the functional life of both the nozzle tip and the insulator . the disassembly tool is preferably made of a material that can be machined to fit the dimensions of the nozzle tip and insulator while remaining strong and durable for repeated use in removing insulators from tips that may or may not be at an elevated temperature . such materials may include , but are not limited to , metal ( such as steel ), plastic , and fiberglass . as shown in a second embodiment illustrated in fig4 a - 4 d , a two - piece vespel and titanium insulator 41 is releasably attached to the tip 43 by an end - acting clip 42 . the clip 42 attaches the insulator 41 to the tip 43 by snapping over the end of the insulator assembly into a groove 44 in the tip . the clip 42 has a “ u ” or semicircular shape , and clip 42 has a flange 45 that engages a groove 47 in the insulator , and another flange 46 that engages the groove 44 in the tip . the clip 42 is designed to engage the groove 44 in the tip and the groove 47 in the insulator tip by being pushed toward the tip and insulator in a direction transverse to the tip &# 39 ; s centerline . the insulator is removed by pulling the clip out of the two grooves , 44 and 47 , simultaneously . as described above , the two - piece insulator assembly can also be made of a single piece comprising one material , such as vespel . the clip 42 may be made of a material that retains its resilience after being repeatedly subjected to elevated temperatures in the range of 450 - 700 ° f . such materials include , but are not limited to , spring steel and stainless steel . the third and most preferred embodiment is illustrated in fig5 a - 5 f , and encompasses a two - piece vespel and titanium “ hot tip ” insulator that is releasably attached to the nozzle tip by a through - acting clip . fig5 a shows cross - sectional view of a “ hot tip ” nozzle assembly comprising nozzle housing 50 , into which is threaded a nozzle tip 51 . a heater 52 is clamped to the outside of the housing . the tip 51 is thermally insulated from the cooled mold plate 53 by a nozzle tip insulating assembly comprising an inner titanium sleeve 54 , and an outer vespel sleeve 55 , that is removably fastened to the tip 51 by retaining clip 56 . the inner sleeve may be comprised of any conducting material capable of withstanding elevated temperatures without deforming , such as titanium . the outer sleeve may be comprised of any insulating material that is capable of withstanding elevated temperatures without deforming , such as vespel . the retaining clip design of the preferred embodiment is simpler than the clip shown in the embodiment of fig4 a - 4 d . the clip 56 slides transversely into a groove and / or slot that is common to both the tip and the insulator . as can be seen in the cross - section shown in fig5 a , injection molding nozzle tip 51 has a groove 510 . the titanium inner piece 54 of the insulator has two partially circumferential slots 520 through which the clip 56 is pressed so as to engage groove 510 , thereby fastening the titanium inner sleeve 54 and attached vespel outer sleeve 55 to the tip 51 . removal is accomplished by pressing the clip out of the groove / slot combination . application or removal of the clip can be easily accomplished by using one hand , making the installation or removal of the insulator very convenient . note that the clip is located in an area of the assembly not touched by the plastic being processed , which allows the insulator to be removed without having to clean off the tip , thus increasing efficiency . the insulator can alternatively be made of one piece of material , as shown in the inset , and still utilize the same attachment means described above . the third and preferred embodiment is further described in fig5 b and 5 c , which show one method of attaching the outer piece shown in fig5 b ( 55 in fig5 a ) to the inner piece shown in fig5 c ( 54 in fig5 a ). the inner and outer pieces are attached by trapping the outer piece between shoulder 530 and flange 531 , shown in fig5 c . the outer piece is comprised of a material that is able to deflect as it passes over flange 531 , allowing it to abut against shoulder 530 , then returning to its original shape so that it is held in place on the inner piece by flange 531 . fig5 c also shows additional details of the inner piece and the slots 520 cut through its upper wall . fig5 d ′ and 5 d ″ show the flat clip that fits through the slots 520 in the inner piece s 4 and simultaneously engages the retaining groove 510 in the nozzle tip 51 , as shown in fig5 a . fig5 e shows an alternate construction of the third and preferred embodiment where a one - piece hot tip nozzle housing is used . in this alternative , the tip and the housing are made of the same material , and are formed as a single piece . the combination of the one - piece hot tip nozzle housing and the insulator attachment is shown in fig5 f , which depicts the use of the through - acting clip as a retaining means , as described above in fig5 a . another alternate version of the preferred embodiment is shown in fig6 a - 6 c , which show a “ valve gate ” version . in fig6 a , tip 62 is threaded into the nozzle housing go and valve stem 61 passes through the center hole in the tip . the insulator design and retention means are the same as described above in fig5 a , with the exception that the method of attaching the outer sleeve 66 to the inner sleeve 65 is different from the hot tip version described in fig5 a above in that no flange is used at the lower end of the inner piece . instead , as is shown in more detail in fig6 b ′, 6 b ″, 6 b ″′, 6 b ′″′ and 6 c , a shoulder 69 on the outer piece 66 is able to deflect over a corresponding shoulder 68 on the inner piece 65 , and then return to its original shape . the shoulders are located at the upper end of the insulator assembly , and the outer piece has a tapered bottom that extends up to the bottom of the inner piece of the insulator , allowing the bottom of the insulator to be covered by the insulating material , for superior heat retention in the nozzle tip . fig6 b ′, 6 b ″, 6 b ″′, 6 b ′″′ are plan and [ fig6 b is a ] cross - sectional views detailing the construction of the inner piece according the valve gate version of the preferred embodiment . fig6 b ′, 6 b ″, 6 b ″′, 6 b ′″′ also illustrate the slots 63 cut through the upper wall of the inner piece 65 . the slots are absent between “ a ” and “ b ” in the plan view and their opposite counterparts ( not shown ), so that there are two slots in the inner piece , each having an equal length on opposing sides . fig6 c shows the outer piece detail . it is “ snapped ” over the inner piece 65 so that shoulder 69 deflects over corresponding shoulder 68 on the inner piece 65 shown in fig6 b . alternate styles of retaining clips to be used with the preferred third embodiment shown in fig5 a and the alternate preferred embodiment of fig6 a are shown in fig7 a - 7 c , 8 a - 4 c , and 9 a - 9 c . 7 a - 7 c is a flat stamping retaining clip , 8 a - 8 c is a retaining clip formed of wire having a circular cross - section , and 9 a - 9 c is a retaining clip formed of wire of square cross - section . all of the retaining clips are made of spring steel , stainless steel or other suitable material that retains its resilience when subjected to elevated temperatures in the range of 450 - 700 ° f . the retaining clips may have any shape that allows them to removably engage the groove or slot common to both the insulator and the nozzle tip . fig1 a - 10 b , 11 a - 11 c , 12 a - 12 c , and 13 a - 13 e show other additional embodiments for attaching the insulator assembly to the nozzle tip . the insulator may consist of an inner and an outer piece , or it may have a unitary construction . if the insulator has two pieces , the inner piece is a conductive material capable of withstanding high temperatures without deforming , cracking , or otherwise deteriorating . the preferred material for the inner piece may be , or include , titanium . the corresponding outer piece is then an insulating material that is also capable of withstanding high temperatures without deforming , cracking , or otherwise deteriorating . the preferred material for the outer piece may be , or include , vespel . a one - piece insulator should be constructed of or include an elastic , heat - resistant material such as vespel , such that the insulator has the same external dimensions as the inner piece and outer piece combination it replaces . for those embodiments where use of assembly and disassembly tools may be beneficial , the assembly and disassembly tools are preferably made of a material or materials that can be constructed to correspond to the dimensions of the nozzle tip and insulator while remaining strong and durable for repeated use in attaching and removing insulators to and from tips that may or may not be at an elevated temperature . such materials may include , but are not limited to , metals ( such as steel ), plastics , fiberglasses , and ceramics . fig1 a - 10 b show a fourth “ set screw ” embodiment in which the insulator 100 is attached to a nozzle tip 102 by means of one or more set screws 101 . fig1 a shows that the insulator 100 has one or more pre - formed openings 103 with threads corresponding to the set screws 101 , and the nozzle tip 102 has one or more threaded openings 104 corresponding to the openings 103 on the insulator . the screws are threaded into the openings in the insulator and nozzle tip , thereby causing the insulator to be removably attached to the nozzle tip . fig1 b shows a socket driver 105 having an opening 106 that is specially adapted for grasping the set screws 101 and threading them into the threaded openings 103 and 104 of the insulator 100 and nozzle tip 102 , respectively . fig1 a - 11 c show a fifth “ bayonet ” embodiment in which a locking feature 110 in the insulator 112 engages a corresponding tab 111 on the tip 113 when placed on the nozzle tip and twisted . the locking feature in the insulator and the tab on the tip would be formed by machining the parts , allowing for the use of different tab and locking groove configurations . the only limitation on the configurations of the tabs and locking grooves , which may have a variety of shapes , is that they must be capable of being securely fastened together to releasably and removably attach the insulator to the tip . preferably , the tab and locking groove would be designed so that it is unlikely that the insulator could rotate and disengage from the tip during the injection molding process . the insulator may be installed and removed manually or with assembly and disassembly tools similar to those shown in fig2 a and 3 a . such an assembly tool would be capable of securely holding the insulator while allowing the user to twist the insulator onto the nozzle tip until the locking feature 110 has fully engaged the tab 111 on the nozzle tip . a suitable removal tool would be capable of securely holding the insulator while allowing the user to twist the insulator off of the nozzle tip by disengaging the locking feature 110 from the tab 111 . fig1 a - 12 c show a sixth “ thread and flats ” embodiment in which an insulator 120 has threads 123 on its inner surface and is threaded onto the tip 121 that has threads 124 on its outer surface corresponding to the threads 123 on the inner surface of the insulator . the insulator 120 may be further tightened onto the nozzle tip 121 by means of wrench flats 122 . fig1 a - 13 e show a seventh “ snap ring ” embodiment in which the insulator 130 has an internal groove 131 for retaining a snap ring 134 . the snap ring 134 then engages a corresponding groove 132 in the tip 133 when the insulator is pushed onto the tip , thus causing the insulator to become releasably attached to the tip . the snap ring may comprise any material capable of retaining its resilience when subjected to elevated temperatures in the range of 450 - 700 ° f ., such as spring steel or stainless steel . the snap ring and grooves in the insulator and tip have corresponding shapes to allow the best possible fit , but there are no limitations on the particular shape chosen . the insulator may be installed and removed manually or with assembly and disassembly tools similar to those shown in fig2 a and 3 a . such an assembly tool would be capable of securely holding the insulator while allowing the user to push the insulator onto the nozzle tip until the snap ring 134 is securely positioned in the groove 132 on the nozzle tip 133 . a suitable removal tool would be capable of securely holding the insulator while allowing the user to pull the insulator off of the nozzle tip , thereby disengaging the snap ring 134 from the groove 132 on the nozzle tip 133 and the internal groove 131 of the insulator 130 . while the present invention has been described for what are presently considered the preferred embodiments , the invention is not so limited . to the contrary , the invention is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope or the appended claims . the scope of the following claims is to be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent structures and functions . | 1Performing Operations; Transporting
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referring now to the figures and first to fig1 , there is shown a stentless support structure 10 of the present invention in an extended configuration . the valve support 10 includes a first end 12 , a second end 14 and an elongate tubular body 16 extending between the first end 12 and the second end 14 . the elongate tubular body 16 is preferably formed from one or a plurality of braided strands 18 . the braided strands 18 are strands of a super - elastic or shape memory material such as nitinol . the strands are braided to form a tube having a central lumen 20 passing therethrough . in one embodiment , the tubular body 16 is folded in half upon itself such that the second end 14 becomes a folded end and the first end 12 includes a plurality of unbraided strands . the tubular body 16 is thus two - ply . the unbraided strands of the first end 12 are gathered and joined together to form a plurality of gathered ends 22 . the gathered ends 22 may be used as commissural points for attaching a prosthetic valve to the support structure 10 . ( see , e . g . fig2 ). alternatively , as shown in fig1 , the gathered ends 22 may be used as attachment points for a wireform 24 defining a plurality of commissural points 26 . notably , the commissural points 26 are positioned such that , when a valve is attached to the support structure in the extended configuration , the valve is longitudinally juxtaposed with the support structure rather than being located within the support structure . this juxtaposition allows the support structure 10 and valve to be packed into a very small catheter without damaging the delicate valve . this longitudinal juxtaposition may be maintained when the support structure assumes a folded or constructed configuration ( see fig1 for example ), or the valve may become folded within the support structure . fig3 - 6 show the second end 14 emerging from the catheter 28 to expose a first layer 30 . in fig7 , the first layer 30 is completely exposed and has assumed its constructed configuration . notably , the first layer 30 contracts longitudinally when fully deployed . also shown in fig7 is a second layer 32 beginning to emerge from the catheter 28 . as the second layer exits the catheter , the pre - set super - elastic fold inverts the mesh , such that a second , inner layer is formed within the first outer layer . alternatively , the first layer can be deployed against the wall of the vascular structure ( such as an artery , vein , valve or heart muscle ). as the second layer exits the catheter , the physician can aid inversion of the mesh my advancing the deployment system . in another embodiment , the mesh support structure can be advanced in the vasculature such that it is deployed in a reverse direction ( such as deployment through the apex of the heart ventricle or from the venous system ), where the mesh inversion occurs as a result of pulling or retracting the deployment system . in fig1 , the second layer 32 is fully deployed and the third layer 34 is fully exposed , but has not yet been inverted . retracting the catheter 28 , relative to the device 10 , while advancing the catheter 28 slightly , relative to the target site , causes the third layer 34 to “ pop ” inwardly , thereby inverting itself against an inside surface of the second layer 32 , as seen in fig1 . in fig1 , additional material has been ejected from the catheter 28 such that the third layer 34 is fully expanded against the second layer . one skilled in the art will realize that numerous additional layers can be achieved in this manner , and that each layer adds additional radial strength to the resulting support structure 10 . throughout the deployment process , the stentless support structure 10 emerges from the delivery catheter 28 gradually . this characteristic also allows the structure 10 to be pulled back into the delivery catheter 28 , in the event that it is desired to relocate the support structure 10 . doing so causes the support structure 10 to reacquire its extended configuration . having described the mechanics of building a support structure in situ , attention can now be turned to various embodiments made possible by the present invention . fig1 - 15 show a support structure 10 having many layers 38 and a first end 12 with numerous gathered ends 22 formed from unbraided strands . some of the gathered ends 22 are attached to a wireform 24 having three commissural points 26 . a prosthetic valve 36 , either harvested or manufactured , is attached to the wireform 24 . fig1 shows the internal lumen 20 of the support structure 10 . fig1 - 18 show a support structure 10 having fewer layers 38 and a wireform 24 with a prosthetic valve 36 attached thereto . the first end 12 ( hidden ), to which the wireform 24 is attached , has been preformed to fold inwardly upon deployment . thus , the wireform 24 and prosthetic valve 36 , is located in the inner lumen 20 of the support structure 10 when the support structure 10 is in a constructed configuration . fig1 - 21 show a support structure 10 with several layers 38 and a first end 12 preformed to have a smaller diameter than the rest of the layers and the second end 14 , which is folded . the terminal ends of the braided strands at the first end 12 have not been formed into gathered ends . rather , the wireform 24 is attached to the braids . the prosthetic valve 36 is attached to the wireform 24 and has skirting tissue 40 , which is placed around the outside of the end 12 . the skirting tissue 40 may be adhered to the first end 12 . fig2 shows a stentless support structure 10 with a folded end 14 , which has been folded back on itself , and a material 42 trapped between the two layers of the fold . the material 42 is provided to further improve the paravalvular leak prevention and embolic trapping characteristics of the stentless support structure 10 . the material 42 could consist of a non - woven material , woven or braided fabric , a polymer or other material . fig2 shows a stentless support structure 10 that includes a fiber 44 that is larger than the rest of the strands comprising the support structure 10 . thus , fig2 demonstrates that strands of different sizes may be used in the braided support structure 10 without significantly affecting the minimum delivery size of the device . different sized strands may be used in order to improve strength , provide stiffness , create valve attachment points , provide radiopaque markers , and the like . fig2 - 26 show a stentless support structure 10 that has a first end 12 that has had the unbraided strands trimmed such that they do not extend past the first end 12 of the folded structure 10 . this embodiment may be used to create , preserve or enlarge a lumen . a prosthetic valve may or may not be attached to this embodiment . turning now to fig2 - 36 , a deployment sequence of a preferred embodiment of the stentless support structure 10 is shown whereby a clear piece of tubing 46 is used to demonstrate a targeted location of a native vessel , such as a native valve . in fig2 , the delivery catheter 28 is advanced beyond the targeted valve 46 and the stentless support 10 is starting to be ejected from the catheter 28 . in fig2 , enough of the stentless support 10 has been ejected that the second , folded end 14 has begun to curl back on itself slightly , forming a cuff 48 . in fig2 , the cuff 48 is more visible and has assumed its full , deployed shape . the cuff 48 acts as a catch that a physician can use to visually or tactilely locate the targeted valve 46 and seat the stentless support 10 thereagainst . the cuff also acts to ensure the entire native lumen through the targeted valve 46 is now being filtered by the support 10 . unlike balloon expandable stents , blood flow is not significantly inhibited by the deployment of the stentless support structure 10 . also shown in fig2 is that the first layer 30 has been fully ejected from the catheter 28 , as has much of the second layer 32 . the first layer 30 , being very flexible prior to reinforcement by subsequent layers , is able to conform to any shape of the targeted vessel . the second layer 32 has not yet inverted itself into the first layer 30 . in fig3 , the first layer 30 is deployed , the cuff 48 is acting against the valve 46 , and the second layer 32 has been inverted . in fig3 , material forming the third layer 34 is ejected from the catheter 28 but the third layer 34 has not yet inverted . in fig3 - 33 , the catheter 28 is being advanced to allow the third layer 34 to invert into the second layer 32 . the angle of fig3 shows the relatively low profile created by the first and second layers 30 and 32 , and how little resistance to blood flow is presented by the support structure 10 . in fig3 , the first end 12 has emerged from the catheter 12 , and the gathered ends 22 are showing . a wireform 24 is attached to some of the gathered ends 22 and is nearly completely deployed from the delivery catheter 28 . in fig3 - 36 , the support structure 10 has been completely released from the catheter 28 . fig3 shows the size of the lumen 20 of the support structure 10 . fig3 - 39 show a preferred embodiment 100 of the present invention including a mesh support structure 102 , a wireform 104 and a valve 106 . the support structure 102 differs slightly from support structure 10 , described previously , as it is constructed from a two individual wires 108 . upon completion of the braiding process , the two free ends of the wire are spliced together . as such , there are no free wire ends and the structure can be loaded into a delivery catheter in a single - ply state ( not shown ). in the deployed state shown in the figures , the support structure 102 is folded once to form a two - ply device . the support structure 102 is preferably formed of a memory alloy such as nitinol . the single - wire construction allows the device to be compressed into an extremely small catheter , such as one sized 16 fr or smaller . though the support structure gains rigidity by the two - ply deployed configuration , radial strength is a function of a several factors and can thus be varied widely . first , as with the other embodiments , radial strength may be increased by incorporating more folds or layers into the deployed configuration of the support structure 102 . the three - ply configuration shown in fig3 - 39 is the most preferred configuration because it only has to be folded in on itself twice , making deployment less complicated . second , strength may be increased by using a heavier wire . because the support structure 102 is made from a single - wire , and can thus be loaded into a catheter in a single - ply configuration , a larger diameter wire may be used while maintaining a small diameter elongated profile . support structures 102 have been constructed according to the present invention using single wires having diameters between 0 . 