Split (3)

train · 25k rows

text stringlengths 1.55k 332k	label int64 0 8
referring now to the drawings the numeral 10 generally designates the low profile tilt - ramp trap of the present invention . trap 10 is in the form of a box 11 having a bottom wall 12 ( fig3 and 4 ), a front wall 14 , a rear wall 16 , an end wall 18 , an opposite end wall 20 , and a top wall 22 that is hinged for opening and closing . these walls form an enclosed trap compartment 24 . three ribs 70 are provided to add strength . also a pair of lift tabs 68 facilitate opening of top wall 22 . a mouse opening 26 is provided in one or more of the walls , 14 , 16 , 18 , and 20 . in the drawings there are two mouse openings 26 shown in the opposite end walls 18 , 20 . there are also a plurality of insect openings 64 . a pair of tubes 30 are mounted to the under side of the top wall 22 as can be seen in fig2 . when the top wall 22 is closed the tubes 30 are in registered alignment with the two mouse openings 26 . each tube comprises a tube front wall 32 , a tube back wall 34 , and a tube floor 36 and a tube top wall 37 which are attached to the top wall 22 to form a square shaped tube having a tube entrance opening 38 and a tube exit opening 40 . a tube end panel 42 extends upwardly at the tube exit opening , and forms a partial block of the tube exit opening 40 . a tube closure flap 43 angles downwardly and forwardly from top wall 37 toward tube entrance opening 38 . the bottom walls 36 of the two tube openings each are provided with a plurality of cleaning openings 66 for cleaning and letting in light . within each of the tubes 30 is a tilt ramp 44 having an entrance end 46 and an exit end 48 . exit end 48 is provided with a downwardly extending flap or flange 50 . a pivot or hinge 52 is provided by a pivot pin 54 and enables the tilt ramp 44 to pivot about a horizontal axis . the entrance end 46 of tilt ramp 44 is provided with a counter weight or biasing member 56 which urges the tilt ramps 44 to the position shown in fig4 . in this position the downwardly extending flaps or flanges 50 cooperate with the upwardly extending tube end panels 42 to completely block the tube exit opening 40 . this will prevent any mice that are within the trap compartment 24 from entering the tubes 30 . it also will prevent the mice from moving beneath the exit ends 48 of the tilt ramps 44 . this overcomes the prior art problem where mice can move beneath the tilt ramp and prevent the tilt ramp from yielding to an additional mouse entering the trap . with the present invention the mice within compartment 24 cannot move beneath the tilt ramp 44 and therefore they do not prevent other mice from entering the trap . the trap may be provided with a glue board 58 ( fig2 ) to which mice may become attached . a closure plate 60 is pivoted about closure pivot 62 for pivotal movement from an open position ( fig4 ) to a closed position ( fig3 ). fig4 illustrates the operation of the tilt ramps 44 before a mouse enters the trap . the mouse first enters the mouse opening 26 and proceeds up one of the ramps 44 which are in the position shown in fig4 . as the mouse 138 approaches the exit end 48 of the trap , the weight of the mouse causes the tilt ramp 44 to pivot to the position shown in fig3 . this pivotal movement causes the closure plate 60 to pivot upwardly to engage the closure flap 43 and prevent the mouse 138 from retreating or exiting from the tube entrance opening 38 . in this position the downwardly extending flap or flange 50 slides over the upwardly extending panel 42 so as to open the exit opening 40 of the tube 30 , and the mouse 138 may enter the trap compartment 24 . as soon as the mouse steps down from the ramp 44 , the counter weight 56 causes the ramp to move again to its initial position shown in fig4 . in this position the flap 50 and the panel 42 block the space 136 beneath the ramp 44 so as to prevent mice from moving beneath the ramp 44 and preventing blocking the entrance of other mice into the trap . the top wall 22 of box 11 is shown to be opaque , but it is also possible to make the top wall transparent so as to enable viewing of the contents of trap 10 . in the drawings and specification there has been set forth a preferred embodiment of the invention , and although specific terms are employed , these are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation . changes in the form and the proportion of parts as well as in the substitution of equivalents are contemplated as circumstances may suggest or render expedient without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention ass further defined in the following claims .	0
preferred glass panels in accordance with the present invention comprise a transparent glass substrate coated with a pattern of colored ceramic enamel material deposited by a screen printing process combined with a second transparent light and heat reflective coating deposited by any conventional coating process such as pyrolytic deposition , wet chemical deposition , chemical vapor deposition , etc . a preferred method of depositing the reflective coating is magnetron sputtering . the panel substrate may be any suitable glass material , but is preferably clear flat glass . typical soda - lime - silica glasses are preferred . however , tinted glasses may also be employed , such as the heat - absorbing glasses sold by ppg industries , inc . under the trademarks solex , solarbronze and solargray , the latter two being described in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 296 , 004 and u . s . pat . no . re . 25 , 312 respectively . in a preferred embodiment of the present invention , the screen printed pattern is combined with a continuous transparent light and heat reflective coating so that the glass surface is completely covered , thereby forming a patterned light and heat reflective product . if a glassy external appearance is desired , the patterned coating is applied by screen printing onto a surface of the glass substrate , then the reflective coating is applied over the entire patterned coated surface and the panel is installed with the coated surface inward . when viewed from the uncoated glass side , a glassy patterned appearance is observed . if a more reflective external appearance is desired , the glass panel is installed with the coated surface outward . when viewed from the coated side , a highly reflective patterned appearance is observed . the printed pattern may comprise multiple colors applied in a plurality of screen printing process steps . in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention wherein a non - glassy patterned appearance is desired , flat glass sheets supported on a horizontal conveyor are moved through a series of operations . first the glass sheets may be moved through a washer where detergent solutions and rotating brushes may be used to remove any dirt from the surface of the glass sheets , which are then dried with air . the glass panel is subjected to screen printing , wherein a patterned coating is screen printed onto the glass surface , preferably using ceramic glass enamel colorants . the screen printing process may be carried out in multiple steps using different screens and colorants to reproduce any particular pattern . the screen printed coating is then dried and fired . the pattern coated glass panel is then overcoated with a light and heat reflective film , preferably by magnetron sputtering . the film may comprise a metal , metal oxide , metal nitride or other metal compound , and may be a single or multiple layer coating . further , the film may be high or low visible reflectance and either colorless or preferably colored . the ceramic enamel coating composition may comprise a ceramic frit such as lead borosilicate . typical constituents in the ceramic enamels employed in the coatings for the spandrels of the present invention include oxides , nitrates , sulfates , carbonates or other compounds of aluminum , silicon , boron , lead , potassium , sodium , lithium , calcium , barium , zinc , magnesium , strontium and the like . other constituents which may be present in the ceramic enamel to impart color or opacity to the ceramic enamel include pigment compounds of titanium , cobalt , manganese , chromium , copper , iron , lead , selenium , nickel , zinc , cadmium , gold , antimony , magnesium , zirconium and so on . suitable ceramic enamel compositions are available in a variety of colors from commercial suppliers such as o . hommel of carnegie , pa . or drakenfeld of washington , pa . opaque ceramic enamel coatings in a wide variety of desirable colors may be prepared in accordance with the present invention . particularly preferred colors for the background coatings of the present invention are black , white and gray . preferred colors for the patterned screen printed coating include , in addition to black and white , green , brown , blue and gray for harmonizing with colored , reflective , transparent , coated glass windows , and red , yellow and blue for multiple screen printing to reproduce photographic images of natural materials such as granite and marble . the ceramic enamel compositions are preferably applied to a glass substrate at room temperature , dried to evaporate the liquid vehicle , and fired to remove residual organic material and bond the coating to the substrate . the ceramic enamel pattern may be overcoated with a light and heat reflective film by a pyrolytic technique , such as those described in u . s . pat . nos . 3 , 107 , 117 3 , 185 , 586 ; 3 , 660 , 061 and 4 , 263 , 335 , whereby the patterned ceramic enamel coated panel is contacted with an organometallic coating reactant capable of thermal decomposition to a metal oxide at a sufficiently high temperature to effect decomposition of the organometallic coating reactant to form a metal oxide film over the ceramic enamel coating . the metal oxide film is preferably colored and highly reflective . a variety of metal oxides may be used . preferably , the ceramic enamel pattern is overcoated with a light and heat reflective metal film by magnetron sputtering . many such coatings are known in the art , and the ceramic enamel pattern coated glass panel may be subjected to the process in the same manner as an uncoated glass substrate . the coating may comprise metal , metal oxide , metal nitride or other metal compounds in either a single or multiple layer coating which may have high or low visible reflectance and may be colorless or , preferably , colored . while annealed coated products may be used in some applications , the preferred product in accordance with the present invention is at least partially tempered . in a most preferred embodiment , a glass substrate is coated with a patterned ceramic enamel coating , fired to fuse the ceramic , quenched to obtain a semi - tempered state , and coated with a light and heat reflective coating by magnetron sputtering . the present invention will be more fully understood from the descriptions of specific examples which follow . a discontinuous pattern is applied to a surface of a glass substrate , dried , and fired . a metallic film is applied to a surface of a separate glass substrate . the two glass substrates are then laminated with the pattern on the inward surface of the first glass substrate and the metallic film on exterior surface of the second glass substrate . this example is illustrated in fig1 . a discontinuous pattern is applied to a surface of a glass substrate , dried , and fired . a protective pyrolytic film is then applied directly on top of the fired pattern . a reflective metallic film is applied to a surface of a second glass substrate . the two glass substrates are then laminated with the pattern plus protective film on the exterior surface of the first substrate and the reflective metallic film on exterior surface of the second substrate . this example is illustrated in fig2 . a discontinuous pattern is applied to a glass surface , dried , and fired . a reflective metallic film is applied directly over the pattern . an opacifier / protective layer is then applied over the metallic film , either as a coating or a sheet material applied with adhesive . this panel may be used monolithically or as part of an insulated glass unit , and is illustrated in fig3 . a discontinuous pattern is applied to a glass surface , dried , and fired . a protective pyrolytic film is then applied directly on top of the fired pattern . a reflective metallic film is applied to the opposite surface of the glass sheet . the coated glass is then laminated to another glass sheet with the pattern plus protective film on the exterior surface and the reflective metallic film on interior surface . this example is illustrated in fig4 . a discontinuous pattern is applied to a glass surface , dried , and fired . a protective pyrolytic overcoat is then applied directly on top of the pattern . a reflective metallic film is applied to a surface of a second glass substrate . the two glass substrates are laminated with the pattern / protective overcoat on the exterior surface of the first sheet and the reflective metallic film on the inward surface of the second sheet . this example is illustrated in fig5 . the above examples are offered to illustrate the present invention . a wide variety of colorants may be employed in the screen printing process , and the screens may be prepared from abstract , pictorial , geometric or other created artwork as well as photographically from natural materials such as granite and marble , as well as man - made materials . the patterned coating may be applied by methods other than screen printing , using pattern coating means other than screens , such as roll or pad printing . the scope of the present invention is defined by the following claims .	1
the mattress 100 and all the components described above are used in the present invention . the present invention is a modification of the prior art mattress 100 . a potential problem with the prior art mattress 100 described above is that the vertical patient load increases to a point where the patient bottoms out . “ bottoms out ” means a portion 88 of a mattress 100 has little to no air at the location where a portion of the patient &# 39 ; s body 20 is positioned , as illustrated in fig7 . bottoming out is undesirable because the patient &# 39 ; s skin is subject to pressure from the mattress support apparatus 101 and possibly other undesirable forces . the support apparatus 101 is designed to support a mattress 100 and a patient , not provide the desired pressure to the patient . bottoming out increases the pressure applied to the patient &# 39 ; s skin . that undesired pressure can cause unwanted bed sores or equivalents thereof . another potential problem with the prior art mattress is that during the gatching process from a supine configuration toward the cardiac chair configuration , the tissue interface pressure distribution experienced by the patient shifts . the tissue interface pressure distribution shifts , typically ( but not exclusively ) from the shoulders , back and sacrum areas to almost exclusively the sacrum area . as the sacrum typically represents a lower proportion of the patient &# 39 ; s surface area , the tissue interface pressure experienced by the patient on the mattress 100 increases to the point that pressure relief cannot be sustained , or pressure reduction cannot be achieved . the present invention is directed to controlling the pressure within the mattress &# 39 ; bladders as the mattress is in the gatching process and / or not in the supine position . that control is designed to decrease the chance of bottoming out and / or obtaining desired pressure reduction . the first method to decrease those problems is to modifying the analyzer 150 , the sensors , and the pressure provider device 170 . the pressure sensors 152 , 154 measure the pressure within , entering and / or exiting the bladders 112 , 114 , 140 , 141 . it has been determined that to decrease the chance of the cited problems that the bladder pressure must be measured and the mattress geometry must be determined . the mattress geometry is determined by a geometry sensor system 200 . an example of the geometry sensor system 200 is illustrated in fig8 . by measuring the pressure and determining the mattress geometry , the present invention is able to dynamically alter the support surface pressure in response to different gatch positions of the surgical bed . this is important since using pressure transducers alone to sense the pressure and react accordingly has been determined to be insufficient . it is insufficient because the pressure transducers have no way of knowing what the geometrical patient position is . in order to achieve this dynamic control , it is necessary to use geometry sensor ( s ) ( for the positioning of the mattress ) in conjunction with the pressure sensors . the angle ( geometry ) sensors could be , by way of example but without limitation , accelerometers of mechanical ball - in - bowl type magnetic devices . types of such devices are giant magento - resistive devices and hall effect field sensors . hall effect field sensors detect change in the characteristics of a magnetic field generated by the repositioning of the mattress . a magnet 210 is positioned apart from a distance measuring sensor 212 . for example the magnet 210 can be positioned on the support surface &# 39 ; s extension 108 while the geometry sensor can be positioned on the bottom side 104 of the head section 110 ; vice versa or equivalents thereof . sensor 212 detects the change in position of the magnet 210 during movement of the respective mattress 100 by detecting the change in magnetic field . based on this change in magnetic field , sensor 212 sends a signal 330 indicative of the up , down , or neutral positions of the respective mattress 100 to analyzer 150 as illustrated in fig9 . the analyzer 150 continuously monitors and adjusts the surface fluid pressure in each bladder 114 , 112 , 141 , 140 in response to the patient and mattress geometry through signal 162 to the pressure provider device 170 . obviously , signal 162 can be numerous types of signals that allow the pressure provider device 170 to determine how much fluid should be directed and / or pulled to the respective bladder 114 , 141 , 140 , 112 . the analyzer 150 , preferentially and independently , adjusts the pressure of different regions of the mattress surface in response to mattress position during the gatch process and any other time with the patient on and / or off the mattress 100 . the mattress 100 through the analyzer 150 and the pressure provider device 170 cradles the patient in the foot section 120 when the bed frame 101 is being re - positioned toward the cardiac chair position . the cradle position is similar to the bottoming out illustrated in fig7 in that the bladder surrounds the patient but it differs in that the bladder does not bottom out . as previously stated , the pressure applied to a patient &# 39 ; s back in the cardiac chair position is diminished with respect to those applied to the foot section . to accommodate these pressure changes in the mattress , the analyzer transmits signal 162 to alter the pressure in the respective bladders 112 , 114 , 140 , 141 as set forth in the representative sample bladder pressure protocol : the default firmness setting in the bladders 112 , 114 , 140 , 141 of the mattress 100 is 18 mmhg . that pressure is sufficient to support most patients in the supine position , however as the head of the bed is elevated , the surface area supporting the patient becomes less . as a result there is more weight per square inch of surface area . to prevent the patient from bottoming in this situation the following protocol , which is an example , is used : if head section 110 is & gt ; 15 ° and & lt ; 30 ° relative to the extension 108 , the bladder pressure is adjusted to a firmness of 22 mmhg ( if the firmness is currently at 22 mmhg or greater , the pressure is not altered ); if head section 110 is & gt ; 30 ° and & lt ; 45 ° relative to the extension 108 , the bladder pressure is adjusted to a firmness of 26 mmhg ( if the firmness is currently at 26 or greater , the pressure is not altered ); if head section 110 is & gt ; 45 ° and & lt ; 65 ° relative to the extension 108 , the bladder pressure is adjusted to a firmness of 30 mmhg and if the pressure is currently at 30 , the pressure is adjusted to 35 mmhg ; if head section 110 is & gt ; 65 ° or greater relative to the extension 108 , the bladder pressure is adjusted to a firmness of 35 mmhg . the bladder pressure protocol 164 can obviously be modified to obtain the desired pressure . this bladder protocol is programmed into the analyzer 150 , and / or can be modified in the analyzer 150 in a similar manner that the desired angle value 162 is programmed into the analyzer 150 . the bladder pressure protocol reverts to the original firmness settings when the head of bed is reduced to & lt ; 15 °. this protocol could be discontinued when the patient is being rotated . if the mattress 100 provides percussion and / or vibration modes , this protocol should be disabled when the percussion and / or vibration modes are operating . the percussion and / or vibration modes can be performed by the bladders 112 , 114 if the pressure provider device 170 is programmed to direct and pull the fluid in and out of the bladders 112 , 114 at specific rates to obtain the desired operational mode of vibration and / or percussion . the present invention can have an additional bladder 250 positioned in the foot section 120 as illustrated in fig1 . in particular , it is desired that the additional bladder 250 is positioned below the area that the patient &# 39 ; s sacrum area would normally be located . the additional bladder 250 is interconnected to the pressure provider device 170 in the same way that the other bladders 112 , 114 , 140 , 141 are connected to the pressure provider device as schematically illustrated in fig1 . moreover , the analyzer 150 is interconnected to a pressure sensor 255 that monitors the pressure within the additional bladder 250 in the same manner in which the other bladders 112 , 114 , 140 , 141 are measured as schematically illustrated in fig1 . it is possible that the additional bladder 250 may be incorporated into the bladders 141 . the bladder 250 could have an inlet 260 that allows the fluid to enter directly from the interior of the bladders 141 as illustrated in fig1 a . the inlet 260 could also be positioned on the exterior surface of the bladder unit 250 , 141 as illustrated in fig1 b . conversely , if the foot section 120 is raised in relation to the support section 101 , the additional bladder 250 can positioned in the head section 110 to provide additional support to the patient &# 39 ; s back area . that alternative embodiment is illustrated generically in fig1 a and 12 b . the pressure provider device 170 can be positioned within the mattress 100 . in this embodiment , the pressure provider device 170 may be two components . the first component 170 a is positioned in the head section 110 and the second component 170 b is positioned in the foot section 120 . preferably the first component 170 a and the second component 170 b are positioned to provide the least amount of pressure to the patient , normally the terminal ends of the head and foot sections . the first component 170 a provides the desired fluid to the bladders 112 , 114 , 140 in the head section while the second component 170 b provides the desired fluid to the bladders 141 , ( possibly ) 250 in the foot section . preferably , each component 170 a , b is electrically interconnected 99 to ( a ) the other component 170 a , b directly and / or ( b ) the analyzer 150 , as illustrated in fig1 . by using an electrical connection to connect the two pressure provider devices 170 a , b , the mattress 100 can be self - contained . self - contained mattresses are desired because it decreases the kinking that occurs if fluid conduits had to traverse through the gatch area 122 . if fluid conduits are kinked , the fluid conduits 118 , 116 do not always provide the desired pressure to the bladders . in contrast , an electrical connection can be kinked and the kinking does not normally inhibit the transmission of the electrical signal through the kinked area . accordingly , dividing the pressure provider device and placing each device 170 a , b in two distinct sections when the mattress 100 is a self - contained mattress to decrease the adverse effects of kinking is desired . by separating the pressure provider devices 170 a , b for the respective head section 110 and foot section 120 , the pressure provider devices 170 a , b will provide the desired fluid to the desired bladder . when the mattress 100 is a self - contained mattress the fluid is normally air because it can be easily obtained and does not render the mattress 100 too heavy . the pressure provider device 170 is normally positioned toward an exterior side surface of the mattress as illustrated in fig1 . each pressure provider device has an air aperture that allows air to be drawn into or expelled out of the pressure provider device . each pressure provider device , in this embodiment , has a fan ( not shown ) positioned near the air aperture to draw the air into the pressure provider device . the pressure provider device has a conventional manifold system that opens and closes the numerous conduits that direct the fluid toward or away from the bladders 112 , 114 , 141 , 140 , 250 as directed by the analyzer 150 . the mattress 100 can also have a second gatch area 340 as illustrated in fig1 . the second gatch area 340 is positioned where the patient &# 39 ; s knee would normally overlie . the second gatch area divides the foot section 120 into a seat section 342 and a calf section 344 . for a self - contained embodiment , there could be a third pressure provider device 170 c positioned in the seat section 342 . the seat section 342 and the calf section 344 can be raised and / or lowered to obtain the desired shape . the seat section 342 and the calf section 344 can also have geometry sensors 200 ( which include the magnet 210 and the distance measuring sensor 212 ) positioned thereon . for example , the geometry sensor system 200 can be positioned on the underside of the seat section , the calf section , the corresponding support structure 101 , and / or the base 109 of the support structure under the foot section 120 . the geometry sensor can also be a transmission from a computer interface system of the support surface 101 . if the computer interface system can determine the exact angle of the head section , the calf section and the seat section in relation to the corresponding sections , the computer interface system transmits the angle values to the analyzer 150 . the computer interface system can determine the precise angle of the mattress &# 39 ; sections in relation to the mattress being in the supine configuration . while the preferred embodiment of the invention has been illustrated and described , it will be clear that the invention is not so limited . numerous modifications , changes , variations , substitutions and equivalents will occur to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims .	0
the method and system of the present disclosure will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings in which embodiments are shown . the method and system of the present disclosure may be in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the illustrated embodiments set forth herein ; rather , these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete , and will fully convey its scope to those skilled in the art . like numbers refer to like elements throughout . in an embodiment , usage of the term “ about ” includes +/− 5 % of the cited magnitude . in an embodiment , usage of the term “ substantially ” includes +/− 5 % of the cited magnitude . it is to be further understood that the scope of the present disclosure is not limited to the exact details of construction , operation , exact materials , or embodiments shown and described , as modifications and equivalents will be apparent to one skilled in the art . in the drawings and specification , there have been disclosed illustrative embodiments and , although specific terms are employed , they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for the purpose of limitation . fig1 a shows one example of a downhole tool 10 disposed in a wellbore . in this example , wellbore 12 intersects a formation 14 , and downhole tool 10 is deployed in wellbore 12 on a lower end of wireline 16 . wireline 16 is shown having an upper end spooled onto a surface truck 18 provided at surface 20 , and which is proximate an opening at the upper end of wellbore 12 . a wellhead assembly 22 is mounted over the opening of wellbore 12 , and wireline 16 is shown threaded through wellhead assembly 22 . downhole tool 10 has a body 24 , which in one example is a generally cylindrical and elongate member . provided on body 24 are a series of sample probe assemblies 26 1 - 3 . in the example of fig1 a , sample probe assemblies 26 1 - 3 are illustrated in a stowed configuration , which may be adjacent body 24 or set within recesses ( not shown ) formed on the outer surface of body 24 . while in the example stowed configuration , sample probe assemblies 26 1 - 3 are generally parallel with an axis a x of tool 10 . each of sample probe assemblies 26 1 - 3 includes a series of pad assemblies 28 1 - 3 provided on their respective lower ends . it should be pointed out however , that embodiments exist wherein pad assemblies 28 1 - 3 are on an upper end of the sample probe assemblies 26 1 - 3 . further optional embodiments exist wherein some of the sample probe assemblies 26 1 - 3 have pad assemblies 28 1 - 3 on their lower ends , wherein some of the other sample probe assemblies 26 1 - 3 have the pad assemblies 28 1 - 3 on their upper ends . each of the sample probe assemblies 26 1 - 3 further include elongated linkage arms 30 1 - 3 which couple between the pad assemblies 28 1 - 3 and corresponding actuators 32 1 - 3 shown provided on body 24 . as will be described in more detail below , operating actuators 32 1 - 3 in turn moves linkage arms 30 1 - 3 into a designated position to urge the pad assemblies 28 1 - 3 radially away from body 24 . further shown provided with body 24 are sample tanks 34 1 - 3 that are associated with each one of the sample probe assemblies 26 1 - 3 . conduits 36 1 - 3 provide fluid communication respectively between ports 38 1 - 3 provided on pad assemblies 28 1 - 3 and sample tanks 34 1 - 3 . fig1 b shows an example of when the sample probe assemblies 26 1 - 3 are in a deployed configuration and with their respective pad assemblies 28 1 - 3 extended radially outward and into contact with wall 40 that is defined along the inner surface of wellbore 12 . thus in the deployed configuration of fig1 b , sample probe assemblies 26 1 - 3 are oblique to axis a x of tool 10 . also while in the deployed configuration , formation fluid within formation 14 may be drawn into the sample probe assemblies 26 1 - 3 and directed to sample tanks 34 1 - 3 for storage and / or for further analysis . as shown in the example of fig1 b , the pad assemblies 28 1 - 3 are at substantially the same “ measured depth ” in the wellbore 12 , that is , the same distance along a path defined by the wellbore 12 , from the opening of the wellbore 12 to where on the wall the pad assemblies 28 1 - 3 are disposed . referring now to fig2 a , shown in a partial side sectional view is one embodiment of a sample probe assembly 26 a . in the illustrated example a single sample probe assembly 26 a is shown as a representative example of the multiplicity of sample probe assemblies 26 a that could be included with the tool 10 . the sample probe assembly 26 a is depicted in the deployed position , with its pad assembly 28 a in contact with the wall 40 of wellbore 12 . in this example embodiment , actuator 32 a is hydraulically powered and includes a housing 42 having an inner cavity that defines a cylinder 44 . a piston 46 is reciprocatingly disposed within cylinder 44 . a hydraulic source 48 provides pressure communication to and from cylinder 44 via lines 50 , 52 shown extending between source and housing 42 . lines 50 , 52 are shown on opposite sides of piston 46 , so that alternatively changing a direction fluid flow ( or pressure ) within lines 50 , 52 may reciprocate piston 46 within cylinder 44 . valves 54 , 56 are optionally provided in lines 50 , 52 that may be selectively opened and closed to control flow through lines 50 , 52 . a rod 58 connects to a side of piston 46 , wherein an opposite side of rod 58 couples with linkage arm 30 a . thus by reciprocating piston 46 and rod 58 in the path illustrated by arrow a , pad assembly 28 is urged along an arcuate path , as illustrated by arrow a r . with the pad assembly 28 in contact with wall 40 , formation fluid can make its way through port 38 , into conduit 36 and onto sample tank 34 , whereas indicated above , fluid can be analyzed real time , or stored for later analysis when the tool 10 is brought to surface . further in the example of fig2 a , pad assembly 28 is shown made up of a pad 59 which connects to a terminal end of arm 30 a . a packer 60 is provided on the outer surface of pad 59 and has a surface which is in contact with wall 40 . in one example , an outer radial surface of packer 60 contacting wall 40 has a generally rectangular shape and extends along a portion of the circumference of wall 40 . example materials for packer 60 include elastomers that are sufficiently resilient for use , however pliable enough to create a seal around port 38 . an optional pressure sensor 62 is shown in fluid communication with conduit 36 , thereby putting pressure sensor 62 in pressure communication with formation 12 through conduits 36 provided in the linkage arm 30 a . data sensed by pressure sensor 62 may be communicated to a controller 64 via signal line 66 . signal line 66 can be hard wired , pneumatic , or wireless . referring back to fig1 , controller 64 may be included with tool 10 and wherein communication means 67 is shown passing along body 24 . alternatively , controller 64 can be on surface 20 , such as in surface truck 18 . referring back to fig2 a , an optional valve 68 is shown provided within conduit 36 . an advantage of implementing valve 68 is that when multiple sample assemblies are provided on tool 10 , fluid communication through each of the sample probe assemblies can be regulated with the implementation of valve 68 . thus in one example , one or more of the sample probe assemblies may be isolated by closing valve 68 , whereas other selective sample probe assemblies may be operated with valve 68 in an open configuration . as such , operational embodiments exist wherein the sample probe assemblies are operated independently from one another . shown in partial side sectional view in fig2 b is an alternative example of actuator 32 b for putting sample probe assembly 26 b into a deployed configuration and with the pad assembly 28 and sampling contact with wall 40 of wellbore 12 . in this example , the actuator 32 b includes a screw member 70 with threads mounted on a shaft , where shaft is rotated by a motor 72 . screw 70 engages a nut 74 mounted on linkage arm 30 b , so that selective rotational direction of screw 70 with motor may translate linkage arm 30 b in the arcuate path represented by arrow a r . further , operation of actuator 32 b may be accomplished via controller 64 . fig2 c shows in a partial side sectional view another alternate example of a linkage arm 30 c which is shown having a linkage assembly 76 . in this example , linkage assembly 76 is made up of a series of linkage arms 78 , 80 , 82 connected in series to one another via pins 84 . here , pad assembly 28 is in the deployed configuration and against wall 40 . in the deployed position , arm 30 c and arm 80 are generally oblique to an axis a x of tool 10 c whereas arms 78 , 82 are generally parallel with axis a x . a force f applied at an end of arm 78 distal from arm 80 articulates arms 80 , 82 , 30 c about their pinned connected for pad assembly 28 radially outward and into contact . conversely , applying force f in a direction away from arm 80 and aligned arm 78 , 80 , 82 to be substantially parallel with axis a x . referring now to fig3 , shown is an axial view of an example of tool 10 disposed within wellbore 12 , and taken along lines 3 - 3 of fig1 b . in this example a series of four sample probe assemblies 26 1 - 4 are illustrated and in the deployed mode with their respective pad assemblies 28 1 - 4 in sampling contact with wall 40 of wellbore . in this example , zones z 1 - 4 are represented within formation 14 at angularly spaced apart azimuthal locations along the circumference of wellbore 12 . one example of operation , one or more of the sample probe assemblies 26 1 - 4 may in a sampling mode , wherein one or more of other sample probe assemblies 26 1 - 4 may be in an injection mode , so that fluid may be taken from one of these zones z 1 - 4 , while fluid is simultaneously injected into another one of the zones z 1 - 4 . another alternative , each of sample probe assemblies 26 1 - 4 may be simultaneously drawing fluid from within formation and from zones z 1 - 4 . as indicated above , the implementation of valve 68 within the conduits 36 1 - 4 allows for selective sampling of one or more of the zones z 1 - 4 at the same time . furthermore , another advantage is realized by positioning the sample probe assemblies 26 1 - 4 within the tool body 24 so that when in the deployed configuration , the pad assemblies 28 1 - 4 are at substantially the same measured depth within wellbore 12 . moreover , the mechanical nature of the linkage assemblies described herein allows for the simultaneous placement of pad assemblies 28 1 - 4 at the same measured depth to take place in a vertical portion of the wellbore 12 , a deviated portion of the wellbore 12 , or a horizontal portion of the wellbore 12 . other known prior art devices are unable to achieve this functionality within the aforementioned different wellbore orientations . further illustrated in the example of fig3 are dedicated controllers 64 1 - 64 4 for use with each of the sample probe assemblies 26 1 - 26 4 . the present invention described herein , therefore , is well adapted to carry out the objects and attain the ends and advantages mentioned , as well as others inherent therein . while a presently preferred embodiment of the invention has been given for purposes of disclosure , numerous changes exist in the details of procedures for accomplishing the desired results . in an example embodiment , sample probe assemblies can be provided that are disposed axially from one another , so that sampling can take place at different depths in the wellbore with the tool 10 . this and other similar modifications will readily suggest themselves to those skilled in the art , and are intended to be encompassed within the spirit of the present invention disclosed herein and the scope of the appended claims .	4
fig1 shows the frame 10 of an underwater buoy of the invention . this frame 10 has a hollow body 12 between 30 and 40 meters long , for example 35 meters long , and an upper retaining structure 14 and a lower retaining structure 16 . moreover , spacers 18 to be described hereinafter are installed along the hollow body 12 . this hollow body 12 , which is of circular symmetry about an axis a , has an upper end 20 and a lower end 22 and its relatively constant diameter is between 1 meter and 2 meters , for example 1 . 5 meters . the upper retaining structure 14 has a central portion consisting of a first interior ring 24 at least partially sleeved into the upper end 20 of the hollow body 12 and eight radial portions consisting of first branches 26 that extend radially from the first interior ring 24 and are offset from each other at an angle close to 45 °, these first branches 26 being also fastened to a first exterior ring 28 of octahedron shape . this first exterior ring 28 constitutes in particular means for stiffening the upper retaining structure 14 . the first branches 26 each have a free end 30 and an arcuate first recess 32 near the free end 30 . this arcuate first recess 32 is oriented toward the lower end 22 . fig3 a shows the frame 10 comprising the hollow body 12 and the upper retaining structure 14 ; the axial section plane iii - iii intersecting two diametrally opposite first branches 26 , their respective arcuate recesses 32 are seen to be symmetrical with respect to an extremum ( maximum point ) 34 and symmetrical to each other with respect the axis of symmetry a . moreover , the arcuate first recesses 32 are spaced from the hollow body 12 . seen in fig1 is the first exterior ring 28 , which is of octahedron shape and connects the first branches 26 together at the level of the arcuate first recesses 32 . each of the eight substantially plane portions of the first exterior ring 28 intersects substantially perpendicularly a first branch 26 . moreover , an arcuate second recess 36 is produced in each of these plane portions of the first exterior ring 28 . this arcuate second recess 36 is of substantially identical curvature to the first recess 32 and has an extremum substantially coinciding with the extremum 34 of the arcuate first recess 32 . thus , thanks to the arcuate recesses 32 , 36 , the plane portions of the first exterior ring 28 and the corresponding first branch 26 together define a receiving area 38 which is oriented toward the lower end 22 and defines a spherical ring the function of which is explained hereinafter . first , the lower retaining structure 16 is described with reference to fig1 and to fig3 a . the latter structure has a second interior ring 40 at least partly sleeved into the lower end 22 of the hollow body 12 . it also has second branches 42 symmetrical to respective first branches 26 with respect to a plane of symmetry intersecting the hollow body 12 perpendicularly half way between the lower end 22 and the upper end 20 . these second branches 42 are connected to each other by an exterior second ring 44 . on the other hand , the second branches 42 have respective notches 46 rather than an arcuate recess like the opposite first branches 26 . on the other hand , the notch 46 has a first portion located close to the second interior ring 40 substantially symmetrical to a first part 32 of an arcuate recess extending from the extremum 34 toward the first interior ring relative to the aforementioned plane of symmetry intersecting the hollow body 12 perpendicularly . however , a second portion of the notch 46 extends substantially radially toward the free end of the second branch 42 . moreover , the star - shaped spacers 18 shown in detail in fig1 each define a mean plane substantially perpendicular to the hollow body 12 and are formed from a circular ring in which eight semicircular recesses 48 are produced . the semicircular recesses 48 of each of the circular rings are aligned with each other along an axis parallel to the axis of symmetry a of the hollow body 12 and each intersects facing first and second branches 26 , 42 . as shown in fig2 , modular members 50 forming floats are engaged in each of the eight housings that extend between the upper retaining structure 14 and the lower retaining structure 16 and are defined by the semicircular recesses 48 of the spacers 18 , the receiving areas 38 and the opposite notches 46 . fig2 shows the upper retaining structure 14 and the lower retaining structure 16 connected together by the hollow body 12 , here concealed by the modular members 50 . the latter are of cylindrical shape with a circular directrix and each has two opposite free ends , an upper free end 52 and a lower free end 54 . their diameter is between 2 and 3 meters , for example 2 . 4 meters , and their length is between 30 meters and 40 meters , for example 34 meters . the two free ends have a rounded shape defining a substantially spherical surface adapted to coincide with the receiving area 38 . thus the upper free end 52 of each of the two modular members 50 is engaged in the receiving area 38 , the lower free end 54 bears against the corresponding second branch 42 , and the body 56 of each of the tubular members 50 bears against the spacers 18 , passing through their respective semicircular recesses 48 . note that when assembling the underwater buoy the upper free end 52 of the modular members 50 is first engaged in the receiving area 38 , the modular members 50 being inclined relative to the hollow body 12 , and the tubular body 50 is then tilted toward the hollow body 12 into bearing engagement with the spacers 18 , with the lower free end 54 abutted against the second branches 42 . the modular members 50 are retained in this position either by locking members 58 attached to the free end of the second branches 42 , seen in more detail in fig3 a , or by a buoy clamp , not shown , that surrounds and grips the eight modular members 50 in the vicinity of the lower retaining structure 16 . furthermore , in another embodiment , the modular members 50 are held in bearing engagement against the spacers 18 , independently of each other , by independent spacer clamps , which clamp the modular members 50 into their corresponding semicircular recesses 48 . the spacer clamps are mounted on each of the projecting ends of the spacers 18 and are adapted to be connected to another contiguous projecting end surrounding a modular member 50 . moreover , in one particular embodiment of the invention shown in fig3 a , the upper free end 52 has an axial slot 64 in which engages a projecting extension 66 of the plane portions of the first exterior ring 28 at the level of the arcuate second recess 36 . as a result , the upper free end 52 of the modular members 50 is perfectly fastened to the upper retaining structure 14 because it is perfectly immobilized against movement in directions substantially parallel to the mean plane p defined by the upper retaining structure 14 . furthermore , the lower free end 54 is immobilized against movement in radial translation by the locking member 58 and the body 56 of the modular member 50 is immobilized against movement in translation in a perpendicular direction . fig4 is a plan view of the underwater buoy of the invention . it shows each of the eight modular members engaged in its housing and the upper retaining structure 14 comprising the first interior ring 24 , the first branches 26 and the first exterior ring 28 . thus the underwater buoy represented is relatively easy to assemble before being loaded onto a laying ship or on the ship or directly in the water . moreover , it has eight modular members 50 here , but it could have only one in two of them , i . e . four modular members 50 . this would reduce its buoyancy . fig5 a to 5c show the assembly of the underwater buoy . first , two first modular members 50 are placed horizontally and parallel to each other on supports 70 and spaced by a particular distance . then , as shown in fig5 b , a hollow body 12 equipped with its spacers 18 is fitted to these first two modular members 50 . the latter are then fastened to the spacers 18 by spacer clamps as mentioned above . then , as shown in fig5 c , two more modular members 50 are mounted on the hollow body in the position diametrally opposite the first two modular members 50 . finally , the assembly , equipped with four modular members 50 , is first tilted onto two first modular members 50 on supports identical to the supports shown in fig5 a and situated alongside those supports 70 , and then two other modular members 50 are installed on the last two remaining places on the hollow body 12 . the upper retaining structure 14 and the lower retaining structure 16 are then mounted on the ends of the hollow body 12 . as shown in fig3 a , the underwater buoy of the invention is attached by means of a clamp 62 to a tubular duct 60 for transporting hydrocarbons . as a result , the tubular duct 60 is suspended from the underwater buoy , which tends to draw it in the direction s of the surface in an underwater area situated below the surface . furthermore , the tubular duct 60 is connected to a flexible tubular duct 63 that passes through the underwater buoy and exits it at the top beyond the upper retaining structure 14 to join a surface installation . thus the traction forces to be exerted on the tubular duct 60 can be adapted by adjusting the number of modular members 50 attached to the frame 10 . in another embodiment , not shown , the tubular duct 60 is connected to the underwater buoy by a frame itself suspended from the lower retaining structure 16 and the tubular duct 60 is connected to a flexible tubular duct , which no longer passes through the underwater buoy but instead passes around it to join a surface installation . in a variant of the invention represented in fig3 b and in said other embodiment the aforementioned hollow body is replaced by a succession of six independent floats , comprising four identical floats 72 , 74 , 76 , 78 and two end floats 80 , 82 stacked one on the other . furthermore , the modular members forming floats are respectively replaced here by two modular half - members 84 , 86 arranged in alignment with each other . the result of substituting the independent cylindrical float 72 , 74 , 76 , 78 , 80 , 82 for the hollow body is to increase the overall buoyancy of the underwater buoy . moreover in some particular embodiments , for the same buoyancy , the modular members are smaller . moreover , increasing the number of floats that are decoupled from each other avoids the risk if one of them is damaged . the independent cylindrical floats 72 , 74 , 76 , 78 , 80 , 82 are nevertheless adapted to receive water inside them so as to be able to submerge the underwater buoy , whereas the modular half - members are sealed and do not receive water . this water can then be evacuated from the independent cylindrical floats to confer on the underwater buoy its full buoyancy . for filling the independent cylindrical floats 72 , 74 , 76 , 78 , 80 , 82 with water , they are equipped in their base with a first opening extended by a first pipe . the first pipes of all the independent cylindrical floats 72 , 74 , 76 , 78 , 80 , 82 converge toward a common filler valve . to substitute a gas and in particular nitrogen for the water in the independent cylindrical floats 72 , 74 , 76 , 78 , 80 , 82 , they have a top opening extended by a second pipe . the second pipes converge toward a common nitrogen feed valve . another aspect of the invention relates to a method of installing an underwater riser column for transporting hydrocarbons between a seabed 110 and a surface 114 by means of an underwater buoy 118 with modular members as described above . the method is of the type wherein : a seabed installation 124 is anchored to said seabed 110 ; a tubular duct 120 is provided having a connecting end 122 intended to be connected to said seabed installation 124 and an opposite end equipped with an underwater buoy 118 with submersible floats ; then water is allowed to enter said submersible floats to submerge said underwater buoy 118 and said tubular duct 120 vertically above said seabed installation 124 , while said underwater buoy 118 and said duct 120 are retained by a suspension line 116 from a surface vessel 112 , said suspension line 116 supporting traction forces corresponding to the weight of said underwater buoy 118 and said duct 120 ; a traction cable 132 is then provided and direction - changing means 134 are installed on said seabed installation 124 so as to be able to connect said traction cable 132 to said connecting end 122 and to draw said cable 132 through said direction - changing means 134 and simultaneously to draw said connecting end 122 toward said seabed installation 124 ; according to the invention , a submerged pulling buoy 136 is attached to the traction cable 132 to exert additional traction forces on said suspension line 116 ; a gas is then substituted for the water in said submersible floats to compensate on the one hand traction forces corresponding to the weight of said underwater buoy 118 and said duct 120 and on the other hand at least some of the additional traction forces ; and , finally , said pulling buoy 136 is moored to said seabed installation 124 and said suspension line 116 is progressively released so that said seabed installation 124 absorbs said additional traction forces exerted by the pulling buoy 136 , while said underwater buoy 118 exerts said other part of the additional traction forces on said duct 120 to hold it vertical . accordingly , additional traction forces can be exerted on said suspension line by the use in accordance with this other aspect of the invention of the pulling buoy when submerged below the surface , i . e . between the seabed and the surface , to be more precise near the seabed , which pulling buoy is attached to the traction cable and then released from it . when released , the pulling buoy , which contains a gas lighter than water , exerts traction on the traction cable in a direction that is reversed by the direction - changing means at the connecting end of the duct and therefore on the suspension line that joins the surface vessel . thus an additional traction force is exerted on the suspension line in addition to the weight of the duct and the underwater buoy . then , by mooring said pulling buoy to said seabed installation and then releasing or progressively paying out said suspension line from the surface vessel , said underwater buoy and said tubular duct descend progressively toward the seabed installation , because the traction cable is drawn through the direction - changing means by the pulling buoy which is itself drawn toward the surface . however , the buoy is retained by the mooring line that connects it to the seabed installation . from this time onward , the forces exerted on the suspension line between the underwater buoy and the surface vessel cancel out . the benefit of this is precisely that , as soon as the forces exerted on the suspension line tend toward zero and , for example , the surface vessel is lifted by the swell in a vertical direction away from the seabed , the forces exerted on the assembly comprising the chain , the suspension lines , the underwater buoy , the duct and the traction cable are then transferred to the pulling buoy , which is therefore drawn toward the seabed . this obviously retains all the elements of the aforementioned chain assembly , as the pulling cable is not anchored to the seabed , as is the case in the prior art . said gas lighter than water is advantageously substituted for the water in said submersible floats to compensate the traction forces corresponding to the weight of the underwater buoy and to substantially half said additional traction forces exerted by means of the pulling buoy . moreover , in one particular embodiment of the invention , to connect the connection end to said seabed installation , said pulling buoy is released from said seabed installation so that it rises toward said surface so as to draw said connecting end in the opposite direction , toward said seabed installation . to do this , damper means are provided for receiving the connecting end when , on descending , it approaches the seabed installation .	1
as seen in fig1 a stacker s is mounted on a roll up base b of a standard stacker on which a stacker tray t is mounted for upward and downward movement on belts 1 under the control of a suitable control system which , as is well known , is adapted to progressively lower the tray t as sheets or sets of sheets are stacked thereon during operation of the printer or copier p , as the sets are fed in the direction of the arrow through an infeed 2 into the sheet receiving apparatus r of the present invention . referring to fig2 and 3 , it will be seen that there are two reversely constructed side paper supports which are selectively connectable to the stacker s by suitable support means 3 and fasteners 4 . each of the sheet supporting means or structures includes a frame bearing base 5 below which is mounted a support plate 6 adapted to be extended and retracted from beneath the plate 5 by a motor m 1 . a motor m 2 , which is a stepper motor , is adapted to drive inwardly and outwardly joggers 7 . the motor m 1 is reversible and adapted through a pair of racks , or other comparable means , to extend the sheet support plate 6 by gearing 9 and 10 , gear 10 being engaged with the racks 8 so as to cause extension and retraction of the plate 6 . motor m 2 is adapted to drive gears 11 which are engaged with racks 12 , or other comparable means , so as to extend and retract the jogger 7 . in the preferred form illustrated , the motor driven gear 9 engages the respective gears 10 which are mounted on an external shaft 13 ( best seen in fig3 b and 3c ) through which an internal shaft 14 extends for extending and retracting the jogger 7 by reverse rotation of motors m 1 and m 2 . referring to fig3 a , the jogger 7 is shown in a retracted position while the plate 6 is shown in an extended position . the plate 6 is grooved at 6 a to allow the jogger 7 to extend below the sheet supporting top surface of the plate which , as seen in fig3 b , is designated 6 b . suitable fastenings 15 connect the sheet support plate 6 to a portion of the rack 8 extending downward through a slot 16 in the base plate 5 . a similar structure is at the opposite side of the apparatus from the side shown in fig3 . the mode of operation of the structure , for purposes of receiving and offsetting stacks of sheets st , is seen by reference to fig5 a through 5e , in which it will be seen that the support plate 6 , at each side of the apparatus , is extended one toward the other so that a stack of sheets is supported thereby , as the sheets exit the copier or printer p . the stacker tray t is independent of the sheet receiving apparatus r and is adapted to progressively move downwardly as sets are stacked thereon . as seen in fig5 b , the joggers 7 have been moved toward one another so as to contact and edge align the sheets in the stack which is supported on the extensible and retractable plates 6 . in fig5 c , however , the plates 6 are retracted so that the set of sheets is free to gravitate to the top of the previously stacked set in an offset relation , as the stacker tray t has been moved downwardly by the usual stacker tray control means . in fig5 d the set of sheets has been allowed by downward movement of tray t to fall in jogged and offset relation to the previously standard set . in fig5 e , it will be seen that the sheet supporting plates 6 have again been returned toward one another in preparation for receiving an additional set of sheets . in fig5 f through 5j , the operation of the receiver is shown as functioning simply to receive progressive sets of sheets , jog the sheets into edge alignment and drop the sets , which are stacked one on the other in vertical alignment . referring to fig6 and 7 , the apparatus is shown as including means for stapling or finishing the sets before they are dropped from the plate 6 onto the stacker tray t . in this embodiment , the supporting structure for the frame plate 5 is shaped so as to accommodate the “ stapler ” and an upper mounting bracket 20 hangs the plate 5 by suitable fastenings 21 and a fastener 4 a attaches the bracket 20 to the support structure 3 . in addition the bracket 20 provides support for the stapler as by means of fastenings 22 . the set of sheets st , as previously indicated , is movable by the stepper motor m 2 and the jogging members 7 , so that , as shown in fig6 the set st can be moved into a slot 23 in the stapler for permitting the driving of a staple shown at 24 through the set of sheets when the set is in the broken line position of fig6 . thereafter , the jogging members 7 may be returned to cause movement of the set st from the stapler slot or throat back to a position at which the plates 6 may be opened to deposit the sets on the stacker tray t in either the offset or non - offset relation , but preferably with the stacked set offset to minimize the effect of the staple thickness on the ability of the stacker tray to hold a maximum of stacked sets . in the embodiment , as illustrated in fig6 and 7 , it will be seen that the mechanism for extending and retracting the plate 6 and extending and retracting the joggers 7 is the same as described previously . it is also possible within the purview of the invention to modify the jogging structure to provide a single jogging member 7 extendable and retractable relative to the apparatus at the opposite sides of the inlet to the receiver . other changes and alterations may be made in the structure or the arrangement of parts of the apparatus .	1
it is an objective of the disclosed invention to provide an effective frequency control method for self - oscillating modulators which does not produce significant extra distortion . actual self oscillating pulse width modulators have disadvantages as the switching frequency is not constant , but varies significantly with input signal amplitude , output power and with supply voltage . as they typically operate in the range of several hundred khz , they often interfere with am - radio frequencies . a typical self - oscillating pulse width modulator comprises an integrator , integrating the input signal , a hysteretic comparator , typically , but not necessarily followed by a buffer circuit and a feedback signal path , returning the output signal pulses to the integrator . the self oscillating ( or hysteretic ) modulator type benefits from theoretically infinite loop gain , resulting in very low noise and distortion values . compared to the conventional pwm type ( which uses some kind of external clock ), the switching frequency is not constant , but varies with input signal amplitude vin , output power and supply voltage , as shown in fig2 . the moving frequency fp can create several problems : with large input signal amplitude , i . e . with high modulation depths the pulse frequency fp becomes very low and may interfere with the ( audio ) signal . the switching frequency is minimum for the largest absolute amplitudes . in addition , whenever the output signal approaches either supply line ( vdd or vss ) the switching frequency tends to become very low . further the switching noise created on the supply line disturbs other circuits and can &# 39 ; t be filtered effectively due to the wide frequency range . as shown in the conceptual circuit of fig1 , the self oscillating pulse width modulator contains an integrator int , a hysteretic comparator h - comp , a buffer buf and the feedback fb . the integrator integr is built by an operational amplifier and the integrating components capacitor c 1 and resistor r 1 . the hysteretic comparator h - comp is represented by a switching comparator and the external component rh . see also fig6 a with the two resistor rh and rfb defining the hysteresis and vref as the reference voltage . an optional buffer stage buf isolates the output vout from said hysteretic comparator h - comp . the digital output signal typically passes some form of low pass filter filt . the feedback fb through resistor r 2 closes the loop of said self - oscillating pulse width modulator . one key element of the invention is a frequency to threshold correction value generator , implemented in a first additional feedback loop , built by a circuit and method to measure the pulse frequency of the pulse width modulator and convert it into a signal , which is basically proportional to the frequency , to produce an appropriate correction signal . the resulting signal is then fed to a summing point , where the switching threshold of the hysteretic comparator is modified in order to stabilize the frequency . said first additional feedback loop regulates the pulse frequency in a continuous - time “ smooth ” mode the invention may best be understood by referring to the following descriptions and accompanying drawings , which illustrate the invention . fig3 shows the same basic circuit of fig1 with the first development step for an additional feedback loop fbl , implementing a frequency to threshold correction generator ftcg and connected between the hysteretic comparator &# 39 ; s output with the signal vp and the threshold summing point sumpt . said frequency to threshold correction generator feeds its output signal icomp , which has a value proportional to the pulse frequency , into resistor rh , causing the comparator &# 39 ; s threshold to shift accordingly . as the threshold point of a hysteretic comparator shifts up and down with each switching operation . it is obvious , the optimum shift of threshold voltage might be different if the output pulse is actually positive or negative . as a consequence said threshold correction signal to be fed into the threshold summing point must assume two different values , dependent on the actual status of the hysteretic comparator &# 39 ; s output . ideally however , if the hysteretic switching characteristic is symmetric , a correction signal with the same absolute value with just positive or negative polarity could be applied as the two threshold correction signals . a second key element of the invention therefore is a correction value selector , implemented in a second additional feedback loop , using a circuit and method to alternate between said two threshold correction signals , which is dependent on the hysteretic comparator &# 39 ; s actual output phase . said alternating mechanism would receive said threshold correction values which are proportional to the pulse frequency and would then provide that selected signal intended to shift the hysteretic comparator &# 39 ; s threshold voltage . said second additional feedback loop operates in a discrete binary “ switching ” mode . in case said hysteretic comparator is not fully symmetric in its operation , the optimum may require two different values of said correction signal to be provided , followed by said alternating mechanism , that selects one of said two correction values , depending on the hysteretic comparator &# 39 ; s output phase . however , as long as said hysteretic comparator is symmetric in its operation , which is often the case , the optimum is to produce just one signal , representing the absolute value of the correction signal and to just mirror said one signal to provide said two threshold correction signals with the same absolute value , but with opposite polarity . one of said correction signals is then selected and provided to said threshold summing point . fig4 illustrates as one example the variation of frequency with large amplitude of a sinusoidal signal input vin with the additional feedback implemented , which compensates for frequency variation . variation of the pulse frequency fp is now significantly reduced compared to the situation in fig2 . fig5 a and fig5 b now show both , said first additional feedback loop fbl 1 and said second additional feedback loop fbl 2 , the combination of both connected between the hysteretic comparator &# 39 ; s output with the signal vp and the threshold summing point sumpt . in the shown example in fig5 a , assuming a non - symmetric situation , said frequency to threshold correction value generator is implemented for example with a frequency to current converter fcc , producing two compensation signals as current icomp 1 and icomp 2 and , further , with an alternating mechanism alt selecting one of the two provided compensation signals , depending on the hysteretic comparator &# 39 ; s output phase . in the shown example in fig5 b , assuming a more symmetric situation , said frequency to threshold correction value generator is implemented for example with a frequency to current converter fcc , producing a single compensation signal as current \| icomp \| and , further , with a mirroring and alternating mechanism mirr + alt , made of a current mirror and the appropriate switches , providing icomp with positive or negative polarity . in both examples , fig5 a and fig5 b , the resulting compensation signal is fed as current icomp into said threshold summing point sumpt , which then results in the hysteresis voltage vh at said hysteretic comparator &# 39 ; s input . in the case of a non - symmetric switching characteristic of the hysteretic comparator , where 2 different correction values icomp 1 and icomp 2 are to be provided as in fig5 a , the frequency compensating signals may be produced according to the following formulas : with k 1 , k 2 = design constant , e . g . measurement gain ; fp = frequency of pulses ; iadd 1 , iadd 1 = additive component . in the case of a symmetric switching characteristic of the hysteretic comparator , where a single absolute value icomp 1 is to be provided , as in fig5 b , the frequency compensating signal may be produced according to the following formula : with k = design constant , e . g . measurement gain ; fp = frequency of pulses ; iadd = additive component . fig6 b serves to illustrate the realization of a normal hysteretic comparator , using the same circuit as in fig6 a and with the addition of a threshold shifting function . in fig6 b the threshold compensation current icomp feeds through resistor rcomp into the threshold summing point sumpt . the relevant resistance to calculate the relevant voltage shift , which is caused by said compensation current is the parallel connection of rh and rfb . as a summary , in an ideal situation , said frequency to threshold correction value generator produces the absolute value of the threshold correction signal ( absolute value of change ) and said alternating mechanism determines the polarity of said threshold correction signal ( direction of change ). as already mentioned , said first additional feedback loop regulates the pulse frequency in a continuous - time “ smooth ” mode and said second additional feedback loop operates in a discrete binary “ switching ” mode , thus perfectly separating the analog and the digital functions . it is a further concept of the invention to implement said frequency to threshold correction value generator with a switched capacitor circuit technique , followed by a low pass filter . said two threshold correction values to be switched by the alternating mechanism are then produced by a current or voltage mirroring technique . fig7 illustrates the basic block diagram of such a concept , whereas fig8 shows the same concept in some more detail , implemented with a frequency to current converter and with a current mirror . as an example in fig7 , a frequency dependent element , built by a frequency constant element r 1 and a frequency variable element r 2 , produce a signal with steady dependence on the frequency fp , and feeds a transconductance amplifier ota to produce the absolute ( frequency dependent ) current \| ih \|. the alternating mechanism pol - sw then selects the polarity of ih , to be finally supplied to said threshold correction summing point . the switched capacitor circuit in fig8 , built by c 1 and c 2 and by s 1 and s 2 , that are alternately controlled by vp and inverted vp , represent a frequency dependent element . a subsequent low pass filter , built by rf and cf , is smoothing the resulting voltage vx . the frequency constant element ( refer to fig7 ) could be a resistive element — it could , as shown in the example of fig8 , even be a constant current source i 1 . the transconductance amplifier ota then produces a ( frequency dependent ) current with absolute value \| ih \|. the current mirror arrangement , built by transistors t 1 to t 4 , produces current + 1 h and − ih . and finally , the selection mechanism , made of switches s 3 and s 4 , which are controlled by vp and inverted vp , provide said threshold compensation signal ih to said threshold correction summing point . the method to significantly reduce the frequency variation of a self - oscillating pulse width modulator provides the means for a self oscillating pulse width modulator , comprising an integrator , a hysteretic comparator , an output buffer and a feedback loop for the output signal to said integrator input , a first additional feedback loop with a frequency to threshold correction value generator , comprising means to generate a signal representing a measure of the pulse frequency ; and a second additional feedback loop with a correction value selector , comprising means to alternate the polarity of said signal representing a measure of the pulse frequency depending on the output pulse status and a feedback summing point at the hysteretic comparator &# 39 ; s threshold reference input , receiving the combined signal built by the signal representing a measure of the pulse frequency and switched to the proper polarity and value ( 81 ). the method first takes a signal probe at the hysteretic comparator output or it takes a signal probe of the pulse width modulated pulses , then generates , typically one or two signals , which are a measure of the frequency of said pulse width modulated pulses ( 82 ). in the case of a non - ideal , i . e . non - symmetric , situation , it produces two values of different polarity . in case of an ideal symmetric situation , it produces a single absolute value , which is then mirrored into two signals of identical value , but of opposite polarity ( 83 ). then an alternating mechanism selects , depending on the actual output phase of said hysteric comparator , which value or polarity to select ( 84 ). then the threshold correction signal is fed into the threshold correction summing point ( 85 ). whenever the frequency to threshold correction value generator indicates a change ( 86 ), the hysteretic comparator &# 39 ; s threshold voltage is modified depending on the direction of change ( 87 ), by either rising ( 88 ) or lowering ( 89 ) the threshold voltage . while the invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to the preferred embodiments thereof , it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention .	7
fig1 shows , in side view , a tank 1 , in which a liquid is stored at the beginning of a mixing process as the first substance of a mixture of substances to be produced . a mixing mechanism 3 driven by a stirrer drive 2 reaches into the tank . the mixing mechanism 3 preferably extends to the lower region of the tank 1 in order to produce effective thorough mixing . a product infeed valve 4 , which is connected also to a first product infeed line 5 , is attached at the bottom of the tank 1 , which is tapered downwardly . the first product infeed line 5 opens through a first product inlet connector 6 into a mixing unit 7 . also attached to the mixing unit 7 is a second product inlet connector 8 , to which a product inlet valve 9 is connected . the product inlet valve 9 is also connected to a second product infeed line 10 , which extends , in the illustration of fig1 , into a bag 11 filled with powder as the second substance . to carry out the mixing process , the mixing unit 7 is connected to a mixer drive 12 . finally , the mixing unit 7 has a product outlet connector 13 to which a product outlet valve 14 is connected . the product outlet valve 14 is also connected to a product delivery line 15 that extends into the top of tank 1 . when carrying out the mixing process for mixing the liquid stored in tank 1 as the first substance with the powder stored in the bag 11 as the second substance , the liquid and the powder arrive at the mixing unit 7 , and are mixed there with one another as explained in farther detail below , and the resultant product is transferred back into the tank 1 . there , the product that has just left the mixing unit 7 is mixed with the liquid in tank 1 and with the already mixed product already present in tank 1 , and is thereafter again fed to the mixing unit 7 , until the mixing process is complete with an end product that is located in tank 1 . fig2 is a partially cutaway view of a first embodiment of the mixing unit 7 . the mixing unit 7 has a drive shaft 16 which is connected to the mixing drive 12 of fig1 . the drive shaft 16 is securely connected to a rotor 17 which is located in a mixing chamber 18 . rotor 17 has a partition plate 20 extending outwardly radially from a plug bushing 19 connected to the drive shaft 16 . axially oriented inner blades 21 are distributed circumferentially on the outer edge of the partition plate , or disc 20 . the inner blades 21 extend only on one side of the partition plate 20 in the embodiment according to fig2 . the rotor 17 also has outer blades 22 spaced radially from inner blades 21 , and which extend essentially over the entire height of the mixing chamber 18 and are enclosed by an outer wall 23 of mixing chamber 18 . the mixing unit 7 is also equipped with a stator designed as a double - row stator 24 which is attached to a cover flange 25 which closes off mixing chamber 18 in the area of the second product inlet connector 8 . the double - row stator 24 is cup - shaped with a circumferential wall 26 which is located between inner blades 21 and outer blades 22 of the rotor 17 . outer wall 23 of the mixing chamber 18 is apertured in an outlet area 27 in which the product outlet connector 13 is located . fig3 is a partially cutaway side view of double - row stator 24 of the mixing unit 7 according to fig2 . double - row stator 24 includes a number of first holes 29 provided in wall 26 and which are arranged circumferentially as trapezoids in a fist row 28 , uniformly spaced and with rounded corners . double - row stator 24 also includes a second row 30 of second holes 31 which are likewise provided in wall 26 , uniformly spaced and with rounded corners . second holes 31 of second row 30 are not as wide , circumferentially , as first holes 29 of first row 28 . the number of holes 31 in second row 30 is also greater than the number of holes 29 in the first row 28 . in the embodiment of the double - row stator 24 according to fig3 , the holes 29 , 31 are aligned at an angle to the longitudinal axis of the double - row stator 24 . holes 29 , 31 are also arranged at an angle to one another . a continuous circumferential intermediate rail 32 is provided between holes 29 , 31 of two rows 28 , 30 . the width of intermediate rail 32 in the axial direction of double - row stator 24 is smaller than the width of partition plate 20 in the axial direction of rotor 17 . an edge rail 37 borders holes 31 at the ends of holes 31 opposite rail 32 . in operation , the mixing process with a mixing unit 7 according to fig2 and fig3 takes place as follows . liquid or already partially mixed product flows in the first product inlet connector 6 from the tank 1 into the mixing chamber 18 . powder as the second substance , for example , flows through the second product inlet connector 8 into the mixing chamber 18 . the mixing chamber 18 is divided into a first mixing region and a second mixing region by partition plate 20 , with one row 28 , 30 of holes 29 , 31 of different dimensions in each case acting in each mixing region . since partition plate 20 is wider than intermediate rail 32 and since wall 26 of the stator is immersed between inner blades 21 and outer blades 22 of rotor 17 , it is guaranteed that substance exchange between the mixing regions is prevented . in a mixing unit 7 according to fig2 with a double - row stator 24 according to fig3 , thorough mixing that is already relatively good occurs in the first mixing region because of the relatively large dimensions of the first holes 29 , combined with a relatively high throughput of the entering second substance . because of the narrower dimensions of second holes 31 of the second row 30 compared to the dimensions of the first holes 29 of the first row 28 , substantially more intensive mixing of the product , which is already partially mixed , occurs in the second mixing region even just after beginning the mixing process , compared to the first mixing region , yet still with a sufficiently high throughput . the arrow - like orientation of holes 29 , 31 also increases the transport action in both mixing regions compared to an orientation parallel to the longitudinal direction of the double - row stator 24 . fig4 shows a modification of the double - row stator 24 according to fig3 in which the second holes 31 of the second row 30 are oriented parallel to the first holes 29 of the first row 28 , and the holes 29 , 31 in each case are at an angle to the longitudinal axis of the double - row stator 24 . in this modification , relatively intensive transport , especially of powder as the second substance , into the first mixing region is retained , while because of the orientation of the second holes 31 of the second row 30 modified from the direction of rotation of the rotor 17 , compared to the design according to fig3 , more intensive mixing is produced in the second mixing region with somewhat reduced throughput . it is to be understood that other variants with regard to the orientation and dimensions of the holes 29 , 31 of the rows 28 , 30 can be provided for , depending on the particular throughputs and mixing intensities to be produced in the mixing regions in each case . for example , if the second substance infed through the second product inlet connector 8 has to be relatively intensively mixed even in the first infeed , but then must be subjected only to relatively low mixing forces , the holes in the first mixing region are of relatively small dimensions and in relatively large number , and the holes in the second mixing region are less numerous and of relatively large dimensions . fig5 shows a mixing unit 7 that is similar to the mixing unit 7 described with reference to fig2 , except for the stator . in this case , identical elements are given the same reference symbols and are not described below in further detail . the mixing unit 7 of fig5 is made with a single - row stator 33 as the stator , whose wall 34 extends only to the area of the partition plate 20 of the rotor 17 and thus only over the first mixing region of the mixing chamber 18 , so that the gap between the inner blades 21 and the outer blades 22 of the rotor 17 is open in the second mixing region . fig6 shows a side view of the single - row stator 33 according to fig5 . holes 35 are introduced into the wall 34 of the single - row stator 33 that are arranged in only one row 36 and are arranged at an angle to the longitudinal direction corresponding to the holes 29 , 31 of the double - row stators 24 of fig3 and fig4 . the holes 35 end in a border or edge rail 37 at their end pointing toward the center of the mixing chamber 18 that is thinner than the partition plate 20 , corresponding to the intermediate rail 32 of the double - row stators 24 . the mixing process using a single - row stator 33 corresponds basically to the mixing process with a double - row stator 24 described with reference to fig2 and fig3 , so that the single - row stator 33 can be considered as the theoretical limiting case of a double - row stator 24 with a single hole in the second row extending over the entire circumference . when using a single - row stator 33 , the mixing process in the second mixing region is determined solely by the interaction of the inner blades 21 and the outer blades 22 of the rotor 17 , with no mixing , or only extremely little mixing , occurring because of this , for example in the case of products which are very sensitive to shear , such as microballoons , hollow beads , or thickening polymers . while this invention has been described as having a preferred design , the present invention can be further modified within the spirit and scope of this disclosure . this application is therefore intended to cover any variations , uses , or adaptations of the invention using its general principles . further , this application is intended to cover such departures from the present disclosure as come within known or customary practice in the art to which this invention pertains and which fall within the limits of the appended claims .	1
referring at this time more particularly to fig1 a typical miniaturized electrical system according to the present invention is depicted therein . as shown in phantom lines in fig1 a typical structure such as a doll house 10 may be provided with the electrical system according to this invention . the doll house structure may include the opposite side wall portions 12 and 14 , the floor portion 16 , the first floor ceiling panel 18 which also provides the floor for the second floor of the structure , the back wall structure 20 and the second floor ceiling panel 22 , substantially as is shown . the second floor is also shown divided into two rooms by the divider panel 24 . it is appreciated that other and different structures may be provided , as may be desired . also shown in fig1 is a double outlet wall socket indicated generally by the reference character 26 into one female socket of which is plugged a transformer assembly indicated generally by the reference character 28 and which has a pair of leads 30 , 32 extending therefrom for supplying a 12 volt nominal a . c . voltage to the miniaturized electrical system . such transformers are commercially available and should require no further description . the leads 30 , 32 are provided with a male plug 34 and is plugged into a junction splice subassembly 36 such as that disclosed in the wolf u . s . pat . no . 3 , 763 , 307 of oct . 2 , 1973 , and which is secured to the outer side of the side wall 20 and has metal foil conductor leads 38 and 40 which are projected through suitable openings in the panel 20 into the interior of the first floor space of the structure as shown . in a manner hereinafter particularly described , the ends of the leads 38 , 40 are connected by a suitable conductive strip run 42 and a crossing conductive strip run 44 ultimately to the miniaturized ceiling fixture device indicated generally by the reference character 46 . where the conductors pass through the panel 18 , a through splice assembly 48 is utilized , as hereinafter more particularly described and it will be appreciated that the ceiling fixture 46 includes metal foil conductors 50 , 52 which are electrically connected to an end of the conductive tape extending thereto , also as hereinafter more particularly described . the conductive tape run 54 crosses the run 44 on the back wall 20 as is shown and is electrically connected thereto as hereinafter described and is provided with short runs 56 , 58 and 60 to which the miniaturized wall outlets 62 , 64 and 66 are electrically connected , as hereinafter described . the run 54 is also connected to the run 68 which extends to a further ceiling fixture 70 and a further run 72 connects with the run 54 as shown and , through the intermediary of a through splice indicated generally by the reference character 74 , connects with a run 76 on which a further wall outlet 78 is provided and which extends to a further miniaturized ceiling fixture 80 , as shown . further , in the specific arrangement shown , the run 76 is electrically connected with a further run 82 and through a short run 84 to a wall outlet assembly 86 and , lastly , the run 88 is electrically connected with the run 90 and through the short runs 92 and 94 to the further outlets 96 and 98 . referring at this time more particularly to fig1 - 4 , details of installing one of the components of the kit is shown therein . the component depicted is the junction splice 36 illustrated in fig1 and consists of a female socket assembly and a conductive lead assembly integrated therewith . initially , the inner protective sheet for the adhesive strip 112 of the body 100 is peeled away back to the body 100 and torn off so that the adhesive strip 112 may be applied to the outer side of the panel 20 as shown in fig1 and also in fig2 - 4 . the wall 20 is provided with a pair of openings 120 and 122 through which the metal foil conductors 38 and 40 are projected , as illustrated and whereas this through connection may be made by cutting away a part of the double adhesive strip 112 thus exposing the ends of the conductors 38 and 40 , the connection may also be made by means of a through splice hereinafter described in conjunction with fig9 . in any event , the metal foil conductors 38 and 40 are engaged against the inner surface of the wall or panel 20 and along the floor 16 as shown in fig4 and firmly held in place at their free ends by a strip 130 of scotch brand transparent tape . similarly , after the outer protective sheet is peeled away from the double sided adhesive strip 112 , a strip of scotch brand tape may be applied as indicated at 132 in fig2 - 4 . the body 100 may be secured in place as by means of a suitable adhesive or , by a suitable brad or nail 134 , as illustrated . each of the ceiling fixtures includes a flexible strip 136 having adhesive on both sides and initially provided with protective paper or peel away strips on either side ; one of which is indicated at 138 in fig1 . the ceiling fixture includes a base 140 made of insulating material and which affixes a bulb 142 therein , the opposite ends of the filament of the bulb 142 having connections as at 144 and 146 which are soldered or otherwise suitably connected to the two strips 50 and 52 . after the peel away strip or protective layer which is coextensive with the area of the double sided adhesive 136 is peeled away , the lamp may be adhered in the proper position and then the protective strip 138 may be peeled away to expose the two metal foil conductors 50 and 52 . for this purpose , it will be appreciated that the strip 138 is cut away around the base of the lamp 140 as indicated by the dashed line 148 in fig1 . another electrical device according to the present invention are the through splices indicated at 48 and 74 in fig1 and as are shown in more detail in fig9 . each through splice includes a short strip of flexible material having adhesive on both sides , such strip being indicated by the reference character 150 in fig9 and having the spaced , parallel conductors 152 and 154 adhered thereto and extending therefrom , as illustrated . suitable holes 156 are provided for the two conductors 152 and 154 and they are routed neatly against the surfaces as shown in fig9 and through the respective openings 156 . the exposed portions of the conductors 152 and 154 may be covered by suitable strips of scotch brand transparent tape as indicated at reference characters 158 and 160 . after all of the through splices such as those indicated by reference characters 48 and 74 , the junction splice as indicated by the reference character 36 and the various ceiling light fixtures as indicated by reference characters 46 , 70 and 80 have been positioned and properly oriented within the assembly , the various tape runs are then applied and routed to complete the electrical connections therebetween . thus , referring to fig4 the conductive tape run indicated by the reference character 42 , corresponding to the similar run in fig1 is applied to make electrical connections with the conductors 38 and 40 . to this end , the conductive tape incorporates a flexible strip 162 provided with adhesive on one side only and having adhesively secured thereto the metal foil conductors 164 and 166 which , as shown in fig3 and 4 , are overlapped with the ends of the conductors 38 and 40 in electrical contact therewith , with the adhesive strip 162 firmly sandwiching the conductors between such adhesive strip and the underlying surface of the floor 16 , as is clearly illustrated in fig4 . where a change of direction such as the right angular change of direction depicted in fig5 is desired between runs such as those indicated by reference characters 170 and 172 , they are simply crossed as shown and suitable brads 174 and 176 are driven through the corresponding metal foil conductors 178 , 180 and 182 , 184 electrically to connect the same . it will be appreciated that in the crossover configuration of the two runs 170 and 172 , the various conductors 178 - 184 are insulated from each other through the intermediary of the adhesive strip 186 and it is therefore the function of the brads 174 and 176 to effect the required and desired electrical connections . when a brad penetrates the metal foil , a &# 34 ; collar &# 34 ; of the foil is formed around the brad which makes good electrical contact therewith completely around the brad . thus , even though the two metal foils are separated by an insulating strip , the connections between the two &# 34 ; collars &# 34 ; and the brad ensures good electrical connection between the separated strips . such brads 171 preferably are also utilized even at those regions where direct electrical connection is made between strips , as in fig4 for example , in order to enhance the electrical connection and assure that the adhesive strips do not subsequently tend to peel away from the substrate . this is also illustrated in fig1 wherein the exposed strips 50 and 52 of the ceiling fixture are overlapped by the corresponding ends of the metal foil conductors 190 and 192 of the run 194 and are held thereagainst by the sandwiching action of the adhesive strips 136 and 196 after the protective layer 138 has been peeled away . in fig1 , the two brads 198 and 200 are illustrated nevertheless to assure that the end of the run 194 does not commence peeling away from the ceiling surface . see also fig1 . lastly , the wall outlets according to this invention are positioned and electrically connected into the system . each wall outlet is in the form of a circuit board chip as indicated by the reference character 202 in fig5 and having , on one face thereof , two plated conductor portions 204 and 206 as is illustrated in fig6 . the strips 204 and 206 are of widths corresponding to the widths of the metal foil conductors such as those indicated at 178 and 182 in fig5 and are correspondingly spaced apart . each chip 202 further includes four plated through plug opening holes oriented as the pairs 208 and 210 thereof , each chip is also provided with two brad - receiving plated through holes 212 and 214 , as is illustrated . these plated through holes are in electrical contact with the respective strip portions 204 and 206 as will be appreciated . thus , when the brads 216 and 218 pierce the single sided flexible adhesive strip 220 of the run 170 , they will make electrical contact with the conductors 178 and 182 thereof , correspondingly to effect electrical connections to the strips 204 and 206 and the corresponding holes 208 and 210 . also included in the kit of this invention are the plugs indicated generally by the reference character 220 in fig7 which are adapted to receive the bared ends of a pair of wires 222 of an electrical fixture such as a floor lamp or the like , which bared ends make contact with the metal prongs 224 and 226 of the plugs , the wires 222 being held in place by suitable adhesive such as room curable synthetic resinous material as indicated by the reference character 228 . the plugs 220 are staple items of commerce and are the bases or sockets of light emitting diodes , the prongs 224 and 226 making electrical connection through the plated through portions of the holes 208 or 210 , as will be evident . fig8 illustrates the fashion in which the wall outlets conveniently can be made . fig8 illustrates a negative pattern which is used to expose the photoresist on one side of a large sheet of circuit board and which photoresist covers the copper plating thereof and is adapted , when exposed to light , to harden so as to be resistent to subsequent solvent removal whereas the unexposed portions are removed by the solvent . the thus exposed copper plating is then etched to remove the exposed copper and thereby form the conductor strip portions 204 and 206 . thus , in fig8 the two areas 230 and 232 , for example , ultimately form the strips 204 and 206 ; the dots 234 and 236 form the pattern openings by means of which the holes 212 and 214 subsequently are located ; and the larger dots 238 form the pattern openings by means of which the holes 208 and 210 are located , all of which holes are later plated through as previously discussed . in this way , a large number of accurately formed wall outlet chips may be formed from a single large sheet of printed circuit board .	7
hereinafter , a semiconductor memory device , a reading method thereof , and a data storage device having the same according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings through exemplary embodiments . exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described below in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings . the present invention may , however , be embodied in different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein . rather , these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete , and will fully convey the scope of the present invention to those skilled in the art . the drawings are not necessarily to scale and in some instances , proportions may have been exaggerated in order to clearly illustrate features of the embodiments . in this specification , specific terms have been used . the terms are used to describe the present invention , and are not used to qualify the sense or limit the scope of the present invention . in this specification , ‘ and / or ’ represents that one or more of components arranged before and after ‘ and / or ’ is included . furthermore , ‘ connected / coupled ’ represents that one component is directly coupled to another component or indirectly coupled through another component . in this specification , a singular form may include a plural form as long as it is not specifically mentioned in a sentence . furthermore , ‘ include / comprise ’ or ‘ including / comprising ’ used in the specification represents that one or more components , steps , operations , and elements exists or are added . fig1 is a block diagram illustrating a semiconductor memory device according to an embodiment of the present invention . referring to fig1 , the semiconductor memory device 100 includes a memory cell array 110 , a row decoder 120 , a data input / output circuit 130 , an input / output buffer circuit 140 , and a control logic 150 . the memory cell array 110 includes a plurality of memory cells arranged , for example , at the respective intersections between bit lines bl 0 to bln and word lines wl 0 to wln . a memory cell storing one - bit data is referred to as a single level cell ( slc ). each slc is programmed in such a manner as to have a threshold voltage corresponding to one among an erased state and one programmed state . as another example , a memory cell storing two or more - bit data is referred to as a multi level cell ( mlc ). each mlc is programmed in such a manner as to have a threshold voltage corresponding to one among an erased state and a plurality of programmed states . the row decoder 120 is configured to select the word lines wl 0 to wlm in response to a row address radd . the row decoder 120 is configured to transfer various word line voltages provided from a voltage generator ( not illustrated ) to a selected word line and unselected word lines . for example , the row decoder 120 may transfer a read voltage to the selected word line and transfer a certain voltage for turning on cell transistors corresponding to the unselected word lines , during a read operation . as another example , the row decoder 120 may transfer a program voltage to the selected word line and transfer a pass voltage to the unselected word lines , during a program operation . the data input / output circuit 130 operates according to the control of the control logic 150 . the data input / output circuit 130 is configured to operate as a write driver or sense amplifier depending on an operation mode . for example , the data input / output circuit 130 may store data inputted through the input / output buffer circuit 140 in a memory cell of the memory cell array 110 , during a program operation . as another example , the data input / output circuit 130 may output data read from a memory cell of the memory cell array 110 through the data input / output buffer circuit 140 , during a read operation . the data input / output circuit 130 may include a plurality of data input / output circuits coupled to the respective bit lines bl 0 to bln . for this reason , the bit lines bl 0 to bln may be selected or controlled by the respective data input / output circuits . also , in the case of the nand flash memory device , the data input / output circuit 130 may comprise a page buffer . the control logic 150 is configured to control overall operations of the semiconductor memory device 100 in response to a control signal ctrl provided from an external device ( for example , a memory controller , a memory interface , a host or the like ). for example , the control logic 150 may control read , program ( or write ), and erase operations of the semiconductor memory device 100 . for this operation , the control logic 150 may control the data input / output circuit 130 . the control logic 150 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a flag data storing unit 160 and a row address storing unit 170 . the flag data storing unit 160 is configured to store data read from a flag cell . for example , the flag data storing unit 160 may include a register configured to store flag data . the row address storing unit 170 is configured to store a row address which is accessed to read the flag data stored in the flag data storing unit 160 . for example , the row address storing unit 170 may include a register configured to store a row address . according to an embodiment of the present invention , the semiconductor memory device 100 may use the flag data stored in the flag data storing unit 160 in the next read operation . whether or not the flag data stored in the flag data storing unit 160 is used for the next read operation may be decided according to the row address stored in the row address storing unit 170 . the reading method according to an embodiment of the present invention , in which flag data read in a previous read operation is used for a next read operation , will be described below in detail with reference to the is accompanying drawings . fig2 is a circuit diagram illustrating a memory block of the semiconductor memory device according to an embodiment of the present invention . fig3 is a diagram illustrating threshold voltage distributions of semiconductor memory cells according to an embodiment of the present invention . the memory cell array 110 of the semiconductor memory device 100 of fig1 may include a plurality of memory blocks . each of the memory blocks of the memory cell array 110 may be configured in the same manner as the memory block illustrated in fig2 . the memory block 111 includes a main cell area mca and a flag cell area fca . the main cell area mca is an area for storing data provided from the outside of the semiconductor memory device . although not illustrated , the main cell area mca may include a main area and a spare area . the main area is where user data provided from the outside of the semiconductor memory device is stored . the spare area is where information related to the user data stored in the main area , for example , metadata such as an error correction code is stored . the main cell area mca includes , for example , a plurality of cell strings st 0 to stn coupled to a plurality of bit lines bl 0 to bln . the cell strings st 0 to stn may have the same circuit configuration . for convenience of description , one cell string st 0 will be taken as a representative example . the cell string st 0 includes a plurality of memory cells mc 0 is to mcm and select transistors dst and sst , which are coupled between a bit line bl 0 and a common source line ssl . for example , the cell string st 0 includes a drain select transistor dst coupled to a drain select line dsl , a plurality of memory cells mc 0 to mcm coupled to a plurality of word lines wl 0 to wlm , respectively , and a source select transistor sst coupled to a source select line ssl . the flag cell area fca includes , for example , a plurality of flag cell strings st 0 f to stnf coupled to a plurality of flag bit lines bl 0 f to blnf , respectively . the flag cell strings st 0 f to stnf may have the same circuit configuration . for convenience of description , one flag cell string st 0 f will be taken as a representative example . the flag cell string st 0 f includes a plurality of flag cells fc 0 to fcm and select transistors dstf and sstf , which are coupled between the bit line bl 0 f and the common source line csl . for example , the flag cell string st 0 f includes a drain select transistor dstf coupled to the drain select line dsl , a plurality of flag cells fc 0 to fcm coupled to the respective word lines wl 0 to wlm , and a source select transistor sstf coupled to the source select line ssl . although not illustrated , the data input / output circuit 130 may include a plurality of data input / output circuits coupled to the respective bit lines bl 0 to bln of the main cell area mca and a plurality of input / output circuits coupled to the respective flag bit lines bl 0 f to blnf of the flag cell area fca . each of the flag cells of the flag cell area fca is used as a storage element for storing information on whether any one of memory cells of the corresponding main cell area mca was msb - programmed or not . therefore , the flag cell area fca is a hidden area which a user cannot access , unlike the main cell area mca for storing user data . in order to simplify the descriptions , a main cell group cgm of the main cell area mca and a flag cell group fcgm corresponding thereto will be taken as an example . each memory cell of the main cell group cgm may store a plurality of data bits ( for example , two or more bit - data ). such a memory cell is referred to as an mlc . for example , as illustrated in fig3 , the mlc is programmed in such a manner as to have a threshold voltage corresponding to one among an erased state e and a plurality of programmed states p 0 to p 2 . when each memory cell of the main cell group cgm stores two - bit data as illustrated in fig3 , a high bit ( hereafter , referred to as msb ) and a low bit ( hereafter , referred to as lsb ) are programmed . when the msb is programmed during a program operation , a corresponding flag cell is programmed . for example , when any one of the memory cells of the main cell group cgm is msb - programmed , all flag cells of the corresponding flag cell group fcgm are programmed . here , for example , each of the flag cells of the flag cell group fcgm stores one - bit data . that is , each of the flag cells of the flag cell group fcgm is programmed according to the slc method . according to the data stored in the flag cells of the flag cell group fcgm , whether the memory cells of the corresponding main cell group cgm were msb - programmed or not may be determined . therefore , an msb read operation may vary according to whether the flag cells were programmed or not , during a read operation . for example , when it is determined that the flag cells of the flag cell group fcgm were programmed , an msb read operation for the memory cells of the main cell area cgm may be normally performed . as another example , when it is determined that the flag cells of the flag cell group fcgm were not programmed , the msb read operation for the memory cells of the main cell area cgm may not be performed . that is , when it is determined that the flag cells of the flag cell group fcgm were not programmed , the msb read operation for the memory cells of the main cell group cgm may be omitted . the data stored in the flag cells of the flag cell group fcgm may be changed for a certain reason . for this reason , the flag cells of the flag cell group fcgm may be read through an error test . as such an error test , a majority test may be used . through the majority test , data holding a majority of the data stored in the flag cells of the flag cell group fcgm may be determined as data stored in the flag cells . when the data of all flag cells included in the flag cell area fca are read , the majority test may be applied . fig4 is a diagram illustrating an address scramble method applied to the multi - level memory device according to an embodiment of the present invention . with the increase in the number of data bits stored in a memory cell , a number of row address for accessing a memory cell of a memory device ( hereafter , referred to a multi - level memory device ) which stores multi - bit ( or multi - level ) data is increased . in order to efficiently manage such a row address , the address scramble method may be applied to the multi - level memory device . for example , fig4 illustrates a two - bit mlc array having an all - bit - line architecture and an address scramble method thereof . in the all - bit - line architecture , all bit lines bl 0 , bl 1 , . . . of a memory block may be simultaneously selected during a read / program operation , and memory cells coupled to the bit lines may be simultaneously read or programmed by a commonly - coupled word line . the unit of such memory cells may be referred to as a page . referring to fig4 , the page addresses of memory cells having an all - bit - line architecture are sequentially scrambled according to a word line . for example , an lsb page of memory cells coupled to the word line wl 0 may be scrambled to a page address 0 , and an msb page thereof may be scrambled to a page address 1 . furthermore , an lsb page of memory cells coupled to the word line wl 1 may be scrambled to a page address 2 , and an msb page thereof may be scrambled to a page address 3 . furthermore , an lsb page of memory cells coupled as the word line wl 2 may be scrambled to a page address 4 , and an msb page thereof may be scrambled to a page address 5 . the page addresses for the lsb page and the msb page of memory cells coupled to the subsequent word line may be scrambled in such a manner . according to an embodiment of the present invention , when the lsb page address and the msb page address of a memory cell are sequentially scrambled as illustrated in fig4 , flag data read during a previous read operation is used for a next read operation . that is , when the lsb page address and the msb page address of the memory cell are sequentially scrambled , the flag data read in the read operation of the lsb page are used for the read operation of the msb page . fig5 is a diagram illustrating another address scramble method which is applied to the multi - level memory device according to an embodiment of the present invention . for example , fig5 illustrates a two - bit mlc array having an even - odd bit line architecture and an address scramble method thereof . in the even - odd bit line architecture , the bit lines bl 0 , bl 1 , . . . are divided into even bit lines bl_e and odd bit lines bl_o . memory cells coupled to the even bit lines may be simultaneously read or programmed by a commonly - coupled word line . furthermore , memory cells coupled to the odd bit lines may be simultaneously read or programmed by a commonly - coupled word line . the unit of such memory cells may be referred to as a page . while the memory cells coupled to the odd bit lines are programmed at a first time , the memory cells coupled to the even bit lines are programmed at a second time . referring to fig5 , the page addresses of memory cells having an even - odd bit line architecture are sequentially scrambled according to a word line and bit lines ( that is , even bit line and odd bit line ). for example , an lsb page of memory cells coupled to even bit lines bl 0 _e , bl 1 _e , . . . and a word line wl 0 may be scrambled to a page address 0 , and an msb page thereof may be scrambled to a page address 1 . furthermore , an lsb page of memory cells coupled to odd bit lines bl 0 _o , bl 1 _o , . . . and the word line wl 0 may be scrambled to a page address 2 , and an msb page thereof may be scrambled to a page address 3 . furthermore , an lsb page of memory cells coupled to the even bit lines bl 0 _e , bl 1 _e , . . . and a word line wl 1 may be scrambled to a page address 4 , and an msb page thereof may be scrambled to a page address 5 . furthermore , an lsb page of memory cells coupled to the odd bit lines bl 0 _o , bl 1 _o , . . . and the word line wl 1 may be scrambled to a page address 6 , and an msb page thereof may be scrambled to a page address 7 . the page addresses for the lsb page and the msb page of memory cells coupled to the subsequent word line may be scrambled in such a manner . according to an embodiment of the present invention , when the lsb page address and the msb page address of a memory cell are sequentially scrambled as illustrated in fig5 , flag data read during a previous read operation is used for a next read operation . that is , when the lsb page address and the msb page address of the memory cell are sequentially scrambled , flag data read in a read operation of the lsb page may be used for a read operation of the msb page . fig6 is a flow chart showing the read operation of the semiconductor memory device according to an embodiment of the present invention . the read operation of the semiconductor memory device according to an embodiment of the present invention may be divided into a first case and a second case depending on a method of storing and reading flag data . hereafter , referring to fig1 to 6 , the read operation of the semiconductor memory device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail . first , the read operation in the first case will be described as follows . at step s 110 , when a read operation for an lsb page of a memory cell is requested , flag data for checking whether msb data of the memory cell was programmed or not is read . since the read operation for the lbs page may vary depending on whether the msb data was programmed or not , the flag data is read from a flag cell . the flag data is read through the data input / output circuit 130 . at step s 120 , the read flag data is stored in a data latch of the data input / output circuit 130 . the read flag data may remain in the data input / output circuit 130 until a read operation for a subsequent msb page is requested . furthermore , the read flag data is provided to the control logic 150 so as to be used for the read operation for the lsb page . at step s 130 , the data of the lsb page is read based on the read flag data . the lsb data may be read through a well - known read operation such as an lsb page read operation of the multi - level memory device . therefore , the detailed descriptions thereof will be omitted . at step s 140 , a row address of the lsb page requested for a read operation is stored in the row address storing unit 170 . that is , the lsb page address requested for the read operation is stored in the row address storing unit 170 . at step s 150 , whether the flag data read during the previous read operation can be used for the next read operation or not is determined . that is , whether or not an msb page address which is successively requested for a read operation after the read operation for the lsb page is equal to an address obtained by increasing the stored lsb page address by one is determined at the step s 150 . here , the stored lsb page address is the address stored in the row address storing unit 170 at the step s 130 . when the msb page address requested for a read operation is equal to the address obtained by increasing the stored lsb page address by one , the stored flag data may be used for the read operation for the msb page . in other words , when the sequential read operations for the lsb page and the msb page of the same memory cell are performed , the flag data for reading the lsb page is used for the read operation for the msb page . therefore , the procedure will proceed to step s 160 . on the other hand , when the msb page address requested for a read operation is different from the address obtained by increasing the stored lsb page address by one , the stored flag data is not used for the read operation for the msb page . in other words , when the sequential read operations for the lsb page and the msb page of the same memory cell are not performed , the flag data for reading the lsb page is not used for the read operation for the msb page . therefore , the procedure will proceed to step s 170 . at step s 160 , when the sequential read operations are performed , the data of the msb page is read based on the stored flag data . the flag data stored in the data input / output circuit 130 for reading a flag cell may be provided to the control logic 150 so as to be used for the read operation for the msb page . furthermore , the provided flag data is used for the read operation for the msb page . according to an embodiment of the present invention , since the flag data read during the read operation of the lsb page is used for the read operation of the msb page , a flag data read operation for the read operation of the msb page may be omitted . for this reason , the read operation of the semiconductor memory device 100 may be efficiently performed . at step s 170 , when the sequential read operations are not performed , the msb data is read out through a general read operation for the msb page . that is , flag data for checking whether the msb data of the corresponding memory cell was programmed or not is read out , and the msb data is read based on the read flag data . the read operation in the second case has a difference in the step of storing flag data from the read operation in the first case . the read operation in the second case will be described as follows . at step s 110 , when a read operation for an lsb page of a memory cell is requested , flag data for checking whether msb data of the corresponding memory cell was programmed or not is read . since the read operation for the lsb page may vary according to whether the msb data was programmed or not , the flag data is read from a flag cell . the flag data is read out through the data input / output circuit 130 . at step s 120 , the read flag data is stored in the flag data storing unit 160 . the flag data stored in the flag data storing unit 160 may maintain the value thereof , until a subsequent read operation for the msb page is requested . at step s 130 , the data of the lsb page is read based on the read flag data . the lsb data may be read through a well - known read operation such as the lsb page read operation of the multi - level memory device . therefore , the detailed descriptions thereof will be omitted . at step s 140 , a row address of the lsb page requested for a read operation is stored in the row address storing unit 170 . that is , the lsb page address requested for a read operation is stored in the row address storage unit 170 . at step s 150 , whether flag data read during a previous read operation may be used for a next read operation is determined . that is , whether or not the msb page address which is successively requested for a read operation after the read operation for the lsb page is equal to an address obtained by increasing the stored lsb page address by one is determined at the step s 150 . here , the stored lsb page address is the address stored in the row address storing unit 170 at step s 130 . when the msb page address requested for a read operation is equal to the address obtained by increasing the stored lsb page address by one , the stored flag data may be used for the read operation for the msb page . in other words , when the sequential read operations for the lsb page and the msb page of the same memory cell are performed , the flag data for reading the lsb page may be used for the read operation for the msb page . therefore , the procedure will proceed to step s 160 . on the other hand , when the msb page address requested for a read operation is different from the address obtained by increasing the stored lsb page address by one , the stored flag data is not used for the read operation for the msb page . in other words , when the sequential read operations for the lsb page and the msb page of the same memory cell are not performed , the flag data for reading the lsb page is not used for the read operation for the msb page . therefore , the procedure will proceed to step s 170 . at step 160 , when the sequential read operations are performed , the data of the msb page is read based on the flag data stored in the flag data storing unit 160 . according to an embodiment of the present invention , since the flag data read during the read operation of the lsb page is used for the read operation of the msb page , a flag data read operation for the read operation of the msb page may be omitted . for this reason , the read operation of the is semiconductor memory device 100 may be efficiently performed . at step s 170 , when the sequential read operations are not performed , the msb data is read through a general read operation of the msb page . that is , flag data for checking whether the msb data of the corresponding memory cell was programmed or not is read , and the msb data is read based on the read flag data . fig7 is a block diagram illustrating a data processing system including the semiconductor memory device according to an embodiment of the present invention . referring to fig7 , the data processing system 1000 includes a host 1100 and a data storage device 1200 . the data storage device 1200 includes a controller 1210 and a data storage medium 1220 . the data storage device 1200 may be coupled to the host 1100 such as a desktop computer , a notebook computer , a digital camera , a mobile phone , an mp3 player , a game machine or the like . the data storage device 1200 is also referred to as a memory system . the controller 1210 is coupled to the host 1100 and the data storage medium 1220 . the controller 1210 is configured to access the data storage medium 1220 in response to a request from the host 1100 . for example , the controller 1210 is configured to control a read , program , or erase operation of the data storage medium 1220 . the controller 1210 is configured to drive a firmware for controlling the data storage medium 1220 . the controller 1210 may include well - known components such as a host interface 1211 , a central processing unit ( cpu ) 1212 , a memory interface 1213 , a ram 1214 , and an error correction code ( ecc ) unit 1215 . the cpu 1212 is configured to control overall operations of the controller 1210 in response to a request of the host . the ram 1214 may be used as a working memory of the cpu 1212 . the ram 1214 may temporarily store data read from the data storage medium 1220 or data provided from the host 1100 . the host interface 1211 is configured to interface the host 1100 and the controller 1210 . for example , the host interface 1211 may be configured to communicate with the host 1100 through one of a usb ( universal serial bus ) protocol , a mmc ( multimedia card ) protocol , a pci ( peripheral component interconnection ) protocol , a pci - e ( pci - express ) protocol , a pata ( parallel advanced technology attachment ) protocol , a sata ( serial ata ) protocol , an scsi ( small computer system interface ) protocol , and an ide ( integrated drive electronics ) protocol . the memory interface 1213 is configured to interface the controller 1210 and the data storage medium 1220 . the memory interface 1213 is configured to provide a command and an address to the data storage medium 1220 . furthermore , the memory interface 1213 is configured to exchange data with the data storage medium 1220 . the data storage medium 1220 may comprise the semiconductor memory device 100 of fig1 according to an embodiment of the present invention . the data storage medium 1220 may include a plurality of semiconductor memory devices nvm 0 to nvmk . as the data storage medium 1220 is configured with the semiconductor memory device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention , the operation speed of the data storage device 1200 may be increased . the ecc unit 1215 is configured to detect an error of the data read from the data storage medium 1220 . furthermore , the ecc unit 1215 is configured to correct the detected error , when the detected error falls within a correction range . the ecc unit 1215 may be provided inside or outside the controller 1210 depending on the memory system 1000 . the controller 1210 and the data storage medium 1220 may comprise a solid state drive ( ssd ). as another example , the controller 1210 and the data storage medium 1220 may be integrated into one semiconductor device to form a memory card . for example , the controller 1210 and the data storage medium 1220 may be integrated into one semiconductor device to form a pcmcia ( personal computer memory card international association ) card , a cf ( compact flash ) card , a smart media card , a memory stick , a multi - media card ( mmc , rs - mmc , or mmc - micro ), an sd ( secure digital ) card ( sd , mini - sd , or micro - sd ), or a ufs ( universal flash storage ) card . as another example , the controller 1210 or the data storage medium 1220 may be mounted as various types of packages . for example , the controller 1210 or the data storage medium 1220 may is be packaged and mounted according to various methods such as pop ( package on package ), ball grid arrays ( bgas ), chip scale package ( csp ), plastic leaded chip carrier ( plcc ), plastic dual in - line package ( pdip ), die in waffle pack , die in wafer form , chip on board ( cob ), ceramic dual in - line package ( cerdip ), plastic metric quad flat package ( mqfp ), thin quad flat package ( tqfp ), small outline ic ( soic ), shrink small outline package ( ssop ), thin small outline package ( tsop ), thin quad flat package ( tqfp ), system in package ( sip ), multi chip package ( mcp ), wafer - level fabricated package ( wfp ), and wafer - level processed stack package ( wsp ). fig8 illustrates a memory card including the nonvolatile memory device according to an embodiment of the present invention . fig8 illustrates the exterior of a secure digital ( sd ) memory card among memory cards . referring to fig8 , the sd memory card includes one command pin ( for example , second pin ), one clock pin ( for example , fifth pin ), four data pins ( for example , first , seventh , eighth , and ninth pins ), and three power supply pins ( for example , third , fourth , and sixth pins ). through the command pin ( second pin ), a command and a response signal are transferred . in general , the command is transmitted to the sd card from a host , and the response signal is transmitted to the host from the sd card . the data pins ( first , seventh , eighth , and ninth pins ) are divided into receive ( rx ) pins for receiving data transmitted from the host and transmit ( tx ) pins for transmitting data to the host . the rx pins and the tx pins , respectively , may form a pair to transmit differential signals . the sd card includes the semiconductor memory device 100 of fig1 according to an embodiment of the present invention and a controller for controlling the semiconductor memory device . the controller included in the sd card may have the same configuration and function as the controller 1210 described with reference to fig7 . fig9 is a block diagram illustrating the internal configuration of the memory card illustrated in fig8 and the connection between the memory card and a host . referring to fig9 , the data processing system 2000 includes a host 2100 and a memory card 2200 . the host 2100 includes a host controller 2110 and a host connection unit 2120 . the memory card 2200 includes a card connection unit 2210 , a card controller 2220 , and a memory device 2230 . the host connection unit 2120 and the card connection unit 2210 include a plurality of pins . the pins may include a command pin , a clock pin , a data pin , and a power supply pin . the number of pins may vary depending on the type of the memory card 2200 . the host 2100 stores data in the memory card 2200 or reads data stored in the memory card 2200 . the host controller 2110 transmits a write command cmd , a clock signal clk generated from a clock generator ( not illustrated ) inside the host 2100 , and data data to the memory card 2200 through the host connection unit 2120 . the card controller 2220 operates in response to the write command received through the card connection unit 2210 . the card controller 2220 stores the received data data in the memory device 2230 , using a clock signal generated from a clock generator ( not illustrated ) inside the card controller 2220 , according to the received clock signal clk . the host controller 2110 transmits a read command cmd and the clock signal clk generated from the clock generator inside the host device 2100 to the memory card 2200 through the host connection unit 2120 . the card controller 2220 operates in response to the read command received through the card connection unit 2210 . the card controller 2220 reads data from the memory device 2230 using the clock signal generated from the clock generator inside the card controller 2220 , according to the received clock signal clk , and transmits the read data to the host controller 2110 . fig1 is a block diagram illustrating an ssd including the nonvolatile memory device according to an embodiment of the present invention . referring to fig1 , a data processing system 3000 includes a host device 3100 and an ssd 3200 . the ssd 3200 includes an ssd controller 3210 , a buffer memory device 3220 , a plurality of nonvolatile memory devices 3231 to 323 n , a power supply 3240 , a signal connector 3250 , and a power connector 3260 . the ssd 3200 operates in response to a request of the host device 3100 . that is , the ssd controller 3210 is configured to access the nonvolatile memory devices 3231 to 323 n in response to a request from the host 3100 . for example , the ssd controller 3210 is configured to control read , program , and erase operations of the nonvolatile memory devices 3231 to 323 n . the buffer memory device 3220 is configured to temporarily store data which are to be stored in the nonvolatile memory devices 3231 to 323 n . furthermore , the buffer memory device 3220 is configured to temporarily store data read from the nonvolatile memory devices 3231 to 323 n . the data which are temporarily stored in the buffer memory device 3220 are transmitted to the host 3100 or the nonvolatile memory devices 3231 to 323 n , according to the control of the ssd controller 3210 . the nonvolatile memory devices 3231 to 323 n are used as storage media of the ssd 3200 . each of the nonvolatile memory devices 3231 to 323 n may have the same configuration as the semiconductor memory device 100 of fig1 according to the embodiment of the present invention . each of the nonvolatile memory devices 3231 to 323 n may be configured with any one of nonvolatile memory devices such as pram , mram , reram , and fram . the respective nonvolatile memory devices 3231 to 323 n are coupled to the ssd controller 3210 through a plurality of channels ch 1 to chn . one channel may be coupled to one or more nonvolatile memory devices . the nonvolatile memory devices coupled to one channel may be coupled to the same signal bus and data bus . the power supply 3240 is configured to provide power pwr inputted through the power connector 3260 into the ssd 3200 . the power supply 3240 includes an auxiliary power supply 3241 . the auxiliary power supply 3241 is configured to supply power to normally terminate the ssd 3200 , when sudden power off occurs . the auxiliary power supply 3241 may include super capacitors capable of storing power pwr . the ssd controller 3210 is configured to exchange signals sgl with the host 3100 through the signal connector 3250 . here , the signals sgl may include commands , addresses , data and the like . the signal connector 3250 may be configured with a connector such as pata ( parallel advanced technology attachment ), sata ( serial advanced technology attachment ), scsi ( small computer system interface ), or sas ( serial scsi ), according to the interface method between the host 3100 and the ssd 3200 . fig1 is a block diagram illustrating the ssd controller illustrated in fig1 . referring to fig1 , the ssd controller 3210 includes a memory interface 3211 , a host interface 3212 , an ecc unit 3213 , a cpu 3214 , and a ram 3215 . the memory interface 3211 is configured to provide a command and an address to the nonvolatile memory devices 3231 to 323 n . furthermore , the memory interface 3211 is configured to exchange data with the nonvolatile memory devices 3231 to 323 n . the memory interface 3211 may scatter data transferred from the buffer memory device 3220 over the respective channels ch 1 to chn , according to the control of the cpu 3214 . furthermore , the memory interface 3211 transfers data read from the nonvolatile memory devices 3231 to 323 n to the buffer memory device 3220 , according to the control of the cpu 3214 . the host interface 3212 is configured to provide an interface with the ssd 3200 in response to the protocol of the host 3100 . for example , the host interface 3212 may be configured to communicate with the host 3100 through one of pata ( parallel advanced technology attachment ), sata ( serial advanced technology attachment ), scsi ( small computer small interface ), sas ( serial scsi ) protocols . furthermore , the host interface 3212 may perform a disk emulation function of supporting the host 3100 to recognize the ssd 3200 as a hard disk drive ( hdd ). the ecc unit 3213 is configured to generate parity bits based on the data transmitted to the nonvolatile memory devices 3231 to 323 n . the generated parity bits may be stored in spare areas of the nonvolatile memory devices 3231 to 323 n . the ecc unit 3213 is configured to detect an error of data read from the nonvolatile memory devices 3231 to 323 n . when the detected error falls within a correction range , the ecc unit 3213 may correct the detected error . the cpu 3214 is configured to analyze and process a signal sgl inputted from the host 3100 . the cpu 3214 controls overall operations of the ssd controller 3210 in response to a request of the host 3100 . the cpu 3214 controls the operations of the buffer memory device 3220 and the nonvolatile memory devices 3231 to 323 n according to firmware for driving the ssd 3200 . the ram 3215 is used as a working memory device for driving the firmware . fig1 is a block diagram illustrating a computer system in which a data storage device having the nonvolatile memory device according to an embodiment of the present invention is mounted . referring to fig1 , the computer system 4000 includes a network adapter 4100 , a cpu 4200 , a data storage device 4300 , a ram 4400 , a rom 4500 , and a user interface 4600 , which are electrically coupled to the system bus 4700 . here , the data storage device 4300 may be configured with the data storage device 1200 illustrated in fig7 or the ssd 3200 illustrated in fig1 . the network adapter 4100 is configured to provide an interface between the computer system 400 and external networks . the cpu 4200 is configured to perform overall arithmetic operations for driving an operating system or application programs staying in the ram 4400 . the data storage device 4300 is configured to store overall data required by the computer system 4000 . for example , the operating system for driving the computer system 4000 , application programs , various program modules , program data , and user data may be stored in the data storage device 4300 . the ram 4400 may be used as a working memory device of the computer system 4000 . during booting , the operating system , application programs , various program modules , which are read from the data storage device 4300 , and program data required for driving the programs are loaded into the ram 4400 . the rom 4500 stores a basic input / output system ( bios ) which is enabled before the operating system is driven . through the user interface 4600 , information exchange is performed between the computer system 4000 and a user . although not illustrated in the drawing , the computer system 4000 may further include a battery , application chipsets , a camera image processor ( cip ) and the like . while certain embodiments have been described above , it will be understood to those skilled in the art that the embodiments described are by way of example only . accordingly , the device and method described herein should not be limited based on the described embodiments . rather , the device and method described herein should only be limited in light of the claims that follow when taken in conjunction with the above description and accompanying drawings .	6