005 and 0 . 010 inches in diameter . preferably , the diameter of the wire is between 0 . 007 and 0 . 008 inches . third , strength may be increased by increasing the braid density . a tighter braid will result in a stronger support . fourth , the strength may be increased by altering the heat setting parameters . super - elastic and shape memory alloys , such as nitinol , attain their deployed shape within the vasculature by being heat set . the wires are held in a desired configuration and heated to a predetermined temperature for a predetermined period of time . after the wires cool , they become set to the new configuration . if the wires are later disfigured , they will return to the set configuration upon heating or simply releasing the wires . the force with which a super - elastic or shape memory alloy returns to a set configuration can be increased by modifying the temperature at which the configuration is set , or by modifying the period of time the alloy is maintained at the elevated setting temperature . for example , good results have been attained setting a nitinol support structure of the present invention at 530 ° c . for 7 minutes . stiffer support structures can be made using the same nitinol wire by setting the structure at a temperature other than 530 ° c . or by setting the structure at 530 ° c . for a time other than 7 minutes , or both . the device 100 includes a wireform 104 , to which a valve 106 is attached . the wireform 104 form commissural points 109 separated by arcuate portions 110 . the arcuate portions 110 are attached to an inside surface of the support structure 102 . the commissural points 109 facilitate natural and efficient opening and closing of the valve 106 . alternatively , the valve commissural points can be attached to an outer surface of the support structure ( not shown ). the valve 106 may be any form of prosthetic or harvested biological valve . preferably , as shown in the figures , the valve 106 is a valve having three leaflets . the valve 106 is sutured or otherwise attached to the wireform 104 . preferably , the valve 106 is cut or constructed to include a skirt portion 112 which continues along the length of the support structure 102 in its deployed configuration . although the invention has been described in terms of particular embodiments and applications , one of ordinary skill in the art , in light of this teaching , can generate additional embodiments and modifications without departing from the spirit of or exceeding the scope of the claimed invention . accordingly , it is to be understood that the drawings and descriptions herein are proffered by way of example to facilitate comprehension of the invention and should not be construed to limit the scope thereof . | 0Human Necessities
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the present invention relates to disposable polymer - structured filtering kits . the kits , as will be described in detail below , each include disposable polymer - structured filter funnels , non - disposable adapters , and glass receptacles . with reference to fig1 , a first embodiment of the disposable polymer - structured filtering kit , generally indicated by numeral 100 , is shown . the kit 100 includes a disposable polymer - structured filtering funnel 110 , a glass vacuum take - off adapter 112 , and reusable glass round bottle flask 114 . the funnel 110 has a stem 115 which , as shown , is relatively long and has a flow discharge end 116 formed at the distal tip thereof . the stem 115 is relatively long such that the flow discharge end 116 extends past the glass vacuum take - off adapter 112 and into the reusable glass round bottle flask 114 , as shown . the flow discharge end 116 extends into the flask 114 so as to prevent contamination of adapter 112 by filtrate when under negative pressure from an attached vacuum source ( not shown ). the polymer fritted filter 119 is placed on the bottom of the barrel 118 of funnel 110 for trapping insoluble materials . the funnel 110 further includes an inner joint 117 positioned between the stem 115 and barrel 118 . the inner joint 117 provides a snug and secure fit between the funnel 110 and the adapter 112 . the glass vacuum take - off adapter 112 has a vacuum take - off port 120 for connection to the vacuum source , a funnel ground joint 122 , and a bottom flask ground joint 124 . the funnel ground joint 122 receives the stem 115 of the funnel 110 and the inner joint 117 of the funnel 110 fits the funnel ground joint 122 . the stem 115 passes through the bottom flask ground joint 124 and is positioned such that the flow discharge end 116 is received within the flask 114 , as shown . the flask 114 is a commonly used receptacle in chemistry laboratories , and it should be understood that the contouring and relative dimensions of flask 114 are shown for exemplary purposes only . after filtration is complete , the funnel 110 is removed , safely discarded and disposed of , and replaced with another disposable polymer - structured filtering funnel . the adapter 112 does not need to be replaced , as the length of the stem 115 of the funnel 110 positions the distal end of the flow discharge end 116 within the flask 114 , past the vacuum take - off port 120 , thus removing the risk of contamination during filtration . the flask 114 is cleaned and may be reused . fig2 illustrates an alternative embodiment of the disposable polymer - structured filtering kit , generally indicated by numeral 200 . the kit 200 includes a disposable polymer - structured filtering funnel 210 , a screw - threaded joint adapter 212 , and a removable and disposable glass screw - threaded receiving vial 214 . funnel 210 has a stem 215 that is relatively long , as shown , with a flow discharge end 216 formed at the distal tip thereof . as in the previous embodiment , the stem 215 is long so that the flow discharge end 216 extends past the screw - threaded joint adapter 212 and into the disposable glass screw - threaded receiving vial 214 . the flow discharge end 216 extends into the vial 214 such that the adapter 212 is not contaminated by filtrate when under negative pressure generated by the vacuum source . the polymer fritted filter disc 219 is placed on the bottom of the barrel 218 for trapping any insoluble materials . the funnel 210 further includes an inner joint 217 formed between the stem 215 and barrel 218 . the inner joint 217 provides a snug and secure fit between the funnel 210 and the adapter 212 . the funnel 210 also preferably has a relatively wide top opening 225 , allowing for easy insertion therein of the liquid sample . the screw - threaded joint adapter 212 includes a vacuum take - off port 220 for connecting to the vacuum source for providing negative pressure , along with a funnel ground joint 222 and a bottom vial joint 224 . the bottom vial joint 224 is threaded to releasably screw on to the adapter 212 and the vial 214 . the funnel ground joint 222 receives the stem 215 of the funnel 210 , and the inner joint 217 of the funnel 210 fits the funnel ground joint 222 . the stem 215 passes through the bottom vial joint 224 such that the flow discharge end 216 is positioned within the vial 214 . the vial 214 is preferably disposable . following filtration , the funnel 210 is removed , safely discarded and disposed of , and replaced with another disposable polymer - structured filtering funnel . the adapter 212 does not need to be replaced , because the length of the stem 215 of the funnel 210 positions the flow discharge end 216 thereof within vial 214 , thus placing end 216 past the vacuum take - off port 220 . the vial 214 may be easily removed , because it is removably screwed on to the adapter 212 , and may be discarded . the kit 200 is preferred for either taking filtrate or taking insoluble materials that are collected by the fritted disc 219 . with reference to fig3 , a further alternative embodiment of the disposable polymer - structured filtering kit , generally indicated by numeral 300 , is shown . the kit 300 includes a disposable polymer - structured filtering funnel 310 , an adapter 312 , and an erlenmeyer shaped filtering flask 314 with a vacuum port 320 . a funnel base 321 ( best seen in fig6 ) has a stem 315 that is relatively long with a flow discharge end 316 formed at the distal tip . as in the previous embodiments , the stem 315 is long so that the flow discharge end 316 extends past the adapter 312 , into the erlenmeyer shaped filtering flask 314 , and past the vacuum port 320 of the flask 314 . the flow discharge end 316 extends past the vacuum port 320 such that the filtrate does not contaminate the adapter 312 during vacuum filtration . the funnel base 321 further includes an inner joint 317 at the top of the stem 315 . the inner joint 317 provides a snug fit with the adapter 312 . the funnel 310 also preferably has a relatively wide top opening 325 , for easy reception of the liquid sample . additionally , a clamp 327 is preferably provided for holding the funnel barrel 318 to the funnel base 321 , with the polymer fritted filter disc 319 being positioned therebetween . the adapter 312 has a glass funnel ground joint 322 and a polymer stopper joint 324 . the glass funnel ground joint 322 receives the stem 315 of the funnel 310 , and the inner joint 317 of the funnel 310 fits the funnel ground joint 322 . the stem 315 then passes through the polymer stopper joint 324 and is positioned such that the flow discharge end 316 is located below the vacuum port 320 of the flask 314 . after filtration is complete , the funnel 310 is removed , safely discarded and disposed of , and replaced with another disposable polymer - structured filtering funnel . the adapter 312 does not need to be replaced , because the length of the stem 315 of the funnel 310 and the positioning of the distal end of the flow discharge end 316 within flask 314 is positioned beyond the vacuum take - off port 320 of the flask 314 , thus preventing contamination of adapter 312 . fritted disc 319 can similarly be disposed of . the kit 300 is preferred for taking insoluble materials that are collected by the fritted disc 319 , since the funnel 310 can be disassembled so that the solid materials are easily removed . fig4 better illustrates the disposable polymer - structured filter funnel 110 of fig1 . the disposable filter funnel 110 is preferably barrel - shaped , having an open upper end 125 and a lower stem 115 having a flow discharge end 116 . funnel 110 , formed from a low cost polymer material , and fritted filter disc 119 are both disposable and may be easily replaced . the filtering funnel 110 and fritted filter disc 119 must resist corrosion from various organic solvents . accordingly , an inexpensive polypropylene is preferably selected as the material of funnel 110 . however , other polymer materials may also be utilized , such as acrylic , polycarbonate , styrene , polyfluoroethylene , polyvinylidene fluoride , or polyethylene . the minimum length of the stem 115 , to position the flow discharge end 116 within flask 114 , is preferably approximately twenty mm . the preferred length for the stem 115 is approximately eighty mm . the top end of the stem 115 includes inner joint 117 , which fits the funnel ground joint 122 of the glass adapter 112 tightly to prevent leaking . the size of inner joint 117 is preferably between approximately five and sixteen mm in diameter , and between approximately five and twenty mm in length . it should be understood that the funnel 110 may be used in combination with the filtering kits of fig2 and 3 . an exemplary internal volume for 110 is approximately 40 ml . fig5 illustrates the disposable polymer - structured filter funnel 210 of fig2 . funnel 210 preferably has a relatively wide top opening 225 , as shown , and has contouring and dimensions similar to those described above with regard to funnel 110 . however , barrel 218 has an open upper end 225 . the top end of the stem 215 has an inner joint 217 , which fits the funnel ground joint 222 of the glass adapter 212 tightly to prevent leaking . the size of inner joint 217 is preferably between five and sixteen mm in diameter , and from between five and twenty mm in length . it should be understood that the funnel 210 may be used in combination with the filtering kits of fig1 and 3 . as noted above , funnel 210 is designed for relatively small quantities of fluid . the exemplary internal volume for funnel 110 is given above as being approximately 40 ml . a corresponding exemplary internal volume for funnel 210 is 18 ml . it should be understood that the funnels may have any desired dimensions , or be provided in sets of varying sizes , dependent upon the particular needs of the user . fig6 illustrates the disposable polymer - structured filter funnel 310 for trapping solid samples of fig3 . the barrel 318 has an open top end 325 and an open bottom end 328 . the barrel 318 uses a wider open end 325 ( similar to that described above with regard to upper end 225 of funnel 210 ) for transferring relatively small volumes of fluid samples . the open bottom end 328 is provided for easily removing solid samples from the funnel 310 . a concavity 329 is formed at the top end of the funnel base 321 , as shown . the filter disc 319 is placed in the concavity 329 , enclosing the filter disc 319 when the kit is assembled . the metal clamp 327 is used to tightly clamp bottom end 328 of the barrel 318 and the top end of the base 321 . as shown , the barrel 318 forms an upper portion of the funnel , with the stem 317 forming a detachable lower portion . this arrangement is adapted for trapping solid samples and transferring relatively small volumes of liquid samples . it should be understood that the funnel 310 may be used in combination with the filtering kits of fig1 and 2 . preferably , filter discs 119 , 219 and 319 are formed from a polymer material , such as polyethylene , for example , having a relatively coarse or medium porosity . alternatively , a conventional glass fritted filter disc may also be utilized . fig7 illustrates the vacuum take - off adapter 112 , with a bottom flask ground joint 124 and the funnel ground joint 122 , of fig1 . the vacuum take - off port 120 is formed on the side of adapter 112 for connection to the vacuum source . the funnel ground joint 122 on the top end is coupled with inner joint 117 of the funnel 110 , and is preferably between approximately five and sixteen mm in diameter , and between five and twenty mm in length . the bottom flask ground joint 124 coupled with the receiving receptacle or flask 114 preferably is manufactured in sizes of 14 / 20 , 19 / 22 , 24 / 25 , 24 / 40 or 29 / 42 . as is conventionally known , a size of 14 / 20 , for example , means that the bottom flask ground joint 124 is fourteen mm in diameter , and twenty mm in length . the bottom ground joint 124 fits reusable glass round bottle flasks , such as exemplary flask 114 of fig1 . adapter 112 is preferably formed from conventional glass , though , alternatively , may be formed from a polymer material , metal or any other suitable material . fig1 illustrates an alternative embodiment of adapter 112 in which stopcock or valve 121 may be integrated into the vacuum take - off port 120 in order to adjust the vacuum and prevent the filtrate from being sucked into the vacuum line . fig8 illustrates the vacuum take - off adapter 212 , with a bottom vial joint 224 and the funnel ground joint 222 , of fig2 . the vacuum take - off glass adapter 212 , which is designed for coupling with disposable glass vial 214 , is shown joined to vial 214 in fig2 . the adapter 212 includes funnel ground joint 222 on its top end , a bottom vial joint 224 on its bottom end , and a vacuum take - off port 220 projecting from its side . the funnel ground joint 222 fits the inner joint 217 of the funnel 210 , and is preferably between five and sixteen mm in diameter , and between five and twenty mm in length . the bottom vial joint 224 has a top threaded joint 226 for screwing to the glass adapter 212 , having threads 228 , and a bottom threaded joint 227 for screwing to the disposable glass vial 214 , as shown in fig2 . the thread of the joint 226 preferably uses g . p . i . ( glass packaging institute ) 20 - 400 thread . the inside diameter of the threaded joint 226 is approximately twenty mm . the numeral “ 400 ” designates a specific style of the finish . fig1 illustrates an alternative embodiment of adapter 212 . as shown , a stopcock or valve 221 may be integrated into the vacuum take - off port 220 in order to adjust the vacuum and prevent the filtrate from being sucked into the vacuum line . adapter 212 is preferably formed from conventional glass , but may alternatively be formed from polymer materials , metal or any other suitable material . fig9 illustrates an alternative vacuum take - off adapter 412 , for use with the kit of fig1 , with a bottom ground joint 424 and a filter funnel screw - threaded joint 422 . the glass adapter 412 can replace adapter 112 . the adapter 412 has an interface screw - threaded joint 436 on its top end , with an inner diameter between approximately five and sixteen mm . a cap 438 , having an aperture formed therethrough , and a sealing ring 439 are placed on the interface screw - threaded joint 436 to seal an attached filter funnel , which functions to adjust a position of a flow discharge end of the funnel . a vacuum take - off port 420 is further provided . fig1 illustrates an alternative vacuum take - off adapter 512 , for use with the kit of fig2 , having a bottom vial joint 524 and a funnel screw threaded joint 522 . a side vacuum port 520 extends outwardly , as shown . the adapter 512 includes a funnel screw - threaded joint 536 on its top end . to connect the adapter 512 to a funnel , a cap 538 , having an aperture formed therethrough , is provided for receiving a flow discharge end of the funnel , and positioning the flow discharge end beneath the side vacuum port 520 . a sealing ring 539 and the cap 538 are placed on the funnel screw - threaded joint 536 to seal an attached funnel . the bottom vial joint 524 has an interface screw - threaded joint 526 that attaches to the adapter 512 by threads 528 , and a vial screw - threaded joint 527 for coupling with a receiving receptacle or vial . fig1 illustrates adapter 312 of the kit of fig3 . adapter 312 includes a stopper 324 having an aperture formed centrally therethrough . the adapter 312 is designed for coupling with a vacuum erlenmeyer shaped filtering flask , such as exemplary flask 314 of fig3 . the stopper 324 is formed from a polymer material , such as rubber , silicone rubber or neoprene . glass tubing 330 , with funnel ground joint 322 formed on its top end , is inserted tightly into the center of the stopper 324 . the glass funnel ground joint 322 has a diameter between approximately five and sixteen mm , and a length between approximately five and twenty mm . fig1 illustrates an alternative adapter 612 , for use with the kit of fig3 , with a screw - threaded joint 622 on its top end . the stopper 624 is formed from polymer materials , such as rubber , silicone rubber or neoprene and is similar to stopper 324 except for the screw - threaded joint 622 . the adapter 612 is used to couple a filter funnel with the vacuum erlenmeyer shaped filtering flask . a glass screw threaded tube 630 is inserted tightly into the center of the stopper 624 . a cap 638 , having an aperture formed therethrough and a sealing ring 639 , are placed on a screw - threaded top 636 of the adapter 612 to seal an attached filter funnel . thus , the flow discharge end of the funnel is positioned below the vacuum take - off port when the kit is assembled . fig1 illustrates the disposable glass - receiving receptacle 214 of fig2 . receptacle 214 includes a screw - threaded joint 230 . the diameter of the threaded joint 230 is preferably between twenty and thirty mm . a typical diameter of the joint 230 is approximately twenty - three mm , fitting g . p . i . 20 - 400 thread . the vial 214 has a semi - round bottom to prevent cracking under negative or positive pressure . the volume of the vial 214 is preferably between 60 and 300 ml . multiple vials having differing volumes may be provided , such as an 100 ml vial and a 200 ml , for example . fig1 illustrates an alternative cone - shaped disposable filter funnel 610 , to be used with any of the kits of fig1 , 2 or 3 . funnel 610 includes an upper portion 602 , having a substantially frusto - conical contour , with a long stem 615 projecting downwardly therefrom . the upper portion has an open upper end 625 , and an annular flange 604 is formed within the upper portion 602 , adjacent the junction between the lower end of upper portion 602 and the stem 615 , as shown . filter disc 619 is removably received by annular flange 604 , as shown . as described above , filter disc may be formed from a disposable , porous polymeric material , or may be formed from fritted glass or the like . as a further alternative , the filter disc 619 may be formed as a polymer disc . fig2 illustrates exemplary polymer disc 619 , having a main body 700 with a plurality of relatively small apertures or pores 706 formed therethrough . polymer disc 619 is covered in disposable filter paper or a porous , polymeric membrane in order to trap the solute or insoluble materials . fig2 illustrates an alternative polymer disc 819 having a main body 800 and a plurality of slots 802 formed in an upper surface thereof . a central aperture or pore 804 is further formed therethrough . fig1 illustrates an alternative cone - shaped disposable filter funnel 710 , similar to funnel 610 described above . funnel 710 includes an upper portion 702 , having a substantially frusto - conical contour , with a long stem 715 projecting downwardly therefrom . the upper portion 702 has an open upper end 725 . instead of the annular flange 604 of funnel 610 , the filter disc 719 is formed integrally with the upper portion 702 , as shown . fig1 illustrates a further alternative filter funnel 810 , to be used with any of the kits of fig1 , 2 or 3 . funnel 810 includes a substantially cylindrical upper portion 802 with a long stem 815 projecting downwardly therefrom . the upper portion 802 has an open upper end 825 , and an annular flange 804 is formed within the upper portion 802 , adjacent the junction between the lower end of upper portion 802 and the stem 815 , as shown . filter disc 619 is removably received by annular flange 804 , as shown . as described above , filter disc 619 may be formed from a disposable , porous polymeric material , or may be formed from fritted glass or the like . filter disc 619 may , alternatively , be replaced by filter discs 719 or 819 , as desired . as a further alternative , the filter disc 619 is wrapped in disposable filter paper . fig1 shows an alternative filter funnel 850 , similar in contour to filter funnel 810 , described above , but lacking the inner , annular flange 804 . funnel 850 includes a lower , stem portion 860 and an upper portion 862 , having an open , upper end 855 . a filter disc , such as filter disc 719 , described above , for example , is received within the upper portion 862 and the filter funnel 850 and / or the filter disc 719 are sized such that the filter disc 719 mates with the inner circumferential wall of the funnel 850 at or near the junction between the upper portion 862 and the lower portion 860 . the filter disc 719 is held in place by frictional engagement with the inner wall . filter disc 719 may , alternatively , be replaced by filter discs 819 , as desired . as a further alternative , the filter disc 719 is wrapped in disposable filter paper . with reference to fig2 , another embodiment of the disposable polymer - structured filtering kit , generally indicated by numeral 1000 , is shown . the kit 1000 includes a disposable polymer - structured filtering funnel 1010 , a glass vacuum take - off adapter 1012 , and reusable glass flask or disposable vial 1014 . funnel 1010 , adapter 1012 and flask or vial 1014 may have any of the above - described configurations , as fig2 is intended to illustrate an alternative where flask or vial 1014 is positioned within adapter 1012 , rather than beneath it . as in the previous embodiments , the funnel 1010 has a stem 1015 with a flow discharge end 1016 formed at the distal tip thereof . the stem 1015 , however , extends within the glass vacuum take - off adapter 1012 and into the reusable flask or disposable vial 1014 . the flow discharge end 1016 extends into the flask 1014 to prevent contamination of adapter 1012 by filtrate when under negative pressure from an attached vacuum source ( not shown ). a polymer fritted filter 1019 is placed on the bottom of the barrel 1018 of funnel 1010 for trapping insoluble materials . the funnel 1010 further includes an inner joint 1017 positioned between the stem 1015 and barrel 1018 . the inner joint 1017 provides a snug and secure fit between the funnel 1010 and the adapter 1012 . the glass vacuum take - off adapter 1012 has a vacuum take - off port 1020 for connection to the vacuum source , and a funnel ground joint 1022 . a cap 1025 , formed from a polymer material , is further provided for sealing the adapter . the funnel ground joint 1022 receives the stem 1015 of the funnel 1010 and the inner joint 1017 of the funnel 1010 fits the funnel ground joint 1022 . rather than the bottom flask ground joint of the previous embodiments , a tube 1024 is provided within the adapter 1012 , as shown , at the upper end thereof , so that stem 1015 passes through the tube 1024 and is positioned so that the flow discharge end 1016 is received within the flask or vial 1014 . glass tube 1024 , with funnel ground joint 1022 on its top end , are inserted tightly through the center of cap 1025 . the flask or vial 1014 is a commonly used receptacle in chemistry laboratories , and it should be understood that the shape and relative dimensions of flask 1014 are shown for exemplary purposes only . the glass funnel ground joint 1022 preferably has a diameter between approximately five and sixteen mm , and a length between approximately five and twenty mm . after filtration is complete , the funnel 1010 is removed , safely discarded and disposed of , and replaced with another disposable polymer - structured filtering funnel . the cap 1025 of adapter 1012 is also opened to remove the flask or vial 1014 . the adapter 1012 does not need to be replaced , as the length of the stem 1015 of the funnel 1010 positions the distal end of the flow discharge end 1016 within the flask or vial 1014 , thus removing the risk of contamination during filtration . it is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above , but encompasses any and all embodiments within the scope of the following claims . | 1Performing Operations; Transporting
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fig2 presents a coarse representation of a configurable device in accordance with the principles of this invention . for sake of comparison , to the extent possible , the structure of fig2 parallels the structure of fig1 . as in fig1 fig2 includes a selector at the input , which in this case is also a part of the routing fabric . selector 20 has 12 direct inputs and 4 feedback inputs . the outputs of selector 20 are applied to a routing logic network 21 , and connected to routing logic network 21 are four essentially independent arithmetic / logic / memory ( alm ) units 22 , 23 , 24 , and 25 . routing logic network 21 allows for various interconnections of the alm units develops output signals which are applied to a plurality of latches 26 , and the outputs of latches 26 form the feedback signals that are applied to selector 20 . a selector 27 is responsive to the signals applied to latches 26 and to the signals developed by latches 26 and selects the desired outputs in accordance with a configuration specification . elements 22 - 25 are termed herein &# 34 ; arithmetic / logic / memory &# 34 ; elements , or alm elements , because they have the inherent capacity to serve in any of the three modes : arithmetic , logic , and memory . this inherent capacity is brought to light through configuration control of the elements . fig3 and 5 , which describe the configurable function element , comprising elements 21 - 25 , describe those modes in greater detail . fig3 depicts the configuration for logic operation . alm element 22 has 8 bit banks of memory cells 221 and 222 . the other alm elements also have two banks of memory cells each . the logic performed by the memory banks is simply a function of the contents of the memory . this contents basically reflects the &# 34 ; truth table &# 34 ; of the logic function , which is carried out by virtue of the accessing of the &# 34 ; truth table &# 34 ; memory . this accessing is accomplished through selector circuits 223 and 224 . circuit 223 is a 8 - to - 1 selector that is controlled by the three signals on lines 225 , 226 and 227 . the output of selector 223 appears on line 228 . the same three signals also control selector 224 ( although for sake of simplicity , this is not shown ) to deliver a signal to line 229 . memory bank 221 can hold the &# 34 ; truth table &# 34 ; for any three input - one output logic function because the three &# 34 ; address &# 34 ; inputs of selector 227 can deliver to line 228 the truth table response to the three inputs , stored in the 2 3 , or 8 , bits of memory 221 . by extension , it is clear that memory bank 222 can also hold the &# 34 ; truth table &# 34 ; for any three - input one output ( line 229 ) logic function . leads 228 and 229 are connected to selector circuit 233 , which is responsive to control lead 230 , and the output of selector 233 forms a first data output that is connected to bus line 261 . with the aid of selector 233 , the two memory banks of alm element 22 can carry out any logic function of 4 bits in ( lines 225 , 226 , 227 and 230 )- 1 bits out ( line 231 ). alm elements 23 , 24 and 25 are identical to alm element 22 . element 24 is responsive to the same 4 inputs as is element 22 and it develops an output signal on line 232 . that signal is applied to i / o bus line 262 . elements 23 and 25 are responsive to input signals on lines 330 , 331 , 332 , and 334 and they develop an output on lines 234 and 235 , respectively , which are connected to i / o bus lines 263 and 264 . thus , elements 22 and 24 combine to offer a logic element that provides two outputs in response to four inputs , and elements 23 and 25 combine to offer a logic element that also provides two outputs to four different inputs . the operation of the configurable function element is expanded in the fig3 embodiment through selectors 240 , 245 and 250 . selector 250 accepts the signals of lines 231 and 232 and , under control of line 236 , delivers an output signal to i / o bus line 261 via line 237 . similarly , selector 240 accepts the signals of lines 234 and 235 and , under control of line 238 , delivers an output signal to i / o bus line 262 via line 239 . selector 250 converts elements 22 and 24 to a single logic element having five inputs and one output . similarly , selector 240 converts elements 23 and 25 to a single logic element having five inputs and one output . selector 245 accepts the signals of lines 237 and 238 and under control of line 265 , delivers an output signal to i / o bus line 261 . selector 245 combines elements 22 - 25 to form a single logic element capable of performing any arbitrary function of up to 6 inputs and one output . note that it can also do some functions of up to 11 variables . fig4 depicts the arithmetic mode of the configurable function element . before proceeding with the detailed description , it may be useful to keep in mind that arithmetic operations are also logic operations although , typically , we divide the data that represents arithmetic quantities into small groups and each group represents a binary digit . consequently , the &# 34 ; truth tables &# 34 ; that are needed for arithmetic operations are smaller . however , connections must be provided from one digit to the next . that is , arithmetic operations carry out a logic function which considers at any one time only one pair of input bits in addition to a &# 34 ; carry &# 34 ; bit from a previous pair of bits . for example , a logic element having 8 inputs can assume any response pattern and , therefore , a &# 34 ; truth table &# 34 ; having 2 8 states is needed for such a logic element . an arithmetic element having 8 inputs , on the other hand , typically is considered to have four two bit sets , and the operation on the four two bit sets is typically carried out on only two input bits at a time ( one from each set ) and an incoming information propagation bit ( from lower significance bits ). the output is typically one computation result bit and one outgoing information propagation bit . thus , when an arithmetic truth table is created from a look - up memory ( for any bitwise arithmetic operation ), each bit set requires only 2 3 , or 8 bits of memory , twice ; and the full set of 8 bits at the input ( plus the input information propagation bit ) requires only 64 bits of memory . that is the structure depicted in fig4 . in conformance with the above , fig4 contains 4 sets of bitwise arithmetic units . the three input signals that control selectors 223 and 224 ( lines 226 , 227 and 230 ) form the two input bits a 0 and b 0 and the incoming information propagation bit c in 0 . the output of selector 224 forms the computation result bit ( connected to i / o bus line 261 ) and the output of selector 223 forms the outgoing information propagation bit . the outgoing information propagation bit of selector 223 is connected directly to selectors 271 and 272 in alm element 23 wherein it serves the function of incoming information propagation bit c 1 for the input bits a 1 and b 1 that are also connected to selectors 271 and 272 from lines 225 and 236 . the arithmetic operation signal flow continues with the outgoing information propagation bit of selector 271 being applied to selectors 273 and 274 in alm element 24 , and the outgoing information propagation bit of selector 273 being applied to selectors 275 and 276 . the computation result bit of selector 272 is connected to i / o bus 266 and the computation result bit of selector 274 is connected to i / o bus 262 . finally , the computation result bit of selector 276 is connected to i / o bus line 263 and the outgoing information propagation bit of selector 275 is delivered to output lead 269 for use by the next configurable element in the array , if needed . from the above it is clear that the alm elements weigh in with a total of 64 bits . in the logic mode ( fig3 ) and in the arithmetic mode ( fig4 ) the contents of each of the bits is fixed at the time the configuration is set . that may be at the time of initial assembly , or at any time thereafter . it is not the intent of these memory cells to store data temporarily but rather to define the behavior , or response characteristic , of the configurable function element . it is one object of this invention , however , to permit just such a use . moreover , it is deemed beneficial to permit flexibility in the manner in which the data is stored in and in the manner in which the data is retrieved . this flexibility extends to dual port operation of the &# 34 ; memory &# 34 ;, which means writing into one address of the memory at the same time that the memory contents at other addresses are being read . with the 64 bits that are available , the memory may be organized in a number of ways , and the writing organization and the reading organization need not even be the same . for illustrative purposes , fig5 describes a 4 bit organization where the number of different addresses that one may access is 16 . with 4 bits for an input address , 4 bits for input data , 4 bits for output address and 4 bits for output data , a total of 16 i / o bits is required . in fig5 the four write address bits are applied to a 1 - to - 16 demultiplexer 268 , and each of the 16 outputs of the demultiplexer is connected to the write enable lead of a different one of the cells in the memory banks of each of the alm elements ( 22 - 25 ). the input data line d in 0 is connected to each of the memory cells in alm element 22 , the input data line of d in 1 is connected to each of the memory cells in alm element 23 , the input data line d in 2 is connected to each of the memory cells in alm element 24 , and the input data line d in 3 is connected to each of the memory cells in alm element 25 . reading the memory in fig5 is quite simple , given the circuitry that is already available from the &# 34 ; logic configuration &# 34 ; ( shown in fig3 ). the read address lines are applied to leads 225 , 226 , 227 and 230 and the output of selectors 235 , 281 , 282 , and 283 form the 4 bits output of the memory . in fig3 the number of inputs is 11 and the number of outputs is 4 ; in fig4 the number of inputs is 9 and the number of outputs is 5 ; and in fig5 the number of inputs is 12 and the number of outputs is 4 . clearly , for fig3 - 5 to be realizable in a single integrated circuit , some i / o lines have to be used for different purposes when operating in different mode , and those lines must be routed to different locations internally . this is accomplished by extending each line to all of its potential destinations and by interposing switches in those lines at the right places , so that the lines apply their signals to the appropriate places . this is demonstrated in fig6 where the fig3 - 5 circuits are combined ( the reference numerals being deleted for sake of simplicity ). some of the configuration switches are shown with the mark x . as mentioned above , it is contemplated that the configurable function element described in fig3 and 5 in its various modes shall be used most often as an element embedded in a configurable routing fabric . fig7 presents a &# 34 ; tileable &# 34 ; module of the routing fabric which includes the configurable function element ( elements 21 - 25 ), the switching of elements 20 and 27 ( which are illustrated in fig2 and embedded in routing network 200 ) and latches 26 . more specifically , the &# 34 ; tileable &# 34 ; module 100 comprises vertical a leads , vertical b leads , horizontal c leads and horizontal d leads . the vertical leads and the horizontal leads ( perimeter leads ) are arranged to form a center area where switching elements 20 and 27 ( i . e ., element 200 ), latches 26 and the configurable function element ( 21 - 25 ) reside . the module is &# 34 ; tileable &# 34 ; because an identical other tileable module may be connected on each of the four sides of the module via some or all of the a , b , c , and d perimeter leads , and the connection of &# 34 ; tileable &# 34 ; modules can be extended for as many modules as desired , to form a rectilinear arrangement . it may be observed that when such tiling occurs , leads b of one tiled module are adjacent to leads a of the next tiled module next to it , and the a leads at the top of one module are connected to the a leads at the bottom of the adjacent module that is above it . it may also be observed that some of the a , b , c , and d leads include interposed switches that are controlled by configuration information . the pattern of switches need not be the same . in fig2 switching elements 20 and 27 are depicted as separate elements but , in reality , they can be constructed from a single switching network and , therefore , in fig7 they are represented by routing network 200 . network 200 is depicted as a crossbar network . input lines 277 , 278 , 279 and 280 come from the perimeter lines , line 281 comes from routing network 21 and line 282 comes from the outputs of latches 26 . actually , each of the depicted lines represents a set of lines , as described in greater detail below . from a perusal of fig3 and 5 is can be seen that the necessary number of inputs to block 21 is 12 and , hence , the number of outputs of network 200 is likewise 12 . in considering the viability of the fig6 arrangement where tileable modules are interconnected one important aspect is the speed with which the arrangement can operate . more particularly , the resistive and capacitive load that is found on each of the perimeter lines must be carefully considered . it must be remembered , for instance , that each lead to 1 from the perimeter to network 200 presents a load to the perimeter line even when that line is disabled . this load is minimized , in accordance with one feature of this invention , through an isolation mechanism that , in effect , fans out the signal of a perimeter lead through a number of crosspoints . this is depicted in fig8 . fig8 shows one arrangement in accordance with the principles of this invention . it depicts only one c lead ( from network 288 in fig7 ) and one a lead ( from network 287 in fig7 ), but it should be understood that similar circuitry is included in the tileable modules any number of c and a leads , for interconnecting leads b and d into network 200 and for interconnecting the a , b , c , and d leads to each other . the primary isolation ( and load limiting ) is provided to lead c by virtue of fet switch 301 . when it is &# 34 ; off &# 34 ;, all of the circuits that follow fet 301 do not present a load the c lead . the output of fet 301 is connected to any number of secondary fets , and in fig8 two are shown : 302 and 303 . those , in turn can be connected to tertiary fan - out fets , such as fets 304 and 305 , etc ., depending on the routing flexibility that is desired . eventually , the set of leads that are developed by the chain of fets stemming from fet 301 is applied to network 200 . similarly , fet 401 is connected to lead a and it , too , fans out through fets 402 , 403 , 404 and 405 to network 200 . a connection between the a lead and the c lead is achieved through fet 410 . | 7Electricity