it has been found that if fatty acid anhydride or a blend of fatty acid anhydride and ketene dimer are added , together with an insolubilizing agent to a pulp slurry at a near neutral ph ( for example , ph 6 . 0 to 7 . 5 , preferably 6 . 5 to 7 . 5 , or preferably 6 . 7 to 7 . 3 ) and the pulp is then formed into board , the board has good resistance to edge penetration by both hot hydrogen peroxide and lactic acid solutions . moreover , it has been found that the resistance of the board to hot hydrogen peroxide is unexpectedly better when a blend of fatty acid anhydride and ketene dimer are used than would be predicted by adding together the effects of the two sizes when used alone . the reactive sizing agents useful in this invention can be emulsified separately and added separately to the pulp slurry , emulsified separately then mixed together at the addition point before addition to the pulp slurry or blended before emulsification . any of the ketene dimers known in the art may be used in the process of the present invention . ketene dimers used as sizing agents are dimers having the formula : wherein r1 and r2 are alkyl radicals , which may be saturated or unsaturated , having from 6 to 24 carbon atoms , preferably more than 10 carbon atoms and most preferably from 14 to 16 carbon atoms . r1 and r2 can be the same or different . these ketene dimers are well known , for example from u . s . pat . no . 2 , 785 , 067 , the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference . suitable ketene dimers include decyl , dodecyl , tetradecyl , hexadecyl , octadecyl , eicosyl , docosyl , tetracosyl ketene dimers , as well as ketene dimers prepared from palmitoleic acid , oleic acid , ricinoleic acid , linoleic acid , myristoleic acid and eleostearic acid . the ketene dimer may be a single species or may contain a mixture of species . the most preferred ketene dimers are alkyl ketene dimers prepared from c14 - c22 linear saturated fatty acids . acid anhydrides used as sizing agents can be characterized by the general formula : wherein r3 and r4 are alkyl radicals , which may be saturated or unsaturated , having from 6 to 24 carbon atoms , preferably more than 10 carbon atoms and most preferably from 14 to 16 carbon atoms . r3 and r4 can be the same or different . the most preferred acid anhydrides are acid anhydrides prepared from c14 - c22 linear saturated fatty acids . any of the methods known for the preparation of dispersions of ketene dimer can be used to emulsify the acid anhydride and the ketene dimer . frequently , the akd is combined with dispersant systems which include cationic starch and sodium lignosulfonate . examples of such dispersions can be found in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 861 , 376 to edwards , and u . s . pat . no . 3 , 223 , 544 to savina , the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated for reference . alternatively , the acid anhydride and ketene dimer can be emulsified in - mill using any of the known methods . these emulsions may include other additives common to size emulsions , for example , promoter resins for ketene dimers , biocides , antifoams , etc . the solids in the emulsions may vary from about 2 to about 50 % by weight , preferably from about 4 to 40 % and most preferably from about 5 to 35 %. the ketene dimer and fatty acid anhydride can be emulsified separately and added separately to the papermaking system , or the emulsions may be mixed together before addition . alternatively the acid anhydride and ketene dimer can be blended before emulsification . the fatty acid anhydride and ketene dimer can be manufactured as a blend or they can be manufactured separately . fatty acid anhydrides react with cellulose to form an ester and a molecule of free fatty acid . the free fatty acid can react with the insolubilizing agent to form an insoluble salt . it is this insoluble salt that is believed to provide the enhanced resistance to hot penetrants . the insolubilizing agent may be any one of those known in the art , such as papermaker &# 39 ; s alum ( aluminum sulfate ), polyaluminum chloride ( pac ) or other polyaluminum compounds , and is preferably alum . the amount of alum to be used is determined based on the type of pulp , the amount of sizing agent being applied , and other factors well known to those skilled in the art ( e . g ., system alkalinity , level of anionic “ trash ”, etc .). generally , the amount of insolubilizing agent will be from about 5 to 15 lb / t ( 0 . 25 to 0 . 75 % based on dry weight of fiber ). the insolubilizing agent may be added at the same addition point as the sizing agent , or the feed may be split so that some is added early in the system to neutralize anionic materials with the rest being added with the sizing agent . fatty acid anhydride can be used alone or in combination with alkyl ketene dimer . if used in combination with alkyl ketene dimer , the blend must contain at least 30 % fatty acid anhydride . in the preferred blend , 40 - 70 % of the reactive sizing material is fatty acid anhydride . the sizing agents of this invention can be applied as internal sizing agents or surface sizing agents . internal sizing involves adding the size to the paper pulp slurry before sheet formation , while surface sizing involves immersion of the paper in a solution containing the sizing agent , followed by drying at elevated temperatures in accordance with known drying techniques . internal sizing is preferred . the present invention is useful in sizing paper materials such as , for example , aseptic packaging board . the amount used is based on the desired sizing requirements of the customer , depending upon the required degree of sizing , the grade of paper , the type of pulp furnish used to make the paper , and other factors well known and easily determined empirically by those skilled in the art . in general , the least amount of sizing agent is used to obtain the desired sizing specifications . typically , the amount of sizing agent will be from 4 to 10 lb / t ( 0 . 2 to 0 . 5 % based on dry weight of fiber ). the pulp slurry may be processed in any conventional manner , for instance into board for aseptic packaging use , and any other conventional additives , such as retention aids , strength additives , pigments or fillers , may be added as desired . the present invention also includes products , such as boards , made from pulp treated by the process of the present invention . in addition to providing good resistance to hot hydrogen peroxide the compositions of this invention provide good resistance to other hot penetrants ( i . e ., penetrants above about 40 ° c .) commonly encountered in the industry , for example boiling water , hot coffee and hot coffee with cream , tests commonly used for testing cupstock ( i . e ., paperboard used in the production of drink cups ). the following examples are given for the purpose of illustrating the present invention . all parts and percentages are by weight unless otherwise indicated . in the following examples , evaluations were made using a pilot scale papermachine designed to simulate a commercial fourdrinier , including stock preparation , refining and storage . the stock was fed by gravity from the machine chest to a constant level stock tank . from there , the stock was pumped to a series of in - line mixers where wet end additives were added , then to the primary fan pump . the stock was diluted with white water at the fan pump to about 0 . 20 solids . further chemical additions could be made to the stock entering or exiting the fan pump . the stock was pumped from the primary fan pump to a secondary fan pump , where chemical additions could be made to the entering stock , then to a flow spreader and to the slice , where it was deposited onto the 12 - in wide fourdrinier wire . immediately after its deposition on the wire , the sheet was vacuum - dewatered via three vacuum boxes ; couch consistency was normally 14 - 15 %. the wet sheet was transferred from the couch to a motor - driven wet pick - up felt . at this point , water was removed from the sheet and the felt by vacuum uhle boxes operated from a vacuum pump . the sheet was further dewatered in a single - felted press and left the press section at 38 - 40 % solids . in the following examples , evaluations were made using a blend of bleached hardwood kraft ( 70 %) and bleached softwood kraft ( 30 %) with a canadian standard freeness of 350 - 400 cc . the water for dilutions was adjusted to contain 50 ppm hardness and 120 ppm alkalinity . addition levels for all additives are given in percent based on dry weight of fiber . the addition of 0 . 95 % quaternary - amine substituted cationic starch ( sta - lok ® 400 , a . e . staley , decatur , ill .) was split between the stock pump and the fan pump outlet . alum and size were added in the amounts indicated in the examples at the fan pump inlet . perform ® pm9025 , an inorganic microparticle retention aid ( hercules incorporated , wilmington , del .) was added at 0 . 038 % at the secondary fp . stock temperature was maintained at 55 ° c . the headbox ph was controlled to 6 . 8 unless otherwise indicated . a 244 g / sq m ( 150 lb / 3000 ft2 ream ) sheet was formed and dried on seven dryer cans to 5 % moisture ( dryer can surface temperatures increased from 65 to 110 ° c .) and passed through a single nip of a 5 - nip , 6 roll calendar stack at 28 pli . edgewick resistance was measured on board naturally aged in a ct room ( 50 % rh , 25 ° c .). edgewick tests are standard tests in the liquid packaging industry for measuring the degree of sizing . for this test , samples of board are laminated on both sides using a self - adhesive tape . coupons of a given size are cut from the laminated board , weighed , and then immersed in the test solution at the designated temperature . after the specified time the samples are removed from the test solution , dried by blotting and reweighed . the results are reported as kg of solution absorbed per sq meter of exposed edge ( kg / sq m ). low edgewick values are better than high values . the amount of sizing desired depends upon the grade of board being made . hot hydrogen peroxide : 35 % hydrogen peroxide at 70 ° c . ; 10 min soak lactic acid : 20 % lactic acid at 25 ° c . ; 30 min soak emulsions of aquapel ® 364 alkyl ketene dimer ( hercules incorporated , wilmington , del .) and stearic anhydride ( 99 % aldrich ), stabilized with cationic starch were prepared by known methods ( see , for example , u . s . pat . no . 3 , 223 , 544 , u . s . pat . no . 4 , 861 , 376 ) and evaluated on the pilot papermachine as described above . the control was a binary sizing system comprised of hi - phase ® 35 cationic dispersed rosin size ( hercules incorporated , wilmington , del .) and the emulsion of aquapel ® 364 . in this evaluation 0 . 375 % alum was used as the insolubilizing agent . the sa / akd blend was made by adding the stearic anhydride emulsion and the akd emulsion through a mixing t at a 60 / 40 ratio ( based on actives ) to reach the target level of sizing agent ( e . g ., for 0 . 10 % sizing agent , 0 . 06 % stearic anhydride and 0 . 04 % akd emulsions ( based on actives ) were added ). this example demonstrates that stearic anhydride provides better resistance to hot hydrogen peroxide than the binary sizing system ( control ) at similar addition levels ( pick up of only 0 . 65 kg / sq m at 0 . 3 % hydrophobe with sa vs . 0 — 9 with 0 . 33 % hydrophobe with the binary system ). alternatively , stearic anhydride provided similar resistance to hot hydrogen peroxide as the binary sizing system ( control ) at reduced levels of hydrophobe ( only 0 . 2 % of the stearic anhydride was needed to achieve a hot hydrogen peroxide wick of 0 . 89 kg / sq m vs . 0 . 33 % hydrophobe required to achieve that level of resistance for the binary system ). surprisingly the blend of stearic anhydride and akd provided better resistance to hot hydrogen peroxide than either sizing agent alone , at equal levels of hydrophobe : 0 . 2 % sa / akd ( i . e ., 0 . 12 % of the sa and 0 . 08 % of the akd emulsions ) resulted in a hot hydrogen peroxide wick of 0 . 74 kg / sq m whereas 0 . 2 % sa gave 0 . 89 and 0 . 2 % akd gave 1 . 47 . the board produced in example 1 was also evaluated for resistance to lactic acid . though not as effective as akd , the blend of stearic anhydride and akd also provides superior resistance to lactic acid compared to the binary control sizing system : to work as an effective system for an aseptic packaging application both lactic acid resistance and hot hydrogen peroxide resistance is needed . board was prepared as described in example 1 , varying the headbox ph from 6 . 5 to 7 . 5 , and using 0 . 375 wt . percent alum as the insolubilizing agent . the ratio of sa to akd was 60 : 40 . a near neutral , slightly acidic ph gave the best resistance to hot hydrogen peroxide : board was prepared as described in example 1 . the ratio of sa to akd was 60 : 40 . board was tested for resistance to boiling water ( boiling boat test : time for boiling water to penetrate through the z - direction of the board ), dixie cobb ( standard cobb test run with hot water ) and hot coffee and hot coffee with creamer cobbs ( see tappi test method t 441om - 04 for a description of the cobb test ). board was prepared as described in example 1 , varying the alum addition level from 0 . 0 to 0 . 75 %, maintaining headbox ph at 6 . 5 . clearly , resistance to hot hydrogen peroxide improved as the level of insolubilizing agent was increased . board was prepared as described in example 1 except the ratio of stearic anhydride to aquapel 364 was varied . there was a general trend toward improved resistance to hot hydrogen peroxide with increased levels of stearic anhydride in the blend .	8
the drawings are given as examples and are not limiting to the invention . they are schematic illustrations intended to facilitate the understanding of the invention and are not necessarily to scale for practical applications . reference is made to the patent documents u . s . pat . no . re 30 , 929 and to u . s . patent application publication no . 2014 / 0007968 - a1 for descriptions of the state of the art in the field of endeavor to which the present invention relates , the disclosures these two patent documents being hereby incorporated by reference thereto in their entireties . included in the disclosures of these two patent documents are references to locking flaps and hinges , which are also referenced in the following description . the invention relates to apparatuses and methods for repairing culverts , pipes , trenches , conduits , or tunnels , etc . for convenience , the term “ culvert ” or “ pipe ” is used in the following description , but the term is not to be considered limiting in terms of that which conveys the water or other liquid therealong . more particularly , the invention relates to apparatuses and methods for repairing inverts of such culverts that have become eroded or corroded . in civil engineering , the invert — or invert level — is the bottom , or base , interior level of a culvert or pipe , etc . ; it can also be considered the “ floor ” level . conversely , the crown level is the highest interior level , and can be considered the “ ceiling ” level . the invert level allows the slope of the pipe to be set at various points so that the fluid being conveyed therein will flow by gravity . using the inside bottom instead of the outside bottom level avoids problems that could occur if different pipe thicknesses of a pipe are used . although not limiting , the arc of an invert of can extend transversely as necessary according to the extent of the damage to the bottom of the host pipe , that is , the invert . for example , the width could be as little as approximately 30 degrees of the pipe circumference to 180 degrees or more . exposure of the invert section of a culvert , or simply “ invert ,” to water / sewage and sand , or other substances , over a period of time can cause the invert to become eroded or corroded by means of the sand or other particulates in the water or fluid . for example , in the case of galvanized pipes or culverts , the galvanization can become eroded or corroded , thereby wearing away the galvanization and thereby allowing physical damage to the underlying pipe or culvert , the invert in particular , thereby resulting in leaks or collapse , for example . installation equipment and materials used will next be described with reference to the appended drawing figures . the minimum equipment required are the vertical jack assembly 2 ′ with hose assembly , hydraulic pump and required fittings . see , for example , fig1 - 12 . the jack assembly should have quick couplers . other equipment that can be utilized includes winches and cables for installation . materials include temporary supports 2 to secure the repaired structure if host pipe become oval , or weakened because of structural deformation . see , for example , fig1 , and 7 . yet other temporary supports are needed to avoid trough deformation during grouting process . the culvert being repaired should be cleaned prior to installing the rib and trough system of the invention . any obstruction ( s ), such as any that protrude more than 1 / 8 ″ from the inner surface of the culvert , any loose pipe pieces and any solid objects should be removed . if the host pipe 1 has become oval , or weakened because of structural deformation , it should be repaired before the rib and trough installation is begun . as shown in fig1 , temporary supports 2 can be used to secure the culvert under repair . troughs should be laid out before the ribs are installed . also , if the bottom of the host pipe is damaged sufficiently , it might be necessary to add cementitious grout or other filling material to the hot pipe , as indicated schematically by reference numeral 8 in fig8 . the troughs can have lengths of four or eight feet and can be cut for shortening as needed and can be abutted end - to - end to accommodate the length of the culvert ( that is , host pipe ) in need of repair . in the case of a culvert in the form of corrugated metal pipe ( cmp ), supports from closed - celled polyethylene foam ( foam sealer ) should be placed in the pipe under the curved edges of the troughs ( as would be done as shown in fig2 ). such foam sealer can be adhered to the crest of the cmp as a close loop . the rib can then be transported into the pipe . in some cases the ribs are disassembled for easy access the repair location . that is , they can be disassembled in sections at the hinges and / or folded at the hinges . then , when the rib arrives to the projected location , the hinges can then be unfolded or reassembled . for the first and last ribs , a second foam sealer is then placed above the trough between the host pipe and the rib to prevent rib grouting from escape , as would be seen and understood from fig3 . next , the ribs are expanded . only a single hydraulic jack is needed for the installation of the repair , according to the invention . as shown in fig4 , the jack is set up vertically , supported on the bottom plate pushing up to the “ flaps ,” or “ locking flaps .” then , the jack is expanded carefully while the tongues in line with the hinge pins of flaps on both sides slides into the grooves are observed . expanding the jack always pushes the flaps to spring out , in the form an over - center locking device , with a snapping sound . that indicates to the installer a good and tight installation . fig5 and 6 schematically illustrates the aforementioned over - center locking device in the context of the invention , that is , how a repair sleeve , such as in the context of the aforementioned us 2014 / 0007968 - a1 , or how a repair rib in the context of the instant invention , is moved from a pre - installation to an installed position . and while the current invention is shown in the context of a culvert or host pipe having a circular cross section , the invention can be used with a host pipe having an oval or arch or horseshoe cross section , such as that shown in the aforementioned us 2014 / 0007968 - a1 . the rib 4 comprises locking flaps 5 located in the crown arch area of the pipe 1 , segment or segments 9 , and optional resilient padding 10 located at the ends of the rib 4 . the quantity of segments 9 depends on host pipe and / or access point dimensions . in fig5 and 6 are shown three segments 9 . in the pre - installation configuration ( fig5 ) the rib 4 has a shortest collapsed perimeter because the collapsed perimeter includes the shortest distance “ d ” between locking flaps 6 . in the installed position ( fig6 ), the flaps 6 passed a straight line at which the flaps were being subjected to maximum compression stress because of largest perimeter ( with largest distance “ d ”) and locked in final expanded position with slightly smaller distance “ df ”. the foam sealer creates a holding force that prevents the rib 4 from becoming loose . predrilled holes in the rib bottom piece can be used to secure the rib to the trough with stainless steel self - tapping screws , for example . the next successive rib 4 is installed at a specified distance from the previous one . in fig7 , the closest rib shown is not yet installed . next , grouting is added . see fig8 , for example . the rib is designed to have an annular space between the outside of the rib and the inside of the culvert . this space must be filled to provide a load transfer medium in case of damaged pipe repair or a sealer in case of infiltration . if a cementitious grout is used , easy flow cement can be pumped into the annular space through grouting ports located at 10 and 2 o &# 39 ; clock positions . once the cement is cured , the rest of the annular space is filled with cement through a grouting port located at the crown ( 12 o &# 39 ; clock ). the same cementitious grout is pumped for the troughs through the gaps between the troughs and the culvert . in order to avoid big buoyancy forces , the space between troughs and culvert are only partially filled with cement and it is allowed to set before filling it fully , as can be understood from fig6 . as shown in fig7 , temporary supports 2 can be used to avoid trough deformation during the grouting process . all vent holes are then closed and the job is complete . the following are considerations for performing the invention and using the equipment therefor . for example , metal hinges alone in the rib might not be strong enough to withstand installation forces . their purpose is only to guide the first tongue of the flap into the groove of segments ‘ s ’. the tongues provide hinge strength for installation . it can , therefore , be important to watch that the tongue fits into the groove without slipping out . slip - out may happen if hinges may have been twisted in transport or handling . to install a rib , only one jack and one hydraulic pump is needed . for the hydraulic pump , model p80 from ‘ simplex ’ or ‘ enerpac ’ can be used . however , an installer should be aware that the jack is heavy and very slippery when working on pvc material . therefore , the installer might want to set up the jack and try it once before the real installation . further , in installing a rib , the bottom piece segment of the rib is prepared and placed on the trough . the second piece of the foam sealer is adhered to the crests of the corrugated host pipe just above the trough , and the foam sealer should match second curved end of the following rib , as can be understood in connection with fig3 . next one of the side piece segments of the rib is prepared and set up . then the hinges are secured . when assembling the rib , it should be kept in mind that three large grouting holes are located at the 10 , 12 , and 2 o &# 39 ; clock positions . another side piece segment is next prepared and set up , and the hinges are screwed in place . next , the top parts , segments , and the flaps are assembled . see fig9 . then , the jack is set up for the installation , as shown in fig1 . the jack is slowly pumped , with caution , as the installation is completed . when holding the sleeve , that is , the rib , one should never place hand / fingers to the sleeve / rib segment joints or the hand / finger might become jammed , as pvc material can be particularly slippery . before the jack is pumped up , one should ensure that all tongue grooves are matched . the jack should then be slowly pumped , with caution . when the pump becomes very tight , one should give about 20 seconds for the sleeve / rib to settle , such as after every two or three pumps . when all the ribs are installed , screw the 1¼ ″ npt fittings are screwed to the side segment ‘ s ’ and a piece of flexible hose is connected for partial grout pumping . when the grout is cured , the rest of annular space is filled through the top segment “ c ” grouting port . screw out the fittings are screwed out and the plugs are used to seal grouting holes . the same cementitious grout for the troughs are filled through the vent from the sides as mentioned above , in connection with grouting . it should be noted that when assembling the side piece segments , the grouting ports must be located at the 10 o &# 39 ; clock and the 2 o &# 39 ; clock positions . the following are details relating to the hydraulic jack set - up , according to that used by link - pipe , inc . according to the invention , using its lpr 1010 jack . for the vertical jack set - up , the following is needed : ( 1 ) one hydraulic cylinder of model # r1010 from ‘ simplex ’ or model # rc1010 from enerpac &# 39 ;. each of these two kinds of cylinders has a 10 ton capacity with a 10 - inch stroke . ( 2 ) a steel pipe spacer ( refer to the chart bellow ) of 2 . 25 ″ o . d . can be used to extend the height of the cylinder . the cylinder and the steel pipe spacer is joined with a connector of 24 ″ length × 2 . 25 ″ i . d . ( approximately ) thin pipe . ( 3 ). two pieces of 3 ″× 24 ″ long heavy - duty channel iron , pushers at both ends . a model # p - 392 from ‘ enerpac ’ or model # p42 from ‘ simplex ’ hydraulic hand pump can be used to control the system . lastly , the appropriate length of hydraulic hose and fittings will be needed . the hydraulic cylinder has a 2 . 24 ″ o . d ., however , with paint the dimension can vary up to 2 . 29 ″. the pipe selected to host the cylinder and the spacer ( that is , here called the connector ) may have to be about 2 . 29 ″ i . d . or greater . also , this cylinder host pipe as the connector wall thickness may be thinner as 1 / 8 ″ in order for the whole assembly to be lighter in weight . the spacer wall thickness can be 3 / 16 ″ or greater . according to an alternative embodiment , the ribs that are installed do not extend along the entirety of the interior circumference of the host pipe . instead , each rib has a length that extends only along the arc beneath the trough ( s ). that is , the ribs do not extend upwardly beyond the longitudinal edges of the troughs . in such an embodiment , the aforementioned hydraulic jack is not necessary . instead , the ribs are anchored to the trough , below the trough , and grouting is nevertheless used within the spaces created or that exist therebetween . and , when a corrugated pipe is used , foam sealer can be used in a manner explained above . as part of the relining or repair method and apparatus , or as a separate retrofit , sensors can be installed , such as sensors to detect temperature , pressure , and even current differentiation for the purpose of detecting corrosion agents , all of which parameters can be monitored and , if necessary , acted upon to prevent the onset of a dangerous and / or failing pipe or segment thereof . more particularly , for an apparatus and method for monitoring physical and chemical environment in pipes and conduits , such as pressurized water mains , water wells , natural gas lines , sewers , pipes and ducts used in municipal , petrochemical , industrial and mining applications and communicating the measured information by wire transmission , or radio waves to a recipient . if the sensors are installed as part of a relining or repair method and apparatus , the repair method and apparatus disclosed herein could be utilized or the repair method or apparatus of any of the following could be used , the disclosure of which are herein incorporated by reference thereto in their entireties : u . s . pat . no . 5 , 119 , 862 , u . s . pat . no . 5 , 351 , 720 , u . s . pat . no . 5 , 725 , 026 , and u . s . patent application publication no . 2014 / 0007968 . 1 . flow velocity and volume 2 . turbulence 3 . count of wildlife and fish traffic 4 . chemical composition 5 . sound emanating from infiltrating water , surrounding earth movement 6 . breaking of the pipe structure 7 . visual recording of pipe deformation 1 . a metallic , or rigid plastic sleeve made to enable it to be held attached to the inside wall of pipes and conduits or the inside wall of a repair sleeve or rib ; 2 . to be attached or embedded to pipes designed to convey liquids and / or gases at the time they are being manufactured ; and 3 . any such sensor and its holding apparatus can be depicted schematically in the drawing as a rectangular attached to an box , for example , and such sensor can be mounted at any location around the inner periphery of the host pipe or repair sleeve or rib , such as in the area of the bottom inner wall of the host pipe or repair sleeve , in the area of the sidewall , or in the area of the upper inner wall . sensors to be used can be those that are available on the open market , or licensed . when installed citywide in sewers , water mains , drainage -, gas -, oil -, or industrial pipes , this system allows central live monitoring of the entire pipes system operated by the assigned authorities , preferably enabling early detection and response to developing problems before they become emergencies , or locating the problems as they are , or can preferably be anticipated . in addition , for a range of specific conduit systems , various types of sensors can be relied upon , such as those identified in the following list : further , at least because the invention is disclosed herein in a manner that enables one to make and use it , by virtue of the disclosure of particular exemplary embodiments of the invention , the invention can be practiced in the absence of any additional element or additional structure that is not specifically disclosed herein .	4
a semiconductor device according to a first embodiment of the present invention has , as illustrated in fig1 , a control voltage generation circuit vcg , replica circuits rp 1 to rp 3 , an output buffer dob , and an output terminal to . the output buffer dob is configured as a full - speed driver circuit of a usb ( universe serial bus ) and includes resistance elements ra 1 to ra 4 and rb 1 to rb 3 , p - channel mos transistors p 1 to p 4 , n - channel mos transistors q 1 to q 4 , and a driver dr . the resistance elements ra 1 to ra 3 , the p - channel mos transistor p 4 , and the resistance element ra 4 are coupled in series between a line of power supply voltage vdd and the output terminal to . the sources of the p - channel mos transistors p 1 to p 3 receive the power supply voltage vdd , and the drains are coupled to electrodes on the lower voltage side ( the output terminal to side ) of the resistance elements ra 1 to ra 4 . the resistance elements rb 1 to rb 3 and the n - channel mos transistor q 4 are coupled in series between the line of the ground voltage vss and the drain of the p - channel mos transistor p 4 . the sources of the n - channel mos transistors q 1 to q 3 receive the ground voltage vss , and the drains are coupled to electrodes on the higher voltage side ( the output terminal to side ) of the resistance elements rb 1 to rb 3 . the gates of the transistors p 4 and q 4 are coupled to each other . the driver dr transmits an internal data signal φd to the gates of the transistors p 4 and q 4 . each of the replica circuits rp 1 to rp 3 is a replica of the output buffer dob and includes the resistance elements ra 1 to ra 4 and rb 1 to rb 4 , the p - channel mos transistors p 1 to p 4 , the n - channel mos transistors q 1 to q 4 , and the constant current sources ca and cb . the resistance elements ra 1 to ra 4 and rb 1 to rb 3 of the replica circuits rp 1 to rp 3 have the same resistance values as those of the resistance elements ra 1 to ra 4 and rb 1 to rb 3 of the output buffer dob , respectively . the resistance element rb 4 in each of the replica circuits rp 1 to rp 3 has the same resistance value as that of the resistance element ra 4 of the output buffer dob . the p - channel mos transistors p 1 to p 4 and the n - channel mos transistors q 1 to q 4 in each of the replica circuits rp 1 to rp 3 have the same sizes ( current drive capability ) as those of the p - channel mos transistors p 1 to p 4 and the n - channel mos transistors q 1 to q 4 of the output buffer dob . when the p - channel mos transistor p 4 is turned on , the constant current source ca in each of the replica circuits rp 1 to rp 3 passes current having the same value as that of current which flows from the output buffer dob to the outside via the output terminal to . when the n - channel mos transistor q 4 of the output buffer dob is turned on , the constant current source cb in each of the replica circuits rp 1 to rp 3 passes current having the same value as that of current which flows from the outside to the output buffer dob via the output terminal to . in each of the replica circuits rp 1 to rp 3 , the resistance elements ra 1 to ra 3 , the p - channel mos transistor p 4 , the resistance element ra 4 , and the constant current source ca are coupled in series between the line of the power supply voltage vdd and the line of the ground voltage vss . the sources of the p - channel mos transistors p 1 to p 3 receive the power supply voltage vdd , and the drains are coupled to electrodes on the lower voltage side ( the ground voltage vss side ) of the resistance elements ra 1 to ra 4 . the gate of the p - channel mos transistor p 4 receives the ground voltage vss . the p - channel mos transistor p 4 operates as a resistance element . the resistance elements rb 1 to rb 3 , the n - channel mos transistor q 4 , the resistance element rb 4 , and the constant current source cb are coupled in series between the line of the ground voltage vss and the line of the power supply voltage vdd . the sources of the n - channel mos transistors q 1 to q 3 receive the ground voltage vss , and the drains are coupled to electrodes on the higher voltage side ( the power supply voltage vdd side ) of the resistance elements rb 1 to rb 3 . the gate of the n - channel mos transistor q 4 receives the power supply voltage vdd . the n - channel mos transistor q 4 operates as a resistance element . voltages vfp 1 to vfp 3 between the resistance elements ra 4 in the replica circuits rp 1 to rp 3 and the constant current sources ca are fed back to the control voltage generation circuit vcg . voltages vfn 1 to vfn 3 between the resistance elements rb 4 in the replica circuits rp 1 to rp 3 and the constant current sources cb are fed back to the control voltage generation circuit vcg . the control voltage generation circuit vcg includes operational amplifiers ap 1 to ap 3 and an 1 to an 3 . the inversion input terminals (− terminals ) of the operational amplifiers ap 1 to ap 3 receive a reference voltage vrp and non - inversion input terminals (+ terminals ) receive the output voltages vfp 1 to vfp 3 of the replica circuits rp 1 to rp 3 . the output terminal of the operational amplifier ap 1 is coupled to the gates of the p - channel mos transistors p 1 in the replica circuits rp 1 to rp 3 and the output buffer dob . the operational amplifier ap 1 controls the gate voltage vp 1 of the p - channel mos transistors p 1 in the replica circuits rp 1 to rp 3 and the output buffer dob so that the output voltage vfp 1 of the replica circuit rp 1 matches the reference voltage vrp . the output terminal of the operational amplifier ap 2 is coupled to the gates of the p - channel mos transistors p 2 in the replica circuits rp 2 and rp 3 and the output buffer dob . the operational amplifier ap 2 controls the gate voltage vp 2 of the p - channel mos transistors p 2 in the replica circuits rp 2 and rp 3 and the output buffer dob so that the output voltage vfp 2 of the replica circuit rp 2 matches the reference voltage vrp . the p - channel mos transistor p 2 in the replica circuit rp 1 receives the power supply voltage vdd by its gate and is fixed in the non - conductive state . the output terminal of the operational amplifier ap 3 is coupled to the gates of the p - channel mos transistors p 3 in the replica circuit rp 3 and the output buffer dob . the operational amplifier ap 3 controls the gate voltage vp 3 of the p - channel mos transistors p 3 in the replica circuit rp 3 and the output buffer dob so that the output voltage vfp 3 of the replica circuit rp 3 matches the reference voltage vrp . the p - channel mos transistor p 3 in each of the replica circuits rp 1 and rp 2 receives the power supply voltage vdd by its gate and is fixed in the non - conductive state . the inversion input terminals (− terminals ) of the operational amplifiers an 1 to an 3 receive a reference voltage vrn and non - inversion input terminals (+ terminals ) receive the output voltages vfn 1 to vfn 3 of the replica circuits rp 1 to rp 3 . the output terminal of the operational amplifier an 1 is coupled to the gates of the n - channel mos transistors q 1 in the replica circuits rp 1 to rp 3 and the output buffer dob . the operational amplifier an 1 controls the gate voltage vn 1 of the n - channel mos transistors q 1 in the replica circuits rp 1 to rp 3 and the output buffer dob so that the output voltage vfn 1 of the replica circuit rp 1 matches the reference voltage vrn . the output terminal of the operational amplifier an 2 is coupled to the gates of the n - channel mos transistors q 2 in the replica circuits rp 2 and rp 3 and the output buffer dob . the operational amplifier an 2 controls the gate voltage vn 2 of the n - channel mos transistors q 2 in the replica circuits rp 2 and rp 3 and the output buffer dob so that the output voltage vfn 2 of the replica circuit rp 2 matches the reference voltage vrn . the n - channel mos transistor q 2 in the replica circuit rp 1 receives the ground voltage vss by its gate and is fixed in the non - conductive state . the output terminal of the operational amplifier an 3 is coupled to the gates of the n - channel mos transistors p 3 in the replica circuit rp 3 and the output buffer dob . the operational amplifier an 3 controls the gate voltage vn 3 of the n - channel mos transistors q 3 in the replica circuit rp 3 and the output buffer dob so that the output voltage vfp 3 of the replica circuit rp 3 matches the reference voltage vrn . the n - channel mos transistor q 3 in each of the replica circuits rp 1 and rp 2 receives the ground voltage vss by its gate and is fixed in the non - conductive state . next , the operation of the semiconductor device will be described . the operational amplifiers ap 1 to ap 3 control the gate voltages vp 1 to vp 3 of the p - channel mos transistors p 1 to p 3 so that the output voltages vfp 1 to vfp 3 of the replica circuits rp 1 to rp 3 become equal to the reference voltage vrp in accordance with the value of combined resistance of the resistance elements ra 1 to ra 3 and the p - channel mos transistor p 4 . if the output voltage vfp 1 of the replica circuit rp 1 becomes equal to the reference voltage vrp , the resistance characteristic determined by ( vdd − vrp )/ ica is obtained by the gate voltage vp 1 . ica denotes the current value of the constant current source ca . since the output voltages vfp 2 and vfp 3 of the replica circuits rp 2 and rp 3 are also controlled to be equal to the reference voltage vrp by the gate voltage vp 1 , the gate voltages vp 2 and vp 3 become the highest voltage ( power supply voltage vdd ) and function to turn off the p - channel mos transistors p 2 and p 3 . on the other hand , when the output voltage vfp 1 of the replica circuit rp 1 does not become equal to the reference voltage vrp , the gate voltage vp 1 becomes the lowest voltage ( ground voltage vss ), and the drain current of the p - channel mos transistor p 1 is maximized . further , if the output voltage vfp 2 of the replica circuit rp 2 does not become equal to the reference voltage vrp , the gate voltage vp 2 becomes the lowest voltage , and the drain current of the p - channel mos transistor p 2 is also maximized . in this state , for example , if the output voltage vfp 3 of the replica circuit rp 3 does not become equal to the reference voltage vrp , the resistance characteristic determined by ( vdd − vrp )/ ica is obtained by the gate voltage vp 3 . since the gate voltages vp 1 to vp 3 also control the p - channel mos transistors vp 1 to vp 3 of the output buffer dob , an output impedance zp at the time when the output buffer dob outputs the “ h ” level is adjusted to have the resistance characteristic determined by ( vdd − vrp )/ ica . concretely , as illustrated in the upper row in fig2 , when the combined resistance value of the resistance elements ra 1 to ra 4 and the p - channel mos transistor p 4 is higher than a predetermined value and the combined resistance value of the resistance elements ra 2 to ra 4 and the p - channel mos transistor p 4 is lower than the predetermined value , all of the output voltages vfp 1 to vfp 3 of the replica circuits rp 1 to rp 3 become equal to the reference voltage vrp . the gate voltage vp 1 becomes intermediate voltage , and both of the gate voltages vp 2 and vp 3 become the highest voltage . as a result , the drain current of the p - channel mos transistor p 1 is adjusted to a proper value , the p - channel mos transistors p 2 and p 3 are turned off , and the combined resistance value of the resistance elements ra 1 to ra 4 and the p - channel mos transistors p 1 to p 4 of the output buffer dob is adjusted to a predetermined value . as illustrated in the intermediate row in fig2 , when the combined resistance value of the resistance elements ra 2 to ra 4 and the p - channel mos transistor p 4 is higher than a predetermined value and the combined resistance value of the resistance elements ra 3 and ra 4 and the p - channel mos transistor p 4 is lower than the predetermined value , the output voltage vfp 1 of the replica circuit rp 1 becomes lower than the reference voltage vrp , and both of the output voltages vfp 2 and vfp 3 of the replica circuits rp 2 and rp 3 become equal to the reference voltage vrp . the gate voltage vp 1 becomes the lowest voltage , the gate voltage vp 2 becomes the intermediate voltage , and the gate voltage vp 3 becomes the highest voltage . as a result , the p - channel mos transistor p 1 is turned on , the drain current of the p - channel mos transistor p 2 is adjusted to a proper value , the p - channel mos transistor p 3 is turned off , and the combined resistance value of the resistance elements ra 1 to ra 4 and the p - channel mos transistors p 1 to p 4 of the output buffer dob is adjusted to a predetermined value . as illustrated in the lower row in fig2 , when the combined resistance value of the resistance elements ra 2 to ra 4 and the p - channel mos transistor p 4 is higher than a predetermined value and the combined resistance value of the resistance element ra 4 and the p - channel mos transistor p 4 is lower than the predetermined value , both of the output voltages vfp 1 and vfp 2 of the replica circuits rp 1 and rp 2 become lower than the reference voltage vrp , and the output voltage vfp 3 of the replica circuit rp 3 becomes equal to the reference voltage vrp . both of the gate voltages vp 1 and vp 2 become the lowest voltage , and the gate voltage vp 3 becomes the intermediate voltage . as a result , the p - channel mos transistors p 1 and p 2 are turned on , the drain current of the p - channel mos transistor p 3 is adjusted to a proper value , and the combined resistance value of the resistance elements ra 1 to ra 4 and the p - channel mos transistors p 1 to p 4 of the output buffer dob is adjusted to a predetermined value . similarly , the operational amplifiers an 1 to an 3 control the gate voltages vn 1 to vn 3 of the n - channel mos transistors q 1 to q 3 so that the output voltages vfn 1 to vfn 3 of the replica circuits rp 1 to rp 3 become equal to the reference voltage vrn in accordance with the combined resistance value of the resistance elements rb 1 to rb 3 and the n - channel mos transistor q 4 . if the output voltage vfn 1 of the replica circuit rp 1 becomes equal to the reference voltage vrn , the resistance characteristic determined by ( vrn − vss )/ icb is obtained by the gate voltage vn 1 . icb denotes the current value of the constant current source cb . since the output voltages vfn 2 and vfn 3 of the replica circuits rp 2 and rp 3 are also controlled to be equal to the reference voltage vrn by the gate voltage vn 1 , the gate voltages vn 2 and vn 3 become the lowest voltage and function to turn off the n - channel mos transistors q 2 and q 3 . on the other hand , when the output voltage vfn 1 of the replica circuit rp 1 does not become equal to the reference voltage vr , the gate voltage vn 1 becomes the highest voltage , and the drain current of the n - channel mos transistor q 1 is maximized . further , if the output voltage vfn 2 of the replica circuit rp 2 does not become equal to the reference voltage vrn , the gate voltage vn 2 becomes the highest voltage , and the drain current of the n - channel mos transistor q 2 becomes also the highest . in this state , for example , if the output voltage vfn 3 of the replica circuit rp 3 becomes equal to the reference voltage vrn , the resistance characteristic determined by ( vrn − vss )/ icb is obtained by the gate voltage vn 3 . since the gate voltages vn 1 to vn 3 also control the n - channel mos transistors q 1 to q 3 of the output buffer dob , an output impedance zn at the time when the output buffer dob outputs the “ l ” level is adjusted to have the resistance characteristic determined by ( vrn − vss )/ icb . concretely , as illustrated in the upper row in fig3 , when the combined resistance value of the resistance elements rb 1 to rb 4 and the n - channel mos transistor q 4 is higher than a predetermined value and the combined resistance value of the resistance elements rb 2 to rb 4 and the n - channel mos transistor q 4 is lower than the predetermined value , all of the output voltages vfn 1 to vfn 3 of the replica circuits rp 1 to rp 3 become equal to the reference voltage vrn . the gate voltage vn 1 becomes intermediate voltage , and both of the gate voltages vn 2 and vn 3 become the lowest voltage . as a result , the drain current of the n - channel mos transistor q 1 is adjusted to a proper value , the n - channel mos transistors q 2 and q 3 are turned off , and the combined resistance value of the resistance elements rb 1 to rb 3 and the n - channel mos transistors q 1 to q 4 of the output buffer dob is adjusted to a predetermined value . the resistance value of the resistance element rb 4 and that of the resistance element ra 4 are equal to each other . as illustrated in the intermediate row in fig3 , when the combined resistance value of the resistance elements rb 2 to rb 4 and the n - channel mos transistor q 4 is higher than a predetermined value and the combined resistance value of the resistance elements rb 3 and rb 4 and the n - channel mos transistor q 4 is lower than the predetermined value , the output voltage vfn 1 of the replica circuit rp 1 becomes higher than the reference voltage vrn , and both of the output voltages vfn 2 and vfn 3 of the replica circuits rp 2 and rp 3 become equal to the reference voltage vrn . the gate voltage vn 1 becomes the highest voltage , the gate voltage vn 2 becomes the intermediate voltage , and the gate voltage vn 3 becomes the lowest voltage . as a result , the n - channel mos transistor q 1 is turned on , the drain current of the n - channel mos transistor q 2 is adjusted to a proper value , the n - channel mos transistor q 3 is turned off , and the combined resistance value of the resistance elements rb 1 to rb 3 and ra 4 and the n - channel mos transistors q 1 to q 4 of the output buffer dob is adjusted to a predetermined value . as illustrated in the lower row in fig3 , when the combined resistance value of the resistance elements rb 3 and rb 4 and the n - channel mos transistor q 4 is higher than a predetermined value and the combined resistance value of the resistance element rb 4 and the n - channel mos transistor q 4 is lower than the predetermined value , both of the output voltages vfn 1 and vfn 2 of the replica circuits rp 1 and rp 2 become higher than the reference voltage vrn , and the output voltage vfn 3 of the replica circuit rp 3 becomes equal to the reference voltage vrn . both of the gate voltages vn 1 and vn 2 become the highest voltage , and the gate voltage vn 3 becomes the intermediate voltage . as a result , the n - channel mos transistors q 1 and q 2 are turned on , the drain current of the n - channel mos transistor q 3 is adjusted to a proper value , and the combined resistance value of the resistance elements rb 1 to rb 3 and rb 4 and the n - channel mos transistors q 1 to q 4 of the output buffer dob is adjusted to a predetermined value . in the case where an internal data signal φd is at the “ h ” level , the p - channel mos transistor p 4 is turned off , the n - channel mos transistor q 4 is turned on , the output terminal to becomes the “ l ” level , and the data signal do becomes the “ l ” level . in the case where the internal data signal φd is at the “ l ” level , the n - channel mos transistor q 4 is turned off , the p - channel mos transistor p 4 is turned on , the output terminal to becomes the “ h ” level , and the data signal do becomes the “ h ” level . fig4 is a diagram illustrating a result of simulation of changes in the gate voltages vp 1 to vp 3 and vn 1 to vn 3 accompanying temperature changes of the semiconductor device . in fig4 , the gate voltage vp 1 is set to the lowest voltage , the gate voltage vn 1 is set to the highest voltage , both of the transistors p 1 and q 1 are turned on , the gate voltage vp 3 is set to the highest voltage , the gate voltage vn 3 is set to the lowest voltage , both of the transistors p 3 and q 3 are turned on , each of the gate voltages vp 2 and vn 2 is set to the intermediate voltage , and the drain current of each of the transistors p 2 and q 2 is adjusted . as the temperature rises , the gate voltage vp 2 decreases and the gate voltage vn 2 increases so that the output impedances zp and zn become constant . fig5 is a diagram illustrating a result of another simulation of changes in the gate voltages vp 1 to vp 3 and vn 1 to vn 3 accompanying temperature changes of the semiconductor device . in fig5 , in a low - temperature region , the gate voltages vp 2 and vp 3 are set to the highest voltage , both of the transistors p 1 and p 3 are turned off , both of the gate voltages vn 2 and vn 3 are set to the lowest voltage , both of the transistors q 2 and q 3 are turned off , each of the gate voltages vp 1 and vn 1 is set to the intermediate voltage , and the drain current of each of the transistors p 1 and q 1 is adjusted . in the low - temperature region , as the temperature rises , the gate voltage vp 1 decreases and the gate voltage vn 1 increases so that the output impedances zp and zn become constant . in a high - temperature region , the gate voltage vp 1 is set to the lowest voltage , the gate voltage vn 1 is set to the highest voltage , both of the transistors p 1 and q 1 are turned on , the gate voltage vp 3 is set to the highest voltage , the gate voltage vn 3 is set to the lowest voltage , both of the transistors p 3 and q 3 are turned off , each of the gate voltages vp 2 and vn 2 is set to the intermediate voltage , and the drain current of each of the transistors p 2 and q 2 is adjusted . in the high - temperature region , as the temperature rises , the gate voltage vp 2 decreases and the gate voltage vn 2 increases so that the output impedances zp and zn become constant . fig6 is a circuit diagram showing a configuration of a semiconductor device as a comparative example of the first embodiment and is compared to fig1 . in fig6 , the semiconductor device is different from the semiconductor device of fig1 with respect to the points that the operational amplifiers ap 2 , ap 3 , an 2 , and an 3 in the control voltage generation circuit vcg are not provided , the transistors p 2 , p 3 , q 2 , and q 3 and the resistance elements ra 2 , ra 3 , rb 2 , and rb 3 in the replica circuit rp 1 are not provided , the replica circuits rp 2 and rp 3 are not provided , and the transistors p 2 , p 3 , q 2 , and q 3 and the resistance elements ra 2 , ra 3 , rb 2 , and rb 3 in the output buffer dob are not provided . in the comparative example , in the case where the resistance value of the resistance element ra 1 changes beyond a range in which the resistance value can be adjusted by the drain current of the p - channel mos transistor p 1 , the output impedance of the output buffer dob cannot be adjusted to a predetermined value ( for example , 40 . 5 to 49 . 0 ωq ). in the case where the resistance value of the resistance element rb 1 changes beyond a range in which the resistance value can be adjusted by the drain current of the n - channel mos transistor q 1 , the output impedance zn of the output buffer dob cannot be adjusted to a predetermined value . on the other hand , in the first embodiment , the plurality of p - channel mos transistors p 1 to p 3 are provided . consequently , even in the case where the sum of the resistance values of the resistance elements ra 1 to ra 4 fluctuates beyond the range in which the resistance value can be adjusted by the drain current of one p - channel mos transistor p , the output impedance zp can be adjusted to a predetermined value . since the plurality of n - channel mos transistors q 1 to q 3 are provided , even in the case where the sum of the resistance values of the resistance elements rb 1 to rb 4 ( rb 1 to rb 3 and ra 4 ) fluctuates beyond the range in which the resistance value can be adjusted by the drain current of one n - channel mos transistor q , the output impedance zn can be adjusted to a predetermined value . in the first embodiment , three sets of transistors p ( q ) and the resistance elements ra ( rb ) are provided and three sets of replica circuits rp and three sets of operational amplifiers ap ( an ) are provided . however , the invention is not limited to the embodiment . obviously , four sets or more ( or two sets ) of transistors p ( q ) and resistance elements ra ( rb ) may be provided , and four sets or more ( or two sets ) of replica circuits rp and four sets or more ( or two sets ) of operational amplifiers ap ( an ) may be provided . a semiconductor device according to a second embodiment of the present invention has , as shown in fig7 , a control voltage generation circuit vcg 10 , replica circuits rp 11 to rp 13 , an output buffer dob 10 , and an output terminal to . the output buffer dob 10 is configured as a high - speed driver circuit of a usb and includes resistance elements rb 1 to rb 4 , n - channel mos transistors q 1 to q 5 , a constant current source cb , and a driver dr . the constant current source cb and the n - channel mos transistor q 5 are coupled in series between the line of the power supply voltage vdd and the output terminal to . the gate of the n - channel mos transistor q 5 receives the internal data signal φd . the resistance elements rb 1 to rb 3 , the n - channel mos transistor q 4 , and the resistance element rb 4 are coupled in series between the line of the ground voltage vss and the output terminal to . the sources of the n - channel mos transistors q 1 to q 3 receive the ground voltage vss , and the drains are coupled to electrodes on the higher voltage side ( the output terminal to side ) of the resistance elements rb 1 to rb 3 . the driver db supplies a signal of the “ h ” level to the gate of the transistor q 4 to turn on the transistor q 4 . the control voltage generation circuit vcg 10 is obtained by eliminating the operational amplifiers ap 1 to ap 3 in the control voltage generation circuit vcg in fig1 . the replica circuits rp 11 to rp 13 are obtained by eliminating the resistance elements ra 1 to ra 4 , the p - channel mos transistors p 1 to p 4 , and the constant current source ca in the replica circuits rp 1 to rp 3 in fig1 . next , the operation of the semiconductor device will be described . the operational amplifiers an 1 to an 3 control the gate voltages vn 1 to vn 3 of the n - channel mos transistors q 1 to q 3 so that the output voltages vfn 1 to vfn 3 of the replica circuits rp 11 to rp 13 become equal to the reference voltage vrn in accordance with the value of combined resistance of the resistance elements rb 1 to rb 3 and the n - channel mos transistor q 4 . if the output voltage vfn 1 of the replica circuit rp 11 becomes equal to the reference voltage vrp , the resistance characteristic determined by ( vrn − vss )/ icb is obtained by the gate voltage vn 1 . icb denotes the current value of the constant current source cb . since the output voltages vfn 2 and vfn 3 of the replica circuits rp 12 and rp 13 are also controlled to be equal to the reference voltage vrn by the gate voltage vn 1 , the gate voltages vn 2 and vn 3 become the lowest voltage and function to turn off the n - channel mos transistors q 2 and q 3 . on the other hand , if the output voltage vfn 1 of the replica circuit rp 11 does not become equal to the reference voltage vrn , the gate voltage vn 1 becomes the highest voltage , and the drain current of the n - channel mos transistor q 1 is set to the highest voltage . further , if the output voltage vfn 2 of the replica circuit rp 12 does not become equal to the reference voltage vrn , the gate voltage vn 2 becomes the highest voltage , and the drain current of the n - channel mos transistor q 2 also becomes the largest . in this state , for example , if the output voltage vfn 3 of the replica circuit rp 13 does not become equal to the reference voltage vrn , the resistance characteristic determined by ( vrn − vss )/ icb is obtained by the gate voltage vn 3 . since the gate voltages vn 1 to vn 3 also control the n - channel mos transistors q 1 to q 3 of the output buffer dob 10 , the output impedance zn at the time when the output buffer dob outputs the “ l ” level is adjusted to have the resistance characteristic determined by ( vrn − vss )/ icb . in the case where the internal data signal φd is at the “ h ” level , the n - channel mos transistor p 5 is turned on , the output terminal to becomes the “ h ” level , and the data signal do becomes the “ h ” level . in the case where the internal data signal φd is at the “ l ” level , the n - channel mos transistor q 5 is turned off , the output terminal to becomes the “ l ” level , and the data signal do becomes the “ l ” level . concretely , as illustrated in the upper row in fig8 , when the combined resistance value of the resistance elements rb 1 to rb 4 and the n - channel mos transistor q 4 is higher than a predetermined value and the combined resistance value of the resistance elements rb 2 to rb 4 and the n - channel mos transistor q 4 is lower than the predetermined value , all of the output voltages vfn 1 to vfn 3 of the replica circuits rp 11 to rp 13 become equal to the reference voltage vrn . the gate voltage vn 1 becomes intermediate voltage , and both of the gate voltages vn 2 and vn 3 become the lowest voltage . as a result , the drain current of the n - channel mos transistor q 1 is adjusted to a proper value , the n - channel mos transistors q 2 and q 3 are turned off , and the combined resistance value of the resistance elements rb 1 to rb 4 and the n - channel mos transistors q 1 to q 4 of the output buffer dob 10 is adjusted to a predetermined value . as illustrated in the intermediate row in fig8 , when the combined resistance value of the resistance elements rb 2 to rb 4 and the n - channel mos transistor q 4 is higher than a predetermined value and the combined resistance value of the resistance elements rb 3 and rb 4 and the n - channel mos transistor q 4 is lower than the predetermined value , the output voltage vfn 1 of the replica circuit rp 11 becomes higher than the reference voltage vrn , and both of the output voltages vfn 2 and vfn 3 of the replica circuits rp 12 and rp 13 become equal to the reference voltage vrn . the gate voltage vn 1 becomes the highest voltage , the gate voltage vn 2 becomes the intermediate voltage , and the gate voltage vn 3 becomes the lowest voltage . as a result , the n - channel mos transistor q 1 is turned on , the drain current of the n - channel mos transistor q 2 is adjusted to a proper value , the n - channel mos transistor q 3 is turned off , and the combined resistance value of the resistance elements rb 1 to rb 4 and the n - channel mos transistors q 1 to q 4 of the output buffer dob 10 is adjusted to a predetermined value . as illustrated in the lower row in fig8 , when the combined resistance value of the resistance elements rb 2 and rb 4 and the n - channel mos transistor q 4 is higher than a predetermined value and the combined resistance value of the resistance element rb 4 and the n - channel mos transistor q 4 is lower than the predetermined value , both of the output voltages vfn 1 and vfn 2 of the replica circuits rp 11 and rp 12 become higher than the reference voltage vrn , and the output voltage vfn 3 of the replica circuit rp 13 becomes equal to the reference voltage vrn . both of the gate voltages vn 1 and vn 2 become the highest voltage , and the gate voltage vn 3 becomes the intermediate voltage . as a result , the n - channel mos transistors q 1 and q 2 are turned on , the drain current of the n - channel mos transistor q 3 is adjusted to a proper value , and the combined resistance value of the resistance elements rb 1 to rb 4 and the n - channel mos transistors q 1 to q 4 of the output buffer dob 10 is adjusted to a predetermined value . fig9 is a circuit diagram illustrating a configuration of a semiconductor device as a comparative example of the second embodiment and is a diagram which is compared to fig7 . the semiconductor device of fig9 is different from that of fig7 with respect to the points that the operational amplifiers an 2 and an 3 in the control voltage generation circuit vcg 10 are not provided , the transistors q 2 and q 3 and the resistance elements rb 2 and rb 3 in the replica circuit rp 11 are not provided , the replica circuits rp 12 and rp 13 are not provided , and the transistors q 2 and q 3 and the resistive elements rb 2 and rb 3 in the output buffer dob 10 are not provided . in the comparative example , in the case where the resistance value of the resistance element rb 1 changes beyond a range in which the resistance value can be adjusted by the drain current of the n - channel mos transistor q 1 , the output impedance zn of the output buffer dob cannot be adjusted to a predetermined value . on the other hand , in the second embodiment , the plurality of n - channel mos transistors q 1 to q 3 are provided . consequently , even in the case where the sum of the resistance values of the resistance elements rb 1 to rb 4 ( rb 1 to rb 3 , ra 4 ) fluctuates beyond the range in which the resistance value can be adjusted by the drain current of one n - channel mos transistor q , the output impedance zn can be adjusted to a predetermined value . in the second embodiment , three sets of transistors q and the resistance elements rb are provided and three sets of replica circuits rp and three sets of operational amplifiers an are provided . however , the invention is not limited to the embodiment . obviously , four sets or more ( or two sets ) of transistors q and resistance elements rb may be provided , and four sets or more ( or two sets ) of replica circuits rp and four sets or more ( or two sets ) of operational amplifiers an may be provided . fig1 is a circuit diagram showing a main part of a semiconductor device according to a third embodiment of the invention and is compared to fig1 . the semiconductor device of fig1 is different from the semiconductor device of fig1 with respect to the points that an n - channel mos transistor qs and a p - channel mos transistor ps are added to the replica circuit rp 1 , and inverters ip and in , an n - channel mos transistor qs , and a p - channel mos transistor ps are added to each of the replica circuits rp 2 and rp 3 . the drain of the n - channel mos transistor qs is coupled to an electrode on the low voltage side ( the ground voltage vss side ) of the resistance element ra 4 , and the source is coupled to the line of the ground voltage vss via the constant current source ca . the source of the p - channel mos transistor ps is coupled to the line of the power supply voltage vdd via the constant current source cb , and the drain is coupled to the electrode on the high voltage side ( the power supply voltage vdd side ) of the resistance element rb 4 . in the replica circuit rp 1 , the power supply voltage vss is applied to the gate of the transistor qs , the ground voltage vss is applied to the gate of the transistor ps , and both of the transistors qs and ps are fixed in the on state . in the replica circuit rp 2 , the input node of the inverter ip receives the gate voltage vp 1 , and an output signal of the inverter ip is supplied to the gate of the n - channel mos transistor qs . in the case where the gate voltage vp 1 is lower than a threshold voltage vthp of the inverter ip , an output signal of the inverter ip becomes the “ h ” level , and the n - channel mos transistor qs is turned on . in the case where the gate voltage vp 1 is higher than the threshold voltage vthp of the inverter ip , an output signal of the inverter ip becomes the “ l ” level , and the n - channel mos transistor qs is turned off . the input node of the inverter in receives the gate voltage vn 1 , and an output signal of the inverter in is supplied to the gate of the p - channel mos transistor ps . in the case where the gate voltage vn 1 is lower than a threshold voltage vthn of the inverter in , an output signal of the inverter in becomes the “ h ” level , and the p - channel mos transistor ps is turned off . in the case where the gate voltage vn 1 is higher than the threshold voltage vthn of the inverter in , an output signal of the inverter in becomes the “ l ” level , and the p - channel mos transistor ps is turned on . in the replica circuit rp 3 , the input node of the inverter ip receives the gate voltage vp 2 , and an output signal of the inverter ip is supplied to the gate of the n - channel mos transistor qs . in the case where the gate voltage vp 2 is lower than the threshold voltage vthp of the inverter ip , an output signal of the inverter ip becomes the “ h ” level , and the n - channel mos transistor qs is turned on . in the case where the gate voltage vp 2 is higher than the threshold voltage vthp of the inverter ip , an output signal of the inverter ip becomes the “ l ” level , and the n - channel mos transistor qs is turned off . the input node of the inverter in receives the gate voltage vn 2 , and an output signal of the inverter in is supplied to the gate of the p - channel mos transistor ps . in the case where the gate voltage vn 2 is lower than the threshold voltage vthn of the inverter in , an output signal of the inverter in becomes the “ h ” level , and the p - channel mos transistor ps is turned off . in the case where the gate voltage vn 2 is higher than the threshold voltage vthn of the inverter in , an output signal of the inverter in becomes the “ l ” level , and the p - channel mos transistor ps is turned on . next , the operation of the semiconductor device will be described . in the case where the output voltage vfp 1 of the replica circuit rp 1 becomes equal to the reference voltage vrp , the inverter ip of the replica circuit rp 2 detects that the gate voltage vp 1 is not the lowest voltage , and the n - channel mos transistor qs of the replica circuit rp 2 is turned off to interrupt the current of the constant current source ca . when the current of the constant current source ca is interrupted , the output voltage vfp 2 of the replica circuit rp 2 becomes the power supply voltage vdd , and the gate voltage vp 2 becomes the highest voltage . as a result , the inverter ip of the replica circuit rp 3 turns off the n - channel mos transistor qs to interrupt the current of the constant current source ca . when the current of the constant current source ca is interrupted , the output voltage vfp 3 of the replica circuit rp 3 becomes the power supply voltage vdd , and the gate voltage vp 3 becomes the highest voltage . concretely , as illustrated in the upper row in fig1 , when the combined resistance value of the resistance elements ra 1 to ra 4 and the p - channel mos transistor p 4 is higher than a predetermined value and the combined resistance value of the resistance elements ra 2 to ra 4 and the p - channel mos transistor p 4 is lower than the predetermined value , the output voltage vfp 1 of the replica circuit rp 1 becomes equal to the reference voltage vrp . the gate voltage vp 1 becomes the intermediate voltage , and both of the gate voltages vp 2 and vp 3 become the highest voltage . as a result , in each of the replica circuits rp 2 and rp 3 , the output signal of the inverter ip becomes the “ l ” level , the n - channel mos transistor qs is turned off , and the output voltages vfp 2 and vfp 3 of the replica circuits rp 2 and rp 3 become the power supply voltage vdd . the drain current of the p - channel mos transistor p 1 is adjusted to a proper value , the p - channel mos transistors p 2 and p 3 are turned off , and the combined resistance value of the resistance elements ra 1 to ra 4 and the p - channel mos transistors p 1 to p 4 of the output buffer dob is adjusted to a predetermined value . as illustrated in the intermediate row in fig1 , when the combined resistance value of the resistance elements ra 2 to ra 4 and the p - channel mos transistor p 4 is higher than a predetermined value and the combined resistance value of the resistance elements ra 3 and ra 4 and the p - channel mos transistor p 4 is lower than the predetermined value , the output voltage vfp 1 of the replica circuit rp 1 becomes lower than the reference voltage vrp , and the output voltage vfp 2 of the replica circuit rp 2 becomes equal to the reference voltage vrp . the gate voltage vp 1 becomes the lowest voltage , the gate voltage vp 2 becomes the intermediate voltage , and the gate voltage vp 3 becomes the highest voltage . as a result , in the replica circuit rp 2 , an output signal of the inverter ip becomes the “ h ” level , and the n - channel mos transistor qs is turned on . in the replica circuit rp 3 , an output signal of the inverter ip becomes the “ l ” level , the n - channel mos transistor qs is turned off , and the output voltage vfp 3 of the replica circuit rp 3 becomes the power supply voltage vdd . the p - channel mos transistor p 1 is turned on , the drain current of the p - channel mos transistor p 2 is adjusted to a proper value , the p - channel mos transistor p 3 is turned off , and the combined resistance value of the resistance elements ra 1 to ra 4 and the p - channel mos transistors p 1 to p 4 of the output buffer dob is adjusted to a predetermined value . as illustrated in the lower row in fig1 , when the combined resistance value of the resistance elements ra 3 and ra 4 and the p - channel mos transistor p 4 is lower than a predetermined value and the combined resistance value of the resistance element ra 4 and the p - channel mos transistor p 4 is lower than the predetermined value , both of the output voltages vfp 1 and vfp 2 of the replica circuits rp 1 and rp 2 become lower than the reference voltage vrp , and the output voltage vfp 3 of the replica circuit rp 3 becomes equal to the reference voltage vrp . both of the gate voltages vp 1 and vp 2 become the lowest voltage , and the gate voltage vp 3 becomes the intermediate voltage . as a result , in each of the replica circuits rp 2 and rp 3 , an output signal of the inverter ip becomes the “ h ” level , and the n - channel mos transistor qs is turned on . the p - channel mos transistors p 1 and p 2 are turned on , the drain current of the p - channel mos transistor p 3 is adjusted to a proper value , and the combined resistance value of the resistance elements ra 1 to ra 4 and the p - channel mos transistors p 1 to p 4 in the output buffer dob is adjusted to a predetermined value . similarly , in the case where the output voltage vfn 1 of the replica circuit rp 1 becomes equal to the reference voltage vrn , the inverter in of the replica circuit rp 2 detects that the gate voltage vn 1 is not the highest voltage , and the p - channel mos transistor ps of the replica circuit rp 2 is turned off to interrupt the current of the constant current source cb . when the current of the constant current source cb is interrupted , the output voltage vfn 2 of the replica circuit rp 2 becomes the ground voltage vss , and the gate voltage vn 2 becomes the lowest voltage . as a result , the inverter in of the replica circuit rp 3 turns off the p - channel mos transistor ps to interrupt the current of the constant current source cb . when the current of the constant current source cb is interrupted , the output voltage vfn 3 of the replica circuit rp 3 becomes the ground voltage vss , and the gate voltage vn 3 becomes the lowest voltage . concretely , as illustrated in the upper row in fig1 , when the combined resistance value of the resistance elements rb 1 to rb 4 and the n - channel mos transistor q 4 is higher than a predetermined value and the combined resistance value of the resistance elements rb 2 to rb 4 and the n - channel mos transistor q 4 is lower than the predetermined value , the output voltage vfn 1 of the replica circuit rp 1 becomes equal to the reference voltage vrn . the gate voltage vn 1 becomes the intermediate voltage , and both of the gate voltages vn 2 and vn 3 become the lowest voltage . as a result , in each of the replica circuits rp 2 and rp 3 , the output signal of the inverter in becomes the “ h ” level , the p - channel mos transistor ps is turned off , and the output voltages vfn 2 and vfn 3 of the replica circuits rp 2 and rp 3 become the ground voltage vss . the drain current of the n - channel mos transistor q 1 is adjusted to a proper value , the n - channel mos transistors q 2 and q 3 are turned off , and the combined resistance value of the resistance elements rb 1 to rb 4 and the n - channel mos transistors q 1 to q 4 of the output buffer dob is adjusted to a predetermined value . as illustrated in the intermediate row in fig1 , when the combined resistance value of the resistance elements rb 2 to rb 4 and the n - channel mos transistor q 4 is higher than a predetermined value and the combined resistance value of the resistance elements rb 3 and rb 4 and the n - channel mos transistor q 4 is lower than the predetermined value , the output voltage vfn 1 of the replica circuit rp 1 becomes higher than the reference voltage vrn , and the output voltage vfn 2 of the replica circuit rp 2 becomes equal to the reference voltage vrn . the gate voltage vn 1 becomes the highest voltage , the gate voltage vn 2 becomes the intermediate voltage , and the gate voltage vn 3 becomes the lowest voltage . in the replica circuit rp 2 , an output signal of the inverter in becomes the “ l ” level , and the p - channel mos transistor ps is turned on . in the replica circuit rp 3 , an output signal of the inverter in becomes the “ h ” level , the p - channel mos transistor ps is turned off , and the output voltage vfn 3 of the replica circuit rp 3 becomes the ground voltage vss . the n - channel mos transistor q 1 is turned on , the drain current of the n - channel mos transistor q 2 is adjusted to a proper value , the n - channel mos transistor q 3 is turned off , and the combined resistance value of the resistance elements rb 1 to rb 4 and the n - channel mos transistors q 1 to q 4 of the output buffer dob is adjusted to a predetermined value . as illustrated in the lower row in fig1 , when the combined resistance value of the resistance elements rb 3 and rb 4 and the n - channel mos transistor q 4 is higher than a predetermined value and the combined resistance value of the resistance element rb 4 and the n - channel mos transistor q 4 is lower than the predetermined value , both of the output voltages vfn 1 and vfn 2 of the replica circuits rp 1 and rp 2 become higher than the reference voltage vrp , and the output voltage vfn 3 of the replica circuit rp 3 becomes equal to the reference voltage vrp . both of the gate voltages vn 1 and vn 2 become the highest voltage , and the gate voltage vn 3 becomes the intermediate voltage . as a result , in each of the replica circuits rp 2 and rp 3 , an output signal of the inverter in becomes the “ l ” level , and the p - channel mos transistor ps is turned on . the n - channel mos transistors q 1 and q 2 are turned on , the drain current of the n - channel mos transistor q 3 is adjusted to a proper value , and the combined resistance value of the resistance elements rb 1 to rb 4 and the n - channel mos transistors q 1 to q 4 of the output buffer dob is adjusted to a predetermined value . fig1 is a diagram illustrating a result of simulation of changes in the gate voltages vp 1 to vp 3 and vn 1 to vn 3 accompanying temperature changes of the semiconductor device . in fig1 , in a low - temperature region , both of the gate voltages vp 2 and vp 3 are set to the power supply voltage vdd , both of the transistors p 2 and p 3 are turned off , both of the gate voltages vn 2 and vn 3 are set to the ground voltage vss , both of the transistors q 2 and q 3 are turned off , each of the gate voltages vp 1 and vn 1 is set to the intermediate voltage , and the drain current of each of the transistors p 1 and q 1 is adjusted . in the low - temperature region , as the temperature rises , the gate voltage vp 1 decreases and the gate voltage vn 1 increases so that the output impedances zp and zn become constant . when the temperature further rises and the gate voltage vn 1 becomes higher than the threshold voltage vthn of the inverter in , the p - channel mos transistor ps of the replica circuit rp 2 is turned on , and the gate voltage vn 2 is increased from the ground voltage vss to the intermediate voltage . when the temperature further rises and the gate voltage vp 1 becomes lower than the threshold voltage vthp of the inverter ip , the n - channel mos transistor qs of the replica circuit rp 2 is turned on , and the gate voltage vp 2 is decreased from the power supply voltage vdd to the intermediate voltage . in a high - temperature region , the gate voltage vp 1 is set to the lowest voltage , the gate voltage vn 1 is set to the highest voltage , both of the transistors p 1 and q 1 are turned on , the gate voltage vp 3 is set to the power supply voltage vdd , the gate voltage vn 3 is set to the ground voltage vss , both of the transistors p 3 and q 3 are turned off , each of the gate voltages vp 2 and vn 2 is set to the intermediate voltage , and the drain current of each of the transistors p 2 and q 2 is adjusted . in the high - temperature region , as the temperature rises , the gate voltage vp 2 decreases and the gate voltage vn 2 increases so that the output impedances zp and zn become constant . in the third embodiment , the effect similar to that of the first embodiment is obtained . in addition , since through current of the replica circuit rp which does not exert an influence on the adjustment of the output impedances zp and zn can be interrupted , power consumption is smaller than that of the first embodiment . fig1 is a circuit diagram showing a main part of a semiconductor device according to a fourth embodiment of the invention and is compared to fig7 . the semiconductor device of fig1 is different from the semiconductor device of fig7 with respect to the points that a p - channel mos transistor ps is added to the replica circuit rp 11 , and the inverter in and the p - channel mos transistor ps are added to each of the replica circuits rp 12 and rp 13 . the source of the p - channel mos transistor ps is coupled to the line of the power supply voltage vdd via the constant current source cb . the drain of the p - channel mos transistor ps is coupled to the electrode on the high voltage side ( the power supply voltage vdd side ) of the resistance element rb 4 . in the replica circuit rp 11 , the power supply voltage vss is applied to the gate of the transistor ps , and the transistor ps is fixed in the on state . in the replica circuit rp 12 , the input node of the inverter in receives the gate voltage vn 1 , and an output signal of the inverter in is supplied to the gate of the p - channel mos transistor ps . in the case where the gate voltage vn 1 is lower than a threshold voltage vthn of the inverter in , an output signal of the inverter in becomes the “ h ” level , and the p - channel mos transistor ps is turned off . in the case where the gate voltage vn 1 is higher than the threshold voltage vthn of the inverter in , an output signal of the inverter in becomes the “ l ” level , and the p - channel mos transistor ps is turned on . in the replica circuit rp 13 , the input node of the inverter in receives the gate voltage vn 2 , and an output signal of the inverter in is supplied to the gate of the p - channel mos transistor ps . in the case where the gate voltage vn 2 is lower than a threshold voltage vthn of the inverter in , an output signal of the inverter in becomes the “ h ” level , and the p - channel mos transistor ps is turned off . in the case where the gate voltage vn 2 is higher than the threshold voltage vthn of the inverter in , an output signal of the inverter in becomes the “ l ” level , and the p - channel mos transistor ps is turned on . next , the operation of the semiconductor device will be described . in the case where the output voltage vfn 1 of the replica circuit rp 11 becomes equal to the reference voltage vrn , the inverter in of the replica circuit rp 12 detects that the gate voltage vn 1 is not the highest voltage , and the p - channel mos transistor ps of the replica circuit rp 12 is turned off to interrupt the current of the constant current source cb . when the current of the constant current source cb is interrupted , the output voltage vfn 2 of the replica circuit rp 12 becomes the ground voltage vss , and the gate voltage vn 2 becomes the lowest voltage . as a result , the inverter in of the replica circuit rp 13 turns off the p - channel mos transistor ps to interrupt the current of the constant current source cb . when the current of the constant current source cb is interrupted , the output voltage vfn 3 of the replica circuit rp 13 becomes the ground voltage vss , and the gate voltage vn 3 becomes the lowest voltage . concretely , as illustrated in the upper row in fig1 , when the combined resistance value of the resistance elements rb 1 to rb 4 and the n - channel mos transistor q 4 is higher than a predetermined value and the combined resistance value of the resistance elements rb 2 to rb 4 and the n - channel mos transistor q 4 is lower than the predetermined value , the output voltage vfn 1 of the replica circuit rp 11 becomes equal to the reference voltage vrn . the gate voltage vn 1 becomes the intermediate voltage , and both of the gate voltages vn 2 and vn 3 become the lowest voltage . as a result , in each of the replica circuits rp 12 and rp 13 , the output signal of the inverter in becomes the “ h ” level , the p - channel mos transistor ps is turned off , and the output voltages vfn 2 and vfn 3 of the replica circuits rp 2 and rp 3 become the ground voltage vss . the drain current of the n - channel mos transistor q 1 is adjusted to a proper value , the n - channel mos transistors q 2 and q 3 are turned off , and the combined resistance value of the resistance elements rb 1 to rb 4 and the n - channel mos transistors q 1 to q 4 of the output buffer dob is adjusted to a predetermined value . as illustrated in the intermediate row in fig1 , when the combined resistance value of the resistance elements rb 2 to rb 4 and the n - channel mos transistor q 4 is higher than a predetermined value and the combined resistance value of the resistance elements rb 3 and rb 4 and the n - channel mos transistor q 4 is lower than the predetermined value , the output voltage vfn 1 of the replica circuit rp 11 becomes higher than the reference voltage vrn , and the output voltage vfn 2 of the replica circuit rp 12 becomes equal to the reference voltage vrn . the gate voltage vn 1 becomes the highest voltage , the gate voltage vn 2 becomes the intermediate voltage , and the gate voltage vn 3 becomes the lowest voltage . as a result , in the replica circuit rp 12 , an output signal of the inverter in becomes the “ l ” level , and the p - channel mos transistor ps is turned on . in the replica circuit rp 13 , an output signal of the inverter in becomes the “ h ” level , the p - channel mos transistor ps is turned off , and the output voltage vfn 3 of the replica circuit rp 13 becomes the ground voltage vss . the n - channel mos transistor q 1 is turned on , the drain current of the n - channel mos transistor q 2 is adjusted to a proper value , the n - channel mos transistor q 3 is turned off , and the combined resistance value of the resistance elements rb 1 to rb 4 and the n - channel mos transistors q 1 to q 4 of the output buffer dob is adjusted to a predetermined value . as illustrated in the lower row in fig1 , when the combined resistance value of the resistance elements rb 3 and rb 4 and the n - channel mos transistor q 4 is higher than a predetermined value and the combined resistance value of the resistance element rb 4 and the n - channel mos transistor q 4 is lower than the predetermined value , both of the output voltages vfn 1 and vfn 2 of the replica circuits rp 11 and rp 12 become higher than the reference voltage vrn , and the output voltage vfn 3 of the replica circuit rp 13 becomes equal to the reference voltage vrn . both of the gate voltages vn 1 and vn 2 become the highest voltage , and the gate voltage vn 3 becomes the intermediate voltage . as a result , in each of the replica circuits rp 12 and rp 13 , an output signal of the inverter in becomes the “ l ” level , and the p - channel mos transistor ps is turned on . the n - channel mos transistors q 1 and q 2 are turned on , the drain current of the n - channel mos transistor q 3 is adjusted to a proper value , and the combined resistance value of the resistance elements rb 1 to rb 4 and the p - channel mos transistors q 1 to q 4 in the output buffer dob is adjusted to a predetermined value . in the fourth embodiment , the effect similar to that of the second embodiment is obtained . in addition , since through current of the replica circuit rp which does not exert an influence on the adjustment of the output impedances zp and zn can be interrupted , power consumption is smaller than that of the second embodiment . fig1 is a circuit diagram showing a main part of a semiconductor device according to a fifth embodiment of the invention and is compared to fig1 . the semiconductor device of fig1 is different from the semiconductor device of fig1 with respect to the points that the n - channel mos transistors qs 1 to qs 3 and the p - channel mos transistors ps 1 to ps 3 are added to the control voltage generation circuit vcg , and the inverters ip 1 , ip 2 , in 1 , and in 2 are added to each of the replica circuits rp 2 and rp 3 . the drains of the n - channel mos transistors qs 1 to qs 3 are coupled to the negative - side power supply nodes of the operational amplifiers ap 1 to ap 3 , and the sources receive the ground voltage vss . the gate of the n - channel mos transistor qs 1 receives the power supply voltage vdd and is fixed in the on state . the sources of the p - channel mos transistors ps 1 to ps 3 receive the power supply voltage vdd , and the drains are coupled to the power supply nodes on the positive side of the operational amplifiers an 1 to an 3 . the p - channel mos transistor ps 1 receives the ground voltage vss by its gate and is fixed in the on state . in the replica circuit rp 12 , the input node of the inverter ip 1 receives the gate voltage vp 1 , and an output signal of the inverter ip 1 is supplied to the gate of the p - channel mos transistor p 4 via the inverter ip 2 . an output signal of the inverter ip 1 is supplied to the gate of the n - channel mos transistor qs 2 . in the case where the gate voltage vp 1 is lower than the threshold voltage vthp of the inverter ip 1 , an output signal of the inverter ip 1 becomes the “ h ” level , an output signal of the inverter ip 2 becomes the “ l ” level , and both of the transistors qs 2 and p 4 are turned on . in the case where the gate voltage vp 1 is higher than the threshold voltage vthp of the inverter ip 1 , an output signal of the inverter ip 1 becomes the “ l ” level , and an output signal of the inverter ip 2 becomes the “ h ” level , and both of the transistors qs 2 and p 4 are turned off . in the replica circuit rp 2 , the input node of the inverter in 1 receives the gate voltage vn 1 , and an output signal of the inverter in 1 is supplied to the gate of the n - channel mos transistor q 4 via the inverter in 2 . an output signal of the inverter in 1 is supplied to the gate of the p - channel mos transistor ps 2 . in the case where the gate voltage vn 1 is lower than the threshold voltage vthn of the inverter in 1 , an output signal of the inverter in 1 becomes the “ h ” level , an output signal of the inverter in 2 becomes the “ l ” level , and both of the transistors ps 2 and q 4 are turned off . in the case where the gate voltage vn 1 is higher than the threshold voltage vthn of the inverter in 1 , an output signal of the inverter in 1 becomes the “ l ” level , an output signal of the inverter in 2 becomes the “ h ” level , and both of the transistors ps 2 and q 4 are turned on . in the replica circuit rp 3 , the input node of the inverter ip 1 receives the gate voltage vp 2 , and an output signal of the inverter ip 1 is supplied to the gate of the p - channel mos transistor p 4 via the inverter ip 2 . an output signal of the inverter ip 1 is supplied to the gate of the n - channel mos transistor qs 3 . in the case where the gate voltage vp 2 is lower than the threshold voltage vthp of the inverter ip 1 , an output signal of the inverter ip 1 becomes the “ h ” level , an output signal of the inverter ip 2 becomes the “ l ” level , and both of the transistors qs 3 and p 4 are turned on . in the case where the gate voltage vp 2 is higher than the threshold voltage vthp of the inverter ip 1 , an output signal of the inverter ip 1 becomes the “ l ” level , an output signal of the inverter ip 2 becomes the “ h ” level , and both of the transistors qs 3 and p 4 are turned off . in the replica circuit rp 3 , the input node of the inverter in 1 receives the gate voltage vn 2 , and an output signal of the inverter in 2 is supplied to the gate of the n - channel mos transistor q 4 via the inverter in 2 . an output signal of the inverter in 1 is supplied to the gate of the p - channel mos transistor ps 3 . in the case where the gate voltage vn 2 is lower than the threshold voltage vthn of the inverter in 1 , an output signal of the inverter in 1 becomes the “ h ” level , an output signal of the inverter in 2 becomes the “ l ” level , and both of the transistors ps 3 and q 4 are turned off . in the case where the gate voltage vn 2 is higher than the threshold voltage vthn of the inverter in 1 , an output signal of the inverter in 1 becomes the “ l ” level , an output signal of the inverter in 2 becomes the “ h ” level , and both of the transistors ps 3 and q 4 are turned on . next , the operation of the semiconductor device will be described . in the case where the output voltage vfp 1 of the replica circuit rp 1 becomes equal to the reference voltage vrp , the inverter ip 1 of the replica circuit rp 2 detects that the gate voltage vp 1 is not the lowest voltage , and turns off the transistors p 4 and qs 2 . as a result , the current of the constant current source ca is interrupted , application of the ground voltage vss to the negative - side power supply node of the operational amplifier ap 2 is stopped , and the gate voltage vp 2 as the output voltage of the operational amplifier ap 2 becomes the highest voltage . when the gate voltage vp 2 becomes the highest voltage , the inverter ip 1 of the replica circuit rp 3 turns off the transistors p 4 and qs 3 . as a result , the current of the constant current source ca is interrupted , application of the ground voltage vss to the negative - side power supply node of the operational amplifier ap 3 is stopped , and the gate voltage vp 3 as the output voltage of the operational amplifier ap 3 becomes the highest voltage . similarly , in the case where the output voltage vfn 1 of the replica circuit rp 1 becomes equal to the reference voltage vrp , the inverter in 1 of the replica circuit rp 2 detects that the gate voltage vn 1 is not the highest voltage , and turns off the transistors q 4 and ps 2 . as a result , the current of the constant current source cb is interrupted , application of the power supply voltage vdd to the positive - side power supply node of the operational amplifier an 2 is stopped , and the gate voltage vn 2 as the output voltage of the operational amplifier an 2 becomes the lowest voltage . when the gate voltage vn 2 becomes the lowest voltage , the inverter in 1 of the replica circuit rp 3 turns off the transistors q 4 and ps 3 . as a result , the current of the constant current source cb is interrupted , application of the power supply voltage vdd to the positive - side power supply node of the operational amplifier an 3 is stopped , and the gate voltage vn 3 as the output voltage of the operational amplifier an 3 becomes the lowest voltage . the other operation is similar to that of the third embodiment , and its description will not be repeated . in the fifth embodiment , the effect similar to that of the first embodiment is obtained . in addition , since through current of the replica circuit rp and through current of the operational amplifiers ap and an , which does not exert an influence on the adjustment of the output impedances zp and zn can be interrupted at the same time , power consumption can be further reduced as compared with that of the third embodiment . fig1 is a circuit diagram showing a main part of a semiconductor device according to a sixth embodiment of the invention and is compared to fig1 . the semiconductor device of fig1 is different from the semiconductor device of fig1 with respect to the point that the inverters ip and in are added to each of the replica circuits rp 1 and rp 2 . in the replica circuit rp 1 , the input node of the inverter ip receives the gate voltage vp 2 , and an output signal of the inverter ip is supplied to the gate of the p - channel mos transistor p 4 . in the case where the gate voltage vp 2 is lower than the threshold voltage vthp of the inverter ip , an output signal of the inverter ip becomes the “ h ” level , and the p - channel mos transistor p 4 is turned off . in the case where the gate voltage vp 2 is higher than the threshold voltage vthp of the inverter ip , an output signal of the inverter ip becomes the “ l ” level , and the p - channel mos transistor p 4 is turned on . the input node of the inverter in receives the gate voltage vn 2 , and an output signal of the inverter in is supplied to the gate of the n - channel mos transistor q 4 . in the case where the gate voltage vn 2 is lower than the threshold voltage vthn of the inverter in , an output signal of the inverter in becomes the “ h ” level , and the n - channel mos transistor q 4 is turned on . in the case where the gate voltage vn 2 is higher than the threshold voltage vthn of the inverter in , an output signal of the inverter in becomes the “ l ” level , and the n - channel mos transistor q 4 is turned off . in the replica circuit rp 2 , the input node of the inverter ip receives the gate voltage vp 3 , and an output signal of the inverter ip is supplied to the gate of the p - channel mos transistor p 4 . in the case where the gate voltage vp 3 is lower than the threshold voltage vthp of the inverter ip , an output signal of the inverter ip becomes the “ h ” level , and the p - channel mos transistor p 4 is turned off . in the case where the gate voltage vp 3 is higher than the threshold voltage vthp of the inverter ip , an output signal of the inverter ip becomes the “ l ” level , and the p - channel mos transistor p 4 is turned on . the input node of the inverter in receives the gate voltage vn 3 , and an output signal of the inverter in is supplied to the gate of the n - channel mos transistor q 4 . in the case where the gate voltage vn 3 is lower than the threshold voltage vthn of the inverter in , an output signal of the inverter in becomes the “ h ” level , and the n - channel mos transistor q 4 is turned on . in the case where the gate voltage vn 3 is higher than the threshold voltage vthn of the inverter in , an output signal of the inverter in becomes the “ l ” level , and the n - channel mos transistor q 4 is turned off . next , the operation of the semiconductor device will be described . in the case where the replica circuit rp 3 becomes equal to the reference voltage vrp , the inverter ip of the replica circuit rp 2 detects that the gate voltage vp 3 is not the highest voltage , and turns off the p - channel mos transistor p 4 in the replica circuit rp 2 to interrupt the constant current source ca . when the current of the constant current source ca is interrupted , the output voltage vfp 2 of the replica circuit rp 2 becomes the ground voltage vss , so that the gate voltage vp 2 also becomes the lowest voltage . as a result , the inverter ip of the replica circuit rp 1 turns off the p - channel mos transistor p 4 to interrupt the current of the constant current source ca . when the current of the constant current source ca is interrupted , the output voltage vfp 1 of the replica circuit rp 1 becomes the ground voltage vss , so that the gate voltage vp 1 also becomes the lowest voltage . concretely , as illustrated in the upper row in fig1 , when the combined resistance value of the resistance elements ra 1 to ra 4 and the p - channel mos transistor p 4 is higher than a predetermined value and the combined resistance value of the resistance elements ra 2 to ra 4 and the p - channel mos transistor p 4 is lower than the predetermined value , the gate voltage vp 1 becomes the intermediate voltage , and both of the gate voltages vp 2 and vp 3 become the highest voltage . as a result , in each of the replica circuits rp 1 and rp 2 , the output signal of the inverter ip becomes the “ l ” level , the p - channel mos transistor p 4 is turned on , and the output voltages vfp 1 to vfp 3 of the replica circuits rp 1 to rp 3 become the reference voltage vrp . the drain current of the p - channel mos transistor p 1 is adjusted to a proper value , the p - channel mos transistors p 2 and p 3 are turned off , and the combined resistance value of the resistance elements ra 1 to ra 4 and the p - channel mos transistors p 1 to p 4 of the output buffer dob is adjusted to a predetermined value . as illustrated in the intermediate row in fig1 , when the combined resistance value of the resistance elements ra 2 to ra 4 and the p - channel mos transistor p 4 is higher than a predetermined value and the combined resistance value of the resistance elements ra 3 and ra 4 and the p - channel mos transistor p 4 is lower than the predetermined value , the gate voltage vp 1 becomes the lowest voltage , the gate voltage vp 2 becomes the intermediate voltage , and the gate voltage vp 3 becomes the highest voltage . as a result , in the replica circuit rp 1 , an output signal of the inverter ip becomes the “ h ” level , the p - channel mos transistor p 4 is turned off , and the output voltage vfp 1 becomes the ground voltage vss . in the replica circuit rp 2 , an output signal of the inverter ip becomes the “ l ” level , the p - channel mos transistor p 4 is turned on , and the output voltage vfp 2 of the replica circuit rp 2 becomes equal to the reference voltage vrp . since the p - channel mos transistor p 4 is on in the replica circuit rp 3 , the output voltage vfp 3 of the replica circuit rp 3 becomes equal to the reference voltage vrp . the p - channel mos transistor p 1 is turned on , the drain current of the p - channel mos transistor p 2 is adjusted to a proper value , the p - channel mos transistor p 3 is turned off , and the combined resistance value of the resistance elements ra 1 to ra 4 and the p - channel mos transistors p 1 to p 4 of the output buffer dob is adjusted to a predetermined value . as illustrated in the lower row in fig1 , when the combined resistance value of the resistance elements ra 3 and ra 4 and the p - channel mos transistor p 4 is higher than a predetermined value and the combined resistance value of the resistance element ra 4 and the p - channel mos transistor p 4 is lower than the predetermined value , both of the gate voltages vp 1 and vp 2 become lowest voltage , and the gate voltage vp 3 becomes the intermediate voltage . as a result , in each of the replica circuits rp 1 and rp 2 , an output signal of the inverter ip becomes the “ h ” level , the p - channel mos transistor p 4 is turned off , and the output voltages vfp 1 and vfp 2 become the ground voltage . in the replica circuit rp 3 , since the p - channel mos transistor p 4 is on , the output voltage vfp 3 of the replica circuit rp 3 becomes equal to the reference voltage vrp . the p - channel mos transistors p 1 and p 2 are turned on , the drain current of the p - channel mos transistor p 3 is adjusted to a proper value , and the combined resistance value of the resistance elements ra 1 to ra 4 and the p - channel mos transistors p 1 to p 4 in the output buffer dob is adjusted to a predetermined value . similarly , in the case where the output voltage vfn 3 of the replica circuit rp 3 becomes equal to the reference voltage vrn , the inverter in of the replica circuit rp 2 detects that the gate voltage vn 3 is not the lowest voltage , and the n - channel mos transistor q 4 is turned off to interrupt the current of the constant current source cb . when the current of the constant current source cb is interrupted , the output voltage vn 2 also becomes the highest voltage . as a result , the inverter in of the replica circuit rp 1 turns off the n - channel mos transistor q 4 to interrupt the current of the constant current source cb . when the current of the constant current source cb is interrupted , the output voltage vfn 1 of the replica circuit rp 1 becomes the power supply voltage vdd , and the gate voltage vn 1 also becomes the highest voltage . concretely , as illustrated in the upper row in fig1 , when the combined resistance value of the resistance elements rb 1 to rab and the n - channel mos transistor q 4 is higher than a predetermined value and the combined resistance value of the resistance elements rb 2 to rb 4 and the n - channel mos transistor q 4 is lower than the predetermined value , the gate voltage vn 1 becomes the intermediate voltage , and both of the gate voltages vn 2 and vn 3 become the lowest voltage . as a result , in each of the replica circuits rp 1 and rp 2 , the output signal of the inverter in becomes the “ h ” level , the n - channel mos transistor q 4 is turned on , and the output voltages vfn 1 to vfn 3 of the replica circuits rp 1 to rp 3 become the reference voltage vrn . the drain current of the n - channel mos transistor q 1 is adjusted to a proper value , the n - channel mos transistors q 2 and q 3 are turned off , and the combined resistance value of the resistance elements rb 1 to rab and the n - channel mos transistors q 1 to q 4 of the output buffer dob is adjusted to a predetermined value . as illustrated in the intermediate row in fig1 , when the combined resistance value of the resistance elements rb 2 to rb 4 and the n - channel mos transistor q 4 is higher than a predetermined value and the combined resistance value of the resistance elements rb 3 and rb 4 and the n - channel mos transistor q 4 is lower than the predetermined value , the gate voltage vn 1 becomes the highest voltage , the gate voltage vn 2 becomes the intermediate voltage , and the gate voltage vn 3 becomes the lowest voltage . as a result , in the replica circuit rp 1 , an output signal of the inverter ip becomes the “ l ” level , the n - channel mos transistor q 4 is turned off , and the output voltage vfn 1 becomes the power supply voltage vdd . in the replica circuit rp 2 , the output signal of the inverter ip becomes the “ h ” level , the n - channel mos transistor q 4 is turned on , and the output voltage vfn 2 of the replica circuit rp 2 becomes equal to the reference voltage vrn . in the replica circuit rp 3 , the n - channel mos transistor q 4 is on , so that the output voltage vfn 3 of the replica circuit rp 3 becomes equal to the reference voltage vrn . the n - channel mos transistor q 1 is turned on , the drain current of the n - channel mos transistor q 2 is adjusted to a proper value , the n - channel mos transistor q 3 is turned off , and the combined resistance value of the resistance elements rb 1 to rb 4 and the n - channel mos transistors q 1 to q 4 in the output buffer dob is adjusted to a predetermined value . as illustrated in the lower row in fig1 , when the combined resistance value of the resistance elements rb 3 and rb 4 and the n - channel mos transistor q 4 is higher than a predetermined value and the combined resistance value of the resistance element rb 4 and the n - channel mos transistor q 4 is lower than the predetermined value , both of the output voltages vn 1 and vn 2 become the highest voltage , and the gate voltage vn 3 becomes the intermediate voltage . as a result , in each of the replica circuits rp 1 and rp 2 , an output signal of the inverter ip becomes the “ l ” level , the n - channel mos transistor q 4 is turned off , and the output voltages vfn 1 and vfn 2 become the power supply voltage vdd . in the replica circuit rp 3 , since the n - channel mos transistor q 4 is on , the output voltage vfn 3 of the replica circuit rp 3 becomes equal to the reference voltage vrn . the n - channel mos transistors q 1 and q 2 are turned on , the drain current of the n - channel mos transistor q 3 is adjusted to a proper value , and the combined resistance value of the resistance elements rb 1 to rb 4 and the n - channel mos transistors q 1 to q 4 of the output buffer dob is adjusted to a predetermined value . in the sixth embodiment , the effect similar to that of the first embodiment is obtained . in addition , since through current of the replica circuit rp which does not exert an influence on the adjustment of the output impedances zp and zn can be interrupted , power consumption can be further reduced as compared with that of the first embodiment . fig2 is a block diagram showing a 1 a semiconductor device according to a seventh embodiment of the invention . in fig2 , the semiconductor device is used in , for example , a port part of a personal computer and has the semiconductor substrate 10 . along one side of the semiconductor substrate 10 , seven pads pd 1 to pd 7 are disposed in one line in the vertical direction of the diagram at predetermined intervals . a first port is formed by the pads pd 1 to pd 3 , and a second port is formed by the pads pd 5 to pd 7 . to the first port or the second port , for example , a mouse is coupled . the pads pd 1 and pd 2 are used to input / output complementary signals v + and v −. the pads pd 5 and pd 6 are used to input / output the complementary signals v + and v −. to each of the pads pd 3 , pd 4 , and pd 7 , the power supply voltage vdd is output . the pads pd 1 to pd 7 are provided in the regions of esd ( electro - static discharge ) protection circuits 11 to 17 , respectively . the esd protection circuits 11 to 17 protect internal circuits by discharging static electricity generated in the pads pd to pd 7 to the line ( not - shown ) of the ground voltage vss . an output buffer 21 and an input buffer 31 are disposed in order in a region on the right side in the diagram of the esd protection circuit 11 , and an output buffer 22 and an input buffer 32 are disposed in order in a region on the right side in the diagram of the esd protection circuit 12 . an output buffer 25 and an input buffer 34 are disposed in order in a region on the right side in the diagram of the esd protection circuit 15 , and an output buffer 26 and an input buffer 35 are disposed in order in a region on the right side in the diagram of the esd protection circuit 16 . each of the output buffers 21 , 22 , 25 , and 26 includes the full - speed output buffer dob shown in fig1 and the high - speed output buffer dob 0 shown in fig7 . the output buffer 21 outputs the signal v + to the pad pd 1 in response to an internal signal φv +. the output buffer 22 outputs the signal v − to the pad pd 2 in response to an internal signal φv −. the output buffer 25 outputs the signal v + to the pad pd 5 in response to the internal signal φv +. the output buffer 26 outputs the signal v − to the pad pd 6 in response to the internal signal φv −. each of the input buffers 31 , 32 , 34 , and 35 includes the full - speed input buffer and the high - speed input buffer . the input buffer 31 generates the internal signal φv + in response to an external signal v + supplied to the pad pd 1 . the input buffer 32 generates the internal signal φv − in response to an external signal v − supplied to the pad pd 2 . the input buffer 34 generates the internal signal φv + in response to the external signal v + supplied to the pad pd 5 . the input buffer 35 generates the internal signal φv − in response to the external signal v − supplied to the pad pd 6 . a power supply detection circuit ( vbus ) 23 and a control voltage generation circuit + replica circuit 33 are disposed in order in a region on the right side in the diagram of the esd protection circuit 13 , and a pll ( phase locked loop ) circuit 24 is disposed in a region on the right side in the diagram of the esd protection circuit 14 . a power supply detection circuit ( vbus ) 27 is disposed in a region on the right side in the diagram of the esd protection circuit 17 . the power supply detection circuit 23 generates a power supply detection signal in response to output of the power supply voltage vdd to the pad pd 3 in the first port . the power supply detection circuit 27 generates a power supply detection signal in response to output of the power supply voltage vdd to the pad pd 7 in the second port . the control voltage generation circuit + replica circuit 33 includes the control voltage generation circuit vcg and the replica circuits rp 1 to rp 3 illustrated in fig1 and supplies the gate voltages vp 1 to vp 3 and vn 1 to vn 3 to the full - speed output buffers dob in the output buffers 21 , 22 , 25 , and 26 . the pll circuit 24 generates an internal clock signal synchronized with an external clock signal . in the seventh embodiment , one control voltage generation circuit 30 replica circuit 33 is provided for the plurality of output buffers 21 , 22 , 25 , and 26 , so that layout area can be reduced . it should be understood that the embodiments disclosed herein are illustrative and not restrictive in all of aspects . the scope of the present invention is defined by the scope of claims rather than by the above description , and all changes in the claims or equivalents are intended to be included .	6
referring now in detail to the drawings wherein like reference numbers indicate like elements throughout the several views , there is shown in fig1 and 2 a automotive deck lid bumper 10 in accordance with one preferred embodiment of the present invention . this first , preferred embodiment of the illustrative device is shown generally comprising a stud 20 and a receptacle 50 . the receptacle 50 contains a bumper retention means for retaining the deck lid bumper 10 onto an aperture in a frame or panel 60 of the automobile . this retention means may include one or more resilient snap arms 52 as shown in fig1 and 2 ( two different styles shown ) in combination with a receptacle flange 54 such that as the deck lid bumper 10 is pressed down into the aperture in the panel 60 , the resilient snap arms 52 move inwardly until shoulders 53 are reached . when the panel 60 passes shoulder 53 , the resilient snap arms 52 snap outwardly into position thereby holding the receptacle 50 in place . the stud 20 has a head portion 22 and a shaft portion 24 . the head portion 22 preferably has a generally rounded smooth upper surface which has an optional rubber cap or other relatively soft resilient material to aid in cushioning the impact of the deck lid . the shaft portion 24 of the stud 20 has two sets of ribs running axially down the outer surface of the shaft 24 . first , a small set of ribs 26 on opposed sides of the shaft provides a ratcheting action ( i . e . friction ) against an opposed pair of receptacle ribs 54 to hold the stud 20 in place as the stud is axially lowered ( or possibly raised ) in the receptacle 50 during adjustment . second , once the axial position of the stud 20 within the receptacle 50 is located , the stud 20 is rotated such that a large set of ribs 28 on the shaft portion 24 engages the receptacle ribs 54 to positively lock the stud 20 in position such that substantially no vertical movement of the stud 20 with respect to the receptacle 50 is provided . the manner in which this deck lid bumper 10 operates will be described below in greater detail . fig1 - 3 , 5 , and 6 depict the deck lid bumper 10 with the stud 20 assembled with the receptacle 50 in the initial snap in position . here , receptacle 50 of the deck lid bumper 10 is preferably attached to an automobile frame 60 ( fig2 ) and the stud 20 is in a fully extended position . the deck lid of the automobile is then lowered to the proper height to a position where the deck lid mates flush with surrounding body panels . this deck lid strikes the head portion 22 of the stud 20 causing the stud to lower into its proper vertical position within the receptacle 50 . at this point , friction to hold the stud 20 in its proper vertical position is created by the ratcheting action of the small set of ribs 26 on the shaft portion of the stud 20 . these ribs contact the significantly larger receptacle ribs 54 , thus providing a designed in ratchet action providing desired amount of friction . that is , the ratcheting action provides very small incremental steps , for example , in 0 . 8 mm increments , by which the stud 20 may be lowered ( or perhaps raised ) into the receptacle 50 . see fig7 for top view of receptacle . the cross - sectional shape of the stud shaft portion 24 is elongated and mates with the receptacle orifice 56 such that the stud 20 must fit into the receptacle orifice in its initial position when the small set of ribs 26 mates with the receptacle ribs 54 . this position can also be seen in fig1 and 11 . fig1 depicts this initial relationship of the stud 20 with respect to the receptacle 50 in a cut away view . fig1 depicts a partially cutaway plan view of the deck lid bumper 10 where a portion of the small set of ribs 26 of the stud 20 makes contact with a portion of the receptacle ribs 54 such that sufficient ratcheting - type friction is provided to properly hold the stud 20 in place within the receptacle . the stud 20 is then rotated clockwise for preferably less than one - quarter turn ( preferably approximately sixty - five degrees ) with respect to the receptacle 50 to lock the stud 29 axially in place within the receptacle 50 . by turning the stud 20 ninety degrees , the small set of ribs 26 moves clear of the receptacle ribs 54 , however , the large set 28 of ribs now moves into position to securely mate with the receptacle ribs 54 . see fig4 , and 9 . the large set of ribs 28 is of substantially the same pitch and shape as the receptacle ribs 54 such that substantially no vertical movement of the stud 20 with respect to the receptacle 50 is possible . optionally , the connection between the stud 20 and the receptacle 50 contains a &# 34 ; click - in &# 34 ; or snap in feature which provides an audible indication and positive lock when the stud 20 is rotated into the final locked in position in the receptacle 50 . as can be seen in fig8 and 9 , when the stud is in the initial position prior to rotation , the small set of ribs 26 makes minimal contact with the receptacle ribs 54 , merely providing a ratcheting - type friction as described in detail above . when the stud 20 is rotated to , for example approximately thirty degrees , as depicted in fig1 , the small set of ribs 26 have a clear interference with a smooth section a on the inner surface of the receptacle 50 . therefore , as the small ribs pass point a ( fig1 ) an increase in torque on the stud 20 is required . finally , the small ribs 26 pass to an area on the inner surface of the receptacle that provides for clearance ( point b of fig1 ) of those ribs 26 . see fig1 . the transition from point a to point b of the stud creates an audible &# 34 ; click &# 34 ; indicating that the stud 20 is properly locked into position in the receptacle . the stud 20 can be unlocked using the reverse of the above . that is , the small ribs pass from point b , through point a , until the small ribs alone make contact with the large set of ribs 28 . this embodiment depicts two sets of two ribs using a quarter turn to lock . it is also anticipated that one set of each type of ribs using , for example , a one hundred eighty degree lock , or three or more set of ribs using less rotation to lock also operates properly and is within the scope of this invention . however , to simplify use , rotating by less than one full revolution is preferred . to prevent the stud 20 from cocking with respect to the receptacle 50 when the stud 20 is in the initial snap in position , two projections 25 may be added to the receptacle . see fig1 . fig1 and 15 depict a second embodiment 11 of an automotive deck lid bumper . this embodiment 11 also contains the two primary elements of the first embodiment : a stud 70 and a receptacle 90 . this embodiment is a somewhat more simple representation of the present invention in which only one set of ribs 76 is used on the shaft 72 of the stud 70 rather than a large set and a small set as in the first embodiment . here , adequate ratcheting - type friction is provided using a slight interference fit created by two pairs of ribs extending out from the aperture 94 of the receptacle 90 which mate with the ribs on the stud . see fig2 . again , here , the stud 70 is located to the proper axial position within the receptacle 90 and is held in place by ratchet - type friction . the stud 70 is then rotated 90 degrees to lock the stud ribs 76 to the receptacle ribs 92 in a similar manner to that as described for the first embodiment . fig2 depicts the outside of the receptacle 90 for this second embodiment . fig1 and 17 depict a separate head portion 78 of the stud 70 which may optionally be used on any embodiment herein , for example , to provide a softer rubber bumper head and harder , for example reinforced molded plastic stud and receptacle . fig1 - 20 depict various views of the stud 70 with optional separate head portion 78 shown . fig2 depicts the receptacle 90 alone . fig2 - 32 depict a third embodiment 12 for an automotive deck lid bumper of the present design . here , fig2 - 26 and 32 depict the stud 80 in the initial snap in position . here , similar to the above embodiments , although threads 82 are used , the stud 80 is held in place by friction between the threads 82 and internal threads ( not shown ) in the receptacle 90 . that is , the stud 80 can move axially downward in the receptacle 90 without turning . here , again , a ratchet - type friction is created . the receptacle 90 is constructed from a resilient elastic material such as an appropriate polymer that allows the material to deflect slightly . as can be seen in fig2 , open slots 93 are formed in the receptacle 90 . the locking aspect of this embodiment uses a rectangular hole 100 in the frame or panel 102 to which this bumper 12 is mounted , as seen in fig3 . when the bumper 12 is initially snapped into place in the panel 100 , the long sides of the rectangular cutout are located adjacent the open slots 93 of the receptacle . the stud 80 is locked into place by rotating the entire assembly 12 ninety degrees using wings 94 on receptacle 90 . this causes the open slots 93 to move to the short side of the rectangular hole 100 which causes the slots 93 to crimp tight against the threads 82 of the studs , thus locking the stud 80 axially in place with respect to the receptacle 90 . this locked position is clearly depicted in fig2 - 30 . fig3 - 42 depict a fourth embodiment 13 of an automotive deck lid bumper of the present design . this embodiment is a modification of the embodiment as depicted in fig1 - 13 with most features functionally identical . however , rather than a small set of ribs 26 on opposed sides of the shaft that provide a ratcheting action ( i . e . friction ) against an opposed pair of receptacle ribs 54 to hold the stud 20 in place as the stud is axially lowered ( or possibly raised ) in the receptacle 50 during adjustment , a pair of teeth 26 &# 39 ; is used for substantially the same function . see e . g . fig4 . however , certain improvements are obtained by use of this different structure . as can be seen in fig3 and 35 - 42 , the teeth 26 &# 39 ; are each located on the bottom of a cantilever beam 27 . the cantilever beams 27 are integral to the shaft portion 24 &# 39 ; of the stud 20 &# 39 ; of this embodiment . the cantilever beams 27 permit repeated deflection of the tooth 26 with respect to the receptacle ribs 54 &# 39 ;. this structure prevents damage to the tooth 26 which , in certain circumstances , may cause problems in the embodiment of fig1 - 13 . in the embodiment of fig1 - 13 , it has been found , in certain circumstances , that the small set of ribs 26 ( fig1 - 13 ) wear after several cycles and which may also damage the mating receptacle ribs 54 &# 39 ;. this embodiment also provides improved radial retention of the stud 20 &# 39 ; with respect to the receptacle 50 &# 39 ; because the teeth 26 &# 39 ; more correctly align with the receptacle ribs 54 &# 39 ; to prevent radial clearance in the locked position . the receptacle 50 &# 39 ; of this embodiment also provides improved radial retention of the stud 20 &# 39 ; by providing an increased amount of material in the projections 25 &# 39 ;. the function is still substantially the same as that described above with respect to the first embodiment . however , the cantilever beams 27 &# 39 ; allow for a greater size projection 25 &# 39 ; allowing for improved radial retention . this embodiment also depicts a design having integral molded in holes for mounting ar low cost . all of the above embodiments may use a separate rubber cap , as illustrated in fig1 - 19 for the second embodiment , if desired . although the description above is directed to an automotive deck lid bumper , it is anticipated that the present invention can easily be adopted for use anywhere doors or panels of any type mate with adjacent panels where construction tolerances or other factors cause the door to improperly mate with its adjacent panels . it is also anticipated that all embodiments of the above invention can be constructed using many types of plastics . for example , the receptacle can be molded from acetal , while the stud can be molded from glass filled nylon , with , for example , a rubber cap . it is anticipated that numerous materials would be suitable for the present application , provided that provide a compatible relationship that provides suitable resilience for the applications as indicated herein . the stud and receptacles as described above can each be molded as a single integral piece . for the embodiments described in detail below , the deck lid bumper may optionally be installed in either a locked position or an adjustable position . it will be recognized by those skilled in the art that changes may be made in the above described embodiments of the invention without departing from the broad inventive concepts thereof . it is understood , therefore , that this invention is not limited to the articular embodiments disclosed , but is intended to cover all modifications which are within the scope and spirit of the invention as defined by the appended claims .	8
referring to the drawings , fig1 to 4 show a container designated generally by the reference numeral 1 . the container 1 consists of a receptacle 3 and a lid 13 . the receptacle 3 has a handling and reinforcing rim 2 , the thickness of which is at least 4 . 5 times as great as the thickness of the walls 4 of the receptacle . an adhesive foil 10 is provided on the upper surface of the reinforcing rim 2 , the adhesive foil being covered by a protective film 11 . preferably , the adhesive foil 10 and the protective film 11 are each made in one piece ; and , at the corners 12 of the receptacle 2 , they have incisions ( notches ) which extend at least over portions of their width . the upper parts of the downwardly - tapering walls 4 of the receptacle 3 are formed by inclined surfaces 7 . the inclined surfaces 7 act as centering and supporting surfaces for corresponding inclined surfaces 15 of the lid 13 ( as is described below ). since the walls 4 of the receptacle 3 are relatively thin , reinforcing corrugations 5 are provided for increasing their strength . furthermore , corrugations 6 are formed in the walls of the receptacle 3 , the corrugations 6 preventing locking of the empty receptacles when they are stacked one within another . the base 8 of the receptacle 3 is additionally rigidised by an inwardly - directed reinforcing and stacking curvature 9 . the receptacle 3 can be closed in an air - tight manner by means of the lid 13 . the lid 13 , therefore , likewise has a rim 14 , the dimensions of which correspond to those of the reinforcing rim 2 of the receptacle 3 . after removal of the protective film 11 , the stable rim 14 of the lid 13 is pressed on to the adhesive foil 10 , and seals off the receptacle 3 in an air - tight manner . to prevent this adhesive seal from being affected by transverse loads , inclined surfaces 15 are incorporated in the lid 13 . these inclined surfaces 15 co - operate with the inclined surfaces 7 of the receptacle 3 . the lid 13 also has a stacking bead 16 , the dimensions of which are selected to suit the outer contour of the base 8 of the receptacle 3 . this stacking bead 16 thus prevents slipping of the filled containers , stacked one upon another . the lid 13 is formed with an upwardly - directed reinforcing and stacking curvature 19 , which , when stacking is carried out , engages in the reinforcing and stacking curvature 9 of the vessel arranged above it . this results in additional stability . although the above - described inherently rigid container is designed preferably for special refuse , such as occurs , for example , in hospitals or the like , it is also eminently suitable as a one - way transport receptacle . thus , for example , after the receptacle 3 has been filled with the material that is to be carried away , the lid 13 is unreleasably sealed by means of a foil - welding machine or the like . in order to open the container , a tear - off strip 23 is provided , this being formed integrally with the stacking bead 16 . for this purpose , the stacking bead 16 is designed as a double bead 21 , the tear - off strip 23 being provided between the two projecting parts 22 . the tear - off strip 23 is made of thicker material , and extends over a short distance . the strip 23 can be easily torn from the lid 13 , so that the receptacle 3 becomes accessible . the receptacle 3 is made by vacuum moulding a sheet of plastics material . the sheet of plastics material is chosen to have the same external dimensions as those of the rim 2 of the finished receptacle . by making the receptacle 3 from a sheet of material of these dimensions , the amount of material wasted is negligible . thus , there is no need to cut the rim 2 of the receptacle 3 down to the required size . moreover , thicker sheets can be used in the moulding process , so that it is possible to draw the material which flows during the vacuum moulding operation completely from the material positioned within the edge portion of the sheet that is to form the rim . consequently , the edge portion is largely unaffected by the vacuum moulding operation , so that the thickness of the rim 2 is substantially the same as that of the sheet . by vacuum moulding using the negative - mould method , no core mould is required , so that the material thickness can be adjusted as desired . the relatively rigid rim 2 of the receptacle 3 permits handling of the container 1 without damaging the thin walls or base of the receptacle . moreover , the rim 2 forms an ideal connection surface for the lid 13 which must be attached thereto in an air - tight manner . the lid 13 may be stuck to the rim 2 by means of a double - sided adhesive tape . alternatively , it can be welded to the receptacle rim 2 by means of a heat - welding machine . the lid 13 is also made by vacuum moulding . in place of an adhesive foil or a tear - off strip , other types of seal are possible . thus , the rim 14 of the lid can be provided with lugs or recesses 18 , which engage over the reinforcing rim 2 of the receptacle 3 , and provide a snap - action seal which can be opened when necessary . although the inherently rigid container of the invention is preferably of two - part construction , that is to say it consists of a receptacle 3 and a separate lid 13 , it is possible to produce a container as a one - piece article . in this form of construction , ( see fig5 ), a break - away edge 20 , which preferably takes the form of an extended channel 24 is provided between the rim 2 of the receptacle 3 and the rim 14 of the lid 13 . in this case , the edge 20 may be provided with a row of perforations . the perforations facilitate bending of the lid 13 relative to the receptacle 3 , and the remaining thicker portions of the edge 20 stiffen the connection and so increase security during transport . obviously , the containers described above could be modified in a number of ways . for example , the receptacle 3 could be of double - walled formation . in other words , two receptacles could be pushed one into the other so that a sufficiently large gap is left between their respective side walls that hypodermic syringes or other pointed objects which may be in the refuse cannot penetrate to the exterior and cause injuries to personnel . where the receptacle is of double - walled formation , the interspace between the walls can be filled with an inert gas . this is particularly useful where the container is used to transport strongly oxidising materials . alternatively , the interspace could be foam - filled . moreover , the lid could be modified by providing inwardly - extending indentations which enable the lid to be snapped shut . where the lid is provided with a tear - off strip , the container can also be used for the bulk storage of large packages of chemicals , powder , foodstuffs etc . the container described above could be used as a cold or &# 34 ; thermos &# 34 ; container .	8
fig1 shows ( not on scale ) a view of a core 10 of an anilox roller . the core 10 has the shape of a hollow cylinder and consists of a material which is rigid in shape and nevertheless as lightweight as possible , e . g . steel , aluminum or , preferably , carbon fiber - reinforced synthetic resin . both ends of the core 10 are provided with bearing studs 12 which serve for supporting the anilox roller in a printing press which has not been shown . optionally , in place of the bearing studs 12 , a continuous axle may be provided onto which the core 10 is detachably clamped by means of a hydraulic system which has not been shown . in the interior of the core 10 and in one of the bearing studs 12 , there is provided a compressed air system , known per - se and not shown in detail , via which compressed air may be supplied which is then discharged through several openings 14 distributed over the surface of the core 10 . the openings 14 form at least one continuous peripheral ring 16 located at a small distance from the end of the core 10 ( on the right in fig1 ) from which a sleeve 18 is thrust onto the core . the sleeve 18 has been shown in fig1 to the right of the core 10 and consists of a thin - walled single layer tube of glass fiber - reinforced synthetic resin having a wall thickness of , for example , 2 mm and an internal diameter matched to the external diameter of the core 10 . when the sleeve 18 is thrust onto the core 10 , the compressed air system is energized , so that compressed air is discharged through the openings 14 and widens the sleeve 18 as soon as the latter is pushed onto one end of the core . when the sleeve 18 has been thrust completely onto the core 10 , the compressed air system is switched off , so that the sleeve 18 shrinks elastically and is then firmly held on the core 10 . this condition has been shown in fig2 . fig3 shows , in an enlarged detail of fig2 , the single layer wall of the sleeve 18 which is supported directly on the peripheral surface of the core 10 . if necessary , the peripheral surface of the sleeve 18 seated on the core 10 may be post - processed , e . g . on a lathe , so as to achieve a peripheral surface of the sleeve 18 which has an exactly cylindrical shape and is concentric with the axis of the core 10 . any possible minor deformations of the sleeve which may have occurred when the same was thrust onto the core 10 are removed in this way . subsequently , a primer layer 20 is applied to the peripheral surface of the sleeve 18 ( fig4 ), and a ceramic layer 22 ( fig5 ) is then applied on the primer layer by known methods , the thickness of the ceramic layer being adjusted precisely , so that the peripheral surface of the ceramic layer 22 will also be exactly cylindrical . then , a fine grid of pits 24 is burned into the peripheral surface of the ceramic layer 22 by means of a laser , as has been shown in fig6 . in this way , the anilox roller 26 shown in fig7 is obtained as the final product . since , in this anilox roller , the ceramic layer 22 provided with the pit pattern 24 is supported on the rigid core 10 directly through the relatively thin and essentially incompressible layer of glass fiber - reinforced synthetic resin forming the sleeve 18 , the anilox roller 26 has excellent properties in terms of smoothness of running , a low weight for a given stability , and , correspondingly , a low moment of inertia , and a very favorable ratio between the external diameter and the diameter of the core 10 . the sleeve 18 consisting only of a single plastic layer can be manufactured at low expenses and with a little consumption of material . when the ceramic layer 22 ( anilox layer ) forming the pit pattern 24 is worn or damaged , the sleeve 18 is removed from the core 10 and disposed . to this end , the compressed air system is preliminarily activated , so that the sleeve can readily been drawn - off from the core 10 . subsequently , a new sleeve 18 is thrust - on in the same manner as in fig1 , and the steps illustrated in fig3 to 6 are repeated , so that a practically new anilox roller is obtained with only little expenditure of labor .	8
the novel cyclopropane monocarboxylate compounds of this invention correspond to the general formula ## str4 ## where r represents an ethyl or vinyl group , r 1 represents hydrogen , a hydrocarbon radical or an aliphatic , cycloaliphatic or aromatic moiety containing one or more oxygen , sulfur , nitrogen or halogen atoms and y is selected from the group consisting of nitrile or aryl with the proviso that when y is nitrile , r 1 cannot be hydrogen and if r 1 is alkyl the alkyl group contains 5 or more carbon atoms . hydrocarbon radicals from which r 1 is selected can contain from 1 to 30 carbon atoms and may be aliphatic , cycloaliphatic , aromatic or a combination of such moieties . when r 1 is an alkyl group , i . e . an aliphatic hydrocarbon radical , it will contain from 1 to 30 carbon atoms and may be straight - chain or branched , saturated or unsaturated . especially useful radicals have from 1 to 20 carbon atoms with no more than one double bond for every four carbon atoms . cycloaliphatic hydrocarbon radicals from which r 1 may be selected are saturated or unsaturated and can contain one or more hydrocarbon substituents on the ring . the cycloaliphatic radicals will have from 3 to 30 carbon atoms . preferred cycloaliphatic radicals contain from 5 to 20 carbon atoms and correspond to the formula ## str5 ## where m is an integer from 0 to 8 , and more preferably 0 to 4 , a represents a non - aromatic 5 - or 6 - membered carbon ring system , and r &# 39 ; and r &# 34 ; are hydrogen , a c 1 - 8 alkyl or alkenyl group , phenyl or benzyl . particularly advantageous cycloaliphatic radicals of the above type are those wherein the moiety ## str6 ## is an unsubstituted or mono - c 1 - 8 alkyl - or alkenyl - substituted cyclopentyl , cyclopentenyl , cyclohexyl , cyclohexenyl or cyclohexa - 2 , 4 - dienyl group . when r 1 is an aromatic hydrocarbon radical it will contain from 6 up to about 30 carbon atoms and may consist of a single ring or fused - ring system which can be unsubstituted or have one or more hydrocarbon groups substituted thereon . especially useful aromatic radicals contain from 6 to 20 carbon atoms and correspond to the formula ## str7 ## where m is an integer from 0 to 8 , and more preferably 0 to 4 , and r &# 39 ; and r &# 34 ; are hydrogen , a c 1 - 8 alkyl or alkenyl group , phenyl or benzyl . preferred aromatic radicals include phenyl , c 1 - 8 alkyl - or alkenyl - substituted phenyl , benzyl and c 1 - 8 alkyl - or alkenyl - substituted benzyl . r 1 can also be an aliphatic , cycloaliphatic or aromatic moiety containing one or more oxygen , sulfur , nitrogen or halogen atoms , or a combination thereof . such radicals can result from the substitution of a functional group on an aliphatic , cycloaliphatic or aromatic hydrocarbon radical , such as those previously described , or in the case of oxygen , sulfur and nitrogen , the atoms may be an integral part of a hydrocarbon chain or ring structure , i . e ., r 1 is a heteroalkyl or heterocyclic radical . in the situation when the aliphatic , cycloaliphatic , or aromatic group is substituted with the functional group , the substituent may be halogen ( fluorine , chlorine or bromine ), nitro , amine , nitrile , thionitrile , isothionitrile , mercapto , hydroxy and the like . one or more of these groups may be substituted on the hydrocarbon chain or ring system which can contain up to 30 carbon atoms . r 1 can also be oxoalkyl or oxocycloalkyl radicals such as , for example : ## str8 ## where x is 0 or 1 and the various ring positions may be substituted with a c 1 - 4 alkyl or alkenyl , phenyl , benzyl or phenoxy group . when r 1 is a heteroalkyl or heterocyclic radical wherein the oxygen , sulfur or nitrogen forms an integral part of the hydrocarbon chain or hydrocarbon ring system , the radical will contain up to 30 carbon atoms . especially useful heteroalkyl radicals contain from 2 to 20 carbon atoms and are derived from alkanolamines , such as ethanolamine ; n , n - dialkylalkanolamines , such as n , n - dimethylethanolamine , and quaternized derivatives thereof ; monoalkyl ethers of polyalkylene glycols , such as diethylene glycol , and higher poly ( oxyalkylene ) glycols ; and the like . especially useful heterocyclic radicals contain from 4 to 20 carbon atoms and have a 5 - or 6 - membered ring , or fused ring structure thereof . more than one heteroatom may be present in the ring and the heteroatoms need not be the same . illustrative heterocyclic groups include : ## str9 ## wherein x is 0 or 1 , r &# 39 ;&# 34 ; is hydrogen or c 1 - 4 alkyl , and each of the available ring positions may be substituted with a c 1 - 4 alkyl or alkenyl , phenyl benzyl or phenoxy group and wherein hydrocarbon groups on adjacent positions may be joined to form a ring . the radical y , which is substituted on the same ring carbon atom as the carboxylate ## str10 ## moiety , is a nitrile -- c . tbd . n ) group or an aryl radical having from 6 to 30 carbon atoms . the aryl moiety can be a single - ring or fused - ring system which can be unsubstituted or substituted with one or more hydrocarbon groups . especially useful aryl groups from which y is selected have from 6 to 20 carbon atoms and correspond to the formula ## str11 ## where m is an integer from 0 to 8 , and more preferably 0 to 4 , and r &# 39 ; and r &# 34 ; are hydrogen , a c 1 - 8 alkyl or alkenyl group , phenyl or benzyl . preferred aromatic radicals from which y is selected include phenyl , c 1 - 8 alkyl - or alkenyl - substituted phenyl , benzyl and c 1 - 8 alkyl - or alkenyl - substituted benzyl . especially advantageous 2 - ethyl - and 2 - vinylcyclopropane monocarboxylate compounds of this invention are those where y is nitrile , phenyl or c 1 - 4 alkyl - substituted phenyl and r 1 is a heteroalkyl or heterocyclic group having from 3 to 20 carbon atoms and selected from the group : ## str12 ## where r * is a c 1 - 4 alkyl , c 1 - 4 alkenyl , c 1 - 4 hydroxyalkyl , phenyl or benzyl , me is methyl , et is ethyl , y is an integer from 2 to 6 , z is an integer from 1 to 10 and x represents an anion such as halide , hydroxide , sulfate , nitrate , acetate , alkylsulfate , alkylphosphate , fluoroborate and the like . to obtain the novel cyclopropane monocarboxylates of this invention the phase transfer process of u . s . pat . no . 4 , 252 , 739 , details of which are incorporated herein by reference , is utilized . this process involves reacting an alkylating agent and an activated methylene compound in the presence of an onium compound , an alkali metal compound and water . to obtain cyclopropane derivatives wherein y is nitrile by the process of u . s . pat . no . 4 , 252 , 739 , an ester of α - cyanoacetic acid is reacted with an alkylating agent , typically a 1 , 4 - dihalobutene - 2 . in a similar manner , esters of α - arylacetic acids are reacted with an alkylating agent such as 1 , 4 - dichlorobutene - 2 to obtain the 2 - vinylcyclopropane derivatives wherein aryl and carboxylate groups are present in the 1 - position of the ring . utilizing the above procedures , it is possible to directly obtain 2 - vinylcyclopropane products having both a carboxylate moiety and a nitrile or aryl moiety substituted on the 1 - position of the ring . these compounds are then conveniently reduced to obtain the corresponding 2 - ethylcyclopropane products . generally , the carboxylate obtained via the process of u . s . pat . no . 4 , 252 , 739 will be a lower alkyl carboxylate but complex carboxylates can also be obtained directly by this process . it is more common practice , however , in order to obtain the more complex cyclopropane monocarboxylate products , i . e ., compounds wherein the carboxylate is a bulky group or contains one or more functional groups , to first prepare the lower alkyl cyclopropane monocarboxylate and then to carry out a transalcoholysis reaction . transalcoholysis of the lower alkyl cyclopropane monocarboxylates can be readily accomplished utilizing a wide variety of alcohols or mixtures of alcohols in accordance with established procedures . in addition to transalcoholysis , a cyclopropane monocarboxylic acid can also be directly reacted with an alcohol or alcohol mixture employing conventional esterification procedures and suitable conditions to obtain the products of this invention . the cyclopropane monocarboxylates can also be obtained by reacting alkali metal salts of the aforementioned acids with suitable active halide compounds or acid halides can be reacted with the alcohol or corresponding alkali metal alkoxides . illustrative alcohols , or halides or alkoxides derived from these alcohols , which can be used to obtain the products of this invention in accordance with the above - mentioned procedures include but are not limited to the following : it will be evident to those skilled in the art that various geometric and stereo isomers of the cyclopropane monocarboxylate compounds , and mixtures and racemates thereof , will exist . for example , by varying the process and reaction conditions by which the compounds are prepared it is possible to impart preferential optical activity . whereas the formula does not take into account isomeric forms , i . e . cis - and trans - configurations and dextro and levo forms , it is intended that the invention be construed to encompass all such forms and mixtures thereof . the novel compounds of this invention are useful for a wide variety of applications , however , they are particularly useful as herbicides and insecticides . as employed herein , the term herbicide is used in its broadest sense to encompass any type of modification of plant growth including retardation of growth , defoliation , dessication , regulation , stimulation , dwarfing and , in some cases , killing the plant . in addition to treatment of established plants and emerging seedlings , the vinylcyclopropane monocarboxylate compounds of this invention can also be applied as a seed coating . the term insecticide is also used in the broad sense wherein it encompasses not only usage for the control of beetles , flies and mosquitos but also use for the control of spiders , lice , mites , ticks , nemotodes and other pests not classified as insects in the strict biological sense . various isomeric forms will exhibit more activity than other isomers for certain of these applications . the 2 - vinyl - and 2 - ethylcyclopropane monocarboxylate compounds of this invention may be utilized as such , they may be chemically modified by further reaction , or they may be utilized in combination with other known active compounds to enhance the overall insecticidal / herbicidal effectiveness . the ability to develop synergistic insecticidal and herbicidal formulations is generally well recognized in this art and the use of combinations including the products of this invention may provide a means of enhancing the overall activity and / or selectivity of the resulting formulation and / or making the compositions more cost effective . the cyclopropane monocarboxylates can be formulated with inert carriers or diluents or they may be prepared and utilized in the form of dusts , wettable powders , emulsions and the like . particularly useful cyclopropane products of this invention , in view of their ability to modify the growth of plants , are those compounds wherein r is vinyl or ethyl , y is cyano or phenyl and r 1 is ## str13 ## wherein r * is methyl , ethyl , hydroxymethyl or hydroxyethyl , x is chloride , bromide , hydroxide , sulfate or ethasulfate and y is an integer from 2 to 4 . particularly useful vinylcyclopropane derivatives of this invention for insecticidal applications are those compounds wherein r is vinyl or ethyl , y is cyano or phenyl and r 1 is 3 - phenoxybenzyl , α - cyano - 3 - phenoxybenzyl , ( 5 - benzyl - 3 - furyl ) methyl and ( 2 - benzyl - 4 - furyl ) methyl . the following examples more fully illustrate the preparation of the novel compounds of this invention and demonstrate the utility of these products . these examples are not intended to limit the scope of the invention since numerous variations and modifications are possible as will be evident to those skilled in the art to which the invention pertains . all parts and percentages provided in the examples are on a weight percent basis unless otherwise indicated . ethyl 2 - vinyl - 1 - cyanocyclopropane - 1 - carboxylate was prepared in accordance with the procedure of u . s . pat . no . 4 , 252 , 739 . for the reaction 750 ml benzene , 250 gms ( 2 moles ) 1 , 4 - dichlorobutene - 2 , 113 gms ( 1 mole ) ethyl cyanoacetate and 3 gms tricaprylylmethylammonium chloride were charged to a reactor and heated to reflux with agitation . potassium hydroxide ( 85 %) pellets ( 132 gms ; 2 moles ) were then added to the stirred solution in small portions . a mild exotherm was observed with the addition of caustic and external cooling was provided as necessary to maintain mild reflux . when the koh addition was complete the reaction was stirred at reflux for 5 hours while removing water by azeotropic distillation . the reaction mixture was then filtered and the benzene evaporated . distillation under reduced pressure yielded ethyl 2 - vinyl - 1 - cyanocyclopropane - 1 - carboxylate ( b . p . 55 ° c . at 0 . 02 mm hg , lit . 112 ° c . at 11 mm hg . ; n d 25 ° 1 . 4661 , lit . n d 24 ° 1 . 4650 ). utilizing the product prepared in example i , a transalcoholysis was carried out with 3 - phenoxybenzyl alcohol to obtain ( 3 - phenoxy ) benzyl 2 - vinyl - 1 - cyanocyclopropane - 1 - carboxylate . a three - fold molar excess of the ethyl 2 - vinyl - 1 - cyanocyclopropane - 1 - carboxylate was employed for the reaction . about 0 . 7 wt . percent calcium acetate , based on the total reactant charge , was used as the catalyst and a small amount of hydroquinone added as an oxidation and polymerization inhibitor . the reaction mixture was heated with agitation to 150 ° c . and about 4 wt . percent dibutyltin oxide charged . after 5 hours additional heating the reaction was terminated and the resulting product , containing about 35 % of the desired ( 3 - phenoxy ) benzyl 2 - vinyl - 1 - cyanocyclopropane - 1 - carboxylate , dissolved in ethyl ether , filtered to remove insoluble catalyst residue , washed with 5 % aqueous sodium hydroxide and saturated sodium chloride solutions . after evaporation of the ethyl ether , the product was dissolved in toluene and separated from the unreacted starting materials using a waters preparatory liquid chromatograph 500a equipped with a gel permeation column and operated at a flow rate of 0 . 1 l / min . after two passes , 92 +% pure ( 3 - phenoxy ) benzyl 2 - vinyl - 1 - cyanocyclopropane - 1 - carboxylate was obtained and the structure of the product confirmed by mass spectroscopy and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy . nmr ( cdcl 3 ) τ 2 . 35 - 3 . 10 ( 9 aromatic h , mult ); 3 . 90 - 4 . 70 ( 3 vinyl h , mult . ); 4 . 80 ( 2h ( φ -- ch 2 --), s . ); 7 . 20 - 7 . 7 ( 1h ( 2 cyclopropyl ring position ), b . mult . ); 8 . 05 - 8 . 63 ( 2h ( 3 cyclopropyl ring position ); mult .). in a manner similar to that described above , a transalcoholysis reaction was carried out using ethyl 2 - vinyl - 1 - cyanocyclopropane - 1 - carboxylate and ( 5 - benzyl - 3 - furyl ) carbinol . the ratio of reactants , catalyst level , and reaction temperature employed were the same as indicated in example ii . ( 5 - benzyl - 3 - furyl ) methyl 2 - vinyl - 1 - cyanocyclopropane - 1 - carboxylate was obtained in 85 . 9 % yield and purified by separation using the liquid chromatographic procedure . the structure of the purified ( 99 . 4 %) product was confirmed by mass spectroscopy and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy . nmr ( cdcl 3 ) τ 2 . 48 ( 1h ( 2 furan position ), b . s . ); 2 . 61 ( 5 phenyl h , s ); 3 . 30 ( 1h ( 4 furan position ), b . s . ); 4 . 00 - 4 . 82 ( 3 vinyl h , mult . ); 4 . 86 ( 2h ( φ -- ch 2 -- o --), s ); 5 . 99 ( 2h ( φ -- ch 2 -- c , s ); 7 . 16 - 7 . 7 ( 1h ( 2 cyclo propyl ring position ), b . mult . ); 7 . 95 - 8 . 60 ( 2h ( 3 cyclo propyl ring position ), mult .). similar results are obtained when the ethyl 2 - vinyl - 1 - cyanocyclopropane - 1 - carboxylate is first reduced using tosyl hydrazine and the resulting ethyl 2 - ethyl - 1 - cyanocyclopropane - 1 - carboxylate employed for the transalcoholysis to prepare ( 5 - benzyl - 3 - furyl ) methyl 2 - ethyl - 1 - cyanocyclopropane - 1 - carboxylate . 2 -( n , n - dimethylamino ) ethyl 2 - vinyl - 1 - cyanocyclopropane - 1 - carboxylate was prepared by reacting essentially equimolar amounts of ethyl 2 - vinyl - 1 - cyanocyclopropane - 1 - carboxylate and n , n - dimethylaminoethanol . for the reaction , a small amount of sodium metal ( 1 . 13 wt . %) was reacted with the n , n - dimethylaminoethanol prior to the addition of the ethyl 2 - vinyl - 1 - cyanocyclopropane - 1 - carboxylate . the reaction mixture was stirred for 35 minutes after which time gas chromatographic analysis indicated the reaction to be 70 % complete . after workup of the reaction mixture , the crude product was vacuum distilled to obtain the 2 -( n , n - dimethylamino ) ethyl 2 - vinyl - 1 - cyanocyclopropane - 1 - carboxylate ( b . p . 97 ° c . at 0 . 015 mm hg ). the infrared spectrum was consistent with the structure . nmr ( cdcl 3 ) τ 3 . 97 - 4 . 85 ( 3 vinyl h , mult . ); 5 . 75 ( 2h , tr . ); 7 . 15 - 7 . 60 ( 1h ( 2 ring position , hidden ), mult ); 7 . 37 ( 2h , tr . ); 7 . 74 ( 6h , s ); 7 . 85 - 8 . 55 ( 2h ( 3 ring position ), mult .). a quaternary salt of the 2 -( n , n - dimethylamino ) ethyl 2 - vinyl - 1 - cyanocyclopropane - 1 - carboxylate ( 5 . 3 gms ) prepared in example iv was prepared by reaction with a molar excess of methyl chloride ( 21 gms ). a pressure vessel was employed for the reaction and the reactants were allowed to stir at ambient temperature in 25 ml . absolute ethanol overnight . after venting the excess methyl chloride , the ethanol was removed under vacuum to obtain a viscous light yellow oil which was triturated with large amounts of ethyl ether . the resulting ether insoluble viscous oil was dried at room temperature under high vacuum for several days and the resulting 2 -( n , n , n - trimethylamino ) ethyl 2 - vinyl - 1 - cyanocyclopropane - 1 - carboxylate chloride obtained as a light tan waxy deliquescent solid . nmr ( cd 3 od ) τ 4 . 11 - 4 . 82 ( 3 vinyl h , mult . ); 5 . 05 - 5 . 55 ( 2h , mult . ); 5 . 80 - 6 . 25 ( 2h , mult . ), 6 . 65 ( 9h , s . ); 6 . 9 - 7 . 61 ( 1h ,( 2 ring position ), mult . ); 7 . 65 - 8 . 31 ( 2h ( 3 ring position ), mult .). when soybean leaves were exposed in a standard test for senescence , the 2 -( n , n , n - trimethylamino ) ethyl 2 - vinyl - 1 - cyanocyclopropane - 1 - carboxylate chloride was found to promote senescence , as determined by measuring the chlorophyll content of the treated leaves . ethyl 2 - vinyl - 1 - phenylcyclopropane - 1 - carboxylate was prepared in accordance with the procedure of u . s . pat . no . 4 , 252 , 739 . for the reaction 2600 ml . methylene chloride , 561 gms . potassium hydroxide ( 85 %) and 5 mole percent tricaprylylmethylammonium chloride were charged to a reaction vessel and a mixture of ethyl phenylacetate ( 1 . 64 kilograms ) and 1 , 4 - dichlorobutene - 2 ( 1 . 375 kilograms ) slowly added over 11 / 2 hours . an exotherm was observed and external cooling applied so that the temperature of the reaction mixture did not exceed 42 ° c . the reaction was then stirred at room temperature for 6 hours and an additional 561 gms . potassium hydroxide added in small portions over a one hour period . after an additional period of stirring and workup of the reaction mixture , the crude ethyl 2 - vinyl - 1 - phenylcyclopropane - 1 - carboxylate was recovered and distilled under reduced pressure to obtain the final product ( infrared spectrum consistent with structure ; b . p . 113 °- 115 ° c . at 1 . 8 mm hg .). mass spectrum m / e 216 ( m +). nmr ( cdcl 3 ) τ 2 . 77 ( 5h ( phenyl ), mult . ); 3 . 76 - 5 . 36 ( 3 vinyl h ( cis , trans ), mult . ); 5 . 94 ( 2h , q ); 7 . 10 - 7 . 90 ( 1h ( 2 ring position ), mult . ); 7 . 95 - 8 . 70 ( 2h ( 3 ring position ), mult . ); 8 . 91 ( 3h ; tr .). in a manner similar to that described in example iv , 10 . 8 gms . ethyl 2 - vinyl - 1 - phenylcyclopropane - 1 - carboxylate was added to about 50 gms . n , n - dimethylaminoethanol which had been previously reacted with 0 . 115 gms . sodium metal . the reaction mixture was then heated with stirring and ethanol formed as a result of the reaction removed under vacuum ( 20 mm hg .). at the completion of the reaction , the mixture was poured into water , extracted with ether and after removal of the ether solvent , 98 % pure 2 -( n , n - dimethylamino ) ethyl 2 - vinyl - 1 - phenylcyclopropane - 1 - carboxylate obtained in 59 % yield . nmr ( cdcl 3 ) τ 2 . 72 ( 5h ( phenyl ), mult . ); 3 . 74 - 5 . 25 ( 3 vinyl h ( cis / trans ), mult . ); 5 . 86 ( 2h , tr . ); 7 . 58 ( 2h , tr . ); 7 . 10 - 7 . 90 ( 1h ( 2 ring position ), hidden mult . ); 7 . 95 - 8 . 75 ( 2h ( 3 ring position ), mult .). 2 -( n , n - dimethylamino ) ethyl 2vinyl - 1 - phenylcyclopropane - 1 - carboxylate was quaternized with methyl chloride in accordance with the procedure described in example v , except that methanol was employed as the solvent medium . upon removal of the solvent and after workup of the reaction product , 2 -( n , n , n - trimethylamino ) ethyl 2 - vinyl - 1 - phenylcyclopropane - 1 - carboxylate chloride was obtained in 96 % yield . nmr ( cd 3 od ) τ 2 . 65 ( 5 phenyl h , mult . ); 3 . 55 - 5 . 15 ( 3 vinyl h , mult . ); 5 . 5 ( 2h ( co 2 -- ch 2 --), b . mult . ); 6 . 80 ( 2h (-- ch 2 -- n ⊕, b . mult . ); 7 . 01 ( 9h (( ch 3 -- 3 -- n ⊕), b . s . ); 7 . 30 - 7 . 85 ( 1h ( 2 ring position ), mult . ); 7 . 95 - 8 . 60 ( 2h ( 3 ring position ), mult .). the quaternized compound was demonstrated to be an effective plant growth regulator for chattanooga soybeans . the plants were grown at 26 °- 27 ° c . in commercial potting soil under &# 34 ; duro - lite vita lite &# 34 ; fluorescent light tubes . the lamps were on a 12 - hour lighting cycle and were maintained 12 &# 34 ; from the tops of the plants ( adjusted for height every other day ). for the test , 14 day old chattanooga soybean plants having two fully developed extended smooth leaves ( 3 . 5 - 5 . 0 cm across ) and with trifoliate leaves still folded in a terminal bud , were uniformly drenched by spraying with an aqueous solution containing 1000 ppm of the quaternized product and 500 ppm wetting agent ( polyoxyethylene sorbitan monolaurate ). after spraying , the growth of the plants ( uniformly watered so that the surface soil was never allowed to go dry ) was recorded after four , five and six days . the length of the second internodes was measured and compared with the second internodes growth of unsprayed control plants . percent growth retardation was then determined in accordance with the formula ## equ1 ## results were as follows : ______________________________________ 4th day 5th day 6th day______________________________________ % retardation 65 70 73______________________________________ the effectiveness of the 2 -( n , n , n - trimethylamino ) ethyl 2 - vinyl - 1 - phenylcyclopropane - 1 - carboxylate chloride is evident when the above results are compared with the results obtained using an aqueous solution containing 1000 ppm chlorocholine chloride , a commercially available product widely promoted as a growth regulator . retardation of chattanooga soybeans obtained with chlorocholine chloride was only 29 % ( 4th day ), 33 % ( 5th day ) and 29 % ( 6th day ). ethyl 2 - vinyl - 1 - phenylcyclopropane - 1 - carboxylate was reduced to prepare ethyl 2 - ethyl - 1 - phenylcyclopropane - 1 - carboxylate . for the reaction 13 . 47 gms ethyl 2 - vinyl - 1 - phenylcyclopropane - 1 - carboxylate ( 0 . 062 mole ) was combined with 23 . 06 gms tosyl hydrazine ( 0 . 124 mole ) in 70 ml . diglyme and the reaction mixture heated with agitation at reflux for one hour . after cooling the reaction mixture was extracted with petroleum ether and , upon distillation , 8 . 4 gms ( 62 % yield ) ethyl 2 - ethyl - 1 - phenylcyclopropane - 1 - carboxylate obtained . ( b . p . 115 °- 117 ° c . at 2 mm hg .). nmr ( cdcl 3 ) τ 2 . 8 ( 5 phenyl h , mult . ); 5 . 96 ( 2h ( cis / trans ), d . q . ); 8 . 2 - 9 . 25 ( 8h ( ring h and ch 3 ch 2 --), mult ); 8 . 98 ( 3h , tr .). in accordance with the procedure described in example iv , ethyl 2 - ethyl - 1 - phenylcyclopropane - 1 - carboxylate was reacted with n , n - dimethylaminoethanol to obtain 2 -( n , n - dimethylamino ) ethyl 2 - ethyl - 1 - phenylcyclopropane - 1 - carboxylate . nmr ( cdcl 3 ) τ 2 . 73 ( 5 phenyl h , mult . ); 5 . 85 ( 2h ( co 2 ch 2 --); tr . ); 2 . 55 ( 2h (-- ch 2 -- n ), tr . ); 7 . 9 ( 6h , s . ); 8 . 13 - 9 . 25 ( 8h ( ring h and ch 3 ch 2 --); mult .). the 2 -( n , n - dimethylamino ) ethyl 2 - ethyl - 1 - phenylcyclopropane - 1 - carboxylate was then quaternized with methyl chloride in accordance with the usual procedure to obtain 2 -( n , n , n - trimethylamino ) ethyl 2 - ethyl - 1 - phenylcyclopropane - 1 - carboxylate chloride in 94 % yield . nmr ( cd 3 od ) τ 2 . 65 ( 5 phenyl h , mult . ); 5 . 5 ( 2h (-- co 2 ch 2 --), b . mult . ); 6 . 32 ( 2h (-- ch 2 -- n . sup .⊕), mult . ); 7 . 05 ( 9h , s . ); 8 . 1 - 9 . 25 ( 8h ( ring h and ch 3 ch 2 --), mult .). the 2 -( n , n , n - trimethylamino ) ethyl 2 - ethyl - 1 - phenylcyclopropane - 1 - carboxylate chloride , evaluated at a concentration of 1000 ppm in accordance with the procedure of example viii , produced 59 , 63 and 75 % growth retardation of chattanooga soybeans after 4 , 5 and 6 days , respectively .	0
fig1 is a block diagram of a portion of an avi signal decoder , incorporating the present invention . a decoder as illustrated in fig1 is installed in each avi receiving location . in fig1 a source of an avi signal ( not shown ) is coupled to an input terminal 5 of the decoder . input terminal 5 is coupled to an input terminal of an avi signal receiver 30 . an output terminal of the avi signal receiver 30 is coupled to a system bus 416 of a processing unit 40 . processing unit 40 includes a central processing unit ( cpu ) 410 , such as the sgs / thomson st9 microprocessor ; a read / write memory ( ram ) 412 and a read - only memory ( rom ) 414 coupled together in a known manner via the system bus 416 . an audio processor 418 , which provides an audio signal to an avi audio output terminal 25 ; a video processor 420 , which provides a video signal to an avi video output terminal 15 and a user i / o adapter 424 , which receives data from a user via an input terminal 35 , are all also coupled to the system bus 416 in a known manner . other equipment , e . g . i / o ports to collocated computers , modems , math processors , other i / o adapters , etc ., may also be coupled to system bus 416 in a known manner , and a bus extender may be included for coupling to other equipment in enclosures external to the decoder enclosure . in operation , the avi signal source , which , for example , may be a direct rf satellite link , a cable system feed or a fiberoptic link to the decoder , produces an avi signal , in the form of a stream of packets . some of the packets carry the audio component of the avi signal , others carry the video component , and still others carry the interactive component . the avi signal receiver 30 processes the received avi signal to extract the packets forming the audio , video and interactive components , and store the data they contain in respective previously specified memory buffers in the ram 412 using known dma write techniques . the audio processor 418 and video processor 420 then read the data from their respective memory buffers in ram 412 , using known dma read techniques . audio processor 418 and video processor 420 then process their data to produce the avi audio signal at output terminal 25 , and the avi video signal at output terminal 15 , respectively . it is also possible for cpu 410 to cooperate with the video processor 420 and / or audio processor 418 in their processing . the interactive component packets carry the code and data modules , and are processed under the control of the cpu 410 in a manner described below . as described above , in order to maximize the bandwidth of the interactive component , an application programmer may decide to compress the code and / or data modules using a monotone compression technique , such as the lempel - ziv &# 39 ; 77 technique , before including them in the interactive component of the avi signal . in addition , overlapping matches may be used to provide further compression of the modules . fig2 is a memory layout diagram illustrating the structure of the codewords representing source data in a file compressed in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention . in the preferred embodiment , the compressed file is in the form of successive blocks of codewords . each block includes a 1 code - byte header hdr followed by 8 codewords ( cwl - cw8 ). fig3 is a more detailed memory layout diagram illustrating the relationship between the header hdr and codewords ( cw1 - cw8 ) in fig2 . the one code - byte header contains respective bit flags for each codeword , and codewords are consecutive , illustrated in fig3 by arrows from the first bit of the header to the first codeword and from the second bit of the header to the second codeword . if a bit in the header is 1 , then the corresponding codeword is a code - byte representing an uncompressed byte of data which should be copied over to the decompressed file during decompression . if a bit in the header is 0 , then the corresponding codeword is a back pointer / match size codeword . fig4 a to fig4 j are more detailed memory layout diagrams illustrating respective formats of codewords representing back pointer / match sizes . as described above , the codewords are variable in length , but are restricted to multiples of a nibble ( 4 bits ). in fig4 the length of the codeword ( i . e . the number of nibbles ), the value of the back pointer and the match size are determined as follows . if the first bit is 1 , then the codeword is either a 2 or a 3 nibble codeword . if the second bit is 0 then the match size is 2 . if the third bit is 0 ( fig4 a ) then it is a 2 nibble codeword and the next 5 bits represents the back pointer ( bp )- 1 . if the third bit is 1 ( fig4 b ) then it is a 3 nibble code and the next five bits represents the least significant bits ( lsb ) and the next nibble represents the most significant bits ( msb ) of the back pointer ( bp )- 1 . if the second and third bits are 10 then the match size is 3 . if the fourth bit is 0 ( fig4 c ) then it is a 2 nibble codeword and the next 4 bits represent the back pointer ( bp )- 1 . if the fourth bit is 1 ( fig4 d ) then it is a 3 nibble codeword and the next 4 bits represent the least significant bits ( lsb ) and the next nibble represents the most significant bits ( msb ) of the back pointer ( bp )- 1 . if the second , third and fourth bits are 110 , respectively ( fig4 e ), then the match size is 4 and the codeword size is 3 nibbles . the next 4 bits represent the least significant bits ( lsb ) and next nibble represents the most significant bits ( msb ) of the back pointer ( bp )- 1 . if the second , third and fourth bits are 111 , respectively ( fig4 f ), then the match size is 5 and the codeword size is 3 nibbles . the next 4 bits represent the least significant bits ( lsb ) and next nibble the most significant bits ( msb ) of the back pointer ( bp )- 1 . if the first bit of the codeword is 0 , the match size is encoded within the codeword . for these codewords , the match size and back pointer are determined in the following manner . if the second , third and fourth bits are not 111 , respectively ( fig4 g ), then the codeword size is two code - bytes ( four nibbles ). in such a case , the second , third and fourth bits represent a value m . the match size is m + 3 . the remaining 12 bits ( 4 bits from the current code - byte and 8 bits from the next codebyte ) represent a value b . the back pointer is b + 1 . if the second , third and fourth bits are 111 , respectively , then the codeword is at least 3 code - bytes . if the next five bits are not 11111 ( fig4 h ) then the codeword consists of 3 code - bytes . the fifth , sixth , seventh , eighth and ninth bits represent a value m . the match size is m + 3 . the back pointer ( bp ) is the last 15 bits + 1 . this is the maximum allowed size for a back pointer i . e ., 32k ). if the fifth , sixth , seventh , eighth and ninth bits are 11111 , respectively , then the code is at least 4 code - bytes long . for such codewords , the back pointer is the value of the next 15 bits + 1 ( the same as in fig4 h ). if the last code - byte is not 255 ( i . e . 11111111 ), ( fig4 i ) then the last code - byte contains a value m . the match size is m + 34 . however , if this byte contains the value 255 ( i . e . 11111111 ) ( fig4 j ), then the codeword is actually 6 code - bytes long . the back pointer ( bp ) is contained in the same position as in fig4 i . the last two codebytes ( bytes 5 and 6 ) contain a value m . the match size is m + 289 . this coding method uses smaller codewords for more common back pointer / match sizes , and only requires larger codewords for less common back pointer / match sizes . in addition , the lengths of all the codewords are multiples of a nibble . by limiting codeword lengths to multiples of a nibble , all codewords begin at either a byte - boundary in memory or at a nibble boundary within a byte in memory . because many low - end microprocessors , such as the st9 , have instructions to swap the two nibbles in a byte , the codewords can be extracted efficiently without having to perform too many shifts . moreover , because the compressor is aware of the of the positioning of codewords in memory , it encodes them in a way such that it is faster for the decompressing microprocessor to retrieve . for example , if the code - byte x = b7 . b6 . . . b0 is to be placed at the nibble boundary within output byte y , one way to place it in between output bytes y and y + 1 would be : where x denotes a generic bit ( i . e . it could be 0 or 1 ). extracting the code - byte x would then involve reading a 16 - bit word w from locations y and y + 1 : and performing four bit - shift operations to the left ( or right ). but if the compressor had coded this code - byte as : then the code - byte could be extracted by reading a 16 - bit word w from locations y and y + 1 : and adding , or logical oring , the two bytes of the resulting 16 - bit word . on the st9 , the time saved by this optimization is equivalent to removing two of the four bit shift operations in the previous method . according to the present invention , the compressed file , compressed as described above , is adjusted to allow for in - place decompression . to perform this adjustment , the size of both the original source file and the compressed file is noted , and the compressed file is processed a second time . fig5 and fig6 are memory diagrams useful in understanding the adjustment made to a compressed file to allow for inplace decompression . in fig5 a memory buffer 100 is illustrated as a vertically oriented rectangle . the total size of the buffer is sufficient to contain the decompressed file . to make the adjustment to the compressed file , the compression process continues processing the previously compressed file by attempting to perform a decompression in place , and monitoring the results of the attempt , in the following manner . the compressed file 120 is written into the bottom of the buffer 100 , and is illustrated as a shaded rectangle in fig5 . an input pointer is set to point to the first location in the compressed file 120 , and an output pointer is set to point to the first location in the memory buffer 100 into which the decompressed file will be written . as will be described in more detail below , during the adjustment phase of the compression process , data in the compressed file 120 is read from the location pointed to by the input pointer , and the input pointer advanced ; and data is written into the top of the memory buffer 100 at the location pointed to by the output pointer , and the output pointer advanced , all in a known manner . during the adjustment phase of the compression process , the compressed file 120 is decompressed using a standard monotone decompression process , while the states of the input and output pointers are monitored . fig6 is a sequence of memory diagrams illustrating the progress of the decompression phase of the compression process . in fig6 portions of the memory buffer 100 containing data are illustrated as shaded , and portions which do not contain data are illustrated as unshaded . fig6 a corresponds to fig5 and illustrates the state of the memory buffer 100 at the beginning of the adjusting decompression process , with the input pointer ( ip ) set to point to the beginning of the compressed file 120 ( shaded ), and the output pointer ( op ) set to point to the beginning of the memory buffer 100 . fig6 b illustrates the state of the memory buffer 100 just after the decompression process has begun . in fig6 b , a first portion of the compressed file 120 has been read , as indicated by the movement downward of the input pointer ip . because there is no backtracking in a monotone compressed file during the decompression process , the portion of the memory buffer 100 already read will not be read again , and is available to hold data , illustrated as unshaded . at the same time , the first portion of the decompressed file 140 has been generated in response to the portion of the compressed file 120 already read . this first portion of the decompressed file 140 has been written into the top of the memory buffer 100 as indicated by the movement of the output pointer op . fig6 cillustrates the state of the memory buffer 100 when the decompression has progressed further . more of the compressed file 120 has been read as indicated by the location of the input pointer ip , and more of the decompressed source file has been generated , as indicated by the location of the output pointer op . as can be seen in fig6 c , the location of the output pointer op has nearly reached the location of the input pointer ip . if the output pointer op overtakes the input pointer ip , then it will be impossible to further decode the compressed file 120 because the newly written portion of the decompressed source file 140 will overwrite the portion of the compressed file 120 which is next to be read . fig6 d illustrates such a situation . in fig6 d , the next codeword is read from the compressed file 120 , as indicated by the movement of the input pointer ip . this codeword is illustrated in fig6 e as a shaded rectangle cw . the illustrated codeword cw is a back pointer / match size codeword , which generates plain text pt , illustrated as a shaded rectangle in fig6 e . as can be seen , the size of the plain text pt is such that when written into buffer 100 at the location of the output pointer op , it will overwrite the next portion of the compressed file 120 to be read . the output pointer ( op ) will then point to the bottom of that newly written portion of the decompressed file , which is below the value of the input pointer ( ip ). it is this passing of the input pointer ( ip ) by the output pointer ( op ) that the adjustment phase of the compression process is monitoring the input pointer ( ip ) and output pointer ( op ) for . in accordance with the present invention , the compressed file 120 is then adjusted in the following manner . the codewords in the compressed file 120 from the new location of the output pointer ( op ) to the end of the compressed file are replaced with plain text from the uncompressed source file . the resulting adjusted compressed file 120 &# 39 ; is illustrated in fig6 f . in fig6 f , the adjusted compressed file 120 &# 39 ; includes a first portion 124 containing codewords representing a corresponding portion of the uncompressed source file , and a second portion 126 ( illustrated by darker shading ) containing data representing plain text of a corresponding portion of the uncompressed source file . the location in the adjusted compressed file 120 &# 39 ; at which codewords stop and plain text begins is termed the plain index ( pi ), and is further noted . a header hdr is added to the beginning of the adjusted compressed file 120 &# 39 ; containing ( among other things ) data representing the size of the decompressed file ( ds ), the size of the compressed file ( cs ) and the plain index ( pi ). in a preferred embodiment , the above described adjustment process does not actually reconstruct the source file 140 from the compressed file 120 , as is illustrated in fig6 . instead , the reconstruction is only simulated . the compressed file 120 is traversed , and the input pointer ( ip ) and the output pointer ( op ) are maintained exactly as they would be if an actual decompression were performed , but no decompressed file 140 is actually created . when the point is found where an adjustment need be made in the compressed file 120 , then the compressed file 120 is rewritten as described above with codewords in the first portion 124 and plain text in the second portion 126 . then the header is added to the adjusted file 120 &# 39 ;. it should be noted that the length of the adjusted compressed file 120 &# 39 ; is exactly the same as the originally generated compressed file 120 ( illustrated by a dashed line from fig6 a to fig6 d ). that is , this technique does not increase the size of the compressed file . decompression may be performed in - place by reading the header hdr of the received adjusted compressed file 120 &# 39 ;, allocating a buffer ( 100 of fig6 ) the size ( ds ) of the decompressed file 140 in the ram 412 ( of fig1 ) and storing the adjusted compressed file 120 &# 39 ;, without the header hdr , in the bottom of the buffer 100 . the starting address for the adjusted compressed file 120 &# 39 ; may be calculated from the sizes of compressed ( cs ) and decompressed ( ds ) files extracted from the header hdr . an input pointer ( ip ) is set to point to the beginning of the adjusted compressed file 120 &# 39 ; in the buffer 100 and an output pointer ( op ) is set to point to the beginning of the buffer 100 . then the standard monotone decompression technique is performed on the first portion 124 of the adjusted compressed file 120 &# 39 ; using the input ( ip ) and output ( op ) pointers in a similar manner to that illustrated in fig6 until the value of the output pointer ( op ) equals the plain index ( pi ). from that point , only plain text is contained in the adjusted compressed file 120 &# 39 ; so no further decompression is necessary . if decompression of an adjusted compressed file 120 &# 39 ; is performed using two buffers ( i . e . not inplace ), then when the output pointer ( op ) in the decompressed file 140 reaches the plain index ( pi ), the input pointer ( ip ) is reset to also point to the plain index ( pi ) position in the adjusted compressed file 120 &# 39 ;, and the remainder of the adjusted compressed file 120 &# 39 ; is copied to the decompressed file 140 , unchanged .	7
the techniques described herein use an electric field to destabilize a thin film established at a common point between channels in a microfluidic substrate . application of an electric potential difference across the thin film causes a modification of the film , eventually resulting in a break up of the film if sufficiently large potential differences are applied . the target droplet sizes ( and hence , the film radius of curvature ) for the device and procedure described below is generally & lt ; 5 - 10 μm . as an example , these techniques may be used for rapid identification of proper de - emulsifiers for micron size emulsion droplets by application of appropriate electrochemical perturbations to the interface of the emulsion droplets . thus the term micro in relation to a channel or microfluidic device is a channel or device whose functional features , such as the cross - sectional dimensions of a channel , are less than 50 microns in length , and preferably less than 10 or even 5 microns for example for the study of oil droplets in water . the channels need not be perpendicular to each other , but need to be sufficiently distinct from each other to allow a thin film to form . in addition , stability requirements may require control features in the chip , such as pumps , valves and channel configuration to ensure stability of the thin film . the platform described below is a microfluidic chip with intersecting channels , where one channel is filled with a liquid capable of forming a thin film between the other liquid or liquids in the other channel . the embodiment and results described below are directed toward oil and water as this is useful in finding a suitable de - emulsifier for the petroleum industry . however , those skilled in the art will recognize that the teachings may be applied to other immiscible fluids , or fluids capable of forming a film . in one embodiment , two electrodes are deposited at the bottom of the water channels using photolithographic methods . these electrodes are utilized to apply the electrical field required to rupture the film , as well as for measuring the critical voltage at which the break up occurs . when two water droplets approach each other in an oily medium , they need to break the thin film of oil between them in order to coalesce . this film of oil can be fairly stable and difficult to rupture . surfactants are added to the emulsion to reduce the interfacial forces in oil sand extraction processes . due to the variable nature of the oil - sand and complex composition of bitumen , the best suited surfactant for every batch of oil sand has to be determined using complicated experiments . the microfluidic chip described herein may be used to study coalescence of water droplets in different types of oil media in the presence of different surfactants . the microfluidic chip is preferably designed in order to be able to emulate emulsion droplets that occur in practice , for example , in a range less than 10 μm . this chip with embedded electrodes at the bottom of the channel can help the user understand the behavior of the thin film of oil between two water droplets approaching each other . it has been found that such films can be formed at the intersection of two microchannels , and that a microfluidic chip with these microchannels may be designed with embedded electrodes that allows electrochemical actuation and detection capabilities . to facilitate reproducible performance , the design of the microchip is such that large pressure drops are prevented from developing across the uniform cross - section channels , and a relatively stable thin film is provided at the intersection of the channels . there will be given below a description of a suitable microfluidic chip , the steps to manufacture it , and some preliminary results obtained in using this chip . referring to fig2 , an embodiment of a microfluidic device includes two substrates : a bottom substrate 12 and a top substrate 14 that are used to form microfluidic channels . it has been found that etching techniques may be used on glass substrates to create suitable channels . as shown in fig1 , the bottom substrate 12 has two intersecting channels 16 and 18 . channel 18 has electrodes 20 and 22 on each side of channel 16 . while channels 16 and 18 are shown to be perpendicular to each other , this need not be the case in all designs . other angles are possible , as long as the channels 16 and 18 are sufficiently distinct from each other to allow a thin film to form . referring to fig2 , top substrate 14 acts as a cover . referring to fig3 and 4 , top substrate 14 provides the access to the channels 16 and 18 through four drilled wells 24 , 26 , 28 , and 30 . while glass may be used to form these substrates , those skilled in the art will understand that other materials that can be etched or otherwise manipulated to form intersecting channels may also be used . for example , other embodiments may be formed from polydimethylsiloxane ( pdms ), or a combination of materials , using steps that are known in the art of manufacturing microfluidic chips . the horizontal channel 16 delivers the liquid that makes the film , such as a hydrocarbon with some added surfactants . channel 16 divides the vertical channel 18 into two halves , each half delivering the other liquids . in the experiments described below , liquids such as an aqueous sodium chloride or potassium chloride solution in both halves are used that flank the thin film formed of an oil mixture . the liquids in the two halves of the vertical channel 18 can be different or the same , and represent two droplets that are separated by a thin liquid film . the drain 32 of the system is located at the opposite side of the horizontal channel &# 39 ; s input 34 . this is where all liquids drain out . the vertical channel 18 has two inputs 36 and 38 at opposite ends . referring to fig1 , drain 32 and inputs 34 , 36 and 38 in bottom substrate 12 correspond to wells 24 , 26 , 28 , and 30 in top substrate 14 , respectfully . referring to fig6 , once assembled , channel 16 forms an oil channel 16 a with input 34 and a drain channel 16 b with a drain 32 , while channel 18 forms two water channels 18 a and 18 b , with inputs 36 and 38 , respectively . fig3 depicts the general design of the bottom substrate 12 and fig4 depicts the general design of the top substrate 14 making an embodiment of the microfluidic chip . the microfluidic chip used in the experiments described below used substrates made of borofloat ™ glass with 1 . 1 mm thickness . the top substrate fabrication involved drilling four ports . the bottom substrate design is more complex , involving fabrication of the channels as well as deposition of metal electrodes . an embodiment of fabrication steps are shown in fig1 , with a more detailed description of the steps given at the end of this document . the channels 16 and 18 ( only channel 16 is depicted ) are for example etched into the bottom substrate 12 using standard etching process with hydrofluoric acid . except the channel lines , the substrate is covered with a thin layer 60 of cr / au , following which it is immersed in a hydrofluoric acid solution . this results in dissolution of the glass at the exposed areas and formation of the channels 16 . the depth and the size of the channels are controlled both by the mask design and the etch depth . fig5 depicts a detailed design of the masks for the bottom substrate 12 at the intersection of channels 16 a , 16 b , 18 a and 18 b . while the actual size of the channels may vary depending on the ultimate use and preferences of the user , the dimensions shown , in microns , are an example of a design that performed adequately . the results presented in this report pertain to channels with 8 . 5 μm depth and 30 μm width at the intersection . in order to reduce the pressure drop , the microchannels were designed to have a tapered shape , with a significantly wider cross section ( for example , 125 μm ) as one recedes from the intersection zone . the oil channel 16 a was silanized to make it hydrophobic in order to prevent the water from entering this channel , and to prevent current leakage through the thin layer of water at the intersection . channel 16 a and 16 b have to be hydrophilic , in this example , thus there is no modification required to the surface if glass is used . the width of the oil channel 16 a was designed to be narrower than that of the water channels 18 a and 18 b . this design of the channels facilitates the process of creating a stable film by providing a large contact area for the two interfaces . generally , the ratio of the water to oil channel width is controlled by two factors . the first factor is the mask design . the width ratio of the mask in this design is 5 : 1 ( 15 μm : 3 μm ). however , the etching process , which is isotropic , creates a second factor , namely that the etchant penetrates underneath the covering layer ( cr / au ) due to undercutting , thereby rendering the final aspect ratio to be 3 : 2 for the design depth of 8 . 5 μm ( 30 μm 20 μm ). referring again to fig1 , the embedded electrodes in the water channels may be deposited by using a sputtering technique in vacuum . first , a 400 nm thick chromium film 62 is deposited as the adhesion layer followed by a 1 μm gold layer . in this design , referring to fig5 , electrodes 20 run parallel to the water channels 18 a and 18 b along their entire length . the width of the electrodes is 50 μm , except near the channel intersection , where they taper down to a width of 15 μm . it has been found that this electrode size would provide a sufficiently strong and reliable signal as well as good conductivity . referring to fig3 , at the end of each water channel 18 a and 18 b there is a 1 mm diameter circular electrode pad 19 and 21 , respectively , which serves as the junction between the electrodes 20 and 22 inside the chip and the measurement device . referring to fig8 , the connection to a stainless steel wire 70 is made using conductive glue 72 ( such as epoxy cw2400 from circuitworks ). the wires 70 are connected to the stainless steel pipes 74 , which , referring to fig7 , pass the electrical signal to the measurement instrument 76 through electrical connections 78 . referring to fig5 , the distance between the two electrodes 20 and 22 is about 100 μm in this design . some measurements have indicated that the critical voltage is not very sensitive to the distance between the two electrodes for the channel dimensions of the cell . referring to fig8 , the connections to the electrodes and channels are both made through stainless steel pipes 74 . a nanoport ™ assembly ( n - 333 from upchurch scientific ) is attached to the top substrate 14 which provides the connection to channels 16 a , 18 a , and 18 b , with channel 18 a depicted as an example . the connecting wires 70 pass through pipe 74 to connect to electrodes 20 and 22 with electrode 20 shown as the example , and are made of stainless steel with a diameter of 50 μm . the top and bottom substrates 12 and 14 are bonded using conventional glass bonding methods . the substrates 12 and 14 are thoroughly cleaned to ensure that they are free of any contaminations and particles . the substrates are then aligned and pressed against each other . the primary bonding can be made permanent using a heat treatment process at 500 ° c . fig7 shows a perspective view of the final product . the sequential steps involved in one embodiment of a microfabrication process are outlined at the end of this patent document . fig6 depicts a schematic diagram of the experimental setup developed to test the performance of an embodiment of a microfluidic chip . the setup includes the microfluidic chip 10 , manual microsyringe pumps 40 a ( for the electrolyte solution ) and 40 b ( for the oil solution ) for fluid delivery and control of the film , filters 42 , reservoirs 44 a for the electrolyte solution and 44 b for the oil solution , switching valves 46 , tubes 74 , electrical connections 20 and 22 and the measurement and data acquisition system 50 , such as a potentiostat that both applies a potential and that measures current through the apparatus . the microfluidic chip may also be placed on an inverted optical microscope 52 for visual feedback on the film breakup . using this design , electrodes 20 and 22 in combination with measurement and data acquisition system 50 allow the user to simultaneously apply an electric potential and measure the conductance / impedance of the thin film . in other words , both actuation and detection are achieved on a single platform . in the embodiment depicted , three manual syringe pumps were used : two for the electrolyte solution labeled 54 a and one for the oil phase labeled 54 b . in other embodiments , different delivery methods may also be used , such as electroosmotic flow . using a micrometer head , the manual microsyringe pumps 40 a and 40 b are employed to inject the fluid to the system . the fine resolution of the micrometer screws ( less than a micron pitch ), helps to retain an accurate control over the fluid injected to the system . the accuracy of the control over the injected fluid is an issue of immense concern , as the success of the measurement depends greatly upon the capability of the system to maintain a very accurate control over the two oil / water interfaces . due to small cross section of the channels at their intersection , and need for accurate control of the interface within a few micrometers , it is necessary to prevent any expansion or contraction of the system elements ( particularly the tubing ) due to applied pressure . this may be accomplished for example by using high strength components in all parts of the system . the tubing and connections used in the experiments are all peek ™ with 1 / 16 ″ and 0 . 01 ″ outside and inside diameters , respectively . in order to avoid any clogging inside the chip , fine filters 42 ( from sartorius ) with 0 . 2 μm pores have been used between the reservoir 44 and t - valves 46 . since the volume of the microsyringes 40 a and 40 b is small and the microsyringe pumps 54 have a limited stroke , it is necessary to have a reservoir 44 at the input of each line 74 so that when ever the syringe runs out of liquid , it can be refilled from the reservoir . the t - valves 46 ( 3 - way flow switching valve v - 100t from upchurch scientific ) have been used to close the chip &# 39 ; s input and connect the microsyringe to the reservoir in order to refill the syringe 44 . the t - valve 46 connects two of its input / outputs at each valve position . the connections of the pipes to the chip were made using nanoport ™ assemblies 80 ( upchurch ) as shown in fig8 . these connections were chosen as they provide the access to the input well of the chip with a minimum dead volume . they are glued to the surface of the top substrate using an adhesive 82 provided by the manufacturer that ensures proper bonding of the nanoport ™ material to the glass substrate 14 . other components used in this connection include nuts 84 , an adapter 86 and ferrules 88 . referring to fig6 , data acquisition system 50 was a voltalab ™ system with voltamaster ™ software ( from radiometer analytical ) to be used as power supply , data acquisition and measurement instrument in the experiments . voltalab ™ was chosen as it is a dynamic laboratory electrometer that can apply dc potential up to 15v . it measures the potential and current with resolution of 60 μv and 30 pa , respectively . it is also capable of impedance spectroscopy up to maximum frequency of 100 khz . in the preliminary experiments , the oil phase was prepared by diluting bitumen at different concentrations in a 50 / 50 ( v / v ) mixture of heptane ( hplc grade h350 - 4 from fisher scientific ) and toluene ( hplc grade t290 - 4 from fisher scientific ). this mixture will be referred to as 50 / 50 heptol henceforth . the concentration of bitumen in 50 / 50 heptol was varied from 0 . 3 % to 30 %. this mixture is known to result in fairly stable thin films depending on the concentration of bitumen . the electrolyte used in these experiments is 1 % aqueous solution of sodium chloride . speaking generally , the film compression process includes two steps : first a gradual compression of the film using fluid pressure to an ultra - thin state , followed by the use of a ramped voltage across the ultra - thin film to break it . this procedure is necessary for the films formed between microscopic droplets . in the confinement of microchannels , films can be inherently unstable owing to the enormous capillary pressures with which the water columns compress the oil film . the chip design of one embodiment was designed with tapered channels , such that , when combined with the controlled pressure application , the destabilizing effects of the capillary pressure on the film drainage was removed . this allowed the formation of a “ stable ” ultra - thin film before application of electric potential . while the drawings show the tapered section connected to a straight section before the intersection , in some embodiments the taper may continue to the intersection . the oil and drain channels 16 a and 16 b may also tapered to provide more control over the fluid pressure in those channels . after this , the electric potential is applied as a ramp , and the film is gradually perturbed , which leads to a very accurate and reproducible detection of film stability . if instead , one applied a step input potential difference across an initially thick film , the film would spontaneously break under the combined influence of capillary pressure and electric field . this would make obtaining any meaningful correlation between the applied voltage and the film rupture point virtually impossible . these steps are described in more detail below . referring to fig6 , the first step in creating the film is to flush the air out of all the components connected to the chip including tubes 74 , valves 46 , etc . once all of the tubes 74 are filled with the appropriate liquids , they can be connected to the input connectors as shown in fig8 . the next step in this example is to flush out any air trapped inside microchannels 16 a , 16 b , 18 a and 18 b . this may be done using water , which is injected into the channels to displace all air . referring to fig6 , once all the channels are filled with water , oil can be injected slowly into channel 16 a . it is important to create a pressure higher than that of the pressure inside the chip to create a uniform flow from all three channels to the drain channel 16 b , which prevents liquids penetrating any other channel . this can be done for example using the manual pumps 54 and watching the flow under the microscope 52 . while using microsyringe pumps 54 is a relatively inexpensive and convenient method of fluid delivery , other methods may also be used to achieve desired results , such as electroosmotic flow . in this embodiment , it usually takes 20 - 30 minutes for the system to equilibrate . the equilibrium condition includes both temperature equilibrium with environment and the pressure equilibrium of all channels . during the equilibration stage , it is important to watch the system closely under the microscope 52 and keep the pressure inside each channel 16 a , 18 a and 18 b equal by controlling the flow . once the chip has been calibrated , the microscope 52 is no longer necessary . once the system reaches the equilibrium and there is no flow in the channels , from this point on , it is very important in the particular embodiment shown to pump the fluids very gently with steps of less than a micron . the two oil - water interfaces can be drawn towards each other either by pushing the water syringes 44 a in or pulling the oil syringe 44 b out . once the two interfaces touch each other , the film is formed . at this point , the control of the syringes is very important to keep the film stable . the life time of the film can be measured after the two interfaces come in contact till they disintegrate . fig9 a - 9f demonstrate the procedure of creating the thin film . the two water phases 90 are located in channels 18 a and 18 b . in the example from which the images were taken , the width of the water and oil channels was 30 μm and 20 μm , respectively and the depth of the channels was 8 . 5 μm . the oil was 3 . 16 % diluted bitumen in 50 / 50 heptol and the electrolyte was 1 % aqueous solution of sodium chloride . by adjusting the microsyringe pumps , the water columns 90 are pushed against each other from the position in fig9 a to the position shown in fig9 b , and eventually pinching the thin oil film 92 in between as shown in fig9 c . if the film 92 is stable , increasing the water column pressure as shown in fig9 d through 9f results in compression ( thinning ) and flattening of the film 92 . higher pressures can eventually lead to rupture of the oil film 92 . fig1 shows the location of the electrodes 20 and 22 in water channels 18 a and 18 b , as well as the shape and size of the thin film relative to the overall chip dimensions . it should be noted that the formation of the film 92 does not involve the electrodes 20 and 22 . the film formation is effected by direct manipulation of the pressure in the channels using the microsyringe pumps 44 a and 44 b as shown in fig6 . however , once the film 82 is created , the electrodes 20 and 22 play a critical role in establishing an electrical field across it , and measuring the electrical properties of the film 92 . referring to fig1 , when the two water droplets 90 are coalesced ( that is , the oil film is absent ) and make a continuous connection between the two electrodes 20 and 22 , the voltage / current curve of the system demonstrates a fairly linear behavior in the voltage ranges studied here ( 0 - 1v ) which depicts a constant resistance of the electrolyte . while the film 92 exists , it insulates the electrical connections between the two electrodes 20 and 22 through the electrolytes and there will be a large resistance in the system . this difference in the measured resistance in presence and absence of the film 92 can be used to distinguish the presence or rupture of the film 92 . when the oil film 92 separates the two water columns 90 in channels 18 a and 18 b , application of a dc potential across the film results in a polarization of the two oil - water interfaces . the migration of ions ( in the aqueous phase ) to the interface would modify the electrical field across the film 92 , and consequently , the maxwell stresses help cause the break up of the film 92 . this break up voltage , which will be termed the critical voltage , depends on several parameters , including the interfacial properties of the liquids involved , concentration of bitumen in the heptol , temperature , adsorption time , etc . once the film 92 is formed , a ramp dc potential is applied on the electrodes 20 and 22 by the data acquisition system 50 shown in fig6 . at the critical voltage , the film 92 will be broken and a processor such as a potentiostat ( voltalab ™ 80 , radiometer analytical , usa ) records the critical potential at the time of rupture . impedance spectroscopy may also be used to investigate interfaces . the general idea is to apply an ac signal with known frequency and amplitude and measure the response of the system to the original signal using the data acquisition system 50 . the response of the system would reveal the impedance and the phase shift from the original signal . using this technique , one can measure the capacitance and conductance of the system . the capacitance of the film 92 can be correlated to the thickness of the film 92 . it can also be used to measure the thinning rate of the film 92 . the behavior of the system with regards to the applied signal reveals the equivalent electrical circuit of the system . the outcome of the impedance spectrometry can be represented in a nyquist diagram . the horizontal axis in the nyquist diagram shows the real part of the impedance while the vertical axis plots the imaginary part . each point on the nyquist plot represents the impedance vector corresponding to a different frequency . preliminary experiments with the microfluidic chips were conducted with a 3 . 16 % bitumen in 50 / 50 heptol oil phase as the film forming system , and the setup described above . referring to fig1 , once the film is formed by bringing the water columns 90 in contact , a ramped dc signal is applied to the electrodes through the potentiostat voltalab ™ instrument 50 shown in fig6 . the current was measured using the same electrodes 20 and 22 used to apply the signal . fig1 depicts the current / potential behavior of the system after application of a ramped dc potential . initially , at low applied voltages the graph demonstrates a linear increase of the current with a smaller slope . the resistance of the system is equivalent to 20 mω , which is due to the parallel resistor connected to the circuit . the resistor also helps to stabilize the film the resistor used ought to have a large resistance , such as 5 mω or greater . this implies that the resistance of the film is infinitely large or the film is not conductive and the two water droplets 90 are separated . the presence of the film was also verified through direct observation employing the microscope shown in fig6 . as the voltage is ramped up , the electrical field across the film increases . in some embodiments , adequate results have been obtained by ramping the voltage at a rate of 25 mv / s . a suitable ramp may be easily determined for each embodiment in which a ramp is required . the net maxwell force applied on the surfaces of the film overcomes the inherent disjoining pressure forces , eventually leading to the break up of the film . the break up of the film is manifested by the sharp spike on the current / potential figure . the corresponding voltage is the critical voltage for the film rupture . after coalescence of the water phases 90 , the current passing through the system increases due to electrolyte connection parallel to the resistor . this results in a larger slope of the current / potential graph . thus , the microfluidic chip provides a measurable sequence of signals that allow a clear demarcation between the presence and absence of the oil film . the spike in the current / potential graph and the discontinuity in the resistance ( slope of the graph ) clearly indicate the critical applied voltage at which the film ruptures . this critical voltage will provide a measure of the stability of the film . impedance spectroscopy was also performed for the system by applying an ac signal with an amplitude of 10 mv and a frequency range of 1 - 100 khz . the real and imaginary components of the impedance are then plotted in a nyquist diagram . the circuit behaviour differs considerably in presence and absence of the oil film . in absence of the oil film , the frequency response of the system is characteristic of a largely resistive circuit , resembling a curved line ( arc of a circle ) on the nyquist plot . in presence of the film , which acts as a capacitor , the nyquist plot assumes a different slope . the nyquist plot of the microfluidic chip using diluted bitumen in heptol for the oil phase and aqueous nacl is shown in fig1 . the graph demonstrates two types of curves . the ones with the greater slope were obtained when the oil film is present . the second set of curves with a lower slope corresponds to the impedance measurement across the aqueous nacl solution ( when the film is absent ). several such measurements were conducted to ensure that the nyquist plots of these two systems are distinguishable . these measurements are represented as thin lines in fig1 , where lines 94 represent the capacitative measurements , and lines 96 represent the resistive measurements . in another experiment , we superimposed the ac signal over a dc ramp . the result of this experiment is depicted in fig1 as the thick line 98 . here , as long as the film is intact , the nyquist plot follows the characteristic behaviour of the capacitative circuit ( with higher slope ). the breakup of the film is represented by the jump by line 100 from the capacitative line 94 to the resistive line 96 , following which the nyquist plot represents the behaviour of the system without a film . using this information , one can calculate the capacitance of the film and its correlation with the film thickness . the above preliminary results clearly demonstrate the capability of the designed microfluidic chip as well as the experimental setup to determine the stability of thin liquid films . the film can be ruptured with a very low dc potential and the rupture can be detected both with conductivity and impedance measurements . in order to investigate the sensitivity of the critical potential measured by the chip with respect to the stability of the film two series of experiments have been performed . the material used is diluted bitumen in toluene with two different concentrations . the dilution was changed from 1 : 1 to 1 : 4 ( bitumen / toluene ). the results are depicted in fig1 . at dilution 1 : 1 the average measured break up potential ( critical potential ) was 170 mv whereas in 1 : 2 the average was 225 mv . at dilution 1 : 4 , the film was completely unstable . these results are in qualitative agreement with critical disjoining pressure from measurements in k . khristov , s . d . taylor , j . czarnecki , and j . masliyah , colloids surf aphysicochem . eng asp ., 174 , 183 , 2000 and s . d . taylor , j . czarnecki , and j . masliyah , j . colloid interface sci ., 252 , 149 , 2002 . in those measurements the critical disjoining pressure of the 1 : 2 solution is higher than that of 1 : 1 . furthermore , it was reported in the same reference that at dilutions more than 1 : 3 the film becomes unstable which is the case in the 1 : 4 dilution . the second experiment of this kind is a study on the effect of a surfactant on stability of the film . a proprietary surfactant of champion technologies was used as flocculating agent . henceforth it will be called surfactant “ a ”. the results of critical potential vs . concentration of the chemical in a solution of bitumen / toluene 1 : 2 are depicted in fig1 . the results show a decline of the film stability at low surfactant “ a ” concentration . the stability of the film reaches a minimum at 50 ppm and then it increases again . at higher concentration ( up to 200 ppm ) it seems to be constant while at concentrations of about 500 ppm , it becomes completely unstable . unfortunately there are no quantitative results for this surfactant to compare with , but results match the available qualitative information very well . the optimum concentration for this chemical at syncrude &# 39 ; s plant is 50 - 55 ppm and it has been observed that by overdosing the chemical the emulsion becomes more stable . another set of measurements was taken using a similar setup to the one described above . the oil phase was toluene ( hplc grade , fisher scientific , usa ) containing soybean lecithin ( l - α - lecithin , calbiochem , usa ) as surfactant . the oil film was formed between two aqueous electrolyte columns , containing 1 wt . % nacl , at the intersection . in each experiment , the lecithin molecules were allowed to adsorb for a fixed adsorption time at the oil - water interfaces of the individual droplets before bringing them together to form the film . the two interfaces were then brought together slowly to form the film by adjusting pressure . once formed , the film was left to drain and attain a stationary state over a period of 1 minute ( drainage time ) before application of the ramped dc potential . for a given film , the adsorption and drainage times were kept constant in order to achieve consistent and repeatable experiments . fig1 depicts the typical conductance behavior of films formed using three different concentrations of lecithin . when the film is intact ( at low potentials ), the current linearly increases with the potential , the slope ( potential / current ) being 5 mω . since the oil film is virtually non - conducting , the measured current predominantly passes through the parallel resistor ( 5 mω ). during this stage , the two interfaces of the film , which acts as a capacitor , acquire a charge . once the potential reaches the critical value , the film ruptures . the breakup of the film results in the discharging of the capacitor , yielding the spike in the current . it is apparent from fig1 that the critical potential is unique to each film formed using a different lecithin concentration . fig1 and 19 show how this critical potential provides insight regarding the adsorption of lecithin to the oil - water interfaces . fig1 depicts the variation of the critical potential with lecithin bulk concentration in toluene . the data corresponding to each lecithin concentration represent averages and standard deviations calculated over at least 15 measurements . the adsorption time was fixed at 2 minutes in these experiments . fig1 shows variation of critical potential with lecithin adsorption time for a system comprised of 2 wt . % lecithin in toluene . the increase in critical potential with lecithin bulk concentration , as well as with time is representative of the enhanced film stability caused by adsorption of lecithin to the interface . using the langmuir adsorption model , the isotherms and kinetics of adsorption can be expressed as : respectively , where θ is the fractional lecithin coverage of the oil - water interface , θ max is the maximum fractional interfacial coverage , k is the equilibrium constant , k is the adsorption rate constant , c b is the bulk lecithin concentration , and t is the time . if the critical potential is linearly dependent on the film stability , and if stability is directly proportional to the surface coverage , then the data in fig1 and 19 can be fitted to the isotherm and the rate of surface coverage , respectively , using single adjustable parameters . the solid lines in fig1 and 19 depict these best fits , normalized with respect to the maximum critical voltage , v max . in fig1 , the fitting parameter is k , while in fig1 , the parameter is k . it is evident that the data are in reasonable agreement with the trends of langmuir adsorption in both thermodynamic and kinetic aspects . although the impact of surfactant concentration and adsorption time on emulsion stability are clearly discernable , electro - coalescence studies involving dynamic systems may miss this adsorption induced stabilization of films due to the hydrodynamic forces in rapidly draining films . fig1 and 19 depict that even for micron - size droplets , considerable adsorption time is required to achieve a stable surfactant coverage of an interface . by maintaining the stationary condition in the channels before application of the ramped potential , extremely stable lecithin films are formed in our system . this mitigates the hydrodynamic drainage of the films when the additional electrical stresses are imposed , and we recover a situation where the coalescence of the two interfaces is primarily due to electric breakdown of the thin lecithin stabilized oil film . the experiments reported above were designed to emulate films with average radii of curvature ca . 6 . 5 μm . by forming an initially stationary film and maintaining consistent adsorption and drainage times , it was found that the electro - coaleseence was predominantly governed by electric breakdown of the thin liquid film , which minimizes the hydrodynamic drainage effects on the measured critical potential . one of the advantages of an embodiment of a microfluidics chip presented in this report is its capability of reducing the film area by 1 to 2 orders of magnitude with respect to other methods , such as the tlf apparatus which has a film diameter of ˜ 100 μm and the micropipette experiment where the diameter of the pipettes barely reaches less than 20 μm . using the setup developed and reported here film diameters within the range of 1 - 10 μm is easily obtained . this size of droplets replicates the actual droplet size encountered in the oil - sand industry . another benefit of miniaturizing the system is the substantial reduction in the effect of unwanted instabilities occurring during the course of the experiment thereby increasing the reproducibility of the results . the details of the microchip fabrication process used to prepare the above device will now be described . other ways of creating the microfluidic platform may be used , including by boring channels in a solid substrate , or using known techniques for working with pdms . the method described here is a convenient way to carry out the fabrication . this process example has 3 major steps : etching : removing unnecessary parts of the substrate or metallic covering layer . these steps are repeated in a cyclic manner depending on the design requirements . the microfluidic chip in the present design consists of one cycle for glass etching and a second cycle for the electrodes . fig1 shows the various steps involved in the present microfabrication process cycle . following is a brief description of each process step : substrate material : the material for the substrates 12 of the microfluidic chips are borofloat glasses from schott . 0211 glass was also tried out in this study but due to the shallow angle of the channels obtained by etching of this glass , we discontinued its use . design and masks : the masks were designed using l - edit software . the design includes two different masks for fabricating the bottom substrate 1 : one mask 102 is shown in fig1 for channels and another mask 104 is shown in fig1 for electrodes . each mask includes 9 chips on a 4 ″× 4 ″ square substrate . the size of each chip is about 1 ″× 1 ″. the masks were generated using a heidelberg dwl - 200 laser mask writer . cleaning : the substrates were chemically cleaned in step 110 prior to sputtering . any contamination of the substrate &# 39 ; s surface would affect bonding of the sputtered material to the surface . the cleaning is done using a mixture of 25 % hydrogen peroxide and 75 % sulfuric acid ( v / v ) ( the piranha solution ). the mixture produces significant amount of heat which can raise the solution temperature up to 110 ° c . substrates 12 are immersed in this solution for at least 15 minutes to ensure that all organic contaminants will be removed . following immersion in piranha solution , the substrates 12 are washed in di water and dried . after washing and drying , the substrates are ready for sputtering . sputtering : in step 112 , a vacuum sputtering system is used to sputter the masking layer 60 over the substrates 12 . the first layer is a 30 nm chromium as an adhesion layer ( since gold does not bond with glass very well ). following this 150 nm layer of gold was deposited onto the chromium layer . spinning the photoresist : the photoresist 106 is applied in step 114 . the photoresist used in this work is hpr 504 . it is a low viscosity resist which can be spread over the substrate with a thickness of 1 μm . the spreading speed is 500 rpm for 10 seconds followed by 40 seconds of fast spinning up to 4000 rpm . curing : after spinning , the photoresist is dried by baking in a furnace . for glass substrates covered by 1 micron thick hpr 504 resist , 30 minutes curing at 115 ° c . is recommended . the curing time depends on the type of the resist and the substrate . exposure of photoresist : once the resist is baked , it is ready for exposure in step 116 . ab - m contact mask aligner has been used for the lithography task . the exposure process starts with setting the mask 102 on the mask generator . it is important to make sure that the mask is cleaned before mounting on the machine . once the mask 102 is mounted , the substrate 12 can be mounted on the substrate holder using a vacuum . after alignment , the substrate 12 can be brought to contact with the mask 102 . it is crucial to make sure that the substrate does not move or change its position once it contacts the mask , otherwise the alignment has to be performed again . it is also important to make sure that the mask 102 and the substrate 12 are in good contact . presence of particles could create a gap between the two and this could let the diffused light penetrate under the mask causing reduced thickness of connections or partial exposure of some parts . the exposure time is generally between 4 to 4 . 5 seconds . developing photoresist : in step 118 , the photoresist is developed . developing photoresist is a chemical process in which the exposed substrate will be immersed in developer . developer dissolves the exposed part of the photoresist , leaving the substrate covered with unexposed photoresist . the standard developer for hpr 504 and 506 is the developer 354 . for slower and more accurate processes water can be added to the developer ( up to 50 % by volume ) to dilute the developer . the standard development time for the resists mentioned above is 20 to 25 seconds in 100 % of developer 354 . the developing time can vary depending on the resist parameters . it is important to check the quality of the whole patterning process under microscope after developing the resist . gold and chromium etching : once the resist is developed , the exposed part of the photoresist is dissolved in step 120 to expose the metallic cr / au layer 60 . these bare metallic areas can be stripped by immersing the substrate in gold etchant , and then chromium etchant . the standard chromium etchant is a mixture of nitric acid , ceric ammonium nitrate and water . the etching rate is about 80 nm / min when the solution is fresh . the gold etchant is a solution of 400 gm ki , 200 gm i 2 and 1000 ml of water . the etching rate with this solution is 300 nm / min . since etching process is an isotropic process and it can etch in horizontal direction ( under - cutting ) as much as vertical direction , it is important to make sure that under - cutting is under control . this control can be implemented by accurate timing . for substrates in this study , the gold etching time was 30 to 35 seconds and chrome etching was 20 seconds . it is important to note that this speed varies with thickness , age of the etchant , temperature and other parameters . glass etching : if the patterning process is to create channels on glass substrates , after gold and chrome etching , glass etching process starts in step 122 . since glass has significant amount of si — o bonds , the etchant solution is generally hydrofluoric acid ( hf ) which attacks this bond aggressively . because of presence of other metals in glass another acid like hcl or hno3 should be added to the solution to convert this insoluble metal fluorides to soluble salts to reduce surface roughness . an example of the etchant used in this study is : 20 % ( volumetric ) of 40 % hf , 14 % of 70 % hno3 and 66 % of water . this etchant gives etching speed about 0 . 4 μm / minute for borofloat glass . hydrofluoric acid is extremely dangerous and appropriate safety precautions are mandatory . the etching speed is determined using the following protocol . the first step is to measure the thickness of the cr + au + resist layer using a profilometer . this makes the zero point of measurement and every measurement will be compared with this value . the measurements should be taken from different parts of the substrate and averaged out so that we have better approximation of the thickness of this layer . now , substrates can be immersed in the etchant solution for exactly 5 minutes . the thickness measurement after 5 minutes gives an approximation of the speed of etching . following this approximation , the etching time can be estimated . the etchant solution gives about 0 . 3 μm / minute speed for borofloat glasses . it is a low etching speed but guarantees a good channel profile . the etching speed depends on many parameters like temperature , spinning speed , concentration or age of the etchant , etc ., but even for a constant condition , the etching speed can vary from 0 . 295 microns / minute up to 3 . 6 microns / minute . hence , it is recommended to check the etching speed every 10 minutes . following glass etching , in step 124 the photoresist layer is removed using acetone , while the gold and chrome layers are dissolved using proper etchants as described in the previous section . it is important to ensure that there is no area on the substrate left covered with residual photoresist . sometimes photoresist in some areas is difficult to remove . steps 126 through 136 are similar to steps 110 to 120 describe above , except using mask 104 instead of mask 102 , and etching in order to create electrodes 20 and 22 from layer 62 under the photoresist 106 . in step 138 , substrate 12 is silanized , which may be done using trichlorosilane , available from sigma - aldrich ( usa ), in order to make channel 16 ( not seen ) hydrophobic , and the top substrate 14 is then bonded on the bottom substrate 12 in step 140 , which is described in more detail below . referring to fig7 , once all etching processes are completed , the substrates 12 and 14 are diced using a dicing saw to recover the individual microchip parts , and the top substrates 14 seal the channels and connections on the bottom substrate 12 . these also provide the connecting wells to access the channels . these wells should be drilled through the glass . drilling the glass is very difficult due to brittle nature of glass . these holes are usually 1 to 3 mm wide . the ultrasonic drill was found to provides a sufficient circle with minimum chipping , however a conventional drilling method may also be used using , for example , diamond drill bits with 2 mm diameter . a support for holding the substrates was manufactured in the workshop . the drill was a small variable speed drill which could provide a constant load on substrates by an adjustable weight mechanism . the drilling speed was about 500 to 1000 rpm . the quality of the holes obtained using the conventional drilling were not good , but sufficient to supply the fluid into the channel . glass bonding : two clean flat glass substrates can be fused together fairly strongly without any special treatment . the key is to have both of them very clean , since presence of any particle would form an air gap between the substrates , which may cause leakage of fluid from channels . the first step is to make the glass surface clean and hydrophilic using water - soap solution . this would help two surfaces to stick to each other when they come to contact . then the substrates should be cleaned using a high pressure washing system . the washing procedure followed by high speed drying will prepare the surface for bonding . when two substrates are ready , they can be brought to contact , using eyeball alignment if the features are big , or using the microscope . using a microscope to align the substrates can be very difficult , so usually it is better not to have any feature on the top substrate . two clean glass substrates can form a strong bond using this technique ; however , this bond is not a permanent bond . to make the bond permanent , the chips may be heat treated in a furnace at up to 500 ° c . for about two hours . however , the problem with this permanent bonding is that , the high temperature oxidizes the electrodes . the solution to this problem may be to use a furnace with nitrogen gas and ensuring that the nitrogen is injected to the channels . in the claims , the word “ comprising ” is used in its inclusive sense and does not exclude other elements being present . the indefinite article “ a ” before a claim feature does not exclude more than one of the feature being present . each one of the individual features described here may be used in one or more embodiments and is not , by virtue only of being described here , to be construed as essential to all embodiments as defined by the claims . immaterial modifications may be made to the embodiments described here without departing from what is covered by the claims .	6
schematically , and in a very simplified manner , fig1 shows an exemplary embodiment of an implantation device 1 applicable for implanting implants according to the invention . the device 1 comprises a generator 2 and an oscillation unit 3 connected together via a cable 4 . the oscillation unit 3 , which is partly accommodated in a housing 5 , is designed as a hand apparatus to be used like a hand drill , for example . the oscillation unit 3 comprises an oscillation element integrated in the housing 5 ( not shown in detail ) and actively connected to a resonator ( sonotrode ) 6 . at least a distal resonator part projects out of the housing 5 . the generator 2 supplies the oscillation element with energy . excited by the oscillation element , the resonator oscillates at a predefined frequency or , as the case may be , with a predefined frequency pattern . frequencies of 2 to 200 hz and resonator amplitudes of 1 to 100 μm in the direction ( z - direction ) indicated by the double arrow are particularly suitable . the frequencies may be set depending on the application , the materials to be liquefied and the shape of resonator and implant . it is also conceivable to superimpose additional mechanical oscillations , such as with a lower frequency and larger amplitude on the vibrations in the ultrasound region . in many cases , it is sufficient to design the device for a single oscillation frequency , for example for 20 or 40 khz and for a resonator amplitude of approximately 20 or 30 μm in the z - direction ( direction in which an implant 7 is pressed by the resonator 6 against a tissue part ). in order to control the power ( supplied energy per unit of time ), the excitation may be pulsed , wherein pulse distances and / or pulse lengths are set . advantageously , and in a per se known manner , the oscillation frequency and the resonator shape are matched to one another such that the resonator oscillates in a standing wave and such that its distal end , which is pressed against the implant , has a maximum amplitude in the z - direction . it is further advantageous to give pin - like implants a length that is matched to a predefined excitation frequency and predefined implant material . the distal end of the resonator 6 may be designed for holding an implant 7 , as is shown in fig1 . this simplifies positioning of the implant on a tissue part or in an opening of a tissue part , such as the bone of a leg 10 . for positioning and implantation without an opening , it may also be advantageous to provide an implant guide that is supported on the housing 5 or on the tissue part . it is also possible to design the resonator with a planar end face like a hammer and to simply press it against an implant held in a tissue opening or held by way of a suitable separate mounting or guide means . the distal end face of such a resonator must not stick to the implant during implantation . this is achieved by a suitable , non - adhering end - face of the resonator or by an implant part adjoining the resonator part that consists of a non liquefiable material . for applications in a sterile operation region , the device may be used in a sterile covering . advantageously , the sterile covering comprises an opening for the distal part of the resonator , and the resonator or a distal resonator part can be removed for exchange and sterilization . other exemplary embodiments of the implantation device 1 according to the invention can be designed as hand - held apparatus comprising all components ( including energy supply ) or as completely stationary apparatus . fig2 shows a fixation or stabilization plate 21 being fastened by implants 7 according to the invention on a bone part in the region of a bone fracture or laceration , in order to stabilize the fracture or laceration . the bone part 20 in this case comprises a relatively thin , but relatively compact , outer cortical layer 22 disposed above cancellous bone tissue 23 which is porous . other than shown in fig2 , the transition of the cortical bone to the cancellous bone in natural tissue is a gradual transition in which the tissue becomes more and more porous . the implants 7 extend through openings in the plate 2 , through the cortical bone substance 22 and into the cancellous bone 23 and they are anchored at least in the cancellous bone 23 . fig3 and 4 in section and in an enlarged scale , show two examples of implants according to the invention that may be used for the application shown in fig2 . fig3 shows an implant after implantation . fig4 shows another implant that is positioned in an opening 24 of plate 21 and cortical bone substance 22 and is ready for impingement with oscillation energy . for implantation , at least the cortical substance layer is to be opened , for example by drilling . a suitable bore may also continue into the cancellous bone 23 as a pocket hole . since the cortical substance of the bone has no suitable pores for pressing in the liquefied material , such openings or surface irregularities may be created by cutting a thread 25 or by roughening the inner walls of the bore . the liquefied material is then pressed into such openings and re - solidified to form a positive - fit connection . the liquefied material of the implant is pressed into the pores of the cancellous bone 23 , and , in this manner , the implant 7 is anchored in a depth - effective manner . it shows that hydrostatically pressing a liquid material into the tissue pores is significantly gentler on the tissue than mechanically introducing a solid material . for this reason , it is possible to create stable connections to tissue not having much mechanical strength , e . g ., to osteoporotic bone tissue . in order to connect the implant 7 to the plate 21 , the implant may have a head that is like a mechanical screw , such as is shown in fig2 . as shown in fig3 , the opening in the metallic plate 21 may also comprise an inner thread that is like the thread created in the cortical substance 22 of the bone . the liquefied material penetrates and solidifies in these threads , thereby forming a positive fit . in this case , an implant head is not needed . the implant 7 is aligned flush to the plate 21 by driving a suitably dimensioned implant to the desired position , thereby avoiding undesirable trimming of a projecting implant part . for a plate 2 consisting of a thermoplastic plastic , the connection between plate and implant ( securement against loosening ) may be accomplished as shown in fig4 , wherein a material - fit connection ( welding or adhering ) is formed at the same time the implant is anchored in the tissue . on driving in the implant , this material - fit connection begins to form at the connection location 26 . in this case as well , the implant 7 is advantageously driven so far in that , in the end , it is flush with the outer side of the plate 21 . since the implant 7 does not need to be rotated into the tissue , it does not need to include means for coupling in a relatively large torsional force , as is as required for known screws . dimensioning of the implants can therefore be determined purely by their function in the implanted condition . as such , the implants are more streamline and the openings that need to be created in the tissue are smaller than is the case with conventional screws of the same material . since the positive - fit is formed by liquefaction and resolidification of the material , it comprises less stress and notches , which further increases its strength and makes it less prone to material fatigue . implants according to the invention to be anchored in the tissue part in a depth - effective manner , as shown in fig2 to 4 , are advantageously pin - like or dowel - like and comprise the liquefiable material for example at their distal end , as well as on further surface regions at which an anchoring is desirable ( e . g . in a thread in plate 21 and cortical substance 2 of the bone ). in fact , as shown in fig2 to 4 , the implants may completely consist of the liquefiable material , wherein the distal end and the surface regions at which the material is to be liquefied in particular are advantageously provided with energy directors , or energy directors are provided at surfaces coming into contact with these regions . such energy directors may be distal implant ends that are pointed or taper to one or more essentially point - like or linear tip regions . further surface regions to be liquefied may include humps , tips or ribs whose height and widths are to be adapted to the anchoring being created . the energy directors project at least 10 μm beyond the surface . they may also be significantly larger and may be designed as axially - running ribs rendering the pin cross section humped or cornered , as is shown in an exemplary way by fig5 a to 5 e . pin - like implants have such cross sections over their entire length , or only over a part of their length . for pin - like implants to be anchored in the region of their cylindrical surface only , or in addition to anchoring in the region of the distal end , tissue openings ( e . g . bores ) are provided such that introduction of the implant causes ( at least locally ) a friction fit between tissue and implant or energy directors respectively , i . e . the tissue openings are slightly narrower than the cross section of the implants . for further functions , the liquefiable material may contain foreign phases or further substances . in particular , the material is mechanically strengthened by admixture of fibers or whiskers ( e . g . calcium phosphate ceramics or glasses ). the liquefiable material may further comprise in situ swelling or dissolvable , i . e . pore - forming constituents ( e . g . polyester , polysaccharides , hydrogels , sodium phosphate ) and substances to be released in situ , e . g . growth factors , antibiotics , inflammation reducers or buffers ( e . g . sodium phosphate ) to combat the negative effects of an acidic breakdown . admixtures for furthering visibility in x - ray pictures and similar functions are conceivable also . it has been shown that when anchoring implants in cancellous bone ( wherein the implants have a construction according to fig2 to 4 , are composed of polymers such as pc or plla and have a diameter of 3 to 4 mm ) forces in the region of 0 . 5 to 5 n per mm 2 implant cross section are advantageously used for the pressing - in . forces in the named range result in a driving - in speed greater than 5 mm / s . fig6 to 8 show three further , exemplary pin - like implants 7 , which , in addition to regions of liquefiable material , comprise a core 11 ( fig6 and 7 ) or a sleeve 13 ( fig8 ) composed of a non - liquefiable material , such as metal , ceramic or glass , or a composite material . the implants according to fig6 and 7 comprise at their distal end a cap 12 of the liquefiable material , which is more or less pointed ( fig6 ) or comprises a plurality of pointed or linear end regions ( fig7 ). the cylindrical surface of the core 11 is completely surrounded by liquefiable material ( fig6 ) or only in regions , wherein these regions extend axially , or annular ( fig7 ) or may be regularly or irregularly distributed over the core surface . these regions advantageously comprise energy directors as described above for implants consisting entirely of liquefiable material . the liquefiable material is to be thicker or thinner , depending on the desired penetration depth , but should not be thinner than approx . 10 μm . step - like reductions in cross section as shown in fig6 are suitable as energy directors . implants with such steps are advantageously implanted in correspondingly stepped or narrowing tissue openings . the impingement of a pin - like or dowel - like implant with a non - liquefiable core 11 may either concern the complete proximal end of the implant or only the annular outer region consisting of the liquefiable material . the implant according to fig8 comprises the liquefiable material in the inside of a non - liquefiable sleeve 13 . the sleeve 13 is provided with openings arranged in places where anchoring is desired . such an embodiment of the implant according to the invention is suitable in particular for the application of highly viscous , thixotropic materials as liquefiable material since such a material cannot withstand the mechanical loading caused by the resonator pressing on the implant . the openings in the sleeve are to be dimensioned in a manner such that the highly viscous material can only get through when liquefied . sleeves 13 of porous sintered material are particularly suitable . an implant with a sleeve 13 is to be positioned in a tissue opening and the resonator is applied only on the liquefiable material , i . e . has a cross section adapted to the inner cross section of the sleeve . at the proximal end of a pin - like or dowel - like implant there may be provided a head - like thickening , an artificial part replacing or fixing a further tissue part , a therapeutic auxiliary device , fastening means for such a device , or a fixation means for a suture or cerclage wire . the proximal end may also be equipped as a holding means cooperating with a corresponding holding means on the resonator ( see fig9 to 11 ). a metallic core 11 , for example in a pin - like or dowel - like implant , usually serves as a mechanical reinforcement of the implant and is suitably dimensioned for this application . the core may , however , also be significantly thinner and easily removable from the implant . in this case , it provides visibility in an x - ray picture during minimally - invasive implantation , and may serve as a guide wire . the core is removed directly after implantation . an implant comprising a metallic core and being anchored in the tissue according to the invention and comprising a liquefiable material that is resorbable has a good primary stability immediately after implantation . on resorption of the anchoring material , the anchoring loosens or is made dynamic , such that more and more load has to be carried by the tissue itself . this encourages the regeneration process and prevents the atrophy process in many cases . after decomposition of the liquefiable material , the core can be removed easily if its surface is designed such that the vital tissue does not grow together with it . if its surface , however , is designed in a manner such that tissue intergrowth is promoted ( bioactive surface ), this intergrowth constitutes an ideal , secondary stability for an implant or implant core remaining in the tissue ( see also fig2 ). implant cores as shown in fig6 and 7 may not only consist of metal ( e . g . steels , titanium or cobalt - chrome alloys ), but according to their application , may also consist of polymers ( e . g . polyetheraryl ketone , polyfluoro - and / or polychloroethylene , polyetherimides , polyethersulphones , polyvinylchlorides , polyurethanes , polysulphones , polyester ) or of ceramic or glass - like materials ( e . g . aluminium oxide , zirconium oxide , silicates , calcium phosphate ceramics or glass ) or of composite materials ( e . g . carbon fibre reinforced high - temperature thermoplasts ). fig9 to 13 show various exemplary applications for holding a pin - like or dowel - like implant according to the invention in or at the distal part of the resonator 6 ( sonotrode ) of the implantation device 1 ( fig1 ). the holder may for example be a positive - fit holder as shown in fig9 and 10 . the positive - fit for example is realized as a snap - closure ( fig9 ) of a resiliently designed proximal extension 14 of an implant core 11 or implant 7 which is introduced into a corresponding opening 15 at the distal end of the resonator 6 . the positive - fit may also be realized by a suitably secured pin 16 extending through the resonator 6 and the proximal extension 14 of an implant core 11 or implant . advantageously , the positive - fit is arranged at a distance d to the distal end of the resonator such that it lies in a node point of the oscillations in z - direction , i . e . in a position in which the amplitude in z - direction is essentially zero . fig1 shows a screwed connection 17 between resonator 6 and implant 7 , i . e . a non - positive fit or force - fit connection . if this connection is biased in a manner such that the oscillations propagate uninterrupted from the resonator to the implant , the implant 7 becomes a part of the resonator 6 and is to be designed accordingly . this means that the distal end of the resonator does not necessarily require maximal amplitude in the z - direction , but may as well lie on a node point . fig1 and 13 show advantageous implant holders on the resonator 6 for implants whose proximal end consists of the liquefiable material . in both cases , the proximal implant end is shaped by and bonded to the distal end of the resonator 6 due to the ultrasound effect and suitable energy directors arranged on the resonator . fig1 shows a resonator 6 with a distal surface which is formed as the impact surface of a granulating hammer . fig1 shows a resonator 6 with a central energy director . in both cases , the proximal end of the implant 7 is contacted by the energy directors of the resonator 6 and the resonator is set into oscillation . the liquefiable material in the region of the energy directors of the resonator is liquefied first and bonds to the resonator , wherein it assumes the shape of its distal surface and forms a head 18 in the case which is shown in fig1 . holding of the implant on the resonator as shown in fig9 to 13 is advantageously established before positioning the implant on or in the tissue part , and it is released after implantation , in the cases of fig1 and 13 , by way of a force with which the resonator is bent away or rotated off the implant 7 . as an example of further fields of application for implants according to the invention , fig1 shows the fixation of a cover plate 30 of bone or of a man - made material into an opening of the calvaria 29 and the fixation for example of an artificial fixation plate 31 on a broken or fractured jawbone 32 . similar applications are conceivable in reconstruction surgery in the facial region . the connections that are to be created between the cover plate 30 and the surrounding bone tissue are advantageously limited to selected locations of the gap 33 between the plate and the native bone . the fixation plate 31 is likewise connected to the jawbone at selected plate locations 31 ′. the connections at the selected locations are realized in successive implantation steps using the implantation device 1 . in section and in an enlarged scale , fig1 to 17 show connections that may be created with implants 7 according to the invention and that , for example , are suitable for the applications shown in fig1 . fig1 shows an implant 7 according to the invention that may be used to provide at least a local connection between the scull 29 and the cover plate 30 , which is to be fixed in an opening of the scull that may contain porous material ( e . g . likewise scull bone ). the implant 7 is positioned ( above ) and then implanted by way of ultrasound energy ( double arrow ) in order to connect the scull 29 and the cover plate 30 across the gap 33 ( below ). the gap 33 is advantageously formed obliquely in a manner such that external pressure forces on the gap region are accommodated by the calvaria 29 . on the outer side , the gap 33 is extended for positioning the implant 7 . the implant , which for example , is spherical or sausage - like and consists of a thermoplastic or thixotropic material , is positioned in the extended outer gap region and is impinged with oscillation energy . as a result , the implant material is liquefied , and on the one side , is pressed into the pores of the calvaria 29 , and on the other side , is pressed into corresponding pores of a cover plate 30 consisting of , for example , bone , or into correspondingly arranged artificially created openings ( e . g . dot - dashed groove ) in an artificial plate . a positive - fit anchoring is thereby created on both sides such connecting calvaria 29 and cover plate 30 . fig1 shows a fixation foil 35 which may also have the form of a textile web and which may , for example , be applied for local fixation of the cover plate 30 in the opening of the scull 29 . the foil 35 is , for example , tape - like and is advantageously flexible . it consists completely of a liquefiable thermoplast or is , for example , reinforced with a fiber mat , or with a similar structure . it is applied over the gap 33 and is excited on both sides ( double arrows ) with the help of an implantation device ( fig1 ) in a manner such that it adheres to the surface of the calvaria 29 and the surface of the cover plate 30 ( larger - surfaced , less depth - effective connection which may be limited to a multitude or a pattern of individual fixation points ). as the case may be , the surface regions , at which the implant is to be connected to the material lying therebelow , may be suitably pre - treated ( e . g . roughened ) or suitable surface structures ( surface unevennesses , recesses , grooves etc .) are provided on the artificial plate 30 . in order to connect the film 35 to a bone surface , a pressure on the order of 0 . 5 to 3 n per mm 2 of resonator end face is sufficient . fig1 shows a fixation plate 36 that is fastened with the help of a fixation film 35 or corresponding textile web over the gap 33 and which , for accommodating accordingly larger forces , consists e . g . of metal . therefore , in addition to being used in a skull application , the fixation plate 36 may also be used on the jaw as shown in fig1 or in the application according to fig2 . the fixation plate 36 consists of a material that is not liquefiable in the context of the invention . on a surface directed towards the tissue to be fixed , the fixation plate 36 has a surface structure suitable for a positive fit . the film 35 is positioned between the plate 36 and the tissue or material to be fixed and through the plate 36 is impinged at least locally with oscillation energy and is thus connected to the surface of the calvaria 29 and to the cover plate 30 . the positive - fit connection between film 35 and fixation plate 36 may be created during implantation , or the plate 36 with the film 35 already connected to it may be used as a finished implant . in such a two - layer implant the connection between the layers may also be of a material fit ( adhesion or welding ). the film 35 in such a two - layer implant may also be reduced to a coating of the plate , wherein the coating advantageously does not have a constant thickness , but has energy directors consisting of a pattern of humps , points or ribs that have a minimal height ( coating thickness ) of approx . 10 μm . the fixation plate 31 shown in fig1 comprises film regions 31 ′ arranged for example in suitable recesses and having an outer surface provided with energy directors . these film regions are connected to the jawbone regions lying thereunder . it may be advantageous for the application shown in fig1 to design the resonator to be used in a manner such that the oscillations transmitted to the implant are not aligned perpendicular ( z - direction ) to the connection plane to be created as indicated with double arrows , but parallel to this ( x / y - direction ). as the case may be , a transmission element 37 as shown in fig1 is suitable . this transmission element 37 is connected to the resonator 6 with a non - positive fit and specifically at a location in which the wave in the z - direction has a node point ( amplitude = 0 ) and thus the wave in the x / y direction has a maximum amplitude . this oscillation in the x / y direction is transmitted to the film 35 by the transmission element 37 . schematically and in a greatly simplified manner , fig1 shows a further application of implants according to the invention , namely a support element for a human vertebral column region . the support element 40 is elastic and supports the vertebral column region in a lasting or possibly temporary manner . in the context of the invention , the support element 40 is fastened to vertebral bodies in that it consists of a correspondingly liquefiable material and is fastened without depth effectiveness ( as shown in fig1 ), in that it consists of a non - liquefiable material and is connected to the vertebral bodies through a film and without depth effectiveness ( as shown in fig1 ) or with predrilling and depth effectiveness ( as shown in fig2 to 4 ). the pin - like implants 7 shown in fig1 have , for example , a head projecting beyond the support element and are made according to fig1 . for a lasting support , connecting implants and support element are made of a non - resorbable material . for a temporary support , connecting implants and support elements are made of a resorbable material . fig2 shows the application of a dowel - like implant 7 according to the invention forming a basis for an artificial tooth 40 in a jawbone 32 . the implant 7 consists , at least partly , of a thermoplastic or thixotropic material . on its end face , it comprises means for holding the artificial tooth 40 , a bridge or prosthesis . the implant is positioned in the corresponding opening with or without the artificial tooth and is pressed in further under ultrasound vibration . since at the same time at least a part of the implant liquefies , it not only fills gaps between implant and bone in a largely interstice - free manner , but is also pressed into the pores of the jawbone so that a depth - effective connection arises as is for example shown in section in fig2 . fig2 shows in section a further exemplary embodiment of an implant according to the invention . this implant is particularly suitable for the application shown in fig2 . the liquefiable material is not arranged on the outer surface of the implant , but within a sleeve 13 which is permeable to the liquefiable material when liquefied , as has already been described in connection with fig8 . the longitudinally sectioned implant is shown to the left of the middle line in a state before application of ultrasound and to the right of the middle line in a state after the application of ultrasound . the sleeve 13 consists , for example , of a metallic or ceramic sintered material with an open porosity , and assumes the bearing function of the implant . in the shown case , it comprises an opening with an inner thread suitable for fastening a tooth , bridge or tooth prosthesis . the implant comprises a further , annular opening 43 in which the liquefiable material is positioned , for example a cylindrical piece 44 of the liquefiable material . for a targeted liquefaction , energy directors 45 are provided in the inside of the annular opening 43 in contact with the liquefiable material . the implant according to fig2 is , for example , positioned in an opening of a jawbone ( 41 , fig2 ) and then the liquefiable material is impinged with mechanical energy using a resonator 6 with an annular distal end . as a result , this material is liquefied and pressed through the porous sleeve material , into the surrounding bone tissue , whereby the implant is anchored in this tissue . for the application shown in fig1 to 20 , it is particularly advantageous to select a resorbable material as the liquefiable material , whilst the bearing part consists of a material that is neither liquefiable nor resorbable and that has a sufficient mechanical strength for the fastening of a tooth , bridge or prosthesis . at the same time , at least the surface of the central part is bioactive ( e . g . porous as described for the sleeve 13 ), that is to say , equipped in a manner such that it promotes an intergrowth with bone tissue . immediately after implantation , such an implant has a primary stability that is adequate for fastening the tooth , bridge or prosthesis and for normal use thereof . promoted by the bioactive surface of the central implant part , regenerated tissue then successively replaces the resorbable material and grows together with the central implant part . the implant according to the invention thus offers an immediate primary stability without the application of cement and , after a resorption and regeneration phase a permanent secondary stability , which is equal to the stability of known implants . in comparison to known implantation methods , however , there is no transition phase in which , according to the state of the art , the opening 41 is closed and one waits for regeneration of bone tissue before the tooth , the bridge or the prosthesis is fastened directly in the regenerated bone . fig2 shows an external fixation device 51 comprising supports 52 and a carrier 53 fastened on the supports 52 , which device is for example fastened on a tubular bone 50 of a human arm according to the invention . the supports 52 are designed as implants according to the invention . the medial part of a tubular bone consists mainly of cortical bone substance and comprises only very little tissue regions that are porous in the context of the invention . for this reason , the marrow space 54 in the inside of the tubular bone 50 is used for the liquefied material to be pressed into . this is shown in fig2 and 25 in more detail . the supports are provided for example with base plates 55 since the marrow cannot counteract the hydrostatic pressure with sufficient resistance . in order to fasten the fixation device , openings ( with a thread 25 as the case may be ) are drilled through the tubular bone 50 extending into the marrow space , wherein the bore diameter corresponds to the diameter of the implant 7 or the base plate 55 respectively . the implant 7 comprises a central support 52 , a distal end fastened to the base plate 55 , and an annular or tubular region 57 of the liquefiable material arranged around the support and essentially covering the base plate 55 . the implant is introduced into the opening 56 and is held at a predefined depth with suitable means to be applied externally . then the liquefiable material 57 around the support 52 is pressed against the base plate 55 under the effect of ultrasound , so that it is pressed between the bone 50 and the base plate 55 into the marrow space 54 and thus forms a positive - fit connection holding the support 52 in the opening 56 . this anchoring permits a unicortical fastening of the support 52 , wherein the fastening is secure against tilting . according to the state of the art , such fastening can be achieved only by a bicortical fastening . fig2 shows a further embodiment of the implant 7 according to the invention , wherein the is particularly suitable for the application shown in fig2 . the liquefiable material , which for example is a thixotropic cement , is arranged in the inside of the support 52 , and openings 58 are provided above the base plate 55 and have a size such that the cement cannot exit in its highly viscous form , but exits in its liquefied form by the effect of the resonator 6 . the end of the support 52 is designed as a sleeve in the sense of the sleeve according to fig8 . the cement pressed through the openings 58 with the help of the resonator secures the support in the marrow cavity , and as the case may be , in the adjacent bone tissue . the implant according to the invention shown in fig2 is a tension screw 60 , which , for example , is used together with a trochanter plate to fix a broken femoral neck bone . the tension screw 60 ( in the sense of an implant sleeve 13 , fig8 ) is hollow and at least in its distal end comprises openings through which a liquefied material can be pressed out in order to anchor this distal region better in osteoporotic bone tissue than is possible alone with the thread of the tension screw . the thread of the screw thus serves in particular for pulling together the tissue in the region of the fracture , until the distal screw end is anchored in the tissue by the liquefiable material . fig2 shows , in a very schematic sectional representation , a tubular bone 50 on which an artificial joint element 62 is fastened by way of an implant 7 according to the invention . the stem 63 of the joint element 62 and liquefiable material 57 arranged around the stem represent the implant according to the invention , which is pressed into the tubular bone 50 under the effect of ultrasound , wherein the material 57 is liquefied and is pressed into pores of the cancellous bone 23 and into unevennesses of the inner surface of the cortical substance 22 of the tubular bone . the stem 63 has a surface structure which is suitable for a positive fit connection to the liquefiable material 57 , in the same manner as shown for plate 36 in fig1 . a particularly advantageous embodiment of the stem 63 consists , for example , of titanium and has a porous surface that is thus bioactive and it is surrounded by resorbable liquefiable material . such an implant has a primary stability directly after implantation , which permits at least partial loading . the primary stability is later taken over by a secondary stability effected by the intergrowth of vital bone tissue into the porous surface of the titanium stem 63 . this means that the artificial joint element may be loaded essentially immediately after implantation , but without the use of cement . this early loading favors regeneration of the vital tissue and prevents atrophy ( osteoporosis ). all the same , in a further phase , vital tissue intergrows with the titanium stem . fig2 likewise very schematically shows a joint 70 in the region of which a ligament 71 connects the bones 72 and 73 . the ligament 71 is naturally intergrown with the bone , wherein this connection may tear on overloading . implants 7 according to the invention can be used for the repair , wherein implant embodiments according to fig2 to 4 may be used . for the repair , the cortical substance of the joint bone is opened and pin - like implants 7 are driven through the ligament 71 and secured externally with a head ( e . g . according to fig1 ). embodiments with less depth effectiveness according to fig1 and 17 are also conceivable . concluding , fig3 shows that the connection to be created with the implant 7 according to the invention need not necessarily serve the connection of two elements ( two tissue parts or a tissue part and an artificial part ). it is also conceivable to use an implant according to the invention for filling a tissue opening 80 being caused by a tumour for example . for such an application , an implant 7 of a highly viscous and thixotropic material 81 is used . with the aid of a guide 82 being positioned around the opening , this material is introduced into the opening 18 such that it projects beyond the opening . the resonator 6 used for this application has a cross section corresponding to the inner cross section of the guide 82 and presses the material 81 into the opening 80 like a piston . the opening 80 is thereby not only filled essentially without interstices , but the material 81 becoming liquid under the effect of ultrasound is also pressed into the tissue pores opening into the opening 80 , and thereby forms a positive fit connection after solidification , which is shown below in fig3 . this positive - fit connection securely holds the implant 7 in its opening 80 even without the opening comprising undercuts , and without providing other retaining means ( e . g . periosteum sutured above the implant ). suitably , finely processed bone material of the patient may be admixed to the liquefiable material . if in a case as shown in fig3 a thermoplastic material is used instead of the thixotropic cement , the opening 80 may also be specially manufactured for accommodating a fixation element for a wire 84 or suture , as shown dot - dashed in fig3 ( only below ). a therapeutic auxiliary device , such as a stimulator , may be fixed in the same manner . pins of plla and polycarbonate manufactured by injection molding and having a round cross section of diameters between 3 . 5 and 4 . 25 mm , a length of 26 to 40 mm ( ideal length at 20 khz : 35 mm ), obtusely tapered , distal ends and four grooves axially extending over 10 mm from the distal end were anchored with an excitation frequency of 20 khz in cancellous bone ( femur head ) of freshly slaughtered cattle . for implantation , the thin cortical substance layer lying over the cancellous bone was opened , but the cancellous bone was not pre - drilled . on implantation , the implants were pressed against the tissue with pressures of 60 to 130 n and excited with the excitation frequency ( sonotrode amplitude approx . 20 to 25 μm ). the advance was limited to 10 mm which was achieved in less than 2 s . the implants were then held without excitation for 5 seconds . the resulting anchorage depths were in the order of 15 mm and the anchorage on tearing out proved to be stronger than the implants themselves ( maximum tear - out forces over 500 n ). sensors being placed at 1 mm from the pre - bore in the cortical bone substance ( 1 . 5 mm below the bone surface ) recorded temperatures of max . 44 ° c . ( approx . 22 ° above room temperature ) approx . 10 s after implantation . the temperature rise was reduced to half its value in approximately 30 seconds . no molecular weight reduction was found in the implanted plla material when compared with the material before implantation .	1