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referring now to the figures of the drawings in detail and first , particularly , to fig1 thereof , there is shown a schematic block diagram of an ic in whose memory 12 security - relevant data are stored . the integrated circuit 10 is thus provided with a memory 12 , which is connected to a read - out circuit 14 . the read - out circuit 14 conducts the data read from the memory 12 to the output designated by “ data ”. furthermore , a block with access control circuits 16 is provided , which contains the corresponding blockade functions . these functions ensure that , for example , only the authorized user , after inputting a password , can access the data stored in the memory 12 . as illustrated in fig1 the power supply of the access control circuits 16 and of the read - out circuit 14 is provided in such a way that both branches of the power supply , v dd and v ss , are conducted firstly to the access control circuits 16 and then to the read - out circuit 14 . a simple interruption of v dd or v ss upstream of the access control circuits 16 automatically also renders the read - out circuit 14 voltageless , so that data can no longer be read from the memory 12 . in this case , the supply potentials v dd and v ss are conducted as usual in the aluminum layer . this means that , in principle , there would be the possibility of an attack by interrupting v dd upstream and downstream of the blockade functions and separately supplying the read - out circuit through the use of a power supply applied there directly to the aluminum . in order to avoid this , at the point at which the power supply of the read - out circuit 14 branches from that in the aluminum layer v dd , an nmos switch 18 is additionally connected between v dd and the read - out circuit 14 , the gate 20 of which switch is connected to the power supply of the access control circuits 16 in the diffusion plane via a line 22 routed in a security layer or in the diffusion . this ensures that , in the event of any interruption of the power supply to the access control circuits 16 , the nmos switch 18 opens and the read - out circuit 14 becomes de - energized , thereby making it impossible to read the memory 12 . in addition , as illustrated in fig1 provision is made for the enable signal blck to be conducted doubly and inversely from the access control circuit 16 to the read - out circuit 14 . this means that the signal is present once in positive form as blck signal and once in negative form as { overscore ( blck )} signal . the read - out circuit can only read out data when both signals are correct . if the power supply to the access control circuits 16 is interrupted , then at least one of these signals becomes “ false ” and the read - out circuit is blocked . in this case , it does not even depend on whether v dd or v ss is interrupted . the read - out circuit 14 is always blocked . the security can be increased still further by the respectively mutually associated inverse blocking signals being conducted parallel to one another in the integrated circuit and preferably in the diffusion or in a security layer . according to the invention , then , it is possible to provide the circuit blocks with regard to the supply wiring such that the block which generates the control signal precedes the circuit blocks which generate the secret signals . with the blockade signal , the secret signal is then also destroyed when the supply is disconnected . as a second measure , it is additionally possible for the inverse blockade signal to be generated in parallel and be concomitantly evaluated when the secret signal is generated . this ensures that both supplies are present at the block which generates the control signal . in this case , the supply within this block must be conducted in inseparable layers . the inverse control signals are advantageously conducted one above the other to the evaluating block , in order to make forcing more difficult . if the supply is disconnected upstream of the block which generates the control signal , the secret signal is thus inhibited at the same time . in this case , it is not necessary for the supply wiring to be conducted twice between the blocks , and wiring area is gained for the signal wiring . as an alternative to the measures described , the supply of the block which generates the secret signal can be conducted via a switch which switches on or off depending on the supply of the control block . in this case , it is necessary to conduct a security signal from the supply , inseparable within the control block , to the gate of the switch . in order to make the physical manipulation possibilities more difficult , the invention proposes with regard to the supply wiring a block configuration which makes a configuration robust with respect to destructive attacks , without giving rise to an additional outlay on supply wiring ( redundant supply in diffusion ). this block placement will usually appear differently than that of an ad hoc corridor planning which does not consider the boundary conditions described . the control signals are conducted with their inverse counterparts in a parallel manner from block to block in order to ensure at the evaluating block that both supply polarities are present at the generating block . as a modification , it is proposed to make the supply of the block to be inhibited dependent on the supply of the control function via a switch , the configuration being configured such that a physical manipulation for generating a “ stuck at ” error on a control signal does not have a harmful effect . that is associated with an additional outlay on circuitry ( addition of a switch ) which would not be justified if one did not wish to safeguard against this possibility of manipulation . fig1 shows , as an exemplary embodiment , a configuration in a memory module in which the data read from the memory 12 are inhibited for a read access through the use of a blockade function . blockade and read - out circuits are provided in such a way that disconnection of the blockade function from the supply simultaneously disconnects the read - out circuit from the supply and thus blocks the read - out circuit . the blockade signal blck is conducted parallel to its inverse counterpart to the read - out circuit , where both control signals are evaluated . fig2 illustrates circuit details 24 and 26 of a specific embodiment of a configuration in which the supplying of the blockade function is conducted or routed in the diffusion region and is supplied to the gate of an nmos switch which supplies power to the read - out circuit . if the blockade circuit is disconnected from v dd , the read - out address is simultaneously decoupled from the supply . | 8General tagging of new or cross-sectional technology
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embodiments of the invention relate to safety plugs for power ports , such as those found in automobiles and boats . a safety plug in accordance with embodiments of the invention includes a locking device . the locking device can be disengaged by a control device with a child - proof mechanism . therefore , a safety plug in accordance with embodiments of the invention can prevent children from pulling the safety plug out of a power port . fig2 illustrates a schematic of a safety plug in accordance with one embodiment of the invention . as shown , the safety plug 100 comprises a body 10 that has a first end 11 and a second end 12 . the first end 11 of the safety plug 100 is adapted to be inserted into a power port ( or electric socket , shown as 51 in fig1 ). the safety plug 100 also includes a locking device 13 , which is controlled by a control device 20 . the locking device 13 engages the inside of the power port ( socket ) to prevent it from being removed . in preferred embodiments , the locking device 13 is configured to the locked state by default . alternatively , the locking device 13 may be switched to the locked state after it is inserted into a power port . to remove the safety plug 100 from the power port , the control device 20 is activated . activation of the control device 20 disengages the locking device 13 and converts it to the unlocked state to allow the safety plug 100 to be removed . in accordance with embodiments of the invention , the control device 20 has a child - proof mechanism that may be activated in a counter - intuitive manner such that a child is less likely to pull the safety plug 100 out of the power port . examples of child - proof mechanisms may include the following . the control device 20 may need to be “ pushed ” in , while the safety plug 100 is being “ pulled ” out of the power port . the control device 20 may need to be turned to a specific angular position , like a child - proof medicine bottle , before the safety plug 100 can be removed from the power port , the control device 20 may need to be turned to one direction and then the other , like a combination lock , before the locking mechanism 13 is disengaged from inside the power port . one of ordinary skill in the art would appreciate that other variations of the child - proof mechanism may be used with embodiments of the invention , and , therefore , the invention is not limited to these specific examples . the control device 20 , which may include a shaft slidably disposed in the body 10 , is attached at its first end 21 to the locking device 13 , while the second end of the control device 22 may protrude from the second end 12 of the body 10 of the safety plug 100 . the protrusion of the second end 22 allows a force to be applied to rotate or push the control device 20 towards the first end 11 of the body 10 . thus , the force needed to unlock the locking device 13 is applied in an opposite or orthogonal direction relative to the force needed to pull the safety plug 100 out of a power port . fig2 illustrates minimum features of a safety plug 100 in accordance with one embodiment of the invention . according to some embodiments of the invention , the safety plug may further include other components to enhance its utility . as shown in fig3 , a safety plug 200 in accordance with one embodiment of the invention also includes an attachment 15 . the attachment 15 may be attached to the second end 12 of the body 10 or to the second end 22 of the control device 20 . if the attachment 15 is attached to the second end 12 of the body 10 , then it may have an opening to allow access to the control device 20 . alternatively , the control device 20 may protrude from the side of the attachment 15 . the attachment 15 may be any item that enhances the utility and / or aesthetic of the safety plug 200 , such as a picture , a display , a sign ( e . g ., a no smoking sign ), an air freshener , a clock , or a connector for other electronic devices . if the attachment 15 is ( or is for ) an electronic or electrical device , such as a clock or any electronic device , or a connector for such a device , then the safety plug 200 may include conductors ( electrical contacts ) to transmit electricity from the power port . examples of a display may include light - emitting diode display , a liquid - crystal display , a thin - film - transistor display , and a plasma display . examples of an electrical connector may include a jack for a stereo mini plug , a jack for an rca plug , etc . fig4 shows a safety plug 300 in accordance with another embodiment of the invention . as shown , the safety plug 300 includes two conductors ( electrical contacts ) 31 , 32 and a wire 33 for providing electrical power to the attachment 15 . as shown , the electrical contact 31 is adapted to contact the positive terminal in the power port and the electrical contact 32 is to provide a current return . the current return electrical contact 32 may not be needed , if the body 10 is made of a conductive material and can provide the conductive path . if the control device 20 is made of a conductive material , the electrical contact 31 may be connected directly to the control device 20 . otherwise , the electrical contact 31 may be connected to the attachment 15 via a conductive wire ( not shown ). the locking device 13 may use any reversible mechanism that can prevent the safety plug from being pulled out of a power port by a child . fig5 shows one embodiment of a locking device 13 that comprises an adjustable diameter member . as shown , the locking device 13 is made of a flexible material that is disposed between the first end 11 and the second end 12 of the body 10 . the flexible material , for example , may be rubber , plastic , or the like . the flexible material permits the locking device 13 to change its diameter . while a single fold structure is illustrated for the locking device 13 in fig5 , one of ordinary skill in the art would appreciate that other configurations may be employed without departing from the scope of the invention . for example , the locking device 13 may have multiple folds as in an accordion , or other suitable structures . as shown in fig5 , a spring 17 is provided to bias the control device 20 in the up position so that the locking device 13 is at its maximum diameter ( i . e ., the locked state ). to unlock the safety plug 400 from a power port , the diameter of the locking device 13 can be reduced by pressing the control device 20 towards the first end 11 of the body 10 . thus , to remove the plug , two forces of opposite directions need to be applied . this counter - intuitive mechanism can prevent a child from pulling the safety plug out of a power port without adult assistance . the embodiment shown in fig5 is for illustration only , other configurations of the locking device 13 are possible . for example , the locking device 13 may have selected portions protruding from slots cut in the body 10 . alternatively , the locking device 13 may not be made of a flexible material . fig6 shows another embodiment of the locking device 13 that comprises one or more protruding members 19 adapted to extend from the body 10 to engage a power port ( not shown ). the protruding members 19 are linked to the control device 20 by levers 18 such that when the control device 20 is pushed in , the protruding members 19 are pulled towards the body 10 to disengage the safety plug from a power port ( not shown ). the levers 18 and the protruding members 19 shown in fig6 are for illustration only . one of ordinary skill in the art would appreciate that many modifications are possible without departing from the scope of the invention . for example , the protruding members 19 may be hinged at one of its ends to the body 10 , and the levers 18 may be replaced by springs . the levers or springs 18 are generally referred to as a “ retracting mechanism ” in this description . advantages of the invention may include the following . a safety plug in accordance with the invention can be easily deployed to block a power port to prevent potential injuries to children . a safety plug of the invention has a locking device with a child - proof control mechanism that unlocks the locking device in a counter - intuitive manner . therefore , children are not expected to be able to remove the safety plugs from the power ports .. in addition , a safety plug of the invention may further provide other functions such as a sign or a display . the safety plug may also provide a conduit to the power terminals in the power port such that other electrical or electronic devices may be conveniently connected . while the invention has been described with respect to a limited number of embodiments , those skilled in the art , having the benefit of this disclosure , will appreciate that other embodiments can be devised which do not depart from the scope of the invention as disclosed herein . | 7Electricity
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referring first to fig1 there is shown the first embodiment of the device of the present invention . the first embodiment is directed to a pneumatic tool device 20 having a metal body 22 with an integral handle 24 . because the first embodiment has special utility as a chisel it is sometimes referred to herein as chisel device 20 . it should be understood that the pounding action of the piston described below could be used in many other embodiments . a coupling 26 is disposed on one end of handle 24 such that air hose 28 can be readily attached thereto . air hose 28 as well as coupling 26 are well known in the prior art and will not be discussed in detail herein . such coupling 26 and air hose 28 are used to direct air or other pneumatic fluid under pressure from a source ( not shown ) to the tool device 20 . the handle 24 is configured so that it may be easily grasped and manipulated by the user . a button actuator 30 is disposed on the handle and , when depressed , permits fluid to activate the device 20 as hereinafter described in greater detail . extending outwardly from an opening in the device 20 is a tool holder assembly 32 having a cylindrical body element 34 and a tool retaining spring member 36 . spring member 36 is used to join a tool shaft 38 to the holder assembly 32 . it should be recognized that while such method of joining does provide a number of unique benefits , other means of joining a tool to the assembly 32 are also within the scope of the present invention . referring now to fig2 one can see that the body 22 has an opening or bore 40 defined by the body into which the assembly 32 extends . integral teeth 42 on holder assembly 32 intermesh with teeth 70 internally formed within the bore 40 of the body 22 . body 22 has an internal terminis 43 at one end thereof and has a generally cylindrical rim 44 adjacent the other end thereof . as one can see , by having an open bore 40 and cylindrical rim 44 , holder assembly 32 can be easily joined to and removed from body 22 . this is one distinct advantage of the present invention in that it enables the device 20 to be easily assembled . in the prior art , many devices include end caps or complex means for joining the tool assembly to the body so as to substantially seal the open end thereof . handle 24 has an internally formed , generally rectangular opening 46 which enables the chisel device 20 to be mounted if so desired . a first conduit or channel 48 is also disposed through handle 24 and permits pneumatic fluid from hose 28 to pass into the chisel tool 20 as hereinafter described in greater detail . a second channel or conduit 50 extends from the handle 24 into the bore 40 . to regulate the amount of fluid , button actuator 30 is used . its construction is similar to that of a throttle valve . a bushing 52 and seal rings 54 retain the button actuator 30 in handle 24 . a spring 56 urges button member 30 in a generally outward or closed position such that rod 48 prevents fluid from flowing through channel 48 into channel 50 . rod 58 has a flared end 60 which is attached to spring 56 . when button member 30 is depressed , flow communication is then permitted from channel 48 , through a channel 62 , formed in bushing 52 , into channel 50 . this can be seen with reference to fig5 . referring again to fig2 one can see that the tool holder assembly 32 has a first end 67 adjacent terminus 44 and a second end 68 which extends outwardly from the body 40 . tool holder assembly 32 extends into body 40 so as to define an annular space 64 adjacent terminus 43 . adjacent second end 68 are a plurality of notches 72 which engage spring 66 . other means for holding spring 66 to the assembly 32 are also within the scope of the present invention . however , certain advantages are achieved by the use of a spring and notch method . first , the desirable action similar to that of a chisel is achieved . second , various tools can be quickly mounted or removed . third , mounting of spring 66 on assembly 32 is relatively straightforward . referring to fig2 and 5 , one can see that cylindrical tool holder assembly 32 defines a first bore 74 which is in axial communication with a second , larger bore 76 . the first end 67 of assembly 32 forms a generally cylindrical rim 78 . rim 78 engages valve 92 and retains valve 92 in a generally fixed position against terminus 43 . orthoginal ports or openings 80 extend radially from the assembly 32 , and permit the pneumatic fluid to exit therefrom . extending axially into the assembly 32 , and disposed adjacent the terminis 43 of body 22 , is the piston and valve assembly 82 . assembly 82 consists of a generally cylindrical piston 84 , a hollow rod or guide member 86 and a valve 92 . guide member 86 permits piston 84 to travel along a straight path in a smooth manner even after much use . it thus represents yet another advantage of the present invention . also disposed within the assembly 32 is a circular impaction element 88 which is impacted by movable piston 84 . as more clearly shown in fig5 impaction element or anvil 88 defines a recessed area 90 which is configured so as to matingly engage tool shaft 38 . anvil 88 enables the force of piston 84 to be readily transferred to tool shaft 38 . direct impact of a piston on a tool can lead to wear of the tool . the use of anvil 88 is yet another advantage of the present invention over the prior art . cylindrical valve 92 , in the preferred embodiment , is comprised of a first section 94 and a second section 96 both of which can be made of metal . in the preferred embodiment , section 94 is made of a hard plastic such as pvc , polypropylene or polycarbonate . the use of a plastic permits valve 92 to absorb some of the shock when impacted by piston 84 . as is more clearly shown in fig3 the first section 94 has a plurality of openings 98 axially disposed therethrough . openings 98 extend from area 110 formed in section 96 and located between the sections 94 and 96 , to recessed area 102 formed in section 94 adjacent terminis 43 . an opening 100 , also formed in valve section 94 , has a portion which extends radially outward from the axis of section 94 , and another portion which makes a right angle bend as can be seen from fig2 and 3 . in this manner , flow communication between recessed area 110 , formed in section 96 , and the annular space 64 is achieved . referring now to fig2 and 4 , one can see that valve section 96 also has an opening 106 which extends outward so as to communicate with recessed area 110 and space 64 . openings 108 extend through section 96 so as to permit flow communication between recessed area 110 and bore 76 . disposed between sections 94 and 96 , and occupying some of the space formed by recessed area 110 is a movable seal member 112 . as discussed in greater detail hereinbelow , seal 112 shifts in position slightly as indicated in fig2 and 5 which enables pneumatic fluid to be alternatingly directed to each end of piston 84 . the operation of the pneumatic chisel device 20 will now be discussed . referring to fig2 one can see that the seal member 112 is initially disposed across openings 98 and 100 in the first section 94 of valve 92 . as indicated in fig5 air or other pneumatic fluid flows through hose 28 into conduit 48 formed in handle 24 . flow through channel 48 is generally indicated by arrow 114 . as the pneumatic fluid continues to flow in that direction , it flows into a chamber 116 formed in handle 24 . one can see in fig2 that the button actuator 30 has not been depressed and thus the fluid is not permitted to pass beyond chamber 116 . referring now to fig5 one can see that button actuator 30 has been depressed thereby permitting the fluid to flow around rod 58 and , more specifically , a tapered portion 118 thereof . the fluid would continue to flow through the handle 24 as indicated by arrow 120 and into the annular space 64 adjacent the terminus 43 of the body 22 . fluid would then flow through either opening 100 or 106 or both depending on the resistance . should air initially flow through openings 100 as indicated by arrow 122 , it would cause the seal 112 to shift against section 96 of valve 92 thereby sealing openings 106 and 108 . fluid would then flow through opening 100 , into area 110 and back towards the terminis 43 as indicated by arrow 124 . from here , it would flow through recessed area 102 , formed in valve section 94 , and into conduit 86 as indicated by arrow 126 . the pneumatic fluid would then flow through conduit 86 and exit therefrom as indicated by arrow 128 . continued flow in this direction forces the piston 84 to axially move along guide member 86 and against second section 96 of valve 92 . movement of the piston 84 past ports 80 permits venting of the pneumatic fluid outwardly from the tool device 20 as indicated by arrows 130 . any fluid between piston 84 and valve 92 would be urged toward seal 112 through opening 108 . if the pressure was great enough , seal 112 would axially move from space 110a into space 110 as shown in fig2 . this would uncover opening 106 through which the fluid would flow into space 64 . as soon as the seal 112 shifted into the position shown in fig2 pressure would build up in space 64 . when the pressure was great enough , fluid would flow back through opening 106 , into space 110a and out opening 108 . flow through openings 100 would be discouraged as it is closed off by seal 112 . as pressure built up behind piston 94 , ultimately the piston 94 would be driven forward guide member 86 with a high degree of velocity so as to strike anvil 88 . this forward trajectory along guide member 86 and the impact on anvil 88 would cause an outward projection of