referring to fig1 a liquid crystal display ( lcd ) device in accordance with one preferred embodiment of the invention includes an lcd panel with a matrix of rows and columns of picture elements or “ pixels ,” which may also be called the “ dots ” in some cases . the lcd panel comes with a coordinate detector device 2 for detection of coordinates as input by an associated pen - shaped touch - sensitive pointing input device known as an “ input pen ” or “ pen pointer ” in the art . here , the lcd panel is of the active - matrix type which may be configured as shown in fig5 . as shown , the active - matrix lcd panel incorporates a matrix of pixels , each of which is at a corresponding one of cross points or intersections between horizontal scanning lines 52 and vertical signal transmission lines 53 . the individual pixel includes therein a switch element 50 , which selectively turns on and off controlling adequate transfer of image information to an associative display medium . this medium may be a liquid crystal material 51 . the switch element may be a three - terminal element , typically a thin - film transistor ( tft ) having the gate , source and drain electrodes . the scan lines 52 are connected to the gates of tfts 50 , whereas the signal lines 53 are to the sources ( or drains ) thereof . as shown in fig1 the coordinate detector 2 includes a pair of x / y - coordinate recognition sensors 21 for recognition of the position of an arbitrary point as presently designated by the input pen 1 , by detecting the x - and y - coordinates thereof on the lcd display panel . the detector 2 also includes a coordinate detector circuit 22 , which is responsive to receipt of the recognition data as derived from the x / y - position recognition sensors 21 for generating and issuing at the outputs x - and y - coordinate data that correspond to dots on a one - to - one correspondence basis . the sensors 21 may be pressure sensors , electrostatic sensors , heat sensors , or the like . the coordinate detector 22 is connected to a memory controller circuit 3 . this controller is to perform physical address settings and read / write control for an associative memory device 4 ( described later ). more specifically , the controller 3 generates and issues a physical address ( es ) for data write in memory 4 in response to the coordinate data ( x - and y - coordinate data ) as detected by coordinate detector 22 . controller 3 also receives information sent from a sequence controller circuit 5 ( later described ) to generate when data write a write command signal such as write enable ( we ) at a certain timing . during read mode , controller 3 attempts to control data read operation at memory 4 by providing physical address control for display on the lcd panel and generating a necessary signal ( control signal ) therefor . the memory controller 3 is connected to the memory 4 and also to a color designator circuit 6 and a panel display timing signal generator circuit 7 . the coordinate detector 2 , memory controller 3 , color designator 6 and timing generator 7 are connected to the sequence controller circuit 5 so that they operate under the control of it . memory 4 is connected through an rgb conversion table 8 to an output controller circuit 9 . the panel display timing generator 7 is also connected to output controller 9 . the memory 4 has in its memory space a prescribed number of addresses as equivalent in number to the resolution of the display panel , namely , equal to the total number of pixel dots thereon . memory 4 can store therein n - bit data enabling handling of 2 n colors of image data . by way of example , in cases where sixteen ( 16 ) different colors are required for display , the memory is designed to be 4 - bit data storable memory . further , memory 4 has n sets of storage regions ; for example , in the case of 16 different colors , it is designed to have four sets of storage regions mem 0 , mem 1 , mem 2 , mem 3 as shown in fig2 each of which can store therein 4 - bit data separately . note here that fig2 diagrammatically represents a model of the operational correlation of coordinate detector 2 and memory 4 . the color designator 6 operates when predefined color selection ( designation ) coordinates are pointed on the lcd display panel to set a certain color data corresponding to the presently pointed color thereon . here , the “ color designation coordinates ” may refer to an area as provided on the lcd display panel for the individual color . for instance , in cases where sixteen ( 16 ) colors are needed for display , 16 separate areas are provided on the panel , each of which is associated with a corresponding one of such colors required . with such an arrangement , selecting any desired color becomes available by execution , using pen 1 , of “ pointing ” color designation coordinates ( color distinction area ) as desired for color display . it should be noted here that the color data may be specific data variable in value from zero ( 0 ) to 2 n − 1 that can be handled or processed by memory 4 with n sets of storage regions . for example , in the situations where 16 different colors are to be implemented for use , the data is designed to have any value as selected from “ 0 ” to “ 15 ” that can be handled by memory 4 with four sets of storage regions mem 0 - mem 3 . the color designator 6 has one exemplary built - in table as shown in fig4 . this table shown is for use in 16 - color display schemes ; for example , when a “ black ” is selected based on the color selection coordinates , a corresponding digital color data “ 1111 ” is set . alternatively , when a “ red ” is designated due to color designation coordinates , a color data “ 0001 ” will be set . in such cases , allocation between colors and color data items may be determined in an arbitrary manner . in the illustrative embodiment the color selection coordinates ( color distinction area ) are arranged on the lcd display panel enabling selection of any desired color for display by use of the “ pen - pointing ” techniques ; this may alternatively be modified such that an exclusive color selection menu is provided at a selected position on the display screen allowing users to operate it to attain selection of any color for display . in other words , operating the color selection menu causes the screen to change in operation mode so that it is set in a color selection mode for permission of color selection by way of such resultant color selection screen . this may advantageously avoid the need of providing in advance the color distinction areas on the lcd display panel enabling more efficient use of display screen in area . the panel display timing generator 7 functions to generate and issue at its output a write synchronization ( sync ) signal , an operation clock signal , a reset command signal ( an initializing signal ) and others for the lcd display panel , memory controller 3 , and output controller 9 . the rgb conversion table 8 is for conversion of data read from the memory 4 into corresponding actual color data during display operation of the lcd panel . output controller 9 operates to provide retiming , digital - to - analog ( d / a ) conversion and level - shift operations of video data and display control signals . in the embodiment thus arranged , a color selected by use of either the color selection coordinates ( color distinction area ) or the color selection menu on the lcd panel screen is converted by the color designator 6 to a corresponding color data , which is then stored in respective storage regions of the memory 4 . by way of example , assume that sixteen ( 16 ) different colors are available for display : in this case , resultant color as selected through operation of the color selection coordinates ( color distinction area ) or the color selection menu is converted using the table ( see fig4 ) of color designator 6 into 4 - bit color data , and is then stored in a respective one of the storage regions mem 0 - mem 3 of memory 4 shown in fig2 . the color data stored in the memory 4 in this way is thereafter read out of it under the control of memory controller 3 to be sent forth to the rgb conversion table 8 . rgb conversion table 8 is rendered operative to convert the input color data to rgb data for actual display on the lcd panel screen , which is then passed to the output controller 9 . output controller 9 attempts based on a signal ( s ) from the panel display timing generator 7 to display such rgb data on the lcd panel as video information . in this way , any desired color display is available in responding to input by pen 1 . the operation of the illustrative embodiment will be described in detail as follows . the following description assumes that sixteen ( 16 ) different colors are employed for display . imagine that as shown in fig2 a curvature line a is to be displayed in “ black ” whereas a straight line b is in “ red ” on the lcd screen . consider here that the display screen is initially displayed in “ white ” as its background color . under the above condition , the memory 4 has four sets of separate storage regions memo - mem 3 as shown in fig2 while the content of color data being stored in each region is shown in fig3 a to 3 c . fig3 a shows the initial condition of such storage regions mem 0 - mem 3 , all of which store therein logic data “ 0 ” since the lcd background color is “ white ” as mentioned previously . fig3 b illustrates the storage contents of respective regions mem 0 - mem 3 as observed just after completion of pen - input of the curve a of fig2 whereas fig3 c depicts the contents of regions mem after pen - input of the straight line b of fig2 . first , the operator designates in advance his or her desired color to be displayed on the lcd screen . this color designation is attained either by execution of “ pointing ” the color designation coordinates ( color distinction area ) or by using a color selection menu as displayed on the screen . since this example assumes that the curve a is first displayed in “ black ,” the operator selects the “ black ” by pointing the color designation coordinates or by making use of the color selection menu . the resulting color selected is then converted by the color designator 6 into color data . practically , such designated color is converted using the conversion table ( see fig4 ) and is sent forth as output data . in this case , the “ black ” is converted into a 4 - bit digital signal “ 1111 .” after completion of the color designation for display in the foregoing way , the operator then uses the input pen 1 to draw his or her desired locus on the lcd display panel . in this example the curve a is hand - drawn on the display panel . the resulting locus as drawn on the display panel is output by the coordinate detector 2 as appropriate coordinate data ( the data representative of x - and y - coordinates ), and thereafter is input to the memory controller 3 . in responding to this , memory controller 3 generates and issues at its output physical addresses based on the input coordinate data , attempting to sequentially write color data into memory 4 at such addresses generated . the entire storage space of memory 4 is divided into four regions mem 0 - mem 3 allowing the 4 - bit color data to be written into these regions mem . the result of such data write into regions mem is demonstrated in fig3 b . then , for display of the straight line b in “ red ” on the lcd panel , the operator selects the “ red ” through pointing of the color designation coordinates ( color distinction area ) or using the color selection menu . any resultant color selected is then converted by the color designator 6 . in this case the selected color is converted by the conversion table ( see fig4 ) into 4 - bit color data “ 0001 .” after completion of the color designation for display , the operator attempts to hand - draw using the input pen 1 his or her desired locus , namely , line b of fig2 for example on the lcd display panel . the locus drawn is output by the coordinate detector 2 as x / y - coordinate data and is then supplied to the memory controller 3 , which generates and issues at its output physical addresses sequentially writing color data into memory 4 at such addresses generated . practically , the 4 - bit color data “ 0001 ” is stored in four regions mem 0 - mem 3 of fig2 respectively . the result of such data storage in regions mem is presented in fig3 c . the resultant color data bits as stored in the memory 4 are later read sequentially from it under the control of memory controller 3 to be supplied in this order to the rgb conversion table 8 . rgb conversion table 8 automatically converts the input color data to corresponding rgb data , which is then fed to the output controller 9 . output controller 9 executes d / a conversion for the rgb data as input thereto deriving at its output an analog color video signal , which is then supplied to the lcd panel . in this way , the pen - input locus patterns ( curve a and straight line b ) are finally displayed on the lcd screen in the operator &# 39 ; s designated colors , e . g ., “ red ” or “ black ” in this case . it will possibly be desired that the locus patterns are in other colors . if this is the case , the aforesaid operation will be repeated while the operator occasionally selects his or her preferred color ( s ) by execution of pointing the color designation coordinates ( color distinction area ) or using the color selection menu available at every step for color selection . as necessary , an extra selection menu for selection of the background color and line colors may be additionally arranged on the display panel . to attain such background - color designation , it should be required that a presently designated color data be written into the memory 4 at corresponding addresses thereof . this may be accomplished by employing a specific scheme as follows : reading data out of memory 4 , and replacing the “ old ” data being previously stored at an address of the background color data before such background color designation with the updated background color data as presently selected . this data replace scheme may be attained using either one of an exclusive hardware arrangement and software programs . in addition , while the illustrative embodiment has been described under the assumption that it is applied to the case of 16 - color images based on 4 - bit data , this invention is not exclusively limited thereto , and may be modified in arrangement to be applicable for any other cases requiring an increased number of colors for display . furthermore , the pen - input technique as employed in the embodiment may be replaced with any other functionally equivalents , including the use of a multi - layered panel structure with the pen - input panel being stacked on the display panel , the use of a common panel structure allowing a panel to function both as the display screen and as the pen - input sheet . it has been described that the present invention can provide the lcd display device permitting pen input on its display panel and the display method therefor .	6
fig1 illustrates the tool sharpener according to a preferred embodiment in an exploded or breakaway view . the casing or housing 100 comprises a main base 102 and an electronics housing 104 which connects to the main base to complete the overall base . a three - piece cover 106 is provided in this embodiment . a side cover element 108 and rear cover element 110 are secured in fixed position overlying main base 102 and electronics housing 104 . the third cover element is a guard door 112 which is pivotably mounted to rear cover element 110 . guard door 112 has a semi - circular peripheral wall 114 , as does rear cover element 110 . the guard door 112 is sized such that it can pivot between an open position in which it substantially overlies the rear cover element 110 , leaving grinding chamber 10 exposed to the external environment , and a closed position in which the grinding chamber 10 is substantially closed off or sealed off from the external environment . the guard door 112 is preferably provided with a window 113 on an upper surface thereof , which permits an operator to view the sharpening operation with the guard door closed . the cover 106 is preferably provided with an operator interface . as shown , side cover element 108 is provided with a touch screen 118 and one or more operator input buttons 120 at the front portion of the cover . details regarding the function and operation of the operator interface will be discussed later in this specification . the side cover element 108 may preferably also be provided with an elongated ( rectangular ) recess 122 having a rubber or polymeric mat 124 disposed on a floor thereof , which may be used to hold tools or drills awaiting sharpening and / or tools or drills that have been sharpened . the recess is also preferably sized such that the recess can be used to determine whether a particular drill is too long to be sharpened in the unit . this may be accomplished by forming the recess such that it can receive therein drills or tools up to the maximum length that can be accommodated in the grind chamber . a further external feature of the device is the provision , in main base 102 , of a grinding wheel storage recess 126 . this recess is preferably sized to retain a plurality of spare grinding wheels , and / or grinding wheels having different grinding characteristics , in a series of slots 128 provided in the recess . the slots 128 are adapted to retain the additional grinding wheels in an upright , spaced - apart relation . turning to the internal operating components of the tool sharpener , fig1 and 2 illustrate that the sharpener preferably employs an infeed stage subassembly 200 , a cross - feed stage subassembly 300 , a swing subassembly 400 , a grinding wheel subassembly 500 , a chuck subassembly 600 , and an electronics subassembly 700 . the infeed stage subassembly 200 is operably connected to the chuck subassembly 600 , and is adapted to move the chuck in an “ axial ” direction ( along an axis parallel to the axis on which the grinding wheel rotates ) toward or away from the grinding wheel subassembly 500 . the cross - feed stage subassembly 300 is operably connected to the grinding wheel subassembly 500 , and is adapted to move the grinding wheel subassembly in a “ transverse ” direction ( normal to the axis on which the grinding wheel rotates ), in order to position the grinding wheel 502 and / or honing brush 510 relative to the tool being sharpened . both the infeed stage subassembly and the cross - feed stage subassembly operate using step motors and lead screws to drive guide covers along guide rails . looking first at the infeed stage subassembly 200 ( see fig1 and 3 ) a motor - end plate 202 and a switch - end plate 204 are mounted in main base 102 , with a guide rail 206 extending therebetween . the guide rail may preferably be mounted to rail supports 208 , 210 disposed at the two end plates . a step motor 212 is mounted at one end of the subassembly , and is operatively coupled to a lead screw 214 extending within the subassembly 200 from motor end - plate to a distance sufficient to give guide cover 216 the necessary range of motion along the axial direction . an infeed stage sensor 218 ( fig3 ) is mounted by sensor mount 220 to the switch - end plate 204 . the function of this sensor will be discussed later in the specification . referring now especially to fig3 , it can be seen that the moving components of the infeed stage subassembly 200 are preferably to be fully enclosed . it was determined , in designing the infeed stage subassembly 200 , and cross - feed stage subassembly 300 , which are more generically referred to as “ linear stages ”, that known schemes for protecting bearing components , including the guide rail , would not provide adequate protection in this environment . the infeed stage subassembly is thus provided with two bellows elements 222 , 224 , which are secured between the motor - end plate 202 and a facing end of guide cover 216 , and between the switch end plate 204 and the end of the guide cover 216 facing that plate . the assembly of the two end plates 202 , 204 , the two bellows elements 222 , 224 and the guide cover 216 completely surrounds and isolates the guide rail 206 and virtually eliminates the intrusion of grinding debris into this area . the bellows elements 222 , 224 , may be constructed in a known manner , with rigid or semi - rigid mounting plates 226 at the two ends , and a flexible or pliant material forming the bellows . the cross - feed stage subassembly 300 is constructed in much the same way as is infeed stage subassembly 200 . a main difference is that the infeed stage subassembly is mounted to main base 102 such that the lead screw moves guide cover 216 in an axial direction , whereas the cross - feed stage subassembly 300 is oriented at a right angle to the infeed stage , so that the guide cover 316 is moved in the transverse direction . the other main difference is that these two subassemblies are operatively coupled to different subassemblies or components disposed within grinding chamber 10 . the cross - feed stage subassembly has a motor end plate 302 , a switch - end plate 304 , a guide rail 306 , rail supports ( one shown at 308 ), a step motor 312 , a lead screw 314 operatively coupled thereto , and a guide cover 316 . the cross - feed stage subassembly 300 will also preferably have a fully enclosed guide rail , employing bellows as does the infeed stage subassembly . these are not shown in fig1 and 2 , however , in order that the internal components may be seen . turning back to the infeed stage subassembly , it can be seen that infeed guide cover 216 is operatively coupled to lead nut 228 ( fig3 ), and thus guide cover 216 moves along lead screw 214 as step motor 212 turns the lead screw 214 . as can best be seen in fig2 , guide cover 216 has a swing step motor 404 mounted to an upper surface thereof . swing step motor 404 is operatively coupled , through an opening between wall 130 of main base 102 and side cover 108 , to a housing 406 of swing subassembly 400 . the swing step motor 404 and swing subassembly 400 ( which houses chuck subassembly 600 as well ) are thus moved in the axial direction by infeed stage subassembly 200 . swing step motor 404 operates to swing or tilt the swing subassembly 400 , to tilt the tool to be sharpened in a substantially vertical plane normal to an axis of rotation of the shaft of step motor 404 . this allows the tool or drill being sharpened to be presented at a range of angular orientations relative to the grinding wheel 502 . swing step motor 404 is operatively connected to and is controlled by central processor 20 , as are all of the step motors employed in the sharpening device . fig2 and 4 are used to illustrate the swing subassembly 400 in greater detail . the housing 406 of swing subassembly houses chuck subassembly 600 and a belt drive system 408 for rotating the chuck , and the drill or other tool held therein , about the longitudinal axis of the drill or other tool . swing subassembly housing 406 has a mounting flange 410 extending forwardly therefrom , which is used to mount housing 406 to step motor 404 . positioned above mounting flange 410 is a tool rotation step motor 412 having a shaft 414 protruding through opening 416 in housing 406 . the step motor shaft 414 is operatively connected to drive gear 418 , and a drive belt 420 loops around drive gear 418 and a chuck drive gear 604 disposed on chuck subassembly 600 , and passes over idler roll 424 . in this manner , tool rotation step motor 412 , under the control of central processor 20 , can rotate the chuck 600 , and thus the tool retained therein , about the longitudinal axis of the tool , in order to present different parts of the tool point surface to the grinding wheel during sharpening . the tool rotation step motor is also used at the beginning of the sharpening cycle to properly orient the drill to the proper grind position . the swing subassembly 400 also contains a solenoid 422 which is operable to lock the chuck to prevent the chuck from rotating during the time that the operator is installing and removing the drill . the solenoid 422 is automatically actuated to lock the chuck when the guard door 112 is open , and when no sharpening cycles are active . this makes the loading and unloading of the drill or other tool by the operator a very simple exercise , in which the drill is inserted into the central opening 608 of chuck 600 , and chuck knob 610 is turned to tighten the chuck jaws 612 against the drill ( see also fig6 ). the grinding wheel subassembly 500 is operatively coupled to and carried by the cross - feed stage subassembly 300 . in particular , a grind motor 504 is mounted to the guide cover 316 , and a drive shaft 506 and drive pulley 508 ( fig5 ) extend through a wall 132 in main base 102 , and into the grind chamber 10 . the drive pulley is operatively coupled to grinding wheel 502 and honing brush 510 , such that the drive pulley will rotate these elements . honing brush 510 may be secured to grinding wheel 502 in a preferred embodiment , and thus would be operatively coupled to the drive pulley via the grinding wheel . grinding wheel 502 and honing brush 510 are preferably enclosed within a grind housing 512 comprising a rear housing member 514 and a front cover 516 which , when joined to rear housing member 514 , encloses all but a small portion of the grinding wheel and honing brush . the front cover 516 is designed to be easily removable from rear housing member 514 , in order that the grinding wheel and / or the honing brush may be replaced as necessary or as desired . grind housing 512 is preferably shaped to provide a lower chamber 518 adjacent the area in which grinding wheel 502 and honing brush 510 are located . front cover 516 has an opening and an annular protrusion 520 adjacent this chamber 518 , in order to permit a vacuum hose 522 ( fig1 , 12 ) to be fastened thereto . main base 102 has an opening 134 leading to an exterior of the unit , to allow the vacuum hose 522 to connect at one end to protrusion 520 , and to extend out of the unit to a quiet , low speed vacuum system 524 . the vacuum system pulls the debris generated in the sharpening operation and falling into chamber 518 out of the sharpener . the vacuum system 524 preferably includes a filtration system 526 which protects the operating parts of the vacuum system from the potentially damaging grit and debris , and further protects the machine operator from any health risks associated with this debris . front cover 516 has a slot 530 extending laterally from a point near the center of the grinding wheel 502 out past the outer peripheral edge of the grinding wheel . this slot 530 thus exposes a portion of the grinding wheel 502 and honing brush 510 , to permit those elements to engage a tool to be sharpened and honed , as desired . slot 530 must be of sufficient width to accommodate the larger drill and tool diameters , and to provide adequate clearance for the grinding wheel , taking into account the range of angles that the drill points will be sharpened to and the position of the drills when presented to obtain such angles . the slot 530 is preferably not oversized to any extent , in that this would result in more of the debris from the sharpening operation possibly escaping into the grind chamber 10 . grind motor 504 is provided with a cooling shroud 560 , through which cooling air is passed , in order to lower the operating temperature of the motor . this will have the effect of maximizing motor performance and increasing brush life . in the present design , it was found to be advantageous to employ a small amount of bleed air from the vacuum system , introduced into the shroud at a vacuum nipple 562 , which passes between the shroud 560 and the motor casing ( inside of shroud 560 ) and is exhausted . the drawing of this air over the motor casing was demonstrated to be an effective way of maintaining the motor temperature under a specified maximum temperature . another feature of the grind motor 560 is that the current drawn by the motor , which may preferably be a dc motor operating on 115 / 230 vac supply and having a nominal current consumption of 1 . 5 a , is monitored in order to determine and control the force being exerted on the grind wheel while a drill or other tool is being sharpened . the rate of change and magnitude of the grind motor current consumption is then used to modulate ( e . g ., slow down and possibly stop ) the motion of the infeed stage subassembly , the swing subassembly , the tool rotation subassembly , and the cross feed stage subassembly simultaneously . this will operate to prevent excessive grinding pressure being exerted , which leads to degradation of the grinding wheel surface , as well as to overheating and burning of the tool . the control of this coordinated motion will be dependent on both the diameter of the tool and the material from which the tool is made . a compact chuck subassembly 600 is illustrated in fig6 . once assembled , this chuck subassembly is fitted onto swing assembly 400 , as is best seen in fig2 and 4 . chuck subassembly 600 comprises a chuck knob 610 and a chuck spindle 614 which retain therein a plurality ( preferably six ) chuck jaws 612 and their respective jaw springs 616 . the chuck jaws are maintained in their radial orientation by slots 618 provided on an internal tapered surface of chuck spindle 614 , as well as by radial slots 620 provided on backing screw or closing screw 622 . a jaw spring retainer 624 is also provided at the rearward end of the jaw springs 616 . an annular drive gear 604 is mounted to the exterior of the chuck spindle 614 , so that the chuck subassembly can be rotated during the sharpening process . a bearing structure 628 is also mounted to the chuck subassembly 600 to facilitate rotation thereof once mounted in swing subassembly housing 406 . a diameter detect rod 630 is attached to backing or closing screw 622 , which will , once chuck subassembly 600 is fully assembled , protrude through the chuck spindle 614 . since backing screw 622 is moved forward as the chuck knob is turned to tighten the chuck jaws onto the drill which has been placed in the chuck , the distance to which diameter detect rod 630 protrudes from the chuck subassembly will have a direct relation to the diameter of the drill retained therein . this feature is advantageously used to detect the diameter of the drill to be sharpened without the need for very sophisticated and expensive sensors . mounted to the exterior of grind housing 512 is an alignment subassembly 550 , which includes an alignment plunger assembly 552 , a fiber optic sensor 554 , and a material take off sensor 556 . the alignment subassembly is used by the tool sharpener , in conjunction with the central processor 20 , to automatically determine certain pertinent parameters or details of the drill or other tool to be sharpened . alignment plunger assembly 552 is used to aid in sensing the length of the portion of diameter detect rod 630 protruding from chuck subassembly 600 . this is accomplished by advancing the swing subassembly housing 406 toward alignment plunger 552 , with the alignment plunger 552 positioned to engage the tip of the advancing diameter detect rod . once contact is made , the plunger is pushed into plunger housing 553 , and trips or triggers a switch 551 in the alignment plunger assembly 552 , and a signal is sent to the infeed stage subassembly to cease advancing the swing subassembly . the length of the protruding portion of rod 630 is determined by the position at which the swing subassembly housing is stopped . central processor 20 is programmed to be able to correlate this stopped position to a length of the protruding portion of rod 630 , and also to correlate this length to a diameter of the drill or other tool retained in the chuck . the thus - determined drill diameter information is later used by the central processor in controlling the various aspects and stages of the sharpening process . the length of the portion of the drill 01 protruding through chuck subassembly 600 is also automatically determined through the use of alignment plunger 552 . in this case , the alignment plunger 552 and the drill 01 are brought into axial alignment by shifting the alignment plunger transversely , and the drill 01 is advanced into contact with the front surface of plunger 552 , triggering the switch 551 in the pin , and halting the advance of the swing assembly . again , the position of the swing subassembly housing on the infeed stage assembly is used by central processor 20 to determine the length of the portion of the drill extending forwardly or sticking out of chuck subassembly 600 . this information is used by central processor 20 in controlling the amount of infeed to use during the sharpening process , which controls how much material is to be ground off in the sharpening process . the fiber optic sensor 554 is employed to characterize ( or crudely map or image ) the cutting edge of the drill to be sharpened . the fiber optic sensor 554 is preferably constructed and installed on the subassembly to have a focal point on the order of several millimeters , for example seven millimeters , in front of the lens 555 of the sensor . the cross - feed subassembly 300 is used to move the sensor into axial alignment with the drill , and the infeed subassembly is used to move the cutting edge of the drill into the focal region of the fiber optic sensor 554 . these steps , as are nearly all others , are preferably performed automatically , under the control of central processor , which has these pre - sharpening data gathering routines programmed or embedded therein . the fiber optic sensor 554 is used to detect multiple points along the cutting edge of the drill 01 as the drill is rotated into different positions . processor 20 is provided with an embedded algorithm or program that is capable of determining the web thickness of the drill using the data obtained by the fiber optic sensor . in addition , this data enables processor 20 to determine the orientation of the drill being held by the chuck . the processor 20 is then able to send a command to the tool rotation step motor 412 to rotate the drill as necessary to properly orient the drill for the ensuing sharpening operation . the processor 20 uses the calculated web thickness in controlling the position of the drill during the sharpening operation . as a further pre - sharpening data gathering step , material take - off ( mto ) sensor 556 is used to determine when the drill will first contact the grinding wheel , so that the processor 20 , infeed stage subassembly 200 , and grind motor subassembly 500 , will have advance notice as to when the contact and grinding will actually begin as the drill is advanced toward the grinding wheel . in this step , cross - feed stage subassembly 300 moves laterally to axially align the mto sensor 556 with the drill 01 . processor 20 controls swing subassembly to position the drill at the appropriate orientation to sharpen the drill to the angle selected by the operator . the infeed stage subassembly advances the drill into contact with mto sensor 556 , which has a switch 557 that operates to cause cessation of the advance of drill 01 . processor 20 is thus able to determine from the stopped position of the swing subassembly when contact will first be made between the thus - positioned drill and the grinding wheel . this feature is especially useful when a drill is to be sharpened to a different point angle than it originally had . when this information is known , the processor 20 can slow the infeed rate just prior to the anticipated contact , so that the drill is not advanced at an excessive speed , and the processor can begin monitoring the current reading of the grind motor , so as to further control the infeed rate to prevent excessive pressure being exerted on the grind wheel . this further prevents overheating and burning of the cutting edge of the drill . the use of the disclosed mto sensor 556 is an inexpensive way to obtain this initial process control . the limit switches used in the various subassemblies merit special discussion . limit switches are provided in each of the infeed stage and cross - feed stage subassemblies , the switches being mounted in sensor housings or mounts 220 , 802 , for the infeed and cross - feed stages , respectively , as well as in the swing subassembly ( not shown ), and in the chuck or tool rotation subassembly , where the switch is designated at 806 ( fig4 ). these switches are preferably inexpensive optoelectronic sensors , however , with the control logic employed , these inexpensive sensors will allow fast and highly accurate operation . the fast , accurate operation is obtained by using two sensing stages . first , a digital logic level is used , whereby motion into the limit switch may be fast , and is digitally detected , albeit not with high accuracy . once a preset digital trip point is hit , the speed is reduced and the sensing changes to an analog sensing . motion of the slowed element is then stopped at a preset analog voltage , which is highly accurate and precise . fig1 a and b illustrate an example of the operator interface 900 presented at console 118 . fig1 a is the main setup screen , and fig1 b represents a subsequent screen that is presented to the operator after the operator has initially selected the “ quick start ” feature at the main setup screen , which is expected to be used in most instances in sharpening drills . the other choices presented on the main startup screen are provided for advanced users to customize the sharpening operation to their specific and unique needs . fig1 a shows a point angle selection button / icon 902 , a material removal icon 904 , a drill diameter size icon 906 , a web thickness selector icon 908 , a hone selection icon 910 , a point type grind selector icon 912 , a split point selector icon 914 , a relief angle selector 916 ( for lip relief ), a drill material selector icon 918 , a memory open icon ( for settings stored in memory ) 920 , the “ quick start ” icon 922 , and a maintenance icon 924 . as noted previously , the central processor is programmed with defaults and automated routines to handle most of these functions and selections automatically . for example , the material removal in the sharpening process has a default value ( used in the “ quick start ” routine , and if not otherwise overridden in manual mode ) that will minimize the amount of material removed in the sharpening process , for example , in the range of about 0 . 005 to 0 . 008 inches . this will prolong the life of the drill , by permitting more resharpenings . however , if the cutting edge of the drill is damaged , as by a nick or gouge , then additional drill material would need to be removed in order to present a uniform new cutting edge . in such instances , the material removal icon would be pressed , in order to provide the operator with additional choices as to the amount of material that is to be removed during the sharpening operation . in continuing with the example of the primary mode of operation , the operator would insert a drill to be sharpened into the chuck , and the operator would tighten the chuck and close the guard door 112 . the operator would then touch the “ quick start ” icon 922 , and would be presented with the interface or screen illustrated in fig1 b . at this screen , the operator would select one of four standard point styles or types ( conic or facet : no split or x - split ), and one of the two point angles ( defaults to 1180 , toggles to 135 upon touching ). the operator would then press a “ cycle start ” button ( one of those shown at 120 ), and the tool sharpener will automatically sharpen the drill . without any overrides being made , the automated sharpening process will include the following steps ( which have previously been described in discussing the components that perform the steps ): determining the diameter of the drill to be sharpened ; determining the length of the portion of the drill protruding from the chuck ; determining the web thickness of the drill ; properly orienting the cutting edge of the drill for the sharpening procedure ; determining the point of infeed at which contact will be initiated between the drill and the grinding wheel ; controlling the infeed stage subassembly , the swing subassembly , the tool rotation subassembly , and the crossfeed stage subassembly as necessary to grind the cutting edge of the drill to remove material therefrom in sharpening the drill ; monitoring the current drawn by the grind motor in order to control the amount of pressure being exerted on the grinding wheel ; and when a honing step is to be performed , moving the grinding wheel assembly laterally to present the honing brush to the newly sharpened drill cutting edge . the central processor 20 in this tool sharpener is also capable of storing a number of custom sharpening routines programmed by the operator by using the various options presented at the main setup screen on console 118 . the sharpener is preferably provided with both cubic boron nitride ( cbn ) and diamond coated or plated wheels , which are standard in the field . the wheel coatings , typically known as a superabrasives , permit the sharpening of high strength steel ( hss ), cobalt and carbide cutting tools . additional features and functions provided by the tool sharpener described and shown herein will be readily apparent to those having ordinary skill in the art upon reading this disclosure . the foregoing discussion of the preferred embodiments of the invention is for illustrative purposes only , and is not intended to limit the scope of the invention .	1
as explained earlier , fig1 shows the pattern of the surface pressure in the contact pressure region between a rocker member and a link plate of a known plate - link chain . in the transition region between the small radius of curvature designated with k and the large radius of curvature designated with g , a pronounced maximum of the contact pressure between the rocker member and the link plate occurs , the cause of which is the jump in radius of curvature between the small radius of curvature k and the large radius of curvature g . fig2 of the drawings shows a detail of a known cvt plate - link chain 1 that is made up of a large number of rocker members 2 , 3 and link plates 4 . the region designated as a in fig2 is shown in enlarged form in fig1 of the drawing , so that fig1 shows contact surfaces of rocker member 2 and link plate 4 . fig3 of the drawings shows an enlarged representation of a rocker member 5 and a link plate 6 of a plate - link chain 7 according to a first embodiment of the present invention . as can be seen in fig3 , there are two contact surface regions 8 and 11 between rocker member 5 and link plate 6 , contact surface region 8 being formed by a contact surface 9 on rocker member 5 and a contact surface 10 on the link plate 6 . in a similar manner , contact surface region 11 is composed of a contact surface on rocker member 5 and a complementarily - formed contact surface on link plate 6 . rocker member 5 and link plate 6 are in contact with each other at contact surface 9 and contact surface 10 to transmit force . since link plate 6 has a certain thickness in the direction transverse to the drawing plane of fig3 , and a plurality of those link plates lying side by side are in contact with the same rocker member 5 , the tractive force transmitted by plate - link chain 7 is distributed over the individual contact surface regions between the rocker members and the link plates . in an axial longitudinal section running transversely to the width of plate - link chain 7 , each contact surface 9 , 10 has an arc length or curve length that is represented in the drawing by a bracket 12 . fig3 of the drawings shows a first embodiment of a plate - link chain according to the present invention , in which contact surface 9 on rocker member 5 , and complementary to it , contact surface 10 on link plate 6 , have been formed with regions having different curvatures . in order to be able to show those curvatures graphically , in fig3 of the drawing the regions with different curvatures are shown with dashed lines with correspondingly differing radii of curvature 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , the respective radius of curvature 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 being drawn perpendicularly at the regions with different curvatures , in order to be able to graphically show the different curvatures at the contact surfaces 9 , 10 , which are difficult for the human eye to perceive visually . fig3 of the drawings makes it clear that the curvature in the region of radius of curvature 13 is smaller than in the region of radius of curvature 14 , so that the radius of curvature of region 13 is greater than that of region 14 . in the same way , the radius of curvature of region 15 is even smaller than of region 14 , and accordingly the curvature of region 15 is greater than of region 14 . thus , contact surface 9 of rocker member 5 , and complementary thereto contact surface 10 of link plate 6 , already has three different curvatures in contact surface region 8 along the arc length or curve length of contact surfaces 9 , 10 . in addition , fig3 also shows that yet another , fourth region , with a radius of curvature 16 that differs from radii of curvature regions 13 , 14 , 15 , is formed at contact surfaces 9 , 10 along the arc length 12 . in the same way , contact surface region 11 also has regions with different curvatures , wherein only three regions having different surface curvatures are provided there . fig4 of the drawings shows a rocker member 5 of a plate - link chain according to a second embodiment of the present invention , wherein that rocker member is a rocker member of a plate - link chain for a belt - driven conical - pulley transmission . on rocker member 5 , reference numeral 17 designates the roller surface with which rocker member 5 rolls against the opposing rocker member ( again , a pair of rocker members is involved ), the basic configuration being visible on the basis of fig2 of the drawing . rocker member 5 , in turn , has two contact surfaces 18 , 19 , which are positioned against complementarily - formed contact surfaces of a link plate ( not shown ). the upper contact surface 18 has a point designated as b at which the maximum curvature is located , i . e ., where the radius of curvature , which is again shown perpendicular to contact surface 18 by way of explanation , is at its minimum . starting from point b the radius of curvature increases in both directions , so that the curvature becomes continuously smaller at the contact surface in both directions starting from point b . starting from point b , the radius of curvature increases in the direction of arrow 20 corresponding to segments of ellipses , and increases in the direction of arrow 21 corresponding to segments of a spiral . fig4 shows a similar condition with the maximum curvature in the lower contact surface 19 starting from point c , where the radius of curvature increases in the direction of arrow 22 corresponding to a hyperbolic segment , and increases in the direction of arrow 23 corresponding to a segment of one arm of a parabola . fig5 of the drawings shows a representation similar to fig4 , where the rocker member 24 shown in fig5 of the drawings is a rocker member of a toothed chain that can be employed , for example , as a toothed chain for a drive , or as a toothed chain for conveyors . rocker member 24 also has a roller surface 25 , on which it can roll against the associated rocker member of the pair of rocker members . rocker member 24 also has an upper contact surface 26 and a lower contact surface 27 . the configuration of upper contact surface 26 is chosen so that starting from point b the radius of curvature ( the radius of curvature is again represented by dashed lines perpendicular to the contour of the contact surface ) increases in both directions of contact surface 26 along the arc length , which is again indicated by bracket 12 . in the same way , the radius of curvature at the lower contact surface 27 increases in both directions from the point designated as c with maximum curvature ( corresponding to minimum radius of curvature ). as has been further recognized , a more compressionally rigid design of the rocker members is possible if the largest curvature , and hence the minimum radius of curvature of the contact surface , runs approximately in the middle of the contact surface , regarded over the arc length or curve length of the contact surface . fig6 of the drawings serves to explain that interrelationship . the letters b and c are used again to designate the points on the upper contact surface and the lower contact surface , respectively , that have the maximum curvature , and hence the minimum radius of curvature within the respective contact surface . as can be seen clearly on the basis of the drawing , points b and c are located approximately in the middle of respective arc lengths 28 , beneath which the region with the dashed radii of curvature also runs . although it was mentioned above that the point with the maximum curvature along the arc length is located approximately in the middle of the contact surface ( measured over the arc length 28 ), it has turned out that similarly beneficial effects are achieved when point b or c is located in the range d of 40 % to 60 % of the arc length . that region matches an angular range of 30 to 60 degrees of the tangent to the lower contact surface of the rocker member , the angle of 30 to 60 degrees being measured between the tangent 29 and the direction 30 in which the chain runs . if the point of the particular contact surface with the maximum curvature is located within 40 % to 60 % of the total length of the arc length 28 , or within 30 to 60 degrees of the tangent 29 to the running direction 30 of the chain , the result is stiff rocker members which are therefore less susceptible to deformation , which , in turn , results in an increase in the tractive force that can be transmitted by the plate - link chain or toothed chain . fig7 of the drawings shows another contact pressure pattern in the lower contact surface chosen in the representation , between rocker member 5 and link plate 6 of a plate - link chain ( where the term plate - link chain also includes a toothed chain ). a comparison between the contact pressure pattern of a known plate - link chain according to fig1 of the drawing and the contact pressure pattern according to fig7 of the plate - link chain , make it immediately clear that the pronounced contact pressure maximum shown in fig1 has disappeared . to show the contact pressure pattern at the contact surface , in both drawings a representation standardized to each other was chosen , so that the lengths of the respective arrows also represent the magnitude of the contact pressure at the particular point on the contact surface being considered . that makes it clearly evident on the basis of a visual check that the pronounced contact pressure maximum according to fig1 has disappeared . fig8 shows a link plate 4 according to the invention , as well as a single rocker member 2 of a pair of rocker members . the designations used in fig8 serve to clarify the previously mentioned dimensional ratios , and have the following meanings : accordingly , the dimensional ratios presented earlier , according to the invention , are as follows : although particular embodiments of the present invention have been illustrated and described , it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention . it is therefore intended to encompass within the appended claims all such changes and modifications that fall within the scope of the present invention .	5
in one embodiment of a unitary needle safety clip , as illustrated in fig1 a thin piece of metal , molded plastic or other suitable material is formed in a manner such that when it is installed on a needle , forces are directed in minimally two opposing directions , at the same time , toward a common axis defined by the needle . in the embodiments of fig1 and 2 the unitary clip 20 has a hole 22 which is sized to accommodate a hypodermic needle 24 . an alignment portion 26 of clip 20 has a slightly angled engagement surface which is substantially parallel to the hypodermic needle 24 . the alignment portion engagement surface has a guide means 28 which maintains the safety clip 20 in alignment with the needle 24 . guide means 28 may be furcated as in fig2 or it may be any other geometric configuration having two sides and a bottom 27 , wherein the two sides are fitted to contact the periphery of the needle in order to maintain alignment . the bottom 27 of guide means 28 also contacts the periphery of the needle and exerts a force thereon . a compression portion 30 of the clip 20 has a sliding surface 32 which contacts the periphery of the hypodermic needle 24 . sliding surface 32 exerts a force on needle 24 in a direction opposing the force exerted by the bottom 27 of guide means 28 . compression portion 30 is bent in a manner which creates opposing or transverse forces between compression portion 30 and alignment portion 26 . including bends , the compression portion is slightly longer than the alignment portion 26 such that the sliding surface 32 is closer to the injecting end of the needle 24 than the contacting portion of guide means 28 . the compression portion 30 also has an abutting engagement surface 34 . when safety clip 20 is in a first position , in which the injecting end is exposed , the clip 20 is proximate to a syringe / needle interface or hub 35 which typically comprises male / female threaded members . in this position virtually the entire length of the needle is exposed for injecting purposes . sliding surface 32 of the compression portion 30 is in contact with the periphery of needle 24 exerting a force opposing the bottom 27 of guide means 28 which also contacts a portion of the periphery of needle 24 . to activate the clip , a force is exerted at the back of clip 20 , along the axis of the needle 24 and toward the injecting end . the activation force may be applied manually or by a biasing spring . the bottom 27 of guide means 28 and the sliding surface 32 of compression portion 30 each slideably engage opposed portions of the needle periphery with sliding surface 32 exerting force closer to the injecting end than the guide means 28 . hole 22 and guide means 28 keep the clip 20 in alignment with needle 24 so that sliding surface 32 is maintained in sliding engagement with needle 24 . when sliding surface 32 goes beyond the injecting end or point of the needle 24 as illustrated in fig3 the needle no longer counters the force exerted by the compression portion 30 and contact surface 32 is actuated downward through the axis of the needle 24 . abutting engagement surface 34 engages the injecting end in abutting relation and a friction engagement surface 36 snaps against a portion of needle 24 so as to engage the safety clip . the frictional engagement of friction engagement surface 36 and possibly hole 22 with the needle resists further slideable movement of the clip along the needle . friction engagement surface 36 may be provided with knurling or other surface roughness so as to further increase the force required to slide the clip along the needle following engagement of the needle by the friction engagement surface 36 . fig4 illustrates an alternative embodiment of a unitary needle safety clip according to the invention . in this embodiment the needle clip 20 &# 39 ; comprises alignment portion 26 &# 39 ; having guide means 28 &# 39 ; with bottom 27 &# 39 ; and compression portion 30 &# 39 ; having sliding surface 32 &# 39 ; and abutting engagement surface 34 &# 39 ;, all of which function substantially as discussed hereinbefore with respect to fig1 and 3 . in this embodiment a second guide means 37 is provided . alignment portion 26 &# 39 ; and compression portion 30 &# 39 ; are separated by a bent or arcuate end 38 having a hole 22 &# 39 ; approximately centered therein . hole 22 &# 39 ; is of a diameter sized to be slightly larger than the outer diameter of needle 24 when sliding surface 32 &# 39 ; and the bottom 27 &# 39 ; of guide means 28 &# 39 ; are separated a distance equal to the outer diameter of the needle 24 . the diameter of hole 22 &# 39 ; is sized to fit slideably on the needle 24 and is also sized such that when sliding surface 32 &# 39 ; goes beyond the injecting end of needle 24 a deformation of hole 22 &# 39 ; results from the actuation of contact surface 32 through the axis of needle 24 . an inner surface of hole 22 &# 39 ; effects frictional engagement of the periphery of needle 24 such that deformation of hole 22 &# 39 ; results in grasping of needle 24 providing a high degree of frictional engagement between the clip 20 &# 39 ; and the needle 24 . it should be appreciated by one of skill in the art , that depending on the diameter and relative strength of the needle on which a clip according to the invention is used , it may be possible to provide the compression portion 30 , 30 &# 39 ; discussed hereinbefore , or other surfaces of embodiments discussed hereinafter , with sufficient force such that actuation of the contact surface 32 , 32 &# 39 ; and engagement of the abutting surface 34 , 34 &# 39 ;, or equivalents thereof , bends or otherwise deforms the injecting end of needle 24 , rendering the needle 24 permanently non - reusable . the embodiment of fig5 illustrates a unitary safety clip according to the invention having a split bushing configuration . in this embodiment the clip 20 &# 34 ; is disposed on needle 24 by separating resilient prongs 40 , 42 . an end of the clip 20 &# 34 ; opposing the end having prongs 40 , 42 comprises a collar 44 fitting slideably about needle 24 while the prongs 40 , 42 exert opposing forces against the needle 24 . a portion of the clip 20 &# 34 ; defining prong 40 has an arcuate surface 46 which serves as a slideable contact surface and an inner surface 48 providing an abutment surface . a portion of clip 20 &# 34 ; defining prong 42 also has an arcuate surface 50 which serves as a guide means in slideable contact with the periphery of the needle 24 and an inner surface 48 &# 39 ; providing an alternative abutment surface . prong 42 further includes a frictional engagement surface 52 which , when the prongs 40 , 42 are slid beyond the injecting end of needle 24 , engages the periphery of needle 24 providing frictional resistance against further slideable movement of the clip 20 &# 34 ;. at that point , inner surface 48 or 48 &# 39 ; is in abutting relation with the injecting end of needle 24 . alternatively the frictional engagement surface may be provided on prong 40 or on both prongs 40 and 42 . referring now to fig6 and 7a , a needle safety clip is produced having multiple pieces to effect the same function and result as discussed hereinbefore with respect to fig1 - 5 . the embodiment of fig6 comprises a clip which has a cammed piece 60 biased against needle 24 by a compressed spring portion 62 . cammed piece 60 has a slideable contact surface 64 and an internal abutting surface 66 . a lower piece 68 comprises a cam opposing surface 70 and a pair of support contact surfaces 72 dimensioned to receive slideable contact surface 64 therebetween . cammed piece 60 is mounted to a housing comprising lower piece 68 , at a point which is slightly offset from the center of the arc of the cammed piece 60 . the cammed clip of fig6 slideably engages the needle 24 until the contact surface 64 goes beyond the injecting end of the needle 24 . at that point , compressed spring portion 62 forces contact surface 64 downward and the injecting end of the needle 24 engages internal abutting surface 66 . further actuation of the contact surface 64 beyond the injecting end of needle 24 results in contact surface 64 fitting in between support contact surfaces 72 and cammed piece 60 rotating such that the cammed piece exerts greater friction engagement against needle 24 until the needle is fully frictionally engaged . at this point the injecting end is covered protecting the user from inadvertent penetration by the needle . the embodiment of fig7 and 7a illustrates a multiple piece needle safety clip which accommodates various sized needles . this multiple piece embodiment has a first portion 74 with a first slideable contact surface 76 , an inner abutting engagement surface 78 , and a first friction engagement surface 80 . the first portion 74 engages a second portion 82 having a second slideable contact surface 84 and a second friction engagement surface 86 . first portion 74 is mounted to second portion 82 at an interface region 83 by ultrasonic welding or other mechanical fastening means . prior to fastening , first portion 74 is vertically adjustable so as to accommodate a needle of a predetermined size . subsequent to fastening , first portion 74 is flexibly disposed so that the first slideable contact surface 76 normally extends below first friction engagement surface 80 when not engaging a needle . thus , fastening of first portion 74 to second portion 82 in the above manner results in the exertion of a force by contact surface 76 on the needle 24 when the clip is disposed thereon in the first position . this embodiment illustrates an optional locking means or latch 88 which has a hook 90 that extends over the syringe / needle interface or hub 35 , as known in the art , to latch the needle safety clip in the first position . manually depressing a lever arm 92 disengages hook 90 from the hub 35 enabling activation of the clip to the second position wherein slideable contact surface 76 extends beyond the injecting end of needle 24 , and is actuated through the axis of needle 24 , causing the force to be exerted against the needle by the first and second friction engagement surfaces 80 , 86 , as illustrated in fig7 a . alternatively , for syringe / needle interfaces wherein the needle hub is a male threaded member for screw insertion into a female threaded syringe ( not shown ) a nib 94 is provided for engagement with the female threads of such a syringe 50 that the safety clip can be rotated into locking engagement in the first position and counter - rotated to release the clip in a second position . further , a biasing means such as a spring 96 may be provided to assist in activating the needle safety device according to the invention from the first position to the second position . fig8 and 9 indicate that a unitary safety clip according to the invention can be provided with an antiseptic medium 100 . for example , cotton , gauze or any other suitable absorbent material may be provided with antiseptic and incorporated in the clip 20 and about the needle 24 in a manner that results in wiping of the needle by the antiseptic during slideable movement of the safety clip along the needle to the protective position . provision of the antiseptic medium and wiping of the needle in the above described manner further enhances the safety afforded a user . an antiseptic medium can likewise be used in conjunction with other embodiments of the safety clip discussed hereinabove . additionally , the clips in accordance with the present invention may be color coded to indicate the size of the needle the respective clip is intended to accommodate . additionally , safety clips according to the invention may be variously sized and the transverse forces according to the invention may be provided by other geometric configurations . for example , the clip may be large to facilitate manual manipulation or sufficiently small so as to fit beneath commercially available needle / syringe covers . although the needle safety clips according to the invention have been discussed as plastic injection molded or stamped metal parts and although ultrasonic welding is discussed as a method of joining multiple piece embodiments , other materials and methods of fabrication may be used to fabricate such devices . although the invention has been shown and described with respect to exemplary embodiments thereof , it should be understood by those skilled in the art that the foregoing and various other changes , omissions and additions in the form and detail thereof may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention .	0
fig2 shows an overall structure of a universal mobile telecommunications system ( umts ). the umts is typically a distributed system that can provide services to a wide range of geometric areas . a user equipment ( ue ) 250 is interconnected to the core network 210 through the umts terrestrial radio access network ( utran ) 220 . the core network 210 typically comprises one or more message switching centers ( mscs ) 212 and serving gprs support nodes ( sgsns ) 214 distributed in different areas . the msc 212 handles all call related traffics . the sgsn 214 , according to the umts standard , keeps track of the location of the ue 250 and performs security functions and access control . in the utran 220 , a plurality of radio network subsystems ( rnss ) each provide transmission / reception for a group of radio cells distributed in various locations . for example , a first rns 230 comprises a first rnc 232 and a plurality of bs nodes 234 , providing radio access services covering a first area , and a second rns 240 comprising a second rnc 242 and a plurality of bs nodes 244 provides radio access services covering a second area . in the figure , for brevity of description , the ue 250 is presumed to be in the first area , using the first rns 230 as an srns for proceeding with a call setup procedure . in fig2 , dialogs related to a call setup procedure and an srns relocation procedure are shown . assume the ue 250 is moving from the coverage of the first rns 230 to that of the second rns 240 , an srns relocation procedure will be performed to hand over the srns from the first rns 230 to the second rns 240 . the related dialogs are labeled as 310 and 320 . the dialogs 310 and 320 are further introduced in fig3 . meanwhile , the ue 250 may perform a call setup procedure while moving between the coverage areas . the call setup related dialogs are labeled as 410 and 420 , and detailed steps are described in fig4 . fig3 shows a protocol diagram of an srns relocation procedure . when the ue 250 moves away from the coverage of first rns 230 , the snrs relocation procedure is triggered , for example by rnc 232 . steps 310 a and 310 b show the dialog 310 as discussed in fig2 . in step 310 a , the first rnc 232 sends a utran mobility information request to the ue 250 . in step 310 b , the ue 250 responds to the first rnc 232 with a utran mobility information confirm . thereafter , the srns is handed over to the second rns 240 , and further dialogs are processed with the second rnc 242 . steps 320 a , 320 b and 320 c show the dialog 320 as discussed in fig2 , which are parts of the srns relocation procedure . if the routing area is changed ( connect to different sgsn ), an intra - sgsn routing area update procedure is performed . in step 320 a , the ue 250 sends a routing area update ( rau ) request to the sgsn 214 via the second rnc 242 . the rau request is typically an nas message 110 with its cn domain identifier 112 set to “ ps - domain ”, hence it can be correctly routed to the sgsn 214 . in step 320 b , the sgsn 214 responds with a routing area update accept signal to the ue 250 via the second rnc 242 . in step 320 c , the ue 250 further sends a routing area update complete signal to the sgsn 214 to conclude the srns relocation procedure . fig4 shows a protocol diagram of a call setup procedure when the srns relocation procedure is triggered . in the figure , a call setup procedure is performed while the srns procedure is ongoing . steps 410 a to 410 d show the dialog 410 as discussed in fig2 . in step 410 a , the first rnc 232 initializes the call setup procedure by sending a mobile terminal ( mt ) paging signal to the ue 250 . thereafter , in step 410 b , a series of handshakes between the ue 250 and msc 212 via the first rnc 232 , such as a security mode procedure and a radio bearer ( rb ) setup procedure are performed . upon completion of the handshakes , in step 410 c , a user picks up the phone , and consequently , the ue 250 initializes a call control ( cc ) connect signal to the msc 212 as illustrated in step 410 d . in the figure , the cc connect signal is an nas message 110 with a cn domain identifier 112 and a protocol discriminator 114 . for example , the value in the cn domain identifier 112 is “ cs - domain ”, and the value in the protocol discriminator 114 is “ 0x83c7 ”, a value consistent to the cs domain . since the call setup procedure is performed while the ue 250 is moving , the srns relocation procedure may be performed simultaneously . for example , the dialog 310 as discussed in fig2 and fig3 is commenced right after step 410 d . consequently , the successive dialogs are performed via the second rnc 242 . for example , in response to the cc connect signal delivered in step 410 d , the msc 212 may respond with a cc connect acknowledge signal to the ue 250 via the second rnc 242 as shown in step 420 a . thereby , completing the call setup procedure , wherein the ue 250 establishes a call session as shown in step 420 b . in step 420 a , the cc connect acknowledge signal is an nas message 110 , comprising a cn domain identifier 112 of value “ cs - domain ”, and a protocol discriminator 114 of value “ 0x030f ”. however , sometimes the cn domain identifier 112 of the cc connect acknowledge signal may be misplaced by a value “ ps - domain ”. consequently , by examining the cn domain identifier 112 , the cc connect acknowledge signal is determined to be an invalid packet and dropped by the ue 250 . if the cc connect acknowledge signal is dropped in step 420 a , the call setup procedure will fail . the disclosure proposes an error handling mechanism to prevent such potential errors , and failures . during the call setup process , while srns relocation is ongoing , if the core network sends an nas message of the wrong cn domain , a recovery mechanism is implemented in the ue 250 to check if the message can be recovered to fit a current state of the ue 250 . for example , if the nas message is compatible to the current state of ue by replacing the wrong cn domain with a different one , the ue 250 would be able to proceed with the call setup procedure using the modified nas message . yet , if the modification of the wrong cn domain fails to generate a useful nas message 110 compatible to the current states of the ongoing procedures , the ue 250 may implement an error notification mechanism that sends rrc status to the core network with an error cause such as “ nas message not compatible with receiver state ”. thus , the core network may determine the error and perform appropriate recovery processes instead of simply waiting for a response until a time has run out . fig5 is a flowchart of an exemplary message recovery method . the aforementioned descriptions can be summarized into the following steps . in step 501 , the telecommunications system as described in fig2 is initialized . in step 503 , a call setup procedure is initialized by the first rnc 232 sending a request to the ue 250 . in step 505 , the ue 250 sends a call control ( cc ) connect request to the msc 212 upon determination of a call in the first area . in step 507 , the srns relocation procedure is triggered as the ue 250 reaches the coverage boundaries between the first rns 230 and second rns 240 . in step 509 , the srns is relocated to the second rns 240 to serve the ue 250 in a second area , and the msc 212 sends a cc connect acknowledge signal to the ue 250 via the second rnc 242 in response to the cc connect request signal shown in step 505 . in step 511 , the ue 250 determines whether a domain mismatch occurs between the domain identifier and the protocol discriminator of the cc connect acknowledge signal . if no error is determined , step 521 is processed , wherein a call session can be successfully established . conversely , if the domain identifier and the protocol discriminator of the cc connect acknowledge signal indicate different domains , the ue 250 may perform a recovery procedure in steps 513 . for example , the domain identifier may have a problematic value “ ps - domain ”, and the ue 250 may modify it to “ cs - domain ” to generate a recovered nas message . thereafter , in step 515 , the ue 250 would determine whether the recovered nas message is compatible to the call setup procedure . for example , according to step 420 a in fig4 , the call setup procedure is at the step where a cc connect acknowledge signal of the cs - domain is expected . in this case , the recovered nas message meets the expectation , thus step 517 is processed , wherein the ue 250 adapts the recovered nas message as the cc connect acknowledge signal and proceeds to step 521 . however , if the recovered nas message cannot be applied to any ongoing procedure in the ue 250 , step 519 is processed , wherein the ue 250 returns an error notification to the source of the nas message , such as the msc 212 in the core network 210 . the recovery method can be applied to any nas message , wherein the core network abnormally placed a wrong value in the cn domain identifier 112 . the disclosure shows that the ue 250 is able to successfully complete the call setup procedure even if the nas message is placed with a wrong cn domain value , thereby improving call success rate while srns relocation is ongoing . while various embodiments of the present invention have been described herein , it should be understood that they have been presented by way of example , and not limitation . it will be apparent to persons skilled in the relevant computer arts that various changes in form and detail can be made therein without departing from the scope of the invention . for example , software can enable , for example , the function , fabrication , modeling , simulation , description and / or testing of the apparatus and methods described herein . this can be accomplished through the use of general programming languages ( e . g ., c , c ++), hardware description languages ( hdl ) including verilog hdl , vhdl , and so on , or other available programs . such software can be disposed in any known computer usable medium such as semiconductor , magnetic disk , or optical disc ( e . g ., cd - rom , dvd - rom , etc .). embodiments of the apparatus and method described herein may be included in a semiconductor intellectual property core , such as a microprocessor core ( e . g ., embodied in hdl ) and transformed to hardware in the production of integrated circuits . additionally , the apparatus and methods described herein may be embodied as a combination of hardware and software . thus , the present invention should not be limited by any of the herein - described exemplary embodiments , but should be defined only in accordance with the following claims and their equivalents . specifically , the present invention may be implemented within a microprocessor device which may be used in a general purpose computer . those skilled in the art will readily observe that numerous modifications and alterations of the device and method may be made while retaining the teachings and without departing from the spirit and scope . accordingly , the above disclosure should be construed as limited only by the metes and bounds of the appended claims . therefore , the scope of the appended claims should be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and similar arrangements .	7
fig1 shows a filtration installation 1 for the filtration of liquid products , such as drinks , and in particular , beer . for this purpose , the filtration installation 1 comprises filter modules 2 in a housing 3 . each filter module 2 has tube - like filter elements 4 , each of which has a membrane filter . as shown in fig2 , the individual filter elements 4 that form a particular filter module 2 consist of hollow fibers 4 . 1 that extent across the full length of the filter element 4 . the hollow fibers 4 . 1 are made of a material suitable for filter membranes . examples include plastic , such as pes ( polyethersulfone ) or pp ( polypropylene ). each hollow fiber 4 . 1 has a wall forming a membrane 5 with pores 5 . 1 . in particular embodiments , the wall thickness ranges from 0 . 8 to 1 . 5 μm . the hollow fibers 4 . 1 combine to create fiber bundles , each of which has approximately 2 , 000 fibers . at their ends , the hollow fibers 4 . 1 fuse with one another and with a filter element housing 4 . 2 that encloses the particular bundle . each hollow fiber 4 . 1 forms an unfiltrate channel 6 that is open at both ends . during filtration , unfiltrate 7 flows through this unfiltrate channel 6 . as a result , inside the filter element housing 4 . 2 there is formed a filtrate chamber 11 surrounding the hollow fibers 4 . 1 . the filtrate chamber 11 or filtrate channel is common to all of the filter elements 4 . filtration takes place at the membrane 5 that forms the wall of a particular hollow fiber 4 . 1 . the filtrate , as indicated by arrows 10 in fig2 , enters the filtrate chamber 11 surrounding the hollow fiber bundle and then passes into the filtrate channel of the filter module 2 . all filter elements 4 are disposed in the housing 3 parallel to one another and open out with the upper and lower end of their unfiltrate channels 6 into chambers that , in fig1 , form corresponding upper and lower unfiltrate connections 8 , 9 of the filter module 2 . to simply the drawing , fig1 shows only two filter modules 2 . in practice , the filtration installation 1 will often have than two filter modules 2 . these filter modules 2 are arranged parallel to one another in an unfiltrate circuit , as shown in fig1 . the unfiltrate circuit comprises a first line 14 that passes through a first feed pump 16 , a proportioning circuit 17 , and a first pressure sensor 19 . the first line 14 ultimately connects to the lower unfiltrate connections 9 and that feeds the unfiltrate from an unfiltrate source 15 . the first feed pump 16 generates the required flow a of unfiltrate through the filter modules 2 during filtration operations . if necessary , the proportioning circuit 17 adds product - neutral gas from a gas source 18 in a proportioned manner . as used herein , product - neutral gas includes a gas mixture . examples of product - neutral gas include co 2 gas , nitrogen , inert gas , oxygen , and mixtures thereof . the first pressure sensor 19 measures the pressure of the unfiltrate in the first line 14 on the unfiltrate side of the filter modules 2 and the filtration installation 1 . it then delivers a corresponding measurement signal to a control unit 20 . meanwhile , a second line 21 connects the upper connections 8 of the filter modules 2 back to the source 15 . this second line 21 returns unfiltrate to the source 15 after it has flowed through the filter modules 2 . the filtrate that accumulates in the filter modules 2 on the filtrate side is passed to a further use and / or treatment through a filtrate line 24 that is connected to a first connection 12 . the filtrate line 24 passes through a second feed pump 23 and a second pressure sensor 25 . the second pressure sensor 25 sends the control unit 20 a signal corresponding to the current pressure in the filtrate line 24 . the second feed pump 23 generates flow away from the filter modules 2 . referring back to fig2 , during normal filtration , deposits 26 build up on the inner surface of an unfiltrate channel 6 or on the inner surface of membranes 5 . these deposits , which typically consist of unfiltrate residues or lees , have a tendency to clog the pores 5 . 1 of the membranes 5 . for this reason , the filtration installation 1 , and in particular the filter modules 2 , are regenerated by backwashing at certain intervals during continuous filtration . this ends to free pores 5 . 1 and separate the deposits 26 from the inside surface of the hollow fibers 4 . 1 . as shown in fig1 , a second connection 13 connects to a backwash line 28 that has a third feed pump 27 for backwashing . regeneration imposes a heavy strain on the filter elements 4 and / or the hollow fibers 4 . 1 . as a result , the service life of the filter elements 4 is determined less by the normal operating time of the filtration installation 1 and more by the number of regenerations . in order to reduce the number of regenerations per volumetric amount of filtration material , and thereby to increase the service life of the filter elements 4 , it is useful to periodically carry out a controlled heightened outgassing of product - neutral gas from the unfiltrate 7 to clean or blow clear the membranes 5 , and in particular , their pores 5 . 1 . these outgassing events are repeated at pre - defined intervals . in some practices , the pre - defined intervals depend on the volumetric amount of the filtered product . for this purpose , and especially when the unfiltrate does not already originally contain , or contain enough of , a product - neutral gas , product - neutral gas , the mixing circuit 17 adds product - neutral gas to the unfiltrate and does so proportioned in such a way that , allowing for the temperature of the unfiltrate , which ranges between − 2 and + 5 ° c . for example , and allowing for the operating pressure of the filtration installation 1 , i . e . for the pressure of unfiltrate 7 and of filtrate 10 in normal operation of the filtration installation 1 , there is no release , or at least no excessive release , of the product - neutral gas from the unfiltrate 7 and the filtrate 10 . if the product - neutral gas is not wanted in the filtrate 6 or in the end product , then the filtrate 10 is degassed in a separate installation connected to the filtrate outlet . for the periodic cleaning of filter elements 4 and / or of membranes 5 and of pores 5 . 1 , the pressure in filtration installation 1 and preferentially the pressure on the unfiltrate side of the installation is briefly reduced below the saturation pressure of the product - neutral gas . in one example , this is carried out by depressurizing the first line 14 and , optionally , the second line 21 . in another example , this is carried out by an appropriate triggering of first feed pump 16 and , if necessary , the second feed pump 23 . the pressure reduction causes an increased release of the product - neutral gas . the release manifests itself in bubbling throughout , including formation of bubbles 29 within the deposit 26 and inside the pores 5 . 1 . the bubble 29 blow off the deposits 26 , thus removing lees from the inside surface of the hollow fibers 4 . 1 and from the pores 5 . 1 . these deposits , now fragmented and free , are then entrained with the unfiltrate flow . when cleaning is complete , the unfiltrate pressure or the total pressure of filtration installation 1 is returned to saturation pressure or above . some embodiments include reducing only the unfiltrate pressure or the pressure on the unfiltrate side of filtration installation 1 during cleaning . this causes a pressure gradient from the filtrate side to the unfiltrate side is achieved . as a result , in addition to pores 5 . 1 being cleaned by the outgassing product - neutral gas , a reverse flow of filtrate across to the unfiltrate side of filtration installation 1 is brought about . this results in additional washing of the membranes 5 and / or of their pores 5 . 1 . this reverse filtrate flow reliably removes loosened lees from the pores 5 . 1 and from the inside surface of hollow fibers 4 . 1 . the unfiltrate is passed to the filtration installation 1 at a pressure in the range of approximately 1 - 10 bar depending on the product , the temperature and the proportion of the product neutral gas . in one example , the pressure reduction for the cleaning of filter elements 4 ranges from 1 to 3 bar . during periodic cleaning by outgassing there is a brief pressure reduction . in some embodiments , the pressure reduction lasts for less than ten seconds . in preferred embodiments , the pressure reduction lasts for under five seconds . some embodiments carry out pressure reduction by a simple depressurization , for example on the unfiltrate side of filtration installation 1 . other embodiments carry out pressure reduction by selectively triggering the first feed pump 16 . among these are embodiments in which the first feed pump 16 has a frequency - controlled electric motor . in these embodiments , the pressure reduction can be carried out in a particularly simple manner by triggering this frequency - controlled electric motor . other embodiments include continuously cleaning the filter elements 4 by continuous release of the product - neutral gas . these embodiments include adding the product - neutral gas to the unfiltrate that is being fed under pressure while being proportioned as a function of at least the temperature of the unfiltrate . this results in the unfiltrate pressure being equal to or greater than the saturation pressure . the unfiltrate , to which the product - neutral gas has been added in this way , is then passed across a pressure - reducing device 30 to the filter elements 4 at a pressure that is reduced below saturation pressure . in some embodiments , the pressure - reducing device 30 is a pressure - reducing additional feed pump . as a result of the pressure reduction carried out at the pressure - reducing device 30 , during the ongoing filtration process , there is a continuous release of product - neutral gas from the unfiltrate and the filtrate , especially in the region of the membranes 5 . the gas bubbles 29 produced during this continuous release of product - neutral gas tend to remove the lees from the inside surfaces of the hollow fibers 4 . 1 and from the pores 5 . 1 of the membranes 5 . in the embodiments described above , a product - neutral gas is added to the unfiltrate for the cleaning of the filter elements 4 . however there are also cases in which the product that is to be filtered , or its unfiltrate , often already contains a product - neutral gas . typical examples are carbonated beverages or beer , in which the product - neutral gas is co 2 gas . in those cases in which the product to be filtered already has product - neutral gas to begin with , it is possible to clean the filter elements 4 by operating the filtration installation 1 in normal operating mode with a total installation pressure , i . e . with an unfiltrate pressure and filtrate pressure , that is at least approximately equal to the saturation pressure of the co 2 gas in the unfiltrate . during the periodic cleaning of filter elements 4 and / or of their membranes 5 , the unfiltrate pressure or the total installation pressure , i . e . the unfiltrate - side and the filtrate - side pressure of the filtration installation 1 , is reduced to below the current saturation pressure . this reduction can be carried out by controlling the output of one or more of the first and third feed pumps 16 , 23 such that , in the manner described above , the removal of the lees from the inside surface of hollow fibers 4 . 1 and from pores 5 is effected by bubbles 29 of the released co 2 gas . for an especially effective removal of the lees from the pores 5 . 1 and removal of the deposits 26 , it is also particularly advantageous to reduce only the pressure on the unfiltrate side during the periodic cleaning of the filter elements 4 . doing so achieves a reverse flow of filtrate through the membrane 5 resulting from a pressure gradient thus created between the filtrate side and the unfiltrate side . during the filtration of products whose unfiltrate already contains the product - neutral gas and to which the addition of this gas in the mixing circuit 17 is essentially not necessary , there is still the possibility of a continuous cleaning of the filter elements 4 by release or outgassing of the product - neutral gas . in such embodiments , the unfiltrate is supplied to the filtration installation 1 at a pressure at least equal to the saturation pressure . however , the filtration installation 1 is operated at an operating pressure that is below the saturation pressure . this results in continuous bubbling during the filtration process , including in the region of membranes 5 . the mechanical agitation associated with the resulting bubbles 29 promotes separation of the lees from the membranes 5 and from their pores 5 . 1 . regardless of whether the cleaning of the filter elements 4 by a release of the product - neutral gas is periodic or continuous , and regardless of whether or not the product to be filtered already contains a product - neutral gas , it is possible to add further product - neutral gas to the unfiltrate in the mixing circuit 17 so as to render the periodic or continuous cleaning of the filter elements 2 particularly effective . the removal , by bubbles 29 , of the lees or of the deposits 26 that they create is assisted by the fact that , because of the direction of flow of unfiltrate 7 and the density difference in the unfiltrate , the bubbles 29 rise and entrain the lees that still adhere to the membranes 5 and / or that are blown out or squeezed out of the pores 5 . 1 by the gas bubbles 29 . cleaning the filter elements 4 significantly improves the permeability of the filter structure that is formed by filter elements 4 . it also lengthens the interval between regeneration operations and thus extends the service life of the filter elements 4 . this reduces filtration costs per unit of volume of the filtered product . fig3 shows a schematic representation of a filtration installation 1 a that is configured as a candle filtration installation . the filtration installation 1 a includes a boiler 31 having an interior that is tightly sealed from the exterior , at least during the filtering process . a partition 32 divides the interior of the boiler 31 into a lower unfiltrate chamber 33 and an upper filtrate chamber 34 . a filter structure 35 is formed at or below the partition 32 . as shown in fig4 , the filter structure 35 comprises a plurality of filter candles 36 and a filter cake 37 that is deposited on these filter candles . the filter cake 37 consists of a filtration aid . the unfiltrate that contains the filtration aid is passed in a feed direction a to the unfiltrate chamber 33 through a line 39 that incorporates a feed pump 38 . the product flows across the filter structure 35 and arrives as filtrate in the filtrate chamber 34 . from the filtrate chamber 34 , the product is supplied in a feed direction a to a further use through a line 41 that incorporates a feed pump 40 . the unfiltrate that is fed to the unfiltrate chamber 33 may originally contain a product - neutral gas , e . g . co 2 gas . if it does not , the product - neutral gas is added to the unfiltrate prior to passing it through to filtration installation 1 a . during normal filtration , the operating pressure of the filtration installation 1 a , i . e . the pressure in the filtrate chamber 33 and in the unfiltrate chamber 34 , is at least equal to the saturation pressure . as a result , no release or outgassing of the product - neutral gas from the product takes place , including , in particular , within the region of the filter candles 36 or in the region of the filter cake 37 and hence also within the region between the outside surface of the filter candles 36 and the filter cake 37 . it is only when the filter cake 27 is to be extracted for the purpose of regenerating filtration installation 1 a that immediately prior to this , the pressure inside the filtration installation 1 a is reduced to below saturation pressure such that a separation of the filter cake 37 from the filter candles is brought about , or at least assisted , by the resulting forced outgassing of the gas from the product in general and from the unfiltrate in the unfiltrate chamber 33 in particular , or by the gas bubbles 29 thereby produced . the invention has been described by reference to embodiments . it goes without saying that numerous variations as well as modifications are possible without departing from the inventive concept underlying the invention .	1
the torque transmission apparatus shown in fig1 and 2 comprises multi - stage torque converter 22 disposed within a surrounding front flange 21 of a casting 20 , and a transmission assembly 23 housed within the casing 20 . the multi - stage torque converter 22 is attached through a flexible plate 25 to the flywheel of an engine . a hub flange 60 is fixed to the radially inward margin of the flexible plate 25 . a front cover 61 is fixed to the radially outer portion of the hub flange 60 . the front cover 61 is welded to an impeller 26 along its circumferentially extending rim . a turbine 27 is located opposite to and is hydraulically coupled with the impeller 26 . a reversing stator 28 and a fixed stator 29 are disposed in a region between and radially inward of the impeller 26 and the turbine 27 . the reversing stator 28 is connected through a one - way clutch 30 to a stator sleeve - shaft 31 . the fixed stator 29 is connected through a one - way clutch 32 and a stationary sleeve 62 to the casing 20 . the impeller 26 , the turbine 27 and the stators 28 and 29 each have a plurality of blades . the transmission assembly 23 comprises a reduction ( main transmission ) and a stepless speed - change transmission 23b . the main gearing 23a is composed principally of a forward clutch 35 , a reverse clutch 36 and an output mechanism 37 . the forward clutch 35 includes a turbine shaft 40 extending through the center of the multi - stage torque converter 22 , and a multi - disc clutch pack 41 fixed to the turbine shaft 40 . the turbine shaft 40 is rotatably supported on bearings in the casing 20 , and its front end is engaged by means of a spline , for example , with the turbine 27 . the reverse clutch 36 includes a countershaft 42 and a reverse multi - disc clutch pack 43 fixed to the countershaft 42 . the countershaft 42 is rotatably supported on bearings in the casing 20 . the forward and reverse multi - disc clutch packs 41 and 43 include respective clutch gears 44 and 45 in mutual engagement . the clutches 35 and 36 include respective pinions 46 and 47 which engage an output gear 48 of the output mechanism 37 . the output gear 48 is fixed to an output shaft 49 . the clutch packs 41 / 43 of the transmission assembly 23 are controlled by a hydraulic control valve 63 mounted on the outer surface of the casing 20 . the stepless speed - change transmission 23b principally comprises an input pulley device 51 , an output pulley device 50 and a belt wrapped around them , connecting the pulley devices 50 and 51 in open belting . the input pulley device 51 is formed onto the rear end of the stator sleeve - shaft 31 and is rotatable relative to the turbine shaft 40 . the input pulley device 51 is composed of a fixed pulley 70 which is axially immobile , and a slidable pulley 71 , which in sliding either approaches the fixed pulley 70 or retreats from it . the fixed pulley 70 is integral with the stator sleeve - shaft 31 and is rotatably supported on the turbine shaft 40 . the central portion of the fixed pulley 70 extends into the slidable pulley 71 , so as to retain it slidably . a cover 72 is disposed over the rear and on a brim of the slidable pulley 71 , thus defining a chamber 73 therebetween . when hydraulic fluid enters the chamber 73 through ports of the turbine shaft 40 and the fixed pulley 70 extension , the slidable pulley 71 is driven toward the fixed pulley 70 . on the other hand , when the hydraulic fluid recedes , the slidable pulley 71 retreats from the fixed pulley 70 by agency of a return spring ( not shown ). the output pulley device 50 consists of a fixed pulley 75 which is axially immobile , and a slidable pulley 76 slidable either to approach or retreat from the fixed pulley 75 . the fixed pulley 75 is integral with the counter - shaft 42 . the axially slidable pulley 76 is retained on the counter shaft 42 . a cover 77 is disposed over the front and on a brim of the slidable pulley 76 , thus defining a chamber 78 therebetween . when hydraulic fluid enters the chamber 78 through a port of the counter - shaft 42 , the slidable pulley 76 is driven toward the fixed pulley 75 . contrariwise , when the hydraulic fluid recedes , the slidable pulley 76 retreats from the fixed pulley 75 by agency of a return spring ( not shown ). thus the stator sleeve - shaft 31 and the countershaft 42 rotate in the same direction , and the reduction ratio of the stepless speed - change transmission 23b is continuously variable by means of the movement of the slidable pulleys 71 and 76 . operation of the transmission is described in the following , wherein reference is made to fig3 . when the impeller 26 coupled to the flexible plate 25 rotates , the velocity energy is transmitted to hydraulic fluid therein , which in turn drives the turbine 27 to rotate . consequently , torque is developed in the turbine 27 . the hydraulic fluid flows from the turbine 27 into the reversing stator 28 and the fixed stator 29 , wherein the fluid flow direction is changed to the direction of the rotation of the impeller 26 . the power of the hydraulic fluid flowing into the reversing stator 28 acts upon its blades , therein developing torque . in the transmission of the present invention , primary torque is through the turbine 27 coupled to the turbine shaft 40 , and then in forward output , through the clutch pack 41 and the pinion 46 to the output gear 48 and the output shaft 49 . in reverse output , torque from the turbine shaft 40 is transmitted through the clutch pack 43 to the output gear 48 and the output shaft 49 , via the engagement of the clutch gears 44 and 45 in the main gearing 23a . additionally , secondary torque transmission is through the reversing stator 28 , in a direction reverse to the turbine 27 rotational torque direction ( wherein the speed ratio of the stator relative to the turbine is initially high ), via the sleeve shaft 31 to the stepless speed - change transmission 23a , and therein to the countershaft 42 and clutch gear 45 . the torque driving the gear 45 is in turn transmitted to the clutch gear 44 , driving it in reverse , in the rotational direction opposite to that of the stator 28 direction , coinciding with the turbine shaft 40 rotational direction . the torque in the reversing stator 28 is thus added in the main gearing 23 a to turbine 27 torque , in output to the output mechanism 37 . the hydraulic fluid from the reversing stator 28 flows into the fixed stator 29 , and the direction of its rotation is changed to coincide with that of the impeller 26 . when the r . p . m . of the turbine 27 attain a certain point ( i . e ., a coupling point ), the fluid inlet angle against the reversing stator 28 changes . as a result , the reversing stator 28 starts to rotate , accorded by the one - way clutch 30 . by these means the reduction ratio of the stepless speed - change transmission 23b is gradually reduced prior to onset of the stator rotation , whereupon a fixed reduction ratio remains constant throughout the remaining r . p . m . range . in the invention as thus embodied , because the reduction ratio of the transmission 23b is gradually changeable , the output torque characteristics correspond to the curve p as illustrated by fig4 to the coupling point n , at which the reversing stator 28 starts to rotate . consequently , the output torque is maximal through the lower r . p . m . range , and torque - drop in the output torque through the middle r . p . m . range is reduced . the output torque characteristics through the higher r . p . m . range are the same as is conventional . moreover , wherein the apparatus is utilized in the automatic transmission systems of passenger cars , the transmission speed is shifted automatically by the stepless speed - change transmission working in conjunction with the multi - stage torque converter , thus providing a simplified transmission . various details of the invention may be changed without departing from its spirit nor its scope . furthermore , the foregoing description of the embodiments according to the present invention is provided for the purpose of illustration only , and not for the purpose of limiting the invention as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents .	8
in the preferred embodiment , a control 1 comprises a microcontroller 7 for control and monitoring of the functions , in particular , the motor . for this , the microcontroller 7 is connected to it via a motor switch 9 . the control 1 , moreover , features a display 8 , which is provided for diagnostic purposes and is configured as a one - place 7 - segment illuminated display . this is also used during the parameter setup mode in the context of the invented method for displaying the status or user instructions . the display 8 is arranged so that it is visible during attendance . the manually activated operator &# 39 ; s unit 2 comprises three switches or pushbutton switches . the emergency shutoff switch 4 for immediate shutoff in dangerous situations is used to start the parameter setup mode and also to terminate it at once . arranged at a distance beneath this are the hoisting switch or pushbutton 5 and the lowering switch or pushbutton 6 , which are usually marked with different arrow symbols , such as up or down pointing . the pushbutton 5 , when activated , causes a lifting of the load by the corresponding motor control . accordingly , the pushbutton 6 when activated causes a lowering of the load by a reverse motor control . the pushbutton switches 5 and 6 are designed as two - stage pushbuttons , i . e ., they possess two pressing points , which can be assigned to different hoisting / lowering speeds v 1 and v 2 . thus , by slight pressing , the smaller hoisting / lowering speed v 1 can be selected , and the larger hoisting / lowering speed v 2 by stronger pressing . the sample embodiment of one variant of the invented method shall now be explained more closely by means of the use of the operator &# 39 ; s unit 2 . at first , the parameter setup mode has to be started . for this , the emergency shutoff switch 4 is first activated and held down . next , the hoisting switch 5 is pressed and held in its position v 2 . after this , the emergency shutoff switch 4 is released and , after around 10 seconds , the display 8 shows “ p ” for parameter setup mode . the hoisting switch 5 is completely released before the display 8 goes out after around 2 seconds . if the display has already gone out , the hoisting switch 5 must again be pressed into its position v 2 and held down . finally , one must wait until the display 8 shows an “ o ” for okay , indicating that the parameter setup mode has been started . the switches 4 , 5 and 6 thus have the following meanings in the parameter setup mode , in addition to their actual meaning in normal operation : “ hoisting v2 ”= yes or on “ lowering v2 ”= no or off “ emergency shutoff ”= terminate parameter setup mode , saving the changes made up to that time . if the parameter setup mode has been successfully activated , all available parameters are shown one after the other on the display 8 . this occurs by means of the digits “ 0 ” through “ 9 ”, each of the digits representing one parameter . no ( 6 ): 2 - phase electronic brake , standard ( default ) yes ( 5 ): 3 - phase electronic brake 2 set only one hoisting / lowering speed ? no ( 6 ): turn on two hoisting / lowering speeds v 1 / v 2 , standard ( default ) yes ( 5 ): set only one hoisting / lowering speed v 2 no ( 6 ): interlock operator &# 39 ; s unit when several buttons are activated , standard ( default ) yes ( 5 ): if hoisting and lowering are activated , the first activated button takes priority no ( 6 ): set speed - triggered start , standard ( default ) yes ( 5 ): set time - triggered start no ( 6 ): use standard speed , e . g ., 400 rpm , standard ( default ) yes ( 5 ): subparameters a : 360 rpm b : 320 rpm c : 280 rpm d : 240 rpm e : 200 rpm f : 160 rpm no ( 6 ): use standard speed , e . g ., 2400 rpm , standard ( default ) yes ( 5 ): display and select subparameters ? a : 2320 rpm b : 2240 rpm c : 2160 rpm d : 2080 rpm e : 2000 rpm f : 1920 rpm no ( 6 ): use standard time , e . g ., 200 ms , standard ( default ) yes ( 5 ): subparameters a : 100 ms b : 150 ms c : 250 ms d : 300 ms e : 250 ms f : 400 ms no ( 6 ): deactivate first stage , standard ( default ) yes ( 5 ): activate second stage and erase fault counter . by activating the switch 5 in “ hoisting v2 ” position , the indicated parameter is selected , i . e ., turned on , and , by activating the switch 6 in “ lowering v2 ” position , it is turned off . the selected action is acknowledged with “ y ” for yes or on , or “ n ” for no or off . if no switch is activated , the parameter remains unchanged . if the parameter selected has predetermined subparameters , an “ o ” for “ open ” appears on the display 8 and the corresponding subparameters are displayed one after the other for selection by means of the symbols a , b , c , d , e , or f . selection of the change or deselection occurs , once again , by activating switch 5 or 6 . thus , for example , to set the time filter for the speed monitoring to 250 ms , one proceeds as follows : display of “ 7 ” for 4 seconds activating of the hoisting switch 5 while “ 7 ” is being displayed display of “ o ” for 2 seconds , indicating availability of subparameters subsequent display of a for 4 seconds subsequent display of b for 4 seconds subsequent display of c for 4 seconds activating of the hoisting switch 5 while c is being displayed . after the last parameter is reached or displayed , or when the emergency shutoff switch 4 is activated , the parameter setup mode is ended , changes are saved , and the control is switched to normal operating mode . changes and modifications in the specifically described embodiments can be carried out without departing from the principles of the invention which is intended to be limited only by the scope of the appended claims , as interpreted according to the principles of patent law including the doctrine of equivalents .	1
it is important to note that droplets ejected from nozzles do not necessarily have a sphere - like shape . the shape of a droplet depends on the volume of the droplet , its velocity and the distance from the nozzle to the point where the shape is examined . the shape of the droplet changes as the droplet travels between the nozzle and the destination substrate . for example , a 200 nl volume ejected from a nozzle with the diameter of 0 . 152 mm turns into an approximately 11 mm long jet segment . likewise , the 2 μl droplet ejected from the same nozzle forms an approximately 110 mm long segment . it should be stressed that the diameter of the jet does not necessarily equal the inner diameter of the nozzle . very often the diameter of the jet is somewhere in between of the inner and outer diameters of the nozzle . for example in the case of experiments described in this specification , a jet ejected from the nozzle with diameter of 0 . 152 mm had a diameter of approximately 0 . 180 mm . the jet diameter depends on the jet velocity and generally the higher the jet velocity , the closer the diameter of the jet is to the inner diameter of the nozzle . as the jet segment travels though the air , it breaks into several sub - segments and then , with longer travel the sub - segments form the sphere - like droplets . this happens under the influence of the surface tension that favours the spherical shape over the cylindrical one . if the droplets travel through the air faster , their shape deviation from the sphere will be greater , due to the mechanical resistance of air to their travel . this consideration is in stark contrast with the situations in inventions relating to ink jet printing where the droplet is almost invariably considered to be sphere - like . the reason for this difference is substantially different volume of the droplet . the volumes of ejections for ink jet printing are typically well below 100 nl and even below 1 nl . therefore , these droplets turn into the spherical - like objects much faster than the typical droplets used in the field of the present invention . fig1 shows the initial stages of the droplet formulation process . fig1 a shows the initial stage of a droplet emerging from a nozzle tip 1 which can be modelled as cylinder of liquid 2 emerging from the nozzle tip 1 . this is shown in fig1 a . fig1 b then shows the frontal end of the cylinder 2 forming a sphere - like shape 3 . fig1 c shows the cylinder of liquid as it continues to exit from the nozzle tip 2 . the sphere - like shape at the end of the cylinder is not shown in this diagrammatic representation . once the nozzle is closed , a constriction 4 develops along the cylinder in the vicinity of the nozzle tip 1 ( fig1 d ). the constriction 4 breaks up at the location indicated by the numeral 5 and the jet is separated from the nozzle ( fig1 e ). the evolution of the jet as it travels away from the nozzle is schematically indicated in fig2 . multiple constrictions develop along the jet as shown in fig2 a . these constrictions are indicated by the numerals 4 a , 4 c . fig2 a shows the case of two constrictions being developed . the constrictions represent instability in the continuous jet . the fastest growing mode of instability has the wavelength of approximately λ = 9r o where the r o is the radius of the jet . here number 9 is an approximation resulting from analytical models . these constrictions separate the jet into the droplets indicated by the numerals 6 a , 6 b , 6 c , etc having the separation between the consecutive droplets of approximately 9r o . the time t breakup required to separate the jet into the droplets is calculated according to the formula t breakup = k ( ρr o 3 / σ ) 1 / 2 , where σ is the surface tension of the liquid and ρ is density , k is a numerical constant that depending on the model used is in the range of 1 to 3 . this formula is suitable for liquids of low viscosity μ . for liquids of high viscosity other formulas need to be used to describe t breakup . the droplets will not immediately acquire the spherical shape . instead they will gradually become more spherical by expanding their cross - section in the plane orthogonal to the travel direction and reducing their length along the travel direction . the droplets oscillate and change from the elongated spheroids as shown in fig2 b by the numerals 6 a , 6 b , 6 c to the contracted spheroids as shown in fig2 c and vice versa . after a number of oscillations they will settle to a sphere - like shape and then continue maintaining this shape until they reach the destination substrate provided it is located close enough . if the destination substrate is located far away , then the evolution of the jet will continue further , the separations between the spherical drops will change and some of them may collide and others may start moving in directions away from the overall jet trajectory . this further evolution of the jet is not shown in fig2 . to summarise , the dynamics of the shape evolution of the droplets is defined by the droplet volume , velocity , surface tension of the liquid σ , its viscosity μ , its density ρ , diameter of the nozzle and other factors . therefore the dynamics of droplet formation differs significantly between the field of use of the present invention , i . e . liquid handling for the medical diagnostics , drug discovery , life science research and droplet formation in ink jet printing . the present invention is directed to the specific pathway of the droplet shape evolution related to the specific field of use . this is characterised generally by the volume of the liquid dispensed of 20 nm or greater and the diameter of the nozzle of 80 micrometer or greater , the droplet velocity of in the range of 0 . 1 μm / s to 50 m / s . furthermore , the present invention is directed to a range of typical liquids used in medical diagnostics , pharmaceutical applications , life science research , genomics , proteomics and drug discovery process . fig3 shows a schematic diagram of the instrument 9 for measurements of the droplet volume according to one embodiment of the present invention . the dispensing device is shown by reference numeral 10 . in the experiments described herein the dispensing device as described in the u . s . pat . no . 6 , 713 , 021 ( shvets ) and u . s . pat . no . 6 , 669 , 909 ( shvets ) may be used . this device is based on the proprietary spoton ™ technology . the device is capable of dispensing a variety of liquids with different mechanical and optical properties in the volume range from 20 nl to well over 100 microliters . the nozzle 1 of the dispensing tip is circular and has cross - section of 0 . 152 mm . the invention is not limited to this specific type of dispensing device or dispensing technology . for example , the dispensers utilizing a solenoid valve or micro - solenoid valve is another possible choice of dispensing device for use with the present invention . another suitable example of dispensing device is an instrument utilizing automated syringes . as shown in fig3 the dispensing device delivers droplet to a destination substrate 11 . the destination substrate could be a microtiter plate or well plate or any other substrate or surface . an optical housing unit 12 is positioned in the vicinity of the nozzle 1 . the optical housing 12 unit is described in greater detail in fig4 and 5 . the optical housing unit 12 shown in fig4 and 5 is capable of accommodating two pairs of optical fibers . embodiments could be readily devices that accommodate three , four , five , six or indeed greater number of fibers . as it will be clear from the description below in some embodiments the optical housing unit may also accommodate just one pair of optical fibers , e . g . fibers 13 and 15 . the optical fibers coupled into the unit are indicated by numerals 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 . in the embodiment described herein optical fibers have core diameter of 1 mm and outer jacket of 2 . 2 mm . optical fibers with other core and jacket diameter values could be used as well . the optical fibers are fixed in the body 17 of the optical hosing unit either by means of adhesive or by other suitable means , e . g . tight fit . the angle between the fibers 13 and 15 is θ . this angle could be equal to the angle between the fibers 14 and 16 or alternatively in other embodiments it could also be different . for simplicity of fig4 we will refer to the case when the fibers 13 and 14 enter into the body 17 of the optical housing unit parallel to each other as well as the optical fibers 15 and 16 . moreover , for simplicity we assume that all the fibers 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 are orthogonal to the axis of the body 17 of the housing unit . this is more clearly shown in fig5 picturing the optical housing unit 12 from a different viewpoint . it should be appreciated that both pairs of optical fibers 13 and 14 and optical fibers 15 and 16 do not have to be parallel to each other . it should be appreciated that they do not have to enter into the body 17 of the optical housing unit 12 in the direction orthogonal to its axis . in a typical embodiment the separation between the end of the fibers 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 and line of the path of the droplet is in the range of 0 . 1 to 10 mm . this separation is optimized experimentally and it depends on the type of the fibers used and their numerical aperture . furthermore , the separation between the path of the jet and the end of the fiber 13 does not have to be equal to the same for the fiber 15 . the same applies to the fibers 14 and 16 . in a typical embodiment the path of the droplet in the optical housing unit 12 coincides with the axis of the unit but this may not be the case in all embodiments . in addition , the device may have an optical housing unit with an asymmetric body 17 . the body 17 of the optical housing unit may be made of plastic , metal or another suitable material . the body 17 of the housing unit 12 is made in such a way that the droplets preferably travel in front of the ends / terminations of the optical fibers 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 . furthermore , in the embodiment described herein , the angle θ between the fibers 13 and 15 and the fibers 14 and 16 could be altered . this is shown by cross - sections through the body of the optical housing unit 12 ( fig6 a and 6b ). in this specification we describe the experiments carried out with the angle θ of 45 °, 90 °, 135 °, 180 °. the optical fibers in this embodiment are located in such a way that the fibers 14 and 16 are located at the same distance away from the nozzle 1 . likewise , the fibers 13 and 15 are located at the same distance away from the nozzle 1 . other embodiments of this device may be contemplated . the separation between the optical fibers 13 and 14 and the fibers 15 and 15 is 2 mm as shown in fig6 . again , embodiments with other separations could be contemplated . in the embodiment described here the separation between the ends of the fibers 14 and 16 and the nozzle 1 is 0 . 3 mm . returning to fig3 , optical fibers 15 and 16 are coupled into light sources 18 and 19 . in the embodiment described herein , two light - emitting diodes led sfh756v are employed as the light sources 18 and 19 . thus , the dominant radiation light wavelength is 660 nm . therefore , the light from the light source can be delivered into the optical fibers 15 and 16 and then towards the ends of the fibers facing the droplet &# 39 ; s path . the optical fibers 13 and 14 are coupled into detectors 20 and 21 . in the embodiment described in this specification sfh250v pin diode were employed as detectors 20 and 21 . this selected diode is sensitive to the light at approximately 660 nm wavelength . both selected devices , the led and the pin diode , are suitable for work with fiber and have packaging convenient for coupling to the fiber . reference numeral 22 indicates the phase and frequency modulation unit . this is the unit capable of generating two signals at frequencies f 1 and f 2 and another two signals with the same frequencies f 1 and f 2 but phases offset by the desired phase shifts : φ 0 . 1 and φ 0 . 2 . in the embodiment described herein the phase and frequency modulation unit employed digital phase controller utilizing the advanced event module build - in the tms320f2812 dsp microcontroller . it will be understood that other devices could be employed to construct the phase and frequency modulation unit 22 , for example it could be based on analogue circuits . the settings of the tms320f2812 dsp microcontroller are controlled by rs232 interface . the resolution of frequency setting is 1 hz and 1 ° for phase . reference numerals 23 and 24 are amplifiers and 25 and 26 indicate phase - sensitive detectors , known also as lock - in amplifiers . the phase and frequency modulation unit 22 modulates the light emitted by the light sources 18 and 19 as shown schematically in fig3 . this is done by means of supplying the modulation signals at the frequencies f 1 and f 2 to the light sources 18 and 19 . the unit 22 also supplies the reference signal to the phase - sensitive detectors 25 and 26 . therefore , the remaining two signals produced by the modulation unit 22 shifted by phases φ 1 and φ 0 . 2 are supplied to the phase - sensitive detectors 25 and 26 . the signal from the phase sensitive detector 25 and 26 is supplied to the signal processing unit 27 . the detailed diagram of the entire circuit is shown in fig7 . the diagram shows the layout for a single channel e . g . fibers 14 and 16 , and a pair of one light source and one detector . this includes the led marked as ic 5 , the power supply circuit for the led marked as ic 4 , the pin diode marked as ic 6 , the signal amplifier consisting of the operational amplifiers ic 1 and ic 2 , the phase detector marked as ic 3 ( ad 630 ). this diagram was used for all the experiments described below . the only difference is that for the experiments with the angle θ = 180 °, the amplifier ic 2 was bypassed . there was no need for this amplifier as the signal level was sufficiently high for this angle θ . we also used a different value of the resistance ( r 1 = 520ω ) for experiments with θ = 180 ° as we could work with lower intensity of the light source under these conditions . amplifier ic 1 is transimpedance amplifier ( opa380 ). there is high - pass filter installed in between the amplifiers ic 1 and ic 2 to reject low frequency noise coming from the external light sources ( e . g . 100 hz to 240 hz ). the signal from the output of the phase detector ic 3 is filtered by 5 th order low - pass filter based on ic 7 a , ic 7 b , ic 7 c , ic 7 d utilizing opa4277 amplifiers . the frequency modulation unit 22 is not shown in fig7 . the modulation frequency used in the experiments described below is in the range of 80 - 100 khz and the detection low - pass filter has a corner frequency ( 3 db decay frequency ) in the range of 2 . 5 - 4 khz . this frequency is adequate for the detection of the droplets dispensed for many applications in the field of the invention . the higher the speed of the droplets , the faster should be the detection circuit . in the experiments described below the signal processing unit was a two channel oscilloscope , e . g . agilent 54622d two - channel oscilloscope , connected to a pc for data acquisition , storage and analysis . it should be stressed that the circuit presented in fig7 is an example of one embodiment only . other circuits with similar functionalities could be readily designed by those skilled in the art of circuit design . the experimental conditions for the angles θ = 45 °, θ = 90 ° and θ = 135 ° were as follows . the frequencies at which the light emitted by the sources 19 and 18 was modulated , were f 1 = 107111 hz and f 2 = 80313 hz respectively . the phase shifts between the modulation signal sent to the light source power supply circuit and the reference signal sent to the phase detector φ 1 and φ 0 . 2 were 125 ° and 123 ° respectively . the phase shifts and the frequencies were optimized experimentally to increase the signal - to - noise ratio . the positions of the fibers 13 , 14 , 15 and 16 were adjusted in the body of the housing unit 17 by moving them in and out from the path of the passing droplet . the purpose of the adjustment was to optimize the signal - to - noise ratio of the instrument 9 for the detection of the droplet volume . typically the adjustment was done for just one liquid , e . g . distilled water and was not altered for other liquids . the length of the fibres 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 was some 0 . 7 m . we present representative results for signals from the output of the phase - sensitive detectors 25 and 26 . as explained above these were measured using a two - channel oscilloscope connected to a pc . the measurements were carried out for droplet volumes of 30 nl , 100 nl , 1000 nl and 10000 nl . 1 nl is one millionth of a milliliter . the volume of the droplet was measured independently and this is described below . the measurements were carried out for several types of liquids . in this specification we include results for the measurements with some of the most common liquids used in assays for life science applications and genomics . these liquids have different optical refraction index and absorption coefficient . the list of testing liquids was carried out as follows : liquid 1 : distilled water , this is the key liquid for many life science applications liquid 2 : color dye . 0 . 5 mg / ml brilliant blue fcf in distilled water maximum absorption of the color dye is located near 640 nm wavelength . as it will be clear from the analysis below , this solution represents the worst case liquid for the conditions when θ is substantially different from 180 ° and the light sources as described above is used ( source wavelength is 660 nm ). this is precisely the reason why we used it in our experiments . the purpose is to demonstrate operation of the invention under unfavorable conditions . such a high dye concentration is far beyond the linear range of absorbance vs . concentration curve meaning that in practice it would not be used in real biological assays . on the other hand this should define the best signal when θ is substantially equal to 180 °. liquid 3 : 100 % undiluted dmso , the liquid that is commonly used for life science assays and medical diagnostics . liquid 4 : buffer pbs 0 . 01m ( phosphate - buffered saline ). this liquid is a representative example of one buffer liquid of a wide range of buffers that are normally used in the field of the invention ( e . g . for cell cultures , etc .). the experimental conditions for the angle θ = 180 ° were similar to the ones for other values of the angle with the exception that the frequencies f 1 and f 2 were 107000 hz and 77003 hz respectively . the phase shifts between the modulation signal sent to the light source power supply circuit and the reference signal sent to the phase detector φ 1 and φ 0 . 2 were 15 ° and 13 ° for the detectors 20 and 21 respectively . the experiments described here were performed with the dispenser of the type equator ™ calibrated by means of direct volume measurements for all the four liquids used . the results of the tests are presented in fig8 to 20 . fig8 shows the output signal from the amplifiers 25 and 26 for θ = 45 ° and for droplet volume of 100 nl for the following four liquids : a ) distilled water , b ) color dye solution , c ) 100 % dmso , d ) 0 . 01m pbs . fig9 shows the output signal from the amplifiers 25 and 26 for θ = 45 ° and for droplet volume of 1000 nl for the following four liquids : a ) distilled water , b ) color dye solution , c ) 100 % dmso , d ) 0 . 01m pbs . fig1 shows the output signal from the amplifiers 25 and 26 for θ = 45 ° and for droplet volume of 10000 nl for the following four liquids : a ) distilled water , b ) color dye solution , c ) 100 % dmso , d ) 0 . 01m pbs . fig1 shows the output signal from the amplifiers 25 and 26 for θ = 90 ° and for droplet volume of 100 nl for the following four liquids : a ) distilled water , b ) color dye solution , c ) 100 % dmso , d ) 0 . 01m pbs . fig1 shows the output signal from the amplifiers 25 and 26 for θ = 90 ° and for droplet volume of 1000 nl for the following four liquids : a ) distilled water , b ) color dye solution , c ) 100 % dmso , d ) 0 . 01m pbs . fig1 shows the output signal from the amplifiers 25 and 26 for θ = 90 ° and for droplet volume of 10000 nl for the following four liquids : a ) distilled water , b ) color dye solution , c ) 100 % dmso , d ) 0 . 01m pbs . fig1 shows the output signal from the amplifiers 25 and 26 for θ = 135 ° and for droplet volume of 100 nl for the following four liquids : a ) distilled water , b ) color dye solution , c ) 100 % dmso , d ) 0 . 01m pbs . fig1 shows the output signal from the amplifiers 25 and 26 for θ = 135 ° and for droplet volume of 1000 nl for the following four liquids : a ) distilled water , b ) color dye solution , c ) 100 % dmso , d ) 0 . 01m pbs . fig1 shows the output signal from the amplifiers 25 and 26 for θ = 135 ° and for droplet volume of 10000 nl for the following four liquids : a ) distilled water , b ) color dye solution , c ) 100 % dmso , d ) 0 . 01m pbs . fig1 shows the output signal from the amplifiers 25 and 26 for θ = 180 ° and for droplet volume of 100 nl for the following four liquids : a ) distilled water , b ) color dye solution , c ) 100 % dmso , d ) 0 . 01m pbs . fig1 shows the output signal from the amplifiers 25 and 26 for θ = 180 ° and for droplet volume of 1000 nl for the following four liquids : a ) distilled water , b ) color dye solution , c ) 100 % dmso , d ) 0 . 01m pbs . fig1 shows the output signal from the amplifiers 25 and 26 for θ = 180 ° and for droplet volume of 10000 nl for the following four liquids : a ) distilled water , b ) color dye solution , c ) 100 % dmso , d ) 0 . 01m pbs . fig2 shows the output signal from the amplifiers 25 and 26 for droplet volume of 30 nl of distilled water for the following four angles θ a ) θ = 45 °, b ) θ = 90 °, c ) θ = 135 °, d ) θ = 180 °. in order to allow comparison of the output signals for different values of the angle θ and different liquids the following signal factor has been defined : where v l is an output signal level ( voltage ) without a droplet , v h is an output signal level ( voltage ) with droplet ( saturation value ). saturation value means here not the saturation voltage output of the phase sensitive amplifier but rather voltage output of the amplifier in the middle of the droplet passing in front of the fibers 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 . the meaning of the saturation value will be further explained by the discussion related to fig2 , 22 . this signal factor is an indication of a ratio between useful ( working ) signal and background signal . the higher is sf , the better the signal is . the results are presented in table 1 . the second factor given in table 1 , sf / sf water , characterizes the ratio of the output signal for a particular testing liquid to the output signal for distilled water ( reference liquid ). sf values presented in the table 1 are calculated as average value for two signals coming from two detection channels . the results presented in fig8 to 20 demonstrate how droplet dispensing can be readily registered by the device of the present invention . here we describe the method for actual measuring of droplet volume on the basis of these results . as explained above ( see in particular fig1 , 2 and related description ), the shape of the droplet dispensed evolves as the droplet travels between the nozzle of the dispenser and the destination substrate . according to the method proposed in this invention , the optical fibers 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 should be located at such a distance from the nozzle tip 1 that when droplet passes through the area sensed by the fibers , in its development it is either represented by the state a - a or by state b - b or it is located in any stage of development from the state a - a to the state b - b . in the state a - a the droplet can be represented essentially as a continuous cylindrical segment . in the state b - b the droplet can be represented by a train of sub - droplets of substantially similar size moving at substantially equal separation along the same path provided that separation between the individual droplets is smaller than size of the sensing area of the optical fibers . for shortness we will refer to the state a - a or state b - b or any intermittent state reflecting the evolution between these two states as the quasi - cylindrical jet or quasi - cylindrical segment . in simple terms the area the fibers can sense corresponds to their optical aperture . it is clear that strictly speaking the droplet does not form an ideal cylindrical segment at any distance from the nozzle 1 . the ideal cylinder shape will be always distorted due to the oscillations in the droplet and the effect of the forces of surface tension which lead to the deviation from the ideal cylinder shape . however , the droplet indeed forms at least a distorted cylindrical segment up to some distance away from the nozzle . this can be explained in terms of fig2 . the droplet shown in fig2 a represents a distorted cylinder and this can be associated with the stage a - a of its development . in contrast the droplet shown in fig2 b represents the state b - b according to the definition above . the droplet in fig2 b moved further away from the nozzle . for droplets of larger volumes it may happen that the front of the droplet is represented by the state b - b and the end is by the state a - a . as stated previously , the term “ quasi - cylindrical ” used in this specification covers liquids dispensed from circular and non - circular nozzles . for example , the nozzle may have an opening of square cross - section , rectangular cross - section , oval cross - section or indeed any other cross - section . a circular cross - section is the most practical one for use in many situations as capillaries of circular cross - section are readily available from numerous manufacturers of capillaries . furthermore , the circular cross - section is easy to analyze due to its rotational symmetry . however , even if the jet is ejected from a non - circular nozzle , it will evolve to the circular cross - section due to action of surface tension as it travels away from the nozzle . this will normally happen after several oscillations of the cross - sectional shape taking place as the jet travels away from the nozzle . thus the term “ quasi - cylindrical ” used herein covers such situations of jets emitted from non - cylindrical nozzles even if the term cylindrical in simple geometry conventions may only be limited to cylinders of circular shape . formula t breakup = k ( ρr o 3 / σ ) 1 / 2 described above suggests the time required for the droplet to evolve from the state a - a to the state b - b . therefore , if the distance from the nozzle end 1 to the region sensed by the fibers 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 is smaller than t breakup * v j , where v j is the velocity of the droplet , then it arrives to the sensing area substantially in the state a - a . it is difficult to give analytical formula for the time that the droplet remains in the state b - b . this depends on its velocity and radius of the sub - droplets . however , it is easy to see experimentally if the droplet has evolved past the state b - b by the time it has arrived to the sensing area . this is explained in detail further on . the velocity v j depends on the type of the dispensing instrument used . for example , in the case of the dispensing instrument as described in the u . s . pat . no . 6 , 713 , 021 ( shvets ) and u . s . pat . no . 6 , 669 , 909 ( shvets ), the velocity is determined by the inner diameter of the nozzle , its length , the pressure in the dispenser and the viscosity of the liquid dispensed . for a typical practical dispenser utilising the concept described in the u . s . pat . no . 6 , 713 , 021 ( shvets ) and no . 6 , 669 , 909 ( shvets ), the velocity is in the range of 0 . 1 to 20 m / sec . if required , this could be increased up to 200 m / sec or reduced to below 0 . 01 m / sec using essentially similar type of dispenser simply by changing the pressure in the dispenser , the nozzle diameter and its length . for dispensers of other kinds the velocities of the jet may be outside the range of 0 . 01 to 200 m / sec . below four different embodiments of the method that allows measuring the droplet volume from the signals obtained from the phase sensitive detectors 25 and 26 are described . however , before describing the method involved , it is necessary to explain in detail the signal shape and its time dependency at the output of the phase sensitive detectors 25 and 26 . this is done with reference to fig2 and 22 . fig2 shows the typical output from the detectors 25 and 26 for the angle θ = 45 °. fig2 shows the signal for similar dispensing conditions and the angle θ = 180 °. once the forehead ( 3 ) of a droplet approaches the sensing area , this results in a sharp signal rise in the case of θ = 45 ° or a signal drop in case of θ = 180 °. this stage is marked by a , a ′ in fig2 and 22 . due to the surface tension and air friction the forehead of the jet forms a ball - like shape . this is shown in fig1 b . the presence of the ball - like forehead results in a slight peak in the signal following the stage marked by letters a , a ′ and described above . this peak is positive for θ = 450 and negative for θ = 180 °. for the data presented in fig2 and 22 , the peak is more profound for θ = 180 ° as the liquid ball at the jet forehead absorbs more light than the jet segment that follows it . the stage representing the passing of the ball - like forehead through the sensing area of the fibers 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 is marked by letters b , b ′ in fig2 and 22 . once the jet is fully positioned in the sensing area of the fibers , i . e . spreads through the entire aperture of the fibers 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , the signal is saturated . this stage is marked by letters c , c ′ in fig2 and 22 . once the valve or another mechanism controlling the dispensing is closed , the supply of liquid to the nozzle discontinues and the jet narrows down as shown in fig1 d . this results in a signal drop . by comparison to the signal rising slope , the rate of this signal drop is usually relatively slow . this stage is marked by letters d , d ′ in fig2 and 22 . finally , the jet breaks away from the nozzle . this is seen in the signal stage marked by letters e , e ′ in fig2 and 22 . the process of separation of the jet from the nozzle often has somewhat random character and often minute droplets are formed at the location where the jet is separated from the nozzle 1 . sometimes , these tiny droplets may return back to the nozzle , i . e . they may travel in the direction opposite to the jet . in some cases they follow the main jet as separate droplets and in some cases they travel faster than the main jet and therefore , catch up with the jet tail . these processes can be seen from spurious signal , small signal peaks , etc as marked by letters e , e ′ in fig2 and 22 . it should be stressed that if the droplet is not in the state a - a , i . e . it does not form the continuous jet but is rather in the state b - b when passing in front of the optical fibers 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , it can still leave the output trace similar to the one shown in fig2 , 22 . this will be true provided that several sub - droplets appear simultaneously in the sensing area of the two optical fibers coupled to each other , e . g . fibers 13 and 15 . if sub - droplets pass the sensing area one - by - one and the time constant of the amplifiers 25 and 26 is sufficiently short to detect passing of the individual droplets , then the dependency of the signal will be as shown in fig2 . this figure shows the segment of jet separated into three separate sub - droplets passing in front of the optical fiber . in this case the sensing area of the fiber is reduced to capture just a single droplet at a time . the size of the sensing area of the fibers depends of the numerical aperture of the fibers and the separation between their ends . this is schematically shown in fig2 . the size of the sensing area can be increased if the separation between the ends of the fibers is increased or if the fibers with greater numerical aperture are used . this will be clear to those skilled in fiber optics . the numerical aperture of the fibers 13 and 15 is indicated schematically by letters α 1 and α 2 . the size of the sensing area is indicated by the numeral 40 . line 41 indicates the trajectory of the passing jet . the separations from the ends of the fibers 13 and 15 to the line 41 are indicated by the letters d 1 and d 2 . four embodiments of the method for measurement of the droplet volume are described below . these embodiments are described in relation to the droplet in the state a - a . further we also make reference to the droplet in the state b - b and indicate that under certain conditions the same method can applied to such droplets . the first embodiment of the method is based on measurement of the jet length l j . it is explained with reference to fig2 . at a relatively short distance away from the nozzle the jet in the typical volume range of interest to the field of the invention can be represented as a cylindrical segment . the diameter of the jet 2 r 0 ( twice the radius ) is typically essentially equivalent to the inner diameter ( 2 r ) ( twice the radius ) of the nozzle and it is uniform throughout the length of the jet segment . we shall explain later what defines the difference between the diameter of the jet 2 r 0 and the inner diameter of the nozzle 2 r . then the cross - sectional area of the jet is πr 0 2 . therefore the volume of the jet is substantially equal to v j = l j πr 0 2 . the length of the jet segment l j can be measured from the signal at the output of the phase sensitive detectors 25 and 26 : l j = v j t j . here t j is the time required for the jet segment to pass in front of the optical fiber , e . g . fiber 14 or fiber 13 and v j is the velocity of the jet . the velocity of the jet can be calculated from the time delay t f - f between the fronts a and a ′ and the separation l f - f between sensing areas of the optical fibers 13 and 14 . for example , if the separation between the fibers is l f - f = 2 mm and the time t f - f is 10 − 3 sec , then the velocity v j = l f - f / t f - f = 2 m / sec . the values of t f - f and t j are schematically indicated in fig2 . it is therefore one of the findings of the present invention that the velocity of the jet forehead can fairly represent velocity of the entire jet . to measure the values of t f - f and t j one could e . g . differentiate the signal from the phase sensitive detector . the differentiated signal peaks up at the rising and also the falling front . this allows to determine accurately the timing of the rising and the falling front and therefore the values of t f - f and t j . we shall not expand on this issue any further as it will be known to those skilled in the art of electronics . the second embodiment of the method is explained with reference to fig2 . the measurement is based on the signal from the output of a single phase sensitive detector 26 . the signal from the second phase sensitive detector 25 is not required for this embodiment . therefore this embodiment is based on just one set of fibers , e . g . 15 and 13 ( or equally , fibers 14 and 16 ), one light source and one light detector . the jet velocity is measured using a signal slope . for example if the sensing area of the fiber 15 l s is 1 mm and the time of the signal rise t r is 30 × 10 − 5 sec , then the jet velocity is v j = l s / t r = 3 . 3 m / sec . the jet length l j is determined as above using the value of the time t j . the values of t r and t j are schematically indicated in fig2 . again we do not discuss the methods for the extraction of the values of t r and t j from the signal profile . the extraction could be achieved by means of analogue circuits , e . g . integrating and differentiating circuits or by means of conversion of the signal into digital form and then processing it . these will be well known to those skilled in the art . it should be stressed that the droplet may split into a train of sub - droplets ( quasi - cylindrical ) and it can still produce a signal when passing in front of the optical fibers 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 at the phase sensitive detectors 25 , 26 as if it were a continuous jet segment . this is provided that a number of such sub - droplets appear in the sensing area of the fibers simultaneously . this observation forms one of the key aspects and unexpected findings of the present invention . such a state of the droplet is called in the invention state b - b . in fact in the experiments presented in fig8 - 22 , the droplet passes the sensing area of the first set of fibers 16 and 14 as a continuous jet , i . e . in the state a - a and the sensing area of the second set of fibers 15 and 13 the jet passes in the state b - b . we have established this experimentally using a high speed camera where the evolution of the droplet was studied at different distances away from the nozzle . this observation is also broadly consistent with the formula which gives the distance traveled by the droplet in the state a - a as l a - a = t breakup v j , v j being the droplet velocity . the formula gives the values of l a - a in the range of 2 - 5 mm meaning that the transition from the state a - a into the state b - b happens around the second set of fibers 13 and 15 . the invention demonstrates that such a transition does not affect the signal too much although the accuracy of measurements is somewhat compromised . this is well illustrated by data presented in fig8 - 22 . the signal from the channel 2 ( phase sensitive detector 26 ) generally mimics rather closely the signal from the channel 1 ( phase sensitive detector 25 ). however , the signal of the channel 2 is noisier and for some dispensing volumes it may contain spurious peaks . in our experiment the size of the sensing area of the fibers is some 2 mm in diameter . generally for the droplets ejected from the nozzle of 150 micron internal diameter there are some 3 - 4 droplets appearing in the sensing area at any given moment during the dispensing . this is because the separation between the sub - droplets in this case is some only 0 . 6 - 0 . 8 mm . the third embodiment of the method is also based on the signal from the output of a single phase sensitive detector , e . g . detector 26 . in this method velocity of the jet is measured by means of the time delay t d between the start of the dispensing and the moment when the jet &# 39 ; s forehead is detected by the detector 26 . the velocity v j is then measured as v j = l d / l t where l d is the distance between the end of the nozzle 1 and the upper part of the sensing area of the fiber , i . e . that part of the sensing area that is closer to the end of the nozzle 1 . the length l j of the jet is defined from the value of time t j as in the second embodiment . if the distance l d is not known , then the embodiment could be altered as follows as explained with reference to fig2 . the signal from the phase - sensitive detector is measured for a given position of the nozzle . this is represented by the curve f in fig2 . then the nozzle is displaced essentially along the direction of the jet trajectory by a certain distance δd . the identical jet is then dispensed again and the signal is recorded for the second time . this is represented by the curve f ′. the two curves are essentially identical curves and one of them being merely displaced along the x - axis of the graph in fig2 . fig2 shows the case when the nozzle was displaced away from the fiber for the second dispensing indicated by the curve f ′. letter s in fig2 indicates the start of the dispensing . for clarity of the sketch we also displaced the two curves along the y - axis . the scales along the two axes are in arbitrary units . the time interval between the two signals δ 6 t is then extracted from the curves . the jet velocity is calculated as v j = δd / δt . the length of the jet is calculated as described above using the value of t j and the jet velocity v j . the disadvantage of this embodiment is that dispensing of two jets is required to determine the droplet volume . therefore , strictly speaking this approach can not be used for real - time measurements of the droplet volume . the final embodiment of the method is related to very small droplets that can not be fairly represented by cylindrical segment of a jet . in contrast such droplet can be represented by the sphere - like shape . in this case the signal is not saturated as shown in fig2 and the droplet volume can be estimated according to the following formula : where s ( t ) is an output signal ( normalized and conditioned in a suitable way ), ks is scaling factor . typically this embodiment is suitable for very small droplets with the volume below 100 nl but clearly the volume depends on the diameter of the nozzle . the scaling factor ks can be determined from the calibration of the device using a separate volume measurements device , e . g . micro balance . here we present experimental results on comparison of the accuracy of the first and second embodiments described above . these are marked by the symbols emb 1 and emb 2 . for comparison we also presented results of direct volume measurements using microbalance . the latter is marked by the symbol vol mb . for these experiments we developed dedicated software . the software integrates and controls spot - on ™ dispenser , agilent oscilloscope used for data acquisition and storage , and sartorius mc5 microbalance . the experimental setup allows simultaneous dispensation and measurement of the volume of each separate droplet by volume measurements device according to the first and second embodiments . it also measures the volume dispensed using the gravimetric method and microbalance . representative results obtained are given in fig2 and 29 . the tests have been performed for distilled water dispensed by two different dispensing pressures . the droplet velocity is proportional to the dispensing pressure . fig2 represents the ejection at the pressure of 1400 mbar and fig2 represents ejection at the pressure 2000 mbar . each point in the chart represents an average of three consecutive measurements for the certain requested volume . table 2 . average error for two tested embodiments for volume range : 300 nl - 3000 nl . it will be understood that the invention does not need to be used with the nozzles of cylindrical shape . if the nozzle is not of cylindrical shape , then in the formulas for the droplet volume we need to substitute the cross - sectional area of the nozzle instead of the value πr 2 . furthermore , it should be noted that the diameter of the jet in the state a - a is not necessarily equal to the inner diameter of the nozzle even though the two values are usually rather close . in the results presented in fig2 and 29 the diameter of the jet was calculated to be 0 . 180 mm whereas the internal diameter of the nozzle was 0 . 152 mm . our experiments suggest that the diameter of the jet is in between the values of the inner and outer diameters of the nozzle . the greater is the jet velocity ; the closer is the diameter of the jet to the inner diameter of the nozzle . the difference between the inner diameter and the jet diameter also depends on the surface tension a of the liquid dispensed . therefore in general when using the embodiments 1 , 2 , 3 of the method for the droplet measurements described above , it is beneficial to evaluate the diameter of the jet on the basis of the direct volume calibration . fig3 shows element of another possible embodiment of the device 9 . it shows the positions of the optical fibers 13 , 14 , 15 and 16 . all the other elements of the device are similar to the ones described with reference to fig4 . in this case the ends of the fibers 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 are aligned substantially along the pathway of the jet . the fig3 shows the embodiment then they are actually aligned parallel to the pathway of the jet . it should be appreciated that the fibers could also form angle with the pathway of the jet as shown in fig3 . the ends of the fibers are cut in such a way that they form surface tilted with respect to its axis . the end of the fiber is treated so that it forms a preferably reflective surface marked by numeral 30 . methods of achieving reflective surface at the end of the fiber are well known to those skilled in the art and therefore will not be discussed here in further detail . fig3 shows embodiment when the fibers 13 and 14 are positioned on one side of the nozzle 1 and the fibers 15 , 16 are directly on the opposite side . this is done only for the simplicity of the figure . one could readily design embodiments where the axes of the fibers e . g . 13 , 15 and the axis of the nozzle ( the pathway of the jet ) are not in the same plane . furthermore , the all the fibers 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 do not need to be positioned the same distance away from the nozzle . this is done merely for simplicity of the fig3 and 31 . the light from the fiber 15 is coupled into the fiber 13 via the jet meaning that the amount of light coupled is altered when the jet is passing in the vicinity of the ends of the fibers . the same applies to the fibers 16 and 14 : the light from the fiber 16 is coupled into the fiber 14 via the jet . the presence of the reflective surfaces at the ends of the fibers 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 increases the efficiency of the coupling . the operation of this embodiment is similar to the one described with reference to fig3 . those skilled in the art of electronics measurements equipment will readily appreciate that the phase - sensitive detectors do not have to be used . one could readily device the embodiment of the device with other types of amplifiers . it should be further stressed that the wavelength of light coupled into the fibers 15 and 16 could be different . this increases the complexity of the system but reduces the cross - talk between the pairs of fibers so that the signal coupled into the fiber 14 from the fiber 15 as well as the signal coupled into the fiber 13 from the fiber 15 is minimized . those skilled in the art of fiber optics will appreciate that for this the filters need to be used . for example , if the light coupled into the fibers 15 and 16 is at the wavelengths λ 1 and λ 2 then band - pass filters could be installed at the output of the fibers 13 and 14 that transmit the light at the wavelengths λ 1 and λ 2 respectively . this ensures for example that the light from the fiber 15 is coupled into the fiber 13 but not into the fiber 14 . it should be noticed that embodiment of the device could be constructed in which detection of the droplet takes place simultaneously for several angles θ . this increases complexity of the instrument but in some cases may lead to improved accuracy and robustness of the droplet measurements . for example , embodiment could be constructed having two fibers 14 ′ and 14 ″ coupled to the fiber 16 . the angle θ between the fibers 16 and 14 ′ could be 180 ° and the angle θ between the fibers 16 and 14 ″ could be 90 °. clearly , other values of the angles could be chosen . in this case two sets of amplifiers and filters may need to be used . this could be marked with numerals 21 ′, 21 ″, 23 ′, 23 ″, 25 ′, 25 ″. in the specification , the terms “ comprise , comprises , comprised and comprising ” or any variation thereof and the term “ include , includes , included and including ” or any variation thereof are considered to be totally interchangeable and they should be afforded the widest possible interpretation . it will be understood that the present invention is not limited to the objects and embodiments described herein but may be varied both in construction and detail within the scope of the claims .	1