tool 38 . this chisel - like action can thus be used to , for example , aid in removal of a u - joint in an auto , loosen a brick or other material from a surface , and the like . once piston 84 traveling along rod 86 passed beyond ports 80 , additional fluid would flow through ports 50 thereby decreasing the pressure behind piston 84 . this decrease in pressure would , in turn , permit additional pressure to build up behind seal 112 , i . e ., additional fluid would flow through opening 100 so as to again shift the seal 112 back into area 110a . additional fluid flowing through opening 100 would flow into space 110 , and out toward the terminus 43 through openings 98 . as stated above , additional fluid flow through openings 98 would , in turn , flow into space 102 and then through conduit 86 . as fluid exited from conduit 86 , it would urge the piston 84 in the opposite direction . in this manner , a reciprocal action is achieved by piston 84 . this reciprocal action is transferred to a pounding action or chisel - like action by the constant hammering of piston 84 on anvil 88 and , in turn , tool shaft 38 . referring now to fig6 - 12 , the second embodiment of the present invention will now be discussed . in the second embodiment , a pneumatic rotary sander 200 is illustrated . it should be understood that other rotary - type devices are also within the scope of the present invention . sander 200 is comprised of a metal body 202 having an integral handle 204 . an air coupling 206 informed on body 22 and an associated air hose 208 is joined thereto . air hose 208 would be connected to a source of pneumatic fluid ( not shown ) so as to drive the sander 200 as hereinbelow described in greater detail . a button actuator 210 similar in nature to that described with reference to actuator 30 is also disposed on handle 204 . extending outwardly from body 202 is a total holder and motor assembly 212 . tool holder and motor assembly 212 has a sanding disc 214 attached thereto . as shown in fig7 tool holder and motor assembly 212 extend into a bore 216 defined by body 202 . internal teeth 218 formed on body 202 are disposed adjacent a first end 220 of the bore 216 , and a trapezoid section 224 is formed in body 200 adjacent the terminus 222 thereof . disposed in handle 204 is a first channel or conduit 226 which permits pneumatic fluid to flow to the tool holder and motor assembly 212 as hereinbelow described in greater detail . a second channel or conduit 228 directs the fluid into the bore 216 . this flow is regulated by means of actuator 210 which is held in position by a bushing 230 and associated seal ring members 232 . a spring 234 urges a shaft or rod 236 of the actuator 210 so as to remain in the closed position until depressed . one can see that rod element 236 has a flared end 238 which is engaged by spring element 234 . when actuator 210 is depressed , fluid is permitted to flow through channel 226 , passed the actuator 210 by flowing through channel 240 in flow communication both with channel 226 and channel 228 . in the preferred embodiment , tool holder and motor assembly 212 has a first end 242 and a second end 244 . a threaded ring member 246 is disposed adjacent end 242 and is used to join the assembly 212 to the body 202 . more specifically , teeth 218 on body 202 engages similar elements on member 246 . ring member 246 has a plurality of openings 248 which permit pneumatic fluid to exhaust outwardly therethrough as hereinafter described in greater detail . a disc or tool holder 250 is joined to a shaft 252 which is securely joined to the assembly 212 . in the preferred embodiment , a disc 214 made of a flexible material upon which sanding paper or the like can be mounted is joined to holder 250 . the tool holder 250 is threadingly engaged on shaft 252 which is joined to a rotor 254 which also forms part of the assembly 212 . rotor 254 is rotatably and axially disposed within and circumferentially surrounded by a housing or cage 256 . in order to help secure housing 256 to body 202 , an o - ring seal 258 is circumferentially disposed about housing 256 . seal 258 prevents some movement of housing 256 in bore 216 , but is aided by means of the ring member 246 . housing 256 also has a first end plate 260 and a second end plate 262 . inlet openings 264 are disposed through end plate 260 , while outlet openings 266 are disposed through end plate 262 . disposed adjacent each end of the housing 256 are bushings 268 are bushings 268 which have associated ball bearing members 270 therein . in this manner , rotor 254 is secured in body 202 and is axially rotatable within the motor housing 256 . as shown by reference to fig7 and 10 , spring loaded blade or vane members 272 extend radially outward from the rotor 254 . vanes 272 have a generally flat upper surface and a curved lower surface . they are disposed in associated arcuous slots 274 and engage the upper surfaces of an inner wall of housing 256 along the length thereof . the operation of the device 200 of the second embodiment will now be discussed . after the pneumatic rotary sander 200 is connected to a suitable pneumatic fluid source by means of air hose 208 , upon pressing actuator 210 fluid is directed through channels 226 , 240 and 228 . from here , the fluid flows through inlet openings 264 , ultimately proceeding through slot 264a . this flow path is generally shown by reference to arrow 276 . upon entry into housing 256 , the pneumatic fluid would impinge upon one of the vane members 272 . this causes the vane and hence the rotor 254 to rotate in housing 256 . because there is no axial alignment between cylindrical housing 256 and cylindrical rotor 254 , the vanes 272 move in and out of associated slots 274 . this is perhaps best shown in fig9 and 10 . there one can see that while rotor 254 is in axial alignment with body 202 , the bore in housing 256 is off - center . as the vanes 272 rotate , fluid initially trapped between two vanes is vented when exposed to outlet openings 266 formed in plate 262 . this is generally indicated by arrows 278 and 280 . from here , the fluid flows through ports 248 formed in the ring member 246 and to the exterior of the sander 200 . unlike many prior art devices , venting the fluid through ports 248 formed in ring member 246 has a number of advantages . for example , many prior art devices closed off the end of the sander body and vented through a mid - portion thereof . this required difficult masking of the body . other prior art devices also closed off the end of the bore with a complex member used to join the rotor assembly to the housing . the present invention uses a straight - forward ring 246 which not only securely joins elements 212 and 262 together , but permits fluid to readily flow therethrough . with respect to said sander 200 , speeds of 16 , 000 rpm at an air pressure of 90 - 100 psi . the chisel 20 delivers 2500 blows per minute at air pressure of 90 - 100 psi . by the use of the device of the present invention , a substantial number of disadvantages associated with the prior art can be overcome . in addition to those advantages described above , the device of the present invention permits one body to be made which can then be dedicated either as a sander or as a chisel . it should be understood that while the preferred examples relate to the embodiments set forth in the drawings , it will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that other changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined in claims . this invention , therefore , is not to be limited to that which is specifically shown or discussed herein . | 5Mechanical Engineering; Lightning; Heating; Weapons; Blasting
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various embodiments described below were developed to enable a mobile device user to capture an intent to print a content item at a time when a printer having a desired characteristic is not available printer . later , a printer having the desired characteristic is automatically caused to produce the content item . a content item , as used herein , is any electronic information that can be printed . examples include electronic files containing text , images , and combinations thereof . desired characteristics can include locations known to the user or compatible features . the following description is broken into sections . the first , labeled “ environment ,” describes an exemplary environment in which various embodiments may be implemented . the second section , labeled “ components ,” describes examples of various physical and logical components for implementing various embodiments . the third section , labeled as “ operation ,” describes steps taken to implement various embodiments . fig1 depicts an exemplary environment 10 in which various embodiments may be implemented . environment 10 is shown to include client devices 12 , 14 , and 16 , printers 18 , 20 , and 22 , production service 24 , and data store 26 . while environment 10 is shown to include three client devices 12 - 16 and three printers 18 - 22 , environment 10 may include any number of such components . client devices 12 - 16 each represent generally any computing device capable of network communication though which a user &# 39 ; s intent to print a content item can be captured . in the example of fig1 , devices 12 and 14 are shown as mobile devices , a smart phone and laptop or net - book respectively . device 16 is depicted as a workstation or desktop computer . device 12 and 14 are mobile in that they are configured to travel with a user . device 16 , while it can be moved , is intended to maintain a generally fixed position such as at a desk or kiosk . printers 18 - 22 represent generally any devices or combination of devices configured to produce a physical printed representation of a content item . in the example of fig1 , printer 18 may be a monochrome laser printer located in an office . printer 20 may be a color ink printer located in a home , and printer 22 may be a commercial printing system located in a commercial printing facility . production service 24 represents generally a network service configured to capture a user &# 39 ; s intent to print a content item or otherwise aid a client device 12 - 16 in capturing that intent . in particular , the user &# 39 ; s intent to print is captured at a time when none of printers 18 - 22 have a desired characteristic . in an example , that characteristic may be printer 18 , 20 , or 22 sharing a general geographic location with a client device 12 , 14 , or 16 that is under the user &# 39 ; s control . in another example , the desired characteristic may be a feature such as the ability to print color or print photos . production service 24 is also responsible for causing a printer 18 , 20 , or 22 to produce the content item upon a determination that the given printer 18 , 20 or 22 has the desired characteristic . data store 26 represents any device or collection of devices for storing data that can be accessed by production service 24 and client devices 12 - 16 . data store may be integrated into one or more of client device 12 - 16 and production service 24 , or it may be separate device or group of devices . stored data can include information for determining whether a printer 8 - 22 has a desired characteristic . stored data may also include content items or representation &# 39 ; s thereof for which a user &# 39 ; s desire to print has been captured . in an example , capturing a user &# 39 ; s intent to print a content item can include communicating the content item to data store 26 . upon a determination that a printer 18 - 22 has a desired characteristic , the content item or its representation can be acquired from data store 26 and used to cause that printer to produce the content item . components 12 - 26 are interconnected via link 28 . link 28 represents generally one or more of a cable , wireless , fiber optic , or remote connections via a telecommunication link , an infrared link , a radio frequency link , or any other connectors or systems that provide electronic communication . link 28 may include , at least in part , an intranet , the internet , or a combination of both . link 28 may also include intermediate proxies , routers , switches , load balancers , and the like . the paths followed by link 28 between components 12 - 26 as depicted in fig1 represent the logical communication paths between these devices , not necessarily the physical paths between the devices . fig2 depicts various physical and logical components for implementing various embodiments . in particular , fig2 depicts delayed production system 30 in communication with data store 26 . system 30 includes capture engine 32 , notification engine 34 , monitor engine 36 , and production engine 38 . data store 26 is show to include production data 40 and characteristic data 42 . referring back to fig1 , each component 32 - 38 may be implemented on a client device 12 - 16 , production service 24 or distributed across the devices . capture engine 32 represents generally any combination of hardware and programming configured to capture a user &# 39 ; s intent to print a content item . a user &# 39 ; s intent may be captured by storing the content item or a representation thereof . a representation of a content item may include a reference such as an url ( uniform resource locator ) for retrieving the content item . a representation can also include a pdf ( portable document format ) or other print ready representation rendered from the content item . thus , capture engine 32 may perform its function in a number of fashions . it may communicate the content item for storage as production data 40 in data store 26 . it may communicate a reference for acquiring the content item for storage as production data 40 in data store 26 . capture engine 32 may communicate a print ready version of the content item for storage as production data 40 in data store 26 . in an example , discussed below with respect to fig4 , capture engine 32 may be triggered by a user selecting a print action from a client device 12 , 14 , or 16 at a time when none of a plurality of printers has a desired characteristic . characteristics can include location and features . thus , a desired characteristic can be a desired or known location — that is — a location shared with a client device under a user &# 39 ; s control . a desired characteristic can include the ability to print in color or print photos . notification engine 34 represents generally any combination of hardware and programming configured to cause a user to be notified when one of the plurality of printers has the desired characteristic . an example of such a notification is discussed below with respect to fig5 where a notification takes the form of a user interface through which a user can select content items for which a user &# 39 ; s intent to print has been captured . monitor engine 36 represents generally any combination of hardware and programming configured to determine if any of a plurality of printers has a desired characteristic . in performing its function , monitor engine may access characteristic data 42 an example of which is discussed below with respect to fig3 . when no printer has a desired characteristic , monitor engine 36 causes capture engine 32 to capture the user &# 39 ; s intent to print . that intent may be manifested through the selection of a print action such as in fig4 or , for example , by interacting with a content item . such interaction can include selecting , opening , or accessing . upon a determination by monitor engine 36 that a printer has a desired characteristic , notification engine 34 causes the user to be notified . production engine 38 represents generally any combination of hardware and programming configured to cause a printer to produce a content item . production engine 38 does so only upon a determination by monitor engine 36 that the printer has a desired characteristic . further , production engine 38 may proceed with its function automatically only after a user &# 39 ; s section of the content item in a notification by notification engine 34 . in performance of its task , production engine 38 may access or otherwise reference production data 40 . production engine 38 may render the content item to a print ready format and communicating the rendered content to the printer . production engine 38 may communicate the content item itself or a reference for acquiring the content item to the printer or to an intermediary the renders the content item for the printer . in fig3 , characteristic data 42 is depicted as including table 46 having an entry 44 for each of a plurality of printers . each entry 44 includes data identifying a given printer in field 46 , data identifying a location of that printer in field 48 , and data identifying features of the printer in field 50 . data in field 46 may identify the printer by a user defined name , model , network address , physical address , or any other information that can be used to distinguish the corresponding printer from other printers . data in field 48 may identify a geographic location of a corresponding printer , a network or domain on which the printer resides , a network address , or any other information that can be uses to determine if a client device under a user &# 39 ; s control is within a desire proximity to the printer . data in field 50 may identify the features of a corresponding printer in a positive fashion or negatively by identifying those features the printer does not have or the features that are not currently operational . thus , an offline printer may be identified as having no features . in determining if a printer has a desired characteristic , monitor engine 36 may compare a known location of a client device under a user &# 39 ; s control with the location data identified in fields 48 of entries 44 . where the client device is a smart phone , the location of the device may be discerned from the phone &# 39 ; s carrier or a position application running on the device . where a client device is more fixed , the location may be discerned from its network address , information provided by a user , or even a database that defines its location . to determine if a printer has a desired feature , monitor engine 36 may compare the requirements for producing a content item with the features data in field 50 of entries 44 . the requirements may be specified by the user or discerned from the content item itself . fig4 depicts a screen view 52 displayed to a user of a client device . screen view 52 includes a representation of content item 54 opened by application 56 . screen view 52 also includes a number of iconic representations of actions 58 a user can instigate to control the operation of application 56 . one of those action is the printing of the content item through the selection of print icon 60 . in this example , print icon 60 includes a modification 62 to indicate that monitor engine 36 has determined that none of a plurality of printers has a desired characteristic . thus , the user &# 39 ; s selection of print icon 60 will trigger capture engine 34 to capture the user &# 39 ; s intent to print content item 54 . in one example , monitor engine 36 may be responsible for adding modification 62 to print icon 60 . when a printer has a desired characteristic , modification 62 will not appear , and selection of print icon 60 will lead to the more immediate production of content item 54 . in another example , modification 62 is a permanent feature , and print icon 60 has a dedicated function of being used to trigger the capture of a user &# 39 ; s intent to print when a printer is not available . fig5 depicts a screen view 64 of a notification 66 displayed to a user of a client device . notification 66 alerts a user of client device that one or more printers having desired characteristics are available to produce content items . notification engine 34 may cause notification 66 to be displayed automatically upon detection by monitor engine 36 that a printer has a desired characteristic with respect to one or more content items for which a user &# 39 ; s intent to print has been captured . in another example , notification engine 34 may communicate some other message that alerts a user of the client device to open or otherwise access notification 66 . such a communication may be an e - mail , a text message , an alert tone , an icon , or any other communication that can garner a user &# 39 ; s attention . in the example of fig5 , notification 66 includes user selectable controls 68 - 74 . controls 68 - 72 allow for the individual selection of content items ( 1 ) through ( n ). the presumption here is that a user &# 39 ; s intention to print these content items was captured during a time period when none of a plurality of printers had a desired characteristic . at a later time , monitor engine 36 detected that a printer had a desired characteristic . the same or different printers may be identified by notification 66 for each of content items ( 1 ) through ( n ). selection of a given control 68 - 72 triggers production engine 38 to cause a corresponding printer to produce a corresponding content item . selection of control 74 triggers production engine 38 to cause the production of all content items ( 1 ) through ( n ). in foregoing discussion , various components were described as combinations of hardware and programming . such components may be implemented in a number of fashions . looking at fig6 , the programming may be processor executable instructions stored on tangible memory media 76 and the hardware may include a processor 78 for executing those instructions . memory 76 can be said to store program instructions that when executed by processor 78 implement delayed content production system 30 of fig2 . memory 76 may be integrated in the same device as processor 78 or it may be separate but accessible to that device and processor 76 . in one example , the program instructions can be part of an installation package that can be executed by processor 78 to implement system 30 . in this case , memory 76 may be a portable medium such as a cd , dvd , or flash drive or a memory maintained by a server from which the installation package can be downloaded and installed . in another example , the program instructions may be part of an application or applications already installed . here , memory 76 can include integrated memory such as a hard drive . as a further example , fig7 depicts a block diagram illustrating various elements of client device 12 , 14 , or 16 , resource service 20 , and data store 22 . client device 12 is shown to include memory 80 , processor 82 , display 84 , and interface 86 . processor 82 represents generally any processor configured to execute program instructions stored in memory 80 to perform various specified functions . display 84 represents generally any display device capable of presenting a graphical user interface to a viewer . display 84 , for example , may be a touch screen responding to a viewer &# 39 ; s touch to select user interface controls such as controls 60 and 68 - 74 of fig4 and 5 . interface 86 represents generally any wired or wireless interface enabling client device 12 , 14 of 16 to communicate via link 28 . memory 80 is shown to include operating system 88 and applications 90 . operating system 88 represents a collection of programs that when executed by processor 82 serve as a platform on which applications 90 can run . examples of operating systems include , but are not limited , to webos , microsoft &# 39 ; s windows ®, linux ®, and android . applications 90 represent program instructions for various functions of client device 12 , 14 , or 16 . such instructions relate to functions such as web browsing , document viewing , and printing . production service 24 is shown to include a number of server devices 92 . each server device includes memory 94 , processor 96 , and interface 98 . processor 96 represents generally any processor configured to execute program instructions stored in memory 94 to perform various specified functions . interface 98 represents generally any wired or wireless interface enabling that server device 92 to communicate via link 28 . memory is shown to include operating system 100 and applications 102 . operating system 100 represents a collection of programs that when executed by processor 96 serve as a platform on which applications 102 can run . examples of operating systems include , but are not limited , server versions of microsoft &# 39 ; s windows ® and linux ®. applications 102 represent program instructions for various functions of a given server device 92 . such instructions relate to functions such as assisting client device 12 , 14 , or 16 in causing printers 18 - 22 to product content items . looking at fig2 , engines 32 - 38 are described a combinations of hardware and programming . the hardware portions may , depending on the embodiment , be implemented as processor 82 , processor 96 , or a combination of both . the programming portions , depending on the embodiment can be implemented by operating system 88 , applications 90 , operating system 100 , applications 102 , or combinations thereof . fig8 is an exemplary flow diagram of steps taken to implement an embodiment . in discussing fig8 , reference may be made to the diagrams of fig1 - 7 to provide contextual examples . implementation , however , is not limited to those examples . fig8 begins with capturing a user &# 39 ; s intent to produce a content item ( step 104 ). the intent is captured at a first time when none of a plurality of printers has a desired characteristic . referring to fig2 , step 104 may be implemented by capture engine 32 . step 104 can include storing or causing to be stored the content item itself , a reference such as an url for retrieving the content item , or a representation of the content item . such a representation may be a version of the content item rendered in a print ready format . fig4 depicts an example in which step 104 is triggered by a user selecting print icon 60 which results in capture engine 32 capturing a user &# 39 ; s intent to print content item 54 . in another example , step 104 may be triggered by a user accessing or otherwise interacting with the content item . referring to fig7 , where capture engine 32 is implemented on client device 12 , 14 , or 16 , step 104 can include communicating the content item , a reference for acquiring the content item or a representation of the content item to be stored as production data 40 . production data 40 may be stored locally on the client device 12 , 14 , or 16 when a network connection is not available and in a central repository when a connection is or becomes available . where capture engine is implemented on production service 24 , step 104 can include acquiring the content item or representation thereof from client device 12 , 14 , or 16 or using a reference acquired from client device 12 , 14 , or 16 . continuing with fig8 , it is determined , at a second later time , that one of the plurality of printers has the desired characteristic ( step 106 ). referring to fig2 , step 106 may be implemented by monitor engine 36 . printer characteristics can include locations and features . a desired characteristic can be a user specified feature or a feature that is compatible with the content item . examples include color and photo printing capabilities . other examples include duplexing and binding . step 106 can include determining that the one of the plurality of printers has the desired feature . desired feature may be discerned by examining the content item . for example , the content item may be a photograph , so a desired feature may be photo printing . the desired feature may be specified explicitly by a user or through a recognition of user habits . referring to fig3 , the features of a printer can be discerned from characteristic data 42 . when the characteristic in question includes location , step 106 can include determining that the user and the one of the plurality of printers share the location . this may be accomplished by detecting that the client device under the user &# 39 ; s control and the particular printer are on a common network , subnet , or domain . step 106 may include determining that the user and the printer a geographically proximate to one another using positioning data for the client device under the user &# 39 ; s control and a known location of the printer . where the client device is a smart phone , such position data can be acquired directly from the client device . the known location of the printer can be obtained , for example , from characteristic data 42 of fig3 . in a particular example , a user &# 39 ; s intent to print the content item may be captured when the user is in control of a first device such as client device 12 or 14 of fig2 . later a user may take control of a second device such as client device 16 of fig2 that shares a location with a particular printer — a kiosk at a print service provider , for example . step 106 can then include detecting that the particular printer has the desired characteristic upon detecting the user to be in control of that second device . control may be discerned when a user logs into the second device or access an application or web service using the second device . continuing with fig8 , the one of the plurality of printers is caused to produce the content item only following the determination in step 106 ( step 108 ). referring to fig2 , production engine 38 may be responsible for implementing step 108 . referring to fig7 , step 108 may include accessing or otherwise referencing production data 40 . step 108 may include rendering the content item to a print ready format and communicating the rendered content to the printer . step 108 may include communicating the content item itself or a reference for acquiring the content item to the printer or to an intermediary the renders the content item for the printer . step 104 can include capturing a user &# 39 ; s intent to print a plurality of content items during a time frame in which none of a plurality of printers has a desired characteristic . in such a case , step 106 includes determining that one of the plurality of printers has a desired characteristic with respect to one or more of the plurality of content items . step 108 then includes causing the printer to produce the one or more of the plurality of content items . the method depicted in fig8 can include , prior to step 108 , causing the user to be notified that the content item can be produced with the one of the plurality of printers determined to have the desired characteristic in step 106 . referring o fig2 , this additional step may be implemented by notification engine 34 . step 108 may then be performed automatically only upon receiving an indication to produce the content item following the notification . upon receiving an indication to print after a user selection . fig5 depicts an example of such a notification where a user is able to provide an indication to print upon selecting one or more of the controls 68 - 74 . where the intent to print has been captured for a plurality of content items , step 108 may include automatically causing the one of the plurality of printers to produce only those of the plurality of content items selected following the notification . the diagrams of fig1 - 7 show the architecture , functionality , and operation of various embodiments . various components illustrated in fig2 are defined at least in part as programs . each such component , portion thereof , or various combinations thereof may represent in whole or in part a module , segment , or portion of code that comprises one or more executable instructions to implement any specified logical function ( s ). each component or various combinations thereof may represent a circuit or a number of interconnected circuits to implement the specified logical function ( s ). also , the present invention can be embodied in any computer - readable media for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system such as a computer / processor based system or an asic ( application specific integrated circuit ) or other system that can fetch or obtain the logic from computer - readable media and execute the instructions contained therein . “ computer - readable media ” can be any tangible media that can contain , store , or maintain programs and data for use by or in connection with the instruction execution system . computer readable media can comprise any one of many physical media such as , for example , electronic , magnetic , optical , electromagnetic , or semiconductor media . more specific examples of suitable computer - readable media include , but are not limited to , a flash drive , a hard drive , random access memory ( ram ), read - only memory ( rom ), erasable programmable read - only memory , a compact disc , and digital video disc . although the flow diagram of fig8 shows specific orders of execution , the orders of execution may differ from that which is depicted . for example , the order of execution of two or more blocks may be scrambled relative to the order shown . also , two or more blocks shown in succession may be executed concurrently or with partial concurrence . all such variations are within the scope of the present invention . the present invention has been shown and described with reference to the foregoing exemplary embodiments . it is to be understood , however , that other forms , details and embodiments may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention that is defined in the following claims . | 6Physics
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referring now to fig2 and 3 , major components of a spectrofluorometer 10 are shown . optical radiation traveling along an excitation light path 12 passes into a linear variable spectral filter 14 . spectral filter 14 is a device which has bandpass wavelength characteristics which vary along its length . more particularly , at the bottom of filter 14 , one wavelength would be passed in the region defined by the dashed lines . in the next filter region above that filter region like having a different wavelength will be passed , perhaps a wavelength which is 5 nm longer . this sort of device is made by advancing a mask having the width of one of the regions illustrated in dashed lines in the figure , from one discrete position to another and applying a different multilayer structure at each position to give the corresponding stripe of bandpass material the desired optical bandpass characteristic . the manufacture of such a filter is known in the art and forms no part of the present invention . such filters may be purchased on the open market and are available from , for example , reynard corporation under their catalog no . 4610 . such a filter has a spectral range of 400 to 700 nm . it is relatively small and compact , being 60 mm long , 25 mm wide and 5 mm thick . a typical spectrum length would be 44 mm , with dispersion varying between 0 . 12 and 0 . 17 mm / nm . the linear variable spectral filters sold by this corporation tend to vary in their characteristics , with a spectrum length varying form 37 to 51 mm . matching of the filters used in the embodiment of fig2 is desirable . alternatively , a computer reading the output of the system may calibrate the software against a known source . a sample receiver 16 is located between the first spectral filter 14 and a second linear variable spectral filter 18 . sample receiver 16 is a vessel which defines a volume for receiving a sample which is to be analyzed . it may be a rectangular solid made of glass , plastic or any suitable material . it may also be as simple as a glass slide with a smear of the sample , or even a solid film of the sample material , such as tissue , paper from a paper mill whose operation is being monitored , and so forth . such a sample may be a solution derived from a material being tested , blood , the output of an hplc liquid chromatography column , or the like . if the output of an hplc column is being monitored , the receiver 16 may have a liquid input port and a drain , and the dimensions of the receiver would be such that capillary action insures the presence of sample material throughout the excited regions of receiver 16 . a close - coupled discharge ( ccd ) sensing element 20 measures the relative position and intensity of light rays traveling along a resultant light path 12 . see fig3 . sensing element 20 is preferably a ccd type of sensor although other types can be used depending upon the type of excitation light used and the sample to be tested . in fig3 and 5 , detector 20 is shown as a 36 element matrix detector . the small number of elements or pixels is merely for the convenience of illustration and the illustration of the principles of the invention . in a real device , the number of detectors easily ranges into the hundreds of thousands of elements , and , depending upon the performances desired and the nature of the software reading out the signal from the detector , the number of elements in detector 20 may range into the millions of pixels . in principle , even film can be used in place of detector 20 . an absorption spectrum and lamp profile ( without sample ) is shown as diagonal line 56 in fig5 . in connection with the preferred embodiment of the invention , a suitable sensing element is the ccd sold by instruments sa on the spectrum one . each of these elements are described in detail below . referring back to fig3 the borders defining the filter regions with different spectral characteristics in the first and second optical filters 14 and 18 are shown as dashed lines . first filter 14 is a linear variable spectral filter that changes its bandpass wavelength along the length or planar axis 15 of the filter . wavelengths outside the desired transmission ranges are blocked by the respective filter regions . in a preferred embodiment , the spectral range from 400 to 700 nm is oriented vertically , e . g ., with shortest wavelength filter region 24 at the bottom , then longer wavelength filter region 26 , still longer wavelength filter region 28 , a filter region 30 which passes a range of wavelengths longer than those of filter region 28 , a filter region 32 which passes a range of wavelengths longer than those of filter region 30 , and the longest wavelength bandpass filter region than 34 at the top . while the invention has been implemented with a spectral filter having the aforementioned wavelength characteristics , other visible and non - visible bandpass characteristics can be used depending on the nature and characteristics of the sample to be tested . the second optical filter 18 is substantially the same as the first optical filter 14 except that it is oriented in such a manner that its gradations are not in line with those of first filter 14 . the strips defining the bandpass filter regions on filter 18 are preferably at ninety degrees to those of filter 14 . the advantages of this relationship will now be described in connection with the operation of the inventive system . a light source 36 which may comprise a xenon lamp whose output is collimated by a lens or reflector , or any other suitable optical components produces an excitation white light ray bundle 38 , sometimes referred to as illumination light , that travels along excitation light path 12 with a wide range of wavelengths striking the surface of filter 14 . as white light ray bundle 38 passes through filter 14 , selected wavelengths are passed by each filter region , such that a wavelength “ gradient ” from short to long wavelengths is produced . this is referred to herein as a sample excitation light 42 . as sample excitation light 42 passes through second filter 18 , only those wavelengths of light that are not blocked pass completely through the filter 18 . since filter 18 is oriented at a right angle to filter 14 , most of sample excitation light 42 is blocked . by way of example , λ 1 passes through filter 14 and filter 18 , while λ 2 passes through filter 14 , but is blocked by filter 18 . in this manner a diagonal spectral line 56 is transmitted onto sensing element 20 . the theoretical center of this line it illustrated in fig5 by phantom line 56 . this intrinsic relationship between the two linear variable spectral filters provides for simplicity of design , ruggedness and compact size of the inventive spectrofluorometer 10 . referring now to fig4 a sample receiver 16 is located between filter 14 and filter 18 . sample receiver 16 may be any of a number of conventional sample holding types or techniques . as sample excitation light passes through sample 44 some of the light energy is converted into fluorescence emissions . the physics of this conversion are well understood and generally involve the photon of excitation radiation raising the energy level of electrons in the excited atom to a higher energy level or shell . when the electron snaps back into its unexcited state , it emits a photon with an energy level lower that the exciting photon , thus resulting in the fluorescence having a wavelength longer than the excitation wavelength . some of the sample excitation light is “ absorbed ” by sample 44 and does not contribute to the emission . the net result is to increase the kinetic energy of the atoms of the sample , and thus raise the temperature of the sample . a resultant light ray bundle 50 , exiting sample receiver 16 , comprises light rays which have exited filter 14 and fluoresence emissions from molecules that have been excited by light rays which have exited filter 14 . resultant light ray bundle 50 then passes into filter 18 where a selected wavelengths of both spectral light and fluorescent light are selectively blocked along the spectral gradient . the portions of light ray bundle 50 passing through to sensing element 20 constitutes the absorption spectrum 52 of the material being analyzed and appears along imaginary line 56 in fig5 . this can be used to identify sample 44 . as may be understood with reference to fig4 filters 14 and 18 are substantially identical , but are positioned with their bandpass filter strip filter regions 24 - 34 and 35 - 44 oriented at right angles to each other . in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the invention , filter region 24 has the same bandpass characteristic as filter region 34 . in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the invention , filter region 26 has the same bandpass characteristic as filter region 42 . filter region 28 has the same bandpass characteristic as filter region 40 . filter region 30 has the same bandpass characteristic as filter region 37 . filter region 32 has the same bandpass characteristic as filter region 36 . filter region 34 has the same bandpass characteristic as filter region 35 . thus , the ccd elements 70 , lying along line 56 in fig5 are the only elements that will be illuminated by the white light ray bundle 38 coming from the excitation source . moreover , because the fluorescence spectrum constitutes only wavelengths longer than the excitation wavelength , they will be blocked from reaching elements 70 by filter 18 . thus , only the absorption spectrum can be seen along imaginary line 56 to provide a first identification of the sample . likewise , because the fluorescence spectrum constitutes only wavelengths longer than the excitation wavelength , these longer wavelengths will be passed by filter 18 to those elements 58 of the ccd which lie below line 56 in fig5 . thus , the elements 58 of the ccd which lie below line 56 in fig5 produce the fluorescence emission spectra of the sample under analysis . the resultant fluorescence emission is used to identify sample 44 . referring back to fig4 the operation of the inventive system may be better understood . in particular , the output of the xenon lamp 36 constituting a broadband emission which is collimated into white light ray bundle 38 is caused to fall on filter 14 , which outputs a plurality of stripes of light energy at different wavelengths . because filters 14 and 18 are very thin , as is sample container 16 , the output of filter 14 is effectively “ imaged ” on the sample in sample receiver 16 . the output of sample container 16 is likewise effectively “ imaged ” on filter 18 . finally , in turn , the output of filter 18 is effectively “ imaged ” on the surface of ccd elements 58 . the system works because all of the above thin elements are in contact with each other and ccd 20 to form the sandwich illustrated in fig2 . as noted above , light ray 72 , which is one of the light rays in white light bundle 38 , because it is in the bandpass range of filter region 34 on filter 14 , and , naturally , in the bandpass of optically identical filter region 35 , will pass through both filters and fall on ccd 20 , if it is not absorbed by the sample . the same is true for light ray 74 , which is in the bandpass of filter regions 24 and 44 . light rays 76 and 78 will , on the other hand , be blocked by filter 18 , after being limited to the different bandpass of facing filter regions of filter 14 . moreover , any fluorescence emissions 77 and 79 , corresponding respectively to light rays 76 and 78 will also be blocked by filter 18 , as they must be longer in wavelength than the bandpass of the filter region of filter 14 that they pass through , and they fall on filter regions of filter 18 that are formed by filter regions that have shorter wavelength bandpass characteristics . in contrast , light ray 80 has a wavelength corresponding to filter region 28 , and thus more energy than light passed by filter region 36 . thus , it is physically possible that the sample will fluoresce with a lower energy and correspondingly longer wavelength light ray 