the present invention is a musical effect controller and system for electric guitars that allows a musician to dynamically control a musical effect generator without disrupting the musician &# 39 ; s play or stage performance . fig1 illustrates the musical effect controller and system of the present invention , which includes a special guitar pick 2 used in conjunction with an electric guitar 4 , a musical effect generator 6 , an amplifier 8 and a speaker 10 . the electric guitar 4 includes an electric guitar pickup 12 located below guitar strings 14 . vibrations in the guitar strings 14 provide a signal voltage a , which is carried by cable 16 ( and common ground cable 18 ) from the guitar 4 to the musical effect generator 6 . the musical effect generator 6 modifies signal a according to a signal received by input port 7 , and then passes modified signal a to the amplifier 8 and speaker 10 . pick 2 includes a substantially rigid guitar pick member 20 ( preferably made of plastic or wood ) and a force sensing device 22 attached to one of the faces 24 of pick member 20 . the force sensing device 22 is preferably attached to pick face 24 by a pressure sensitive adhesive or tape , or by silk screening . the force sensing device 22 accurately senses external forces applied thereto , which is measured by the musical effect generator 6 via cable 26 ( and common ground cable 18 ). the force sensing device 22 is illustrated in fig2 a and 2b , and includes one or more bottom support members 30 that attach to pick member 20 , contact leads 32 and 34 ( with interleaved arm portions 33 and 35 respectively ) on support member 30 , a layer of pressure sensitive material 36 overlaying the contact leads 32 / 34 , at least one top flexible support member 38 overlaying the pressure sensitive material 36 , and a layer of soft compressible material 40 overlaying the top support member 38 . contact leads 32 and 34 are attached to cables 26 and 18 respectively . in a static state , the pressure sensitive material 36 offers a high resistance between contact leads 32 and 34 . as pressure on the force sensing device 22 increases ( i . e . an external force applied by the musician ), the electrical resistance of force sensing device 22 decreases because the pressure sensitive material 36 increases its conduction of electricity between leads 32 and 34 in a repeatable , and preferably linear , fashion . the layer of compressible material 40 protects the contact leads 32 / 34 and pressure sensitive material 36 , as well as provides the musician with tactile feedback . it should be noted that the contact leads 32 / 34 can overlay layer 36 , instead of layer 36 overlaying contact leads 32 / 34 as illustrated in fig2 a / b . the pressure sensitive material 36 must provide a repeatable , and preferably linear , resistance versus pressure relationship between leads 32 and 34 . several types of pressure sensitive materials work well for layer 36 of force sensing device 22 . one type of material is a semiconductor material having a smooth surface facing contact leads 32 / 34 , wherein the smooth surface provides a multiplicity of microprotrusions for contacting the contact leads 32 / 34 . an example of this material is an acrylic resin with molybdenum disulfide particulate having particle sizes on the order of one to ten microns . such a material is disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 314 , 227 , which is incorporated herein by reference . as pressure on layer 36 increases , the number of microprotrusions making contact with the contact leads 32 / 34 also increases , thus increasing the conductivity between contact leads 32 / 34 via layer 36 . this type of force sensing device is available from interlink electronics , camarillo , calif . fig3 illustrates the change in resistance with the change in applied force for this type of force sensing device . another type of pressure sensitive material ideal for layer 36 of force sensing device 22 is a pressure sensitive ink or paint as described in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 503 , 031 , which is incorporated herein by reference . such an ink or paint has a resistivity which varies inversely with the application of pressure thereto . examples of pressure sensitive inks / paints include carbon - impregnated rubber materials , fibers impregnated with conducting particles , foamed materials impregnated with conductive materials or finely divided or granulated carbon . the resistance range of the ink / paint layer is further determined by the contact area and layer thickness , as well as the amount of conductive material used to form the ink / paint . this type of force sensing device is available from force imaging technologies , chicago , ill . in operation , the resistance of force sensing device 22 is determined by the force applied on pick 2 by the musician . the musical effect generator 6 measures the electrical resistance of force sensing device 22 via cables 26 and 18 , and changes the desired musical effect on music signal a accordingly . the musician changes the force applied to pick 2 to change the musical effect induced by musical effect generator 6 on the music outputed by speaker 10 . fig4 a and 4b illustrate signal conditioning circuits that can be used to measure the resistance of force sensing device 22 , or to interface the force sensing device 22 with the electrical circuitry of musical generator 6 . these circuits have two important design objectives for the force sensing device 22 : 1 ) to share a common ground with the guitar signal voltage , and 2 ) to limit the current through the force sensing device 22 to 1ma per square centimeter of sensor area . fig4 a shows a representative embodiment of a control voltage circuit 42 , which includes resistors 44 and a non - inverting amplifier 46 . circuit 42 uses the change in resistance from the force sensing device 22 to adjust the gain of the non - inverting amplifier 46 . the change in gain of the amplifier 44 generates a change in the output voltage c of the control voltage circuit 42 , which is related to the force the musician exerts on the pick 2 . this output voltage c can then be used to control the parameters of musical effect generator 6 . fig4 b illustrates a control resistance circuit 50 which is similar to control voltage circuit 42 of fig4 but further includes resistor 52 , led 54 , diode 55 and photocell 56 . control resistance circuit 50 produces an output d that has a change in resistance related to the pressure applied to the force sensing device 22 by the musician . voltage c is connected to a resistor 52 and led 54 , which produces a light intensity f . the led 54 is situated in close proximity to the photocell 56 . changes in light intensity f will initiate a change in resistance in the photocell 56 which can be used to control the parameters of musical effect generator 6 . control resistance circuit 50 is ideal for retrofitting existing control circuitry that use a potentiometer to control the musical effect parameters . the control circuits 42 / 50 of fig4 a and 4b are illustrative of the types of control circuits that can be used with the present invention . circuits 42 or 50 can be part of musical effect generator 6 , or placed between pick / guitar 2 / 4 and musical effect generator 6 along cables 16 / 18 / 26 . however , one advantage of the present invention is that no control circuits may be necessary to operate the musical effect generator 6 and obtain the desired results . the force sensing device 22 can be placed directly in any existing circuitry in place of a potentiometer that is used to control the musical effect parameters . fig5 illustrates a self contained musical effect generator 6 that incorporates the control resistance circuit 50 of fig4 b , and is fitted with an active volume control circuit 70 for controlling the volume of the guitar signal sent to the amplifier 8 and speaker 10 based upon the pressure applied to the force sensing device 22 . the self contained musical effect generator includes a housing 72 , a standard input stereo jack 74 , the control circuit 70 , and a standard output mono jack 76 . cables 16 / 18 / 26 are combined into a single stereo cable 17 ( having two signal wires 16 / 26 and a common ground wire 18 used by both the guitar pickup 12 and force sensing device 22 ). cable 17 terminates in a single standard stereo plug 78 that plugs into the input stereo jack 74 . when plug 78 is plugged into jack 74 , cable 26 is connected to the first op - amp 46 , which is utilized as a non - inverting amplifier that increases the current flow through the led 54 as increased pressure is applied to the force sensing device 22 . cable 16 is connected to a second op - amp 80 , which is utilized as a non - inverting amplifier that amplifies the guitar signal . the amplification gain increases as the photocell 56 resistance decreases due to increased light emissions from the led 54 . the output of the control circuit 70 is connected to the mono jack 76 . a mono cable 82 ( having a single signal wire and a ground wire ) has one end plugged into the output jack 76 via a standard mono plug 84 , and the other end connected to the amplifier 8 . therefore , the musician can control the volume level of the modified guitar signal by changing the pressure applied on the force sensing device 22 . examples of other control circuits that can be used instead of volume control circuit 70 include control circuits that modify properties such as the frequency response , envelope characteristics , echo , reverberation and distortion . fig6 illustrates an alternate embodiment of the present invention , where the force sensing device 22 is mounted on a clip 58 , which removably snaps onto pick member 20 using an opposing elastic clip member 60 . this allows the musician to change pick sizes or replace broken pick members 20 without having to purchase a new force sensing device 22 . alternately , an adhesive or tape can be used to semi - permanently attach the force sensing device 22 to pick member 20 so that these two elements can be separated when pick member 20 needs replacing . fig7 a and 7b illustrate another embodiment of the present invention , where the force sensing device 20 is mounted on a substantially rigid member 62 , so that the force sensing device 20 can be placed in the palm of the musician &# 39 ; s hand 64 for use independent of the pick member 20 . this allows the musician to fully decouple the picking of the strings from the actuation of the force sensing device 22 . it is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above and illustrated herein , but encompasses any and all variations falling within the scope of the appended claims . for example , it is within the scope of the present invention not to interleave contact leads 32 / 34 , but instead form these contact leads out of flat layer materials , where flat contact leads in the form of layers 70 / 72 are disposed with the pressure sensitive material 36 sandwiched therebetween , as illustrated in fig8 . further , musical effect generator 6 , amplifier 8 and speaker 10 can be combined as a single unit device . in addition , the present musical effect controller can be used to operated other electrical stringed instruments . finally , output jack 76 need not be a mono jack , but rather could be a stereo jack with mono or stereo output signal ( s ).	6
referring to fig1 a conventional electrical conduit 10 is shown . conduits of the type known in the art typically include an outer tubular jacket which surrounds insulated electrical conductors . the outer jacket may be formed of a wide variety of materials including both insulative and conductive materials . in the present illustrative embodiment , conduit 10 is a flexible metallic conduit including an outer metallic jacket 14 and plural insulated electrical conductors 12 extending therethrough . outer jacket 14 includes successively longitudinally spaced helical convolutions 14a spaced apart a given distance s 1 . the convolutions of outer jacket 14 provide for increased flexibility of conduit 10 . in certain other conduit constructions , conduit 10 may include an inner intermediate jacket such as that shown at 16 , formed of insulative material positioned between outer jacket 14 and conductors 12 . in typical residential or commercial construction , the conductors 12 of conduit 10 are terminated within an electrical junction box 18 . a terminated end extent 15 of conduit 10 is inserted into box 18 through knockout opening 18a so that the conductors 12 may be terminated to an appropriate termination device such as an electrical receptacle ( not shown ) supported within junction box 18 . it is well - known in the electrical connection art to employ a conduit connector or fitting to securely retain the terminated end extent 15 of conduit 10 within junction box 18 . such conduit connectors are attachable to the junction box about the knock - out opening and support the end of the conduit thereat . the present invention provides an improved conduit connector 20 , which is shown in fig2 - 5 . connector 20 of the present invention includes an elongate connector body 22 which has a generally hollow cylindrical shape and includes a conduit receiving end 24 and an opposed conductor egressing end 26 . conduit body 22 defines a conduit receiving passage 28 between ends 24 and 26 . the conductor egressing end 26 of body 22 includes a generally circular opening 26a through which conductors 12 may extend . in order to prevent abrasive engagement of the insulated conductors 12 with the metallic edge defining circular opening 26a , a plastic insulative throat 34 may be situated therein . in conventional fashion conduit 10 is inserted into conduit connector 20 through conduit receiving end 24 . conduit 10 is inserted such that a forward edge 14b of outer jacket 14 abuts against insulative throat 34 . conductors 12 extending from conduit 10 extend through conductor egressing end 26 and through circular throat 34 . positioned in this manner , terminated end extent 15 of conduit 10 resides within passage 28 of body 22 . connector body 22 is formed from a flat metal blank which is stamped and formed into the configuration shown in fig2 . the resulting connector body 22 includes upper and lower relatively movable connector halves 22a and 22b which are movable in a clam - shell fashion about the pivot formed by conduit receiving end 24 . the conductor egressing end 26 of body 22 includes raised upper and lower lips 30 and 32 . in conventional fashion body 22 may be inserted into knockout opening 18a of junction box 18 ( fig1 ) by squeezing the upper and lower halves 22a and 22b of body 22 together . once inserted within the opening , the body 22 may be radially expanded , in a manner which will be described in further detail hereinbelow so that the lips bear against the inside wall 18b of junction box 18 about knockout opening 18a so as to support conduit connector 20 within the opening . referring to fig2 - 4 , conduit connector 20 further includes a conduit engaging saddle 36 supported within passage 28 of connector body 22 . saddle 36 is an elongate member having a slight arcuate configuration which is engagable with outer jacket 14 ( fig1 ) of conduit 10 upon termination of conduit 10 within connector 20 . saddle 36 is supported to connector body 22 by an externally threaded screw 38 in a manner which will be described in further detail hereinbelow . screw 38 extends through an aperture 39 which is centrally located through upper half 22a of body 22 . a raised annular collar 39a of body 22 defines aperture 39 . saddle 36 is movable in the direction of arrow &# 34 ; a &# 34 ; ( fig3 ) by the actuation of screw 28 for movement into engagement with conduit 10 inserted within connector body 22 . in normal use , the conductor egressing end 26 of body 22 is inserted into the knockout opening 18a of junction box 18 ( fig1 ). the resilient action of the upper and lower halves 22a and 22b of body 22 permits the body to be inserted into the knockout opening 18a by compressing the halves together . the upper and lower lips 30 and 32 will spring back against the inner wall 18b of junction box 18 about knockout opening 18 to loosely support the conduit 10 and connector 20 within the opening of the junction box . in order to securely retain the connector 20 and conduit 10 within the opening 18a , screw 38 is tightened so that the saddle 36 becomes firmly engaged with the outer jacket 14 of conduit 10 supported therein . continued screw tightening of screw 38 clamps the outer jacket 14 of conduit 10 between a lower interior surface 40 of body 22 and an inwardly - facing surface 42 of saddle 36 . further additional screw tightening of screw 38 , with the conduit 10 clamped within the body 22 , forces the upper and lower body halves 22a and 22b apart expanding conduit connector 20 to a point where upper and lower lips 30 and 32 are placed in tight firm engagement with the periphery of opening 18a of junction box 18 . thus , the tightening of screw 38 both secures the conduit 10 within the body 22 of connector 20 and secures the conduit connector 20 within the opening 18a of junction box 18 . in order to provide for increased resistance against axial pullout of conduit 10 from connector 20 , the present invention provides a plurality of inwardly directed lances 43 extending from a lower interior surface 40 of body 22 . lances 43 are positioned in transverse and longitudinal spaced apart relationship and extend for engagement with the outer jacket 14 of conduit 10 lances 43 are angled upwardly toward conductor engagement end 26 of body 22 . the longitudinal spacing of lances 43 are such that they equal the spacing s 1 between the individual convolutions 14a of outer jacket 14 ( fig1 ). further , the lances 43 extend outwardly from lower interior surface 40 a vertical distance which substantially equals the depth of the convolution 14a . thus , the lances will have a tendency to reside between the convolutions 14a upon tightening of saddle 36 onto outer jacket 14 . the lances 43 extended inwardly at an angle with respect to the longitudinal axis of connector 20 so that upon tightening of the saddle 36 the lances will have a tendency to ride over the raised rounded peaks of convolutions 14a and into the valleys 14b between adjacent convolutions . the position and location of the lances 43 and their engagement with jacket 14 between convolutions 14a helps resist axial pullout ( arrow &# 34 ; b &# 34 ;) of conduit 10 from connector 20 once the connector and conduit are firmly attached to junction box 18 . in a similar fashion the inwardly - facing surface 42 of saddle 36 may also include a pair of longitudinally spaced lances 44 which are also spaced a distance apart which is a multiple of s 1 so that lances 44 will reside within valleys 14b the convolutions 14a of outer jacket 14 . lances 44 are provided for secondary axial securement of conduit 10 . the primary resistance to axial pullout is provided by lances 43 of body 22 . thus , the directional orientation of lances 44 of saddle 36 is not as critical as that of lances 43 . accordingly , in the embodiment shown herein , the lances 44 extend in opposite mutually - facing directions . this allows the saddle 36 to be inserted into body 22 in either direction during manufacture . also , lances 44 are staggered longitudinally with respect to lances 43 to provide engagement with the helically extending convolutions 14a . a further feature of the present invention is shown particularly with respect to fig3 and 4 . as mentioned above , the saddle 36 is attached to a distal end of screw 38 . in prior art practices the saddle would be attached to screw 38 by swaging or staking the end of the screw to the saddle . such securement technique would require access to the interior of the formed connector in order to assemble the saddle to the screw . such assembly requirements complicate the manufacturing process making assembly of the connector more difficult and costly . the present invention provides a simplified method of securing screw 38 to saddle 36 by providing a specially manufactured screw design . screw 38 of the present invention is an elongate member having a head 50 at one end and an externally threaded shaft 52 extending therefrom . the shaft 52 includes an upper shaft section 54 adjacent head 50 and a lower shaft section 56 adjacent the distal end 51 of screw 38 . the upper shaft section 54 includes external threads including a self - tapping thread at the end thereof which will tap through aperture 39 of body 22 of connector 20 . the lower shaft section 56 has a diameter which is reduced from the diameter of upper shaft section 54 and also includes a self - tapping thread which is designed to thread through an aperture 36a in saddle 36 . an unthreaded recessed section 58 of shaft 52 is provided between shaft sections 54 and 56 . unthreaded section 58 has a diameter less than that of lower shaft section 56 and is designed to capture and retain saddle 36 therein . the screw and the saddle are attached to body 22 of connector 20 in the following manner . appropriately sized drilled apertures 39 and 36a are placed respectively in body 22 and saddle 36 . the saddle 36 is inserted into body 22 through conduit receiving end 24 . the saddle 36 is held against the upper half 22a of body 22 by a mandrel ( not shown ) inserted therein . apertures 39 and 36a are held in general alignment . screw 38 is then driven into both components at the same time . the smaller diameter of lower shaft section 56 passes fully through aperture 39 of body 22 without interference . the self tapping threads on lower shaft section 56 then thread through aperture 36a of saddle 36 while at the same time the self - tapping threads of larger diameter upper shaft section 54 thread through aperture 39 . once the self tapping threads of lower shaft section 56 pass through aperture 36a , the saddle 36 will become captured within recessed section 58 between upper shaft section 54 and lower shaft section 56 . as the diameter of upper shaft section 54 is significantly larger than the aperture 36a in saddle 36 , the self - tapping thread on section 54 will not thread into aperture 36a . the saddle 36 has a thickness which is slightly smaller than the longitudinal extent of recessed section 58 so that the saddle is loosely captive between upper shaft section 54 and lower shaft section 56 . as may be appreciated , in order to effect assembly of saddle 36 to body 22 , it is only necessary to hold saddle 36 adjacent the upper half 22a of body 22 during the tapping assembly . there is no need to insert swaging tools within the connector to swage the end of screw 38 to captivate saddle 36 . thus , assembly time and cost is greatly reduced . various changes to the foregoing described and shown structures would now be evident to those skilled in the art . accordingly , the particularly disclosed scope of the invention is set forth in the following claims .	7
fig1 shows a partial oblique view of an embodiment of a 3 - dimensional integrated circuit for a liquid crystal display tv receiver according to the present invention . the integrated circuit is formed on a substrate 10 which is formed of an electrically insulating material , upon which are successively formed a plurality of active semiconductor layers 20a , 20b , 20c and 20d , and an acoustic surface wave element layer 32 together with shield layers 34 and 36 , these layers being mutually separated by thin films 30a to 30f formed of an electrically insulating material , which in this embodiment is silicon dioxide . the semiconductor material in each of the active semiconductor layers is silicon , in this embodiment . the lowest active semiconductor layer 20a is formed directly upon substrate 10 , and serves to constitute a tuner circuit 38 of the tv receiver . an insulating film 30a is formed over active semiconductor layer 20a , and a shield layer 34 consisting of an electrically conductive material is formed over this insulating film 30a , with another insulating film 30b being formed upon shield layer 34 . the acoustic surface wave element layer 32 is formed upon the insulating film 30b , and another insulating film 30c formed thereon . a second active semiconductor layer 20b is formed upon insulating film 30c . the i . f . amplifier and the video and audio demodulation and amplifier circuits of the tv receiver , collectively denoted by numeral 40 and collectively referred to hereinafter for brevity of description as the video / audio signal processing circuit , are formed in active semiconductor layer 20b . an insulating film 30d is formed upon active semiconductor layer 20b , and a shield layer 36 consisting of an electrically conductive material is formed over insulating film 30d . an insulating film 30e is formed upon shield layer 36 , and a third active semiconductor layer 20c is formed upon insulating film 30e . drive circuits 42 for driving a liquid crystal display panel of the tv receiver are formed in active semiconductor layer 20c . an insulating film 30f is formed over active semiconductor layer 20c , and a fourth active semiconductor layer 20d is formed upon insulating film 30c . in this embodiment the liquid crystal display panel is of active - matrix type , with each of the liquid crystal display elements being coupled to a corresponding active semiconductor control element , i . e . a transistor functioning as a switch . an array 44 of these display control elements is formed in the uppermost active semiconductor layer 20d , together with liquid crystal display element drive electrodes . a liquid crystal display panel 46 is formed directly upon active semiconductor layer 20d . the configuration of such a liquid crystal display panel is well known in the art , and detailed description of the panel will be omitted from the following . the set of layers 20a to 30d , i . e . which contain the video / audio signal processing circuit 40 and the tuner circuit 38 , will be designated as receiving circuit block 48 . the set of layers 30e to 46 , which contain liquid crystal display panel drive circuit 42 and the display control elements 44 , will be designated as display drive block 50 . the respective layers within the receiving circuit block 48 and display drive block 50 are mutually interconnected as required by means of through - hole connecting leads , as described hereinafter . a major problem which has arisen with prior art types of 3 - dimensional integrated circuit is that of non - uniformity of the characteristics of active elements such as transistors , within the active semiconductor layers , which makes it difficult to produce a suitable tuner circuit for a tv receiver in such a layer . it is essential that the active elements of a tuner circuit have a good performance in the vhf and uhf ranges , and hence must be formed of semiconductor material having a high degree of electron mobility , which is predictably uniform between the various elements . in the case of the present embodiment , the semiconductor layer 20a is formed from an epitaxial layer of silicon which is deposited directly upon the substrate 10 . this epitaxial layer is formed by initially depositing a layer of polycrystalline silicon , then performing recrystallization of that layer by melting the layer , through the application of a laser beam or electron beam . since this epitaxial silicon layer is not formed upon a seed crystal layer , in this embodiment , localized variations in the orientation of the main crystal axis will occur within that layer . this results in corresponding localized variations in electron mobility within the layer . these localized variations are made more severe if the semiconductor layer processed in this way has been formed upon a number of other previously formed layers , and hence is not formed upon a perfectly flat surface . for this reason , the tuner circuit in a 3 - dimensional integrated circuit for a tv receiver according to the present invention is preferably formed in the lowest of the semiconductor layers , i . e . in a layer which lies directly upon the substrate , or closely adjacent to the substrate . furthermore , the substrate should be very accurately formed with a precisely flat surface . in this embodiment therefore active semiconductor layer 20a , containing tuner circuit 38 , is formed directly upon substrate 10 . the localized variations in electron mobility referred to above are at a minimum within an epitaxial layer of recrystallized silicon which is formed directly upon an extremely flat substrate surface , and hence it becomes possible to form active elements such as transistors within that recrystallized layer which have satisfactory performance for operation in the uhf and vhf bands . it is equally possible to form a thin film of insulating material upon substrate 10 , and to form the silicon semiconductor layer 20a upon that thin film . even in that case , the advantage of forming layer 20a upon an accurately flat surface will be substantially retained . the substrate 10 is preferably formed of sapphire since use of this material will lead to reduced levels of parasitic capacitance associated with circuit elements in the tuner circuit 38 , thereby ensuring excellent performance in the vhf and uhf frequency bands . furthermore , use of a sapphire substrate has the advantage that when mos fets are formed in semiconductor layer 20a , the capacitances between the source of each transistor and substrate 10 , and between the drain electrode and substrate 10 , will be small . this enables high - speed operation and low power consumption to be attained for these mos fets . in addition , such an arrangement facilitates the formation of spiral inductors to provide concentrated inductance values for use in vhf and uhf circuit operation . such spiral inductors can be used for example in input / output matching circuits of the fets , or in tuned circuits . alternatively , the self - resonance of such spiral inductors can be employed to implement high - frequency chokes . the dimensional accuracy of connecting lead patterns for such spiral inductors is an extremely important factor with regard to the electrical characteristics of the inductors . however if this connecting lead pattern is implemented by forming a layer of a metal such as aluminum or molybdenum , or a silicide compound , upon a silicon layer lying upon a sapphire substrate ( i . e . on a silicon - on - sapphire or sos layer ), the pattern can be manufactured with a sufficiently high degree of dimensional accuracy . an acoustic surface wave element functioning as a comb filter , to serve as an i . f . filter between an output terminal of the tuner circuit 38 output and an input terminal of the the i . f . amplifier circuit , is formed in the acoustic surface wave element layer 32 , with the output signal produced from the tuner circuit 38 being passed through this comb filter to the input of the i . f . circuit in the video / audio signal processing circuit 40 . the tuner circuit 38 is screened from the video / audio signal processing circuit 40 by means of shield layer 34 , with the connection from the output of tuner circuit 38 to the comb filter in acoustic surface wave element layer 32 being accomplished by a through - hole connecting lead ( described hereinafter ) passing through layers 30a and 34 . the acoustic surface wave element layer consists of a thin film of a piezoelectric material which is formed upon a layer of silicon serving as a substrate . the piezoelectric layer can be formed on the silicon substrate by a method such as sputtering deposition , vacuum - evaporative deposition , or a vapor deposition method . if a surface wave is transmitted across the surface of a relatively thick plate of a piezoelectric material , then the energy of the surface wave will be concentrated within a region which extends from the latter surface of the piezoelectric plate down to a depth of approximately one wavelength of the surface travelling wave . for this reason , it is possible to utilize a thin film of piezoelectric material , deposited on a substrate formed of a non piezoelectric material , to implement a surface wave element . the thickness of this thin film should be made equal to approximately one wavelength of the surface travelling wave . in this way , the amount of piezoelectric material required to form surface wave elements can be considerably reduced , so that maunufacturing costs can be substantially lowered by comparison with the use of bulk piezoelectric material to form such elements . furthermore by forming a surface wave element in this way , the travelling wave propogation characteristics will be determined by the mutual relationship between the characteristics of the piezoelectric thin film and the non - piezoelectric substrate . thus , by using only one type of piezoelectric material , it is possible to alter such parameters as the travelling wave acoustic velocity , the center frequency of the surface wave element , and the temperature characteristic of the delay time of the element , merely by suitably varying the thickness of the piezoelectric thin film or by varying the type of material used for the substrate of the surface wave element . in addition , the effective electro - mechanical coupling factor of a comb filter which is implemented as such a surface wave element can be altered by varying the configuration of the comb electrodes or the thickness of the piezoelectric thin film . in this way an optimum value of the electro - mechanical coupling factor can be attained for a specific application . for this reason it becomes possible to attain a higher electro - mechanical coupling factor with such a piezoelectric thin film surface wave element than is possible with an element which is formed using a bulk piezoelectric substrate . suitable materials for the piezoelectric thin film are aluminum nitride or zinc oxide . a thin film formed from such a material displays a high surface wave velocity , and is suitable for high - frequency operation . such a piezoelectric thin film , deposited on a silicon substrate or a layer of silicon by a process such as sputtering , can be caused to vibrate in the rayleigh fundamental mode or in the sezawa mode . the sezawa mode has the advantage of providing a high value of phase velocity and a large coupling factor . it is preferable to form a layer of quartz upon the silicon layer , and form the piezoelectric thin film upon this quartz layer . this enables an improved temperature characteristic to be obtained , by suitably selecting the thickness of the quartz layer . in the embodiment of fig1 the acoustic surface wave element layer 32 is formed of a thin layer of a piezoelectric material which lies upon a layer of silicon dioxide , i . e . lies directly upon the insulating layer 30a which covers the tuner circuit layer 20a . however it would also be possible to form the tuner circuit semiconductor layer 20a upon the acoustic surface wave element layer 32 , and to form the acoustic surface wave element layer upon substrate 10 . in this case the thin film of piezoelectric material such as zinc oxide can be formed directly upon substrate 10 , and if substrate 10 is a sapphire substrate then this arrangement will have the advantage that a higher value of phase velocity for a surface wave element formed in acoustic surface wave element layer 32 . this will result in a higher acoustic velocity characteristic , and excellent coupling characteristics for such an element . it should be noted that such a piezoelectric thin film can be utilized not only to form filter elements , but also to form vibrator elements for high - frequency operation , control elements for a voltage - control oscillator , or a frequency control element of a local oscillator circuit of a double - superheterodyne receiver circuit . as stated , the uppermost of the active semiconductor layers , layer 20d , is used to form a matrix of switching elements to control individual display elements of the liquid crystal display panel 46 . it is preferable that these elements be formed in polycrystalline silicon , since better switching characteristics can be obtained then is possible with thin - film switching elements formed in an epitaxial layer of silicon . it is therefore not necessary to convert the polycrystalline silicon of layer 20d into an epitaxial layer by recrystallization . furthermore since layer 20d is the topmost of the active semiconductor layers , it is possible to form connecting leads in that layer from a material which has a low melting point , such as aluminum . in this way , the connecting leads between the various switching elements and the corresponding electrodes of display elements of liquid crystal display panel 46 can be formed of aluminum , as can the electrodes . these electrodes and connecting leads can thereby be formed upon the uppermost surface of the various semiconductor layers of the integrated circuit , i . e . the surface of layer 20d , and are configured to collectively function as a rear reflector for the liquid crystal display panel , to reflect incident light outward from the display panel and thereby enable an image to be displayed . the shield layer 34 , formed between the tuner circuit layer 20a and the acoustic surface wave element layer 32 serves to provide mutual isolation between the tuner circuit 38 and the i . f . amplifier circuit in video / audio signal processing circuit 40 , and hence to prevent the local oscillator signal produced by a local oscillator within tuner circuit 38 from leaking into the input stages of that i . f . amplifier . shield layer 34 also serves to prevent external radiation interference from leaking into the tuner circuit 38 . the liquid crystal display panel drive circuit 42 formed in layer 20c emits substantial amounts of electromagnetic radiation , due to the relatively large - amplitude pulses containing substantial high - frequency components ( i . e . extending from dc up to several mhz ) which are generated by this circuit . the shield layer 36 disposed between the display drive block 50 and the receiver circuit block 48 serves to effectively prevent such electromagnetic radiation from being transferred to the antenna of the receiver , or to the input stage of the i . f . amplifier circuit in the video / audio signal processing circuit 40 , which is a very high - gain amplifier stage . the provision of shield layer 36 between the display drive block 50 and the receiving circuit block 48 is a very important feature of a 3 - dimensional integrated circuit according to the present invention , and is essential for implementing a practicable tv receiver circuit in such an integrated circuit , since any pick - up by the circuits in the receiving circuit block of interference radiated from the display drive block can result in severe deterioration of the image and sound quality of the receiver . it is therefore necessary to form the liquid crystal display panel drive circuits in a block , consisting of one or more shielded layers , which is completely isolated from the receiving circuits . the most effective degree of shielding can be attained by completely surrounding each of the display drive block and the receiving circuit block with a thin metallic film . fig2 is a simplified block circuit diagram showing the overall circuit configuration of a liquid crystal display tv receiver , to illustrate the paths by which pulse noise that is radiated from the display drive block can leak into the receiver circuits . reference numeral 52 denotes a receiver antenna , numeral 54 a tuner unit , numeral 56 an i . f . amplifier , 58 a video signal circuit , 60 an audio signal circuit , 66 a liquid crystal display panel drive circuit , and 68 a liquid crystal display panel . numeral 51 denotes a receiving circuit block and 64 a display drive block . input of a broadcast tv signal is indicated by numeral 62 , while 70 indicates free - space electromagnetic radiation constituting pulse noise which is emitted from display drive block 64 and which induces interference in other layers of the integrated circuit . as shown , the radiated pulse noise can enter the antenna 52 , or into the high - gain input stages of the i . f . amplifier circuit 56 , the audio signal circuit 60 or the video signal circuit 58 . this will result in a severe deteriorated of receiver performance , and adversely affect the picture and sound quality . this danger of induced interference is the basic reason why a 3 - dimensional integrated circuit according to the present invention constituting a tv receiver is divided into an upper and a lower circuit block , with a shield layer provided therebetween . the shield layer is formed of an electrically conductive thin film . the material of the film can for example consist of a semiconductor layer into which a high density of n + or p + carriers has been diffused . alternatively , the shield layer can be formed of molybdenum , tungsten , or other high melting - point metal , or from a silicide compound such as molybdenum silicide . such a shielding layer should be formed between two layers formed of an electrically insulating material . fig3 shows a detailed partial cross - sectional view of the region of the 3 - dimensional integrated circuit embodiment of fig1 which lies immediately below and above the shield layer 34 . components corresponding to those of fig1 are denoted by identical reference numerals . numeral 76 denotes a through - hole connecting lead , numeral 74 a thin film of piezoelectric material which is utilized to form acoustic surface wave elements and numeral 78 a comb - shaped electrode which is an input electrode of an aooustic surface wave element functioning as an i . f . filter . numerals 84 , 82 , 80 and 86 respectively denote gate , drain and source electrodes and gate insulating layers of mos fets formed in active semiconductor layer 20a , i . e . active elements of the tuner circuit 38 . fig4 is a detailed partial cross - sectional view showing a region of the embodiment of fig1 lying immediately above and below shield layer 36 . components corresponding to those of fig1 are denoted by identical reference numerals . numerals 90 , 93 , 88 and 92 respectively denote gate , drain and source electrodes and gate insulating layers of mos fets formed in active semiconductor layer 20b , which form part of the video / audio signal processing circuit 40 . the output signals produced from video / audio signal processing circuit 40 are transferred through through - hole connecting leads such as through - hole connecting lead 77 , to the liquid crystal display panel drive circuit 42 formed in active semiconductor layer 20c . in the embodiment of the present invention described above , the tuner circuit 38 is formed in a semiconductor layer consisting of an epitaxial layer of silicon , which has been converted into that form from polycrystalline silicon by application of laser beam or electron beam processing to execute recrystallization . however due to the extremely high frequencies which must be processed by the tuner circuit of a tv receiver , an improved high - frequency performance can be obtained for the active elements of the tuner circuit if these are formed from gallium arsenide rather than silicon . this is due to the fact that there is a higher degree of electron mobility within gallium arsenide than within silicon . fig5 is a partial view of a second embodiment of a 3 - dimensional integrated circuit for a liquid crystal display tv receiver according to the present invention , in which the tuner circuit 38 is formed in an active semiconductor layer 98 consisting of gallium arsenide , rather than silicon as in the first embodiment . this embodiment of the invention further comprises an active semiconductor layer 102 consisting of a layer of polycrystalline silicon layer in which are formed circuits for producing various stabilized voltages and currents which are necessary in a practical tv receiver , such as bias voltages etc ., as well as various switching elements for control of operations such as switching between u . h . f and v . h . f operation of the tuner circuit 38 . it is advantageous to form all of these circuits within a single active semiconductor layer , and these circuits will be collectively referred to as the stabilized power source block 110 . polycrystalline silicon is a suitable semiconductor material for forming the circuit elements of the stabilized power source block 110 , and has the advantage that it is not necessary to apply high - temperature processing to form an epitaxial silicon layer as active semiconductor layer 102 , thereby simplifying the manufacturing process and reducing the danger of damage to circuit elements in the underlying layer 98 which have been previously formed . use of polycrystalline silicon layer as a semiconductor material also has the advantage of leading to higher device reliability and a higher manufacturing yield . however it would also be possible to convert this polycrystalline silicon layer layer into single - crystal , i . e . epitaxial form , if electron beam or laser beam melting and recrystallization processing is employed , as described for the first embodiment hereinabove . in this embodiment , the substrate 96 is preferably formed of silicon . an intermediate layer of germanium is formed between the substrate 96 and the gallium arsenide layer 98 . this intermediate layer of germanium is necessary due to the differences between the lattice constants and coefficients of thermal expansion of silicon and gallium arsenide , which make it difficult to grow an epitaxial layer of gallium arsenide directly upon a silicon surface . specifically , there is a difference of approximately 4 % between the lattice constants of silicon and gallium arsenide , and there is a difference of approximately 62 % between their respective coefficients of thermal expansion . two successive layers of insulating material , collectively designated by numeral 100 , are formed upon the gallium arsenide layer 98 . the lower of the insulating layers 100 consists of a strontium fluoride layer 108 , while the upper layer consists of a silicon dioxide layer 109 . the stabilized power source block 110 is formed in an active semiconductor layer 102 consisting of silicon , which is disposed upon the silicon dioxide layer 109 , while the various layers of the acoustic surface wave element layer , the receiving circuit block and the display drive block shown in the embodiment of fig5 are succesively formed over the stabilized power source block 110 . it should be noted that since circuits which are formed in some of the active semiconductor layers other than layer 98 are not required to operate at extremely high frequencies , these semiconductor layers can consist of polycrystalline silicon , as in the first embodiment of the invention described above . the germanium layer 104 is formed over substrate 96 by a process such as electron beam evaporative deposition for example , and serves as an intermediate layer between the silicon substrate 96 and the gallium arsenide layer . after forming the germanium layer 104 , gallium arsenide is formed thereon , by a process such as chemical vapor deposition , to form an epitaxial gallium arsenide layer 98 . this includes doped regions to form active elements such as transistors , and a tuner circuit 38 is formed therein . this gallium arsenide layer 98 is preferably formed by initially depositing upon the germanium layer a high - resistance layer of gallium arsenide which is doped with vanadium and serves as an insulating layer , and thereafter performing crystal growth of a non - doped gallium arsenide layer . it should be noted that in fig5 the combination of the high - resistance gallium arsenide insulating layer and the undoped gallium arsenide layer formed thereon is designated as the active semiconductor layer 98 . since gallium arsenide has extremely high electron mobility when used as a semiconductor material , excellent performance at very high frequencies is obtained for circuit elements in tuner circuit 38 operating in the uhf and vhf bands . an additional advantage of employing a gallium arsenide layer is that circuit elements can operate with a very low level of supply voltage , so that the overall power consumption of the tv receiver can be significantly reduced . the layer of strontium fluoride 108 is formed as an intermediate layer between the gallium arsenide layer 98 and the silicon dioxide layer 109 , and is preferably formed upon gallium arsenide layer 98 by evaporative deposition employing resistance heating . the reason for incorporation of the strontium fluoride layer is that it is difficult to form a stable silicon dioxide layer directly upon a gallium arsenide layer , due to the different physical properties of these materials . strontium fluoride is an electrically insulating material which belongs to the hexagonal group of crystalline materials . since the lattice constant of strontium fluoride is close to those of silicon , germanium and gallium arsenide , mutual epitaxial growth between strontium fluoride and silicon , germanium or gallium arsenide is possible . alternatively , it is possible to grow a layer of germanium upon a silicon substrate , and to then grow an epitaxial layer of gallium arsenide upon the germanium layer . if a layer of strontium fluoride is utilized , as in the present embodiment , it should preferably be deposited as a thin film by evaporative deposition , to a thickness of approximately 1000 angstroms or less . it is also preferable that the silicon dioxide layer 109 be formed by a chemical vapor deposition process . in addition to providing electrical insulation , the insulating layer 100 formed of strontium fluoride layer 108 and silicon dioxide layer 109 also serves to provide thermal insulation . this is necessary due to the fact that various problems can arise if heat ( i . e . that generated during the processing of circuit elements in semiconductor layers disposed above the insulating layer 100 ) is transferred unevenly to the substrate 96 through the active semiconductor layers 98 and 102 . such uneven thermal transfer can occur as a result of localized differences in thickness of the layers through which the heat is transmitted to the substrate . since silicon dioxide has a low coefficient of thermal transfer , the silicon dioxide layer 109 produces a more even distribution of heat transfer to substrate 96 . in addition , the insulating layer 100 serves to provide protect the circuit elements formed in active semiconductor layer 98 against the effects of heat transferred from upper layers of the i . c . during processing of these layers . it may be possible to eliminate the germanium layer 104 , and to execute crystal growth of the gallium arsenide constituting semiconductor layer 21 directly upon the silicon substrate 96 , by employing a chemical vapor deposition method . this can be performed by first cleaning the surface of the substrate 96 by thermal processing , then instituting growth of a thin film of gallium arsenide upon that surface at a low temp ( approximately 450 ° c . ), and then performing growth of a gallium arsenide layer upon the latter thin film , at the normal temp for such growth ( i . e . approximately 700 ° to 750 ° c .). such a process can be utilized to form a high - quality layer of gallium arsenide . fig6 is a partial view of the lower region of a third embodiment of a 3 - dimensional integrated circuit for a liquid crystal display tv receiver , in which a gallium arsenide layer is again utilized as an active semiconductor layer in which are formed the circuit elements of the tuner circuit 38 of the receiver . in the embodiment of fig6 a layer of polycrystalline silicon constituting the lowest active semiconductor layer 102 is formed directly upon substrate 96 , with circuit elements of stabilized power source block 110 being formed in that layer . as in the embodiment of fig5 the substrate 96 is of silicon , with the silicon semiconductor layer 102 being formed directly thereon . a silicon dioxide layer 109 is formed over the silicon active semiconductor layer 102 , upon which is formed a layer of strontium fluoride 108 , with layers 108 and 109 constituting an insulating layer 101 . a germanium layer 104 is formed upon the strontium fluoride 108 , and a gallium arsenide layer 98 , utilized as an active semiconductor layer in which is formed a tuner circuit 38 , is formed over germanium layer 104 . in each of the embodiments of fig5 and 6 described above , it is very important that the direction of crystal growth of the gallium arsenide constituting the active semiconductor layer 98 be carefully controlled , to produce a suitable epitaxial layer of gallium arsenide in which circuit elements such as transistors can be formed which have satisfactory high - frequency performance . the epitaxial gallium arsenide layer can be formed by either physical vapor deposition or by zone melting and recrystallization , but whichever method is utilized , it is necessary to provide a seed crystal layer upon which the germanium layer 104 is deposited , in order to control the orientation of the main crystal axis of the final gallium arsenide layer formed upon germanium layer 104 . since the germanium layer 104 in the embodiment of fig6 is formed over a silicon dioxide layer 109 , it is necessary to provide the layer of strontium fluoride 108 between layers 109 and 104 , to serve as such a seed crystal layer . the germanium layer 104 is preferably formed upon the strontium fluoride layer by an evaporative deposition process , e . g . electron beam evaporative deposition . recrystallization of the germanium layer to produce an epitaxial layer is then performed , for example by a band melting process employing a strip heater . the layer of gallium arsenide 98 is then formed upon the recrystallized germanium layer 104 , e . g . by a chemical vapor deposition process . this enables a gallium arsenide layer having a satisfactory crystal structure to be formed . interconnections between circuit elements in the respective layers of the 3 - dimensional integrated circuit embodiments of fig5 and 6 above are implemented as through - hole connections , as described hereinabove for the first embodiment , and further description will be omitted . fig7 shows an expanded view of a portion of another embodiment of the present invention in which a tuner circuit 38 is formed in a gallium arsenide layer 98 and a stabilized power supply block is formed in a silicon semiconductor layer 102 . an acoustic surface wave element layer 106 is positioned between layers 98 and 102 , in which one or more acoustic surface wave elements such as an i . f . comb filter are formed . the acoustic surface wave layer 106 can be formed in the manner described hereinabove for the first embodiment of the invention , and the layers 102 and 98 formed as describe above for the embodiments of fig5 and 6 . numeral 112 denotes an insulating layer , e . g . a layer of silicon dioxide , and numeral 114 a set of superimposed layers which provide electrical insulation and form a suitable surface for epitaxial growth of the gallium arsenide layer 98 , as described hereinabove . although the present invention has been described in the above with reference to specific embodiments , it should be noted that various changes and modifications to the embodiments may be envisaged , which fall within the scope claimed for the invention as set out in the appended claims . the above specification should therefore be interpreted in a descriptive and not in a limiting sense .	6
for an oxygen supply system incorporating the invention , see fig2 . multiple o 2 cylinders 15 are connected to a common oxygen manifold line 19 to supply breathable oxygen via line 16 to aircraft passenger and crew compartments . each cylinder provides oxygen through a valve mechanism , illustrated in detail in fig1 a , which includes an outlet line 18 for each safety burst disc . outlet lines 18 connect to an aircraft overboard discharge line 17 . the inlet line 20 of inventive relief valve 5 is connected to common oxygen manifold line 19 as shown , and the outlet line 21 of inventive relief valve 5 is connected to aircraft overboard discharge line 17 . the direction of flow of o 2 in lines 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 and 21 is shown by the arrows on each line . for simplicity of illustration , the hand valve , burst disc and regulator assemblies on each tank are omitted from the figures beginning with fig3 . as shown in fig3 the invention allows the concurrent use of multiple oxygen cylinders or tanks while reducing the number of valves for the relief system to one valve with four internal poppets . in fig3 multiple oxygen cylinders 25 are connected to a common oxygen manifold line 29 . the invention 5 incorporates two internal sets 22 , 23 of serial valve poppet pairs with each set in parallel with the other , forming the inventive valve . this arrangement keep the probability of failure of exactly one valve in this system at just under four times that of a single valve poppet , whether the number of oxygen cylinders is one , ten , or twenty . arrow 60 shows the operational path for oxygen relief in this case . fig3 a shows the failure case where a single valve poppet 42 in a serial pair 22 has failed in the closed position . in this case , its companion series valve poppet 41 can open , but oxygen cannot pass through the stuck - shut valve poppet 42 . the opposite pair 23 of valve poppets 43 , 44 then operate to provide pressure relief as needed . the system will therefore operate normally , even with a failed valve poppet in the closed position . arrow 60 shows the operational path for oxygen relief in this case . fig3 b shows the failure case where a single valve poppet 42 has failed in the open position . in this case , its companion series valve poppet 41 can still operate correctly , and the system will operate normally through both valve poppet pairs , even with a failed valve poppet in the open position . arrow 60 shows the operational path for oxygen relief in this case . given four valve poppets in all , and an overall probability p of a valve poppet failing , the probability of exactly one of the four valves failing is 4 ×( 1 − p ) 3 × p . for a system with twenty oxygen cylinders , this represents a fivefold reduction in failure probability with respect to the prior - art example , with the added advantage of continued acceptable system operation during the single - poppet failure . dual - valve failure in the prior - art system simply exacerbates the system degradation or failure . a dual - valve failure in the invention , however , still permits normal system operation in many cases . refer to fig4 a - 4 d . two stuck - shut valve poppets 41 , 42 in the same serial valve poppet pair 22 ( fig4 a ) do not affect the operation of the two remaining valve poppets 43 , 44 in the second serial valve poppet pair 23 . likewise , a stuck - open valve poppet 42 and a stuck - shut valve poppet 41 in the same serial valve poppet pair 22 ( fig4 b ) do not affect the operation of the two remaining valve poppets 43 , 44 in the second serial valve poppet pair 23 . two stuck - open valve poppets 42 , 43 in opposite serial pairs 22 , 23 ( fig4 c ) still permit the remaining valve poppets 41 , 44 in each serial pair to operate correctly . in each figure , arrow 60 shows the operational path for oxygen pressure relief . the invention sustains proper system operation even in certain triple - failure cases . in one of these cases , both valve poppets 43 , 44 in a serial pair 23 are stuck shut , and one valve poppet 42 in the opposite pair 22 is stuck open ( fig4 d ). arrow 60 shows the operational path for oxygen relief in another case ( not shown ), the case of fig4 b combines with a stuck - open valve poppet in the opposite serial pair , which leaves one operational valve poppet still permitting the system to operate correctly . finally , in a last case ( not shown ), the case of fig4 c combines with a third stuck - open valve poppet in either of the serial pairs , which as in the previous case leaves one operational valve poppet still permitting the system to operate correctly . the invention &# 39 ; s serial pair of individual relief valve poppets 20 is shown in fig5 . each set of individual relief valve poppets 20 includes two individual relief valve poppets 41 , 42 , each containing a piston cylinder 410 , 420 respectively . in each piston cylinder is a piston 421 . an oxygen cylinder manifold line is connected to the series valve poppet pair at inlet opening 401 . inlet opening 401 connects to control passage 403 , which in turn connects freely to chamber 431 of individual relief valve poppet 41 as shown . chamber 431 connects freely to control passage 405 , which in turn connects freely to chamber 432 of individual relief valve poppet 42 as shown . pistons 421 separate chambers 431 , 432 from chambers 451 in cylinders 410 , 420 respectively as shown . helical compression springs 441 seated in chambers 451 apply pressure against faces 461 of pistons 421 . rods 471 extend from pistons 421 into extension cylinders 419 , 429 to block relief valve outlet openings 483 of relief passages 481 , 482 respectively as shown , when pistons 421 are fully displaced downward away from chambers 451 . refer to fig5 a , showing an enlargement of part of valve poppet 41 in order to identify valve poppet seals . to prevent escape of oxygen from chamber 431 to chamber 451 and the ambient air , annular seal 421 s is disposed around piston 421 . to prevent escape of oxygen from chamber 431 to relief passage 482 , annular seal 471 s is disposed around rod 471 . to prevent escape of oxygen from passage 481 to passage 482 and the oxygen outlet passage via valve poppet 42 , annular seal 481 s is disposed around the end of extension cylinder 419 . the seals of valve poppet 42 are disposed similarly . to increase the reliability of each valve poppet , double seals may be used where single seals are illustrated . for the operation of both valve poppets in the series , see fig5 . via control passages 403 , 405 to both individual relief valve poppets 41 , 42 of the series , the oxygen from inlet 401 builds up pressure against faces 411 of pistons 421 in piston cylinders 410 , 420 respectively . the oxygen pressure is opposed both by the force of springs 441 and the pressure of ambient air in piston cylinders 410 , 420 on the opposite faces 461 of pistons 421 . for an oxygen pressure exceeding the opposing pressure by a predetermined amount , pistons 421 rise enough to draw rods 471 upward to open passages 481 , 482 and let excess oxygen discharge via outlet passage 490 . in the case that either of valve poppets 41 , 42 valve fails in an open state , the series arrangement of the valve poppets keeps the system working properly . annular valve seals , shown in black in fig5 and detailed in fig5 a , prevent oxygen and air leakage in the valve poppets . the oxygen discharged via outlet passage 490 vents to the exterior of the aircraft via an overboard discharge line . as shown in fig6 the invention connects two of these valve poppet pairs 22 , 23 in parallel with each other to oxygen manifold supply line 29 . as discussed earlier , this arrangement still protects against a valve poppet failing open , and further protects against a valve poppet failing closed . if a valve poppet fails closed , that set of pistons is useless , but with the other set of pistons in parallel , the system will still work correctly . alternative embodiments of the invention extend its series - parallel structure to incorporate three or more valve poppets in series , and three or more sets of series valve poppets in parallel . see fig7 . the extension to additional individual valve poppets in series is illustrated with three individual valve poppets 61 , 62 , 63 with interconnecting passages 605 and 682 . the extension to additional parallel sets of such series valve poppets is exemplified in fig7 a , where three sets 22 , 23 , 24 each with series valve poppets 61 , 62 , 63 are connected to provide a complete relief valve system . such an extension is particularly advantageous when a reliable relief valve system is constructed of lower - cost components with possibly - higher individual expected failure rates . increasing the number of valve poppets in each series improves the system &# 39 ; s overall reliability with respect to stuck - open valve poppet failures , and increasing the number of sets of series valve poppet sets in parallel improves the system &# 39 ; s overall reliability with respect to stuck - shut valve poppet failures . in summary , the invention &# 39 ; s series / parallel valve poppet arrangement allows oxygen storage cylinder systems with multiple cylinders to be designed so that there is only one system of relief valve poppets with a number of relief valve poppets well below the number of cylinders in use . the invention &# 39 ; s design enables proper oxygen relief system operation under all conditions of single - valve - poppet failure , and under many conditions of multiple - valve - poppet failure , making the system highly reliable at low cost . from the above descriptions , figures and narratives , the invention &# 39 ; s advantages in providing reliable , inexpensive oxygen overpressure relief in an aircraft oxygen supply system should be clear . although the description , operation and illustrative material above contain many specificities , these specificities should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention but as merely providing illustrations and examples of some of the preferred embodiments of this invention . thus the scope of the invention should be determined by the appended claims and their legal equivalents , rather than by the examples given above .	5
referring first to fig9 , a first embodiment of the invention is shown in the context of a shipping and storage container for memory disks generally designated with the numeral 100 . when used alone herein , “ disk ” should be considered as any type of memory disk , including both magnetic and optical memory disks . in general terms and with reference to the drawings , the disk shipper is comprised of three pieces : a base or cassette 110 having an open top , open bottom and open ends ; a bottom cover 112 for enclosing the open bottom of the cassette and , a top cover 114 for enclosing the open top and open ends of the cassette . the cassette , as illustrated in more detail in fig1 – 17 , has two end walls 116 and two parallel side walls 118 extending between the end walls . slots 120 are formed in the side walls of the cassette by inwardly extending teeth or ribs 122 . the slots are configured to hold magnetic disks in parallel axial alignment by engaging the outer edge portions of the disks . the side walls 118 are uniform in thickness throughout the curved portion 118 a and the upper vertical portion 118 b . as best seen in fig1 , the ribs 122 are uniform in height relative to the inside surface of the side wall . as best seen in fig1 , the upper portion of the ribs 122 a extend to the top 36 of the side wall 118 and are tapered in width to enlarge the gap between adjacent ribs to facilitate receiving and removing disks . there are no exterior ribs or strengthening members on the outside surface of the side walls . the end walls 116 include a u - shaped opening 124 extending downwardly from the top edge of the cassette . ( see fig1 – 15 .) a saddle 126 is formed along the edge of the u - shaped opening and has a surface 128 that is perpendicular to the plane of the opening ( see fig1 ). the internal surface 130 of the end wall is vertical , however , the outer edge or surface of the saddle 126 a extends a further distance at the bottom of the opening compared to the top , defining a plane p that lies at an angle relative to the vertical end wall 130 ( fig1 , 12 , 17 and 23 b ). an outer , buffer wall 132 is positioned outwardly from the top edge 136 of the open base along the side walls 118 and defines a channel 134 between itself and the upper edge 136 of the side wall of the cassette ( see fig9 , 11 , 14 and 15 ). this outer wall or buffer creates a shield to protect the perimeter edge 138 of the top cover from impact by positioning the perimeter edge of the cover within the channel 134 . each of the ends of the outer wall are thickened , such as at 132 a , to create further rigidity and protection from impacts against the end walls and corners of the shipper that occur during use . a pair of wedge - shaped locking cams 140 are positioned on each end wall 116 laterally outside of the u - shaped opening 124 and form part of the locking mechanism for securing the top cover 114 to the cassette 110 . the locking cams 140 include a camming surface 162 and a locking surface 164 . the bottom cover 112 is held on the opened bottom of the cassette by a friction fit with the side walls 118 and end walls 116 of the cassette 110 and side walls 170 and end walls 172 of bottom cover 112 . as illustrated in fig1 – 22 , the top cover 114 includes a generally rectangular portion 142 with integral downwardly extending end portions 144 . a perimeter edge 138 , extending between the end portions 144 and downwardly from the rectangular portion 142 , is formed at the outer perimeter of the rectangular portion . this edge or lip 138 fits within the channel 134 formed along the upper edge 136 of the side walls 118 of the cassette and is protected from impact by the outer wall or buffer 132 of the cassette . the rectangular portion further includes two recesses 146 which extend parallel to each other adjacent the outer edge of the rectangular portion and are spaced by a central planar portion 148 . a row of inwardly projecting ribs or teeth 150 extend along the inner surface of each recessed portion and are aligned with ribs 122 formed in the side walls of the cassette to further secure the magnetic disks within the shipper . a flexible skirt 152 disposed along the length of the lower surface of each recessed portion 146 and outwardly of the teeth 150 engages the perimeter edges of the memory disks to dampen movement of the disks within the shipper . the end portions 144 of the top cover include a u - shaped structural offset or seal member 154 designed to nest against surface 128 within the u - shaped opening 124 of the cassette and generally seal the opening . an outer flange 156 of each end portion , best seen in fig1 and 23 a – c , is contoured to abut against the non - vertical outer edge 126 a of the saddle 126 along the plane p . the non - vertical profile of edge 126 a promotes sealing of the opening by gradually forcing flanges 156 outwardly . given the molded construction of the top cover , this creates an inward force by the end portion 144 against the cassette end wall which keeps flange 156 fully engaged against surface 126 a . each end portion further includes a separate locking member or yoke 158 which is spaced outwardly from the end portion 144 . a pair of complementary wedges 160 are located on the yoke member to engage and cooperate with the wedges 140 disposed on the end walls of the cassette . thus , and with reference to fig2 a – c , as the cover is moved downwardly to nest on the cassette , the camming surfaces 162 of the complementary wedges 140 , 160 engage each other to force the locking member 158 outwardly from the base unit until the camming surfaces pass each other , allowing the locking member 158 to snap inwardly and the locking surfaces 164 to engage to thereby secure the cover to the base . the locking occurs outwardly of the opening 124 and without movement of u - shaped offset portion 154 allowing the u - shaped offset portion to maintain its seal of opening 124 . a pair of handles 166 may be included on each end portion to assist in handling the top cover 114 during locking and in handling the entire container when the cover is latched to the base . it should be appreciated that the locking member 158 is separate from the end portion 144 . although not shown in the figures , it should also be appreciated that the locking member 158 may alternatively comprise two independent separate arms which are not connected . the bridge portion 176 interconnecting the two arms does facilitate latching and unlatching the cover to the base by allowing the pair of wedges 160 to be operated simultaneously . with this locking mechanism , the locking features of the disk shippers are separated from the sealing features to prevent dust and other particles from contaminating the memory disks stored at each end of the base unit as the cover is engaged with the base portion . in other words , the u - shaped offset portions 154 which seal the open u - shaped end 124 of the base do not snap into position or otherwise cause particles to be projected into the interior of the base unit during the securement of the top cover to the base unit . moreover , because the locking member 158 is spaced outwardly and separate from the u - shaped offset portions 154 , the u - shaped open end 124 is sufficiently sealed by offset portion 154 such that the snap action of locking member 158 does not contaminate the interior of the shipper . moreover , the locking will occur almost automatically by simply pressing the cover onto the base ; no separate or affirmation locking step is needed . thus , closing and securing the cover 114 to the cassette 110 can be accomplished in a single , one - dimensional movement between the cover and cassette . in addition , because the locking member 158 is separate from the u - shaped offset 154 , the regular flexing of the locking member 158 will not diminish the inward bias of the u - shaped offset portion 154 , thereby maintaining a sealed closure over a longer product life span . a second embodiment of the present invention is shown in fig2 – 31 . in this embodiment , the base or cassette 202 and the top cover 204 remain generally the same . however , the latching mechanism is different . turning to the cassette 202 , and more particularly , the end walls 206 , a pair of cutout portions 208 and 210 are formed on the underneath surface of the lower portion of the saddle 212 to create a ridge or lip 214 ( see fig2 ). the lip 214 cooperates with a locking member associated with the top cover to secure the cover to the cassette . as shown in fig2 , 26 , 27 and 29 , the top cover 204 includes a locking member 216 pivotally attached to the top cover 204 by a hinge 218 . the hinge 218 permits the locking member 216 to pivot relative to the top cover while , simultaneously , the u - shaped structural offset 220 is sealably nested within the saddle 212 when the top cover 204 is properly seated on the cassette 202 . this allows the locking member 216 to pivot upwardly and downwardly about the end of the rectangular portion of the top cover , while the u - shaped offset 220 remains stationary . as best seen in fig3 , the locking member 216 further includes a raised portion 222 that includes a lip 224 at its inner edge . the lip 224 engages the lip 214 of the base portion when the locking member 216 member is pressed against the end wall 206 of the base 202 to secure the u - shaped locking member 216 to the base 202 . to accommodate the raised lip 224 on the locking member 216 , the lower portion of the u - shaped offset 220 must also be modified . as seen in fig2 , unlike in the preferred embodiment , the flange 226 positioned at the perimeter of the u - shaped offset 220 is not continuous . instead , at the lower curve of the u - shaped offset 220 , the flange 226 terminates and a raised portion 228 is formed to provide clearance for the raised lip 224 as it moves between a latched and unlatched position . as shown in fig2 , the u - shaped locking member 216 further includes cutouts 230 which allow the u - shaped member 216 to accommodate the structural ribs 232 formed along end wall 206 of the base 204 . similarly , notches or cutouts 234 are also formed in the u - shaped locking member 216 , proximate the hinges 218 , to accommodate other ribs or strengthening members 236 formed in the end wall 206 of the base 202 . as should be appreciated , the cutouts can vary in location and size to accommodate unique structural features in the cassette body , while still permitting the locking member 216 to fully engage the complementary locking elements of the cassette . the present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential attributes thereof , and it is therefore desired that the present embodiment be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive , reference being made to the appended claims rather than to the foregoing description to indicate the scope of the invention . for example , the mechanism by which the independent locking member attaches to the cassette can vary to include other locking mechanisms positioned at other points along the independent locking member of the top cover to vary and / or optimize the mechanical advantage provided by the locking member . this may include a post 140 and aperture 260 arrangement as shown , for example , by the cassette of fig1 , 16 and 17 and the cover of fig3 – 34 . other alternatives , within the scope of the present invention , will likely occur to those of ordinary skill in the art upon review of the specification and appended claims .	8
shown in fig1 a is a cross - sectional view of the initial formation of a transistor . in the illustrated form , an mos transistor process will be assumed . however , it should be readily apparent that the present invention may be utilized in connection with other types of transistors such as bipolar transistors or other types of semiconductor structures . a silicon substrate 10 is provided upon which a field oxide isolation region 11 is formed on an upper surface of substrate 10 . a field oxide isolation region 12 is also applied to the upper surface of substrate 10 but laterally separated from field oxide isolation region 11 by a predetermined distance . a transistor will be formed between field oxide isolation regions 11 and 12 . shown in fig1 b is a cross - sectional view of the structure of fig1 a wherein a gate oxide 14 is deposited over substrate 10 between field oxide layers 11 and 12 . gate oxide 14 forms an electrically insulating layer over substrate 10 . shown in fig1 c is a cross - sectional view of the structure of fig1 b wherein a polysilicon gate region 17 is formed on gate oxide 14 . gate oxide 14 is removed adjacent the polysilicon gate region 17 , and a source region 19 and a drain region 21 are diffused into substrate 10 . fabrication of a conventional mos transistor structure 24 has been described up to this point in the discussion . shown in fig1 d is a cross - sectional view of the structure of fig1 c in which an undoped low temperature oxide ( lto ) 28 has been applied over field oxide isolation regions 11 and 12 and transistor structure 24 . the undoped lto 28 is typically a thin non - flowable layer . a dielectric 30 is then applied over the lto 28 layer . in a preferred form , dielectric 30 is a flowable dielectric which readily flows to cover transistor structure 24 . phosphosilicate glass ( psg ) and borophosphosilicate glass ( bpsg ) are examples of two flowable dielectrics which are commonly used . in a conventional transistor process , a metal contact is made with each of the gate , source and drain regions of the transistor 24 structure . the metallization is typically accomplished in an lpcvd process by making a straight wall etch of dielectric 30 to expose the top surfaces of source 19 , drain 21 and gate 17 . a metal deposition onto source 19 , drain 21 and gate 17 is accomplished in a reaction chamber by chemical vapor deposition of a refractory metal such as tungsten . the problem with this described procedure is that the metal deposition in the lpcvd process is not consistently selective . when tungsten is utilized , tungsten is deposited not only on the desired source , drain and gate regions but is also deposited on the upper surface of dielectric 30 to a varying degree . for example , when phosphosilicate glass ( psg ) is used as a dielectric , tungsten is deposited by isolated region nucleation onto the psg in an lpcvd process in an estimated amount of 14 to 26 × 10 4 islands per square centimeter per minute when deposited for eighty minutes . when tungsten is deposited in the lpcvd process for two hundred sixty - five minutes using psg as a dielectric , a continuous layer of deposited tungsten exists on the psg . when annealed bpsg is used as a dielectric , tungsten is deposited onto the psg in an lpcvd process in an estimated amount of 19 × 10 4 islands per square centimeter per minute when deposited for eighty minutes . when tungsten is deposited in the lpcvd process for two hundred sixty - five minutes using annealed bpsg as a dielectric , a continuous layer of deposited tungsten exists on the bpsg . therefore , the most common flowed dielectric materials receive appreciable tungsten deposition during an lpcvd process . in contrast , when a low temperature oxide ( lto ) is used as a dielectric , tungsten is deposited onto the lto after approximately two hundred sixty - five minutes in an estimated amount of 1 × 10 4 islands per square centimeter per minute . however , lto is a rigid dielectric and many processes require a flowable dielectric to reliably implement . therefore although lto provides improved results , a need exists for a flowable dielectric which does not readily allow tungsten to deposit thereon . the estimated results provided above are measured in units of the number of tungsten islands per square centimeter and are to be understood as being representative with respect to their relative values . it should be readily apparent that the values can be reduced proportionately by optimization of a chemical cleaning step prior to tungsten deposition . the present invention provides a method to use a flowable dielectric such as bpsg which selectively prevents the deposition of tungsten during a lpcvd process in a reaction chamber . assume for purposes of discussion that bpsg , represented as si a o b p c b d is used for dielectric 30 , where a , b , c and d represent the atomic fraction of each element . after the bpsg flows over the transistor 24 structure at a temperature of between 800 and 1200 degrees centigrade , a nitrogen bearing gas is allowed to flow into the lpcvd reaction chamber . the nitrogen bearing gas reacts at the surface of the bpsg to chemically change the surface of the bpsg . shown in fig1 e is a cross - sectional view of transistor structure 24 after the nitrogen bearing gas has reacted at the surface of dielectric 30 . for purposes of illustration only , assume dielectric 30 is comprised of bpsg . the surface of the bpsg dielectric 30 is converted to a different material 32 which contains nitrogen and which is illustrated by light hash marks slanted from lower left to upper right . the chemical reaction does not add a new additional surface layer to the bpsg or substantially change the thickness of dielectric 30 but rather changes the top surface of the bpsg by nitriding the surface . any of several nitrogen bearing gases may be used in this chemical reaction to nitride the glass including pure nitrogen , n 2 , ammonia , nh 3 or theoretically hydrazine , n 2 h 2 , if proper precautions are made due to the reactivity of hydrazine . a preferred nitrogen bearing gas for use with the present invention is ammonia . when ammonia is used in the lpcvd chamber , the surface chemical reaction may be represented as : nh . sub . 3 + si . sub . a o . sub . b p . sub . c b . sub . d → si . sub . a &# 39 ; o . sub . b &# 39 ; p . sub . c &# 39 ; b . sub . d &# 39 ; n . sub . e &# 39 ; ( 1 ) where a , b , c and d and a &# 39 ;, b &# 39 ;, c &# 39 ;, d &# 39 ; and e &# 39 ; represent the atom fraction before and after nitridation , respectively . as can readily be seen , the nitrided surface 32 is not a silicon nitride layer but rather is a different chemical substance containing nitrogen which results from the chemcial reaction which occurs at the surface of dielectric 30 . in generic terms , the surface chemical reaction may be represented as : where x ( n ) is any nitrogen bearing gas which will nitride a dielectric such as glass and r is any dielectric . the above described surface reaction may also be accomplished by creating a plasma discharge in which case the temperature required to produce nitridation of the dielectric surface is substantially reduced to a temperature such as 500 degrees centigrade . also , rapid thermal processing may be utilized to create the dielectric surface reaction . shown in fig1 f is a cross - sectional view of transistor structure 24 after straight wall contacts 34 , 36 and 38 have been etched from the nitrided top surface of dielectric 30 to the top surfaces of source 19 , gate 17 and drain 21 , respectively . tungsten 40 which is illustrated by thicker cross hatching slanted from upper left to lower right of fig1 f is selectively deposited by the conventional lpcvd process into straight wall contacts 34 , 36 and 38 to a depth which ideally just reaches the level of nitrided surface 32 . during the lpcvd process tungsten does not substantially deposit on the nitrided dielectric surface 30 by nucleation . therefore , the deposition of tungsten into the contact fill areas is very selective . when tungsten is deposited in the lpcvd process for two hundred sixty - five minutes using nitrided bpsg as a dielectric as shown in fig1 f , only approximately 6 × 10 4 tungsten islands per square centimeter per minute were noted being deposited on the nitrided dielectric . therefore , the presence of nitrogen being added to the bpsg material to create a nitrided glass material at the top of the bpsg functions to prevent or reduce tungsten deposition on the dielectric . in the illustrated form , it should be noted that the present invention does not function to build a silicon nitride layer on top of the dielectric 30 . in fact , the nucleation rate on silicon nitride ( si 3 n 4 ) has been previously noted to be much higher than that on psg . in an article entitled &# 34 ; the kinetics of tungsten growth on thermal oxide &# 34 ; found in tungsten & amp ; other refractory metals for vlsi applications by mcconica and cooper ( materials research society , 1986 , pages 197 - 207 , mcconica and cooper mention at page 207 the disadvantage of using a silicon nitride layer when selective tungsten deposition is desired . shown in fig2 a is a cross - sectional view of a further embodiment of the present invention which provides an alternative to using the transistor structure 24 of fig1 . a transistor sturcture 24 &# 39 ; is illustrated wherein common elements between transistor structure 24 &# 39 ; and transistor structure 24 are similarly numbered in fig2 but are differentiated with a prime symbol . transistor stucture 24 &# 39 ; has a substrate 10 &# 39 ;, field oxide isolation regions 11 &# 39 ; and 12 &# 39 ;, and a gate region 17 &# 39 ; formed on a gate oxide 14 &# 39 ; interposed between a source region 19 &# 39 ; and a gate region 21 &# 39 ;. a nonflowable low temperature oxide ( lto ) layer 50 is deposited over the structure 24 &# 39 ; to a depth sufficient so that the lowest portion of the top surface of the layer 50 is above the upper surface of field oxide layers 11 &# 39 ; and 12 &# 39 ;. shown in fig2 b is a cross - sectional view of transistor structure 24 &# 39 ; after application of a planarizing photoresist layer ( not shown ) and lto nonselective etch has been applied to the top surface . the effect of the photoresist and lto etch is to substantially planarize the top surface of transistor structure 24 &# 39 ;. shown in fig2 c is a cross - sectional view of transistor structure 24 &# 39 ; after a nitrogen bearing gas has reacted at the surface of lto layer 50 to convert the surface of the lto to a different material 32 &# 39 ; which contains nitrogen . the different material 32 &# 39 ; is illustrated by cross hatching directed from lower left to upper right of fig2 c . straight wall contacts 34 &# 39 ;, 36 &# 39 ; and 38 &# 39 ; are then etched thru material 32 &# 39 ; and lto layer 50 to the top surfaces of source 19 &# 39 ;, gate 17 &# 39 ; and drain 21 &# 39 ;, respectively , in a manner analogous with the steps described in connection with fig1 f . tungsten 40 &# 39 ; which is illustrated by cross hatching directed from upper right to lower left of fig2 c is selectively deposited into straight wall contacts 34 &# 39 ;, 36 &# 39 ; and 38 &# 39 ; to a depth which ideally just reaches the top surface of nitrided lto layer 50 . during the lpcvd process tungsten does not substantially deposit on the nitrided lto layer 50 by nucleation . again , the deposition of tungsten into the contact fill areas is very selective . by now it should be apparent that an electronic process has been provided which is particularly advantageous for straight wall contact metallization in small transistor geometry processes . it should be well understood that the present invention may be utilized with other types of transistor structures in addition to mos process transistors . the present invention does not utilize an additional process step to accomplish the selective tungsten deposition . the chemical reaction which occurs at the surface of the dielectric does not increase the size of the transistor structure 24 or change the electrical characteristics of the transistor device . although the process has discussed the use of bpsg as a dielectric , the present invention may be utilized with any type of dielectric . while the invention has been described in the context of a preferred embodiment , it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present invention may be modified in numerous ways and may assume many embodiments other than that specifically set out and described above . accordingly , it is intended by the appended claims to cover all modifications of the invention which fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention .	8
the invention will now be described with reference to the preferred embodiment shown in fig1 . fig1 is an exploded perspective view of a preferred embodiment of a midsole 103 and an outsole 105 of the shoe . the outsole 105 is not part of the midsole 103 . as shown in fig1 , 2 and 2 a , the outsole 105 is below the midsole 103 when the shoe is in its normal , upright position . this normal , upright position is shown with respect to the ground 100 in fig5 a - 5d . as used herein , “ above ” and “ below ” refer to relative locations of identified elements when the shoe is in this normal , upright position as shown in fig5 a - 5d . the midsole 103 is located between the shoe upper 106 and the outsole 105 . the midsole 103 , as shown in fig1 , 2 and 2 a , comprises an upper layer 107 , a shank 111 , and a lower layer 109 . the upper layer 107 and / or the lower layer 109 may each comprise two or more sub - layers . as described more fully hereinafter in an alternative embodiment , the upper layer 107 may also be eliminated completely . in the preferred embodiment shown in fig1 , 2 and 2 a , upper layer 107 has a top surface 113 substantially opposite a bottom surface 115 . top surface 113 is shown in fig6 a . bottom surface 115 is shown in fig6 b . the shank 111 has a top surface 181 substantially opposite a bottom surface 183 . top surface 181 is shown in fig6 c and bottom surface 183 is shown in fig6 d . the shank has a top portion 186 and a bottom portion 187 . top portion 186 and bottom portion 187 are shown in fig3 . the lower layer 109 has a top surface 117 substantially opposite a bottom surface 121 . top surface 117 is shown in fig6 e . bottom surface 121 is shown in fig6 f . the outsole 105 has a top surface 119 substantially opposite a bottom surface 123 . as shown in fig1 , when the shoe is in its normal , upright position , the shank 111 is below the upper layer 107 . the lower layer 109 is below the shank 111 , and the outsole 105 is below the lower layer 109 . fig2 is a side elevation view of an embodiment of the midsole and outsole of the shoe . the shoe has a front tip 140 located at the farthest point toward the front of the shoe and a rear tip 142 located at the farthest point toward the rear of the shoe . the upper layer 107 includes a toe region 151 that extends substantially from the medial side of the shoe to the lateral side of the shoe at a location that begins in the vicinity of the front tip 140 and extends from there to a location that is approximately one third of the distance toward the rear tip 142 . the shank 111 includes a toe region 251 that extends substantially from the medial side of the shoe to the lateral side of the shoe at a location that begins in the vicinity of the front tip 140 and extends from there to a location that is approximately one third of the distance toward the rear tip 142 . the lower layer 109 includes a toe region 161 that extends substantially from the medial side of the shoe to the lateral side of the shoe at a location that begins in the vicinity of the front tip 140 and extends from there to a location that is approximately one third of the distance toward the rear tip 142 . the outsole 105 includes a toe region 171 that extends substantially from the medial side of the shoe to the lateral side of the shoe at a location that begins in the vicinity of the front tip 140 and extends from there to a location that is approximately one third of the distance toward the rear tip 142 . the upper layer 107 includes a heel region 153 that extends substantially from the medial side of the shoe to the lateral side of the shoe at a location that begins in the vicinity of the rear tip 142 and extends from there to a location that is approximately one third of the distance toward the front tip 140 . the shank 111 includes a heel region 253 that extends substantially from the medial side of the shoe to the lateral side of the shoe at a location that begins in the vicinity of the rear tip 142 and extends from there to a location that is approximately one third of the distance toward the front tip 140 . the lower layer 109 includes a heel region 163 that extends substantially from the medial side of the shoe to the lateral side of the shoe at a location that begins in the vicinity of the rear tip 142 and extends from there to a location that is approximately one third of the distance toward the front tip 140 . the outsole 105 includes a heel region 173 that extends substantially from the medial side of the shoe to the lateral side of the shoe at a location that begins in the vicinity of the rear tip 142 and extends from there to a location that is approximately one third of the distance toward the front tip 140 . the upper layer 107 includes a middle region 152 that extends substantially from the medial side of the shoe to the lateral side of the shoe at a location that extends approximately between the toe region 151 and the heel region 153 . the shank 111 includes a middle region 262 that extends substantially from the medial side of the shoe to the lateral side of the shoe at a location that extends approximately between the toe region 251 and the heel region 253 . the lower layer 109 includes a middle region 162 that extends substantially from the medial side of the shoe to the lateral side of the shoe at a location that extends approximately between the toe region 161 and the heel region 163 . the outsole 105 includes a middle region 172 that extends substantially from the medial side of the shoe to the lateral side of the shoe at a location that extends approximately between the toe region 171 and the heel region 173 . typically , the lower layer 109 of the midsole 103 is on average thicker in the heel region 163 than it is in the toe region 161 . the upper layer 107 has a first density . the lower layer 109 has a second density different from the first density and is typically less dense than the first density . the upper layer 107 has a first compressibility and the lower layer 109 has a second compressibility that is different from the first compressibility . the compressibility of the lower layer 109 is typically relatively high . due to this relatively high compressibility , the lower layer 109 undergoes a relatively high amount of deformation when subjected to a given load . the upper layer 107 is typically made from polyurethane , polyvinyl chloride , rubber or thermal plastic rubber . however , the upper layer 107 can be made from any other material without departing from the scope of the present invention . typically the upper layer 107 will have a durometer hardness between about 45 and about 65 on the asker c scale . fig2 a is an exploded side elevation view of fig2 . the lower layer 109 is made of a compressible and deformable yet resilient material which may or may not be the same material of which the upper layer 107 is made . typically the lower layer 109 will have a durometer hardness between about 20 and about 45 on the asker c scale . the top surface 113 of the upper layer 107 is typically positioned below an insole board ( not shown ) which is typically positioned below a sockliner ( not shown ). as shown in fig2 and 2a , the bottom surface 115 of the upper layer 107 is in substantially continuous contact with the top surface 181 of the shank 111 . due to this substantially continuous contact between the bottom surface 115 of the upper layer 107 and top surface 181 of the shank 111 in this embodiment , bottom surface 115 of the upper layer 107 substantially conforms to top surface 181 of the shank 111 . in other embodiments , such substantially continuous contact between bottom surface 115 of the upper layer 107 and top surface 181 of the shank 111 may not be present . the upper layer 107 has a bottom surface 115 that may be connected to the top surface 181 of the shank 111 by either friction and / or an adhesive and / or other similar means . alternatively , substantially the entire bottom surface 115 of the upper layer 107 may be molded to substantially the entire top surface 181 of the shank 111 . alternatively , the upper layer may be eliminated in alternative embodiments . the shank 111 has a frontmost point 250 and a rearmost point 255 . the shank 111 can be made from polyurethane , polyvinyl chloride , rubber , thermal plastic rubber , carbon fiber or carbon fiber reinforced plastic . however , the shank 111 can be made from any other material without departing from the scope of the present invention . typically the shank 111 will have a durometer hardness between about 50 and about 70 on the shore d scale . the outsole 105 typically curves upwardly in the heel region . the outsole 105 has a frontmost point 170 and a rearmost point 174 . when the shoe is in its typical upright , unloaded state , the frontmost point 170 and the rearmost point 174 are both relatively high above the ground 100 . from a point at or near the vicinity of the frontmost point 170 , the outsole 105 has a gradual downward curve 195 that continues through at least a portion of the toe region 171 of the outsole 105 . starting in the middle region 172 , the outsole 105 has a gradual , upward curve 196 that continues to curve upward through at least a portion of the heel region 173 of the outsole 105 . this gradual upward curve 196 typically continues until the outsole 105 approaches the vicinity of the rear tip 142 of the shoe . this upward curve 196 is typically sharper than downward curve 195 in the toe region 171 . upward curve 196 may be substantially sharper than shown in fig2 a or substantially shallower than shown in fig2 a . the outsole 105 has a bottom surface 123 that typically contains grooves and / or patterns for optimal traction and wear . fig3 is a side elevation view of a preferred embodiment of the shank 111 . in the preferred embodiment , the shank 111 comprises a top portion 186 and a bottom portion 187 . the shank 111 has a top surface 181 and a bottom surface 183 . the bottom surface 183 of the shank 111 has a longitudinal concavity 303 , a longitudinal convexity 305 and another longitudinal concavity 307 . the bottom surface 183 of the shank 111 has a longitudinal concavity 303 that comprises at least a downward curve 190 located in at least a portion of the heel region 253 . “ downward curve ,” as used here and throughout this specification , unless otherwise noted , refers to a direction that moves toward the ground 100 from any specified location on the shoe when the shoe is oriented in its typical upright position in which the bottom surface 123 of the outsole 105 is in unloaded contact with the ground 100 . the shank 111 has a frontmost point 250 and a rearmost point 255 . downward curve 190 of the longitudinal concavity 303 begins at or near the vicinity of , the rearmost point 255 of the shank 111 and gradually and continuously descends downwardly from there through a point at or near the vicinity of the middle region 262 . the portion of the shank 111 indicated by lines extending from , and associated with , reference numeral 303 indicates the approximate range wherein longitudinal concavity 303 is typically primarily located . longitudinal concavity 303 may , or may not , be entirely located within the range indicated by the lines extending from , and associated with , reference numeral 303 . longitudinal concavity 303 , as shown in fig2 a , is relatively shallow due to its large radius of curvature or radii of curvature . longitudinal concavity 303 may comprise a curve or curves in addition to downward curve 190 . the radius of curvature throughout longitudinal concavity 303 may be completely constant , may have one or more constant portions mixed with one or more non - constant portions , or may be completely non - constant . downward curve 190 , as well as any other curve or curves that are part of longitudinal concavity 303 , may , at any point on any of those curves , have a slope that is gradual , moderate or steep . although downward curve 190 of longitudinal concavity 303 is shown in fig2 a as beginning near the rearmost point 255 , downward curve 190 of longitudinal concavity 303 may instead begin at some other location on the bottom surface 183 of the shank 111 . although longitudinal concavity 303 is shown in fig2 a as ending at a location in the middle region 262 or the location where the heel region 253 transitions into the middle region 262 , longitudinal concavity 303 may end at some other location on the bottom surface 183 of the shank 111 . the bottom surface 183 of the shank 111 , as shown in fig2 a , to has a longitudinal concavity 307 that comprises at least an upward curve 192 located in at least a portion of the middle region 262 . “ upward curve ,” as used here and throughout this specification , unless otherwise noted , refers to a direction that moves away from the ground 100 from any specified location on the shoe when the shoe is oriented in its typical upright position in which the bottom surface 123 of the outsole 105 is in unloaded contact with the ground 100 . upward curve 192 of longitudinal concavity 307 begins at , or near the vicinity of the middle region 262 of the bottom surface 183 and gradually and continuously ascends upwardly from there through at least a portion of the toe region 251 . the portion of the bottom surface 183 indicated by lines extending from , and associated with reference numeral 307 indicates the approximate range wherein longitudinal concavity 307 is typically primarily located . longitudinal concavity 307 may , or may not , be entirely located within the range indicated by the lines extending from , and associated with , reference numeral 307 . longitudinal concavity 307 , as shown in fig2 a , is relatively shallow due to its large radius of curvature or radii of curvature . longitudinal concavity 307 may comprise a curve or curves in addition to upward curve 192 . the radius of curvature throughout longitudinal concavity 307 may be completely constant , may have one or more constant portions mixed with one or more non - constant portions , or may be completely non - constant . upward curve 192 , as well as any other curve or curves that are part of longitudinal concavity 307 , may , at any point on any of those curves , have a slope that is gradual , moderate or steep . although upward curve 192 of longitudinal concavity 307 is shown in fig2 a as beginning near the middle region 262 , upward curve 192 of longitudinal concavity 307 may instead begin at some other location on the bottom surface 183 . although longitudinal concavity 307 is shown in fig2 a as ending at a location in the toe region 251 , longitudinal concavity 307 may end at some other location on the bottom surface 183 of the shank 111 . the bottom surface 183 of the shank 111 , as shown in fig2 a , has a longitudinal convexity 305 that is defined by downward curve 190 and upward curve 192 and that is typically located in at least a portion of the middle region 262 . longitudinal convexity 305 may , or may not , be entirely located within the range indicated by the lines extending from , and associated with , reference numeral 305 . longitudinal convexity 305 , as shown in fig2 a , is relatively shallow due to its large radius of curvature or radii of curvature . longitudinal convexity 305 may comprise a curve or curves in addition to upward curve 192 and downward curve 190 . the radius of curvature throughout longitudinal convexity 305 may be completely constant , may have one or more constant portions mixed with one or more non - constant portions , or may be completely non - constant . downward curve 190 and upward curve 192 , as well as any other curve or curves that are part of longitudinal convexity 305 , may , at any point on any of those curves , have a slope that is gradual , moderate or steep . although longitudinal convexity 305 is shown in fig2 a as ending at a location where the middle region 162 transitions into the toe region 161 , longitudinal convexity 305 may end at some other location on the bottom surface 183 of the shank 111 . the shank 111 , has a cavity 309 which is formed by the top portion 186 and bottom portion 187 . the cavity has a beginning point 311 and an end point 313 . the cavity 309 begins at the beginning point 311 longitudinally closer to the heel region . the cavity 309 terminates at end point 313 closer to the middle region . the shank 111 has a bottom surface 183 that may be connected to the top surface 117 of the bottom layer 109 by either friction and / or an adhesive and / or other similar means . alternatively , substantially the entire bottom surface 183 of the shank 111 may be molded to substantially the entire top surface of the bottom layer 109 . as shown in fig2 and 2a , the top surface 117 of the lower layer 109 is in substantially continuous contact with the bottom surface 183 of the shank 111 . due to this substantially continuous contact between the top surface 117 of the lower layer 109 and bottom surface 183 of the shank 111 in this embodiment , top surface 117 of the lower layer 109 substantially conforms to bottom surface 183 of the shank 111 . in other embodiments , such substantially continuous contact between top surface 117 of the lower layer 109 and bottom surface 183 of the shank 111 may not be present . fig3 a is a front elevation view in cross section of an embodiment of the shank 111 along line 3 a - 3 a in the direction of the appended arrows . as shown , the bottom surface 183 of the shank 111 along line 3 a - 3 a is straight . fig3 b is a front elevation view in cross section of an alternative embodiment of the shank 111 along line 3 a - 3 a in the direction of the appended arrows . as shown , the bottom surface 183 of the shank 111 along line 3 a - 3 a contains a transverse concavity . fig3 c is a front elevation view in cross section of another alternative embodiment of the shank 111 along line 3 a - 3 a in the direction of the appended arrows . as shown , the bottom surface 183 of the shank 111 along line 3 a - 3 a contains a transverse convexity . fig4 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the shank 111 as seen in fig1 , 2 , 2 a and 3 . fig4 illustrates the cavity 309 being open from the lateral to medial side of the shoe . in normal use of the shoe , each forward step taken by the user begins when the heel region 173 of the outsole 105 begins to make contact with the ground 100 . the lower layer 109 of the midsole 103 in the heel region 163 that is made of less dense and more readily compressible material then begins to compress and deform , allowing the heel of the user &# 39 ; s foot to sink toward the ground 100 to a greater extent than it would sink while wearing a conventional shoe . due to longitudinal concavity 303 , the lower layer 109 is relatively thick in the heel region 163 . since this relatively thick heel region 163 of the lower layer 109 is also relatively soft and highly compressible , it mimics the effect of walking or running on a sandy beach , thereby requiring the user to exert more energy while walking or running than would be required when walking or running while wearing conventional shoes . additionally , since the heel region 163 of the lower layer 109 is relatively thick and highly compressible , it has a degree of inherent longitudinal and transverse instability that is not present in conventional shoes . this inherent instability forces the user to engage in a balancing effort and use muscles and muscle control and coordination to maintain a normal walking gait that would not be required with conventional shoes . however , while also maintaining an inherent instability due to the lower layer 109 as discussed above , the shank 111 , due to its rigidity and structure is able to provide proper support to the user &# 39 ; s heel so that although the heel region 163 compresses and provides instability , the shank 111 provides stability and does not compress . as the step continues , the user &# 39 ; s weight shifts to the middle regions 152 , 162 , 262 , and 172 and the shoe rolls forward in a smooth motion without the user having to overcome any abrupt pivot point . the lower layer 109 of the midsole 103 in the middle region 162 then compresses and deforms , allowing the user &# 39 ; s foot in that region to sink toward the ground 100 more than it would sink if the user were wearing conventional shoes , due to the inherent instability due to the lower layer 109 as discussed above . as with the above , the shank 111 , due to its rigidity and structure is able to provide proper support to the user &# 39 ; s midfoot area . the cavity 309 in the shank 111 , may cause the bottom portion 187 of the shank 111 to compress a small amount in the area directly below the cavity 309 . this compression provides cushioning and imparts some instability , but the shank 111 still maintains adequate support to the user &# 39 ; s foot . as the step continues , the user &# 39 ; s weight then shifts to the toe regions 151 , 161 , 251 , and 171 . the lower layer 109 of the midsole 103 in the toe region 161 then compresses and deforms , allowing the user &# 39 ; s foot in that region to sink toward the ground 100 more than it would sink if the user were wearing conventional shoes . as shown in fig2 a , the thickness of the lower layer 109 in the toe region 161 is typically not as great as it is in the heel region 163 . this decrease in thickness of the lower layer 109 results in relatively more stability in the toe region 161 . this allows the user , when completing his / her step more control when pushing off with the forefoot ball of the user &# 39 ; s foot . all of this simulates the effect , and imparts the fitness benefits , of running or walking on a sandy beach or on a giving or uneven soft surface regardless of the actual hardness of the surface . fig5 a - 5d show a side elevation exterior view of a representative shoe that embodies the instant invention . fig5 a shows this representative shoe in a fully unloaded state . fig5 b , 5 c , and 5 d show this representative shoe undergoing normal loading that occurs when a user walks or runs while wearing the shoe . in fig5 a - 5d , the shank 111 does not undergo a significant amount of compression aside from the area occupied by cavity 309 . thus the compression of the shank is not shown aside from the area occupied by cavity 309 . in fig5 a - 5d , the straight lines identified by , respectively , reference numerals 501 a - 501 d , 502 a - 502 d , and 503 a - 503 d each represent the thickness of the upper layer 107 at the location where each such straight line 501 a - 501 d , 502 a - 502 d , and 503 a - 503 d appears . the straight lines identified by , respectively , reference numerals 504 a - 504 d , 505 a - 505 d , and 506 a - 506 d each represent the thickness of the lower layer 109 at the location where each such straight line 504 a - 504 d , 505 a - 505 d , and 506 a - 506 d appears . the straight lines identified by , respectively , reference numerals 509 a - 509 d each represent the area occupied by the cavity 309 . a decrease in the area represented by numeral 509 a - 509 d represents a compression in the cavity 309 of shank 111 . as shown in the unloaded state in fig5 a , the upper layer 107 and lower layer 109 are not undergoing any compression . as also shown in fig5 a , the outsole 105 is not undergoing any deflection or deformation . in this fully uncompressed state , the thickness of the upper layer 107 and the thickness of the lower layer 109 are each at their respective maximum thickness . this maximum thickness is indicated by , and corresponds to , the length of each straight line 501 a - 506 a , each one of which is at its maximum length as shown in fig5 a . furthermore , the area occupied by the cavity is at its maximum . this maximum area is indicated by and corresponds to the length of the straight line 509 a . fig5 b shows the representative shoe in an orientation where the user &# 39 ; s heel ( not shown ) is imparting a load in the heel regions 153 , 163 , 253 , and 173 , shown in fig1 and 2 . in normal use of the shoe , each forward step taken by the user begins when the heel region 173 of the outsole 105 begins to make contact with the ground 100 . the lower layer 109 of the midsole 103 in the heel region 163 that is made of less dense and more readily compressible material then begins to compress and deform , allowing the heel of the user &# 39 ; s foot to sink toward the ground 100 to a greater extent than it would sink while wearing a conventional shoe . due to longitudinal concavity 303 , the lower layer 109 is relatively thick in the heel region 163 . since this relatively thick heel region 163 of the lower layer 109 is also relatively soft and highly compressible , it mimics the effect of walking or running on a sandy beach , thereby requiring the user to exert more energy during use than would be required with conventional shoes . additionally , since the heel region 163 of the lower layer 109 is relatively thick and highly compressible , it has a degree of inherent longitudinal and transverse instability that is not present in conventional shoes . this inherent instability forces the user to engage in a balancing effort and use muscles and muscle control and coordination to maintain a normal gait that would not be required with conventional shoes . however , while also maintaining an inherent instability due to the lower layer 109 as discussed above , the shank 111 , due to its rigidity and structure is able to provide proper support to the user &# 39 ; s heel so that although the heel region 163 compresses and provides instability , the shank 111 provides stability and does not compress . under this loading condition , the heel region 153 of the upper layer 107 is undergoing a relatively small amount of compression . this relatively small amount of compression results in a relatively small decrease in the thickness of the heel region 153 of the upper layer 107 . this relatively small decrease in thickness is indicated by 501 b . under this same loading , the heel region 163 of the lower layer 109 is undergoing a relatively large amount of compression . this relatively large amount of compression results in a relatively large decrease in the thickness of the heel region 163 of the lower layer 109 . this relatively large decrease in thickness is indicated by 504 b . under this same loading , the heel region 173 of the outsole 105 is undergoing a relatively large amount of deflection . this relatively large amount of deflection in the heel region 173 of the outsole 105 is caused by the heel region 173 conforming to the ground 100 as it bears the load of the user . this deflection and conformity of the heel region 173 of the outsole 105 is indicated by the straight portion of the outsole 105 where it contacts the ground 100 as shown in fig5 b . fig5 c shows the representative shoe in an orientation where the user &# 39 ; s foot ( not shown ) is imparting a load in the middle regions 152 , 162 , 262 , and 172 , shown in fig1 and 2 . as the step continues , the user &# 39 ; s weight shifts to the middle regions 152 , 162 , 262 , and 172 and the shoe rolls forward in a smooth motion without the user having to overcome any abrupt pivot point . the lower layer 109 of the midsole 103 in the middle region 162 then compresses and deforms , allowing the user &# 39 ; s foot in that region to sink toward the ground 100 more than it would sink if the user were wearing conventional shoes , due to the inherent instability due to the lower layer 109 as discussed above . as with the above , the shank 111 , due to its rigidity and structure is able to provide proper support to the user &# 39 ; s midfoot region . the cavity 309 in the shank 111 , may cause the bottom portion 187 of the shank 111 to compress a small amount in the area directly below the cavity 309 . that compression provides cushioning and imparts some instability , but the shank 111 still maintains adequate support to the user &# 39 ; s foot . under this loading condition , the middle region 152 of the upper layer 107 is undergoing a relatively small amount of compression . this relatively small amount of compression results in a relatively small decrease in the thickness of the middle region 152 of the upper layer 107 . this relatively small decrease in thickness is indicated by 502 c . under this same loading , the middle region 162 of the lower layer 109 is undergoing a relatively large amount of compression . this relatively large amount of compression results in a relatively large decrease in the thickness of the middle region 162 of the lower layer 109 . this relatively large decrease in thickness is indicated by 505 c . under this same loading , the middle region 172 of the outsole 105 is undergoing a relatively large amount of deflection . this relatively large amount of deflection in the middle region 172 of the outsole 105 is caused by the middle region 172 conforming to the ground 100 as it bears the load of the user . this deflection and conformity of the middle region 172 of the outsole 105 is indicated by the straight portion of the outsole 105 where it contacts the ground 100 as shown in fig5 c . furthermore , the area occupied by the cavity 309 is decreased due to the weight of the user &# 39 ; s foot with respect to the ground . the decrease in area of cavity 309 is shown in line 509 c . fig5 d shows the representative shoe in an orientation where the user &# 39 ; s foot ( not shown ) is imparting a load in the toe regions 151 , 161 , 251 , and 171 , shown in fig1 and 2 . as the step continues , the user &# 39 ; s weight then shifts to the toe regions 151 , 161 , 251 , and 171 . the lower layer 109 of the midsole 103 in the toe region 161 then compresses and deforms , allowing the user &# 39 ; s foot in that region to sink toward the ground 100 more than it would sink if the user were wearing conventional shoes . as shown in fig2 a , the thickness of the lower layer 109 in the toe region 161 is typically not as great as it is in the heel region 163 . this decrease in thickness of the lower layer 109 results in relatively more stability in the toe region 161 . this allows the user , when completing his / her step more control when pushing off with the forefoot ball of the user &# 39 ; s foot . under this loading condition , the toe region 151 of the upper layer 107 is undergoing a relatively small amount of compression . this relatively small amount of compression results in a relatively small decrease in the thickness of the toe region 151 of the upper layer 107 . this relatively small decrease in thickness is indicated by 503 d . under this same loading , the toe region 161 of the lower layer 109 is undergoing a relatively large amount of compression . this relatively large amount of compression results in a relatively large decrease in the thickness of the toe region 161 of the lower layer 109 . this relatively large decrease in thickness is indicated by 506 d . under this same loading , the toe region 171 of the outsole 105 is undergoing a relatively large amount of deflection . this relatively large amount of deflection in the toe region 171 of the outsole 105 is caused by the toe region 171 conforming to the ground 100 as it bears the load of the user . this deflection and conformity of the toe region 171 of the outsole 105 is indicated by the straight portion of the outsole 105 where it contacts the ground 100 as shown in fig5 d . the area in the cavity 309 is now returned to its original state as shown in line 509 d , which is equal to line 509 a . fig7 , 8 and 8 a show another embodiment of the invention . the midsole 703 in this alternative embodiment does not have an upper layer but rather is comprised of a shank 711 and a lower layer 709 . the lower layer 709 can be comprised of two or more sub - layers . in this alternative embodiment , lower layer 709 has a top surface 717 substantially opposite a bottom surface 721 . the shank 711 has a top surface 781 substantially opposite a bottom surface 783 . the shank has a top portion 786 and a bottom portion 787 similar to the embodiment of shank 111 shown in fig3 . the outsole 705 , which is not part of the midsole 703 , has a top surface 719 substantially opposite a bottom surface 723 . as shown in fig7 , when the shoe is in its normal , upright position , the lower layer 709 is below the shank 711 and the outsole 705 is below the lower layer 709 . fig8 is a side elevation view of the alternative embodiment . the shoe has a front tip 740 located at the farthest point toward the front of the shoe and a rear tip 742 located at the farthest point toward the rear of the shoe . the shank 711 includes a toe region 851 that extends substantially from the medial side of the shoe to the lateral side of the shoe at a location that begins in the vicinity of the front tip 740 and extends from there to a location that is approximately one third of the distance toward the rear tip 742 . the lower layer 709 includes a toe region 761 that extends substantially from the medial side of the shoe to the lateral side of the shoe at a location that begins in the vicinity of the front tip 740 and extends from there to a location that is approximately one third of the distance toward the rear tip 742 . the outsole 705 includes a toe region 771 that extends substantially from the medial side of the shoe to the lateral side of the shoe at a location that begins in the vicinity of the front tip 740 and extends from there to a location that is approximately one third of the distance toward the rear tip 742 . the shank 711 includes a heel region 853 that extends substantially from the medial side of the shoe to the lateral side of the shoe at a location that begins in the vicinity of the rear tip 742 and extends from there to a location that is approximately one third of the distance toward the front tip 740 . the lower layer 709 includes a heel region 763 that extends substantially from the medial side of the shoe to the lateral side of the shoe at a location that begins in the vicinity of the rear tip 742 and extends from there to a location that is approximately one third of the distance toward the front tip 740 . the outsole 705 includes a heel region 773 that extends substantially from the medial side of the shoe to the lateral side of the shoe at a location that begins in the vicinity of the rear tip 742 and extends from there to a location that is approximately one third of the distance toward the front tip 740 . the shank 711 includes a middle region 862 that extends substantially from the medial side of the shoe to the lateral side of the shoe at a location that extends approximately between the toe region 851 and the heel region 853 . the lower layer 709 includes a middle region 762 that extends substantially from the medial side of the shoe to the lateral side of the shoe at a location that extends approximately between the toe region 761 and the heel region 763 . the outsole 705 includes a middle region 772 that extends substantially from the medial side of the shoe to the lateral side of the shoe at a location that extends approximately between the toe region 771 and the heel region 773 . fig8 a is an exploded side elevation view of fig8 . the lower layer 709 is made of a compressible and deformable yet resilient material . typically the lower layer 709 will have a durometer hardness between about 20 and about 45 on the asker c scale . the top surface 781 of the shank 711 is typically positioned below an insole board ( not shown ) which is typically positioned below a sockliner ( not shown ). as shown in fig8 and 8a , top surface 717 of the lower layer 709 is in substantially continuous contact with , and substantially conforms to , the bottom surface 783 of the shank 711 . in other embodiments , such substantially continuous contact between top surface 717 and bottom surface 783 may not be present . the bottom surface 783 of the shank 711 , as shown in fig8 a , has a longitudinal concavity 782 that comprises at least a downward curve 790 located in at least a portion of the heel region 853 . the shank 711 has a frontmost point 750 and a rearmost point 755 . downward curve 790 of longitudinal concavity 782 begins at , or near the vicinity of , the rearmost point 755 of the shank 711 and gradually and continuously descends downwardly from there through a point at or near the vicinity of the middle region 862 . the portion of the bottom surface 783 of the shank 711 indicated by lines extending from , and associated with , reference numeral 782 indicates the approximate range wherein longitudinal concavity 782 is typically primarily located . longitudinal concavity 782 may , or may not , be entirely located within the range indicated by the lines extending from , and associated with , reference numeral 782 . longitudinal concavity 782 , as shown in fig8 a , is relatively shallow due to its large radius of curvature or radii of curvature . longitudinal concavity 782 may comprise a curve or curves in addition to downward curve 790 . the radius of curvature throughout longitudinal concavity 782 may be completely constant , may have one or more constant portions mixed with one or more non - constant portions , or may be completely non - constant . downward curve 790 , as well as any other curve or curves that are part of longitudinal concavity 782 , may , at any point on any of those curves , have a slope that is gradual , moderate or steep . although downward curve 790 of longitudinal concavity 782 is shown in fig8 a as beginning near the rearmost point 774 , downward curve 790 of longitudinal concavity 782 may instead begin at some other location on the shank 711 . although longitudinal concavity 782 is shown in fig8 a as ending at a location in the middle region 862 or the location where the heel region 853 transitions into the middle region 862 , longitudinal concavity 782 may end at some other location on the bottom surface 783 of the shank 711 . the bottom surface 783 of the shank 711 , as shown in fig8 a , has a longitudinal concavity 785 that comprises at least an upward curve 792 located in at least a portion of the middle region 862 . upward curve 792 of longitudinal concavity 785 begins at , or near the vicinity of , the middle region 862 of the lower layer 709 and gradually and continuously ascends upwardly from there through at least a portion of the toe region 851 . the portion of the bottom surface 783 of the shank 711 indicated by lines extending from , and associated with , reference numeral 785 indicates the approximate range wherein longitudinal concavity 785 is typically primarily located . longitudinal concavity 785 may , or may not , be entirely located within the range indicated by the lines extending from , and associated with , reference numeral 785 . longitudinal concavity 785 , as shown in fig8 a , is relatively shallow due to its large radius of curvature or radii of curvature . longitudinal concavity 785 may comprise a curve or curves in addition to upward curve 792 . the radius of curvature throughout longitudinal concavity 785 may be completely constant , may have one or more constant portions mixed with one or more non - constant portions , or may be completely non - constant . upward curve 792 , as well as any other curve or curves that are part of longitudinal concavity 785 , may , at any point on any of those curves , have a slope that is gradual , moderate or steep . although upward curve 792 of longitudinal concavity 785 is shown in fig8 a as beginning near the middle region 762 , upward curve 792 of longitudinal concavity 785 may instead begin at some other location on the bottom surface 783 of the shank 711 . although longitudinal concavity 785 is shown in fig8 a as ending at a location in the toe region 851 , longitudinal concavity 785 may end at some other location on the bottom surface 783 of the shank 711 . the bottom surface 783 of the shank 711 , as shown in fig8 a , has a longitudinal convexity 789 that comprises the downward curve 790 and upward curve 792 and that is typically located in at least a portion of the middle region 862 . longitudinal convexity 789 may , or may not , be entirely located within the range indicated by the lines extending from , and associated with , reference numeral 789 . longitudinal convexity 789 , as shown in fig8 a , is relatively shallow due to its large radius of curvature or radii of curvature . longitudinal convexity 789 may comprise a curve or curves in addition to upward curve 792 and downward curve 790 . the radius of curvature throughout longitudinal convexity 789 may be completely constant , may have one or more constant portions mixed with one or more non - constant portions , or may be completely non - constant . downward curve 790 and upward curve 792 , as well as any other curve or curves that are part of longitudinal convexity 789 , may , at any point on any of those curves , have a slope that is gradual , moderate or steep . although longitudinal convexity 789 is shown in fig8 a as ending at a location where the middle region 762 transitions into the toe region 761 , longitudinal convexity 789 may end at some other location on the bottom surface 783 of the shank 711 . as shown in fig8 and 8a , the outsole 705 typically curves upwardly in the heel region . the outsole 705 has a frontmost point 770 and a rearmost point 774 . when the shoe is in its typical upright , unloaded state , the frontmost point 770 and the rearmost point 774 are both relatively high above the ground 100 . from a point at or near the vicinity of the frontmost point 770 , the outsole 705 has a gradual downward curve 795 that continues through at least a portion of the toe region 771 of the outsole 705 . starting in the middle region 772 , the outsole 705 has a gradual , upward curve 796 that continues to curve upward through at least a portion of the heel region 773 of the outsole 705 . this gradual upward curve 796 typically continues until the outsole 705 approaches the vicinity of the rear tip 742 of the shoe . this upward curve 796 is typically sharper than downward curve 795 in the toe region 771 . upward curve 796 may be substantially sharper than shown in fig8 a or substantially shallower than shown in fig8 a . fig9 a depicts a top plan view of the top surface of an alternative embodiment of a shank 901 along line 6 c - 6 c in the direction of the appended arrows . as shown , the shank 901 shown in fig9 a differs from the shank 111 shown in fig6 c . the shank 901 , instead of having a fork - like structure as shown in 6 c , does not have any open areas and occupies substantially all of the area from the medial to the lateral side of the shoe between the rear tip 142 and the front tip 140 . fig9 b depicts a top plan view of the top surface of another alternative embodiment of a shank 903 along line 6 c - 6 c in the direction of the appended arrows . as shown , the shank 903 shown in fig9 b differs from the shank 111 shown in fig6 c . the shank 903 , instead of extending from the rear tip 142 to the front tip 140 , extends only from the rear tip 142 to an area close to the middle region 262 and does not extend to the front tip 140 . while the foregoing detailed description sets forth selected embodiments of a shoe in accordance with the present invention , the above description is illustrative only and not limiting of the disclosed invention . the claims that follow herein collectively cover the foregoing embodiments . the following claims further encompass additional embodiments that are within the scope and spirit of the present invention .	0