81 that will pass through filter region 36 of filter 18 . likewise , highest energy light ray 82 which passes through filter region 26 and the sample may emit a low energy photon 83 , which passes through filter region 35 and falls on the ccd detector . conversely , it is physically impossible that a sample will fluoresce with a higher energy and correspondingly shorter wavelength . thus , a photon of light energy 84 passing through filter region 34 of filter 18 has the lowest energy in the system and the sample cannot emit a higher energy photon , and thus any light 85 , whether transmitted or emitted by the sample will be blocked by filter region 38 which has a shorter bandpass wavelength than filter region 34 . thus , any such light will not reach the ccd detector . referring to fig6 it can be seen that line 56 , in the case where filter 14 is identical to filter 18 , is a simple diagonal line . however , due to the nature of the manufacturing process use to produce filters 14 and 18 , the layout of the various bandpass filter regions varies rather considerably . accordingly , it is necessary to accommodate such variations if one cannot go to the trouble of trying to match identical filters very carefully . such variations may cause line 56 to shift to the position illustrated by reference number 56 a in fig6 . such variation occurs because the distance of oval which the series of spectral filters is dispersed is greater in filter 18 as compared to filter 14 . in the case of such variations , it is merely necessary to calibrate the software to the pattern on ccd 20 . this can be done by determining the presence of the absorption spectrum and then mathematically adjusting the position of the fluorescence spectrum accordingly . this is done on the basis that the opposite ends of the absorption spectrum represent the horizontal and vertical limits of the fluorescence spectrum . such determination can most easily be made without having a sample in the inventive fluorescence instrument 10 . as is alluded to above , filters 14 and 18 are made by depositing stripes of material which form bandpass filters on a substrate . as is also alluded to above , maximizing the thinness of instrument 10 will also maximize performance . more precisely , improved performance can be obtained by minimizing the distance between the active filter layer of filters 14 and 18 as well as minimizing the distance between the active layer of filter 18 and the sensitive face of detector 20 . thus , exceedingly thin substrates may be used to optimize the performance of the instrument . yet another approach is illustrated in fig7 . in fig7 the convention of labeling parts with identical or analogous functions with numbers which vary by multiples of 100 has been followed . in fig7 the inventive spectrofluorometer 110 is excited by excitation light 138 along path 112 . excitation light 138 first falls on filter 114 , causing it to pass through the active layer 115 of filter 114 on the far side of filter 114 . light 138 then passes through the sample in receiver or carrier 116 . light 138 then passes through the active layer 117 of filter 116 . active layers 115 and 117 are formed on the substrates of their respective filters . such substrates may be glass , plastic or any other suitable material . after passing through active layer 117 , light 138 passes through the substrate of filter 116 and on to the sensitive face of detector 120 , from which it is sent to a computer or other suitable device for interpreting and displaying the output of the detector . yet another approach is shown in fig8 . here spectrofluorometer 220 is excited by excitation light 238 along path 212 . excitation light 238 first falls on filter 214 , causing it to pass through the active layer 215 of filter 214 on the far side of filter 214 . light 238 then passes through the sample in receiver or carrier 216 . light 238 then passes through the active filter layer 217 , which is disposed and manufactured onto the output face of carrier or receiver 216 . alternatively , active filter layer 217 may be disposed on and manufactured onto the input face of detector 220 . after passing through active layer 217 , light 238 passes onto the sensitive face of detector 220 , from which it is sent to a computer or other suitable device for interpreting and displaying the output of the detector . as will the apparent from fig8 the distance between filtered light exiting the first active bandpass layer in the inventive system 220 , and the sensitive face of detector 220 is minimized in fig8 . accordingly , light which is not traveling perpendicular to the faces of the filters , then , accordingly , is dispersed in itself , travels over a minimized path length and , accordingly , the dispersion is minimized , thus eliminating the need for the focusing optics , which are so important in prior art systems . referring to fig9 a spectrofluorometer 310 having the feature of being able to block the excitation wavelength of the system is illustrated . this is desirable because the amplitude of the excitation wavelength will often spread and overload the detector receiving light from adjacent filter regions . the instrument illustrated in fig9 operates in the same manner as the instrument illustrated in fig4 except for this additional feature . in particular , it has a filter 314 , a sample carrier 316 , a filter 318 , and a detector 320 . the characteristics of all of these systems is the same as the instrument illustrated in fig4 . however , it also has a spectral band reject filter 354 , which is aligned , filter region by filter region , to substantially identically opposite filter 314 . more particularly , in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the invention , filter region 323 has a band reject characteristic with the same wavelength range as the wavelength range of the bandpass characteristic of filter region 324 . in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the invention , filter region 325 has a band reject characteristic with the same wavelength range as the wavelength range of the bandpass characteristic of filter region 326 . filter region 327 has a band reject characteristic with the same wavelength range as the wavelength range of the bandpass characteristic of filter region 328 . filter region 329 has a band reject characteristic with the same wavelength range as the wavelength range of the bandpass characteristic of filter region 330 . filter region 331 has a band reject characteristic with the same wavelength range as the wavelength range of the bandpass characteristic of filter region 332 . filter region 333 has a band reject characteristic with the same wavelength range as the wavelength range of the bandpass characteristic of filter region 334 . the blocking of excitation wavelengths is thus assured and the detection of low amplitude fluorescence signals is enhanced . another embodiment , shown in fig1 , is substantially identical to the instrument of fig9 except that active filter layer 415 of spectrofluorometer 410 is deposited on the substrate of filter 414 on the side of filter 414 closer to the sample to be analyzed , and active filter layers 417 and 455 are deposited on the sensitive face of ccd 420 ( on the side of filter 414 closer to the sample to be analyzed ). this is done in order to minimize the lengths of paths of dispersion , and thus minimize dispersion and optimize the operation of the instrument . active filter layer 455 is identical to filter 354 in fig9 . active filter layer 415 is made by advancing a mask along the substrate of filter 414 having the width of one of the regions illustrated in the figure , from one region to the next and applying the appropriate multilayer structure at each position to give the desired stripe of bandpass material the desired optical bandpass characteristic . active filter layer 417 is made by performing the same process , first applying to the sensitive face of ccd 420 the same series of different multilayer structures at their respective positions to give the corresponding stripes of filter layer 417 the desired optical bandpass characteristic . ccd 420 is then rotated in the plane of its sensitive face by 90 degrees . active filter layer 455 is made by advancing , along the rotated substrate of ccd 420 , a mask having the width of one of the regions illustrated in fig1 , from one region to the next and applying the appropriate multilayer structure at each position to give the desired stripe of band reject material the desired optical band reject characteristic . when the process is completed , the result is a filter layer 455 is the band reject analog of bandpass filter layer 415 . in accordance with the present invention , it is may be desirable , in order to accommodate the insertion of different sample receivers or carriers 416 , to vary the distance between filter layers 415 and 417 . this may be achieved by mounting filter 414 on a horizontally moveable table 491 or other mechanism . this enables movement in the directions indicated by arrow 492 . the positions of layers 417 and 455 may be reversed by reversing their order of deposit . likewise , the active filter layers may be deposited on the sample receiver or carrier to provide sample carriers that have filter patterns which may embody the operation of any of the systems described above . such sample carriers may be specialized to optimize the analysis of certain classes of analysis tasks , such as blood work , where it may be desirable to perform special filtering , to block , transmit or study certain portions of the spectrum . one or more filter layers may be placed on either or both sides of the sample carrier . while an illustrative embodiment of the invention has been described , it is , of course , understood that various modifications of the invention may be made by those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention which is limited and defined only by the appended claims . | 6Physics
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fig1 shows an exemplary ofdma pon architecture . the system of fig1 supports communication between olt 10 and onus 1 - n through splitter 20 . in the system of fig1 , upstream / downstream data traffic is transmitted over one wavelength channel , which is further divided into ofdm subcarriers . each ofdma subcarrier can be allocated to different onus 1 - n in different time slots . to avoid collision in accessing upstream ofdma subcarriers , proper control schemes are used to coordinate data transmissions of onus 1 - n . in scheme 1 , the current mac protocols of tdm pons are adapted to an ofdma pon . basically , tdm pons including epon and gpon employ the following upstream bandwidth control scheme : onus report their queue length information to olt using the time slot specified by olt ; olt allocates time slots in a frame / cycle to onus and notifies onus with its decisions ; onus transmit their data traffic over time slots allocated by olt . with this scheme , all subcarriers are shared among all onus . thus , statistical multiplexing gain among traffic of onus can be exploited . however , onus need to synchronize with olt . in scheme 2 , the system divides all ofdma subcarriers into multiple non - overlapping sets , each of which is fixedly allocated to an onu . since no sharing of ofdma subcarriers exists among different onus , onus can send their traffic over the dedicated subcarriers any time they want without getting collision . the communication between olt and an onu can be actually regarded as a point - to - point system . the elimination of synchronization need , mac control protocols , and sophisticated inter - onu bandwidth arbitration algorithms simplifies the onu structure , and thus reducing the onu cost . however , low bandwidth utilization and therefore low network performance will be resulted due to the failure of exploiting statistical multiplexing gain . the low bandwidth utilization problem is not negligible particularly in pons where the onu traffic exhibits bursty and strong self - similarity which is characteristics of many user applications such as variable bit rate video . to eliminate the synchronization need and also exploit the traffic statistical gain , a third mac control protocol can be used . similar to scheme 1 , onus report its traffic information to olt , and olt allocates subcarriers to onus based on the real - time onu reports . similar to scheme 2 , each onu is dedicated with upstream / downstream ofdma subcarriers . however , these dedicated ofdma subcarriers are used for control message transmission only . olt sends out the grant message to an onu right before the allocated time begins , i . e ., the grant is sent out at time t − rtti , where t is the beginning time of the allocation to onu i , and rtti refers to the round trip time between olt and onu i . the grant message contains the allocated subcarriers and the time duration on each allocated subcarriers . upon receiving grants sent from olt , an onu immediately starts its data transmission on the allocated subcarriers for the time duration specified in the grant message . taking advantages of the abundance of ofdma subcarriers , the third mac protocol for ofdma pon enables the asynchronous property of onus but also exploits the statistical multiplexing gain of onu traffic . the protocol is uniquely applicable in ofdma pons with abundance sub - channels . the advantageous properties of the protocol further leverage the advantages of ofdma pon as compared to tdm pon and wdm pons . fig2 illustrates an exemplary pon architecture with control channels 50 . fig2 shows that a number of subcarriers are dedicated for control message transmission and the other subcarriers are shared by all onus 1 - n . fig3 shows that onus can keep updating their queue status to olt using its control channel , and olt sends out the grant to onus just before the allocation time begins . in this embodiment , rtti (∀ i ) is known to olt during the onu registration process . the protocol separates control channel from data channel . by dedicating each onu with one control channel , the control message can be transmitted any time without constraints . the protocol also sends out the grant message to an onu just before the allocated time is about to start . then , an onu can send out its data traffic immediately after receiving the grant message without synchronizing with the olt clock . in one embodiment , each onu is dedicated with one or more upstream / downstream ofdma subcarrier for its control message transmission . by using dedicated subcarriers for control message transmission , each onu keeps updating its queue information to olt such that olt can own the latest queue information of onus . all the other ofdma subcarriers except those dedicated for control message transmission are shared among all onus . olt sends out grant messages to an onu just before the allocated time duration to the onu is about to begin , and an onu begins its data traffic transmission immediately after receiving the grant message . the system of fig2 exhibits three main advantages . first , with dedicated upstream control subcarriers for each onu , an onu can update its latest queue status to olt and make sure olt get the most recent queue information . second , with the dedicated downstream control subcarriers , olt can send the grant just before the allocated time begins such that onus can begin transmission immediately after receiving grants without synchronizing with the olt clock . third , all the other ofdm subcarriers besides control subcarriers are shared by onus , thus facilitating the exploration of the statistical multiplexing gain . to eliminate the synchronization need and also exploit the traffic statistical gain , one embodiment of a mac control protocol contains the following : in order to exploit the statistical multiplexing gain , the report / grant control mechanism is employed . that is to say , onus report their traffic information to olt , and olt allocates subcarriers to onus based on the real - time onu reports . each onu is dedicated with some upstream / downstream ofdma subcarriers . however , these dedicated ofdma subcarriers are used for control message transmission only . olt sends out the grant message to an onu just before the allocated time begins , i . e ., the grant is sent out at time t i rtt i , where t is the beginning time of the allocation to onu i , and rtt i refers to the round trip time between olt and onu i . the grant message contains the allocated subcarriers and the time duration on each allocated subcarriers . upon receiving grants sent from olt , an onu immediately starts its data transmission on the allocated subcarriers for the time duration specified in the grant message . the system eliminates the synchronization needs of onus while exploiting the traffic statistical multiplexing gain by taking advantage of the abundance of ofdma subcarriers . in ofdma pon , ofdma is used as the network modulation and access scheme . the system divides the upstream / downstream bandwidth in baseband into multiple subcarriers with orthogonal frequencies . these subcarriers are dynamically allocated to different onus based on their real - time incoming traffic information . to eliminate the synchronization needs of onus , the following is done : 1 ) each onu is dedicated with one or more upstream / downstream subcarriers for the transmission of control messages only . by using the dedicated control channel , onus can report to olt any time the traffic arrives , and olt can send grant messages to onus at any time . 2 ) olt sends out grant messages to an onu just before the transmission of the onu begins , and an onu begins data transmission immediately after receiving grant control message instead of transmitting at the time stamp specified in the grant message . with this scheme , onus do not need to maintain synchronization with the olt clock . fig3 shows that onus can keep updating their queue status to olt using its dedicated upstream control channel , and olt sends out the grant to an onu just before the allocation time begins . an onu begins its data transmission immediately after receiving the grant message sent from olt . rtti ( 8i ) is known to olt during the onu registration process . then , olt can derive the time that the grant should be sent . next , the packet delay and throughput performances produced by the mac control scheme are simulated . in this simulation , the pon supports 32 onus , and onus are 20 km away from olt . rtti , ∀ i is set as 0 . 2 ms . the upstream / downstream data rate is set as 10 gb / s , and 2048 ofdma subcarriers are tested , among which each onu is dedicated with one subcarrier for control message transmission . then , each onu is allocated with 4 . 88 mb / s upstream / downstream bandwidth for control traffic , and an onu can update its queue information every 10 . 5 μs if the length of the report message equals to 64 bytes . for the onu traffic , a finite time horizon with the time duration of 8 seconds is chosen . the traffic of an onu arrives in bursts , and the burst size obeys pareto distribution with the pareto index α = 1 . 4 and the mean equals to 31 . 25 k bytes , which takes about 25 μs to transmit if all ofdma subcarriers except those dedicating for control messages are allocated to it . the burst inter - arrival time also obeys the pareto distribution with α = 1 . 4 . the mean is varied to produce different network traffic loads . fig4 a compares the delay performance produced by the three mac control schemes . traffic load is defined as the ratio between the total arrival traffic over the network capacity . in scheme 2 , each onu is fixedly assigned with 2048 / 32 = 64 subcarriers for their data transmission . in the other two schemes , all subcarriers except those dedicating for control messages are allocated to the same onu at a time . thus , scheme 2 produces longer packet transmission delay as compared to the other two schemes . when the network is lightly loaded , the transmission delay dominates the overall delay , and hence scheme 2 yields the largest delay among the three schemes under this traffic condition . besides , in our proposed scheme , traffic arrival can be immediately reported to olt while the incoming traffic has to wait for some time before being reported in scheme 2 . thus , when the network is lightly loaded that queuing delay is negligible , our proposed scheme yields smaller delay than scheme 2 . fig4 a shows that the proposed scheme produces the smallest delay when the network load is as large as 0 . 97 . when the network is heavily loaded ( load & gt ; 0 . 97 as shown in fig4 a ), the proposed scheme results in the largest delay because of the large queuing delay resulted by reduced number of subcarriers for data transmission . fig4 b compares the throughput performance of the three schemes . when load & lt ; 0 . 93 , throughput of the three schemes are similar , which equals to the arrival traffic rate ; when load & gt ; 0 . 93 , throughput of scheme 2 is the smallest because of the failure of exploiting the statistical multiplexing gain , and throughput of our proposed scheme is slightly smaller than that of scheme 1 because 32 ofdma subcarriers are dedicated for control message transmission . in sum , an efficient mac control protocol for ofdma pon is disclosed that exploits the abundance of ofdma subcarriers . with the preferred embodiment , packet delay is reduced since the onu traffic can be immediately reported to onu upon arrival ; traffic statistical multiplexing gain is exploited since ofdma subcarriers are dynamically assigned to onus according to their real - time traffic . more importantly , the synchronization need is eliminated at onu side , thus simplifying the onu constitution and reducing the onu cost . | 7Electricity
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referring to fig1 a representation of a patient &# 39 ; s intra - abdominal cavity 10 is illustrated . this is the area within a patient &# 39 ; s abdomen , behind the abdominal wall 12 , where internal organs are located . two conventional , laparoscopic operating ports 14 and 16 are shown in fig1 having been inserted through the abdominal wall 12 of the patient , such that the ports extend into the intra - abdominal cavity 10 . before proceeding with a detailed description of the present invention , a brief description of the laparoscopic operating ports 14 and 16 is first provided . laparoscopic operating ports 14 and 16 both include a cylindrically - shaped , hollow tube 18 extending forwardly from an enlarged , generally rectangular body portion 20 . at the forward end of the body portion 20 , adjacent the hollow tube 18 , are two shoulders 22 , projecting laterally from opposite sides of the body portion 20 . each shoulder is generally in the shape of a right triangle to present an abutment for the user &# 39 ; s fingers when grasping the port . the hollow tube 18 mates with the body portion 20 so that the longitudinal axes of each part are coincident . the laparoscopic operating ports 14 and 16 are inserted into the intra - abdominal cavity 10 up to near the body portion 20 . the remaining portions of the laparoscopic operating ports 14 and 16 are disposed outside the body of the patient . laparoscopic operating port 16 includes a valve 24 , for the introduction of pressurization gas into the intra - abdominal cavity 10 . valve 24 on laparoscopic operating port 16 is shown attached to a delivery tube 26 . the other end of the tube 26 , in turn , connects to a source of pressurization gas 28 . when valve 24 on laparoscopic operating port 16 is open , pressurization gas flows from source 28 , through tube 26 , through valve 24 , and through the laparoscopic operating port 16 into the intra - abdominal cavity 10 of the patient . the intra - abdominal cavity 10 is normally pressurized in this way with carbon dioxide during a laparoscopic surgery to approximately 15 mm hg . this properly inflates the intra - abdominal cavity 10 , permitting medical procedures to be more easily accomplished within the intra - abdominal cavity . the body portions 20 of the laparoscopic operating ports 14 and 16 have an internal passageway 30 extending through it coincident with the longitudinal axis of the body portion . the hollow tube 18 mates with the body portion 20 of the laparoscopic operating port 14 , 16 , such that internal passageway 30 extends from hollow tube 18 through body portion 20 of the laparoscopic operating port . the laparoscopic operating ports 14 , 16 include an internal gate valve , not shown , for closing off the internal passageway 30 within the body portions 20 . pivot handles 34 are provided for manually operating the valves . when the valve is closed , its handle 34 is positioned generally perpendicularly to the longitudinal axis of hollow tube 18 and body portion 20 . ideally , the valve is spring biased in closed position . when the handle 34 is rotated clockwise approximately 30 °, the valve is opened . a lip seal 32 is located just inside the rearward entrance to the internal passageway 30 , in the body portion 20 of laparoscopic operating ports 14 , 16 . seal 32 is generally annularly shaped and surrounds the internal passageway 30 . seal 32 is designed to extend around instruments that are inserted into laparoscopic operating ports 14 , 16 through the gate valve as long as the exterior size of the instrument closely corresponds with the interior size of the port , to prevent fluid leakage through passageway 30 of the laparoscopic operating ports 14 , 16 , and into the environment . a medical instrument 36 is shown inserted through laparoscopic operating port 16 and into the intra - abdominal cavity 10 of the patient . the seal 32 , within the internal passageway of the port , presses against the circumference of the instrument 36 as it is inserted into the port and substantially prevents pressurization gas from escaping through the port while instrument 36 is being used . a drain tube 38 is shown inserted through the laparoscopic operating port 14 . the seal 32 within the laparoscopic operating port 14 presses against the tube 38 to prevent the leakage of fluid between the port and the tube . a plug 40 in accordance with the present invention is shown inserted into the end of the drain tube 38 that extends through laparoscopic operating portion 14 into the intra - abdominal cavity 10 of the patient . illustrated in fig2 is an enlarged view of the plug 40 , shown engaged with the drain tube 38 . the plug 40 is preferably made of plastic , or other appropriate material , that is lightweight , substantially impervious to the passage of fluids , and has good moisture resistant properties to body fluids . in a preferred embodiment , the plug is of integral , one - piece construction . in alternate embodiments , the different sections of the plug may be separately formed and then combined . the plug 40 includes an elongated insertion section 42 which is sized to be inserted into the end of the drain tube 38 . drain tubes , such as tube 38 , used in laparoscopic surgery typically have internal diameters ranging from about 5 to 10 mm . the insertion section 42 is substantially cylindrical in shape having a rounded , generally hemispherical distal end 44 . the hemispherical shape of the distal end 44 facilitates insertion of the plug 40 into the drain tube 38 . preferably , the diameter of the insertion section 42 is sized such that the insertion section 42 can be snugly slid into the end of the drain tube 38 . the plug 40 includes a retaining section 46 that extends longitudinally from the opposite end of the insertion section 42 . the retaining section 46 is substantially cylindrical and is generally coaxially aligned with the insertion section 42 . the retaining section is substantially shorter in length relative to the insertion section 42 . the diameter of the retaining section 46 is somewhat less , at least 0 . 02 inch , than the diameter of the insertion section 42 . the insertion section 42 of the plug 40 is inserted into the drain tube 38 until the drain tube 38 extends beyond the proximal end of the insertion section , and surrounds the retaining section 46 . because the insertion section 42 snugly fits within the drain tube 38 , the drain tube 38 is somewhat radially stretched as the insertion section is inserted therein . thus , when the end of the drain tube 38 is slid past the proximal end of the insertion section 42 , the drain tube tends to radially contract around the smaller diameter retaining section 46 . this helps to retain the drain tube 38 over the insertion section 42 of the plug 40 . the plug also includes a gasping section 48 that extends longitudinally from the end of the retaining section 46 , in the direction opposite the insertion section 42 . the gasping section 48 preferably includes a generally cylindrical portion 50 that extends substantially coaxially from the retaining section 46 . ideally , but not mandatorily , the cylindrical portion is larger in diameter than the diameter of the insertion section 42 . thus , the plug 40 is inserted into the drain tube 38 until the end of the drain tube abuts the cylindrical portion 50 . the larger diameter of the cylindrical portion 50 therefore serves as a stop to limit the distance the plug 40 is inserted into the drain tube 38 . however , preferably the diameter of the cylindrical portion 50 does not exceed the outside diameter of the drain tube 38 as will be discussed more fully below . the gasping section of the plug 40 also includes a generally conical portion 52 extending substantially coaxially from the end of the cylindrical portion 50 , opposite the retaining section 46 . the conical portion 52 gradually decreases in diameter to a distal tip 56 . a thin tab 58 extends from the tip 56 . preferably , the tab 58 is generally in the shape of a circle . however , in alternate embodiments of the present invention , the tab 58 may have other geometries , such as an oval , or a triangle by way of illustrative , nonlimiting examples . in the preferred embodiment , the tab 58 extends from the conical portion 52 such that the central axis of the tab 58 is generally aligned with the central axis of the conical portion 52 . preferably , the tab 58 includes a generally planar central region 60 which is surrounded by a marginal rim 62 that projects on either side of the planar region 60 to form a raised , annular lip . the tab may be quite thin , but still be of sufficient structural integrity to be gasped by the instrument 36 and the attached tube 38 pulled through port 14 and out port 16 , as described below . in this regard , if the plug 40 is composed of polypropylene , polyurethane or similar polymer plastic , the tab may be of a thickness of from about 0 . 01 to 0 . 04 inches . the lip may extend above and below the tab from about 0 . 01 to 0 . 04 inches . in alternate embodiments , the planar area 60 of the tab can be eliminated , leaving a loop , or opening bounded by the rim 62 . in the alternate embodiments , the rim 62 may be flexible . thus the ring may be formed of string , nylon filament , plastic or other similar materials . in general , the purpose of the loop or tab 58 is to form a projecting member that presents a thin cross section for grasping by the medical instrument 36 . the plug 40 is used as follows : prior to inserting the tube 38 through a laparoscopic operating port 14 , the plug 40 is inserted into the drain tube 38 . thereafter , the plug 40 is inserted through the laparoscopic operating port 14 into the intra - abdominal cavity 10 of the patient , with the drain tube 38 trailing the plug 40 . the plug 40 serves to substantially seal the end of the drain tube 38 so that pressurization gas within the intra - abdominal cavity 10 cannot escape through the drain tube while it is being inserted through the laparoscopic operating port 14 . after the plug 40 has been inserted into the intra - abdominal cavity 10 , a medical instrument 36 is extended through a second laparoscopic operating port 16 . the end of the instrument 36 is used to grasp the tab 58 at the end of the plug 40 . subsequently , the instrument 36 is withdrawn through the second laparoscopic operating port 16 , thereby threading the plug 40 and drain tube 38 through the second laparoscopic operating port . thus , it is desirable that the largest outside diameter of the plug 40 not exceed the outside diameter of the drain tube 38 to facilitate threading the plug and drain tube through the ports 14 and 16 . the drain tube 38 and plug 40 are withdrawn through the second laparoscopic operating port 16 , until the trailing end of the drain tube 38 is properly positioned within the intra - abdominal cavity 10 . when the trailing end of the drain tube 38 has been properly positioned and the surgical procedure completed , the laparoscopic operating ports 14 and 16 are removed . in particular , the second laparoscopic operating port 16 is withdrawn over the drain tube 38 , and the skin tissue of the patient is sutured around the drain tube 38 . the use of the plug 40 in accordance with the present invention provides several advantages . first , the plug 40 serves to substantially seal the end of the drain tube 38 when it is being inserted through the laparoscopic operating port 14 . this prevents pressurization gas in the intra - abdominal cavity 10 of the patient from escaping through the drain tube 38 . second , the tab 58 at the end of the plug 40 facilitates grasping by the medical instrument 36 . moreover , tab 58 is thin enough that when the medical instrument 36 is grasping the plug 40 , the jaws of the instrument do not remain open to the extent that the medical instrument cannot be withdrawn through the laparoscopic operating port 16 . if the plug is not used so that the instrument must clamp on to the end of the tube 38 itself , the jaws of the medical instrument 36 remain open to the extent that the medical instrument cannot be withdrawn through the laparoscopic operating port 16 . third , the rim 62 around the outer periphery of the tab 58 serves to facilitate a firm grasp by the medical instrument 36 , i . e ., help prevent the jaws of the instrument from disengaging from the tab . as noted above , in alternate embodiments , the central planar area 60 of the tab 58 may be removed , leaving a loop . thus , in the alternate embodiments , a medical instrument having a hook - type end could be used to hook the loop . fourth , the conical portion 52 of the plug 40 serves to center the plug as it is being drawn into the second laparoscopic operating port 16 by the medical instrument 36 . in alternate embodiments , the cylindrical portion 50 of the plug 40 can be eliminated . the plug 40 also provides advantages in surgical procedures that are accomplished without the use of laparoscopic operating ports . as discussed above in the background of the invention section of this specification , a drain tube is typically extended out of a second , smaller incision , separate from the major incision through which the surgical procedure is performed . when it is desired to extend a drain tube 38 out of the second , smaller incision , the drain tube , having the plug 40 engaged therewith , may be inserted into the patient through the major incision . a medical instrument 36 inserted through the second , smaller incision , can be used to grasp tab 58 of the plug 40 . the drain tube 38 is threaded through the second , smaller incision by withdrawing the medical instrument from the smaller incision . use of the plug 40 in the foregoing manner is advantageous because the medical instrument 36 can be used to more readily and securely grasp the tab 58 of the plug , as opposed to the drain tube 38 itself . further , the tab 58 is significantly thinner than the drain tube 38 . thus , the jaws of the medical instrument 36 are substantially contracted even when grasping the tab 58 . the medical instrument 36 can therefore be used to thread the drain tube 38 through a smaller incision to help reduce patient trauma and recovery time . the same advantages are provided in alternative embodiments where the planar area 60 of the tab is removed to form a loop for grasping by the medical instrument 36 . finally , the conical portion 52 of the plug 40 serves to center the plug as it is being withdrawn through the second , smaller incision . while a preferred embodiment of the invention has been illustrated and described , it will be appreciated that various changes can be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention . | 0Human Necessities
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fig1 and 2 are diagrams showing one embodiment of an ion source 15 . electrons e emitted by a heated filament 1 are accelerated by an electric field e1 produced by a split cylindrical electrode 10 . they penetrate into a magnetic induction field b produced by ring - shaped magnets 2 and 3 . in the air gap 4 they describe circular trajectories such as 5 having the outside circumference 6 of the magnets as their envelope . the ions formed in the vicinity of this circumference are directed by the induction b ( dashed line trajectories 7 ) towards an accelerating electric field e2 produced between two split cylindrical electrodes 11 and 12 which then injects the ions into the analyzer system ( not shown ). fig3 and 4 show a simplified embodiment of the analyzer system . the above - described ion source 15 is in the center of the system . the ions are injected radially into the gap between two ring - shaped magnets 13 and 14 at a kinetic energy corresponding to the accelerating potential v . they describe circular trajectories of radius r =( 1 / b )√( 2mv / e ). for a given value v , all the trajectories corresponding to the same mass have an envelope in the form of a large circle of radius : ## equ1 ## the ions are selected by a circular slot 16 of radius ro provided in a screen 17 disposed between the magnets 13 and 14 . the slot 16 is disposed between two reflector electrodes 18 and 19 which produce a field e3 . for r ≃ ro , the ions pass through the slot and continue their circular trajectory towards the axis of the system and are captured by a mutiplier 20 . ( each mass corresponds to a value of v such that r = ro . by varying v , it is possible to successively select all masses ). fig5 and 6 show an inverse embodiment : the source of ions is of the same type as in the preceding example but it is located around the analyzer system in this case . the same references designate the same items , but in this case the filament 1 is outside the magnets 2 and 3 and these are disposed around the magnets 13 and 14 . the ions describe circular arcs in the magnet gap 21 of radius : ## equ2 ## at the output from the gap 21 they receive a small axial speed component by virtue of a field e4 produced by an annular electrode 22 . this action is selective and is more marked for ions which pass this electrode at a small angle . the ions are then distributed by a radial electric field e5 produced between cylindrical electrodes 23 and 24 , with the electrode 24 including a slot 15 . ions which have a quasi - circular trajectory between the cylinders ( mv 2 / r = ee ( r )) may leave the analysis space without encountering the inside cylinder 23 and are collected by the multiplier 20 . in fig6 the potentials of the various electrodes are illustrated by a potential divider 51 . fig7 and 8 show an inverse embodiment like the preceding embodiment , but in which the radial electric field e5 of the previous example is replaced by a second magnetic induction b2 produced by magnets 26 and 27 situated at the center of the ring magnets 13 and 14 . the magnetic field b2 is in the opposite direction to the field b1 produced by the magnets 13 and 14 . the trajectories have the shape shown in fig7 . an annular electrode 28 raised to a potential which is slightly less than that in the space filled with the field b2 collects only those ions whose trajectory is at least partially parallel with the electrode 28 . it will be observed that in this case ( two oppositely directed magnetic fields ) a magnetic circuit can be provided which is closed by external yokes . in all the systems described , the resolution can be further improved by causing the magnetic induction to increase or decrease with distance from the axis ( by using conical gaps ). to clarify ideas on the dimensions of the device , it may be noted that the overall diameter is approximately equal to three or four times the radius r of the ion trajectories . for b = 2 . 10 - 2 wb / m 2 , ( a value which is easily obtained ), and for v varying from 1600 to 16 v , and for the mass number from 100 to 1 , ( mv / e = c ), it turns out that r = 1 . 10 - 2 m . the outside diameter of the apparatus is thus about ten centimeters . such apparatus is essentially intended for qualitative and quantitative analysis of gas mixtures at low pressure , a problem which is fundamental to manufacturing numerous electronic components in vacuo . in prior devices , a very long ion source injects a sheet of ions parallel to the surface of the pole parts of a magnetic circuit , said sheet substantially occupying the mid plane of the system . all ions having the same mass number describe circular orbits of equal radius . the set of these orbits give a common tangential envelope along which ion density is at a maximum and where they are collected under identical conditions . compared with existing magnetic spectrometers , systems in accordance with the invention have two essential advantages : ( 1 ) the sensitivity of a spectrograph is the product of the source ion density and the useful volume of the source . this volume is proportional to the length of the ion extraction slot . in the present invention the slot is parallel ( and not perpendicular ) to the plane of the pole parts . it is thus very long ( like the ion source ) without increasing the gap in the magnetic circuit . the sensitivity can thus be much greater . ( 2 ) all the ion trajectories are in the mid plane of the gap and the gap can therefore be of reduced size . the bulk of the magnetic circuit is thus greatly reduced . it may be observed that in conventional devices the extraction slot is perpendicular to the plane of the pole parts . its length and the useful volume of the ion source cannot be increased , even slightly , without giving rise to an excessively large magnetic circuit . the magnetic circuits are ring shaped . the variant embodiment now described completes the definition of the source , and of the collector , and develops a particular case which corresponds to selecting an infinite value for the radius of the ring . the geometry is then rectilinear and the implementation of the magnetic circuit is greatly simplified . reference is made to fig9 which is a cross section through the device . it comprises a soft iron magnetic circuit 30 whose section , as can be seen in fig9 is c - shaped and which defines a gap between two facing pole faces 31 and 32 , which gap is in the form of a very elongate rectangular parallelipiped . magnets 33 and 34 produce the magnetic field . two filaments , 35 and 36 are placed in the gap and parallel thereto . an extraction slot 42a is likewise parallel to the filaments . the source is immersed in a weak magnetic field obtained by a shunt from the main magnetic circuit . the electrons emitted by the filaments 35 and 36 are accelerated by a potential of about 100 volts between the filaments and the slotted electrodes 37 and 38 . they describe helical trajectories in the ionization chamber and they are reflected by two auxiliary electrodes 39 and 40 which are at a potential which is slightly negative : the trajectories can thus be very long . a variable potential v for extracting and accelerating ions is established between electrodes 41 and 42 . this potential could penetrate far enough into the ionization chamber to extract the ions . however , the ions would then not be formed in a region which was strictly equipotential , and this would lead to a degree of dispersion in their initial speeds . this effect may be eliminated and resolution may be improved by adding two grids 43 and 44 and a repulsion electrode 45 which is raised to a positive potential . after being injected into the magnetic circuit gap 46 , ions of the same mass number n describe circular trajectories in the mid plane having the same radius r : ## equ3 ## ( where e = proton charge ; m = proton mass ; b = induction ). for a suitable value of v , all the trajectories corresponding to ions of the same mass number have their common tangent level with the rectilinear deflection electrodes 47 . the corresponding ions are captured by a faraday cage 48 . by varying v , ions of different masses can be successively captured . to keep the value of v in a reasonable range , a system may be used having two ion sources and two collectors . the first collector ( closer to the source ) serves to select masses in the range 10 to 1 , and the second serves to collect masses in the range 100 to 10 for a given scan voltage v in the range 100 to 100 volts . finally , the profile of the pole parts 49 and 50 may be modified as shown diagrammatically in fig1 . the radius of curvature of the trajectories is thus greatly increased at the collector , thereby improving resolution without greatly increasing bulk . relative to existing mass spectrographs , such a system has greatly increased sensitivity and much reduced bulk . it is thus naturally intended for applications where high sensitivity is required with minimum bulk . ( gas analysis in ultra - high vacuum systems , helium detection , monitoring gases in industrial processes , etc . ). | 7Electricity
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