the present invention will now be explained with the help of the accompanying drawings which show embodiments thereof . in fig2 is shown a preferred embodiment of a lateral n - channel igbt transistor 100 which easily can be combined with state of the art cmos technology . said igbt consists of an igfet transistor 101 that is electrically connected to the base of a bipolar pnp transistor 102 as described below . the substrate 115 consists of a silicon wafer with or without an epi layer on top . said substrate 115 is preferably of ( 100 )- orientation . substrate 115 can also , in an embodiment of the invention , be a silicon - on - insulator ( soi ) substrate . in case an soi substrate is used layer 120 is omitted . within a part of the substrate a buried n - type layer 120 with a typical thickness in the order of 1 μm and a typical doping concentration in the range of 1 . 10 17 to 1 . 10 19 cm − 3 is formed . on top of a part of layer 120 , a p - type layer 125 b is formed that reach the surface . said layer 125 b has a thickness around 0 . 6 μm and a doping concentration around 1 . 10 18 cm − 3 . the layer 125 b will form the collector of the bipolar pnp transistor . within layer 125 b an n - type layer 127 b is formed that reach the surface and forms the base of the bipolar pnp transistor . the n - type base layer 127 b has a doping concentration in the range of 5 . 10 17 to 5 . 10 18 cm − 3 and the base - collector junction is approximately 0 . 3 μm below surface . said n - type base layer 127 b is enclosed by the collector layer 125 b . within layer 127 b a p +- layer 145 which reach the surface is formed . the junction depth of said p + layer is approximately 0 . 2 μm and the layer has a typical surface doping concentration of 5 . 10 19 cm − 3 . said layer , which is enclosed by the base layer 127 b , forms the emitter of the bipolar pnp transistor . the n - type igfet transistor is located in the p - well 125 a with its channel layer 126 in vicinity of the semiconductor surface , right under the gate structure 156 . the n +- layer 135 is forming the source of the igfet and the n +- layer 136 a the drain of the igfet . the junction depths of said n +- layers are approximately 0 . 2 μm and the layers have typical surface concentrations in the range of 5 . 10 19 to 1 . 10 2c cm − 3 . a p +- layer 140 with a typical junction depth of 0 . 2 μm and a typical surface doping concentration of 5 . 10 19 cm − 3 will serve as substrate contact . the n - type igfet is separated from the bipolar transistor by an n - type layer 130 that is placed on top of , and makes contact to , layer 120 . said layer reaches the surface and vertically surrounds the p - type layer 125 b that forms the collector of the pnp transistor . the thickness of said layer is approximately 0 . 4 μm and the doping concentration is around 1 . 10 18 cm − 3 . on top of layer 130 is a low resistive interconnect layer 136 c arranged that extends into layers 125 a and 125 b to interconnect layers 136 a and 136 b , forming respective drain and base contact layers of the devices . the layer 130 will isolate the bipolar pnp transistor from the substrate together with layer 120 . the highly doped drain layer 136 a forms an ohmic contact to the igfet and the highly doped layer 136 b forms an ohmic contact to the base layer 127 b of the pnp - transistor , where layer 145 is the emitter and layer 125 b is the collector . the n +- layer 136 c contain openings before reaching layer 125 b leaving space for contacting the collector layer with a p +- layer , 142 . the surface of said interconnect layer is preferably shunted by a silicide layer ( e . g . tisi 2 , cosi 2 , nisi ) of low resistivity . as indicated in fig2 , the p - layer 125 a , the contact p +- layer 140 , the n +- source 135 , the gate electrode 156 and drain layer 136 a can be mirrored in the vertical plane 122 through the emitter . for about the preferred embodiment of the device in fig2 a gain more than 100 has been verified with a base - width of around 0 . 4 μm which means there is a lot of room for improvements . in fig3 is shown a preferred embodiment of a lateral p - channel igbt transistor 200 which easily can be combined with state of the art cmos technology . said igbt consists of a p - type igfet transistor 201 that is electrically connected to the base of a bipolar npn transistor 202 as described below . the device comprises a p - type silicon substrate 115 as described above . within a part of the substrate a buried n - type layer 220 with a typical thickness in the order of 1 μm and a typical doping concentration in the range of 1 · 10 17 to 1 · 10 19 cm − 3 is formed . on top of a part of layer 220 , an n - type layer 230 b is formed that reaches the surface . said layer 230 b has a thickness around 0 . 4 μm and a doping concentration around 1 . 10 18 cm − 3 . the layer 230 b will form the collector of the bipolar npn transistor . within layer 230 b a p - type layer 227 b is formed that reaches the surface and forms the base of the bipolar npn transistor . the p - type base layer 227 b has a doping concentration in the range of 5 . 10 17 to 5 . 10 18 cm − 3 and the base - collector junction is approximately 0 . 4 μm below surface . said p - type base layer 227 b is enclosed by the collector layer 230 b . within layer 227 b an n +- layer 245 which reaches the surface is formed . the junction depth of said n + layer is approximately 0 . 2 μm and the layer has a typical surface doping concentration of 1 . 10 20 cm − 3 . said layer , which is enclosed by the base layer 227 b , forms the emitter of the bipolar npn transistor . the p - type igfet transistor is located in the n - well 230 a with its channel layer 226 in vicinity of the semiconductor surface , right under the gate structure 256 . the p +- layer 240 is forming the source of the igfet and the p +- layer 241 a the drain of the igfet . the junction depths of said p +- layers are approximately 0 . 2 μm and the layers have typical surface concentrations in the range of 1 . 10 19 to 5 . 10 19 cm − 3 . an n +- layer 235 with a typical junction depth of 0 . 2 μm and a typical surface doping concentration of 1 . 10 2c cm − 3 will serve as body contact to the p - type igfet transistor and as contact to the n - layer 230 a . said n - layer 230 a , which reaches the surface , has an approximate depth of 0 . 4 μm and an approximate doping concentration of 1 . 10 18 cm − 3 . said layer makes contact to layer 220 and leaves space for a p - well 225 , on top of layer 220 , between layers 230 a and 230 b . on top of layer 225 is a highly conductive layer 241 c arranged that interconnect layers 241 a and 241 b that forms respective drain and base contacts of the devices . the highly conductive layer 241 c arranged on top of layer 225 extends into layers 230 a and 230 b to interconnect layers 241 a and 241 b , forming respective drain and base contact layers of the devices . the highly doped drain layer 241 a forms an ohmic contact to the igfet and the highly doped layer 241 b forms an ohmic contact to the base layer 227 b of the npn - transistor , where layer 245 is the emitter and layer 230 b is the collector . the p +- layer 241 c contain openings before reaching layer 230 b leaving space for contacting the collector layer with an n +- layer , 242 . the surface of said interconnect layer is preferably shunted by a silicide layer ( e . g . tisi 2 , cosi 2 , nisi ) of low resistivity . as indicated in fig3 , the n - layer 230 a , the contact n +- layer 235 , the p +- source 240 , the gate electrode 256 and drain layer 241 a can be mirrored in the vertical plane 222 through the emitter . in fig4 is shown an alternative preferred embodiment of a lateral n - channel igbt transistor which use sti ( shallow trench isolation ) layers 310 , for oxide isolation . these layers are about 0 . 3 μm deep and improve isolation between n +- and p +- layers this step can easily be combined with state of the art cmos technology . just the bipolar side of the device is shown . in fig4 the reference numerals designate same parts as those already shown in fig2 . the substrate 115 consists of a silicon wafer with or without an epi layer on top . said substrate 115 is preferably of ( 100 )- orientation . substrate 115 can also , in an embodiment of the invention , be a silicon - on - insulator ( soi ) substrate . within a part of the substrate a buried n - type layer 120 with a typical thickness in the order of 1 μm and a typical doping concentration in the range of 1 . 10 17 to 1 . 10 19 cm − 3 is formed . on top of a part of layer 120 , a p - type layer 125 b is formed that reaches the surface . said layer 125 b has a thickness around 0 . 4 μm and a doping concentration around 1 . 10 18 cm − 3 . the layer 125 b will form the collector of the bipolar pnp transistor . partly within layer 125 b an n - type layer 127 b is formed that reach the surface and forms the base of the bipolar pnp transistor . the n - type base layer 127 b has a doping concentration in the range of 5 . 10 17 to 5 . 10 18 cm − 3 and the base - collector junction is approximately 0 . 4 μm below surface . said n - type base layer 127 b is not fully enclosed by the collector layer 125 b . within layer 127 b a p +- layer 145 which reaches the surface is formed . the junction depth of said p + layer is approximately 0 . 2 μm and the layer has a typical surface doping concentration of 5 . 10 19 cm − 3 . said layer , which is enclosed by the base layer 127 b , forms the emitter of the bipolar pnp transistor . the n - type igfet , not shown , is separated from the bipolar transistor by an n - type layer 130 that is placed on top of , and makes contact to , layer 120 . said layer reaches the surface and vertically surrounds the p - type layer 125 b that forms the collector of the pnp transistor . the thickness of said layer is approximately 0 . 4 μm and the doping concentration is around 1 . 10 18 cm − 3 . this layer will isolate the bipolar pnp transistor from the substrate together with layer 120 . the somewhat longer highly doped drain layer 136 a will form an ohmic contact to the n - layer 130 and thus to the base layer 127 b of the pnp - transistor , where layer 145 is the emitter and layer 125 b is the collector . the surface of said interconnect layer 136 a is preferably shunted by a silicide layer ( e . g . tisi 2 , cosi 2 , nisi ) of low resistivity . in fig5 is shown an alternative preferred embodiment of a lateral p - channel igbt transistor which use sti ( shallow trench isolation ) layers 310 , for oxide isolation . these layers are about 0 . 3 μm deep and improve isolation between n +- and p +- layers , see fig5 layers 310 . this step can easily be combined with state of the art cmos technology . in fig5 the reference numerals designate same parts as those already shown in fig2 . the device comprises a p - type silicon substrate 115 as described above . within a part of the substrate a buried n - type layer 220 with a typical thickness in the order of 1 μm and a typical doping concentration in the range of 1 · 10 17 to 1 · 10 19 cm − 3 is formed . on top of a part of layer 220 , an n - type layer 230 b is formed that reach the surface . said layer 230 b has a thickness around 0 . 4 μm and a doping concentration around 1 . 10 18 cm − 3 . the layer 230 b will form the collector of the bipolar npn transistor . within layer 230 b a p - type layer 227 b is formed that reaches the surface and forms the base of the bipolar npn transistor . the p - type base layer 227 b has a doping concentration in the range of 5 . 10 17 to 5 . 10 18 cm − 3 and the base - collector junction is approximately 0 . 4 μm below the surface . said p - type base layer 227 b is not fully enclosed by the collector layer 230 b . within layer 227 b an n +- layer 245 which reaches the surface is formed . the junction depth of said n +- layer is approximately 0 . 2 μm and the layer has a typical surface doping concentration of 1 . 10 2c cm − 3 . said layer , which is enclosed by the base layer 227 b , forms the emitter of the bipolar npn transistor . the p - type igfet transistor is located in the n - well 230 a with its channel layer 236 in vicinity of the semiconductor surface , right under the gate structure 256 . the p +- layer 240 is forming the source of the igfet and the p +- layer 241 a the drain of the igfet . the junction depths of said p + layers are approximately 0 . 2 μm and the layers have typical surface concentrations in the range of 1 . 10 19 to 5 . 10 19 cm − 3 . an n +- layer 235 with a typical junction depth of 0 . 2 μm and a typical surface doping concentration of 1 · 10 2c cm − 3 will serve as body contact to the p - type igfet transistor and as contact to the n - layer 230 a . said n - layer 230 a , which reaches the surface , has an approximate depth of 0 . 4 μm and an approximate doping concentration of 1 . 10 18 cm − 3 . said layer makes contact to layer 220 and leaves space for a p - well 225 , on top of layer 220 , between layers 230 a and 230 b . the somewhat longer highly doped drain layer 241 a , that extends into layer 225 will form an ohmic contact 241 b to the base layer 227 b of the npn - transistor , where layer 245 is the emitter and layer 230 b is the collector . the surface of said interconnect layer is preferably shunted by a silicide layer ( e . g . tisi 2 , cosi 2 , nisi ) of low resistivity . the described devices and functions that have been detailed above as part of the invention are very different from the prior art device of fig1 a , in that the drift layer 20 has in our embodiments been replaced by a somewhat extended drain diffusion having a very low resistivity , typically 20 ohm / square , as compared to the high resistivity , typically 10 kohm , of the prior art drift layer . conductivity modulation , being an essential function of prior - art devices , will therefore not occur . furthermore , in contrast to the prior art devices , the transistor structures implemented in the invention are all of standard type and do not require special processing and layout steps and modifications . the use of a vertical bipolar transistor in combination with a lateral igfet and the elimination of any lateral pnp - and / or npn - transistor ( s ), the latter being an essential part of prior art devices , reduce the risk of latch - up problems and distinguishes our invention from prior art . 1 n . sakurai , m . mori , t . tanaka , “ u . s . pat . no . 5 , 126 , 806 ” 2 b . bakeroot , j . doutreloigne , p . vanmeerbeek , p . moens , “ a new lateral - igbt structure with a wider safe operating area ”, ieee electron device letters 28 , 416 - 418 ( 2007 ). 3 e . k . c . tee , a . holke , s . j . pilkington , d . k . pal , n . l . yew , so w . a . w . z . abidin , “ a review of techniques used in lateral insulated gate bipolar transistors ( ligbt )”.	7
the present invention overcomes the limitations of nmr biochemical screening with respect to protein and substrate concentrations when compared to prior art hts techniques . the present invention provides a novel and sensitive nmr method in which a moiety with three fluorine atoms ( cf 3 ) is used to label a substrate . the use of a cf 3 - labeled substrate , e . g ., a cf 3 - labeled peptide , allows for rapid and reliable biochemical screening at protein and substrate concentrations comparable to the concentrations utilized by standard hts techniques . the nmr method of the present invention has unique advantages . i ) fluorine nmr spectroscopy is very sensitive , 0 . 83 times that of the proton . ii ) fluorine signals appear as sharp singlet resonances ( the experiments do not require proton decoupling if the cf 3 is not scalar coupled to protons ) originating from three fluorine atoms , and therefore , the signal is very intense . this property is crucial for the screening because it permits the use of substrate concentrations that are in the range of its k m thus allowing detection of medium and weak inhibitors iii ) there are no spectral interferences from protonated solvents , buffers , or detergents typically used in enzymatic reactions . overlap with the signals of the substrate in the presence of the cf 3 - containing molecules represents an extremely rare event due to the limited number of sharp singlet 19 f signals ( molecules will typically have one cf 3 group ) and the large dispersion of the 19 f chemical shift . iv ) the 19 f isotropic chemical shift is very sensitive to the chemical environment [ gerig , j . t . prog . nmr spectrosc . 26 , 293 - 370 ( 1994 )] resulting in differential chemical shifts for the starting and enzymatically transformed substrate resonances thus allowing a direct comparison of their intensities . in one embodiment of the present invention , nmr has been utilized to measure the phosphorylation of a cf 3 - labeled substrate by the protein ser / thr kinase akt1 . protein kinase akt1 is an anti - apoptotic protein kinase that has an elevated activity in a number of human malignancies [ staal , s . p . et al . j . exp . med . 167 , 1259 - 1264 ( 1988 ); bellacosa , a . et al . science 254 , 274 - 277 ( 1991 )]. the substrate aktide is a peptide of 14 aminoacids [ obata , t . et al . j . biol . chem . 46 , 36108 - 36115 ( 2000 )] that was labeled with a cf 3 moiety by n - terminal capping with trifluoroacetic anhydride resulting in the peptide ( cf 3 — co - arkreraysfghha ) ( seq id no : 1 ). alternatives can include the introduction of the cf 3 group at the c - terminal via amide formation with a trifluoromethylamine or the substitution of one amino acid during the peptide synthesis with a fluorinated ( cf 3 ) amino acid ( e . g . tyr with para - cf 3 phe ). the cf 3 at the n terminal , the c terminal or the substituted amino acid ( the para - cf 3 phe points toward the solvent , while the ser to be phosphorylated points toward the enzyme ), is located away from the serine phosphorylation site and therefore does not interfere with the binding . in the case of non - peptidic substrates , chemical synthesis is required for the introduction of the cf 3 moiety in the appropriate position in the substrate . an enzymatic reaction was performed by incubating the unphosphorylated cf 3 - labeled peptide of seq id no : 1 in the presence of atp and activated protein kinase akt1 . the conversion of unphosphorylated peptide to phosphorylated peptide generated a shift of the 19f signal as indicated in fig1 ( top ), which shows the 19 f spectrum containing the signal of the cf 3 moiety of the substrate as a function of time after the start of the enzymatic reaction . at time 0 only one signal is observed corresponding to the unphosphorylated species of the peptide . with time the signal of the unphosphorylated peptide decreases and a new signal appears in the spectrum corresponding to the phosphorylated peptide . the sum of the two integral signals at any time after the start of the reaction corresponds to the signal integral of the unphosphorylated peptide at time 0 . the enzymatic reaction is complete after 149 minutes and only the signal of the phosphorylated peptide is visible in the spectrum . the same reaction performed in the presence of the strong inhibitor staurosporine did not result in any formation of phosphorylated peptide as is evident in fig1 ( bottom ). despite the large distance of the cf 3 group from the phosphorylation site , the chemical shifts of this moiety in the phosphorylated and unphosporylated peptides are different . as a screening method , the reaction can also be carried out in the presence of a mixture of compounds containing an inhibitor . then , deconvolution of the active mixture is performed to identify which of the compounds in the mixture is the inhibitor . in accordance with the present invention , deconvolution means that the reaction is performed repeatedly in the presence of the mixture and in the absence of each one of the compounds . that is , there is no inhibition when the reaction in is carried out in the presence of the mixture minus the inhibitory compound . to confirm the inhibitory effect of one of the compounds , inhibition can be observed when the reaction is also performed in the presence of the single inhibitory compound that was identified from the mixture . as an example , the reaction of unphosphorylated cf3 - labeled peptide of seq id no : 1 , atp , and activated protein kinase akt1 was also performed in the presence of a five molecule mixture containing the compound h89 [ reuveni , h . et al . biochemistry 41 , 10304 - 10314 ( 2002 )], an akt1 inhibitor . the result was inhibition of peptide phosphorylation . there was no inhibition of peptide phosphorylation when this reaction was carried out in the presence of the mixture in the absence of h89 . the inhibitory effect over peptide phosphorylation of h89 was confirmed when the reaction was performed in the presence of only h89 . for screening purposes and ic 50 measurements the reaction is typically stopped after an established delay that will depend on the enzyme and atp concentrations and k cat . the reaction can be quenched either by adding a concentrated solution of edta or by denaturating the protein . in accordance with the present invention , however , a more economical method is employed to quench reaction , namely the addition of about 5 to about 10 μm of the strong inhibitor staurosporine ( ic 50 in the low nm range ). even after several hours from the addition of staurosporine no changes of the 19 f spectrum were observed . after the quench , the signal intensity ratio of the two 19 f signals is monitored . in the absence of an inhibitor the signal intensity ratio i ( p ) / i ( unp ) corresponds to 0 % inhibition whereas when the ratio is 0 it corresponds to 100 % inhibition . this method is valid only if the peptide concentration is always the same otherwise the signal integral of the phosphorylated peptide should be monitored . the dissociation binding constant of atp must be calculated first in order to optimize the atp concentration used for the screening experiments and for deriving the binding constant of the hits from their ic 50 . for this purpose reactions at different atp concentrations are recorded [ fersht , a . enzyme structure and mechanism , w . h . freeman and company , new york 1985 ]. the signal intensity of the phosphorylated peptide as a function of the atp concentration is shown in fig2 . fitting of the experimental data results in a binding constant for atp ( in the presence of 30 μm substrate ) of 89 +/− 17 μm . in accordance with the present invention , screening is first performed at a single concentration for the compounds in the library . compounds can be screened in small or large mixtures . for example , if only strong inhibitors with ic 50 & lt ; 5 μm will be considered , then it will be sufficient to use molecules at about a 5 μm concentration . in practice , the reliability of the method of the present invention allows the identification of a weaker inhibitor with , e . g ., an ic 50 in the range of 10 - 20 μm even when the concentration of the screened molecules is only about 5 μm . as fig5 shows , substrate concentrations can be as low as about 10 - 20 nm . this low concentration allows the preparation of mixtures with a large number of components without severe problems of aggregation or solubility . deconvolution of the active mixture is then carried out for the identification of the inhibitor . for the characterization of the ic 50 of the hits , experiments at different inhibitor concentrations are then performed as shown in fig3 for the compound h89 [ reuveni , h . et al . biochemistry 41 , 10304 - 10314 ( 2002 )]. in the absence of allosteric effects a meaningful ic 50 value is derived with a single point measurement . a cf 3 - labeled atp analogue can also be used with the method of the present invention . in this case , the 19 f signals of atp and adp are monitored . inhibitors that bind in the atp binding pocket or inhibitors that compete with the peptide for the substrate binding site can be identified . the method of the present invention therefore represents a simple and reliable assay because it is homogeneous and directly detects both the phosphorylated and unphosphorylated substrate . the 19 f nmr assay does not require i ) the presence of secondary reactions performed with enzymes or specific antibodies or ii ) separation and / or washing steps necessary for the readout with other methods . the method &# 39 ; s simplicity results in reliable lead molecule identification and quantification of the molecules &# 39 ; inhibitory activity . compounds displaying only a weak inhibitory activity can also be safely selected . small chemical changes of the weak inhibitors or the selection of similar molecules bearing the same scaffold might result in the identification of potent inhibitors . in other art recognized hts techniques , often the real concentration differs from the nominal concentration . a large difference in compound concentration results in a significant error of the derived ic 50 . the causes for concentration differences in other prior art hts techniques can be ascribed to weighing errors , sample impurity , poor solubility of the compound , and chemical instability in an aqueous environment . in contrast , with the nmr method of the present invention these chemical properties can be easily measured by acquiring , in addition to the fluorine spectrum , also a proton spectrum . therefore , the real concentration of the inhibitor determined with 1 h nmr allows a significantly more accurate measurement of the ic 50 value . the method of the present invention is not limited to the identification of inhibitors only , but can also be used for the detection of agonists . in the case of protein kinases the 19 f signal of the phosphorylated peptide in the presence of an agonist is larger when compared to the same signal of the reference sample ( i . e . sample for which the reaction was performed in the absence of compounds to be screened ). the concentration of the protein used with this method can be as low as a few nanomolar , comparing favorably with the concentration used in other hts techniques . however , the volume necessary for each nmr sample using a 5 mm probe is about 500 - 550 μl . a 2 - to 3 - fold volume reduction is achieved in accordance with the present invention with the use of a flow - injection probe or a 3 mm probe . the high sensitivity of the cf 3 signal allows for rapid acquisition of the spectra . further , the same spectra can be recorded even more rapidly with the use of cryogenic technology applied to 19 f detection . therefore , under the settings of the current method , the spectra that require an acquisition time of 3 minutes can be recorded in just 12 seconds . further , the problems of radiation damping encountered in proton - detected experiments recorded with cryoprobes are absent in the fluorine - detected methodology of the present invention because of the low concentration of the cf 3 - labeled substrate . bovine serum albumin ( bsa ) can be used with the method of the present invention to avoid sticking of the protein to the tube wall [ hlady , v . et al . curr . opin . bioctechnol . 7 , 72 - 77 ( 1996 )]. however , while the enzymatic reaction in the presence of bsa becomes faster due to the fact that all the enzyme is available in solution , the ic 50 of the compound can become weaker because of the compound sequestering from the solution by bsa . therefore , the present method performed in the presence or absence of bsa or human serum albumin ( hsa ), for the compounds in the hit to lead optimization phase , can provide important structural information for designing analogues with retained inhibitory activity to the target enzyme and reduced affinity to albumin . the method of the present invention can also be applied to many different types and subtypes of enzymes ( e . g . proteases , phosphatases , ligases , etc .). in another embodiment of the present invention , the screening can be performed with trypsin , a protease that cleaves peptide bonds c - terminally of lysine and arginine [ price , n . c . et al . fundamentals of enzymology , oxford university press , oxford , u . k . ( 1999 )], and , as a substrate , the peptide ( arkreraf ( 3 - cf 3 ) sfghha ) ( seq id no : 2 ). as shown in fig4 b , in the presence of trypsin two 19 f signals are visible in the spectrum at 13 . 38 and 13 . 33 ppm originating from the starting peptide and the cleaved peptide , respectively . screening was performed in an end point assay format where the reaction was quenched after a defined delay using a known trypsin inhibitor ( fig4 c ). deconvolution of the active mixture was then performed for the identification of the inhibitor ( fig4 d , e ). therefore , natural product extracts can be easily screened with this method . the components of the active extracts will then be separated via high performance liquid chromatography ( hplc ) and tested as single compounds with the method of the present invention for the identification of the compound responsible for the inhibitory activity . another application of the method of the present invention is the determination of protein function . in view of the ready availability of high - throughput genome sequencing , thousands of proteins have been identified . however , the function of many of these proteins is unknown . the function of the protein can be inferred from the types of substrates that can be modified . for this purpose , a functional genomic library of cf 3 - labeled substrates of enzymes of known function is generated . these substrates are first tested on their known respective enzymes to determine the 19 f chemical shifts of the starting and modified substrate . some substrates can act as substrates for different classes of enzymes . this library of substrates is then screened as single compounds or in small mixtures against the protein with unknown function . the reduction in signal intensity of a 19 f signal and the appearance of a new resonance at a defined chemical shift allows the recognition of the protein function . in another embodiment of the present invention , three different proteins , akt1 , trypsin , and p - 21 activated protein ( pak4 ) were incubated with the cf 3 - labeled peptide of seq id no : 2 . as shown in fig5 , the reaction in the presence of pak4 results in the appearance of a 19 f signal with a chemical shift similar to the shift of a phosphorylated peptide as with the 19 f signal of the reaction in the presence of akt1 . this result allowed for the classification of pak4 to the kinase family . a higher concentration of the protein with unknown function and a longer incubation period may be required because the substrate may not be optimal for the protein with unknown function . the speed of the enzymatic reaction of pak4 is only { fraction ( 1 / 22 )} of the speed of akt1 , therefore , the period of time for the reaction in the presence of pak4 was longer than the period of time for the reaction in the presence of akt1 . the method of the present invention is also applicable to activated enzymes . the method of the present invention extends the capabilities of nmr to the enzymatic reactions performed by ser / thr kinases . the method performs well and provides a reliable array of experimental data . wtakt1 recombinant protein were produced by infection of sf21 insect cells with baculovirus coding for the full length protein fused to gst at the n - terminus . the cells were treated with okadaic acid for 4 hours prior to harvesting . this treatment , by inhibiting the cellular phosphatases , increased the total phosphorylation level of the protein leading to the phosphorylation of the two sites critical for akt activity , threonine 308 in the activation loop and serine 473 in the c terminal hydrophobic motif . lysis , purification , and removal of the gst tag were performed by following standard procedures . trypsin , purchased from roche molecular biochemical ( cat . no . 1418025 ), was dissolved in 1 % acetic acid solution at a final stock solution concentration of 8 . 33 μm . the serine / threonine p21 - activated kinase pak4 was expressed as a gst fusion protein in escherichia coli and purified to homogeneity after removal of the gst tag . all the compounds were prepared in dmso stock solutions ( 20 - 40 nm ). the peptides of seq id no : 1 and seq id no : 2 and leupeptin were prepared in aqueous solutions at a concentration of 10 and 2 . 1 mm , respectively . the reactions were run in 50 mm tris ph 7 . 5 with 1 mm dtt and 5 mm mgcl 2 for akt1 and 50 mm tris ph 7 . 5 for trypsin . d 2 o was added to the solutions ( 8 % final concentration ) for the lock signal . the enzymatic reactions were performed at room temperature in eppendorf vials and then quenched after a defined delay with the addition of staurosporine for akt1 and pmsf for trypsin . the solutions were then transferred to 5 mm nmr tubes . all nmr spectra were recorded at 20 ° c . with a 600 nmr spectrometer operating at a 19 f larmor frequency of 564 mhz . a 5 mm probe tunable to either 19f or 1 h frequency was used . the instrument was equipped with a sample management system ( sms ) autosampler for automatic data collection . the data were acquired without proton decoupling with an acquisition time of 0 . 8 seconds and a relaxation delay of 2 . 8 seconds . chemical shifts are referenced to trifluoroacetic acid .	2
as shown in fig1 one embodiment of the electrical coupling assembly 10 of the present invention is illustrated in conjunction with a monotube strut 20 of a magnetorheological damping system . however , it should be understood that the coupling assembly of the present invention may be employed in a variety of magnetorheological damping applications in addition to struts , shocks or dampers , and the embodiment shown in fig1 is illustrative of only a single application . the monotube strut 20 of fig1 includes a piston 22 having a coil 24 around its outer surface . the piston 22 includes a pair of longitudinally extending internal orifices 26 , 28 . the piston 22 is maintained inside an inner tube 30 and is immersed in magnetorheological fluid 32 that fills the inner tube 30 . the inner tube 30 includes a closed end 33 located near the top of the strut damper 20 as shown in fig1 and an open end 31 located near the bottom of the strut damper 20 . a rod 34 is threaded into the piston 22 and extends through the inner tube 30 . the rod 34 passes through the open end 31 of the inner tube 30 . the inner tube 30 is received in , and is axially movable relative to , an outer concentric tube 36 . the outer tube 36 provides structural strength to the strut 20 , and helps to accommodate side loads . a bearing sleeve support ( shown schematically at 38 ) and a set of monotube seals and bearings ( shown schematically at 40 ) guide the relative movement between the inner tube 30 and the outer tube 36 . the space between the inner tube 30 and outer tube 36 is not designed as a reservoir , although it is possible that some fluid 32 may enter that space . a generally cylindrical strut base 42 covers a lower end 44 of the outer tube 36 , and the strut base includes a shoulder 46 that tightly engages the open lower end 44 of the outer tube 36 to seal the open end . the strut base 42 preferably is welded to and seals the open lower end 44 of the outer tube 36 . the rod 34 includes a threaded end 48 that protrudes through a central hole 50 in the strut base 42 , and a conductive nut 52 is threaded on the threaded end 48 to couple the strut base 42 to the rod 34 . the rod 34 is fixed to the strut base 42 such that when the outer tube 36 moves relative the inner tube 30 , the rod 34 moves axially within the inner tube 30 . the rod 34 includes a shoulder 54 that engages the strut base 42 . a washer 75 is located between the shoulder 54 of the rod 34 and the strut base 42 . a rod guide assembly 56 is located adjacent to a lower end of the inner tube 30 and receives the rod 34 therein . the rod guide assembly 56 guides the relative movement between the inner tube 30 and the rod 34 . a slidable gas cup 58 is located in the inner tube 30 seals a pressure cavity 60 in the inner tube 30 that is filled with pressurized gas , such as nitrogen . the upper end of the inner tube 30 is connected to the frame of the vehicle ( not shown ), and the lower end of the outer tube 36 is connected to a vehicle wheel suspension assembly ( not shown ) by the bracket 62 . accordingly , when an associated wheel suspension assembly transmits forces to the bracket 62 and thereby to the outer tube 36 , rod 34 and piston 22 are moved axially relative the inner tube 30 . the movement of the piston 22 within the inner tube 30 forces fluid 32 through the orifices 26 , 28 in the piston , which damps the movement of the piston , rod 34 and outer tube 36 . as the piston 22 moves within the inner tube 30 , the gas cup 58 also moves within the inner tube 30 to accommodate the change in volume in the inner tube 30 as the rod 34 is urged into , or withdrawn from , the inner tube . the piston 22 includes a coil 24 located adjacent to the orifices 26 , 28 . the current flowing through the coil 24 can be selectively controlled to control the viscosity of the magnetorheological fluid immediately adjacent the coil . in this manner the flow rate of magnetorheological fluid 32 through the orifices 26 , 28 as the piston 22 moves within the inner tube 30 can be controlled . a conductor 64 is electrically connected to the coil 24 and extends through the center of the rod 34 , and a shroud 66 insulates the conductor 64 . the coupling assembly 10 receives an external plug ( not shown ) to connect the conductor 64 to the vehicle electrical system ( not shown ). it is desired to minimize the change in volume in the inner tube 30 as the rod 34 moves into , or is retracted out of , the inner tube . thus it is desired to reduce the diameter of the rod 34 . however , in conventional struts the rod 34 must accommodate side loads , and thus its thickness cannot fall below a given minimum diameter . in the present invention , the outer tube 36 provides structural support to the strut damper to help accommodate sides loads , which enables the diameter of the rod 34 to be reduced . because the diameter of the rod 34 is reduced below a prior art strut without an outer tube 36 , the change in volume in the inner tube 30 is reduced , which in turn minimizes the movement of the gas cup 58 in response to movement of the piston 22 . conventional single tube strut dampers are inverted compared to the damper illustrated in fig1 . in particular , a conventional single tube strut damper is mounted such that the open end 31 of the inner tube 30 is located near the top of the strut damper and is attached to the frame of the vehicle , and the closed end 33 of the inner tube 30 is located near the bottom of the strut damper and attached to the wheel suspension assembly . however , when the outer tube 36 is used , it is preferred to orient the strut damper 20 as shown in fig1 . if the strut damper 20 were inverted from the position shown in fig1 the bracket 62 would have to be attached to portion 37 of the inner tube 30 that extends beyond the outer tube 36 . the welding operations that are required to attach the bracket 62 to the inner tube 30 can distort the inner tube . furthermore , because the inner tube 30 has a smaller diameter than the outer tube 36 , it is more difficult to attach the bracket 62 to the inner tube 30 . an additional problem that would result from “ inverting ” the strut damper 20 of fig1 is that the portion 37 of the inner tube 30 that extends axially beyond the outer tube 36 would have to be lengthened to provide sufficient surface area to receive the bracket 62 . this would increase the overall length of the strut damper and make it more difficult to fit into a vehicle . furthermore , the increased diameter of the outer tube 36 relative the inner tube 30 makes it more difficult to couple the outer tube 36 to the frame of the vehicle . thus , the strut damper 20 of fig1 typically is mounted onto a vehicle such that the coupling assembly 10 is located at the bottom of the strut damper 20 . however , in this orientation the coupling assembly 10 is no longer located in the protected environment of the engine compartment , and is exposed to various environmental conditions , including standing water , salt spray and the like . furthermore , if the strut damper 20 is dropped during installation , it is likely to be dropped on the coupling assembly 10 because the coupling assembly 10 is located on the bottom of the strut damper 20 . thus , it is important that the electrical coupling assembly 10 be durable , robust , and fluid tight . as shown in greater detail in fig2 the coupling assembly 10 of fig1 includes the strut base 42 , a conductive nut 52 , a spacer 72 , a plug housing 70 , and a conductive cap 74 . the structure and operation of the plug housing 70 is disclosed in u . s . application ser . no . 09 / 098 , 868 , filed jun . 17 , 1998 and issued as u . s . pat . no . 6 , 007 , 345 , the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference . the assembly of the plug housing 70 is briefly discussed herein , and fig7 - 9 illustrate the preferred steps of forming the plug housing 70 . a power lead 78 and a ground lead 80 are formed in the shape and orientation shown in fig7 . the power lead 78 includes a cylindrical connector 96 at one end . as shown in fig8 a base 82 is formed as an overmold over the ground lead 80 and power lead 78 . the cylindrical connector 96 protrudes through a nozzle portion 92 of the base 82 . an elastomer seal 86 is then located on a forward surface 84 of the base 82 . as shown in fig9 and the elastomer seal 86 includes a forward outer surface 88 of the plug housing 70 . the elastomer seal 86 includes a ring portion 90 that fits over the nozzle 92 of the base 82 . when fully assembled , the plug housing 70 includes a body portion 100 and a forwardly extending nozzle portion 92 that is perpendicular to the body portion . the ground lead 80 protrudes through the base 82 and the seal 86 ( see fig8 ), and the ground lead 80 is bent flush against the elastomer seal 86 ( see fig9 ) to help retain the elastomer seal 86 in place . the portion of the ground lead 80 that is located on the forward outer surface 88 of the plug housing 70 is termed the coupling portion 102 of the ground lead 80 . the plug housing 70 also includes a port 104 to receive an external plug ( not shown ) that couples the power lead 78 to the vehicle &# 39 ; s electrical system . the power lead 78 extends from the port 104 through the body portion 100 and passes through the nozzle portion 92 , terminating in the cylindrical connector 96 . when the plug housing 70 is mounted on the strut 20 , the conductor 64 is received in the cylindrical connector 96 to connect the power lead 78 to the conductor 64 . in this manner , electrical power is delivered from the vehicle &# 39 ; s electrical system to the coil 24 of the piston 22 , and the current passed through the coil 24 can be controlled . the external plug may also include a ground wire , and the ground lead 80 of the coupling assembly 10 connects the ground wire to ground , as will be discussed in greater detail below . returning to fig2 the side wall 110 of the strut base 42 includes a slot 112 shaped to receive the body portion 100 of the plug housing 70 therethrough and a flange 114 which extends outwardly from the slot 112 to protect the body portion 100 of the plug housing 70 . the conductive nut 52 includes a plurality of outer threaded holes 116 spaced about its periphery , and also includes a central threaded hole 118 that receives the connector end 48 of the rod 34 . the conductive spacer 72 has a pair of generally arcuate apertures 120 , 122 and a central through hole 124 . the spacer 72 is located between the plug housing 70 and the conductive nut 52 . the spacer 72 includes a radially extending slot 126 that is shaped to receive the body portion 100 of the plug housing 70 . finally , a cap 74 is located over the plug housing 70 to keep the components of the coupling assembly 10 in place . a pair of fasteners , such as screws 130 , are passed through a set of holes 132 in the cap 74 and the apertures 120 , 122 in the spacer 72 , and are received in two of the outer threaded holes 116 in the conductive nut 52 . as shown in fig1 , the cap 74 also includes an inwardly extending arm 140 that is shaped to engage the rear surface 146 of the plug housing 70 ( that is , the surface opposite the nozzle 92 ). when the conductive nut 52 is tightened over the connector end 48 of the rod 34 , the orientation of the nut when it becomes fully tightened is not known in advance . because the outer threaded holes 116 in the conductive nut 52 cannot be precisely located , the arcuate apertures 120 , 122 in the spacer 72 provide a range of locations to ensure that at least one outer threaded hole is accessible through each of the apertures 120 , 122 . the body portion 100 of the plug housing may be located at various angles within the flange 114 of the strut base 42 depending upon the orientation of the slot 126 in the spacer 72 after the spacer 72 is coupled to the nut 52 . the cap 74 includes a cutout 142 in its forwardly extending flange 144 to accommodate the range of positions of the body portion 100 . as shown in fig1 , the threaded end 48 of the rod 34 includes a recess 150 , and the conductor 64 terminates in an end 152 inside the recess 150 . when the connector assembly 10 is mounted on the outer cylinder 36 , the nozzle 92 and cylindrical connector 96 are received in the recess 150 such that the cylindrical connector 96 receives the end 152 of the conductor 64 therein . the elastomer seal 86 helps to seal the recess 150 and the outer cylinder 36 . as noted earlier , the ground lead 80 includes a coupling portion 102 that extends on a forward outer surface 88 of the plug housing 70 . when the coupling assembly 10 is assembled , the conductive spacer 72 is pressed into contact with the coupling portion 102 to electrically engage the coupling portion 102 . in this manner , the ground lead 80 is electrically coupled to the spacer 72 . because the spacer 72 is in contact with the nut 52 , which is in turn in contact with the rod 34 , the ground lead 80 is also electrically connected to the rod 34 and portions of the piston 22 . in this manner the spacer 72 , nut 52 , rod 34 and portions of the piston 22 all act as ground . once the coupling assembly 10 is fully assembled , an external plug may be inserted into the port 104 of the plug housing 70 . the external plug ( not shown ) will typically include a power wire and a ground wire . thus , when the external plug is received in the port 104 , the power wire is connected to the power lead 78 , which thereby connects the power wire to the conductor 64 and coil 24 . similarly , the ground wire is connected to the ground lead 80 and a ground is formed by the conductive nut 52 , spacer 72 and rod 34 . a preferred embodiment of the invention is shown in fig1 - 13 . in this embodiment , the strut base 170 includes a generally cylindrical side wall 172 and a base 174 having a central hole 176 that receives the connector end 48 of the rod 34 therethrough . the plug housing 180 does not extend radially outwardly of the strut base 170 , and thus the plug housing 180 is protected by the strut base 170 ( fig1 ). as shown in fig1 , a seal 181 , such as a ring seal made of rubber , synthetic rubber or another elastomer , is located radially inwardly of the conductive nut 182 and between the rod 34 and the plug housing 180 . in this embodiment , the coupling portion 186 of the ground lead 188 protrudes through the body 190 of the plug housing 180 and is located on the rear surface 191 of the body 190 . the conductive nut 182 includes a generally annular groove 192 extending around its outer surface . the coupling assembly 151 includes a conductive cap 194 that fits around a lower end of the plug housing 180 . the cap 194 includes a plurality of flanges 196 shaped and located to engage the groove 192 . in this manner the coupling assembly 151 can be assembled easily by mounting the components in the illustrated positions , and then snapping the flanges 196 of the conductive cap 194 into the groove 192 in the conductive nut 182 . the conductive cap 194 includes a notch 201 to receive the body portion 190 of the plug housing 180 therein ( fig1 ). when the coupling assembly 151 is fully assembled , the conductive cap 194 holds the conductive nut 182 , seal 181 , and plug housing 180 in close engagement . the seal 181 helps to ensure that the coupling assembly 151 is fluid tight relative the surrounding atmosphere . furthermore , the conductive cap 194 engages the coupling portion 186 of the ground lead 188 , and thereby electrically couples the ground lead 188 to the conductive nut 182 and the rod 34 . this connects the ground lead 188 to a ground source . the nozzle 92 of the plug housing 180 is received in the recess 150 in the rod 34 such that the power lead 200 is electrically coupled to the conductor 64 in a manner similar to the embodiment of fig1 - 11 . having described the invention in detail and by reference to preferred embodiments thereof , it will be apparent that modifications and variations are possible without departing from the scope of the invention .	5
one or more specific embodiments of the present invention will be described below . in an effort to provide a concise description of these embodiments , not all features of an actual implementation are described in the specification . it should be appreciated that in the development of any such actual implementation , as in any engineering or design project , numerous implementation - specific decisions may be made to achieve the developers &# 39 ; specific goals , such as compliance with system - related and business - related constraints , which may vary from one implementation to another . moreover , it should be appreciated that such a development effort might be complex and time consuming , but would nevertheless be a routine undertaking of design , fabrication , and manufacture for those of ordinary skill having the benefit of this disclosure . fig1 is a block diagram showing exemplary data and fec packets in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention . the diagram , which is generally referred to by the reference numeral 10 , includes a data packet 12 and an fec packet 14 . as used herein , the expression “ data ” standing alone refers to the communication data that represents a data signal . error correction data such as fec parity bits is referred to as “ fec data .” a tdma communication system may employ packets such as the data packet 12 and the fec packet 14 to provide communication between a base unit and a multitude of mobile terminals . the data packet 12 comprises a first header 16 , a data payload 18 and a first bit or bits of fec data 20 . the fec packet 14 comprises a second header 22 and a second bit or bits of fec data 24 . the header 16 may include pointer data that points to the header 22 , as shown by the dashed arrow . accordingly , the header 16 relates the fec data 24 to the data packet 12 . embodiments of the present invention may exploit the fact that it is unlikely that all tdma time slots are occupied ( being used ) at any given time . this is true because of the unlikelihood that all users associated with a particular tdma base station are active at any particular time . the unused tdma time slots may then be used to transmit additional packets ( such as the fec packet 14 ) that carry additional fec parity bits . those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that , while the exemplary embodiments disclosed herein employ the use of unused tdma time slots to transmit additional fec parity data , other methods of distributing the additional fec parity data across unused bandwidth may be used . the fec data 24 , which is carried in the fec packet 14 , comprises fec parity bits for a systematic block code for the currently active mobile terminals . the use of a systematic block code ensures that the original data bits may be recovered without using the additional parity bits , which may be offloaded to the fec packet 14 . the fec packet 14 may be generated or used only when there is sufficient available bandwidth ( unused time slots ) to allow its use . advantageously , the data payload 18 is not changed whether the additional fec packet 14 is employed or not . thus , the average information transfer rate for a given mobile terminal stays the same . during periods when the fec packet 14 is used , the advantages of employing a stronger fec code than would otherwise be available are enjoyed . these advantages may include the ability to lower the power of the transmitter in a mobile terminal without changing the average data transfer rate . fig2 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary mechanism to format packets for transmission in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention . the block diagram shown in fig2 is generally referred to by the reference numeral 100 . an information source 102 , which may correspond to a source of digitized communication data to be transmitted from either a base unit or a mobile terminal , provides data via a signal path 104 to a first fec encoder 106 . the fec encoder 106 , which need not employ an fec block code , may be used to provide the fec data 20 ( fig1 ) that is included in data packets 12 ( fig1 ) whether or not additional fec data 24 ( fig1 ) is used . the output of the fec encoder 106 , which includes the fec data 20 ( fig1 ) and the associated data payload 18 ( fig1 ), is delivered to a payload packet formatter 114 via a data path 110 . output from the fec encoder 106 may be referred to as fec encoded data . the payload packet formatter 114 may complete the formation of the fec encoded data into a completed data packet 12 ( fig1 ). a header , such as the data packet header 16 ( fig1 ), may be created by the payload packet formatter 114 . the header created by the payload packet formatter 114 may contain a location pointer to let a mobile terminal that receives the packet know on which unused tdma time slot to look for an additional fec packet , which contains the additional fec parity data 24 ( fig1 ). completed data packets are delivered by the payload packet formatter 114 to a data path 120 . as an alternative to the use of a header having a pointer to an fec packet 14 ( fig1 ), a base unit may assign tdma time slots in such a way that receiving mobile terminals may look for the fec packets in pre - defined locations . for example , a payload time slot # i may be associated with a particular fec slot # k by agreement . in such a case , the receiving mobile terminal may determine if the associated fec slot contains an fec packet by checking the header of that packet to see if the packet contains additional fec parity data . the fec encoded data from the fec encoder 106 may also be delivered to a second fec packet encoder 112 via a data path 108 . the fec packet encoder 112 , which is shown in dashed lines to indicate that it may be used only when sufficient extra tdma time slots are available , may compute additional fec data 24 ( fig1 ) for use in an fec packet 14 ( fig1 ) using a systematic fec block code . the fec packet encoder 112 may deliver its output , which includes only additional fec parity data , to an fec packet formatter 118 , also shown in dashed lines , via a data path 116 . the fec packet formatter 118 may complete the formation of an fec packet , such as the fec packet 14 ( fig1 ), by providing a header for the packet and forwarding the completed packet via a data path 122 . completed data packets from the payload packet formatter 114 and completed fec packets from the fec packet formatter 118 may be delivered to a transmitter ( not shown ) via a data path 124 . although the components for formatting packets shown in fig2 may be employed in either a base unit or a mobile terminal , different considerations may be involved in determining whether additional fec data will be created and / or transmitted depending on whether the associated transmitter is in a base unit or a mobile terminal . on the base side , the fec code generated by the fec encoder 106 does not have to be a block code nor do the fec parity bits have to be located in a contiguous block . when the fec encoded data from the fec encoder 106 is encoded by the fec encoder 112 , however , a systematic block code is used . the base unit may desirably have an abundance of power available for processing circuitry ( not radiated power from the antenna for data transmission ). an abundance of power may be sufficiently much power to allow the base unit to create and transmit secondary fec parity data via fec packets 14 ( fig1 ) inserted into unused time slots with no performance penalty . in such a system , the communication range can potentially be extended for the same average allowed radiated power ( or power spectral density ). the same is true for fec packet reception and processing . with respect to transmission of additional fec parity data by a mobile unit , mobile units are considered to have limited power , both in terms of power to process additional fec data and power to operate a transmitter . the decision to transmit the fec packets 14 ( fig1 ) by a base unit can be made always , however , provided that the base unit ( which is the tdma master ) can allocate an empty time slot . this is true because the use of additional fec protection is generally more efficient with respect to energy per information bit transmitted . fig3 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary mechanism to process received packets in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention . the diagram is generally referred to by the reference numeral 200 . received packets may be delivered via a data path 202 to a payload packet buffer 204 or an fec packet buffer 206 . if additional fec parity bits are being used for a given data transmission , the header of incoming data packets may be examined by a header decoder 210 ( shown in dashed lines in fig3 ) to determine if the header of the incoming data packets 12 ( fig1 ) points to an associated fec packet 14 ( fig1 ). if so , data may be sent to the receiver ( not shown ) via a data path 212 so that the incoming fec packets may be directed by the receiver to the fec packet buffer 206 . if additional fec parity bits are not being used , data packets may be delivered from the payload packet buffer 204 directly to an fec decoder 224 via a data path 214 . in such a case , data packets are subject to fec correction using only the fec data 20 that is incorporated into all data packets . if , however , additional fec data is being employed to conserve battery life in a mobile terminal , for example , the data packets from the payload packet buffer 204 may be delivered to an fec decoder 220 via a data path 216 ( shown in dashed lines in fig3 ). fec packets 14 ( fig1 ) from the fec packet buffer 206 may additionally be delivered to the fec decoder 220 via a data path 218 . the fec decoder 220 may apply the fec parity bits 24 ( fig1 ) to the data payload 18 ( fig1 ) and the fec data 20 ( or any combination thereof ) contained in the data packets 12 ( fig1 ) received from the payload packet buffer 204 to produce partially corrected packet contents . the partially corrected packet contents may be delivered to the fec decoder 224 , which may apply the fec data 20 ( fig1 ) to the partially corrected packet contents to obtain fec - decoded payload data . the fec - decoded payload data may be delivered from the fec decoder 224 for further processing via a data path 226 . with regard to the decision of a mobile terminal to receive and process additional fec data contained in fec packets 14 ( fig1 ) transmitted by a base unit , a mobile terminal receiver may have two options : ( 1 ) to hold off decoding a data packet 12 ( fig1 ) until both the data packet and the associated fec packet 14 ( fig1 ) are received , or ( 2 ) to ignore the fec packet and proceed with the reception and decoding in a normal manner . factors that influence the desirability of the use of additional fec data by a mobile unit may include whether the incoming signal quality is marginal or whether an operating range is desired that is beyond what is achievable by the system with all the tdma time slots loaded ( i . e . when all mobile terminals are on - line ). in the case of marginal signal quality or desired additional range , the use of additional fec data , such as the data provided by the fec packets 14 ( fig1 ) may be desirable . if additional fec data is being used by a mobile terminal to extend its range , those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the use of an available tdma time slot for additional fec parity data may be lost on very short notice if an increase in the number of mobile units participating in data transmission sessions causes the time slot being used for fec parity data to be needed for transmission of data packets . fig4 is a process flow diagram illustrating the operation of an exemplary embodiment of the present invention . at block 302 , the process begins . at block 304 , a decision is made regarding whether additional fec data , such as fec data 24 ( fig1 ) from an fec packet 14 ( fig1 ), is to be used for a given data transmission . factors influencing this decision are set forth in the discussion of fig2 and fig3 above . if additional fec data is not used , data packets are processed using only the fec data 20 ( fig1 ) that is typically included with a data packet 12 ( fig1 ). if additional fec data is to be used , the additional fec data is obtained , as set forth at block 306 . at block 308 , incoming data is processed using the additional fec data . at block 310 , the fec data included in the packet is applied to the partially corrected data . at block 312 , the process ends . while the invention may be susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms , specific embodiments have been shown by way of example in the drawings and will be described in detail herein . however , it should be understood that the invention is not intended to be limited to the particular forms disclosed . rather , the invention is to cover all modifications , equivalents and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the following appended claims .	7
referring now to the figures , wherein the components are labeled with like numerals throughout the several figures , and initially to fig3 and 3 a where fig3 a is an enlarged view of the encircled portion of fig3 a roll of adhesive tape 20 is illustrated . the tape roll 20 comprises an elongated , flexible strip of tape material 22 having a first side 24 and a second side 26 . the strip 22 is wound circumferentially onto the outside surface 28 of a core 30 which supports the roll 20 . the adhesive tape of the present invention is of the type that preferably comprises a backing layer having adhesive coated onto one side of the tape material . in the embodiment of fig3 and 3 a , the adhesive is coated onto the second side 26 of the tape material 22 . it is preferred that the backing layer is a film . a non - exclusive list of conventional polymeric backing layer films follows with the understanding that any could be suitable for use as a tape backing layer : cellulose acetate , polyethylene , polypropylene , polyester ( such as polyethylene terepthalate ( pet )), biaxially oriented polypropylene ( bopp ), polyvinyl chloride ( pvc ), copolymers of propylene and ethylene , and copolymers of ethylene and olefins having four or more carbon atoms , or blends of any of the above . however , it is also contemplated that the backing layer may be paper , woven materials , non - woven materials , or other known materials suitable for an adhesive tape backing layer . although it is preferable that the second side 26 of the tape material 22 is coated with adhesive across its entire width and length , it is understood that the adhesive may extend only across a portion of the tape width and / or along only a portion of the tape length . some suitable adhesives for use in the adhesive tape of the present invention are generally based on compositions of polyacrylate ; polyvinyl ether ; diene - containing rubber such as natural rubber , polyisoprene , and polybutadiene ; styrene - butadiene rubber ; polychloroprene ; butyl rubber ; butadiene - acrylonitrile polymer ; thermoplastic elastomer block copolymers such as styrene - isoprene ( si ) and styrene - isoprene - styrene ( sis ) block copolymers , styrene - butadiene ( sb ) and styrene - butadiene - styrene polymers ( sbs ), and ethylene / propylene and ethylene - butylene - diene polymers such as styrene - ethylene / propylene - styrene ( seps ) and styrene - ethylene / butylene - styrene ( sebs ); poly - alpha - olefin ; amorphous polyolefin ; silicone ; ethylene - containing copolymer such as ethylene vinyl acetate , ethyl ethyl acrylate , and ethyl methacrylate ; polyurethane , polyamide ; epoxy , polyvinylpyrrolidone and vinylpyrrolidone copolymers ; polyesters ; and mixtures of the above . the use of some of these compositions to give specific characteristics to the adhesives may require cross - linking or curing by methods well known in the art . additionally , the adhesives can contain additives such as tackifiers , plasticizers , antioxidants , stabilizers , curatives , and solvents . in addition , a low adhesion backsize is preferably provided on the first side 24 of the tape material 22 so that the tape can be unwound more easily from the tape roll 20 . in order to increase the anchorage of the low adhesion backsize or adhesive to the backing layer , it may also be desirable to treat one or both surfaces of the tape material 22 before coating the surface with the low adhesion backsize or adhesive . this may be done either by coating a layer of primer material on the backing - layer , by surface treating the backing layer with corona treatments , flame treatments , or the like , or by both surface treating and coating a primer onto the backing layer . such coatings and / or treatments are well known , and any can be used in accordance with the present invention if they are otherwise suitable for use in the desired tape construction . the tape roll 20 is further provided with a tab 32 positioned near an end 34 of the strip of material 22 . the end 34 may be referred to as the “ trailing end ” because it is the last part of the tape material to be wrapped onto the roll during manufacturing . the tab 32 will be used to facilitate the initial unwinding of the tape material 22 from the roll 20 . in one preferred embodiment , tab 32 of the present invention comprises a first side 36 and a second side 38 opposite the first side 36 . the second side 38 of the tab 32 includes a first or non - adhesive portion 40 , which provides the portion that may be visually located and grasped by the user to begin pulling tape from the roll . the second side 38 further comprises a second portion 42 having exposed adhesive . the non - adhesive portion 40 of the tab 32 is shown as the dark , shaded portion of the tab throughout the several figures for clarity in identifying the non - adhesive portion , although it is not necessary that the portion 40 be visually distinct from the portion 42 . the adhesive on the second portion 42 may be the same or a different adhesive , having the same or a different adhesive strength and adhesive characteristics , from the adhesive that is coated on the second side 26 of the tape material 22 . the adhesives described above as suitable for the second side 26 of the tape material 22 are similarly appropriate for the adhesive portion 42 of the tab 32 . however , this list of adhesives is not meant to be exclusive and other known adhesives may also be appropriate for use on tab 32 . while the first and second portions 40 , 42 are illustrated as having approximately equal areas , the first portion 40 may be substantially smaller or larger than the second portion 42 , depending on the desired use of the tape roll . many different tab constructions are contemplated and considered to be within the scope of the present invention , where several examples are explained below . one possible tab construction , illustrated in fig3 and 3 a , includes using a non - adhesive backing layer that may be paper , film , or other known material suitable for use as a tab . adhesive may then be coated on the second portion 42 of the second side 38 , while leaving the first portion 40 of the second side 38 without adhesive . another alternative construction of the tab 32 includes coating one side of a backing layer of the tab with adhesive along at least a portion of its length and width , then subsequently coating a portion of the adhesive with a deadening layer to substantially decrease or “ deaden ” the adhesive strength in that portion of the tab . the deadening layer may be , for example , an ink or other printing material that is coated onto the adhesive . in another alternative embodiment ( shown in fig4 ), a second side 138 of a tab 132 is coated with adhesive along its length and width , then a portion of one end of the tab 132 is folded toward the second or adhesive - coated side 138 of the tab until the folded portion is adhered to the second side 138 of the tab 132 , thereby providing a portion of the tab without exposed adhesive ( i . e ., a tab portion 140 ). fig5 illustrates another alternative tab of the present invention in a view similar to that shown in fig4 . in this embodiment , the method of providing a tab 232 having adhesive and non - adhesive portions includes coating a second side 238 of the tab 232 with adhesive along at least part of its length and width , then laminating a strip of non - adhesive material 244 , such as film or paper , to a portion of the adhesive - coated side 238 of the tab 232 . the area of tab 232 having the non - adhesive material 244 laminated thereto is a non - adhesive portion 240 , such as that described above . other known methods of providing a non - adhesive portion adjacent an adhesive portion on a piece of material that may be used on a tab are also considered to be within the scope of the invention , such as laminating a strip of material having adhesive on one side to a strip of tab material that may have adhesive coated onto all or part of one of its sides , for example . one preferred method of applying tab 32 to the tape roll 20 in accordance with the present invention will now be described with reference to fig3 a , 6 , and 7 , which illustrate , a tape roll 20 of the present invention with a length of tape material 22 that is provided from a tape source ( not shown ) and wound around core 30 . as is typical , the tape roll 20 is wound so that the second or adhesive side 26 of the tape material is facing toward the center of the roll 20 and the first or non - adhesive side 24 is facing away from the center of the roll . the tape source that provides the lengths of tape material 22 may be a supply roll of tape material that is often substantially longer and / or wider than the finished product rolls , and has enough tape material to make multiple smaller tape rolls 20 . alternatively , the tape material 22 may be provided directly from a tape manufacturing operation so that no intermediate supply roll of tape material is necessary . in any case , the tape material 22 is wound about core 30 and successively upon itself until the next to last , or penultimate , tape layer is wound . in accordance with the present invention , before the entire length of tape is wound onto the roll , a tab 32 is applied to the first or non - adhesive side 24 of the tape material 22 at a particular distance from end 34 of the roll , as shown in fig6 . more specifically , the tab 32 is positioned so that a first end 46 of the tab 32 is at a distance d 1 from end 34 of the roll , and a second end 48 of the tab 32 is at a distance d 2 from the end 34 of the tape roll , where the first end 46 is adjacent to the non - adhesive tab portion 40 and the second end 48 is adjacent to the adhesive tab portion 42 . the length of the tab 32 is designated as “ l ” and is equal to the distance between its first and second ends 46 , 48 . the tab 32 may be applied to the first side 24 of the tape material 22 at any point before the entire length of tape is wound onto the roll . for one example , the tab 32 may be applied immediately before the end 34 of the roll ( and tape material 22 adjacent thereto ) begins to overlap the tab 32 . for another example , the tab 32 may be applied at a further distance from the tape roll 20 and closer to the supply roll of tape , as long as the tab 32 is in the proper position when the penultimate layer is wound and the end 34 of the roll is reached . in the preferred embodiment , the tab 32 is positioned on the tape length 22 so that the distance d 1 is approximately equal to the circumference of the tape roll before the final tape portion having the tab adhered thereto is wound around the roll . more preferably , the tab 32 will be positioned so that the distance d 1 is slightly smaller than the circumference of the tape roll . however , the distance d 1 may be considerably smaller than the circumference of the tape roll , as long as the length distance d 1 is larger than the difference between the circumference of the tape roll and the length l of the tab 32 . in addition , the tab is preferably positioned so that the distance d 2 is larger than the circumference of the tape roll . after the tab 32 is applied , the remaining length of the tape material 22 is wrapped around the tape roll 20 , as shown in fig7 . because the distance d 1 is selected to be approximately equal to or slightly smaller than the circumference of the roll , when the end 34 of the tape material 22 is wound around the roll , as shown in fig3 and 3 a , the end 34 will fall on top of the tab 32 between the tab ends 46 , 48 . preferably , the tape material 22 adjacent to the end 34 will overlay both the adhesive and non - adhesive portions 40 , 42 of the tab 32 . however , only a sufficient portion of the material 22 must overlay the tab 32 to allow the user to pull the tab away from the roll to begin removal of tape from the roll . in this way , the non - adhesive portion 40 of the tab 32 will be free from the tape roll 20 , thereby providing an adhesive - free tab portion for a user to grasp to pull the tape material 22 from the tape roll 20 . the embodiments of the tab 32 described above may be manufactured remotely from the tape roll manufacturing and converting processes of the present invention and provided to these processes as a pre - manufactured roll of tab material . however , a schematic view of an alternative procedure is illustrated in fig8 where the tab construction of fig5 is made immediately before the tab material is applied to the tape to make multiple finished product rolls of tape . more specifically , a roll of non - adhesive web material 60 , such as any suitable deadening material described above , and a roll of adhesive tape material 62 , such as a conventional transparent tape , are preferably rotatably supported for dispensing their respective materials . in the preferred embodiment , web material 60 is more narrow than adhesive tape material 62 , where the width of web material 60 is preferably between 25 percent and 50 percent of the width of tape material 62 and more preferably between 35 percent and 45 percent of the width of tape material 62 . however , the web material 60 may instead be less than 25 percent or greater than 50 percent of the width of tape material 62 . the web material 60 and tape material 62 are then guided by conventional guiding means toward a pair of laminating rolls 64 , where the web material 60 is laminated along one edge of the tape material 62 to form one web of composite tab material 66 . the web material 60 may be positioned relative to the tape material 62 so that a portion of the web material 60 extends beyond the edge of the tape material 62 . alternatively , the edge of the web material 60 and the edge of the tape material 62 may be aligned with each other , or a portion of the tape material 62 may extend beyond one edge of the web material 60 . after lamination , the composite tab material 66 is directed through conventional guiding means toward a manufacturing process to apply the tab material to adhesive tape material in accordance with the present invention . with continued reference to fig8 one preferred method of applying tab material to tape rolls is illustrated . while this figure illustrates the application of the composite tab material 66 described above , it is understood that the tab material may instead be made by some other method immediately prior to application to tape material , or may be provided to the operation as a pre - manufactured roll of tab material . however , in this method , an adhesive tape web 70 is unwound from a supply roll ( not shown ) and guided by conventional guiding means toward a slitting apparatus 72 , where the adhesive tape web 70 is slit in the longitudinal direction into individual tape strips 73 . each tape strip 73 is then wound into product rolls 74 ( only one of which is shown ), with the adhesive side of the tape strip facing the inside of the roll . typically , a predetermined length of tape is to be wound into each product roll 74 . thus , a known measuring device or apparatus ( not shown ) is used to measure or calculate the length of tape being wound onto each roll and to thereby determine when the predetermined length of tape is reached . before the predetermined tape length is reached , composite tab material 66 is applied laterally across the width of the web 70 at a station generally shown as tab application station 76 , where the web may be moving in the direction of the arrow ‘ a ’ or may be stopped temporarily . this composite tab material 66 is applied at a location that will position tabs properly relative to the end of each tape roll in accordance with the present invention , as described above . the portion of web 70 with the strip of composite tab material 66 adhered thereto then advances through the slitting apparatus 72 , where the tab material 66 and web 70 are simultaneously longitudinally slit to the same width as each tape strip 73 . each tape strip 73 continues to be wound around its respective product roll 74 until the portion of the tape strip 73 having the tab material 66 laminated thereto is wound onto the roll 74 . each tape strip 73 is cut from the supply in the lateral direction at the location that will allow the end of the tape to be positioned as described above relative to the tab . however , it is also contemplated that the web be cut laterally before the slitting apparatus 72 . the process of fig8 is typically repeated multiple times , where the supply roll of adhesive tape provides tape for additional product rolls that are subsequently produced after the first set of product rolls are completed . however , it is understood that the tabs of the present invention can also be applied to tape rolls by many other methods , such as by manual application or by applying pre - cut tabs to each product roll before the final wrap of tape is wound into the roll , for example . it is further contemplated that the second side 38 of the tab shown in fig3 a may be completely coated with adhesive , including the first portion 40 . however , in order to avoid the inconveniences described above with regard to locating the trailing end of a tape roll , the adhesive preferably has a relatively low adhesive strength . more specifically , tab 32 includes first or non - adhesive side 36 and second side 38 that is coated across its entire length and width with an adhesive that preferably has a lower adhesive strength than the adhesive provided on the second side 26 of tape roll 20 . one example of this adhesive is a repositionable pressure sensitive adhesive such as that described in u . s . pat . nos . 4 , 166 , 152 , 3 , 857 , 731 , and 3 , 691 , 140 , commonly owned by the minnesota mining and manufacturing company of st . paul , minn ., the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference . this tab is applied to the tape material 22 in a similar method to that described above . thus , adhesive - coated side 38 of the tab is applied to the non - adhesive side 24 of the tape material before the final wrap of tape material is wound circumferentially around the tape roll , where its first edge is at distanced , from the tape end 34 . after the tab 32 is applied , the remaining length of the tape material 22 is wrapped around the tape roll until the end of the tape material is reached and the end of the tape material overlays at least a portion of the tab . in this embodiment , the adhesive on the second side 38 of the tab will preferably adhere the tab to the surface of the tape roll , but preferably has a sufficiently low adhesive strength to allow the user to easily separate the end of the tab from the surface of the tape roll 20 . the tab on each finished tape roll of the present invention preferably has a width that is equal to the width of the strip of tape material to which it is adhered . it is understood , however , that the width of the tab may instead be wider or more narrow than the strip of material to which it is applied . further , the tab may be generally transparent across its length and width . alternatively , at least a portion of the tab may be opaque or translucent so that the tab is easier for a user to visually locate on the roll . for example , the non - adhesive portion of the tab may be colored or printed with a pattern that makes the end of the tape material more easily distinguishable from the roll itself . although the tape roll 20 typically has a core 30 in the center of the roll , as described above , it is understood that the tab and method of applying the tab of the present invention may also be used with rolls of tape that do not include a core . rolls of tape of this type may be manufactured by any number of known methods that typically include winding a length of tape about a mandrel or shaft until the end of the tape is reached the roll of tape is then removed from the mandrel or shaft , thereby producing a roll of tape material that does not have a central core . the same tabs and methods for applying tabs to tape rolls described above with regard to a tape roll having a core are similarly applicable to coreless tape rolls . an alternative method for manufacturing tape rolls may also be used in accordance with the present invention . in this method , a core is provided that has a width that is larger than that of the desired finished product rolls . tape material from a supply roll is wound about this core and successively upon itself until the next to last , or penultimate , tape layer is wound . as described above , at some point before the final length of tape is wound onto the roll , tab material of the type described is applied to the non - adhesive side of the tape material at a particular distance from the end of the roll so that the tab material is positioned relative to the end of the roll in accordance with the present invention . after the final length of tape is wound onto the roll , the entire roll ( including the core and the wound tape material ) is cut , such as by lathe slitting , to produce rolls of the desired width . the present invention has now been described with reference to several embodiments thereof the foregoing detailed description has been given for clarity of understanding only . no unnecessary limitations are to be understood therefrom . it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that many changes can be made in the embodiments described without departing from the scope of the invention . for instance , it is also contemplated to use the tab and method of applying a tab of the present invention with rolls of other types of material having adhesive on at least a portion of one of its sides , such as filament tape , masking tape , packaging tape , medical tapes , electrical tapes , double - coated linered tapes and double - coated tapes , including those double - coated tapes , that have a roll liner wrapped around the final layer of the tape roll to prevent contaminants or other material from adhering to the outermost layer . thus , the scope of the present invention should not be limited to the structures described herein , but only by the structures described by the language of the claims and the equivalents of those structures .	8
a system for supporting formwork needed to form of a crown on a top end of a concrete column of a highway bridge is shown generally in fig1 and designated 10 . the system 10 includes a pair of brackets 12 , 14 attached to opposite sides 16 , 18 of a concrete column 20 . since the structure of each bracket 12 , 14 is the same , only the bracket 12 is described in detail . like reference numbers are used to identify like structure . the bracket 12 is defined by an upright 22 having an inner and outer wall 24 , 26 and sidewalls 28 . as best seen in fig5 , each sidewall 28 is inwardly offset from side edges 30 of the inner and outer walls 24 , 26 . additionally , an inner partition 32 positioned parallel to and between the sidewalls 28 connects the inner and outer walls 24 , 26 . as seen in fig2 and 3 , bottom ends 34 of the inner wall 24 and the partition 32 extend below bottom ends 36 of the outer wall 26 and the sidewalls 28 . a pair of horizontally spaced apart oblong - shaped mounting holes is formed in the inner wall 24 on either side of the partition 32 just above the inner wall bottom end 34 . in an upper portion 40 of the inner wall 24 and the outer wall 26 are two pairs of horizontally spaced apart and horizontally aligned openings 42 . extending between the inner and outer walls 24 , 26 in alignment with each opening pair is a tube 44 . an inside diameter of each tube 44 is greater than a diameter of the openings 42 . attached to top ends 46 of the inner and outer walls 24 , 26 and sidewalls 28 is a top plate 48 . attached to the upright outer wall 26 is an inner end 49 of an arm 50 . this arm 50 extends horizontally outward and is defined by two spaced apart channel members 52 . attached to outer ends 54 of the channel members 52 is an end plate 56 . a jack - screw plate 58 then is attached to top surfaces 60 of top flanges 62 of the arm channel members 52 adjacent to the end plate 56 . to enhance the connection between the arm inner end 49 and the upright outer wall 26 , a pair of reinforcing plates 66 is attached respectively to side edges 68 of the channel member top flanges 62 and bottom flanges 70 and to the upright outer wall 26 . note that top and bottom edges 72 of each reinforcing plate 66 extend respectively above and below the channel member top flange 62 and bottom flange 70 . additionally , the fixed position of the arm 50 is enhanced by a pair of spaced apart , angularly positioned tubular braces 76 . upper ends 78 of these braces 76 are attached one each to a bottom surface 80 of each channel member bottom flange 70 while lower ends 82 of the braces 76 are attached to the upright outer wall 26 . carried between the channel members 52 in alignment with an opening 84 in the jack - screw plate 58 is a vertically positioned jack - screw tube 88 . note that a bottom end 90 of the tube 88 extends below the bottom surface 80 of the channel member bottom flanges 70 . for use as seen in fig1 , the brackets 12 , 14 are positioned on respective sides 16 , 18 of the column 20 . during forming of the column 20 , a tube 92 has been embedded in the column 20 for disposition of a threaded rod 93 . outer ends 94 of the rod 93 then extend beyond the column sides 16 , 18 . one each of the rod ends 94 is inserted into one of the pair of aligned openings 42 in each bracket upright 22 . selection of which pair of aligned openings 42 to use for rod end insertion depends on the desired location of each bracket 12 , 14 since the tube 92 may not be centered in the column 20 . mechanically positioning of the brackets 12 , 14 is facilitated by operative use of a lifting lug 96 attached to the top plate 48 on each bracket upright 22 . this lifting lug 96 is positioned to vertically align with a center of gravity of each bracket 12 , 14 . once in place , the brackets 12 , 14 are compressively secured to the column 20 by nuts 98 threaded on the respective ends 94 of the rod 93 . additionally , the bottom end 34 of each bracket inner wall 24 is secured to the column 20 by an anchor bolt ( not shown ) inserted into the column 20 through one of the openings 38 . next , a bottom end 100 of a jack - screw 102 is inserted through in each jack - screw plate opening 84 so that this bottom end 100 fits into the respective tube 88 located below the jack - screw plate 58 . each jack - screw 102 then is held vertically in place by a jack - screw nut 104 assembled on that jack - screw 102 as the nut 104 seats of the bracket jack - screw plate 58 . the vertical location of a top end ( not shown ) of each jack - screw 102 may be adjusted by rotation of the nut 104 for selective attachment to the column crown formwork above ( not shown ). once attached , the system 10 may support the formwork and uncured concrete poured into the formwork for casing the crown . the system 10 , as its use is described above , supports working loads of 200 , 000 pounds with a safety factor of 500 , 000 pounds . to meet this requirement the brackets 12 , 14 are made using selective structural steel shapes . for example , the inner and outer walls 24 , 26 and the inner partition 32 of each bracket upright 22 are integrally formed as flanges and a web of a 10 in . structural steel h - beam 106 having a weight of 77 pounds / linear foot . the bracket sidewalls 28 then are made from ½ in . thick steel plate . the arm channel member 52 are 6 in . structural steel channels having a weight of 13 pounds / linear foot . lastly , the braces 76 are made from 2 in .× 4 in .× 3 / 16 in . thick steel tubes . these structural members 106 , 28 , 32 , and 76 then are welded together . while an embodiment , uses , and advantages of this invention have been shown and discussed , it should be understood that this invention is limited only by the scope of the claims . those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications and changes may be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention , and these modifications and changes may result in farther uses and advantages .	4
with reference to fig1 a flower pot 10 defines an apparatus which forms the first embodiment of the present invention . the flower pot 10 includes a rigid frame 12 forming a cube with open sides 14 and top 16 . a container 18 fits through the top 16 and is supported on the frame 12 by edges 20 of the container . container 18 is usually opaque . the container 18 is designed to contain earth for a plant , flower and the like . a series of panels 22 are mounted to the frame 12 over the open sides 14 . the panels are preferably transparent or translucent and can have a design 24 thereon . within the interior of the frame 12 are mounted one or more light sources 26 , preferably low wattage 12 volt bulbs . for example , four bulbs at 10 watts each . a power cord 28 extends from the light sources 26 to a power source , such as a wall socket , to power the light sources 26 . as can be readily envisioned , when the light sources 26 are lit , the light will pass through the transparent or translucent panels 22 , highlighting any design 24 formed thereon . the design 24 can be a raised pattern , a pattern formed by portions of the panel being opaque and portions being transparent or translucent , formed in the material of the panel 22 , painted on the panels or any other suitable mechanism . as can be appreciated , the use of the light sources 26 will provide a pleasing aesthetic appearance or accent to a room , landscaping or the plant or flower held within the container 18 . the light sources 26 can also be used to provide illumination indoors , or an outdoor walkway in the evening , for example . while the container 18 will normally hold a plant or flower , the container can be used to hold any attractive feature , for example a rock garden and the like . with reference to fig2 a flower pot 40 forming a second embodiment of the invention will be described . the flower pot 40 is formed with an interior container 42 and an outer cylindrical portion 44 . a plurality of light sources 26 are mounted within the interior 46 between the portion 44 and container 42 . again , the outer cylindrical portion 44 can be transparent or translucent . interior container 42 is usually opaque . the cylindrical portion 44 can have designs or patterns 24 thereon in the same variety as described above for panels 22 . being a single component , the flower pot 40 can be injection molded , rotationally molded , blow molded , or formed of a polyresin and fiberglass lay up . preferably , the interior container 42 and outer cylindrical portion 44 are separately formed so that the light sources can be installed and the interior container 42 can be removed and reinserted within the cylindrical portion 44 as needed to repot a plant and so forth . a flower pot 50 is illustrated in fig3 . flower pot 50 is formed of a single molded piece 52 which defines both the container 54 and the outer cylindrical portion 56 . a separate base 58 is secured at the bottom edge 60 of the outer cylindrical portion 56 . a plurality of light sources 26 are mounted on the base 58 , as illustrated . as with flower pot 10 and flower pot 40 , the outer cylindrical portion 56 can be provided with designs or patterns 24 . also , the piece 52 can be injection molded , rotationally molded , blow molded , or a polyresin and fiberglass lay up as flower pot 40 . a flower pot 70 is illustrated in fig4 . the flower pot 70 is formed of an interior container 72 and an outer cylindrical portion 74 . outer cylindrical portion 74 can have design 24 , which , for example , could be invisible with the light sources 26 off . with reference to fig5 and fig7 a flower pot 90 forming a fifth is embodiment of the present invention is illustrated . as with the other embodiments above , the flower pot 90 has an inner cylindrical container 92 and an outer cylindrical portion 94 . the outer cylindrical portion 94 can have a design or pattern 24 such as described in the embodiments above . fig7 is intended to illustrate the effect when the light sources 26 are lit . with reference to fig6 a flower pot 100 forming a sixth embodiment of the present invention is illustrated . again , the flower pot 100 has an interior container 102 and an outer cylindrical portion 104 with a design or fig2 thereon . fig8 illustrates one technique for providing a pattern or symbol on a panel or outer cylindrical portion . a layer 110 of transparent or translucent material is provided with a pattern 102 formed therein . the transparent or translucent layer 110 is backed up by a mask or opaque paint layer 104 . the light source 26 shines through the layer 104 and transparent or translucent layer 110 . the light sources 26 can be powered by any suitable mechanism . for example , the light sources can be powered by 120 volt ac line voltage , 12 volt ac power source , or solar cells . the design or pattern on the panels or outer cylindrical portions can be formed in many different ways . for example , the thickness of the material forming the panels or outer cylindrical portions can be varied so that it is thinner in some spots than others which provide contrast . the material of which the panels and cylindrical portions are made can itself be a marbled or mottled material to provide contrast . paint can be applied to the inner surface of the panels and outer cylindrical portions . the pattern can be done in relief or raised . the panels and outer cylindrical portions can be painted with an opaque paint which does not show up without the lighting provided by the light sources 26 . therefore , the flower pot will look unadorned when the light sources are unlit , but will show a distinct pattern when the light sources come on . while certain embodiments of the apparatus of the present invention have been presented , it is appreciated that the invention is not limited thereto . many variations , substitutions and amendments can be made to these embodiments without departing from the scope of the invention . such variations , substitutions and amendments as would be apparent to one having ordinary skill in the art who would be familiar with the teachings disclosed herein are also deemed to fall within the scope and spirit of the present invention as hereinafter claimed .	0
fig1 shows a preferred embodiment with installed electrical components a . the contacts of the components are installed within various vertical channels of the embodiment , which are adapted to receive the contacts from electrical components as well as mating terminals for those contacts . also seen is the top of a single unused channel 30 . each channel has a cross shape , such as shown in the isolated view of fig1 a , which receives a contact blade from the component in the slot along the direction shown by the arrow b ( the “ blade direction .”) the slot of each cross along the direction shown by the letter c ( the “ lateral direction ”) is provided for removal of the terminal by means as known in the art . in other preferred embodiments , one or more channels may have an additional slot across the end of a leg in the blade direction and parallel to the lateral direction for mounting diodes , as shown by fig1 b , which is a view of isolated channel 30 a . however , the presence of these slots , or diode mounting means , does not prevent insertion of a fuse or relay , that is , the diode mounting means leaves the channel free for insertion of a fuse or relay , if desired . indeed , some embodiments might have diode mounting means throughout the entire matrix , thus providing channels for installation of diodes , fuses or relays throughout . in the preferred embodiments , any desired matrix of channels may be used as desired and so the shape of the embodiment may be different from embodiment to embodiment . for example , an embodiment may have a 4 × 9 matrix , a 6 × 6 matrix , etc . moreover , the matrix of an embodiment may be sized for specific types of components , as will be further described below . returning to fig1 , when the embodiment is assembled , cover 10 is placed over base 20 and the exterior of collar 11 fits about step back 21 , as is further described below . cover 10 is latched on base 20 through latch 12 mating with lug 22 on base 20 . a similar latch and lug arrangement is present on the side not shown here . brackets shown generally at 24 and 25 on base 20 retain tabs for installation of the embodiment on any desired mounting area , as will be further described below . other embodiments may locate brackets 24 or 25 or other mounting means on another area of the embodiment . both cover and base are made , in the preferred embodiments of a suitable dielectric , fire retardant thermoplastic such as pp gf25 m30 , although any suitable materials may be used in other embodiment . as described above , in other embodiments , other means may be used to latch the cover onto the base . of course , embodiments may dispense with latch means . additionally , other means as known in the art , e . g . screws , may be used to install an embodiment on a mounting area , as is further described below . also means may be used , through additional members , to route wires or wiring harnesses depending from the bottom of the various channels . fig2 is a view of the underside of base 20 without installed electrical components . a 4 × 9 matrix of channels 30 is seen . engagement lugs 21 and 26 are seen , which mate with latches on the cover . brackets 24 , 25 , 26 and 27 are also seen for mounting the embodiment on a substrate , as will be further described below . also visible within a channel in fig2 is groove 31 , which provides for the leg of a removal tool to reach into the channel to remove the terminal if desired . turning briefly to fig3 , a cutaway view of a channel of an embodiment is seen . here a blade contact d of an electrical component e is shown depending through a channel 30 . a terminal f for the respective component wire g is shown installed as well . the components and wire terminals are as known in the art . in the especially preferred embodiments , the channels are dimensioned for mini fuses , mini diodes , and micro 280 relays and mating terminals , so the pitch between centerlines is 8 . 13 mm × 7 . 8 mm , the diameter is sized to accommodate a 2 . 8 mm blade contact and components may be placed anywhere on the matrix , so long as any diode - specific channels are used appropriately . of course , other components and terminals might lead to other dimensions . the terminals are appropriately mated with the blade contact , so , for example , the terminals used in the especially preferred embodiments may be amp junior power timer or amp mcp 2 . 8 , which also have a lock to help ensure their retention in the channel . either sealed or unsealed terminals may be used . for example , sealed terminals may assist in protecting the contact - terminal connection and may assist in insulating the terminal from contact in the side of the channel . the channel , in the preferred embodiments , leaves little play for the contact or terminal so that the mechanical and electrical connection between them may be made securely . certain embodiments may have snap fit flange or other means to secure the terminals as well . additionally , embodiments may use wires that are grouped together by way of harness or other means , to simplify installation . turning now to fig4 and 5 , two views of embodiments are shown as mounted on substrates h and i , respectively . fig4 shows a top mounted view , with tab 41 retained in bracket 51 , and recess 42 in tab 41 sliding over lug 52 for a snap fit . a similar tab - bracket mounting exists on the side not shown . the tab 41 is affixed to the substrate by rivet 43 , as can be seen in the cutaway view of fig4 a ( which is of the bracket 41 , recess 42 , rivet 53 and substrate h , without a base .) the tab is constructed of stainless steel in the preferred embodiments although other materials as known in the art may be used . fig5 shows a side mounted view , with tab 44 retained in bracket 54 , and a similar tab - bracket arrangement on the side not shown here . other mounting means may be used in other embodiments for either bottom or side mounting so long as sufficient strength exists to retain the box upon the substrate . for example , screws may be used , a u - shaped bracket may be used , preinstalled brackets on the base may be used , etc . if a wire routing member is used on a bottom mounted embodiment or embodiments , the mounting means may provide space between the base bottom and the substrate , so as to provide space for any gathered wires and / or any wire harness or harnesses as well . the preferred embodiments provide an interlocking mechanism between cover and base so as to assist in insulating the components from the environment . fig6 shows a cross sectional view , of the embodiment of fig1 without electrical components , with cover 10 installed . here , the interlocking engagement of cover 10 and base 20 is seen . recess 68 , located proximate to step back 21 , engages with inner projection 18 on cover 10 . upright projection 69 engages recess 19 on cover 10 , and collar 13 surrounds base 10 . latch 12 engages lug 22 , as does latch 13 and lug 73 , to lock the cover 10 onto base 20 . bracket 25 is also seen . the interlocking arrangement provides protection against environmental degradation of the electrical components maintained within . it is also possible in various embodiments to use a seal , made of silicone or other material as known in the art , fitting within recesses 28 and / or 19 . in this , and other preferred embodiments , the seal would be the shape of the cover and base , such as the seal 75 shown in fig6 a . in various embodiments , channels may be configured so as to engage only certain types of contacts . for example , as was described above , diodes may be used with appropriate channel configurations in certain areas to ensure diodes are only placed in those areas . this arrangement inhibits installation flexibility , but may be desirable for safety reasons , maintenance reasons , etc . the above description and the views and material depicted by the figures are for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to be , and should not be construed as , limitations on the invention . moreover , certain modifications or alternatives may suggest themselves to those skilled in the art upon reading of this specification , all of which are intended to be within the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined in the attached claims .	7
the following description is provided alongside all chapters of the present invention , so as to enable any person skilled in the art to make use of said invention and sets forth the best modes contemplated by the inventor of carrying out this invention . various modifications however , will remain apparent to those skilled in the art , since the generic principles of the present invention have been defined specifically to provide a wireless communication system for tracking assets and methods thereof . the system accommodates asset management and control functions via over the air asset related data exchange . the system consists of a plurality of smart agent tags ( smart tags ) affixed to the assets and base stations incorporated as front end units of a bidirectional wireless communication link between the smart tags and the central unit of the system . system timing and data structures are synchronized by a single clock source transmitted over the communication link . the system may further consist of at least one rf beacon used for locating smart tags within a predefined area and for initiating data exchange with smart tags that are most of the time in a sleep mode for minimizing power consumption of the smart tag battery . depending on the size of the area serviced by the system and the locating accuracy requirement , the system may be configured but not limited to rf , optical or ops measurement location devices or any combination thereof . the system architecture , data transfer timing and communication protocol are described in the subsequent sections . the term ‘ central processing and communicating unit ’ ( cpcu ) relates to processing devices radio frequency transmitters and receivers configured for communicating with the tags and user interface . the term ‘ tag ’ or ‘ smart tag ’ relates to an electronic device communicating transmitting location and identification to a cpcu . the term ‘ asset ’ relates to an object that can be tracked by affixing a tag to it . the term ‘ wireless communication link ’; examples internet , intranet , cellular , or any other communicating means adapted to exchange data , the term ‘ clock signal ’ means a digital waveform of constant frequency . the term ‘ time slice ’ relates a period of time assigned for operation of a single tag . the term ‘ re beacon ’ relates to a radio transmitter that sends a characteristic signal used for locating . the term ‘ information registration module ’ is a data base used by the central unit to record tag information . the term ‘ uplink ’ relates to data transmitted from the tags to the central unit . the term ‘ downlink ’ relates to data transmitted from the central unit to the tags . the term ‘ communication cycle ’ is the repeatable cycle time during which the central unit communicates with all the system tags and updates the tags database . the term ‘ tag originated mode ’ relates to a communicating mode initiated by a tag . the term ‘ system originated mode ’ relates to a communicating mode initiated by an enquiry of the central unit . the term ‘ cyclic redundancy correction ( crc ) relates to a number derived from data , and transmitted with the data in order to detect errors . the term ‘ protocol stack ’ is software implementation of a computer networking protocol . the term ‘ application interface server ( api )’ is related to the user interface terminal . the term ‘ location server ’ relates to processing function of the cpcu , the term ‘ radio frequency triangulation transceivers ’ relates to a radio frequency location measurement by intersecting direction of two radio frequency beams reflected from an object . the term ‘ base station ’ relates to the units providing the radio frequency front end to the wireless communication link . the term ‘ application data frame ’ is the section of data in the application layer of the communication protocol . the term ‘ acknowledge ’ relates to a confirmation response transmitted by the cpcu to the tags indicating correct reception of data , reference is now made to fig1 schematically illustrating a block diagram of a system according to one embodiment of the present invention . an asset location and control system 10 consists of a central control and processing unit 11 connected via a wireless communication link 12 to a plurality of similar smart agent tags 13 a , 13 b and 13 n affixed respectively to assets 14 a , 14 b , and 14 n . data communication between the smart tags and the central unit 11 , consisting of inquiries initiated by the central unit and local data sent by each of the smart tags , is sustained continuously . the central unit 11 may include but is not limited to base stations , re beacons , servers and an application processor configured to be adaptable to smart tag operation and for data exchange between the smart tags and the and an application module . smart tag data including asset location , identification and motion , or further required information , is used by the system for monitoring the assets within a user defines area . a single clock generator 15 generates a clock signal that synchronizes all the smart tags with the central unit by broadcasting the clock over the communication link . system synchronization enables defining time slots assigned to a tag operation on demand and thus minimizing or even avoiding conflicting transmission circumstances ( collisions ) between the smart tags . furthermore , the robustness of synchronous data transfer and staying away from repeated data transmissions leads to short data transfer messages and hence to saving the power of a smart tag battery , reference is now made to fig2 schematically illustrating a detailed block diagram of the system architecture . system 20 is depicted with a single tag 21 representative of all the smart tags of the system , connected to the central unit incorporated by several parts . at least one re beacon 22 , operating within a defined range of the system area , is used to transmit wakeup calls via rf link 23 to tag 21 which may be in a sleep mode . re beacon 22 may also transmit to the central processor the associated coverage area which is included within the tracking area of the system . rf transceivers of base station units 24 a and 24 b provide the communication link between smart tags and the central processor . each base station unit is connected to a data communication module 25 a and 25 b comprising client and server units . each base station unit is further connected to a gps receiver 26 a and 26 b providing base station location data to the central unit . data communication modules 25 a and 25 b connected the associated base station units 24 a and 24 b are communicating with a mediation control server 36 via data communication unit 29 . mediation control server 36 which is the processor of the central unit carries out the system operation algorithm and the user application interface . the mediation control server receives location data from a location server 34 and stores all the pertinent data of the tags in a database defined as tag information registration module 35 . when optical smart tags are used , a light beams generated by a tag , is detected by optical reader 31 a and 31 b which are essentially video cameras . the outputs of the optical readers are connected to a video processing module 32 , deriving each tag location by synchronous processing of video images of the optical smart tags . alternatively , when non optical smart tags are being used , tag location may be determined by an rf triangulation module 33 using an rf triangulation method utilizing the intersection of two lines of radio frequency signals reflected from the tag , to measure tag location . data associated with tag location , obtained either optically or by rf triangulation , is calculated by a location server 34 to provide the location of every smart server . as indicated in the preceding section , the synchronous operational mode of the system facilitates sharing effectively limited resources like the central unit processing power by a plurality of clients like smart tags . a single clock generator 27 , broadcasted over the communication and available to all the system modules , facilitates a synchronous operation of the system . the clock signal may be obtained from one of the system units or be entirely independent clock generator . using synchronous communication reduces the probability of error rate and reduces the length of exchanged messages by staying away from frequently having to resend a message in the not as much of reliable asynchronous communication systems . a user can operate the system via a user application program 38 a , 38 b and 38 c connected to the mediation control server 36 via an application program interface ( api ) 37 . furthermore , communication protocol is also synchronized to the system clock and operable by the user through a terminal . reference is now made to fig3 schematically illustrating the system timing diagram . a system communication cycle 40 is divided into a plurality of equal time slots 43 associated with the plurality of system smart tags . when optical smart tags are used , each tag turns on a signaling light during a single time slot designated by the system controller for the associated tag . when system smart tags are configured with gps receivers , each tag gps transmits and receives data during the corresponding time slot . system communication cycle time 40 begins with transmission of clock signal which is transmitted continuously every cycle or intermittently every few cycles . system communication cycle consists of two sections of bidirectional data transfer : a downlink data section 41 followed by an uplink data section 42 . a commonly used communication cycle time may be 1 sec long , however actual value of communication cycle time , up - link time and down - link time may be set to other values depending on the configuration and requirements of the tracking system . a communication cycle time begins with radio frequency ( rf ) downlink time section 41 when system central unit transmits to the smart tags an acknowledgement of receiving data , or commands to the tags , or a combination of acknowledgement and commands thereof . the second section of the system communication cycle is rf uplink time 42 when a time slot is randomly assigned to a reporting smart tag which transmits during the associated time slot data to the central unit . a tag initiating a service request transmits the service request during the next randomly selected time slot . smart tags can search for a beacon during any available time not interfering with synchronization and receiving an acknowledging message for the service request transmission . tag receiver is utilizing the available free time for receiving beacon transmission . communication between the smart tags and the central system may be initiated by the smart tags or by the central system . in the tag originated mode , the smart tags send first messages to the central system regarding tag events selected from a group of battery low power , detecting a beacon , exceeding tag sleep time limit , external interrupt occurrence or any additional event that needs to be reported . in the system originated mode , the system sends first a message to the tag responding to an application request requiring any status information of a tag . reference is now made to fig4 a schematically illustrating the data flow through the communication link layers in the tag originated mode . beacon 52 transmits id information that is received by all the smart tags located at the area covered by the beacon . upon receiving id information from the beacon , smart tag 51 transmits a tag service request ( tsr ) to the central system 50 . the system transmits back an acknowledgement of tsr receipt to tag 51 , updates the data base of the tag information registry ( tir ) 53 with the information received from the tag and if applicable updates the application 54 with the new tag event information . based on the received information and user instructions , the application 54 monitors the tracked assets with the affixed smart tags and controls the operation of the tracking system . this sequence of data flow is repeated by all the smart tags affixed to tracked assets and repeats for any of the tracked smart tags of the system . every subsequent communication cycle , the procedure of data transfer between the smart tags and the central unit repeats , as long as the tracking system is operating . reference is made now to fig4 b presenting a schematically illustrating the data flow through the communication link layers in the system originated mode . unlike the previous mode , data transfer begins with user application 54 sending an application request to the system central unit 50 . the system central unit responds by initiating data exchange with an associated tag by transmitting a query to tag 51 . the following data flow steps are identical to the corresponding steps listed in the preceding section . tag 51 transmits a tag service request to the system 50 and the system transmits back to the tag an acknowledgement of received message , updates tir data base 53 and user application 54 . reference is now made to fig5 presenting a schematic illustration of the protocol stack which is the structure associated with the protocol layer . application layer 60 is at the top level of the protocol . for every exchange of data with a tag , the data link layer 61 transfers an application frame of data to the application layer 60 . application data consists of messages , timing diagram and logic of communication between the smart tags and the central unit . in the data link layer 61 , data is a commonly used data packet organized in three main sections : a service preamble section , a data section and a cyclic redundancy correction section . the service preamble section consists of parameters of transmitted data selected from a group consisting of type of data , data length , source address and destination address . the data section can be configured in any format that is proper for the system operation . the crc section is used for error correction of the data by including at least one bit of value determined by a checksum error correction calculation of the data section . physical layer 62 is the lowest level of the communication link . the physical layer 62 comprises the actual data transmitted in the rf communication link . the physical layer includes a preamble section , a header section and a data frame section . the preamble section commonly uses a start bit indicating a beginning of data transmission . the header section is used for synchronization purposes and the data frame includes all the sections defined in data link layer 61 .	8
the present disclosure may include references to the following terms : anterior ( at or near the front of the body , as opposed to the back of the body ); posterior ( at or near the back of the body , as opposed to the front of the body ); lateral ( at or near the side of the body , farther from the midsagittal plane , as opposed to medial ); medial ( at or near the middle of the body , at or near the midsagittal plane , as opposed to lateral ); proximal ( toward the beginning , at or near the head of the body , as opposed to distal ); and distal ( further from the beginning , at or near the foot of the body , as opposed to proximal ). referring to fig1 - 8 , an exemplary method of the present disclosure may be used to determine how a femoral prosthesis will fit on the distal end of a femur , i . e ., to assess whether a prosthesis is of the right size and shape for the distal end of the femur and whether the prosthesis suitably conforms thereto . the method generally includes the steps of obtaining a three - dimensional ( 3 - d ) model of a bone based on an acquired image of the bone , virtually resecting the 3 - d model of the bone , i . e ., creating or simulating a resection of the bone within a computer or other intelligent processing device , preparing a bone profile of the virtual resection , creating a two - dimensional ( 2 - d ) outline or footprint of the resection from the bone profile , preparing a prosthesis profile , creating a 2 - d outline or footprint from the prosthesis profile , and comparing the 2 - d outlines of the bone profile and the prosthesis profile to assess or determine the fit of the prosthesis with the bone . more particularly , referring to fig1 , 3 - d digital model 10 of an exemplary femur f is illustrated . digital model 10 may be obtained by obtaining a computed tomography (“ ct ”) scan of a femur to produce a 3 - d image of the femur and converting the 3 - d image to digital model 10 . the conversion of the 3 - d ct scan image to 3 - d digital model 10 may be performed using any suitable modeling software including , for example , amira ®, available from mercury computer systems , inc ., of chelmsford , mass . digital model 10 may include femur f having distal end f d . referring still to fig1 , using suitable software , such as matlab ®, available from the mathworks , of natick , mass ., and unigraphics ®, available from ugs corp ., of plano , tex ., a virtual resection of distal end f d of model femur f is performed . similar to the resection performed in actual knee arthroplasty procedures , the virtual resection involves defining femoral cut planes 12 a - 12 e on distal end f d ; of model femur f . femoral cut planes 12 a - 12 e are calculated using an algorithm of the software . the algorithm calculates femoral cut planes 12 a - 12 e based on a proposed , exemplary femoral prosthesis and the known surgical technique specified for the proposed femoral prosthesis , more particularly , distal end f d of model femur f may be preliminarily measured based on the known surgical technique and using the software described above . the resulting measurements are used to preliminarily select a femoral prosthesis size and type . resection of distal end f d of model femur f is determined by the selected femoral prosthesis and involves resecting distal end f d of femur f to complement and receive the prosthesis , for example , as shown in fig4 , model femoral prosthesis 20 may be preliminarily selected . femoral prosthesis 20 is a cruciate - retaining femoral prosthetic component having bone engaging surface 22 , bone engaging surface 22 includes a plurality of intersecting planar surfaces , including anterior surface 22 a , distal surface 22 b , posterior surface 22 c , anterior chamfer surface 22 d , and posterior chamfer surface 22 e . accordingly , as shown in fig1 , the virtual resection of distal end f d of model femur f includes defining a plurality of intersecting cut planes 12 a - 12 e including anterior cut plane 12 a , distal cut plane 12 b , posterior cut plane 12 c , anterior chamfer cut plane 12 d , and posterior chamfer cut plane 12 e , which correspond to the plurality of intersecting planar surfaces 22 a - 22 e of model prosthesis 20 ( fig4 ). as illustrated in fig2 and 3 , cut planes 12 a - 12 e intersect one another at femoral cut plane vertices 14 a - 14 d . more particularly , anterior cut plane 12 a intersects anterior chamfer cut plane 12 d at vertex 14 a . anterior chamfer cut plane 12 d intersects distal cut plane 12 b at vertex 14 b , distal cut plane 12 b intersects posterior chamfer cut plane 12 e at vertex 14 c . posterior chamfer cut plane 12 e intersects posterior cut plane 12 c at vertex 14 d . referring still to fig1 and 2 , femoral profile 16 , shown as a dotted line , of the virtually resected model femur f is prepared by outlining cut planes 12 a - 12 e extending between cut plane vertices 14 a - 14 d . two - dimensional outline or footprint 18 of the resected surface of model femur f is then obtained , as shown in fig3 , by unfolding or bending profile 16 at cut plane vertices 14 a - 14 d until cut planes 12 a - 12 e are aligned in a single plane . the suitable software mentioned above may be used to manipulate profile 16 to create two - dimensional outline 18 . referring now to fig4 - 6 , two - dimensional outline or footprint 26 of proposed prosthesis 20 may be made using a process similar to that described above for outline or footprint 18 of femoral profile 16 . more particularly , 3 - d digital model 20 of a femoral prosthesis may be obtained using any known method and any suitable software , including those described above . as discussed above , model prosthesis 20 includes bone engaging surface 22 , which includes anterior planar surface 22 a , distal planar surface 22 b , posterior planar surface 22 c , anterior chamfer planar surface 22 d , and posterior chamfer planar surface 22 e . planar surfaces 22 a - 22 e intersect one another at prosthesis vertices 24 a - 24 d . more particularly , anterior planar surface 22 a intersects anterior chamfer surface 22 d at vertex 24 a , anterior chamfer surface 22 d intersects distal planar surface 22 b at vertex 24 b . distal planar surface 22 b intersects posterior chamfer surface 22 e at vertex 24 c , and posterior chamfer surface 22 e intersects posterior surface 22 c at vertex 24 d , anterior planar surface 22 a of prosthesis 20 corresponds to anterior cut plane 12 a of femur f ; anterior chamfer surface 22 d of prosthesis 20 corresponds to anterior chamfer cut plane 12 d of femur f ; distal planar surface 22 b of prosthesis 20 corresponds to distal cut plane 12 b of femur f ; posterior chamfer surface 22 e of prosthesis 20 corresponds to posterior chamfer cut plane 12 e of femur f ; posterior surface 22 c of prosthesis 20 corresponds to posterior cut plane 12 c of femur f ; vertex 24 a of prosthesis 20 corresponds to vertex 14 a of femur f ; vertex 24 b of prosthesis 20 corresponds to vertex 14 b of femur f ; vertex 24 c of prosthesis 20 corresponds to vertex 14 c of femur f ; and vertex 24 d of prosthesis 20 corresponds to vertex 14 d of femur f . referring to fig4 , prosthesis ( profile 25 of model prosthesis 20 is prepared by outlining the perimeter of intersecting planar surfaces 22 a - 22 e between prosthesis vertices 24 a - 24 d . prosthesis profile 25 is represented by the heavy dashed line extending about the perimeter of model prosthesis 20 . turning to fig5 and 6 , two - dimensional outline or footprint 26 of prosthesis profile 25 is created by using the suitable software to unfold or bend profile 25 at vertices 24 a - 24 d until planar surfaces 22 a - 22 e are aligned within a single plane . prosthesis outline 26 may be visually compared with femur outline 18 to determine and assess whether model prosthesis 20 is a suitable fit for model femur 10 , thus , a surgeon may compare outline 26 with outline 18 and determine whether prosthesis 20 corresponding to outline 26 is an acceptable prosthesis to use for femur f . prosthesis outline 26 may be compared with femur outline 18 by superimposing one atop the other and observing the overlapping shapes and the differences therebetween . furthermore , using the suitable software mentioned above , quantitative analysis may be made of outlines 26 and 18 . for instance , measurements of outlines 26 and 18 may be taken and the suitable software can calculate deviations between the measurements , for example , width measurements of outlines 26 and 18 at the intersections of each planar surface may be taken and / or at midpoints of each planar surface between such intersections with other planar surfaces . any deviations between outlines 26 and 18 may then be used to calculate proposed changes in prosthesis 20 to thereby reshape prosthesis 20 to minimize the deviations . alternatively , any deviations between outlines 26 and 18 may prompt a user to select a different prosthesis 20 and perform die same analysis to assess the fit of the second prosthesis 20 on model femur 10 , i . e ., if a surgeon decides that outline 26 of a first prosthesis 20 is unacceptable for femur f , then the surgeon then compares the outline 26 of another prosthesis 20 until an acceptable prosthesis is identified . the method described above has several useful , practical applications . for example , the method described above may be used to develop new and improved existing prosthesis designs . it is contemplated that this method may be used to survey a large population of subjects to develop statistics and identify trends in bone shapes , and to adapt prosthesis sizes and shapes accordingly . more specifically , two - dimensional footprints of virtually resected bones of a large population of patients may be obtained and compared to two - dimensional footprints of numerous available prostheses . fig7 and 8 illustrate an exemplary application of the methods of the present disclosure . fig7 illustrates femur footprints or outlines 18 a - 18 d , shown as dotted lines , taken from a virtually resected model of a femur of four different subjects compared with footprints or outlines 26 a - 26 c , shown in solid lines , taken from three different models of available prostheses . fig8 illustrates the same footprints 18 a - 18 d , 26 a - 26 c . the comparison shown in fig7 and 8 demonstrates that the prosthesis yielding footprint 26 a is larger in width w ( fig6 ) than the virtually resected bones yielding footprints 18 b - 18 d . in an exemplary embodiment , outlines 18 a - 18 d may be used to design or create a prosthesis which substantially matches at least some of outlines 18 a - 18 d . for example , a prosthesis may be created or designed which is a best fit approximation to a plurality of outlines 18 which may be based on a specific patient population , such as the female population . in an exemplary embodiment , a method of the present disclosure may be performed on the femurs of a large population of women to obtain medial / lateral and anterior / posterior dimensions of the femurs and calculate ratios between the medial / lateral and anterior / posterior dimensions . these dimensions and calculations may be used in designing femoral components for use on female anatomy . in another exemplary embodiment , a method of the present disclosure may also be used to obtain medial / lateral and anterior / posterior dimensions of existing femoral components and calculate ratios between the medial / lateral and anterior / posterior dimensions of the femoral components . the dimensions and calculated ratios may then be used to compare existing femoral components to the dimensions and calculated ratios of the femurs of women to identify areas of the femoral component where fit can be optimized . such a comparison is fully described in u . s . patent application ser . no . 11 / 611 , 021 , entitled distal femoral , knee prostheses , assigned to the assignee of the present application , the disclosure of which is hereby expressly incorporated herein by reference . the same type of process may be performed for other populations , such as a population of males , various ethnic populations , populations based on age , stature - based populations , and / or populations based on disease progression or disease status . in addition , the method described above may be used in guiding the design and manufacture of custom prostheses . for instance , a patient &# 39 ; s femur may be modeled , virtually resected and footprinted as described above . the footprint could then be used as the footprint for forming a prosthesis . although the method described above is exemplified with reference to the distal end of the femur and femoral prostheses , the methods of the present invention may be applied to any bone and any prosthesis . while this invention has been described as having exemplary designs , the present disclosure may be further modified within the spirit and scope of this disclosure . this application is therefore intended to cover any variations , uses , or adaptations of the disclosure using its general principles . further , this application is intended to cover such departures from the present disclosure as come within known or customary practice in the art to which this disclosure pertains .	0
fig1 is a simplified elevational view showing relevant elements of an electrostatographic or xerographic printing apparatus , such as a printer , copier , or multifunction device generally indicated as 99 . certain elements of the apparatus are disposed within a cru , or cartridge , generally shown as 100 . as will be described in detail below , those parts of the overall machine 99 which require replacement or periodic service are typically placed within cru 100 , while longer - lasting parts are elsewhere in the machine . as is well known , an electrostatic latent image is created , by means not shown , on a surface of a rotatable charge receptor or photoreceptor 10 . the latent image is developed by applying thereto a supply of toner particles , such as with developer roll 12 , which may be of any of various designs , such as including a magnetic brush roll or donor roll , as is familiar in the art . the toner particles adhere to the appropriately - charged areas of the latent image . the surface of photoreceptor 10 then moves , as shown by the arrow , to a transfer zone created by a transfer - detack assembly generally indicated as 14 . simultaneously , a print sheet on which the desired image is to be printed is drawn from supply stack 16 and conveyed to the transfer zone 14 as well . at the transfer zone 14 , the print sheet is brought into contact or at least proximity with a surface of photoreceptor 10 , which at this point is carrying toner particles thereon . a corotron or other charge source at transfer zone 14 causes the toner on photoreceptor 10 to be electrically transferred to the print sheet . the print sheet is then sent to subsequent stations , as is familiar in the art , such as a fuser and finishing devices ( not shown ). following transfer of most of the toner particles to the print sheet in the transfer zone , any residual toner particles remaining on the surface of photoreceptor 10 are removed at a cleaning station . fig2 is an elevational view showing a detail of a cleaning station , which in the embodiment is part of cru 100 . as can be seen in the figure , a cleaning blade 22 which is pressed against the surface of photoreceptor 10 scrapes the residual toner off the surface . the toner which is thus removed falls downward into a hopper 24 for accumulating the toner . a flexible flap seal 26 , extending the length of the photoreceptor 10 , prevents loose toner from escaping the hopper . an auger 28 , with an anti - bridging device 30 , is used to remove waste toner ( as opposed to carrier particles ) from the hopper 24 . further as shown in fig2 , there is associated with cleaning blade 22 a permanent magnet 40 and a pickoff blade 42 . the magnet 40 and blade 42 extend substantially the length of the cleaning blade 22 ( going into the page , in the view of fig2 ). the tip of pickoff blade 42 is disposed between 0 . 5 mm and 2 . 0 mm from the photoreceptor 10 . the pickoff blade 42 should exhibit some ferro - magnetic properties , so that magnetic flux passes effectively therethrough . the interaction of the magnet 40 and pickoff blade 42 results in a significant magnetic flux through the tip of the pickoff blade 42 . the magnetic flux emanating from the pickoff blade 42 attracts carrier particles , before or as they are stopped by cleaning blade 22 on the moving surface of photoreceptor 10 . by removing carrier particles from the photoreceptor surface in the cleaning blade area , the pickoff blade 42 prevents scratching of the surface of photoreceptor 10 by stray carrier particles . the cleaning blade 22 , of course , also removes residual toner particles from the photoreceptor 10 , but that action is largely irrelevant to the behavior of the carrier particles . as mentioned above , certain hardware elements of the overall machine 99 can be isolated into a cru ( customer - replaceable unit ), or more generally “ cartridge ,” 100 , which is readily removable ( and thus replaceable ) relative to the whole printer . typically the cru 100 includes parts of the printer hardware that wear out , become dirty , or are consumed as the machine is used . in the illustrated embodiment , such parts include the photoreceptor 10 , as well as various seals and bushings ( not shown ). depending on an overall machine design , the cru 100 can include a supply of marking material in a container 50 , as shown in fig1 ; in other designs the marking material supply is in a second cru which is separate from a cru holding the photoreceptor 10 . in any case , a typical “ lifetime ” of a cru is in the tens of thousands of prints output by the machine 99 ; as used herein , the lifetime of a cru or cartridge is defined as an amount ( which can be expressed , for instance , as time , prints made , or consumable material used ) of satisfactory use of the cartridge before the cartridge needs to be replaced with a new or otherwise remanufactured or refurbished cartridge . when a cartridge is remanufactured or refurbished , it becomes for practical purposes “ new ” and gets a new lifetime . the lifetime of a cartridge is contrasted with the lifetime of the overall machine 99 , which is intended to be many multiples that of the cartridge . returning to fig2 , as carrier particles are attracted toward the pickoff blade 42 , the carrier particles remain on the pickoff blade for the remaining lifetime of the cru 100 . in practical terms , the particles remain on the pickoff blade 42 when the whole cru 100 is removed from machine 99 . only after the cru 100 is removed from machine 99 , thus ending the particular lifetime of the cru 100 , and a refurbishing process is carried out on the cru 100 are the particles removed from the pickoff blade 42 . of course , at the end of a lifetime the whole cru 100 may simply be discarded , and the removal of carrier particles therefrom rendered unnecessary . fig3 is a simple flow - chart showing some steps in a cru remanufacturing process . at step 300 a cru 100 , deemed to be at the end of its lifetime by one or more of various criteria such as time , prints made , detection of faults , etc ., is removed from a machine 99 . at step 302 the removed cru 100 is opened and generally cleaned , the cleaning including removing carrier particles which are magnetically attached to pickoff blade 42 . the removal of carrier particles from pickoff blade 42 can be carried out by generally - known means , such as the use of brushes , blades , and / or vacuum devices ( generically called a “ wiper ”), and can be part of a general cleaning operation on the whole of cru 100 . the brushes , blades , and / or vacuum devices for removing the carrier particles from pickoff blade 42 are , in this embodiment , not part of the cru 100 itself . other common steps used in the remanufacturing of cartridges include replacement of photoreceptor 10 ( step 304 ), and refilling of the developer supply 50 ( step 306 ). once the cru 100 is re - assembled and tested for proper operation , the cru 100 is ready for re - installation in the same or another machine 99 ( step 308 ), and a new lifetime of the cru is deemed to begin . although in the illustrated embodiment the carrier particles are retained on a pickoff blade and is disposed a predetermined distance from the cleaning blade and from the photoreceptor , in other embodiments the pickoff blade or member could , for instance , be directly in contact with the cleaning blade . alternately , the pickoff member could be mounted from an inner wall of the cru . fig4 is a simplified elevational view of a pickoff device used in the prior art , in this case the xerox ® 1090 ® series of copiers and printers . in fig4 , like reference elements relate to corresponding structures in the above - described figures . there is present a permanent magnet 40 and a pickoff blade 42 , but the assembly thereof is surrounded by a rotatable sleeve 70 , a portion of which is disposed near the portion of photoreceptor 10 desired to have carrier particles removed therefrom . thus , carrier particles , indicated as c , drawn off of photoreceptor 10 do not contact pickoff blade 42 but rather the sleeve 70 . as sleeve 70 rotates , the carrier particles remain thereon , as shown , until the magnet 40 ceases to have sufficient influence to hold the carrier particles on the sleeve 70 , as is evident on the right - hand side of the sleeve 70 in the figure . the particles which thus fall off of sleeve 70 are then directed ( either directly , or indirectly , such as through augers and pipes , not shown ) to a separate collection bottle 72 , which , in this particular embodiment , is not part of a cru including photoreceptor 10 or pickoff blade 42 . the claims , as originally presented and as they may be amended , encompass variations , alternatives , modifications , improvements , equivalents , and substantial equivalents of the embodiments and teachings disclosed herein , including those that are presently unforeseen or unappreciated , and that , for example , may arise from applicants / patentees and others .	6
in the following , embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings . fig1 is a cross sectional view illustrating a left imaging module in a stereo camera for a vehicle which camera includes an embodiment of an imaging module according to the present invention on each of right and left sides and fig2 is an enlarged cross sectional view of a main part of the imaging module illustrated in fig1 . in an illustrated stereo camera 1 , an illustrated left imaging module 5 and a right imaging module 5 including a configuration substantially identical thereto are mirror - symmetrically included and ( main part of ) the pair of right and left imaging modules 5 and 5 are respectively assembled to a right end part and a left end part of a stay ( housing ) 10 , which is a common configuration element , in such a manner as to be separated from each other for a predetermined distance ( see ptl 3 ). in the following , the illustrated left imaging module 5 will be mainly described and an overlapped description of the right imaging module 5 will be omitted . the illustrated imaging module 5 includes a lens unit 15 inserted into and held in a cylindrical mount part 12 provided in the left end part of the stay 10 , an imaging element assembly 20 , a substrate 30 on which ( imaging element 25 of ) the imaging element assembly 20 is mounted , a holding plate 35 that holds the substrate 30 , and a light shielding member 40 that configures a main characteristic part of an embodiment of the present invention . for example , the lens unit 15 includes a stepped - cylindrical lens holder 16 including a plurality of lenses ( not illustrated ), a fixture thereof ( not illustrated ), and the like . a male screw 16 a provided in a rear end part of the lens holder 16 is screwed to a female screw 12 a provided in the cylindrical mount part 12 . a center line of the lens unit 15 is an optical axis o . as illustrated in fig5 ( a ) and fig5 ( b ) , the imaging element assembly 20 includes a frame member 21 having a rectangular opening on a front side , a cover glass 23 airtightly fitted to the rectangular opening , and a rectangular plate - like imaging element 25 an outer peripheral part of which is airtightly fixed to a rear side of the frame member 21 . a center part on a front side of the imaging element 25 is an imaging surface 26 . wiring lines on the imaging element 25 and the substrate 30 are electrically connected to each other by soldering . more specifically , as illustrated in fig5 ( a ) , the imaging element 25 is mounted on the substrate 30 by junction with a bga solder ball 27 . the substrate 30 on which the imaging element 25 is mounted in such a manner is fixed to the holding plate 35 with the predetermined number of set screws while an outer periphery thereof is abutted to a ring - shaped protruded part 38 provided in a protruded manner on a planar base body 36 of the holding plate 35 . after an adjustment of a position ( position in direction of optical axis o , direction orthogonal to optical axis o , and rotational direction ), the holding plate 35 is attached and fixed , with a screw or the like , to an inner peripheral side of a ring - shaped protruded part 13 provided in the left end part of the stay 10 . here , the adjustment of a position of the holding plate 35 with respect to the stay 10 is performed to adjust a positional relationship between the lens and the imaging element 25 , that is , to place the center of the imaging surface 26 of the imaging element 25 on the optical axis o , to make the imaging surface 26 orthogonal to the optical axis o , to determine a position of the imaging element 25 in a rotational direction , and to make a distance between the imaging surface 26 and the lens a prescribed value . then , the light shielding member 40 is arranged between a ring - shaped groove 14 provided in a rear part of the cylindrical mount part 12 of the stay 10 and a recessed receiving part with an opening 37 provided in the holding plate 35 . the light shielding member 40 prevents light ( extraneous light ) other than desired signal light that becomes incident through a lens from entering the imaging surface 26 of the imaging element 25 . as illustrated in fig3 and fig4 in addition to fig1 and fig2 , the light shielding member 40 includes a ring - shaped base part 41 fitted into the ring - shaped groove 14 of the stay 10 and a top part 42 protruded from the base part 41 in a direction orthogonal thereto ( direction of optical axis o and direction toward side of substrate 30 ). in the base part 41 , a semi - oval protrusion 41 a for positioning which protrusion is used for positioning in a rotational direction with respect to the optical axis o of the lens is provided in a manner protruded outward in a radial direction . also , at the center of the top part 42 , a rectangular window 44 for limiting an optical path which window is to prevent unneeded light from entering the imaging surface 26 is formed with respect to a path of the light that becomes incident through the lens . note that the protrusion 41 a for positioning is fitted into a groove 14 a for positioning which groove is formed continuously with the ring - shaped groove 14 . the base part 41 is tightly fitted into the ring - shaped groove 14 of the stay 10 and the protrusion 41 a for positioning is tightly fitted into the groove 14 a for positioning , whereby positioning of the light shielding member 40 with respect to the stay 10 is performed . the positioning may be performed , for example , by a method of fitting the protrusion 41 a for positioning into the groove 14 a for positioning as illustrated in the drawing or a method of forming each of an outer shape of the base part 41 of the light shielding member 40 and that of the ring - shaped groove 14 as a non - circular shape such as a quadrangle . near an outer peripheral end of the top part 42 of the light shielding member 40 , a triangular or trapezoidal first protrusion 51 for light shielding , which has a rectangular ring shape as a whole and a cross section of which becomes smaller on a leading end side , is provided in a manner protruded toward the substrate 30 ( in direction of optical axis o ) in such a manner as to surround an outer periphery of a side of the imaging element assembly 20 . also , in a position which is on an inner peripheral side of the first protrusion 51 for light shielding in the top part 42 and which faces an outer peripheral end of the cover glass 23 of the imaging element assembly 20 , a triangular or trapezoidal second protrusion 52 for light shielding which protrusion has a rectangular ring shape as a whole , a cross section of which protrusion becomes smaller on a leading end side , and which protrusion is much smaller than the first protrusion 51 for light shielding is provided in a manner protruded toward the cover glass 23 ( in direction of optical axis o ). between a leading end of the first protrusion 51 for light shielding and the substrate 30 , a predetermined gap s 1 is formed and a height and the like of the first protrusion 51 for light shielding are set in such a manner not to be in contact with the substrate 30 or any other parts . also , a predetermined gap s 2 is formed between the second protrusion 52 for light shielding and the cover glass 23 of the imaging element assembly 20 . a height and the like of the second protrusion 52 for light shielding are also set in such a manner not to be in contact with the cover glass 23 or any other parts . as a material of the light shielding member 40 , a material with flexibility and elasticity such as silicone rubber is preferably used in such a manner that it becomes possible to deal with a change in a provided space due to a variation in production of the member . moreover , on each of up , down , right , and left sides of the outer peripheral end of the top part 42 of the base part 41 , a pair of half - barrel - shaped or truncated cone - shaped protrusions 45 for supporting , eight in total , which protrusions become smaller on a leading end side and are provided to hold the light shielding member 40 with pressure between the ring - shaped groove 14 of the stay 10 and the recessed receiving part 37 of the holding plate 35 is equally provided in a manner protruded toward the side of the holding plate 35 ( in direction of optical axis o ). here , in order to hold the light shielding member 40 with pressure between the ring - shaped groove 14 of the stay 10 and the recessed receiving part 37 of the holding plate 35 , a size and a shape of each part are set in such a manner that a distance l 2 between ( bottom surface of ) the ring - shaped groove 14 of the stay 10 to which a front end surface 43 of the base part 41 is pressed and the recessed receiving part 37 of the holding plate 35 to which a leading end surface 46 of the protrusion 45 for supporting is pressed in an assembled state illustrated in fig2 becomes shorter than a length ( natural length ) l 1 from the front end surface 43 of the base part 41 to the leading end surface 46 of the protrusion 45 for supporting in a natural state with no load which state is illustrated in fig4 . accordingly , when the holding plate 35 is attached and fixed to the stay 10 with a screw or the like , the protrusion 45 for supporting of the light shielding member 40 receives a load in such a manner as to be sandwiched between the ring - shaped groove 14 of the stay 10 and the recessed receiving part 37 of the holding plate 35 and is compressively deformed . the protrusion 45 for supporting is held in the position by the pressure from the members 10 and 35 . in this case , it is preferable that the front end surface 43 which is a surface in contact with the ring - shaped groove 14 of the stay 10 and the leading end surface 46 of the protrusion 45 for supporting which surface is in contact with the recessed receiving part 37 of the holding plate 35 are arranged on a surface orthogonal to the optical axis o and that the protrusion 45 for supporting is compressed in a direction of the optical axis o . on the other hand , specifically , in a case of the stereo camera 1 , a shooting direction of the reference imaging module 5 and that of the other imaging module 5 are preferably the same . thus , in each of the imaging modules 5 , it is necessary to adjust positions of the lens ( optical axis o ) and the imaging surface 26 . as described above , in the present embodiment , in a case of attaching and fixing the holding plate 35 ( and substrate 30 ) to the stay 10 , a position thereof ( position in direction of optical axis o , in direction orthogonal to optical axis o , and in rotational direction ) is adjusted . here , in a case where a surface ( which is leading end surface 46 of protrusion 45 for supporting ) in contact with the recessed receiving part 37 of the holding plate 35 is too large , the light shielding member 40 is deformed and a position or a shape of the rectangular window 44 for limiting an optical path is changed when the holding plate 35 is moved for adjustment . thus , even desired light among light that becomes incident through the lens may be blocked . thus , in order to prevent the light shielding member 40 from being deformed even when the holding plate 35 is moved , it is preferable that the total area of a surface ( which is leading end surface 46 of eight protrusions 45 for supporting ) in contact with the recessed receiving part 37 of the holding plate 35 is much smaller than the total area of the front end surface 43 of the base part 41 which surface is in contact with the ring - shaped groove 14 of the stay 10 and that the surface in contact with the recessed receiving part 37 of the holding plate 35 has , similarly to the illustrated half - barrel - shaped or truncated cone - shaped protrusion 45 for supporting which protrusion becomes smaller on a leading end side , a shape with which only a leading end is deformed and a position or a shape of the window for limiting an optical path 44 is not changed when a load is applied . also , it is preferable that an arbitrary space is formed between the protrusion 45 for supporting of the light shielding member 40 and an inner surface of the recessed receiving part 37 of the holding plate 35 in such a manner that the holding plate 35 can be moved for a necessary degree in a direction orthogonal to the optical axis o during the positional adjustment . next , a function and an effect of the light shielding member 40 will be described . a function necessary for the light shielding member 40 is to prevent undesired extraneous light from entering the imaging surface 26 of the imaging element 25 . for example , as indicated by arrows j and k in fig2 , it is considered that the extraneous light becomes incident through a path between the stay 10 and the holding plate 35 and a path between the holding plate 35 and the substrate 30 . in order to block the light , for example , the first protrusion 51 for light shielding is provided . accordingly , it is possible to prevent the light from directly entering the imaging surface 26 of the imaging element 25 and to prevent the extraneous light from entering the imaging surface 26 with the small number of times of reflection . for example , in a case where the extraneous light reaches the imaging surface 26 after ten times of multiple reflection , when a color or material with low reflectivity such as black rubber is used as the light shielding member 40 and reflectivity in one time of reflection is 0 . 1 times , the extraneous light can be reduced to 0 . 1 10 times in a case of ten times of reflection . here , when the first protrusion 51 for light shielding is in contact with the substrate 30 or the cover glass 23 , a higher light - shielding property can be acquired . however , in this case , when there is a contact , for example , with an outer peripheral part of the cover glass 23 , a load is applied to the cover glass 23 especially during assembly or in an environment of high temperature . by the load , a load is applied to the bga solder ball 27 . thus , durability of the bga solder with respect to thermal shock or the like may be decreased . thus , in the embodiment of the present invention , a structure in which the first protrusion 51 for light shielding is not in contact with the imaging element assembly 20 ( imaging element 25 ) or the substrate 30 is included . with this structure , no load is applied to the bga solder ball 27 of the imaging element 25 or the substrate 30 on which the imaging element 25 is mounted . thus , even in an environment with a large temperature change or in an environment of high temperature in a vehicle , it is possible to reduce a malfunction in the solder junction 27 and the like of imaging element 25 and to improve durability and reliability . in this case , it is expected that light shielding performance is adequate . as described above , light can be reduced to 0 . 1 10 times or more . thus , even when there is a gap s 1 or s 2 between the first protrusion 51 for light shielding and the substrate 30 or the second protrusion 52 for light shielding and the cover glass 23 of the imaging element assembly 20 , the adequate light shielding performance can be secured . note that when the adequate light shielding performance can be acquired only with the first protrusion 51 for light shielding , the second protrusion 52 for light shielding is not necessarily provided . only when it is not possible to acquire the adequate light shielding performance only with the first protrusion 51 for light shielding due to a limit or the like in a size or shape of each part , the second protrusion 52 for light shielding may be provided . the second protrusion 52 for light shielding is preferably provided in a position without multiple reflection in which position the light reduced by the first protrusion 51 for light shielding does not reach the imaging surface 26 . as illustrated in the drawing , the second protrusion 52 for light shielding is preferably arranged near the outer peripheral part of the cover glass 23 of the imaging element assembly 20 . however , as described above , similarly to the first protrusion 51 for light shielding , a height or the like of the second protrusion 52 for light shielding is set in such a manner not to be in contact with the imaging element assembly 20 or the substrate 30 . as illustrated in the drawing , the first protrusion 51 for light shielding and the second protrusion 52 for light shielding are preferably ring - shaped ( continuous in whole circumference ). however , when the adequate light shielding performance can be acquired , a notched ring shape ( discontinuous shape ) may be employed . the surface in contact with the ring - shaped groove 14 of the stay 10 may be one surface ( whole front end surface 43 ) as illustrated in the drawing or may be divided into a plurality of surfaces . also , the surface in contact with the recessed receiving part 37 of the holding plate 35 may be divided into a plurality of surfaces ( leading end surface 46 of eight protrusions 45 for supporting ) as illustrated in the drawing or may be one surface ( for example , ring - shaped protrusion which becomes thinner on leading end side may be included instead of eight protrusions 45 for supporting ). note that in the above embodiment , the protrusions for light shielding 51 and 52 of the light shielding member 40 are placed near the imaging element assembly 20 . however , for example , the protrusions for light shielding may not be placed near the imaging element assembly 20 and may be placed on an outer peripheral side of the holding plate 35 to block extraneous light in a position far from the imaging element 25 . also , in the above embodiment , the holding plate 35 that holds the substrate 30 is attached and fixed to the stay 10 after adjustment of a position . however , this is not the limitation . the stay and the holding plate may be integrated ( light shielding member is positioned and assembled therebetween before or after integration ) and the substrate may be moved with respect to the holding plate in the adjustment of a position . in this case , a protrusion for light shielding of the light shielding member is not in contact with the substrate and the imaging element assembly ( imaging element ). thus , similarly to the above embodiment , no load is applied to the bga solder ball of the imaging element or the substrate on which the imaging element is mounted and it becomes possible to reduce a malfunction in the solder junction and the like of the imaging element even in an environment with a large temperature change or an environment of high temperature . as a result , it is possible to improve durability and reliability . also , for example , when structural strength ( rigidity ) of the substrate itself is increased , the holding plate becomes unnecessary . in this case , the substrate also functions as the holding plate and a position is adjusted by moving the substrate with respect to the stay . even in this case , the protrusion for light shielding of the light shielding member is not in contact with the substrate and the imaging element assembly ( imaging element ). thus , an effect similar to that of the above embodiment can be acquired . note that the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments and various modified examples are included . for example , the above embodiments are described in detail to describe the present invention in an easily - understandable manner . the present invention is not limited to what includes all of the above - described configurations . also , it is possible to replace a part of a configuration of an embodiment with a configuration of a different embodiment and to add a configuration of a different embodiment to a configuration of an embodiment . also , with respect to a part of a configuration of each embodiment , a different configuration can be added , deleted , or replaced .	6
in general , according to one embodiment , the semiconductor device according to the first embodiment will be explained by referring to the attached and referenced drawing figures . after having explained the schematic configuration of a semiconductor device according to the first and the second prior art comparative examples , a semiconductor device according to the embodiments , will be described . according to the embodiment , there is provided a semiconductor device which enables an improvement of breakdown voltage and a reduction in on - resistance . a semiconductor device according to a first embodiment : includes : a first region which functions as a mosfet ; and a second region which is adjacent to the first region ; the first region comprising , a drain electrode of the mosfet ; a semiconductor substrate of a first conductivity type which has a first impurity concentration while being electrically connected to the drain electrode ; a first semiconductor layer ( formed on top of the semiconductor substrate ) of the first conductivity type which has a second impurity concentration which is lower than the first impurity concentration ; a second semiconductor layer ( formed on the surface of the first semiconductor layer ) of the first conductivity type which has a third impurity concentration which is lower than the first impurity concentration but higher than the second impurity concentration ; a plurality of first trenches formed on the upper side of the second semiconductor layer ; a third semiconductor layer ( formed on the surface of the second semiconductor layer ) of the second conductivity type , which is adjacent to the first trenches ; a fourth semiconductor layer ( formed on the surface of the third semiconductor layer ) of the first conductivity type which is adjacent to the first trenches ; a first insulating layer which is formed along inner walls of the first trenches ; a gate electrode layer ( provided in the middle of the insulating layer ) which functions as a mosfet gate electrode and is opposed to the third semiconductor layer through the first insulating layer ; a trench source electrode layer which is formed in order to embed the first trenches through the first insulating layer ; and a mosfet source electrode which contacts the fourth semiconductor layer and which is electrically connected to the trench source electrode layer , and the second region comprising : the semiconductor substrate ; the first semiconductor layer ; the first insulating layer formed in order to extend to the upper face of the first semiconductor layer ; and the source electrode formed in order to extend to the upper face of the first insulating layer , wherein the first semiconductor layer of the second region has the second impurity concentration . fig1 a and 1b , explain the semiconductor device according to the first comparative example . as shown in fig1 a and fig1 b , the semiconductor device according to the first comparative example , includes a cell unit which functions as a mosfet and a termination unit provided in the periphery of the cell unit . first , the cell unit will be described . as shown in fig1 b , the cell unit includes a drain electrode 11 , an n + type semiconductor substrate 12 , an n − type epitaxial layer 13 and multiple trenches 14 extending inwardly of the n − type epitaxial layer and provided therein in predetermined intervals in direction x . the n + type semiconductor substrate 12 is provided on drain electrode 11 and is electrically connected to drain electrode 11 . the n + type semiconductor substrate 12 can have an impurity concentration of 1 × 10 20 [ atoms / cm 3 ]. the n − type epitaxial layer 13 is formed on n + type semiconductor substrate 12 . the n − type epitaxial layer 13 is smaller than n + type semiconductor substrate 12 , it can have an impurity concentration of 1 × 10 15 [ atoms / cm 3 ] for example . each trench 14 extends from the upper side of n − type epitaxial layer 13 toward the lower , substrate 12 side of the n − type epitaxial layer , but terminates within the n − type epitaxial layer 13 . as shown in fig1 b , the cell unit includes p type base layer 15 , n + type source layer 16 and p + type contact layer 17 . p type base layer 15 is adjacent to trenches 14 and is formed on n − type epitaxial layer 13 on the side thereof opposite to substrate 12 . p type base layer 15 can have a degree of impurity concentration of , 1 × 10 16 to 1 × 10 17 [ atoms / cm 3 ]. p type base layer 15 functions as mosfet channels . n + type source layer 16 is formed on p type base layer 15 and disposed on either side of the trenches . n + type source layer 16 can have , for example , a degree of impurity concentration of 1 × 10 20 [ atoms / cm ]. p + type contact layer 17 is formed on p type base layer 15 . p + type contact layer 17 is adjacent to n + type base layer 16 between trenches 14 , such that n + type source layer is disposed between p + contact layer 17 and the adjacent trench 14 . p + type contact layer 17 has a higher impurity concentration than that of p type base layer 15 . for example , it can have a degree of impurity concentration of 1 × 10 20 [ atoms / cm 3 ]. in fig1 b , the trenches 14 of the cell unit are lined and capped with an insulating layer 18 , having a gate electrode layer 19 formed and enclosed within the insulating layer 18 on either side of the trenches 14 , and disposed generally adjacent to the n + source layers 16 and p type base layers 15 , a trench source electrode extending inwardly of the trench and generally filling the bounds of the insulating layer 18 within the trench 14 , and a source electrode layer 21 overlying trenches 14 . the insulating layer 18 is formed along inner walls of each trench 14 by using , for example , silicon oxide ( sio 2 ). the gate electrode layer 19 is provided within the insulating layer 18 and adjacent to a side surface of p type base layer 15 through the insulating layer 18 . the gate electrode layer 19 functions as a mosfet gate . the gate electrode layer 19 is composed of polysilicon , for example . the trench source electrode layer 20 is formed within the trenches within the insulating layer 18 . the upper face of trench source electrode layer 20 is covered or capped by the insulating layer 18 . the trench source electrode layer 20 is composed of polysilicon , for example . the source electrode 21 contacts the upper face of n + type source layer 16 and the upper face of p + type contact layer 17 . the source electrode 21 is electrically connected to trench source electrode layer 20 through a connection ( not shown ). more precisely , the trench source electrode layer 20 is at the same potential as the source electrode 21 . thanks to this , the electric field concentration is relaxed and the breakdown voltage of the cell unit can be improved . next , the termination unit will be described . as shown in fig1 a , in the termination unit , the trenches 14 which were arranged consecutively in the n − layer 13 terminate in a final trench 14 f . the termination unit includes n + type semiconductor substrate 12 having an n − type epitaxial layer 13 formed thereon , and a drain electrode 11 formed on the underside of the substrate 12 as in the unit cell region of fig1 b . note that in the termination unit , on top of p type base layer 15 f which is located intermediate of the final two trenches 14 , 14 f , the n + type source layer 16 is not formed but the p + contact layer is formed intermediate of , but spaced by the p layer from , the trenches 14 . additionally , gate electrode 19 is provided only on the side of the final trench 14 f facing the adjacent trench 14 which is on the outermost side of the termination unit . the insulating layer 18 within and capping the trenches in the cell units is extended , in the termination unit , over the n − type epitaxial layer 13 in a direction away from the last unit cell . the source electrode 21 is formed thereover , and likewise extends over the insulating layer in the direction away from the unit cells . fig2 a and 2b are graphs showing n type impurity concentration along the lines a - a ′ and b - b ′ in the termination unit and the cell unit of the first comparative example shown in fig1 a and 1b . the vertical axis of fig2 a and 2b show the impurity concentration and the horizontal axis shows the position of direction y shown in fig1 a and 1b . as shown in fig2 a and 2b , n + type semiconductor substrate 12 in the termination unit and in the cell unit can have , an n type impurity concentration of 1 × 10 20 [ atoms / cm 3 ] and n − type epitaxial layer 13 can have an n type impurity concentration of 1 × 10 15 [ atoms / cm 3 ]. however , the impurity concentration curves showing n type impurity concentration in the termination unit and in the cell unit are substantially the same . as one of performances required when using this semiconductor device as a switching element , avalanche resistance is required . this avalanche resistance can be improved by structural design in order to make the breakdown voltage of the termination unit higher than the breakdown voltage of the cell unit . according to the first comparative example , in order to make the breakdown voltage of termination unit higher than that of the cell unit , it is necessary to lower the concentration of n − type epitaxial layer 13 , but in that case , as on - resistance increases , the performance of the semiconductor device will be lowered . now referring to fig3 a and 3b , we are going to explain the semiconductor device by referring to a second prior art comparative example . as shown in fig3 a and fig3 b , the semiconductor device according to the second comparative example also includes the cell unit which functions as a mosfet and the termination unit which is provided on the periphery of the cell unit . it should be noted that in the second comparative example , shown in fig3 a and 3b , the parts that have the same structure as the first comparative example and duplicate descriptions denoted by the same reference numerals , have be omitted . the primary difference in the semiconductor device in the second comparative example and the semiconductor device in first comparative example , is that the n − type epitaxial layer 13 of the cell unit and the termination unit is provided in a two - layer structure which has high concentration n − type epitaxial layer 13 a and low concentration n − type epitaxial layer 13 b . the low concentration n − type epitaxial layer 13 b has the same degree of impurity concentration as n − type epitaxial layer 13 in the first comparative example , for example , it has a degree of impurity concentration of 1 × 10 15 [ atoms / cm 3 ]. then , high concentration n − type epitaxial layer 13 a has a large impurity concentration with regard to low concentration n − type epitaxial layer 13 b , for example , the degree of its impurity concentration is 1 × 10 16 [ atoms / cm 3 ]. in this prior art device , the trenches 14 extend into , but do not extend through , the high impurity concentration n − layer 13 a , and thus are not in direct contact with the underlying low impurity concentration n - layer 13 b this difference in impurity concentration between high concentration n − type epitaxial layer 13 a and low concentration n − type epitaxial layer 13 b is realized by repeating the growth of epitaxial layer in different conditions on top of n + type semiconductor substrate 12 or changing implant conditions of n − type impurities to form the epitaxial layer or the like . by using a bi - layer having different concentrations for the n − type impurity , it is possible to reduce the on - resistance of the device . fig4 a and 4b are graphs showing n type impurity concentration along the lines a - a ′ and b - b ′ on the termination unit and the final cell unit of the second comparative example as shown in fig3 a and 3b . the vertical axis of fig4 a and 4b show impurity concentrations and the horizontal axis show the position of direction y shown in fig3 a and 3b . as shown in fig4 a and 4b , n + type semiconductor substrate 12 in the termination unit and the cell unit has an n − type impurity concentration on the order of 1 × 10 2 ° atoms / cm 3 . low concentration n − type epitaxial layer 13 b has an n type impurity concentration of 1 × 10 15 atoms / cm 2 and high concentration n - type epitaxial layer 13 a has an n type impurity concentration of 1 × 10 16 atoms / cm 3 , for example . the impurity concentration curves showing n type impurity concentration of the termination unit and the cell unit are substantially the same . in the semiconductor device in the second comparative example , where the n − type epitaxial layer 13 is divided into two layers which are a high concentration n − type epitaxial layer 13 a and a low concentration n − type epitaxial layer 13 b ., on - resistance is reduced because a high concentration n − type epitaxial layer 13 a extends and is positioned immediately below trenches 14 . however , using this architecture for the n − type epitaxial layer , the breakdown voltage of the termination unit has a lower field plate effect than the cell unit , which is also lower than the voltage of the cell unit , and avalanche resistance of the termination unit is thereby reduced . referring now to fig5 a and 5b , a first embodiment of the semiconductor device hereof is described . the semiconductor device of fig5 a and fig5 b includes the cell unit which functions as a mosfet and the termination unit provided on the periphery or end of the cell unit . it should be noted that , in the first embodiment shown in fig5 a and 5b , the parts that have the same structure as the first and the second comparative examples and duplicate descriptions denoted by the same - reference numerals , will be omitted . in the semiconductor device according to the first embodiment , n − type epitaxial layer 13 in the cell unit is provided in a two - layer structure including high impurity concentration n − type epitaxial layer 13 a and low impurity concentration n − type epitaxial layer 13 b . in the semiconductor device according to the first embodiment , in contrast to the semiconductor device of the second comparative , the two - layer structure of high concentration n − type epitaxial layer 13 a and low concentration n − type epitaxial layer 13 b does not extend to surround the termination unit , and this bi - layer structure terminates at the termination unit such that at least a portion of the termination trench 14 f is in contact with n - low layer 13 b . low concentration n − type epitaxial layer 13 b , in the same way as n − type epitaxial layer 13 in the second comparative example , has in this example a degree of impurity concentration of 1 × 10 15 [ atoms / cm 3 ]. high concentration n − type epitaxial layer 13 a has a higher or larger large impurity concentration as compared to that of low concentration n − type epitaxial layer 13 b , in this example an impurity concentration on the order of 1 × 10 16 [ atoms / cm 3 ]. fig6 a and 6b are graphs showing n type impurity concentration along the lines a — a ′ and b - b ′ in the termination unit and the cell unit of the first embodiment shown in fig5 a and 5b . the vertical axes of fig6 a and 6b show impurity concentrations and the horizontal axes show the positions of direction y shown in fig5 a and 5b . as shown in fig6 a and 6b , n + type semiconductor substrate 12 in the termination unit and the cell unit can have an n type impurity concentration of 1 × 10 2 ° [ atoms / cm 3 ]. low concentration n − type epitaxial layer 13 b in the cell unit has an n type impurity concentration of 1 × 10 15 [ atoms / cm 3 ], and high concentration n − type epitaxial layer 13 a has an n type impurity concentration of 1 × 10 16 [ atoms / cm 3 ]. n − type epitaxial layer 13 in the termination unit , for example , is an extension of low impurity concentration n − layer 13 b and thus has the same impurity concentration of 1 × 10 15 [ atoms / cm 3 ]. in the semiconductor device in the first embodiment , n - type epitaxial layer 13 in cell unit is divided into two layers which are high impurity concentration n − type epitaxial layer 13 a and low impurity concentration n − type epitaxial layer 13 b . this results in reduced on - resistance because high concentration n − type epitaxial layer 13 a is formed up to immediately below trenches 14 of the cell unit . alternatively , high concentration n − type epitaxial layer 13 a is not formed in the termination unit . as a result , the breakdown voltage of the termination unit is not lower than the breakdown voltage of the cell unit , and the inherent reduction in avalanche resistance in prior art devices which occurred as a result of reducing on resistance is be prevented . it should be noted that the impurity concentration of high concentration n − type epitaxial layer 13 a in the cell unit can be arbitrarily set in a range such as 1 × 10 15 to 1 × 10 17 [ atoms / cm 3 ] to reduce the on - resistance . the impurity concentration of low concentration n − type epitaxial layer 13 b in the cell unit or n − type epitaxial layer 13 in the termination unit can be arbitrarily set in a range such as 1 × 10 14 - 1 × 10 16 [ atoms / cm 3 ], but lower than the impurity concentration in layer 13 a , to improve the avalanche resistance where the on resistance has been lowered with the high concentration over low concentration n − bi - layer 13 . referring now to fig7 a and 7b , an additional embodiment of the reduced on - resistance but sufficient avalanche resistance structure is shown . as shown in fig7 a and fig7 b , the semiconductor device according to the second embodiment also includes a cell unit which functions as a mosfet and a terminal unit provided on the periphery of the cell unit . it should be noted that in the second embodiment shown in fig7 a and 7b , the parts that have the same structure as the first and the second comparative examples and duplicate descriptions denoted by the same reference numerals , will be omitted . as shown in fig7 a and 7b , the second embodiment is different from the first embodiment because of the structure of the termination unit . in the second embodiment , on the outer non - unit cell or termination side of trench 14 f , p − type diffusion layer 22 is formed . this p − type diffusion layer 22 is formed over n − type epitaxial layer 13 only to the non - cell side of the termination cell 14 f , and thus the base and unit cell side of termination trench 14 f is in contact with the same n − layer which extends under , and in contact with portions of , the unit cells , and impurity concentration of about 1 × 10 15 to 1 × 10 16 [ atoms / cm 3 ]. the p − type diffusion layer 22 may be formed by ion implantation of p type impurities into the n - layer 13 and subsequent annealing . fig8 a and 8b are graphs showing n type impurity concentration along the lines a - a ′ and b - b ′ in the termination unit and the cell unit of the second embodiment shown in fig7 a and 7b . the vertical axes of fig8 a and 8b show impurity concentrations and the horizontal axes show the position of direction y shown in fig7 a and 7b . as shown in fig8 a and 8b , n + type semiconductor substrate 12 in termination unit and cell unit can have a degree of n type impurity concentration of 1 × 10 2 ° [ atoms / cm ]. low concentration n − type epitaxial layer 13 b in the cell unit can have a degree of n type impurity concentration of 1 × 10 15 [ atoms / cm 3 ], for example , and high concentration n − type epitaxial layer 13 a can have a degree of n type impurity concentration of 1 × 10 16 [ atoms / cm 3 ], for example . in the semiconductor device in this embodiment , p − type diffusion layer 22 is provided on n − type epitaxial layer 13 in the termination unit . the curve of n type impurity concentration in the terminal unit and the curve of the p type impurity concentration are represented by a dashed line and the curve of effective impurity concentration is represented in a solid line . n − type epitaxial layer 13 in the termination unit can have the degree of n type impurity concentration of 1 × 10 15 [ atoms / cm 3 ], for example , and p − type diffusion layer 22 can have a degree of p type impurity concentration of 1 × 10 15 to 1 × 10 16 [ atoms / cm 3 ], for example . in this case , p − type diffusion layer 22 will either become a low concentration p - type layer by offsetting the effect of the n − type impurity in the n − layer 13 from which it is formed . the p type impurity concentration of p − type diffusion layer 22 is set so as to have the effective n type impurity inside p - type diffusion layer 22 in the range of 1 × 10 13 to 1 × 10 15 [ atoms / cm 3 ]. in the semiconductor device in the second embodiment , n − type epitaxial layer 13 in the cell unit is divided into two layers which are high concentration n − type epitaxial layer 13 a and low concentration n − type epitaxial layer 13 b . due to this , on - resistance is reduced in comparison to an n − layer of a single impurity concentration , because high concentration n − type epitaxial layer 13 a is formed up to immediately below trenches 14 in the cell unit . however , at the termination unit , on n − type epitaxial layer 13 , p − type diffusion layer 22 is formed . therefore , the breakdown voltage of the termination unit is further improved than in the first embodiment , and avalanche resistance can be improved as compared to having an n − bi - layer extend past the termination unit 14 f . while certain embodiments have been described , these embodiments have been presented by way of example only , and are not intended to limit the scope of the inventions . indeed , the novel embodiments described herein may be embodied in a variety of other forms ; furthermore , various omissions , substitutions and changes in the form of the embodiments described herein may be made without departing from the spirit of the inventions . the accompanying claims and their equivalents are intended to cover such forms or modifications as would fall within the scope and spirit of the inventions .	7
the following discussion is presented to enable a person skilled in the art to make and use the invention . the general principles described herein may be applied to embodiments and applications other than those detailed below without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined herein . the present invention is not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown , but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and features disclosed herein . the present invention provides a unique method and system for adaptive hybrid arq in an ofdma based communication system . it is understood , however , that the following disclosure provides many different embodiments , or examples , for implementing different features of the invention . specific examples of components , signals , messages , protocols , and arrangements are described below to simplify the present disclosure . these are , of course , merely examples and are not intended to limit the invention from that described in the claims . well known elements are presented without detailed description in order not to obscure the present invention in unnecessary detail . for the most part , details unnecessary to obtain a complete understanding of the present invention have been omitted . according to one aspect of the invention , fig1 and 2 illustrate the processing steps and the timing relationship of harq for the forward link ( fl ) and the reverse link ( rl ), respectively . referring to fig1 which illustrates the fl harq operation , the base station 100 transmits 104 the assignment messages to the scheduled mobile station 102 using the shared scheduling channel ( ssch ) in the first ofdm symbol of a frame . the mobile station 102 then decodes all the assignment messages and determines if an assignment message for the mobile station 102 is detected . the base station 100 then transmits 106 the data packets for the scheduled mobile stations according to the assignment messages using the data channel ( dch ) for the rest of the data frame . in addition , if there are multiple - input - multiple - output ( mimo ) transmissions , the base station may also include the assignment messages for the other layers of the mimo transmission as a preamble of the data packet of the first layer transmission 106 in the dch . moreover , the assignment message for the first layer is sent 104 with the shared scheduling channel . if the mobile station determines an assignment message for the mobile station is detected , then the mobile station decodes 108 the data packet for the mobile station . if the mobile station decodes 108 the data packet correctly , then the mobile station sends 110 an ack , otherwise the mobile station sends 110 a nack . the base station then decodes 112 a the ack / nack signals from all previously scheduled mobile stations , detects 112 b the fl channel condition feedbacks from all mobile stations , and schedules 112 c the data transmissions including the harq re - transmissions for the next frame . if the base station detects a nack from a mobile station in , the base station may send 114 an assignment message , to that mobile station for the re - transmission . then the base station re - transmits 116 the previously failed data packet according to the incremental redundancy or chasing combining . referring now to fig2 , for the rl harq operation , the base station initially transmits 204 the assignment messages to the scheduled mobile stations using the ssch in the first ofdm symbol of a frame . the mobile station then decodes all assignment messages and determines if an assignment message for the mobile station is detected . if the mobile station determines an assignment message for the mobile station is detected , then the mobile station transmits 206 the data packets according to the assignment message using the dch for the rest of the data frame . the base station then decodes 208 all data packets for the scheduled mobile stations . if the base station decodes the data packet for a mobile station correctly , the base station sends 212 an ack to the mobile station . otherwise , the base station sends 212 a nack to the mobile station . the base station detects 210 a the rl channel conditions for all mobile stations , and schedules 210 b the data transmissions on the rl including the harq re - transmissions for the next frame depending on at least , but not limited to , the rl channel condition and ack / nack situation of the previous transmission for each mobile station . if the base station sends 212 a nack to a mobile station , the base station may also send 212 an assignment message for the re - transmission . then , the mobile station re - transmits 214 the previously failed data packet according to the incremental redundancy or chasing combining . according to the embodiments illustrated in fig1 and 2 , the harq interlacing period is 5 frames . a person of the ordinary skill in the art will understand that other interlacing periods are possible . according to another aspect of the present invention , the frame boundaries of the transmitted fl frame and the received rl frame at the base station antenna may be aligned or it may be offset by an integer number of ofdm symbols to support the harq timing for various cell sizes . when the cell size is large and the round - trip propagation delay of the signal is longer than a certain threshold , the offset becomes necessary to allow the mobile station to have enough time to decode 204 the ack / nack and / or assignment messages from the base station and to assemble the modulation symbols and waveforms accordingly , before transmitting 206 the waveforms . according to the disclosure in the cross referenced application entitled “ method and apparatus for wireless resource allocation ”, fig3 and 4 illustrate examples of two modes of multiplexing two types of assignments in one frame . according to the disclosure in the cross referenced application entitled “ wireless communication resource allocation and related signaling ”, an alternative embodiment of multiplexing two types of assignment with two possible modes are also disclosed . in both disclosures , the base station assigns the distributed assignment units according to a certain sequence such that the last distributed assignment implicitly indicates which resource units are used by the distributed assignments collectively . according to yet another aspect of the present invention , the base station can re - transmit a previously failed data packet using a different assignment type from the assignment type that is used for the previously failed transmission . for example , if the base station uses the distributed assignment for the initial transmission and the initial transmission fails , the base station can use the localized assignment for the re - transmission . when the base station changes the assignment type for the re - transmission , the base station will send an assignment message to the mobile station to inform the mobile station . according to yet another aspect of the present invention , the base station can re - transmit a previously failed data packet in a new frame using a different multiplexing mode from the multiplexing mode that was used in the previously failed transmission . for example , if the base station uses a first multiplexing mode in the frame of an initial transmission , no matter what assignment type the initial transmission uses , and the initial transmission fails , the base station can use a second multiplexing mode in the re - transmission . when the base station changes the multiplexing mode in the re - transmission , the base station may need to send an assignment message to the mobile station to inform the mobile station . according to the disclosure in the cross referenced application entitled “ method and apparatus for wireless resource allocation ”, each assignment message contains at least a field of a media access control index ( macid ) to identify the intended mobile station for the assignment message , a field of node index ( nodeid ) to identify the assigned radio resource in time and frequency , a field of assignment type to identify whether the assignment is a localized resource channel ( lrch ) assignment or a distributed resource channel ( drch ) assignment , a field of packet format ( pf ) to identify the encoder packet size , modulation level , and a code rate of the data packet . a person of the ordinary skill in the art will understand , the assignment message may contain other fields including , but not limited to , fields for message type and multiple antenna mode . according to the disclosure in the cross referenced application entitled “ method and apparatus for wireless resource allocation ”, the field of assignment type in the f - ssch can be eliminated in a simplified scheme by limiting the localized assignment units to those with a first set of sizes and limiting the distributed assignment units to those with a second set of sizes . however , in this scenario , none of the sizes in the first set exists in the second set and none of the sizes in the second set exists in the first set . for example , in the 5 mhz system illustrated above , the localized assignment units can be limited to l 0 1 , l i 2 , l j 4 , and l m 8 . meanwhile , the distributed assignment units can be limited to d x 16 and d y 32 , where i , j , m , x , y are integers , and 0 ≦ i ≦ 1 , 0 ≦ j ≦ 3 , 0 ≦ m ≦ 7 , 0 ≦ x ≦ 15 , and 0 ≦ y ≦ 31 . therefore , the assignment size implies which assignment type is used and the need for an explicit field of assignment type in the f - ssch is illuminated . according to yet another aspect of the present invention , the base station may use different subcarrier - time bins to re - transmit the failed data packet to the mobile station from the bins assigned to the initial transmission . the base station may reduce the number subcarrier - time bins if the base station believes the earlier transmission is close to success and only a smaller number of redundant modulation symbols are needed for the re - transmission . the base station may increase the number subcarrier - time bins if the base station wants to transmit more redundant modulation symbols so that the harq re - transmission can be completed successfully before the target number or the maximum number of harq re - transmission . in addition , the base station may change the location of the subcarrier - time bins for the re - transmission . in all the cases described above , the base station will send an assignment message to the mobile station to inform the mobile station about the changes . in one embodiment of the harq re - transmission , the base station sends the assignment message with a new nodeid to indicate the changes in the subcarrier - time bins for the re - transmission as described above . in this embodiment , the new nodeid will indicate the total subcarrier - time bins assigned for the re - transmission . however , the new nodeid may just indicate the change of the location of the subcarrier - time bins without changing the total number of the subcarrier - time bins . in another embodiment , the new nodeid will be interpreted by the mobile station as an incremental change ( i . e . adding to the existing resource assigned ) or a decremental change ( i . e . removing from the existing resource assigned ). in addition to the nodeid , the base station will indicate to the mobile station which way the mobile station should interpret the new nodeid . according to yet another aspect of the present invention , when the base station sends the assignment message for the harq re - transmission , the pf field in that assignment message will be a special combination . for example , “ 111111 ” can be used to indicate that the data packet is for a re - transmission , while all the other combinations of the pf field indicate valid values for the packet format . in another embodiment , a first special combination , such as “ 111111 ”, in the pf field is used to indicate that the data packet is for a re - transmission and the modulation level on the dch is maintained as the before . additionally , a second special combination , such as “ 111110 ”, in the pf field is used to indicate that the data packet is for a re - transmission and the modulation level on the dch is reduced to one level below the previous modulation level . all the other combinations of the pf field indicate valid values for the packet format . the modulation level on the dch can be , in an ascending order of the modulation levels , binary phase shift keying ( bpsk ), quadrature phase sift keying ( qpsk ), 8 - phase phase sift keying ( 8psk ), 16 - phase quadrature amplitude modulation ( 16qam ), 32 - phase quadrature amplitude modulation ( 32qam ), or 64 - phase quadrature amplitude modulation ( 64qam ). in yet another embodiment , a third special combination , such as “ 1111101 ”, in the pf field can be used to indicate that the data packet is for a re - transmission and the modulation level on the dch is increased to one level above the previous modulation level . all the other combinations of the pf field indicate valid values for the packet format . in addition to the rules and procedures that determine if the base station needs to send an assignment message for a re - transmission as described above , in some cases where the base station does not change the modulation level , or the number of the subcarrier - time bins , or the location of the subcarrier - time bins , or the assignment type for the re - transmission , the base station may still need to send the assignment message with the nodeid and assignment type of the previous transmission to inform the mobile stations that are scheduled for transmission in the same frame as the re - transmitted packet about which subcarrier - time bins will be used by the re - transmitted packet . table 1 below illustrates various cases where the base station needs or does not need to send the assignment message with the ssch for the re - transmission in the cases where even though the modulation level , the number of the subcarrier - time bins , and the assignment type for the re - transmission do not change in the re - transmission . the table also explains why the assignment message for the re - transmission is needed . therefore , table 1 can be used for the base station to determine if there is a need to send the assignment message with the ssch for the re - transmission in the cases where the modulation level , the number of the subcarrier - time bins , and the assignment type for the re - transmission do not change in the re - transmission . table 1 can also be used to determine how the base station puts the transmit power on the ssch that carries the assignment message for the re - transmission . the various illustrative logical blocks , modules , and circuits described in connection with the embodiment disclosed herein may be implemented or performed with , but not limited to , a general purpose processor , a digital signal processor ( dsp ), an application specific integrated circuit ( asic ), a field programmable gate array ( fpga ) or other programmable logic device , discrete gate or transistor logic , discrete hardware components , and any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein . the steps of a method or algorithm described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein may be implemented or performed directly in hardware , in a software module executed by a processor , or in combination of the two . a software module may reside in , but not limited to , ram memory , flash memory , rom memory , eprom memory , eeprom memory , registers , and any other form of storage medium in the art . the previous description of the disclosed embodiments is provided to enable those skilled in the art to make or use the present invention . various modifications to these embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art and generic principles defined herein may be applied to other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention . thus , the present invention is not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown herein but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein .	7
fig1 shows a flow chart illustrating a method embodying aspects of the present invention . the method can be implemented in a wide array of devices , including but not limited to smartphones , portable audio players , digital cameras , and wireless headsets . the method can begin when a device powers on or an application starts ( block 100 ). while the device is operating , a performance parameter of the system can be monitored ( block 110 ). based on the monitored performance parameter , it can be determined if the device is operating at an optimum or desired frequency ( block 120 ). if the device is operating at a desired frequency , then the operating frequency of the device might not be altered ( path 121 ). if , however , the device is not operating at a desired frequency ( path 122 ), then the operating frequency of the device can be adjusted to a desired frequency ( block 130 ). the desired frequency of the device ( block 130 ) can be determined in a number of ways based on a user &# 39 ; s or system designer &# 39 ; s preferences . the desired frequency can be the minimum frequency needed to create a desirable user experience . the desired user experience may include giving certain processes a higher priority than other processes . for example , a user of a smartphone may desire that audio data be processed in real - time , but may not mind if the device temporarily delays the synchronization of addresses and the downloading of emails . therefore , if a user of the smartphone receives a phone call , the desired frequency may be raised only high enough to handle the real time data processing needed for the phone call . a different user or system designer , however , may configure the system to raise the operating frequency to a speed fast enough to handle synchronization and downloading while also speaking on the phone . with the foregoing considerations in mind , then , looking at the just - mentioned user preferences as an example , the monitoring may include monitoring to see whether a call is being made on the smartphone . when there is a call , the frequency may be raised high enough to handle the processing of the call , even if another activity might be ongoing , such as address book synchronization or e - mail downloading . a system might be configured to differentiate between real - time tasks and non - real time tasks . for example , it might be desirable for a telephone to process audio in real time in order to function correctly , while tasks such as sending a text message and querying voice mail might not need to be done in real time . the system can determine a processor speed appropriate for handling real - time tasks in real time and non - real time tasks in a reasonable time that might not be real time . the system can also be configured to prioritize among different real - time tasks . for example , processing audio signals and updating a display are both tasks that a user might want a phone to perform in real time , but if the system is operating at a frequency not high enough to handle both these functions in real time , then the system might give higher priority to the audio processing until the operating frequency has been raised to a desired frequency . then , the refreshing of the display and the processing of the audio signal can both be done simultaneously in real time . the ultimate decisions of which tasks need to be processed in real - time and which tasks can be delayed and by how much they can be delayed can be left up to the discretion of the device designer , depending for example on either user preferences or designer preferences . as will be discussed below , the user also might be given discretion to alter certain settings to adjust the operating frequency . fig2 shows a system embodying aspects of the present invention . the system can include a processor 201 and a monitoring unit 202 that monitors an indicator of the performance of the processor 201 . the system can also have a clock control unit ( ccu ) 207 that alters the operating frequency of the system , and a power management unit ( pmu ) 208 that determines the amount of power being supplied to the system . based on data obtained from the monitoring unit 202 , a frequency determination unit ( fdu ) 203 can determine the desired frequency at which the system can operate and still perform all the desired real - time processing . if the fdu 203 determines that the system is already operating at the desired frequency , then it might not alter the operating frequency of the system . if , however , the fdu 203 determines that the system is running at a frequency that is either insufficiently low or insufficiently high to run certain real time applications , then it can adjust the operating frequency of the system either up or down accordingly . when adjusting the operating frequency of the system , the fdu 203 can concurrently instruct the pmu 208 to adjust the power being supplied to the system . in the case of a smartphone , for example , the system developer might identify the transmission and reception of audio data when operating in a telephone mode as functions that need to be performed in real time . the system developer might also identify rudimentary screen updating , such as incrementing the timer when in a phone mode , as a process that needs to be performed in real time . synchronizing with an email server , however , might be a process that does not need to be performed in real time . therefore , if the monitoring unit 202 detects that the current operating frequency of the system is not sufficiently high to perform the audio and display processing in real time , then the fdu 203 can raise the operating frequency . if , however , the monitoring unit detects that the current operating frequency is high enough to perform the audio and display processing in real - time but not the synchronization , then the fdu 203 might not raise the operating frequency of the system , as email synchronization is not a process that needs to be or is desired to be performed in real time . the foregoing examples are intended to be illustrative ; other relevant examples will be apparent to ordinarily skilled artisans . in one embodiment , the fdu 203 can adjust the operating frequency of the system with either a coarse adjustment mechanism 204 or a fine adjustment mechanism 205 . if the operating frequency needs to be adjusted by a large amount , then the coarse adjustment mechanism 204 might be used . if the operating frequency needs to be adjusted by only a small amount , then the fine adjustment mechanism 205 might be used . the process of adjusting the frequency might be an iterative process that involves a coarse adjustment followed by one or more fine adjustments . the system may also be configured so that the coarse adjustment mechanism 204 initially raises the operating frequency to a frequency higher than the desired frequency rather than to a frequency lower than the desired frequency in order to improve performance of the device during the frequency adjustment process . also , the system may allow users to alter the operating frequency manually ( see e . g . user input 206 ), for example , if a user desires to have non - essential tasks performed in real time . the fdu 203 may be configured to alter the operating frequency only if it is a certain value away from the desired frequency . alternatively , the fdu can be configured to increase the operating frequency whenever it is below the desired frequency , but to lower it only under specific circumstances , such as being more than a certain value away from the desired frequency . the monitoring unit 202 can be configured to monitor the performance of the processor 201 in a variety of different manners . for example , the monitoring unit 202 of a system embodying aspects of the present invention might measure the time it takes to complete a series of desired real - time tasks , for example audio transmission and reception , at a given processor speed . the fdu 203 can compare the time measured by the monitoring unit 202 to an allotted amount of time needed or desired for satisfactory real - time operation . if the tasks are completed in less than a first allotted time , then the fdu 203 might reduce the operating frequency of the system . if it takes more than a second allotted time ( which may or may not be the same as the first allotted time ) to complete the real - time tasks , then the fdu 203 might increase the operating frequency of the system . the allotted time to complete the tasks can be changed depending on which tasks a user or system designer wants performed in real - time and which tasks can be delayed . a second manner in which the monitoring unit 202 can operate is to monitor the amount of data being processed . for example , this monitoring can be achieved by monitoring real - time received or transmitted digital data stored in a buffer , such as a received - in or played - out buffer in the case of audio data . in audio transmission , for example , the rate at which the data is transmitted out of the buffer should be roughly the rate at which the processor 201 sends data to the buffer . if it is not , then the processor 201 will have to wait for data to be read out of the buffer before new data can be written to it . the monitoring unit 202 can monitor the amount of data being stored in the buffer . if the number of bits of data in the buffer is below a first threshold , then the system is capable of transmitting data at a faster rate , and the operating frequency of the system can be increased . alternatively , when the number of bits of data in the buffer is above a second threshold ( which may or might not be the same as the first threshold ), then the processor is sending data to the buffer faster than data is being read from the buffer and the processor speed can be reduced . an artisan of ordinary skill will recognize that the monitoring unit 202 could also be configured to monitor an incoming buffer as well , in which case the operating frequency might be raised if the number of bits is above a certain threshold and lowered if the number of bits is below a certain threshold . a third manner in which the monitoring unit 202 of a system embodying aspects of the present invention can operate is by monitoring the idle period of the processor 201 . for example , if the monitoring unit 202 detects that the processor 201 is running in an idle state 80 % of the time , then the fdu 203 can lower the operating frequency of the system . at a lower frequency , the processor 201 still may be able to process data fast enough to support any real - time applications the system might be running , but will do so with less idle time . the lower operating frequency can reduce power consumption in the system . alternatively , as another example , if the processor 201 is running in an idle state 20 % of the time , then the fdu 203 can raise the operating frequency of the system . other thresholds will be apparent to ordinarily skilled artisans . the threshold for raising or lowering the operating frequency may be the same . it will be readily apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that the various manners of monitoring described above are merely exemplary and not exhaustive . it will also be readily apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that various manners described can be used either individually or in combination with one another . the previous description of embodiments is provided to enable a person skilled in the art to make and use the present invention . various modifications to these embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art , and the generic principles and specific examples defined herein may be applied to other embodiments without the use of inventive faculty . for example , some or all of the features of the different embodiments discussed above may be deleted from the embodiment . therefore , the present invention is not intended to be limited to the embodiments described herein but is to be accorded the widest scope defined only by the claims below and equivalents thereof	8
as mentioned eariler , some prior art radio transceivers are provided with a timing circuit and indicator to stop transmission and provide an indication after a predetermined time period of transmission has expired so as to permit other people with transceivers to make transmissions . such transceivers include a receiver 16 and a transmitter 17 , parts of which may be common . typically , such a prior art transceiver includes a timing circuit 10 shown enclosed in dashed lines . such a timing circuit may take many forms , but in the embodiment illustrated , it includes an astable or free running multivibrator 11 having a timing resistor r1 and a capacitor c1 which determine the timing period for the multivibrator 11 . the multivibrator 11 is provided with a suitable regulated voltage , such as + 5 . 4 volts for example , provided between a positive terminal 12 and a ground terminal 21 . the output of the multivibrator 11 is applied to a counter 13 which counts output pulses or cycles from the multivibrator 11 and produces an output signal after a selected or predetermined count . for example , if the multivibrator 11 operated at 100 pulses per second , and if the counter 13 produced an output after a count of 3000 pulses , the timing circuit 10 would have a time period of 30 seconds . the output of the counter 13 is applied to a suitable indicator , such as a tone generator 14 , to actuate the tone generator 14 when the counter 13 produces an output . the tone generator 14 supplies its output to a loudspeaker 15 to indicate to a user that the timed period has elapsed . the tone generator output may be supplied directly to the loudspeaker 15 as shown , or may use a portion of the circuit of the radio receiver 16 . the receiver 16 produces information signals to the loudspeaker 15 for the user &# 39 ; s communication . the transmitter 17 is actuated by a ptt ( push - to - talk ) switch 18 that turns the transmitter 17 on , and that renders a microphone 19 operable so that the user can make a transmission . the ptt switch 18 also resets the counter 13 , makes the tone generator 14 responsive to an output from the counter 13 , and disables the receiver 16 when the ptt switch is actuated . a cutoff circuit 20 is connected between the output of the counter 13 and a control terminal of the transmitter 17 to cut off the transmitter 17 when the counter 13 produces an output . the circuit as described thus far is known in the art , and its operation will be explained before explaining our invention . at the beginning , we assume that the ptt switch 18 is released . this release stops the counter 13 , disables the tone generator 14 , cuts off the transmitter 17 , and turns on the receiver 16 so that a user hears receiver signals in the loudspeaker 15 . when the user makes a transmission , the ptt switch 18 is operated . this resets the counter 13 , makes the tone generator 14 responsive to an output from counter 13 , turns off the receiver 16 , and turns on the transmitter 17 . if the user holds the ptt switch 18 in the operated condition , the counter 13 will produce an output upon reaching its predetermined count of pulses from the multivibrator 11 . in the example assumed above , this count requires 30 seconds . at the end of this timing period , the counter 13 produces an output which causes the cutoff circuit 20 to turn off the transmitter 17 , and which causes the generator 14 to produce a tone or signal which is heard in the loudspeaker 15 . upon hearing the tone in the loudspeaker 15 , the user realizes that the predetermined timing period , assumed to be 30 seconds , has been reached and that transmission has stopped . the user then releases the ptt switch 18 which turns off the tone generator 14 . it also turns on the receiver 16 for listening . transmitter 17 is already cut off . if the user desires to make an additional transmission , the ptt switch 18 can be actuated again to repeat the operation just described . the circuit as described thus far is known in the art , and is provided with radio transceivers to limit the time of transmissions so that other transceiver users will have an opportunity to transmit . since the circuit as described is often provided in prior art radio transceivers , we have provided an additional circuit that permits the prior art circuit to provide an indication of low battery voltage . in accordance with our invention , we provide a pnp transistor q1 having its emitter connected to an unregulated voltage , assume in the same example to be + 7 . 5 volts , at a terminal 30 . the collector is connected through a resistor r2 to the ground terminal 21 . a diode d1 has its anode connected to the upper end of the resistor r1 and its cathode connected to the upper end of the resistor r2 . and finally , a current limiting resistor r3 is connected between the regulated voltage terminal 12 and the base of the transistor q1 . in the operation of our circuit , if the unregulated voltage at the terminal 30 exceeds the regulated voltage by the emitter to base voltage drop ( 0 . 6 volt ), the transistor q1 conducts . this conduction causes the voltage at the upper end of the resistor r2 to back bias the diode d1 . as a result , the resistor r2 is not connected in circuit with the multivibrator 11 , and it operates at its slower rate , for example at 100 pulses per second as mentioned above . if the battery voltage should become low , and drop enough ( i . e . below 6 . 0 volts for a regulated base voltage of 5 . 4 volts ) to back bias the emitter base junction of the transistor q1 , the transistor q1 will be turned off . with the transistor q1 turned off , the upper end of the resistor r2 is very nearly or substantially at ground voltage , with the result that the diode d1 conducts to place the resistor r2 in effective parallel with the resistor r1 . if the magnitude of the resistor r2 is made sufficiently small relative to the magnitude of the resistor r1 , the time constant of the multivibrator 11 is reduced and the frequency of the multivibrator 11 will be increased so that the counter 13 will reach its predetermined count much more quickly . for example , the presence of the resistor r2 in the multivibrator circuit could increase the multivibrator pulse rate from 100 to 600 pulses per second . with the counter 13 requiring a count of 3000 to produce an output , it will be seen that this output will be produced in five seconds as opposed to 30 seconds if the multivibrator 11 had a pulse rate of 100 pulses per second . thus , when the battery voltage falls below the predetermined acceptable level , the counter 13 will produce an output after five seconds of operation . this output enables the tone generator 14 to produce an audible signal , and also cuts off the transmitter 17 . thus , a user is provided with an indication that the battery voltage is low , and is provided with a shorter time period to provide a transmission . such a transmission is desirable in emergency conditions where communication is more important than improper or off frequency operation . while we have shown only one embodiment of our invention , persons skilled in the art will appreciate the applications for our invention and the modifications that may be made . for example , the transistor q1 may be an npn type transistor if appropriate voltages are provided . various timing periods may be provided . however , it is desirable that the low voltage timing period be sufficiently short relative to the normal timing period or that the generator 14 produce a different type of sound ( such as an intermittent tone ) so that a user will be able to distinguish between the two periods . in addition , our invention can be used with other types of timing circuits ( such as switching in a different capacitor ) to provide a change in the timing circuit period in response to a detection of low voltage . and , of course , various types of voltage sensing arrangements may be used to provide this change in timing . another modification would be to replace the timing circuit 10 with a microprocessor that receives a sensed low voltage signal from an analog to digital converter and the signal from the ptt switch 18 , and that produces the two timed outputs ( depending upon a low voltage or normal condition ) for application to the tone generator 14 , the receiver 16 , and the cut off circuit 20 . therefore , while our invention has been described with reference to a particular embodiment , it is to be understood that modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention or from the scope of the claims .	6
it has been discovered that 5 - azacytidine exists in at least eight different polymorphic and pseudopolymorphic crystalline forms , and also in an amorphous form . a single sample of the 5 - azacytidine drug substance was synthesized from 5 - azacytosine and 1 , 2 , 3 , 5 ,- tetra - o - acetyl - β - d - ribofuranose according to the prior art method provided in example 1 . the last step of this method is a recrystallization of the crude synthesis product from a dmso / methanol co - solvent system . specifically , the crude synthesis product is dissolved in dmso ( preheated to about 90 ° c . ), and then methanol is added to the dmso solution . the co - solvent mixture is equilibrated at approximately − 20 ° c . to allow 5 - azacytidine crystal formation . the product is collected by vacuum filtration and allowed to air dry . the x - ray powder diffraction ( xrpd : see example 5 ) pattern of the resulting 5 - azacytidine is shown in fig1 along with some of the 2θ values . table 1 provides the most prominent 2θ angles , d - spacing and relative intensities for this material , which is designated as form i . retained samples of the drug substance previously used to formulate the drug product in the nci - sponsored cancer and leukemia group b ( calgb ) investigations ( phase 2 trial 8291 and phase 3 trial 9221 ) for the treatment of mds ( investigational new drug ( ind ) 7574 ) were also analyzed by xrpd . the retained drug substance samples comprised either form i , or a mixed phase of form i and another polymorph : form ii . see example 5 . the xrpd powder pattern of mixed phase forms i and ii is shown in fig2 along with some of the 2θ values . peaks distinctive to form ii are observed at 13 . 5 , 17 . 6 and 22 . 3 ° 2θ . table 2 provides the most prominent 2θ angles , d - spacing and relative intensities for this mixed phase . these results indicate that the prior art 5 - azacytidine synthesis procedures for the drug substance produce either form i substantially free of other forms , or a form i / ii mixed phase i . e . a solid material in which 5 - azacytidine is present in a mixed phase of both form i and form ii . thermal analysis of mixed phase form i / ii is presented in example 6 . an additional crystalline form of 5 - azacytidine , designated form iii , is found in slurries of 5 - azacytidine . see example 8 . moreover , it has been found that all forms of 5 - azacytidine ( including the 5 - azacytidine in the prior art drug product ) convert to form iii in water . see example 8 . thus , reconstitution of the drug product used in the aforementioned nci trials would have led to the formation of a saturated solution ( or “ slurry ”) in which the remaining solid 5 - azacytidine was form iii . the xrpd powder pattern of form iii is shown in fig3 along with some of the 2θ values . table 3 provides the most prominent 2θ angles , d - spacing and relative intensities for this crystalline material . the xrpd powder pattern for form iii is distinctly different from that of all of the other forms of 5 - azacytidine . form iv is a novel crystalline form of 5 - azacytidine . form iv was recovered by slow recrystallization from a dmso / toluene co - solvent system ( see example 2 ) or by fast recrystallization from the dmso / chloroform co - solvent system ( see example 3 ). the xrpd powder pattern of form iv is shown in fig4 along with some of the 2θ values . table 4 provides the most prominent 2θ angles , d - spacing and relative intensities for this crystalline material . the xrpd powder pattern for form iv is distinctly different from that of any other form . form v is a novel crystalline form of 5 - azacytidine . form v was recovered by fast recrystallization of 5 - azacytidine from a dmso / toluene co - solvent system ( see example 3 ). the xrpd powder pattern of form v is shown in fig5 along with some of the 2θ values . table 5 provides the most prominent 2θ angles , d - spacing and relative intensities for this crystalline material . the xrpd powder pattern for form v is distinctly different from that of any other form . the drug product used in the aforementioned nci investigation was typically prepared by lyophilizing a solution of 5 - azacytidine and mannitol ( 1 : 1 w / w ). the resultant drug product comprised 100 mg of 5 - azacytidine and 100 mg mannitol as a lyophilized cake in a vial and was administered by subcutaneous injection as an aqueous suspension (“ slurry ”). xrpd analysis of retained samples of the drug product used in the nci investigation revealed the existence of another polymorph , form vi . the retained drug product samples comprised either form vi alone , or a form i / vi mixed phase . table 6 provides the most prominent 2θ angles , d - spacing and relative intensities for form vi . form vii is a novel crystalline form of 5 - azacytidine . form vii was produced by fast recrystallization from a dmso / methanol co - solvent system ( see example 3 ). form vii was always isolated by this recrystallization method as a mixed phase with form i . the xrpd powder pattern of mixed phase forms i and vii is shown in fig7 along with some of the 2θ values and the form vii distinctive peaks indicated with asterisks . table 7 provides the most prominent 2θ angles , d - spacing and relative intensities for this mixed phase . form vii exhibits distinctive peaks at 5 . 8 , 11 . 5 , 12 . 8 , 22 . 4 and 26 . 6 ° 2θ in addition to peaks displayed in the form i xrpd powder pattern . the xrpd pattern for mixed phase forms i and vii is distinctly different from that of any other form . form viii is a novel crystalline form of 5 - azacytidine . form viii was recovered by recrystallizing 5 - azacytidine form i from a n - methyl - 2 - pyrrolidone ( nmp ) single solvent system ( see example 4 ). the xrpd powder pattern of form viii is shown in fig8 along with some of the 2θ values . table 8 provides the most prominent 2θ angles , d - spacing and relative intensities for this material . the xrpd pattern for form viii is distinctly different from that of any other form . for the most effective administration of drug substance of the present invention , it is preferred to prepare a pharmaceutical formulation ( also known as the “ drug product ”) preferably in unit dose form , comprising one or more of the 5 - azacytidine forms of the present invention and one or more pharmaceutically acceptable carrier , diluent , or excipient . such pharmaceutical formulation may , without being limited by the teachings set forth herein , include a solid form of the present invention which is blended with at least one pharmaceutically acceptable excipient , diluted by an excipient or enclosed within such a carrier that can be in the form of a capsule , sachet , tablet , buccal , lozenge , paper , or other container . when the excipient serves as a diluent , it may be a solid , semi - solid , or liquid material which acts as a vehicle , carrier , or medium for the 5 - azacytidine polymorph ( s ). thus , the formulations can be in the form of tablets , pills , powders , elixirs , suspensions , emulsions , solutions , syrups , capsules ( such as , for example , soft and hard gelatin capsules ), suppositories , sterile injectable solutions , and sterile packaged powders . examples of suitable excipients include , but are not limited to , starches , gum arabic , calcium silicate , microcrystalline cellulose , polyvinylpyrrolidone , cellulose , water , syrup , and methyl cellulose . the formulations can additionally include lubricating agents such as , for example , talc , magnesium stearate and mineral oil ; wetting agents ; emulsifying and suspending agents ; preserving agents such as methyl - and propyl - hydroxybenzoates ; sweetening agents ; or flavoring agents . polyols , buffers , and inert fillers may also be used . examples of polyols include , but are not limited to : mannitol , sorbitol , xylitol , sucrose , maltose , glucose , lactose , dextrose , and the like . suitable buffers encompass , but are not limited to , phosphate , citrate , tartrate , succinate , and the like . other inert fillers which may be used encompass those which are known in the art and are useful in the manufacture of various dosage forms . if desired , the solid pharmaceutical compositions may include other components such as bulling agents and / or granulating agents , and the like . the compositions of the invention can be formulated so as to provide quick , sustained , controlled , or delayed release of the drug substance after administration to the patient by employing procedures well known in the art . in certain embodiments of the invention , the 5 - azacytidine forms ( s ) may be made into the form of dosage units for oral administration . the 5 - azacytidine forms ( s ) may be mixed with a solid , pulverant carrier such as , for example , lactose , saccharose , sorbitol , mannitol , starch , amylopectin , cellulose derivatives or gelatin , as well as with an antifriction agent such as for example , magnesium stearate , calcium stearate , and polyethylene glycol waxes . the mixture is then pressed into tablets or filled into capsules . if coated tablets , capsules , or pulvules are desired , such tablets , capsules , or pulvules may be coated with a concentrated solution of sugar , which may contain gum arabic , gelatin , talc , titanium dioxide , or with a lacquer dissolved in the volatile organic solvent or mixture of solvents . to this coating , various dyes may be added in order to distinguish among tablets with different active compounds or with different amounts of the active compound present . soft gelatin capsules may be prepared in which capsules contain a mixture of the 5 - azacytidine form ( s ) and vegetable oil or non - aqueous , water miscible materials such as , for example , polyethylene glycol and the like . hard gelatin capsules may contain granules or powder of the 5 - azacytidine polymorph in combination with a solid , pulverulent carrier , such as , for example , lactose , saccharose , sorbitol , mannitol , potato starch , corn starch , amylopectin , cellulose derivatives , or gelatin . tablets for oral use are typically prepared in the following manner , although other techniques may be employed . the solid substances are gently ground or sieved to a desired particle size , and a binding agent is homogenized and suspended in a suitable solvent . the 5 - azacytidine form ( s ) and auxiliary agents are mixed with the binding agent solution . the resulting mixture is moistened to form a uniform suspension . the moistening typically causes the particles to aggregate slightly , and the resulting mass is gently pressed through a stainless steel sieve having a desired size . the layers of the mixture are then dried in controlled drying units for a pre - determined length of time to achieve a desired particle size and consistency . the granules of the dried mixture are gently sieved to remove any powder . to this mixture , disintegrating , anti - friction , and anti - adhesive agents are added . finally , the mixture is pressed into tablets using a machine with the appropriate punches and dies to obtain the desired tablet size . in the event that the above formulations are to be used for parenteral administration , such a formulation typically comprises sterile , aqueous and non - aqueous injection solutions comprising one or more 5 - azacytidine forms for which preparations are preferably isotonic with the blood of the intended recipient . these preparations may contain anti - oxidants , buffers , bacteriostats , and solute ; which render the formulation isotonic with the blood of the intended recipient . aqueous and non - aqueous suspensions may include suspending agents and thickening agents . the formulations may be present in unit - dose or multi - dose containers , for example , sealed ampules and vials . extemporaneous injection solutions and suspensions may be prepared from sterile powders , granules , and tablets of the kind previously described . liquid preparations for oral administration are prepared in the form of solutions , syrups , or suspensions with the latter two forms containing , for example , 5 - azacytidine polymorph ( s ), sugar , and a mixture of ethanol , water , glycerol , and propylene glycol . if desired , such liquid preparations contain coloring agents , flavoring agents , and saccharin . thickening agents such as carboxymethylcellulose may also be used . as such , the pharmaceutical formulations of the present invention are preferably prepared in a unit dosage form , each dosage unit containing from about 5 mg to about 200 mg , more usually about 100 mg of the 5 - azacytidine form ( s ). in liquid form , dosage unit contains from about 5 to about 200 mg . more usually about 100 mg of the 5 - azacytidine form ( s ). the term “ unit dosage form ” refers to physically discrete units suitable as unitary dosages for human subjects / patients or other mammals , each unit containing a predetermined quantity of the 5 - azacytidine polymorph calculated to produce the desired therapeutic effect , in association with preferably , at least one pharmaceutically acceptable carrier , diluent , or excipient . the following examples are provided for illustrative purposes only , and are not to be construed as limiting the scope of the claims in any way . using commercially available 5 - azacytosine ( 1 ) and 1 , 2 , 3 , 5 - tetra - o - β - acetyl - ribofuranose ( 2 ) ( rta ), 5 - azacytidine ( 3 ) may be synthesized according to the pathway below . the crude synthesis product is dissolved in dmso ( preheated to about 90 ° c . ), and then methanol is added to the dmso solution . the co - solvent mixture is equilibrated at approximately − 20 ° c . to allow 5 - azacytidine crystal formation . the product is collected by vacuum filtration and allowed to air dry . dimethyl sulfoxide ( dmso ) was used as the primary solvent to solubilize form i of 5 - azacytidine and toluene was used as the co - solvent as follows . approximately 250 mg of 5 - azacytidine was dissolved with approximately 5 ml of dmso , preheated to approximately 90 ° c ., in separate 100 - ml beakers . the solids were allowed to dissolve to a clear solution . approximately 45 ml of toluene , preheated to approximately 50 ° c ., was added to the solution and the resultant solution was mixed . the solution was covered and allowed to equilibrate at ambient conditions . the product was collected by vacuum filtration as white crystals using a buchner funnel the collected product was allowed to air dry . approximately 250 mg of 5 - azacytidine was dissolved with approximately 5 ml of dmso as the primary solvent , preheated to approximately 90 ° c ., in separate 100 - ml beakers . the solids were allowed to dissolve to a clear solution . approximately 45 ml of the selected co - solvent ( methanol , toluene , or chloroform ), preheated to approximately 50 ° c ., was added to the solution and the resultant solution was mixed . the solution was covered and placed in a freezer to equilibrate at approximately − 20 ° c . to allow crystal formation . solutions were removed from the freezer after crystal formation . the product from the methanol and toluene solutions was collected by vacuum filtration using a buchner funnel the resulting white crystalline product was allowed to air dry . the chloroform product was too fine to be collected by vacuum filtration . most of the solvent was carefully decanted from the chloroform solution and the solvent from the resultant slurry was allowed to evaporate at ambient temperature to dryness . the chloroform solution evaporated to a white product . note that fast recrystallization using the dmso / methanol co - solvent system has typically been used to prepare 5 - azacytidine drug substance in the prior art ( see the last step of the procedure provided in example 1 ). approximately 500 mg of 5 - azacytidine was dissolved with approximately 5 ml of nmp , preheated to approximately 90 ° c ., in separate 50 - ml beakers . the solids were allowed to dissolve to a clear solution . the solution was covered and placed in a freezer to equilibrate at approximately − 20 ° c . to allow crystal formation . solutions were removed from the freezer after crystal formation , equilibrated at ambient temperature . the product was collected by vacuum filtration using a buchner funnel the collected product was allowed to air dry . x - ray powder diffraction patterns for each sample were obtained on a scintag xds 2000 or a scintag x 2 θ / θ diffractometer operating with copper radiation at 45 kv and 40 ma using a kevex psi peltier - cooled silicon detector or a thermo arl peltier - cooled solid state detector . source slits of 2 or 4 mm and detector slits of 0 . 5 or 0 . 3 mm were used for data collection . recrystallized material was gently milled using an agate mortar and pestle for approximately one minute . samples were placed in a stainless steel or silicon sample holder and leveled using a glass microscope slide . powder diffraction patterns of the samples were obtained from 2 to 42 ° 2θ at 1 °/ minute . calibration of the x 2 diffractometer is verified annually using a silicon powder standard . raw data files were converted to ascii format , transferred to an ibm compatible computer and displayed in origin ® 6 . 1 for windows . xrpd of a single sample of 5 - azacytidine produced according to the method of example 1 revealed that this sample consisted of form i of 5 - azacytidine . nci retained drug substance samples were also analyzed . these samples were all previously synthesized and recrystallized according to the method of example 1 and were stored at 5 ° c . since production . xrpd revealed some retained samples are comprised of form i alone , whereas other retained samples contain a mixed phase of form i and a different polymorph , termed form ii . xrpd of nci retained drug product samples revealed the existence of form vi in some samples . in those samples , form vi was present as a mixed phase with form i . xrpd of the recrystallized 5 - azacytidine obtained in example 2 revealed that slow recrystallization from a dmso / toluene system produced form iv . xrpd of the recrystallized 5 - azacytidine obtained in example 3 revealed that fast recrystallization from a dmso / chloroform system produced form iv , fast recrystallization from a dmso / toluene system produced form v , and fast recrystallization from a dmso / methanol system produced mixed phased form i / form vii . xrpd of the recrystallized 5 - azacytidine obtained in example 4 revealed that the n - methyl - 2 - pyrrolidone solvent system produced form viii . differential scanning calorimetry ( dsc ) measurements for each sample were collected using a perkin elmer pyris 1 dsc system equipped with an intracooler 2p refrigeration unit . the pyris 1 dsc was purged with nitrogen . calibration was performed prior to analysis using an indium standard at a 10 ° c . minute heating rate . each sample was gently ground in an agate mortar and pestle . approximately 1 - 3 mg of the sample were individually sealed in a perkin elmer 30 - μl universal aluminum pan with holes in the lid . samples were heated from 25 ° c . to 250 ° c . or 350 ° c . at 10 ° c ./ minute . thermogravimetric analysis ( tga ) measurements for each sample were collected using a perkin elmer tga 7 purged with nitrogen at approximately 20 cc / minute . a 100 - mg standard weight and nickel metal were used to verify balance and temperature calibrations , respectively . samples were heated from 25 ° c . to 250 ° c . or 300 ° c . at 10 ° c ./ minute . capillary melting point ( mp ) measurements were made using an electrothermal 9300 melting point apparatus . a heating rate of 10 ° c ./ minute was used from set point temperatures described in individual discussions . visual melting points are reported as an average of triplicate determinations . tga showed a weight loss of 0 . 23 % between ambient and 150 ° c ., which indicates that it is anhydrous . dsc exhibited a single event with an onset of 227 . 0 ° c . a capillary melting point determination was performed in triplicate on a sample of form i of 5 - azacytidine . the sample was visually observed to decompose without melting at about 215 ° c . using a 10 ° c . heating rate and a starting temperature of 200 ° c . thus , the dsc event results from decomposition of 5 - azacytidine . the tga for the form i / ii mixed phase showed a weight loss of 1 . 16 % between ambient temperature and 150 ° c . the dsc analysis exhibited a single event with an onset at 229 . 8 ° c . the decomposition of the mixed phase was consistent with that observed for 5 - azacytidine form i . the tga showed a weight loss of between 6 . 56 % and 8 . 44 % when the temperature was raised from ambient and 150 ° c . the loss is close to the theoretical amount of moisture , 6 . 9 %, that 5 - azacytidine monohydrate would have . the dsc analysis exhibited an endotherm , which is in the range associated with solvent loss , and a higher temperature event . the endotherm exhibited an onset temperature in the range of 86 . 4 - 89 . 2 ° c ., peak temperatures in the range of 95 . 8 - 97 . 0 ° c . and δh values in the range of 73 . 1 - 100 . 5 j / g . the higher temperature event had onset temperatures in the range 229 . 1 - 232 . 1 ° c . and was consistent with the decomposition observed for 5 - azacytidine form i . 5 - azacytidine form iii was heated at 105 ° c . for 4 hours in an attempt to dehydrate the material . the material did not change its physical appearance during heating . tga was used to measure the water content of form iii before and after drying . the initial amount of moisture present in form iii was 6 . 31 % and was & lt ; 0 . 1 % after drying . the xrpd powder pattern for dehydrated form iii matches that of form i . thus , form iii dehydrates to form i . the tga showed a weight loss of 21 . 80 % between ambient temperature and 150 ° c ., which does not correspond to the solvent content for any simple solvates . it is not known whether crystalline form iv is a polymorph or a pseudopolymorph . the dsc analysis exhibited two endotherms and a higher temperature event . the two endotherms are in the range that is associated with solvent loss . the first endotherm exhibited an onset temperature of 87 . 6 ° c ., a peak temperature of 90 . 1 ° c . and δh value of 98 . 3 j / g . the second endotherm exhibited an onset temperature of 136 . 0 ° c ., a peak temperature of 139 . 0 ° c . and δh value of 81 . 8 j / g . the higher temperature event had an onset temperature of 230 . 6 ° c . and was consistent with the decomposition that was observed for 5 - azacytidine form i . tg a showed a weight loss of 21 . 45 % between ambient and 150 ° c ., which does not correspond to the solvent content for any simple solvate . the dsc analysis exhibited two merged endotherms , a single endotherm and a higher temperature event . the three endotherms are in the range that is associated with solvent loss . the two merged endotherms exhibit onset temperatures of 66 . 6 and 68 . 0 ° c . the single endotherm exhibited an onset temperature of 88 . 7 ° c ., a peak temperature of 121 . 5 ° c . and a δh value of 180 . 3 j / g . the higher temperature event had onset temperature of 230 . 7 ° c . and was consistent with the decomposition that was observed for 5 - azacytidine form i . tga showed a weight loss of 1 . 10 % between ambient temperature and 150 ° c . the dsc analysis exhibited a small endotherm , an exotherm and a higher temperature event . the small endotherm exhibited an onset temperature of 57 . 8 ° c ., a peak temperature of 77 . 0 ° c . and a δh value of 55 . 7 j / g . the exotherm exhibited an onset temperature of 149 . 3 ° c ., a peak temperature of 157 . 1 ° c . and an δh value of − 17 . 9 j / g . the higher temperature event had an onset temperature of 234 . 7 ° c . and was consistent with the decomposition observed for 5 - azacytidine form i . tga showed a weight loss of 2 . 45 % between ambient temperature and 150 ° c . the dsc analysis exhibited a minor endotherm and a higher temperature event . the minor endotherm had an onset temperature of 63 . 3 ° c ., a peak temperature of 68 . 3 ° c . and a δh value of 17 . 1 j / g . the higher temperature event had an onset temperature of 227 . 2 ° c . and is consistent with the decomposition observed for 5 - azacytidine form i . 5 - azacytidine is know to be labile in water . since form iii is found in equilibrium saturated solutions and form vi is produced by the lyophilization of 5 - azacytidine solution . it was of interest to examine the purity of these 5 - azacytidine forms using nmr . the proton ( 1 h ) nmr spectra of form iii and form vi were both consistent with the structure of 5 - azacytidine in all essential details . form i of 5 - azacytidine was added to various solvents in sufficient quantities to form a slurry , and the slurry allowed to equilibrate for a period of time . the solid material that was present in the slurry was recovered , dried , and analyzed using xrpd ( according to the xrpd protocol included in example 5 ) with the aim of detecting new polymorphs and pseudopolymorphs during the transition to the dissolved state . samples equilibrated for 19 hours in saline , 5 % dextrose , 5 % tween 80 , water - saturated octanol , ethanol / water ( 50 / 50 ) and water alone resulted in a distinctly different form of 5 - azacytidine , designated form iii ( see below ). samples equilibrated for 19 hours in acetone , methyl ethyl ketone , and ethanol resulted in materials identified as form i . samples equilibrated for 19 hours in propylene glycol , polyethylene glycol and dmso resulted in amorphous materials . the results are summarized in table 9 . the conversion of other forms of 5 - azacytidine was also studied . specifically , a form i / ii mixed phase , form vi ( the lyophilized drug product used in the prior art nci drug trials ), a form i / vi mixed phase , and a form i / vii mixed phase were weighed into individual small glass beakers and water was pipetted into each beaker . the sample size and water volume were scaled to maintain an approximate 25 mg / ml ratio . the resultant slurry was allowed to equilibrate for 15 minutes . after equilibration , the sample was filtered and the solid material was dried and analyzed using xrpd . in each case , form iii of 5 - azacytidine was observed . the results indicate that all forms of 5 - azacytidine convert to form iii during the transition to the dissolved state in water . thus , when an 5 - azacytidine suspension (“ slurry ”) was administered to patients in the aforementioned nci investigation , the patients received both 5 - azacytidine in solution , and form iii of 5 - azacytidine .	2
embodiments relate to systems and methods for providing control of rotary - wing aircraft , and in particular , to control of loading and unloading of loads to and from the rotary - wing aircraft . fig1 depicts a control system architecture in an exemplary embodiment . the control system includes a control device 10 for controlling a rotary - wing aircraft ( e . g ., helicopter ) 100 . control device 10 may be a portable , hand - held , microprocessor - based device having a display screen 12 that provides for a human - machine interface . the processor of control device 10 executes a control application to interface with rotary - wing aircraft 100 . control device 10 also includes wireless communications functionality as described in detail herein . exemplary devices that may serve as control device 10 include tablet computers , personal digital assistants , mobile phones , media players , etc . in the embodiment shown in fig1 , control device 10 communicates with rotary - wing aircraft 100 via a communication system 20 . communication system 20 includes a wireless router 22 and wireless data link 24 . wireless router 22 communicates back and forth with control device 10 using known wireless communications protocols . communications may use packet - based , single channel communications techniques , such as 802 . 11 standards , also referred to as wi - fi . wireless router 22 is in bidirectional communication with data link 24 via a network connection ( e . g ., ethernet ). wireless data link 24 uploads and downloads data to and from rotary - wing aircraft 100 using known uplink / downlink technologies , such as c / l / s / k / ku - band wireless data links . the rotary - wing aircraft 100 includes a data link 102 in bidirectional communication with data link 24 . data link 102 is coupled to a vehicle management system ( vms ) 104 via a network connection ( e . g ., ethernet ) and a sensor package 103 . sensor package 103 provides video or equivalent data to a main or parallel data link system . vms 104 controls rotary - wing aircraft 100 . vms 104 also collects flight status data from rotary - wing aircraft 100 . as described in further detail herein , flight status data from the vms 104 is provided to control device 10 , and commands from control device 10 are provided to the vms 104 to control the rotary - wing aircraft 100 . fig2 depicts a control system architecture in another exemplary embodiment . in the embodiment of fig2 , the control device communication system is implemented using a cellular network 30 . the rotary - wing aircraft 100 includes a cellular network modem 110 in communication with the vms 104 via a network connection ( e . g ., ethernet ). in this embodiment , bidirectional communication between control device 10 and rotary - wing aircraft 100 occurs over cellular network 30 . fig3 depicts a control system architecture in another exemplary embodiment . in the embodiment of fig3 , the control device communication system is implemented using a data link 40 coupled directly to the control device 10 via a wired network connection ( e . g ., ethernet ). the rotary - wing aircraft 100 includes a data link 102 in bidirectional communication with data link 40 . data link 102 is coupled to a vehicle management system ( vms ) 104 and to a sensor package 103 via a network connection ( e . g ., ethernet ). fig4 depicts a control system architecture in another exemplary embodiment . in the embodiment of fig4 , the control device communication system is implemented using a wireless communication element of the control device 10 directly . the communication element may use packet - based , single channel communications techniques , such as 802 . 11 standards , also referred to as wi - fi . the rotary - wing aircraft 100 includes wireless router 120 using the same communications standard as the control device 10 . wireless router 120 is in bidirectional communication with control device 10 . wireless router 120 is coupled to a vehicle management system ( vms ) 104 and to a sensor package 103 via a network connection ( e . g ., ethernet ). fig5 depicts a human - machine interface on a control device 10 in an exemplary embodiment in a receive aircraft mode of a first mode . the human - machine interface will include an available aircraft list 207 of those within range by selecting find aircraft icon 334 . the find aircraft icon 334 searches the area for local rotary - wing aircraft 100 and provides a selection of available aircraft to choose from ( e . g ., bluetooth pairing ). upon selection of a rotary - wing aircraft 100 from the aircraft list 207 , the selection will be highlighted 209 and then either confirmed 211 or canceled 206 via the human - machine interface command icons 204 . another method for aircraft acquisition is a push . in a push operation , an aircraft available notification appears when a rotary - winged aircraft 100 is within range or handoff from main operator of the aircraft is pushed to the control device 10 . the operator of the portable control device 10 would then confirm / accept the rotary - winged aircraft 100 to complete the push transaction . fig6 depicts a human - machine interface on a control device 10 in an exemplary embodiment in an access code mode of the first mode . in the first mode , the user of control device 10 is attempting to obtain access to aircraft control . control device 10 enters an access code mode . the human - machine interface includes a keyboard 333 for entering characters of the access password . the human - machine interface will include a text bar 335 that displays the password as entered via the keyboard 333 . after a rotary - wing aircraft 100 is chosen , and the password for the specific aircraft is entered , selection of the return icon or confirm 211 will send the password from the control device 10 to the rotary - winged aircraft 100 for verification . referring to fig6 , selection of cancel icon 206 cancels access of the rotary - wing aircraft 100 by control device 10 . acceptance by the rotary - winged aircraft 100 initiates second mode screen or if access denied , reverts back to find aircraft screen fig6 and provides incorrect password notification . as shown in fig6 , the command icons 204 also include the cancel icon 206 as well as the find aircraft icon 334 . fig7 and 7a depicts a human - machine interface on a control device 10 in an exemplary embodiment in a hover stationary mode . the mode depicted in fig7 is referred to as hover - stationary , meaning the rotary - wing aircraft 100 is hovering at a set location . the human - machine interface includes a status icon 200 indicating the current mode of control device 10 and rotary - wing aircraft 100 . status information 202 may be presented , and include flight status information such as altitude , speed , heading , etc . this flight status information is communicated to control device 10 from vms 104 . command icons 204 are also presented in the human - machine interface . upon selection of one of the command icons 204 , control device 10 issues commands to the rotary - wing aircraft 100 to execute an operation . command icons 204 in fig7 and 7a include a cancel icon 206 , selection of which cancels current action of the rotary - wing aircraft 100 by control device 10 . command icons 204 also include a hover manual icon 208 , selection of which places control device 10 and rotary - wing aircraft 100 into a mode for manually controlling the rotary - wing aircraft 100 . the command icons 204 also include an enroute icon 210 , selection of which causes the rotary - wing aircraft 100 to follow a preloaded flight plan , stored either in the vms 104 or in the control device 10 . the commands icons 204 also include a land icon 201 , selection of which causes the rotary - wing aircraft 100 to autonomously execute a landing at its current lat / long . command icons 204 may require a confirmation as described with reference to fig8 to proceed with the given commands . fig7 a shows additional command icons 204 and a slide feature to display hidden command icons . in all states , cancel 206 is a fixed icon and available at all times . the other three available icon spaces can be scrolled . in addition to land 201 , hover manual 208 , and enroute 210 , hover stationary provides video 203 and sensor 205 icons for additional functionality . the video 203 and sensor 205 icons obtain real - time streaming video or sensor data from the rotary - wing aircraft 100 to the control device 10 for situational awareness . the video 203 and sensor 205 modes are available in a number of modes , such as hover manual and ground , as described further herein . upon selection of land 201 , the control device 10 will ask for confirmation as shown in fig8 . the human machine interface will provide the option to confirm 211 or cancel 206 the last command . a confirm 211 will send the command to the rotary wing aircraft 100 for verification prior to execution . fig9 and 9a depict a human - machine interface on a control device 10 in an exemplary embodiment in the hover manual mode , entered upon selection of the hover manual icon 208 in fig7 . the command icons 204 are updated to reflect currently available operations . the hover manual mode is designated by status icon 200 . a number of flight control icons are presented . altitude control icons include an up icon 212 and down icon 214 to control height of the rotary - wing aircraft 100 . selection of the up icon 212 or down icon 214 may cause a change in altitude based on a number of feet per selection ( e . g ., 2 feet per click ) or continuous transition at a predetermined rate for as long as it is held ( with limits defined by the vms 104 ). position control icons include left icon 216 , right icon 218 , forward icon 220 and back icon 222 . selection of the position control icons causes a change in position based on a number of feet per selection ( e . g ., 2 foot per click ) or continuous transition at a predetermined rate for as long as it is held ( maintain travel as icon is held ). heading control icons include rotational icons including clockwise rotation icon 224 and counter - clockwise rotation icon 226 . selection of the rotational icons causes a change in heading , such as a number of degrees per selection or continuous yaw change at a predetermined rate . command icons 204 are updated once the control device 10 enters hover manual mode . as shown in fig9 and 9a , the command icons include cancel icon 206 , auto load icon 230 , lift load icon 232 , hover stationary icon 234 , video / sensor icons 203 / 205 . other icons may be added if needed . the command icons 204 are generated dependent upon whether the rotary - wing aircraft 100 currently has an auto load system attached , is secured to a load , or is not secured to a load . cancel 206 is always available . the other command icons 204 slide to show the commands that cannot fit in the default menu ( e . g ., three commands ) and are as a result hidden ( such as the video / sensor icons 203 / 205 ). the command icons in fig9 and 9a are presented when no load is detected by the vms 104 . fig9 and 9a depict a human - machine interface on a control device in an exemplary embodiment in a hover manual mode , in which a load is not attached to the rotary - wing aircraft 100 . in fig9 and 9a , selection of cancel icon 206 cancels control of the rotary - wing aircraft 100 by control device 10 and transitions the aircraft to hover stationary mode . selection of hover stationary icon 234 causes the control device 10 to enter hover stationary mode , with rotary - wing aircraft 100 hovering at a fixed position . the auto load icon 230 causes the vms 104 to execute a flight control process that automatically positions the rotary - wing aircraft 100 over a load . the load may be manually or automatically secured to rotary - wing aircraft 100 . once the load is secured , the lift load icon 232 can be selected to cause the rotary - wing aircraft 100 to lift the load to a predetermined height and hover . this entire process can be done autonomously via the selection of the auto load icon 230 ( i . e . autonomous load systems attached ). video / sensor icon 203 / 205 initiates a subcategory of the current third mode . video / sensor icons 203 / 205 will access data from a sensor / video devices 103 on the rotary - winged aircraft 100 and display it on the human - machine interface of the control device 10 . fig1 and 10a depict a human - machine interface on a control device in an exemplary embodiment , in hover manual mode in which a load is attached to the rotary - wing aircraft 100 . as noted above , the command icons 204 are updated to reflect currently available operations , based on flight information received from the vms 104 . the command icons 204 include cancel icon 206 , release load icon 240 , place load icon 242 and hover stationary icon 234 . selection of cancel icon 206 cancels control of the rotary - wing aircraft 100 by control device 10 . selection of hover stationary icon 234 causes the rotary - wing aircraft 100 to enter hover stationary mode , with rotary - wing aircraft 100 hovering at a fixed position . selection of the place load icon 242 causes the rotary - wing aircraft 100 to rest the load on the ground . selection of the release load icon 240 causes the rotary - wing aircraft 100 to lower the load to the ground at the current aircraft position and release the load from the rotary - wing aircraft 100 ( e . g ., release a sling attachment , open hook , open auto load device ) whereas place load 242 lowers the load to the ground at the current aircraft position , but does not release the load . video / sensor icons 203 / 205 will access video or sensor data from sensor / video devices on the rotary - winged aircraft 100 and display it on the human - machine interface of the control device 10 . fig1 depicts a human machine interface on a control device 10 in an exemplary embodiment in a ground mode . the command icons 204 displayed across the bottom of the human machine interface include cancel 206 , take off 213 , video 203 and sensor 205 . video 203 and sensor 205 commands activate an onboard video / sensor devices 103 on the rotary - wing aircraft 100 and transmit the data to the control device 10 where it is displayed for the operator . take off 213 will send a command to the aircraft to transition from ground mode to hover stationary . selection of cancel icon 206 cancels control of the rotary - wing aircraft 100 by control device 10 . upon selection of takeoff 213 , the control device 10 will ask for confirmation as shown in fig1 . the human machine interface will provide the option to confirm 211 or reject 206 the last command . a confirm 211 will send the takeoff command to the aircraft for verification by the vsm 104 prior to commanding the rotary - wing aircraft to transition from ground mode to hover stationary at a predetermined altitude . fig1 , 13 a and 13 b depict a human - machine interface on a control device 10 in an exemplary embodiment in the hover manual mode , entered upon the selection of the video icon 203 in fig9 a or 10 a . this embodiment uses the same method of control as the embodiment in fig9 and fig1 with the exception that there is a real time video underlay on the human - machine interface . fig1 , 14 a and 14 b depict a human - machine interface on a control device 10 in an exemplary embodiment in the hover manual mode . the command icons 204 remain the same as in the respective modes in fig9 a and fig1 a , however , position control in this embodiment is inputted into the control device 10 by clicking the desired location on screen 12 via the downward looking camera video underlay 236 . altitude and heading commands are inputted the same way as in fig9 and fig1 , using the up 212 and down 214 icons . fig1 depicts operational states of the rotary - wing aircraft 100 and control device 10 in exemplary embodiments . rotary - wing aircraft 100 may be manned or un - manned when control device 10 is issuing control commands to rotary - wing aircraft 100 . at 300 , control device 10 receives a list of available aircraft . this list may be pulled by control device 10 or pushed to control device 10 by local aircraft requesting control . at 302 , the control device 10 may query a user for an access code to ensure that only authorized users control the rotary - wing aircraft 100 . upon establishing communications between the control device 10 and the vms 104 to receive aircraft 300 and entering the appropriate access code 302 , the control device 10 is set to hover stationary mode 322 , ground stationary mode 408 , or enroute 304 ( which will automatically transfer to hover stationary at the completion of the current flight plan leg ) at 400 to reflect the actual mode of the rotary - wing aircraft 100 . from hover stationary 322 , the user can enter various modes , including enroute 304 , hover manual 306 , or ground mode 408 . enroute mode 304 causes the rotary - wing aircraft 100 to follow a preloaded flight plan , which is implemented by vms 104 . ground mode 408 causes the rotary - wing aircraft 100 to land and enter ground mode 408 . the hover manual mode 306 allows the user to control altitude , position and heading of the rotary - wing aircraft 100 using the icons described above . hover stationary 322 also allows user to display sensor / video data at 409 . hover manual mode 306 also includes two command sets , unloaded 308 and loaded 310 . in the unloaded mode 308 , the control device 10 may be used to auto - load 312 or lift load 314 . other unloaded mode operations include but are not limited to selecting a load 336 , centering over a load 338 and hooking the load 340 . in the loaded mode , the control device 10 may be used to place a load 318 , release a load 320 and return to hover stationary 322 . other loaded mode operations include , but are not limited to , auto release of a load 328 , release a sling 330 and dropping load at a point 332 . hover manual mode 306 also allows transition back to hover stationary 322 or entry of flight control commands at 316 . hover manual 306 allows a user to display sensor / video data 409 in video underlay mode 324 and allows entry of flight heading by selecting points on the video underlay in a point and go mode 326 , as described above with reference to fig1 . control device 10 is designed to provide a control device operator with fewer , dedicated commands that can be operated on a small , control device . additionally , the high level of autonomy on the rotary - wing aircraft enables a more simplistic human - machine interface , not currently used today on fielded systems . the control device 10 has applications for military , civilian and commercial applications . with the widespread use of smart devices ( e . g ., by military personnel ), embodiments offer the opportunity to utilize these smart devices to host control applications for rotary - wing aircraft in a myriad of applications . the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention . while the description of the present invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description , it is not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the invention in the form disclosed . many modifications , variations , alterations , substitutions , or equivalent arrangement not hereto described will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention . additionally , while various embodiment of the invention have been described , it is to be understood that aspects of the invention may include only some of the described embodiments . accordingly , the invention is not to be seen as limited by the foregoing description , but is only limited by the scope of the appended claims .	6
the present invention provides an improved optical fiber tip for laterally directing a laser beam . the present invention comprises a waveguide , such as an optical fiber , having a specialized output tip . electromagnetic radiation is coupled into the waveguide and propagates in a propagation direction along the waveguide to the output tip ( also known as working tip and distal tip , the energy source end of the waveguide being proximal ), also referred to by surgeons as the “ crystal ” ( a misnomer ). the output tip includes a tissue contacting surface , preferably a substantially homogeneous transmission medium , with respect to refractive index , and a reflecting surface . the reflecting surface is disposed at an angle off normal to the propagation axis so that electromagnetic radiation is internally reflected in a lateral direction relative to the propagation direction , preferably through the substantially homogeneous transmitting medium toward a particular area on the tissue contacting surface . the electromagnetic radiation propagating in the lateral direction does not cross highly curved barriers of media with relatively large differences in refractive index such that beam profile distortions and reflections are minimized . according to one embodiment of the invention , the waveguide includes an optical fiber having a beveled distal end . the distal end of the tip is beveled at an angle relative to the propagation direction of the radiation so that substantially all the radiation is internally reflected onto a particular area of the tissue contact surface . the beveled tip is fused within a thin primary capsule , item one of the lateral transmission medium , to preserve integrity of the barrier in refractive indices between the propagation medium and air or vacuum . the output surface of the thin capsule ( primary cap , first cap or tir preserving cap ) may be machined normal to , or substantially normal to the central ray of the laterally reflected energy to minimize refraction at the capsule surface . a second , thicker capsule ( tissue contact cap , working cap ) is disposed about the primary capsule to perform the tissue contact function . the inner surface of the secondary capsule may be modified to a flat surface , substantially normal to the central ray of the reflected energy to minimize refractions at that surface . according to another configuration of the invention , space between the primary and secondary capsules is filled with a fluid of substantially similar refractive index ( δη & lt ; 0 . 2 ) to minimize refractions at the material barriers within the transmission pathway of the reflected light . preferred fluids are air , water , aqueous solutions , optical gels and fluorocarbon solvents . a specific embodiment of the inner primary cap subassembly is depicted in fig8 , where the waveguide 200 is a silica core optical fiber , clad 205 with fluorine doped silica and coated with fluoroacryalte or fluorourethane and buffered 245 with a thick protective polymer such as polyamide , polyamide - imide , ethylene tetrafluoroethylene , or polyester elastomer , equipped with a beveled tip or reflective surface 225 where the distal portion or working tip 220 of the waveguide 200 is hermetically fused 215 within a thin silica primary capsule 210 to preserve the refractive index of medium 235 and protect the reflective surface 225 . the buffer polymer 245 may be surface roughened 250 to promote adhesion at a later stage of assembly and an output surface 240 of the primary capsule 210 may be machined flat , to provide a planar surface substantially normal to the axis of a central reflected ray to minimize reflections and cylindrical refraction . a simple embodiment of the outer , tissue contacting secondary capsule 255 is depicted in fig9 . the tissue contact function requires more substantial material bulk and thickness , owing to the extreme temperatures encountered in vaporizing tissues and the challenging chemical use environment presented by surgical applications . the secondary capsule 255 presents at least two bore diameters , a smaller bore diameter 260 and a larger bore diameter 265 . the larger bore diameter 265 is proximal ( at the opened end ) and dimensioned to accept the roughened fiber buffer 250 and adhesive and gently reduces at 270 to the smaller bore 260 to facilitate loading of the optical subassembly 210 depicted in fig8 . a slight inner chamfer 275 on the larger bore 265 facilitates insertion of the roughened fiber buffer 250 . a reflective metallic thin film orientation marker 285 is positioned opposite the tissue contact surface . fig1 depicts the secondary capsule 255 of fig9 as installed on the optical subassembly 210 of fig8 where immobilization is provided by a thin film adhesive 310 . the central light ray ( zero order ) within the waveguide 200 is depicted by the arrows 315 reflecting off the waveguide axis at the bevel tip 225 . a secondary buffer 300 , e . g . heat shrink tubing , may be applied over the section of the polymer coated waveguide 200 that is proximal to the working tip 220 to provide a smooth dimensional transition , through a secondary capsule outer chamfer 305 , to a maximum device diameter . in this embodiment an optional flattened inner surface 290 of the secondary capsule 255 , which is complementary to the output surface 240 of the primary capsule 210 , is also depicted . total reflections and output spot distortion are greatly reduced by geometric means alone , through the elimination of curved surfaces within the transmitting pathway of the reflected beam 315 . rays that are not transmitted ( reflections ) generally impinge upon the metallic film orientation marker 285 and are redirected generally in the direction of the target tissue or are absorbed . the transmission efficiency of this simple embodiment is typically & gt ; 95 % as measured by lateral energy divided by axial energy with the lateral tip removed . at high average power or peak pulse energy , a gold film orientation marker 285 is damaged by the highest peak energy in the reflected beam , producing a burn through spot diameter roughly ½ of the output beam diameter and lateral efficiency is diminished by approximately 5 % as reflection of the energy by the metallic film 285 is diminished . in surgical use , a secondary capsule 255 that is in contact with tissue suffers damage , becoming frosted on the output surface beginning at approximately 20 , 000 joules to approximately 100 , 000 joules , depending upon the type of silica used and the surface quality at the tissue contact surface as well as the intimacy of tissue contact and motions across tissues , the laser beam qualities ( cw , pulse , pulse width , repetition rate ) the type and flow rate of irrigation fluid used , the tissue type and other factors outside the control of the device designer . catastrophic failure , where the frosted output erodes sufficiently to perforate the secondary capsule 255 , has not been observed for this embodiment up to 400 , 000 joules delivered at 76 w average power , 2120 nm . failure of the adhesive seal 310 to exclude irrigation fluid has been observed with as little as 100 , 000 joules delivered , but due to the presence of the primary capsule 210 the lateral emission function is preserved and performance actually increases due to further reductions in reflections and refractions within the device provided by the closer index match of the irrigation fluid to silica with respect to air . it was thought that the aqueous fluid between the secondary capsule 255 and the primary capsule 210 would absorb sufficient infrared energy to explosively vaporize were the secondary capsule seal 310 to fail , but this has not been observed , even where the device is removed to air and fired ( for the purpose of measuring residual lateral efficiency on a power meter ). the thickness of the fluid within the reflected beam transmission pathway is apparently too thin to absorb enough laser energy to boil enough liquid to cause expansion sufficient to cause structural failure . in a preferred embodiment of the invention , fig1 , the fiber buffer ( 245 in fig8 ) is missing ( removed ) or is substantially thinner than standard and the waveguide 200 is housed within a coaxial conduit or accessory cannula channel 320 , e . g . a polymer or metallic tube that is secured to the secondary capsule 255 with solder or adhesive at the outer diameter chamfer 305 . fluid may be coupled by tapping the surgical irrigation inlet of endoscopic equipment or by a separate source or through a standard “ t ” fitting , such as those well known in the art . fluid is conducted through the accessory cannula 320 channel , into the secondary cap proximal bore 265 and about the fiber subassembly , to be released though a distal port 330 into the surgical field . the primary capsule 210 transmitting surface and secondary capsule receiving surface 260 ( inner diameter ) may possess the machined flats describer earlier , ( 240 and 290 in fig8 and 10 , respectively ), but owing to the closer refractive index match of the irrigation fluid to the silica structures , such geometric mechanisms for reducing refraction and reflection are not strictly necessary . another potential embodiment is the sealed coolant system depicted in a fig1 a and fig1 b . the cooling fluid need not be aqueous in this embodiment but may be a fluorocarbon heat transferring fluid or other liquid . a fluid reservoir is provided within the device , depicted as machined within the secondary capsule 255 bore at 350 , but a reservoir within an auxiliary cannula , proximal to the lateral assembly , would also function . in the depicted embodiment , the output surface of the primary capsule 210 cap is machined flat 240 but less for geometric reduction of reflection and refraction than for producing a directional , heat driven fluidic flow . the original primary capsule 210 surface is preserved 360 for some portion of the cap length on the output side to serve as a flow restrictor . the opposite side of the inner cap is also machined flat 242 , but along the entire cap length to provide a free fluid flow channel . as in fig1 , the fiber buffer 245 forms the primary seal between the surgical environment and the interstitial space between the primary and secondary capsules , 210 and 255 . as tissue is vaporized , the tissue contacting surface 252 of the secondary capsule 255 heats and the heat is conducted through the thickness of the secondary capsule to the fluid in the transmitting pathway of the reflected beam ( closely spaced arrows ). the interstitial fluid expands and preferentially advances distally , away from the flow restriction 360 , around the tip of the primary capsule 210 to the fluid reservoir 350 , where it cools and replenishes flow through the restriction 360 , i . e . a cyclic coolant circuit is established as depicted by the arrows . another embodiment for providing interstitial cooling may be provided as depicted in fig1 , where surgical irrigation fluid from around the fiber in the use environment is drawn in through proximal ports 375 in the secondary capsule 255 and exhausted through distal ports 385 surrounding the lateral transmission pathway 380 . this embodiment is a close simulation of the leaking fibers that were referenced above . regardless of the laser wavelength used in vaporization , some tissue beneath the vaporization plane is killed but not removed . the term of art for this is affect of laser energy on tissue is coagulation . coagulated tissues present far different absorption characteristics with respect to live tissues such that the initial , highly efficient vaporization pass is typically followed by a somewhat less efficient second pass , which is followed by a third pass at possibly lower efficiency , ad infinitum , because less efficient absorption of the laser energy leads to less vaporization and more underlying coagulation . the decrease in vaporization efficiency is not self - accelerating , but progresses modestly as approximated by first order kinetics . fig1 depicts an alternative embodiment designed to mediate this problem : a distal port arrangement 395 whereby the exiting coolant is made to pass over surfaces that are prone to contamination by tissues and that become labile to damage where such contamination adheres . this embodiment is also equipped with a scraping device 390 for tissue morcellation concomitant with vaporization . to prevent build - up of tissues within the scraper , adjacent to the laser output surface (“ lase output ”) on the outer cap , a port 395 is provided to constantly flush the scraper and the lase output , keeping them clean . all lase outputs of silica capped fibers degrade in time , limiting the useful lifetime . many of the variables that affect the onset and acceleration of the degradation are outside the control of the device design , as mentioned earlier . for surgical cases and applications where protracted capsule to tissue contact is required , with little or slow motion ( fiber output relative to tissue ), even the best possible fiber design will degrade and may become useless before the surgical goals are realized , necessitating the use of a second , fresh fiber for completion of the surgery . one strategy to avoid this is to provide the device in fig1 with a turning mechanism at the proximal end of the fluid conduit cannula , outside the body and endoscopic channel port . a device as simple as an indexing holder 620 , 630 and 640 , depicted in fig1 enables rotation of the secondary capsule 255 relative to the primary capsule 210 to be accomplished from outside the body , via the fluid conducting conduit 670 , while the fiber remains positioned in the surgical field . laser energy is coupled at 600 , propagates distally along the waveguide 200 that is affixed to the proximal half of the rotating device 630 at 620 , passes freely through the second half of the rotating device 640 to which the fluid conduit 670 is affixed , to the working tip as described elsewhere . fluid is supplied by a luer 680 or other connector within the rotation device or via ports within the cannula 670 just inside the fluid seal of the working channel port of the endoscope . alternatively , given the presence of fluid flow in the device , exhaust ports 410 in the secondary capsule 255 may be arranged to function as jets , imparting rotational motion to the cap when it is not in tissue contact ( or preferably , if forceful enough , even during tissue contact ). fig1 depicts such a concept where a rotating joint 400 is provided between the fluid transport cannula 320 and the outer secondary capsule chamfer 305 and a second point of centering is provided by a bulge 405 in the primary capsule 210 , captured with a restriction in the outer cap bore 415 and equipped with exhaust ports 410 to insure that dynamic flow cushions the fiber rotation . to insure continuous rotational motion , even in tissue contact , the fluid conduit cannula 320 can be equipped with a drive system proximal to the deepest point of endoscopic penetration , e . g . ˜ 18 ′ to 24 ′ from the working tip . this drive system is preferably hydraulic drive from fluid flows , if adequate to the task . alternatively , low cost , low voltage electric motors and gear drives can be assembled into a relatively small accessory handle on the fiber assembly , akin to the disposable electric tooth brushes now available : both continuous rotation and waggle about some portion of the full circle would be of benefit in reducing tissue adhesion problems and in spreading the damage across a larger secondary capsule 255 surface area . other embodiments of the secondary capsule 255 may take myriad forms , such as that depicted as nesting components ( a & amp ; b , cap with channel circuit and sleeve , respectively ) and as the final tissue contact cap assembly , c , in fig1 . beginning near the proximal chamfer 305 , a groove 440 is machined in the surface of the cap inner structure a , extending distally to the transmission pathway , where it expands to a plane 430 encompassing enough area to cover the entire beam path . a fluid access port 450 is drilled through the cap wall to the inner diameter and an exhaust groove conduit 425 is machined about the circumference to the opposite side of the cap . a thin wall silica sleeve b is equipped with an exhaust port at 435 and positioned on cap a such that the exhaust port 435 aligns with the circumferential fluid conduit 425 . the two pieces are fused to form a monolithic cap c with internal fluid conduits . when assembled onto an optical subassembly fig8 as depicted in fig1 , the composite cap 455 substituting for the tissue - contacting cap 255 depicted in fig1 , the alternative inlet port 475 , formed on the proximal chamfer 305 of the composite cap , permits a portion of the fluid flow to be directed just below the tissue - contacting surface for additional cooling . further , the production of additional refractive index transitions , albeit - minor , does offer the potential for adding some additional beam conditioning optical surfaces to the structure , e . g . a meniscus - like lens penetrating the planar fluid conduit within the transmission pathway will reduce the divergence of the output slightly as depicted in fig2 for such a lens 700 formed on the inner wall 290 of a standard tissue contacting cap 255 . fig1 depicts a version of the assembly with integral cooling channels that are simple to fabricate and represents a preferred embodiment of the device . helical grooves 530 are machined in the outer diameter of the inner portion of the composite secondary capsule 455 , for example under indexed rotation with a co 2 laser . as the grooves 530 near the distal end of the secondary capsule 455 , at about the area of beam passage , rotation is ceased to form a flat 580 on one side of the secondary capsule 455 inner structure &# 39 ; s outer diameter . the index direction is reversed until the beam approaches the beginning of the helix , where rotation is once again begun ( same direction of rotation ), forming a second helical pathway overlapping the first that results in what has been called a “ diamond ” pattern ( for the diamond shaped islands of residual glass at initial diameter ). fluid access ports 520 are drilled at the proximal extremes of the helices and the inner structure is again sleeved with a thin walled silica cylinder 550 to form a semi - laminar channel about the entire circumference of the cap that is supported by the diamond shaped islands of silica , fused to the outer sleeve 550 and about the planar channel at the beam pathway . the cap is then melted to almost seal the distal end , forming the port for interstitial cooling flow outlet 610 . a tissue morcellating blade 600 is machined just proximal to the cap tip and distal to the beam path and the laminar cap flow outlet port 590 is drilled through the blade surface to the distal portion of the planar laminar conduit . the optical subassembly 210 as depicted in fig8 is inserted within the composite secondary capsule 455 thus formed , with the tir bevel 570 oriented to place the beam path directly in the center of the planar laminar fluid conduit . a polymer cannula is affixed to the proximal cap chamfer 540 with adhesive . fluid provided within the polymer conduit 500 couples to the interstitial space between the inner cap and outer cap as laminar flow within the composite outer cap , as depicted by the arrows . a gold film reflector and orientation marker may be provided as depicted in earlier figures . further control of the output quality of the device may be provided by incorporating other art within the design , such as tir bevel surfaces with a slight curvature , for focusing the output beam onto tissues . other aspects and advantages of the present invention can be seen upon review of the figures , the detailed description , and the claims which follow . the preferred embodiment of the invention is described above in the description of preferred embodiments . while these descriptions directly describe the above embodiments , it is understood that those skilled in the art may conceive modifications and / or variations to the specific embodiments shown and described herein . any such modifications or variations that fall within the purview of this description are intended to be included therein as well . unless specifically noted , it is the intention of the inventors that the words and phrases in the specification and claims be given the ordinary and accustomed meanings to those of ordinary skill in the applicable art ( s ). the foregoing description of a preferred embodiment and best mode of the invention known to the applicant at the time of filing the application has been presented and is intended for the purposes of illustration and description . it is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed , and many modifications and variations are possible in the light of the above teachings . the embodiment was chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and its practical application and to enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the invention in various embodiments and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated .	0
the compound of formula i used to practice this invention can be synthesized by conventional methods . in general , the compounds of the formulae described herein are conveniently obtained via standard organic chemistry synthesis methods , including those methods illustrated in the schemes and the examples ( e . g ., example 1 ) herein . as can be appreciated by the skilled artisan , the synthetic schemes herein are not intended to constitute a comprehensive list of all means by which the compounds described and claimed in this application can be synthesized . further methods will be evident to those of ordinary skill in the art . additionally , the various synthetic steps described above can be performed in an alternate sequence or order to give the desired compounds . synthetic chemistry transformations and protecting group methodologies ( protection and deprotection ) useful in synthesizing the compounds described herein are known in the art and include , for example , those such as described in r . larock , comprehensive organic transformations , vch publishers ( 1989 ); t . w . greene and p . g . m . wuts , protective groups in organic synthesis , 2nd . ed ., john wiley and sons ( 1991 ); l . fieser and m . fieser , fieser and fieser &# 39 ; s reagents for organic synthesis , john wiley and sons ( 1994 ); and l . paquette , ed ., encyclopedia of reagents for organic synthesis , john wiley and sons ( 1995 ); and subsequent editions thereof . as an example , the compounds used to practice this invention are prepared according to the synthetic scheme shown below . variables and groups in the chemical structural formulas in the methods below are defined as delineated herein for any of the formulae , including formula i . a solution of indolyl compound starting material in solvent ( e . g ., tetrahydrofuran , isopropanol , dichloromethane , dioxane , dimethyl formamide , dimethyl sulfoxide , or toluene ) is reacted with a base ( e . g ., sodium hydride , potassium hydroxide , or potassium tert - butoxide ) and a compound of the formula xch 2 r 3 ( where x is a leaving group ). the resulting intermediate is reacted with an oxalyl derivative and an amine of the formula mnr 1 r 2 ( where m is h or metal cation , e . g ., k , li , na ), to give compounds of the formulae delineated herein . the desired compounds or intermediates can be isolated and purified using standard synthetic techniques or can be reacted further ( i . e ., “ one - pot synthesis ”) without isolation or purification . alternatively , the compounds used to practice this invention are prepared according to the following synthetic scheme shown below : the indolyl starting material is dissolved in solvent ( e . g ., diethyl ether , tetrahydrofuran , or dichloromethane ) and reacted with an oxalyl derivative ( e . g ., oxalyl chloride ) and an amine of the formula mnr 1 r 2 ( where m is h or metal cation , e . g ., k , li , na ). the intermediate compound is reacted with a compound of the formula xch 2 r 3 ( where x is a leaving group ) to give compounds of the formulae herein . the desired compounds or intermediates can be isolated ( and optionally purified ) or can be reacted further ( i . e ., “ one - pot synthesis ” without isolation or purification ). the compound thus synthesized can be further purified by flash column chromatography , high performance liquid chromatography , crystallization , or any other suitable methods . to prepare the formulation of this invention , one can simply mix the compound of formula i , the tpgs , the transcutol , and optionally the peg at the desired ratio in any sequence . for example , one can mix a predetermined amount of the compound with transcutol and optionally peg at a predetermined concentration , and then add tpgs . mixing can be achieved by shaking , agitation , or swirling and is controlled to reconstitute the active ingredient ( s ) ( e . g ., the compound of formula i ) into the inactive ingredient ( s ) ( e . g ., tpgs , transcutol , and peg ). the formulation may be prepared at room temperature or heated at a temperature between 40 and 80 ° c . to facilitate the mixing process . at any stage of the preparation , sterilization , e . g ., by an autoclave , may be applied . the formulation of this invention may further contain one or more solid excipients minimize leakage of the liquid mixture from the capsule . the solid excipients can be included in the formulation at any stage of its preparation . the suitable concentration of a solid excipient in the formulation for conferring the intended effect , as recognized by those skilled in the art , can be assayed using conventional methods . the formulation of this invention , when administered orally to a subject in need thereof , is preferably encapsulated in a capsule ( e . g ., a soft or hard - shell capsule ). the capsule can be formed of a material that is well recognized by one skilled in the art , for example , porcine collagen , bovine collagen material , gelatin ( e . g ., porcine gelatin ), gum arabic , pectin , poly ( ethylene - co - maleic anhydride ), poly ( vinylmethylether - co - maleic anhydride ), carrageenan , and agar - agar . one can employ the formulation of this invention to treat cancer by administering orally to a subject in need of the treatment an effective amount of the formulation . as used herein , the term “ treating ” or “ treatment ” is defined as the administration of an effective amount of the formulation to a subject , who has cancer , a symptom of the cancer , a disease or disorder secondary to the cancer , or a predisposition toward the cancer , with the purpose to cure , alleviate , relieve , remedy , or ameliorate the cancer , the symptom of , the disease or disorder secondary to , or the predisposition toward the cancer . the term “ an effective amount ” refers to an amount of a compound of formula i in the formulation or an amount of the formulation which confers a therapeutic effect on the treated subject . the therapeutic effect may be objective ( i . e ., measurable by some test or marker ) or subjective ( i . e ., subject gives an indication of or feels and effect ). an effective amount of the compound described above may range from about 0 . 1 mg / kg to about 500 mg / kg body weight per day , alternatively from about 1 to about 50 mg / kg body weight per day . the formulation of this invention may be administered from 1 to 6 times per day ( e . g ., at 0 . 1 mg - 100 mg / dose ). the amount of active ingredient that can be combined with the carrier materials to produce a single dosage form may vary depending upon the host treated . a typical formulation of this invention will contain from 0 . 5 % to 20 % of an active compound ( w / w ). without further elaboration , it is believed that the above description has adequately enabled the present invention . the following examples are , therefore , to be construed as merely illustrative , and not limitative of the remainder of the disclosure in any way whatsoever . all of the publications cited herein are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety . a solution of indole ( 1 . 17 g , 10 mmol ) in 10 ml tetrahydrofuran was added dropwise to a suspension of potassium tert - butoxide ( 1 . 34 g , 12 mmol ) in 10 ml tetrahydrofuran . the reaction mixture was stirred at room temperature for 2 hours , then 5 -( chloromethyl )- 3 - methylisoxazole ( 1 . 32 g , 10 mmol ) in 5 ml tetrahydrofuran was added dropwise . the solution was allowed stand for 4 hours and then 10 ml saturated ammonium chloride was added with stirring . the mixture was extracted three times with a total of 60 ml of ether , the organic phase was dried using anhydrous magnesium sulfate and filtered , and the filtrate was concentrated in vacuum and purified by flash chromatography on silica gel . the eluent used was a mixture of n - hexane and ethyl acetate in the ratio 8 : 1 ( vol / vol ). yield : 1 . 61 g , 76 %. a solution of 5 -( 1h - 1 - indolylmethyl )- 3 - methylisoxazole ( 212 mg , 1 . 0 mmol ) in 10 ml diethyl ether was added to oxalyl chloride ( 254 mg , 2 . 0 mmol ) dropwise at 0 ° c . the reaction mixture was stirred at 0 ° c . for 3 hours and then the reaction solvent was evaporated . the residue was dissolved in 5 ml tetrahydrofuran and then the 3 - methyl - 5 - isothiazolamine ( 114 mg , 1 . 0 mmol ) and triethylamine ( 1 ml ) in 10 ml tetrahydrofuran was added dropwise . the mixture was stirred for 10 hours and then 1 n naoh ( 4 ml ) was added to the reaction flask dropwise . the mixture was extracted three times with a total of 60 ml of tetrahydrofuran , the organic phase was dried using anhydrous magnesium sulfate and filtered , and the filtrate was concentrated in vacuum . the residue was crystallized from methanol . yield : 0 . 27 g , 71 %. nmr : 10 . 33 ( s , 1h ), 9 . 15 ( s , 1h ), 8 . 44 ( d , j = 6 . 3 hz , 1h ), 7 . 45 - 7 . 38 ( m , 3h ), 6 . 82 ( s , 1h ), 5 . 96 ( s , 1h ), 5 . 48 ( s , 2h ), 2 . 49 ( s , 3h ), 2 . 52 ( s , 3h ). bpr0c261 ( 5 mg ) was first dissolved in transcutol ( 99 mg ). then peg 400 ( 330 mg ) was added to the solution . tpgs ( 105 mg ) was heated at 60 - 70 ° c . until it was molten . the molten tpgs was then added to the transcutol / peg solution with constant stirring to form a homogenous solution . the solution was further stirred at 40 ° c . until it became a clear solution . the solubility of bpr0c261 in different drug carriers or mixed carriers was evaluated . the solubility is defined as the maximum amount of a compound dissolved in a carrier or mixed carrier at room temperature . the results are shown in table 1 below . b all of the percentages listed in this table were calculated based on a ratio of the initial volume of each individual carrier component to the sum of initial volumes of all components . the oral bioavailability of bpr0c261 was assessed by comparing the pharmacokinetic (“ pk ”) profiles obtained from orally administered (“ po ”) bpr0c261 in various oral formulation described herein with the pk profile obtained from intravenously administered (“ iv ”) bpr0c261 . an intravenous formulation of bpr0c261 ( carriers : 5 % dmso , 25 % cremophor el , and 70 % water , v / v / v ) was administered intravenously by a bolus injection to a group of three mice each via the tail vein , in a single dose of 2 mg / kg body weight . a blood sample ( 0 . 15 ml ) was drawn at different points ( pre - dose , 2 min , 5 min , 15 min , 30 min . 1 hr , 2 hr , 4 hr , 6 hr , 8 hr , and 24 hr after dosing ) from each animal via the cardiac puncture and stored in ice ( 0 - 5 ° c .). an oral formulation of bpr0c261 ( i . e ., the just - described formulation containing dmso , cremophor el , and water , or a formulation containing tpgs , transcutol , and optionally peg 400 ), was orally administered in various doses to groups of three mice by gavage . a blood sample ( 0 . 15 ml ) was drawn at different points ( pre - dose , 15 min , 30 min . 1 hr , 2 hr , 4 hr , 6 hr , 8 hr , and 24 hr after dosing ) from each animal via the cardiac puncture and stored in ice ( 0 - 5 ° c .). plasma was separated from the blood sample by centrifugation at 15 , 000 g for 15 min at 4 ° c . the separated plasma was then stored in a freezer (− 20 ° c .). all plasma samples were analyzed for the bpr0c261 concentrations by hplc - tandem mass spectrometry . bpr0c261 plasma concentration data were used to obtain the pk profile for the iv or po administration , i . e ., a plasma - concentration vs . time curve . the area under the curve (“ auc ”) was then calculated . oral bioavailability ( f %) was determined by comparing the dose - normalized area under the curve for the oral formulation (“ auc po / dose po ”) with that for the intravenous formulation (“ auc iv / dose iv ”), i . e ., f %=[ auc po / dose po ]/[ auc iv / dose iv ]. the oral bioavailability of bpr0c261 in the formulation containing 5 % dmso , 25 % cremophor el , and 70 % water ( v / v / v ) was determined to be 18 % in mouse . unexpectedly , the oral bioavailability of bpr0c261 in formulations containing tpgs , transcutol , and optionally peg 400 was determined to be in a range of 25 % to 80 %. all of the features disclosed in this specification may be combined in any combination . an alternative feature serving the same , equivalent , or similar purpose may replace each feature disclosed in this specification . thus , unless expressly stated otherwise , each feature disclosed is only an example of a generic series of equivalent or similar features . from the above description , one skilled in the art can easily ascertain the essential characteristics of the present invention , and without departing from the spirit and scope thereof , can make various changes and modifications of the invention to adapt it to various usages and conditions . thus , other embodiments are also within the scope of the following claims .	0
referring to the drawing , apparatus for making wave - length resolved polarimetric measurements comprises an interferometric source , specifically a broadband light source 10 and an optical spectrum analyzer , specifically a michelson interferometer 12 , interconnected by an optical fiber 14 , a polarization state generator 16 , for example a rotating polarizer , coupled to the output of the interferometer 12 by an optical fiber 18 , and a polarimeter 20 , i . e ., an instrument for measuring sop of a light beam . the polarimeter 20 comprises a polarimetric analyzer 22 having four output ports connected by optical fibers 24 a - 24 d , respectively , to a bank of detectors 26 which are connected to a processor 28 . preferably , the fibers 24 a - 24 d are multimode fibers . a device - under - test 30 is connected by an optical fiber 32 to an output of the polarization state generator 16 and by an optical fiber 34 to an input of the polarimetric analyzer 22 . within the polarimetric analyzer 22 , an input lens 36 collimates light from the optical fiber 34 and applies it to a beam splitter and analyzer unit 38 , and a bank of four output lenses 40 a - 40 d converge light from the analyzers into the output optical fibers 24 a - 24 d , respectively . preferably , the output lenses 40 a - 40 d are attached directly to the beam splitter and analyzer unit &# 39 ; s output ports , so that only the coupling between the lenses 40 a - 40 d and the optical fibers 24 a - 24 d , respectively , is a free space arrangement . the polarimetric analyzer unit 22 comprises a device for decomposing the light beam from fiber 34 into components with predetermined sops enabling computation of the stokes parameters . a suitable polarimetric analyzer unit having an advantageous composite construction is the subject of u . s . patent application no . 10 / 278 , 081 filed contemporaneously herewith , and will now be described . referring to fig2 and 3 , the polarimetric analyzer unit 22 comprises a parallelepiped linear polarizer 42 , specifically a glan - taylor prism , having three square waveplates 44 a , 44 b and 44 c each having a retardation of λ / 3 , i . e ., with phase retardation of 2π / 3 , and a transparent plate ( i . e ., a window with zero retardation ) 46 adhered to its input face 48 using suitable optical cement . the polarizer 42 conveniently is made of calcite and is of an air - gap design , and the plate 46 , which has the same thickness as the waveplates 44 a - 44 c , conveniently is made of glass . the waveplates 44 a , 44 b and 44 c and the glass plate 46 comprise quadrants which together cover the input face 48 of the polarizer 42 . the are placed into respective openings of a cruciform opaque divider 50 which has one limb ( shown vertical in fig2 and 3 ) aligned in the same sense as the polarizer axis p , and attached to adjacent limbs of the divider by adhesive . the cruciform divider 50 “ slices ” the input light beam cleanly into four portions . a wedge - shaped plate 52 is adhered , using index matching glue , to the front of the waveplates 44 a , 44 b and 44 c and the glass plate 46 and serves to reduce reflections that could lead to undesirable fabry - perot - type interferometric noise . input means comprises collimating lens 36 which collimates light received from the single mode input optical fiber 34 and directs the collimated light beam onto the waveplates 44 a , 44 b and 44 c and the glass plate 46 , so that each receives an equal portion of the light beam . as shown in fig2 , the lenses 40 a , 40 b , 40 c and 40 d are rectangular , specifically square . they are adhered to the output face 54 of the linear polarizer 42 and receive the corresponding four light components from the waveplates 44 a , 44 b , 44 c and glass plate 46 , respectively and focus them into the four multimode output optical fibers 24 a , 24 b , 24 c and 24 d , respectively , which are coupled to the set of four photodetectors 26 a , 26 b , 26 c and 26 d , respectively . the photodetectors 26 a , 26 b , 26 c and 26 d convert the optical signals into electrical signals and convey them to the processor 28 which uses their intensities to compute the stokes parameters . the three waveplates 44 a , 44 b and 44 c are identical and each has a fast axis at an angle of about 27 . 5 degrees to one edge . as shown in fig3 , however , each of the waveplates 44 a , 44 b . and 44 c is disposed with its fast axis at a different angle relative to the polarizer axis p which , in fig3 , is shown as extending vertically in the plane of the drawing . thus , assuming clockwise rotation from the vertical , the fast axes of the waveplates 44 a , 44 b and 44 c are at angles of 27 . 5 degrees , 117 . 5 degrees and 332 . 5 degrees , respectively . the measured intensity or power of the signal received by way of glass plate 46 and detector 26 d represents the degree of polarization and is used with the intensities measured by way of the three waveplates 44 a , 44 b and 44 c and the detectors 26 a , 26 b and 26 c to calculate the stokes parameters . it is instructive to consider the operation of the device as if the linear polarizer 42 were in front of the waveplates 44 a , 44 b and 44 c . thus , the linear polarizer 42 exhibits high transmission for one linear sop and extinguishes the orthogonal linear sop ( at 180 degrees on the poincaré sphere ). the preferred glan - taylor polarizer is recognized as having a high degree of extinction . on leaving the polarizer 42 , therefore , the sop of the light is along the polarizer axis p . each waveplate rotates the sop about the sphere , the resultant polarizations corresponding to the equivalent axis of the analyzers . it should be noted that , in contrast to known methods for analysing the sop of a light beam , all four beams pass through a , preferably common , linear polarizer used as an analyser . hence , no one light beam permits a direct determination of the stokes parameter so . once the system has been suitably calibrated , the signals from the four detectors permit the determination of the four stokes parameters . it should also be noted that optical spectrum analyzers which use analyzers permitting measurement of stokes parameters s 0 , s 1 , s 2 and s 3 , or a linear combination thereof , and having alignments based upon the mathematics used to compute the stokes vectors , are optimized to square with the “ first ” mathematical solution to the detriment of hardware optimization . embodiments of the present invention using four polarization analyzers with their axes linearly independent , so that a nonsingular matrix describing the transformation relating the intensities measured at the four detectors to the four stokes parameters can be constructed , allow more freedom for the hardware to be optimized . while the transformation matrix may be based upon the design , it is preferred to produce it by measurement , i . e ., calibration , which gives better precision and reliability . moreover , the calibration changes little with time or temperature and yet changes smoothly with wavelength , which is desirable . thus , the calibration produces , for each wavelength , a calibration transformation matrix that relates the measured intensities to the stokes vectors . this calibration procedure can be described as follows . first one generates four known sops , each having a dop of 100 %. each of these states is , in turn , sent to the polarimeter , where one measures the resulting electrical currents . generated sops : [ s 01 s 11 s 21 s 31 ] [ s 02 s 12 s 22 s 32 ] [ s 03 s 13 s 23 s 33 ] [ s 04 s 14 s 24 s 34 ] measured currents : ⁢ [ i 11 i 21 i 31 i 41 ] [ i 12 i 22 i 32 i 42 ] [ i 13 i 23 i 33 i 43 ] [ i 14 s 24 i 34 i 44 ] these four sops can be grouped into a single 4 × 4 matrix , and the measured currents grouped into another matrix ; stokes = [ s 01 s 11 s 21 s 31 s 02 s 12 s 23 s 33 s 03 s 13 s 23 s 33 s 4 s 14 s 24 s 34 ] intensity = [ i 11 i 21 i 31 i 41 i 12 i 22 i 32 i 43 i 13 i 23 i 33 i 43 i 14 i 24 i 34 i 44 ] an advantageous and novel feature of the above - described invention is that all four portions of the light beam pass through a common polarizer serving as a linear analyzer element . this allows for a simple and compact design . the only real alignment of the polarizing elements ( i . e ., waveplates plus polarizer ) is very straightforward as the three square waveplates can be “ cut ” from the same waveplate material , with the fast axis at 27 . 5 degrees from one edge . the three waveplates are then placed in the appropriate quadrant of the cruciform , whose “ vertical ” limb is aligned with the polarization axis p , and setting of the desired orientation of the respective fast axes then involves only “ flipping ” of one waveplate and rotation of another waveplate by ninety degrees . of course , there still is alignment via four lenses into the four optical fibers , but this does not involve polarizing elements , as such . an advantage of coupling the four outputs from the lenses 26 a , 26 b , 26 c and 26 d by means of the four optical fibers 30 a , 30 b , 30 c and 30 d , respectively , is that it eliminates , or at least significantly reduces , inaccuracies which are common in direct detection of a free - space beam by a detector , which can result in changes in the registration between the output beams and their respective detectors . as a general rule , when light is cut by sharp edges of any optical element , there is some diffraction causing the light beam to spread . because there are four output light beams , any spreading could result in not only a change in registration but also in increased cross - talk . launching the light beams into optical fibers for conveyance to the detector unit 26 permits better spatial filtering of all but the desired central portion of each light beam , i . e ., less affected by edge effects of the waveplates and lenses , which may reduce cross - talk . it should be appreciated that the waveplates 44 a , 44 b and 44 c and the glass plate 46 need not be square but could be circular , oval or any other suitable form . however , such a design would be less efficient at collecting the incident light , particularly due to loss of power in the centre of the beam , and would require additional alignment steps in fabrication to ensure that the angles of the fast axes of the waveplates were correctly aligned . it should also be noted that , if dop is not required , either , but not both , of the waveplates 44 a and 44 c could be omitted . various other alternatives and modifications are possible within the scope of the present invention . for example , the michelson interferometer could be replaced by an alternative interferometer which detects the full spectrum of the light at all times . an advantage of positioning the michelson interferometer before the polarization generator is that polarization dependent effects produced in the michelson interferometer , which generally are unavoidable , will be substantially removed by the polarization generator , leading to more accurate measurements . although single mode fiber provides excellent spatial filtering because of its small core size , launching of the light beams into single mode fibers would be inefficient . multimode fiber is preferred , therefore , because it provides a good compromise between good spatial filtering and efficient light launching . advantageously , embodiments of this invention , in which the output beams from the polarimetric analyzer are supplied directly into the fibers 24 a - 24 d , greatly facilitate the measurement of very small ( femtosecond ) levels of pmd , which entails stringent requirements of precision and stability .	6
in the subject continuous process a hydrocarbonaceous feed is reacted by partial oxidation with air under conditions producing a nitrogen - rich gas stream containing up to about 80 to 90 mole % ( dry basis ) of elemental nitrogen gas , and higher . since the atmosphere in the reaction zone is slightly reducing , the nitrogen - rich gas produced contains substantially no oxides of nitrogen , i . e . less than 10 parts per million ( ppm ) of the oxides of nitrogen ( no x where x is a number in the range 1 / 2 to 21 / 2 ). further , there is substantially no free oxygen nor particulate carbon in the effluent gas from the generator . the nitrogen - rich product gas may be used to blanket or pressurize vessels containing materials that become hazardous or corrosive in the presence of air , or it may be used to pressurize an oil well for secondary recovery of oil . since the inert gas produced will contain substantially no no x , the gas is noncorrosive to the steel casings used in oil wells or to steel vessels . further , if the inert product gas is used for oil well injection , it may be injected hot without condensing the steam . thus , the volume of gas available for injecting is increased and the oil in the formation may be heated up at the same time . the generator for carrying out the partial oxidation reaction in the subject process preferably consists of a compact , unpacked , free - flow , noncatalytic , refractorylines steel pressure vessel of the type described in coassigned u . s . pat . no . 2 , 809 , 104 issued to d . m . strasser et al , which patent is incorporated herewith by reference . the nitrogen - rich effluent gas stream from the gas generator may have the following composition in mole % ( wet basis ): n 2 53 to 74 ; co 2 4 to 13 ; a 0 . 65 to 0 . 95 ; h 2 nil to 20 ; co nil to 15 ; h 2 o 8 to 19 ; cos nil to 0 . 05 ; h 2 s nil to 0 . 3 ; no x less than 10 ppm ; and particulate carbon less than 100 ppm . optionally , by conventional gas drying and purification techniques , inert gas mixtures of different compositions may be derived from the effluent stream from the gas generator comprising n 2 , a and co 2 . for example , inert gas compositions ( 1 ) and ( 2 ) below in mole % may be obtained : ( 1 ) n 2 84 to 92 , co 2 7 to 15 , and a 0 . 9 to 1 . 1 ; and ( 2 ) n 2 98 . 8 to 98 . 9 , and a 1 . 1 to 1 . 2 . a wide variety of hydrocarbonaceous fuels containing substantially no metals nor noncombustible materials are suitable as feedstocks for the partial oxidation process , either alone or in combination with each other . the hydrocarbonaceous feed may be gaseous , liquid or solid . the hydrocarbonaceous feeds include fossil fuels such as : various liquid hydrocarbon fuels including petroleum distillates , liquefied petroleum gas , naphtha , kerosine , gasoline , gas oil , fuel oil , coal oil , shale oil , tar sand oil , aromatic hydrocarbons such as benzene , toluene , xylene fractions , coal tar , furfural extract of coker gas oil , and mixtures thereof . suitable liquid hydrocarbon fuel feeds as used herein are by definition liquid hydrocarbonaceous fuel feeds that have a gravity in degrees api in the range of about - 20 to 100 . included also by definition as a hydrocarbonaceous fuel are liquid oxygenated hydrocarbonaceous materials , i . e . liquid hydrocarbon materials containing combined oxygen , including alcohols , ketones , aldehydes , organic acids , esters , ethers , oxygenated fuel oil and mixtures thereof . further , a liquid oxygenated hydrocarbonaceous material may be in admixture with one of said liquid petroleum materials . included also are pumpable slurries of solid hydrocarbonaceous fuels , e . g . particulate carbon and other ash - free carbon - containing solids in a liquid hydrocarbon fuel and mixtures thereof . by definition , gaseous hydrocarbonaceous fuels include natural gas , methane , ethane , propane , butane , pentane , water gas , coke - oven gas , refinery gas , acetylene tail gas , ethylene off - gass , and mixtures thereof . both gaseous and liquid fuels may be mixed and used simultaneously and may include paraffinic , olefinic , naphthenic and aromatic compounds . in conventional partial oxidation procedures , it is normal to produce from ordinary hydrocarbonaceous fuel feeds about 0 . 2 to 20 weight percent of free carbon soot ( on the basis of carbon in the hydrocarbonaceous fuel feed ). the free carbon soot is produced in the reaction zone of the gas generator , for example , by cracking hydrocarbonaceous fuel feeds . carbon soot will prevent damage to the refractory lining in the generator by constituents which are present as ash components in some residual oils . in conventional synthesis gas generation processes with heavy crude or fuel oil feeds , it is preferable to leave about 1 to 3 weight percent of the carbon in the feed as free carbon soot in the product gas . with lighter distillate oils , progressively lower carbon soot yields are maintained . however , since the hydrocarbonaceous fuel feeds in the subject process are specified as being free from metals and ash - free , i . e . no noncombustible solids , carbon soot is not required in the reaction zone to protect the refractory lining and substantially all of the particulate carbon produced may be converted into carbon oxides . particulate carbon and the oxides of nitrogen may be eliminated from the subject process gas stream primarily by regulating the oxygen to carbon ratio ( o / c , atoms of oxygen in oxidant per atom of carbon in hydrocarbonaceous feed ) in the range of about 1 . 7 to stoichiometric and preferably 0 . 2 less than stoichiometric , wherein by definition the term &# 34 ; stoichiometric &# 34 ; means the stoichiometric number of atoms of oxygen theoretically required to completely react with each mole of hydrocarbonaceous feedstock to produce carbon dioxide and water . thus , the ( o / c , atom / atom ) ratio may be in the range of about 1 . 7 to 4 . 0 and preferably 2 . 0 to 3 . 8 for gaseous hydrocarbonaceous fuels ; and in the range of about 1 . 7 to 3 . 0 and preferably 2 . 0 to 2 . 8 for liquid hydrocarbonaceous fuels . when the o / c atomic ratio reaches stoichiometric , the moles of h 2 and co in the product gas theoretically drop to zero . the weight ratio of air to hydrocarbonaceous fuel may be in the range of about 7 to 22 . in the above relationship , the o / c ratio is to be based upon the total of free oxygen atoms in the oxidant stream plus combined oxygen atoms in the hydrocarbonaceous fuel feed molecules . in order to operate the subject generator over the entire o / c range , i . e . about 1 . 7 to 4 . 0 , additional cooling may have to be provided in some cases to keep the reaction temperature from exceeding 3000 ° f . in the subject process , the nitrogen in the air reactant is sufficient to act as the temperature moderator and will prevent the reaction zone temperature from exceeding 3000 ° f . when the o / c atomic ratio is 3 and below for a gaseous hydrocarbonaceous fuel , or when the o / c atomic ratio is 2 and below for a liquid hydrocarbonaceous fuel . in such instance , for example , no supplemental h 2 o other than that normally found in the reactant streams need be introduced into the reaction zone as a temperature moderator since the nitrogen in the air is an adequate temperature moderator . however , when the o / c atomic ratios exceed these specified ranges , then some form of additional cooling may be used . thus , in the subject process , the reaction temperature may be maintained at a maximum of 3000 ° f . when the hydrocarbonaceous fuel is in the gaseous phase and the o / c atomic ratio is above 3 . 0 to 4 . 0 or when said hydrocarbonaceous fuel is in the liquid phase and the o / c atomic ratio is above 2 . 0 to 3 . 0 by recycling a cooled portion of the effluent inert gas stream to the reaction zone . for example , sufficient effluent gas from the reaction zone may be cooled to a temperature in the range of about 80 ° to 300 ° f . by external heat exchange and then recycled to the gas generator to maintain the reaction zone at a maximum temperature of 3000 ° f . alternatively , cooling of the gas in the reaction zone may be effected by installing water - cooled coils in the gas generator , or by simultaneously introducing a small amount of supplemental h 2 o from an external source into the reaction zone along with said reactants in the amount of about 0 . 5 to 1 . 0 and preferably less than 0 . 15 parts by weight of h 2 o per part by weight of fuel . the hot effluent gas stream from the reaction zone of the synthesis gas generator may be cooled to a temperature in the range of about 80 ° to 900 ° f . by indirect heat exchange in a waste heat boiler . this nitrogen - rich gas stream may be used as an inert gas mixture or may be dried and purified by conventional procedures to separate any or all of the unwanted constituents . thus , by conventional means substantially all of the h 2 o may be removed from the process gas stream . for example , the clean process gas stream may be cooled to a temperature below the dew point of water by conventional means to condense out and separate h 2 o . next , the feed stream may be substantially dehydrated by contact with a desiccant such as alumina . in other embodiments , by conventional gas purification methods including , for example , cryogenic cooling and solvent absorption , h 2 , co and acid gas ( co 2 , h 2 s and cos ) may be removed ; or alternately , only the sulfur - containing gases ( if present ) and not the co 2 may be separated from the effluent gas from the gas generator . for example , the dry process gas stream may be cooled to a temperature near the triple point in the range of about - 70 ° to - 50 ° f . to condense out and separate a liquid stream comprising from about 0 to 70 volume percent of the co 2 , h 2 s and cos originally present ( depending upon the pressure and the amount present in the raw gas ). further purification of the process gas stream may be effected by any suitable conventional system employing physical absorption with a liquid solvent , e . g . cold methanol , n - methyl - pyrrolidone . a simplified system in which removal of the remaining h 2 s , cos , co 2 and h 2 o may be accomplished by physical absorption in cold methanol will be described below . in a conventional liquid - gas absorption column , e . g . tray - type , at a temperature in the range of about - 20 ° to - 70 ° f . and a pressure in the range of about 25 to 150 atmospheres , about 10 to 20 standard cubic feed ( scf ) of the partially purified process gas stream are contacted by each pound of cold methanol . preferably , the pressure in the absorption column is the same as the pressure in the gas generator less ordinary drop in the lines and equipment . the solvent rate is inversely proportional to the pressure and to the solubility . solubility is a function of temperature and the compositions of the solvent and of the gas mixture . acid gases are highly soluble in methanol at high pressures and low temperatures . then , when the pressure is reduced , these gases may be readily stripped from the solvent without the costly steam requirement of conventional chemical - absorption methods . the difference in solubility between co 2 and the gaseous sulfur compounds in methanol and in most polar solvents makes it possible to selectively remove h 2 s and cos before co 2 removal . further , the h 2 s and cos may be concentrated into a fraction suitable for feeding a conventional claus unit where elemental sulfur is produced . the process gas stream leaving the gas purification zone may have the following composition in mole %: n 2 61 to 99 ; a 0 . 75 to 1 . 21 ; h 2 nil to 23 ; co nil to 17 ; and ch 4 nil to 1 . 3 ; co 2 nil to 2000 ppm ; h 2 s nil to 10 ppm ; and cos nil to 10 ppm . this gas stream may be used as an inert blanket gas in a carburizing process or reforming furnace . the liquid solvent absorbent leaving the gas purification zone charged with acid gas may be regenerated by suitable conventional techniques , including flashing , stripping , boiling and combinations thereof , to produce a co 2 - rich gas stream and a separate stream of sulfur - containing gases . this h 2 s - rich gas stream may be introduced into a conventional claus unit for the production of byproduct sulfur . optionally , the process gas stream leaving the acid gas absorption zone may be purified to remove the other noninert impurities . a co - rich gas stream and a separate h 2 - rich gas stream substantially comprising 98 to 99 mole % hydrogen may be obtained thereby . any suitable conventional system employing physical absorption with a liquid solvent may be employed for obtaining the co - rich gas stream from the effluent gas stream leaving the acid gas absorption column . the co - rich gas stream comprises 98 mole % co and 2 mole % co 2 . for example , the effluent gas stream from the acid gas scrubber may be contacted in a conventional packed or tray - type column with a countercurrent stream of cuprous acetate dissolved in aqua - ammonia solution . in another embodiment , the effluent gas from the generator may be burned in a second stage with a controlled amount of air and optionally with a combustion catalyst to convert all of the h 2 and co into h 2 o and co 2 without producing soot , no x or free oxygen in the process gas stream . the h 2 o and optionally co 2 , h 2 s and cos may be then removed from the process gas stream in the gas purification zone in the manner previously described . the following example is offered as a better understanding of the present invention , but the invention is not to be construed as unnecessarily limited thereto . the process fuel oil in this example has a gravity of 17 . 7 ° api , a gross heating value of 18 , 650 btu / pound , and the following analysis in weight percent : c 86 . 5 ; h 11 . 2 ; o 0 . 0 ; n 0 . 5 ; s 1 . 8 ; ash nil ; and metals nil . 357 pounds per hour of said process fuel oil at a temperature of about 60 ° f . are charged into the reaction zone of a free - flow , unpacked , noncatalytic , refractory - lined gas generator by way of the annulus passage of a conventional annulus - type burner . simultaneously , 39 , 559 standard cubic feet per hour of dry air at a temperature of about 63 ° f . are passed into the reaction zone by way of the center passage of said burner so as to atomize said fuel oil feed at the tip of the burner . the resulting mixture of oil and air is reacted at an autogenous temperature of about 2700 ° f . and at a pressure of 21 atmospheres . 44 , 289 standard cubic feet per hour of an inert effluent gas stream are discharged from the reaction zone having the following analysis in mole % ( dry basis ): n 2 69 . 8 ; co 2 5 . 8 ; a 0 . 9 ; h 2 7 . 2 ; co 16 . 2 ; ch 4 nil ; h 2 s o . 2 ; cos 0 . 01 ; and no x less than 0 . 5 ppm . this inert gas stream may be used for oil formation flooding or as a blanketing gas when small amounts of co and h 2 are not objectionable . optionally , all of the h 2 , co , ch 4 , h 2 s , cos and h 2 o may be removed by conventional gas purification techniques to produce an inert gas mixture comprising in mole %: n 2 91 . 2 ; co 2 7 . 6 ; and a 1 . 2 . this inert gas stream may be used as a pressurizing gas or as a blanketing gas . the process of the invention has been described generally and by example with reference to an oil feedstock of particular composition for purposes of clarity and illustration only . it will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the foregoing that various modifications of the process and the materials disclosed herein can be made without departure from the spirit of the invention .	2
embodiments of the present invention are described below in detail . the embodiments below are exemplified for the purpose of embodying the technical spirit of the present invention . it is not intended to limit the present invention to the embodiments . the present invention is equally applicable to various modifications made without departing from the technical spirit described in the claims . first of all , a detailed method for preparing a positive electrode is described . a positive electrode active material was prepared as described below . lithium carbonate was used as a lithium source . cobalt tetroxide was used as a cobalt source . magnesium oxide was used as a magnesium source serving as a lithium - substituting element . after lithium carbonate , cobalt tetroxide , and magnesium oxide wore dry - mixed such that the molar ratio of lithium to maqnesium was 99 : 1 and the molar ratio of a combination of lithium and magnesium to cobalt was 1 : 1 , powder was formed into a pellet . the pellet was fired at 900 ° c . for 24 hours in an air atmosphere , whereby the positive electrode active material was prepared . next , a rare - earth compound was attached to the surface by a wet method as described below . with 3 liters of pure water , 1 , 000 g of the positive electrode active material was mixed , followed by stirring , whereby a suspension containing the positive electrode active material dispersed therein was prepared . a solution containing 1 . 85 g of erbium nitrate tetrahydrate serving as a rare - earth compound source was added to the suspension in such a manner that an aqueous solution of sodium hydroxide was added to the suspension such that the ph of the suspension was maintained at 9 . incidentally , when the ph of the suspension is less than 9 , erbium hydroxide and erbium oxyhydroxide are unlikely to be deposited . when the ph of the suspension is greater than 9 , the deposition rate of these compounds is high and the dispersion of these compounds on the surface of the positive electrode active material is uneven . next , the suspension was suction - filtered , followed by water washing , whereby powder was obtained . the powder was dried at 120 ° c . and was then heat - treated at 300 ° c . for 5 hours , whereby a positive electrode active material powder in which erbium hydroxide was uniformly attached to the surface of the positive electrode active material was obtained . fig1 shows a sem image of the positive electrode active material having a rare - earth compound attached to the surface thereof . it was confirmed that an erbium compound was attached to the surface of the positive electrode active material in such a state that the erbium compound was evenly dispersed . the erbium compound had an average particle size of 100 nm or less . the amount of the attached erbium compound was 0 . 07 parts by mass with respect to the positive electrode active material in terms of erbium as measured by inductively coupled high - frequency plasma emission spectrometry ( hereinafter referred to as icp ). the following materials were mixed together : 96 . 5 parts by mass of the positive electrode active material , prepared as described above , having the rare - earth compound attached to the surface thereof ; 1 . 5 parts by mass acetylene black serving as a conductive agent ; and 2 . 0 parts by mass of a polyvinylidene fluoride powder serving as a binding agent . the mixture was mixed with an n - methylpyrrolidone solution , whereby positive electrode mix slurry was prepared . next , the positive electrode mix slurry was applied to both surfaces of 15 μm thick aluminium foil serving as a positive electrode current collector by a doctor blade process , whereby a positive electrode active material mix layer was formed on each of both surfaces of the positive electrode current collector . after being dried , the positive electrode active material mix layers were rolled using compaction rollers and were cut to a predetermined size , whereby a positive electrode plate was prepared . an aluminium tab serving as a positive electrode current - collecting tab was attached to a portion of the positive electrode plate that was not covered by the positive electrode active material mix layers , whereby a positive electrode was prepared . the amount of the positive electrode active material mix layers was 39 mg / cm 2 . the positive electrode mix layers had a thickness of 120 μm . graphite , carboxymethylcellulose serving as a thickening agent , and styrene - butadiene rubber serving as a binding agent were weighed at a mass ratio of 98 : 1 : 1 and were dispersed in water , whereby negative electrode mix slurry was prepared . the negative electrode mix slurry was applied to both surfaces of a negative electrode core , made of copper , having a thickness of 8 μm by a doctor blade process , followed by removing moisture by drying at 110 ═ c ., whereby negative electrode active material layers were formed . the negative electrode active material layers were rolled using compaction rollers and were cut to a predetermined size , whereby a negative electrode plate was prepared . fluoroethylene carbonate ( fec ) and fluorinated propione carbonate ( fmp ) were prepared as nonaqueous solvents . fec and fmp were mixed at a volume ratio of 20 : 60 at 25 ° c . lithium hexafluorophosphate was dissolved in this nonaqueous solvent such that the concentration of lithium hexafluorophosphate was 1 mol / l , whereby a nonaqueous electrolyte was prepared . as shown in fig3 and 4 , a laminate - type nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery 20 includes a laminate enclosure 21 ; a wound electrode assembly 22 , flatly formed , including a positive electrode plate and a negative electrode plate ; a positive electrode current - collecting tab 23 connected to the positive electrode plate ; and a negative electrode current - collecting tab 24 connected to the negative electrode plate . the wound electrode assembly 22 includes the positive electrode plate , the negative electrode plate , and a separator , the positive electrode plate , the negative electrode plate , and the separator being strip - shaped . the positive electrode plate and the negative electrode plate are wound with the separator therebetween in such a state that the positive electrode plate and the negative electrode plate are insulated from each other with the separator . the laminate enclosure 21 includes a recessed portion 25 . one end side of the laminate enclosure 21 is bent so as to cover an opening of the recessed portion 25 . an end portion 26 located around the recessed portion 23 is welded to a bent portion facing the end portion 26 , whereby an inner portion of the laminate enclosure 21 is sealed . the wound electrode assembly 22 and a nonaqueous electrolyte solution are housed in the sealed inner portion of the laminate enclosure 21 . the positive electrode current - collecting tab 23 and the negative electrode current - collecting tab 24 are arranged to protrude from the laminate enclosure 21 . the laminate enclosure 21 is sealed with a resin member 27 . electricity is supplied to the outside through the positive electrode current - collecting tab 23 and the negative electrode current - collecting tab 24 . the resin member 27 is placed between the laminate enclosure 21 and each of the positive electrode current - collecting tab 23 and the negative electrode current - collecting tab 24 for the purpose of increasing the adhesion and the purpose of preventing a short circuit through an aluminium alloy layer in a laminate member . the laminate - type nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery was prepared as described below . that is , the positive and negative electrode plates prepared as described above were wound with a separator therebetween , the separator being composed of a microporous membrane made of polyethylene , followed by attaching a polypropylene tape to the outermost periphery , whereby a cylindrical wound electrode assembly was prepared . the cylindrical wound electrode assembly was pressed , whereby a flat wound electrode assembly was prepared . the following member was prepared : a sheet - shaped laminate member having a five - layer structure consisting of a polypropylene resin layer , an adhesive agent layer , an aluminium alloy layer , an adhesive material layer , and a polypropylene resin layer . the laminate member was bent , whereby a bottom portion and a cup - shaped electrode assembly storage space were formed . next , the flat wound electrode assembly and the nonaqueous electrolyte were provided in the cup - shaped electrode assembly storage space in a glove box under an argon atmosphere . thereafter , the separator was impregnated with the nonaqueous electrolyte by evacuating the inside of a laminate enclosure and an opening of the laminate enclosure was then sealed . in this way , the laminate - type nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery was prepared so as to have a height of 62 mm , a width of 35 mm , and a thickness of 3 . 6 mm ( dimensions excluding a sealing portion ). in the case where the nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery was charged to 4 . 50 v and was then discharged to 2 . 50 v , the discharge capacity thereof was 900 mah . the laminate - type nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery ( hereinafter referred to as the pouch cell in some cases ) was subjected to a charge - discharge test under conditions below . the battery was charged at a constant current of 400 ma until the voltage of the battery reached 4 . 50 v . after the battery voltage reached each value , the battery was charged at a constant voltage until the current reached 40 ma . the battery was discharged at a constant current of 800 ma until the battery voltage reached 2 . 50 v , followed by measuring the amount of electricity flowing in this operation , whereby the first - cycle discharge capacity was determined . the potential of graphite used in a negative electrode is about 0 . 1 v versus lithium . therefore , the potential of a positive electrode is about 4 . 53 v to 4 . 60 v versus lithium at a battery voltage of 4 . 50 v . charge and discharge were repeated under the same conditions as the above , the 100th - cycle discharge capacity was measured , and the capacity retention was calculated using an equation below . measurement was performed at temperatures of 25 ° c . and 45 ° c . capacity retention (%)=( 100th - cycle discharge capacity / first - cycle discharge capacity )× 100 a method for preparing a monopolar cell is described using fig2 . as shown in fig2 , the monopolar cell 10 includes a measurement electrode section 14 including a positive electrode 11 , a negative electrode 12 , and a separator 13 placed between the positive electrode 11 and the negative electrode 12 and also includes a reference electrode section 16 including a reference electrode 15 placed therein . the measurement electrode section 14 and the reference electrode section 16 are filled with a nonaqueous electrolyte solution 18 . the negative electrode 12 and the reference electrode 15 are made of metallic lithium . the negative electrode 12 has a size capable of facing the positive electrode 11 . the prepared monopolar cell 10 has a theoretical capacity of 100 mah . in order to calculate the amount of a magnesium compound deposited on the negative electrode , the monopolar cell was charged at a constant current of 0 . 15 lt (− 15 ma ) until the potential of the positive electrode reached 4 . 60 v . thereafter , the battery was disassembled and the negative electrode was then analyzed by icp , whereby the compound was determined . the percentage of the magnesium compound of the negative electrode was calculated by the following equation : percentage of magnesium compound (%)= amount of magnesium in negative electrode / amount of magnesium in positive electrode active material × 100 . nickel hydroxide and manganese dioxide were used as a nickel source and a manganese source , respectively , serving as cobalt - substituting element sources . dry mixing was performed such that the molar ratio of lithium to magnesium was 99 : 1 , the molar ratio of cobalt to nickel to manganese was 90 : 5 : 5 , and the molar ratio of a combination of lithium and magnesium to a combination of cobalt , nickel , and manganese was 1 : 1 , followed by forming powder into a pellet . the pellet was fired at 900 ° c . for 24 hours in an air atmosphere , whereby a positive electrode active material was prepared . a monopolar cell 10 and a laminate - type nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery 20 wore prepared in substantially the same manner as that described in experiment example 1 except those described above . a monopolar cell 10 and a laminate - type nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery 20 were prepared in substantially the same manner as that described in experiment example 2 except that a positive electrode active material was prepared such that the molar ratio of lithium to magnesium was 97 : 3 . a monopolar cell 10 and a laminate - type nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery 20 were prepared in substantially the same manner as that described in experiment example 1 except that a positive electrode active material was prepared such that magnesium was not substituted . results of charge / discharge cycles and the amount of a magnesium compound on each negative electrode are shown in table 1 . in 25 ° c . cycles , experiment example 4 exhibits a retention of 63 % after 100 cycles and experiment examples 1 to 3 exhibit a high value of 86 % or more . in 45 ° c . cycles . experiment example 4 exhibits 47 %, which is significantly lower than room temperature , and experiment examples 1 to 3 exhibit a value of 62 % or more , which exceeds that of experiment example 4 . this is probably because the stable presence of magnesium in a lithium layer stabilized the crystal structure of the lithium layer and charge / discharge cycle characteristics could be improved . furthermore , in experiment examples 1 to 3 , it is confirmed that 4 . 6 % or more of a magnesium compound is deposited on a negative electrode with respect to magnesium in a positive electrode . it is conceivable that the magnesium compound deposited on the negative electrode formed a protective film for the negative electrode to suppress the reaction of the surface of the negative electrode with an electrolyte solution and therefore charge / discharge cycle characteristics could be improved . a monopolar cell 10 and a laminate - type nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery 20 were prepared in substantially the same manner as that described in experiment example 1 except that a positive electrode active material was prepared such that the molar ratio of lithium to magnesium was 97 : 3 . a monopolar cell 10 and a laminate - type nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery 20 were prepared in substantially the same manner as that described in experiment example 1 except that a positive electrode active material was prepared such that the molar ratio of lithium to magnesium was 95 : 5 . results of charge / discharge cycles are shown in table 2 . in 25 ° c . cycles , experiment example 4 exhibits a retention of 65 % after 100 cycles and experiment examples 1 , 5 , and 6 exhibit a high value of 83 % or more . in 45 ° c . cycles , experiment example 4 exhibits 47 %, which is significantly lower than room temperature , and experiment examples 1 , 5 , and 6 exhibit a value of 50 % or more , which exceeds that of experiment example 4 . this is probably because the crystal structure of the lithium layer was stabilized even in the case of substituting a lot of magnesium and charge / discharge cycle characteristics could be improved . next , the prepared positive electrode active materials were measured by powder x - ray diffraction for the purpose of checking whether magnesium was present in a lithium layer . results obtained by measuring the positive electrode active material of experiment example 1 by powder x - ray diffraction ( hereinafter referred to as xrd ) are shown in fig5 . all peaks could be assigned to the space group r - 3m and could be indexed as specified by a three - digit number in fig5 . experiment examples 2 to 6 yielded similar results . next , the diffraction peak intensity ratio 003 / 104 of the plane indices 003 to the plane indices 104 was calculated . the diffraction intensity is a measure of cation mixing occupied by divalent nickel ions ( 0 . 69 { acute over ( å )}) with an ionic radius close to that of lithium ions ( 0 . 76 { acute over ( å )}) in a lithium layer . as the peak intensity ratio is smaller , the degree of cation mixing is greater . it is known that the intensity ratio is 1 . 37 or less . divalent magnesium ions ( 0 . 72 { acute over ( å )}) have an ionic radius close to that of lithium ions and nickel ions . therefore , whether the cation mixing of magnesium occurred was judged from the intensity ratio . measurement results of the diffraction peak intensity ratio 003 / 104 are shown in table 3 below . experiment example 4 exhibits 1 . 39 and experiment examples 1 to 3 , 5 , and 6 exhibit 1 . 37 or less . this confirms that magnesium is present in a lithium layer . next , xrd measurement was performed during charge for the purpose of checking whether a prepared positive electrode active material suppressed the phase transition from an o3 structure to an h1 - 3 structure in which the crystal structure is significantly disrupted during high - potential charge . the monopolar cell prepared in each of experiment examples 1 to 6 was charged at a constant current of 0 . 15 lt (= 15 ma ) until the potential of the positive electrode reached 4 . 50 v and 4 . 60 v versus lithium . after the batteries were disassembled , the positive electrode active materials prepared in experiment examples 1 to 6 were measured by xrd in such a state that positive electrode active materials were not exposed to air for the purpose of preventing the positive electrode active materials from reacting with oxygen or moisture in air . fig6 to 11 show xrd of the plane indices 003 after charge . referring to fig6 to 11 , reference numeral 31 represents an uncharged electrode , reference numeral 32 represents a 4 . 50 v charged electrode , and reference numeral 33 represents a 4 . 60 v charged electrode . in general , it is known that after a 003 peak shifts to a lower angle in accordance with charge , the 003 peak begins to shift to a higher angle and shifts to an angle higher than that of the peak before charge when the h1 - 3 structure appears . in experiment example 4 , it is clear that a peak of the 4 . 60 v charged electrode 33 shifts to an angle higher than a peak of the uncharged electrode 31 as shown in fig1 . therefore , in experiment example 4 , it is clear that the h1 - 3 structure obviously appears during 4 . 60 v charge . however , in experiment examples 1 to 3 , 5 , and 6 , the 4 . 60 v charged electrode 33 is present at an angle lower than the uncharged electrode 31 as shown in fig6 to 10 . from this , it is conceivable that in experiment examples 1 to 3 , 5 , and 6 , the phase transition from o3 to h1 - 3 was suppressed by the substitution of magnesium . a nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery according to an aspect of the present invention is applicable to , for example , applications , such as mobile phones , notebook personal computers , smartphones , and tablet terminals , requiring particularly high capacity and long life .	8
the invention will be described with reference to the printer 10 and attached stacker 12 shown in fig1 . the invention may be implemented in any document production system in which it is necessary or desirable to use an imaging material binder . printer 10 and stacker 12 , therefore , represent generally any suitable printing device ( e . g ., printers , copiers , and multi - function peripherals ) and associated post print finishing device in which imaging material is used to bind a printed documented . referring to fig1 printer 10 and stacker 12 together make up a document production system designated generally by reference number 14 . printed sheets are output by printer 10 to stacker 12 where they are routed to an upper / loose sheet output bin 16 or to a lower / stacker output bin 18 . unbound sheets are collected face up in loose sheet bin 16 . bound documents are collected face down in stacker bin 18 . a stacker 12 constructed according to one embodiment of the invention will now be described with reference to fig2 . fig2 is a side elevation view looking into stacker 12 showing the flipper module 20 , paper path module 22 , accumulator module 24 and binder module 26 . each module is mounted to a frame 28 . frame 28 , which forms the main body or “ skeleton ” of stacker 12 , is made from sheet metal or other suitable structurally stable materials . a power supply 30 and controller 32 are mounted to the lower portion of frame 28 . power supply 30 and controller 32 are electrically connected to the operative components of modules 20 , 22 , 24 and 26 . controller 32 contains the electronic circuitry and programming necessary to control and coordinate various functions of the components in stacker 12 . the details of the circuitry and programming of controller 32 are not particularly important to the invention as long as the controller design is sufficient to direct the desired functions as described below . the modular design of stacker 12 shown in fig2 is adapted from the hewlett - packard company model c8085a stapler / stacker . each module 20 , 22 , 24 and 26 is operatively coupled to but otherwise independent of the adjacent module . in the stacker of the present invention , the stapler module used in the c8085a stapler / stacker is replaced with binder module 26 and controller 32 is modified accordingly to control the operation of an imaging material binder rather than a stapler . for sheets that will be stacked , bound and output to bin 18 , flipper 20 makes the leading edge of each sheet output by printer 10 the trailing edge for routing to paper path 22 and accumulator 24 . flipping the sheets in this manner from face up to face down is necessary to properly stack the sheets in accumulator 24 prior to binding . paper path 22 moves each sheet face down to accumulator 24 where the sheets are collected , registered , moved to binder 26 ( when binding is desired ) and then output to bin 18 ( bound or unbound ). binder 26 reactivates the imaging material applied to select binding regions on sheets collected in accumulator 24 to bind the sheets together . the operation of flipper 20 , paper path 22 , accumulator 24 and binder 26 will now be described in more detail with reference to fig3 - 10 . fig3 shows a sheet routed to loose sheet bin 16 . fig4 - 7 show a sheet routed to accumulator 24 in preparation for binding . fig8 - 10 show the stack routed to binder 26 , bound and then ejected to stacker bin 18 . referring to fig3 a sheet of paper or other print media 34 is output by printer 10 to stacker 12 through printer output rollers 35 and received into flipper 20 through flipper receiving port 37 . as flipper entry sensor 36 detects sheet 34 entering flipper 20 , flipper entry rollers 38 and flipper tray rollers 40 are driven forward as indicated by arrows 42 to move sheet 34 toward bin 16 . for sheets routed to loose sheet bin 16 through flipper discharge port 39 , rollers 38 and 40 are continually driven forward until sheet 34 reaches bin 16 . in the embodiment shown in the figures , flipper entry rollers 38 and flipper out rollers 44 share the same drive roller 46 . drive roller 46 is movable up or down to engage an opposing idler roller as necessary to move sheet 34 along one of two desired paper paths , as best seen by comparing fig3 and 4 . referring now to fig4 for sheets routed to accumulator 24 , flipper entry and tray rollers 38 and 40 are driven forward until just after the trailing edge of sheet 34 clears flipper entry rollers 38 , as detected by flipper middle sensor 48 , such that the trailing edge of sheet 34 clears directional guide 50 . then , drive roller 46 is moved down to flipper out roller 44 and reversed along with flipper tray rollers 40 to route sheet 34 toward paper path 22 through flipper routing port 41 and paper path receiving port 53 . paper path rollers 52 move sheet 34 through paper path 22 down to accumulator 24 . flipper exit sensor 54 detects when sheet 34 has cleared the flipper module 20 . paper path exit sensor 56 detects when sheet 34 has cleared the paper path module 24 through paper path discharge port 55 . exit sensors 54 and 56 are used to control paper path rollers 52 . when paper path exit sensor 56 detects that sheet 34 is leaving the paper path module 24 , then paper path rollers 52 are stopped unless another sheet has cleared the flipper module 20 as detected by flipper exit sensor 54 . referring to fig5 - 7 , sheet 34 is guided down from accumulator receiving port 59 through accumulator 24 to accumulator entry rollers 58 and on to accumulator eject rollers 60 . an accumulator entry sensor 62 is positioned immediately upstream from entry rollers 58 . as the trailing edge of sheet 34 passes through entry rollers 58 , as detected by entry sensor 62 , eject rollers 60 move the top sheet 34 back on to stack 64 in accumulator holding tray 66 , as best seen by comparing fig5 and 7 . in the embodiment shown in the figures , eject rollers 60 are configured as a pair of variably spaced rollers that are selectively driven as necessary to move top sheet 34 or stack 64 . as shown in fig5 and 6 , eject rollers 60 are spaced apart or “ open ” to receive top sheet 34 . then , the rollers come together and the top roller is driven counterclockwise to move top sheet 34 on to stack 64 , as shown in fig7 . eject rollers 60 are driven together , as shown in fig8 and 10 , counter - clockwise to move stack 64 into binder 76 ( fig8 ) or clockwise to move stack 64 into lower output bin 18 ( fig1 ). although not shown , at the same time each sheet 34 is routed to holding tray 64 , sheet 34 is aligned with the other sheets in stack 66 . a binding operation will now be described with reference to fig8 - 11 . referring to fig8 once all the sheets in the document are accumulated in stack 64 , eject rollers 60 draw stack 64 back slightly from registration wall 68 , registration wall 68 is dropped and eject rollers 60 are reversed to move the edge of stack 64 forward into binder 26 through accumulator binding port 63 . retainer 70 is then lowered against stack 64 to hold stack 64 in position during binding . referring now also to fig1 , binder 26 includes mounting brackets 72 , reversible motor 74 ( not shown in fig1 ) and press 76 . press 76 includes base 78 , carriage 80 , top support plate 82 , lead screw 84 and gear 86 . motor 74 is operatively connected to carriage 80 through gear 86 and lead screw 84 . carriage 80 moves alternately toward and away from base 78 along guide posts 90 at the urging of motor 74 . base 78 and carriage 80 are constructed as heated platens by , for example , applying resistive heating strips 88 along opposing surfaces of base 78 and carriage 80 . preferably , both platens ( base 78 and carriage 80 ) are heated when all sheets in the stack are bound at the same time . only the top platen ( carriage 80 ) needs to be heated when each page or small numbers of pages are bound to the stack using page by page binding techniques such as those described in the &# 39 ; 124 application referenced in the background . base 78 and carriage 80 , the binder platens , form an opening immediately adjacent to accumulator holding tray 66 . preferably , holding tray 66 and platens 78 and 80 are aligned at substantially the same angle to allow stack 64 to move easily into the opening between platens 78 and 80 . once the edge of stack 64 is positioned in binder 26 , heating strips 88 are activated and motor 74 is energized to close press 76 by driving carriage 80 against stack 64 and base 78 , as shown in fig9 . heat and pressure are thereby applied to the imaging material applied by printer 10 to the binding region along the edge of the sheets in stack 64 . motor 74 is then reversed to open press 76 by driving carriage 80 away from stack 64 and base 78 . retainer 76 is raised off the now bound stack 64 , ejector rollers 60 are reversed again to route the bound stack 64 through accumulator discharge port 61 to stacker bin 18 , and registration wall 68 is raised in preparation for stacking the next print job , as shown in fig1 . while the present invention has been shown and described with reference to the foregoing exemplary embodiment , it is to be understood that other forms , details , and embodiments may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention which is defined in the following claims .	8
referring now to fig1 a block diagram illustrating a multimedia computer system according to one embodiment of the present invention is shown . it is noted that fig1 illustrates only portions of a functioning computer system , and those elements not necessary to the understanding of the operation of the present invention have been omitted for simplicity . as shown , the multimedia computer system includes a cpu 102 coupled to a host bus 106 . main memory 104 is also coupled to the host bus 106 . the host bus 106 is coupled to an expansion bus 112 by means of a bus controller 110 . the expansion bus may be any of various types including the at ( advanced technology ) bus or industry standard architecture ( isa ) bus , the eisa ( extended industry standard architecture ) bus , a microchannel ( mca ) bus , etc . a video card or video adapter such as a vga ( video graphics array ) card 120 is coupled to the expansion bus 112 and is adapted to interface to a video monitor 122 , as shown . the computer system may also include a video accelerator card 124 for performing compression / decompression ( codec ) functions . however , in the preferred embodiment the computer system does not include a video accelerator card . an audio card or sound card 130 is also coupled to the expansion bus 112 and interfaces to a speaker 132 . the audio board 130 is preferentially a sound blaster ii brand card made by creative labs , inc . of milpitas , calif . various mass storage devices are also coupled to the expansion bus 112 , preferably including a cd - rom 140 , and a hard drive 142 , as well as others . one or more of these mass storage devices store video and audio data which is used during presentation of a multimedia display . the audio and video data may be stored in any of a number of formats and may be stored on different media . further , the audio and video data may be stored on media located in other computer systems that are connected to the computer system via a network . thus the present invention can operate in a distributed environment . it is noted that a multimedia computer system according to the present invention may be configured in any of a number of ways . for example , the video and audio card 120 and 130 , as well as one or more of the mass storage devices 140 or 142 may be coupled to a cpu local bus such as the pci ( peripheral compact interconnect ) bus , or the vesa ( video enhanced standards association ) local bus , as desired . various other computer configurations are also contemplated , such as a distributed system . in the preferred embodiment of the invention , the multimedia computer system illustrated in fig1 operates using the windows 3 . 1 operating system from microsoft corporation of redmond , washington . the computer system also preferably includes the microsoft windows multimedia extension software , including microsoft &# 39 ; s media control interface and associated drivers . the windows media control interface ( mci ) is a set of high - level commands that provide a device - independent interface for controlling multimedia devices and media files . the mci command set is designed to provide a generic core set of commands to control different types of media devices . because of the high level of device independence provided by the mci command set , a programmer can use mci commands rather than a low level api to access the multimedia capabilities of windows . it is noted that the computer system may use other operating systems and other multimedia software , as desired . the computer system includes video and audio drivers which interface to video and audio hardware , respectively . the audio driver interfaces between the multimedia operating system and the audio card 130 . the video driver interfaces between the operating system and the video accelerator card , if any . in the preferred embodiment , which does not include a video accelerator 124 , the video driver does not actually interface to any video hardware , but rather performs various video data processing on the main cpu 102 . in the preferred embodiment , the video driver is comprised in the intel audio - visual kernel ( avk ). the audio driver is preferably an mci compliant wav driver corresponding to the respective audio card 130 . the computer system also includes a synchronization method according to the present invention which synchronizes the audio and video data streams during a multimedia presentation to ensure that the appropriate sounds are generated by the speaker 132 when the corresponding images are being displayed by the video monitor 122 . referring now to fig2 the microsoft windows &# 39 ; multimedia extensions software architecture is illustrated . as shown in fig2 a multimedia application 200 directs a computer system to present a multimedia display by interfacing to the hardware through the operating system and various device driver layers . the block 210 includes the windows kernel and graphics device interface ( gdi ), i . e ., the bulk of the windows operating system . as shown , the multimedia application 200 interfaces through the windows operating system 210 to windows device drivers 220 . the device drivers 220 interface to the various elements in the computer system including the printer , hard drive 142 , video monitor 122 , etc . the block 240 comprises the windows multimedia extensions software . this translation layer isolates applications from device drivers and centralizes device - independent code . the translation layer 240 translates a multimedia function call into a set of media control interface (&# 34 ; mci &# 34 ;) calls which interface to media control interface drivers 250 . as shown , the media control interface drivers interface to mass storage devices 260 and 270 such as the cd - rom 140 or hard drive 142 . the media control interface layer also communicates with mci compliant multimedia device drivers 230 using a set of low level functions , as shown . the multimedia hardware device drivers 230 directly control a multimedia device such as an audio card 130 or video accelerator 124 . for more information on the media control interface layer 240 , please see discover windows 3 . 1 multimedia by roger jennings ( que corp . 1992 ) chapters 23 and 24 , which is hereby incorporated by reference . please also see generally the microsoft multimedia programmer &# 39 ; s reference and the microsoft windows multimedia programmer &# 39 ; s workbook , available from microsoft corporation , which are both hereby incorporated by reference . the recording and presentation of multimedia displays is handled by the windows multimedia extension software in conjunction with the individual mci drivers . currently , not all multimedia drivers support mci commands and command options . in particular , optional commands used by some devices are not supported . an example of an option command is &# 34 ; set ,&# 34 ; which sets the operating state of a device . such a command would support the option &# 34 ; tempo 200 ,&# 34 ; for example , as a means of controlling the speed of the playback device . another example of an option command is the &# 34 ; pause &# 34 ; command , which suspends operation of a playback device , but leaves the device ready to resume playing immediately . one embodiment of the present invention avoids use of mci commands for querying the audio and video drivers and controlling the tempo and pausing of playback devices . in this embodiment the synchronization method of the present invention makes calls directly to the api of the audio and video drivers to obtain the necessary information and control the tempo of one of the respective data streams to maintain synchronization . the preferred embodiment of the invention uses the mci interface to access the respective multimedia device drivers to query the drivers as well as adjust the tempo of the data streams . in alterative embodiments of the invention , the synchronization method uses mci commands to interface to the audio driver and uses the direct api to access the video driver , or vice versa . multimedia storage devices can be classified as either simple devices or compound devices . simple devices do not require a data file for playback , and videodisc players and cd audio players are examples of simple devices . compound devices require a data file for playback and examples of compound devices include digital video players and waveform audio players . the preferred embodiment of the invention is used to synchronize audio and video data streams from compound devices . referring now to fig3 a prior art multimedia system that does not include the synchronizing method of the present invention is shown . as shown in fig3 audio and video data are stored in a multimedia system using one of a variety of storage devices 301 , 302 , and 303 , including the hard disk 142 or cd - rom 140 . if the audio and video data are stored in the audio - video interleave ( avi ) file format , then the audio and video data are interleaved together on the storage media in the same file . alternatively , the audio and video data are stored on different storage media , perhaps on different computer systems connected via a network . as previously noted , the present invention operates regardless of whether the audio and video data are interleaved together , stored on separate media , or stored on separate computer systems . the audio and video data are provided to the cpu 102 , which is preferably executing the microsoft windows operating system 307 , as well as the microsoft multimedia extension software . the multimedia extension software invokes the media control interface ( mci ) layer software 309 , which in turn invokes respective mci digital drivers 311 to provide the respective data streams to the respective hardware subsystems . as shown , the mci digital driver 311 communicates with the video driver in the intel audio - video kernel ( avk ) 341 . the video driver in the avk performs various processing on the video data and interfaces to video accelerator hardware 124 , if any . the video driver in the avk 341 also monitors the frame number of the video frame being played . the video data is then provided to the video frame buffer 345 in the video adaptor ( vga card ) 120 where it is then displayed on the video monitor 122 . the mci digital driver 311 also communicates with the audio driver 331 to provide the audio data 313 to the respective hardware audio card 130 to the speaker 132 . the audio driver 331 is preferably an mci - compliant driver . thus , audio data is read from the respective storage device and provided to the audio card 130 by the mci driver 311 and the audio drivers 331 executing on the cpu 102 . the audio driver 331 monitors the number of bytes of audio data processed from the start of a particular set of data . as discussed in the background section , prior art multimedia systems provide generally unsynchronized audio and video outputs during a multimedia presentation due to the inherent difficulty of synchronizing separate audio and video data streams passing through separate audio and video subsystems and controlled by separate audio and video drivers . numerous factors can affect the playback of the audio and video data streams , including the greater amount and more variable amount of processing required for the video data as well as other demands that can be made on the system . as discussed above , a large amount of processing may be required before the video data can be displayed on the video monitor 122 . for example , if the video &# 39 ; s color depth is higher than the display &# 39 ; s , as when an avi file is played with 16 - bit video on an 8 - bit display , colors must be dithered to fit within the display &# 39 ; s color restrictions . also , if the playback window size differs from the resolution at which the video was captured , each frame must be scaled . video and audio data processing can be adversely affected by a number of other factors , including a slow hard disk , a slow cd - rom controller , and a slow display controller or audio card . during this process , it becomes virtually impossible for the environment to maintain the audio and video data properly synchronized while managing other critical tasks . as discussed in the background section , prior art methods , to the extent there are any , have proved inadequate in maintaining synchronization between video and audio data streams . referring now to fig4 operation of the preferred embodiment of the present invention is illustrated . logical blocks in fig4 that are similar to those shown in fig3 are designated with the same reference numeral for convenience . as discussed above , the preferred embodiment uses an mci compatible interface to perform the synchronization method of the present invention . the preferred embodiment also uses the video driver in the intel audio video kernel ( avk ) 341 . because of the high level of device independence provided by the mci interface , the multimedia capabilities of microsoft windows can be accessed through mci protocols , rather than through low - level application program interfaces ( api ). the preferred embodiment uses the mci protocol and commands to interface with the video and audio drivers . these protocols are found in the microsoft windows software development kit , multimedia programmer &# 39 ; s guide , document number pc30253 - 0492 which can be obtained from microsoft corporation of redmond , washington . ( facsimile number 206 - 936 - 7329 ). in an alternative embodiment of the present invention , as mentioned above , the method of the present invention avoids the mci layer and instead communicates directly with the api of the video and audio drivers . bypassing the mci interface layer results in a slight speed increase due to the decreased overhead . the source code listing following this description implements an embodiment of the invention that bypasses the mci layer and instead communicates directly with the api of the audio and video drivers . as shown in fig4 video data and commands pass from the mci digital driver 311 to the video driver in the avk 341 via the data path 315 . the avk in turn provides data to the video hardware 124 , if any , which in turn provides the video data to the video frame buffer 345 in the video adaptor 120 . audio data and commands are transferred from the mci digital driver 311 to the audio driver 331 via data path 313 . the audio driver 331 in turn provides the data to the audio card 130 via data path 333 , and the speaker 132 produces sound corresponding to the audio data . the synchronization method of the present invention is performed by synchronization module block 421 . the synchronization module 421 comprises a method that is preferably implemented in software , and a source code listing of one embodiment of this method is located at the end of this specification . as noted above , the source code listing at the end of this specification operates by interfacing directly to the api of the audio and video drivers rather than going through the mci interface layer . otherwise the source code listing is similar to the preferred method . the mci digital driver 311 provides a signal to the synchronization module 421 over path 417 . the computer system includes a timer which periodically interrupts the mci layer 309 and mci driver 311 and directs the mci layer 309 to invoke the synchronization module 421 of the present invention . when the synchronization module 421 is invoked , the synchronization method queries the audio and video drivers 331 and 341 for the current position of the audio and video data . the synchronization module 421 is shown connected to the avk video driver 341 and the audio driver 331 . as noted above , the synchronization module 421 of the preferred embodiment of the invention interfaces to the avk video driver 341 and the audio driver 331 through the mci interface layer . in contrast , the source code listing at the end of this specification implements an embodiment that accesses the avk video driver 341 and audio driver 331 directly via the api of the respective drivers . the audio driver 331 provides audio position information to the synchronization module 421 over path 429 . the avk video driver 341 provides video frame position data over signal path 423 to the synchronization module 421 . the synchronization module 421 uses the audio and video frame rate information to compute a video tempo value that is provided to the avk video driver 341 . video tempo and pause commands are conveyed from the synchronization module to the avk 341 over signal path 425 , preferably routed through the mci layer 309 as discussed above . also , in the preferred embodiment , the synchronization module 421 provides a pause command to the audio driver 331 . in an alternate embodiment , the present invention maintains synchronization by adjusting the audio tempo , and the synchronization module 421 generates an audio playback tempo command that is conveyed to the audio driver 331 over signal path 427 . referring now to fig5 a and 5b , a flowchart diagram illustrating operation of the synchronization method performed by the synchronization module 421 according to the present invention is shown . the main portion of the synchronization method is located at lines 151 - 327 of the source code listing at the end of this specification . the synchronization method makes a function call to a function referred to as audframe -- decupl -- aud -- dev , which computes the audio frame number from the audio position . this function is located generally at lines 1 - 150 of the source code listing . when the synchronization method is invoked , in step 502 the method determines if this is the first time the method has been invoked . if so , then in step 504 the method calls the audio driver to obtain the wave rate , i . e ., how many kilohertz at which the audio is operating . in step 506 the method calculates and stores the number of bytes that are in an audio frame that is equivalent to a corresponding video frame . the method obtains the wave rate at which the audio is playing , determines how many bytes of audio are played each second , then calculates the equivalent number of bytes for each video frame using the known video frame rate . the equation used in this calculation is : in step 508 the synchronization method initializes other variables . for example , the method initializes a previous tempo variable to a starting value , preferably a nominal value . as discussed further below , this previous tempo variable is used to record the prior tempo variable provided to the video driver the last time the synchronization module was invoked . other variables can be initialized as desired . if the synchronization module is not being called for the first time in step 502 , then operation proceeds directly to step 510 . it is noted that the preferred embodiment of the invention operates as shown in fig5 a in steps 502 - 508 . however , in an alternate embodiment , steps 502 - 508 are performed elsewhere , such as in the audio driver 331 or the mci layer 309 . it is also noted that steps 502 - 508 are not included in the source code listing at the end of this specification . in step 510 the method determines the current video frame number . the synchronization method of the present invention calls the respective video driver 341 controlling the video hardware ( if any ) to determine what video frame number is currently being played . this call preferably uses mci interface commands . in step 512 the method calls the respective audio driver to determine the current audio position , i . e ., which audio byte is currently being played . this call also preferably utilizes mci commands . in an alternate embodiment , the call to the video driver is made directly to the api of the video driver , and the call to the audio driver involves a call directly to the api of the . wav audio driver 331 to determine what audio byte is currently being played . in step 514 the method then calculates the equivalent audio frame number being played using the audio frame rate value calculated and stored in step 506 . as shown in the source code listing at the end of this specification , step 514 invokes a function referred to as audframe -- decupl -- aud -- dev . this function calculates the current audio frame number using a fraction representing the number of bytes per equivalent audio frame to determine the audio frame number . this function preferably does not use floating point numbers in the calculation due to the perceived unreliability of floating point numbers in some programming environments . referring to fig5 a and 5b and 6 , the preferred embodiment of the present invention requires that there be a common starting point for the audio and video data . fig6 illustrates an audio data stream 604 and a video data stream 606 having a common starting point 602 . each audio data stream 604 includes audio frames 608 having audio data , and each video data stream 606 includes video frames 610 having video data . there is a time index of zero where the audio data stream 604 and video data stream 606 are both in synchrony , such that a first byte of the audio data stream 604 and a first byte of the video data stream 606 are generated simultaneously . in step 516 the method then calculates the synchronization error quantity . clearly , because audio data stream 604 and video data stream 606 have a common starting point 602 , calculating the synchronization error quantity essentially involves subtracting the current video frame number from the current audio frame number to determine the number of frames by which the audio and video are out of sync . in step 518 the method determines if the audio is too far ahead of the video and if the audio is still playing . in the preferred embodiment the method determines if the audio is more than 5 frames ahead of the video in step 518 . if the audio is determined to be too far ahead and is also playing in step 518 , then the method stops the audio in step 520 and then advances to step 522 . if the audio is either not too far ahead , i . e ., not more than 5 frames ahead , or the audio is not playing , then operation advances directly to step 522 . it is noted that if the audio is determined to be too far ahead in step 518 , i . e . more than 5 frames ahead of the video , then the synchronization method of the present invention may not be working , i . e ., the video tempo is not being set properly . another possibility is that the synchronization method is not being called often enough . it is noted that if the video advances too far ahead of the audio , then the video is simply slowed down using a lower video tempo . in step 522 the method determines if the audio is paused and the video has caught up to the audio . in the preferred embodiment , the video is considered to have caught up to the audio if the audio is less than 2 frames ahead of the video . if the audio is paused and the video is determined to have caught up to the audio , then the audio is restarted in step 524 . operation then advances to step 526 ( fig5 b ). if either the audio is not paused or the video has not caught up to the audio , then operation proceeds directly to step 526 . in step 526 the method selects a synchronization adjustment factor , referred to as a tempo value , for the video driver using a lookup table . in the source code listing at the end of this specification , the video tempo value is actually selected from a case statement . as noted above , in the preferred embodiment the synchronization method adjusts the video frame rate or video tempo to maintain the audio and video data streams in sync . however , it is noted that in the present invention either the audio or video stream rates can be adjusted as desired . for example , the method could slow down or speed up the video frame rate or slow down or speed up the audio frame rate as desired to maintain the respective audio and video data streams in sync . it is noted that adjusting the audio data stream may be a simpler procedure than adjusting the video data stream . the audio data stream was not adjusted in the preferred embodiment because of concerns that the user might be able to hear the audio adjustments . however , experimentation has shown that adjustments to the audio data stream would generally not be detectable by the user if the synchronization method of the present invention was invoked a sufficient number of times each second . in step 528 the method determines if the video has started to play . if not , then the method sets the video tempo value to a slow value . this is done merely to begin the video portion of the presentation at a slow rate . if the video has started to play , operation proceeds directly to step 532 . in step 532 the method adjusts the video tempo value using a smoothing or dampening function . the preferred embodiment uses a smoothing formula which combines one half of the current tempo value plus one half of the previous tempo value . this smoothing function operates to prevent overcompensation and to add stability to the synchronization method , thus allowing for smoother synchronization . the adjustment performed in step 532 is similar to a damping function . in step 534 the method determines if the audio is paused . if the audio is determined to not be paused in step 534 , then in step 536 the method determines if audio data is available . if audio data is determined to not be available in step 536 , then it is assumed that the multimedia presentation does not include any audio data . in this case the method exits since it not necessary to adjust the video playback speed or tempo if there is no audio component . if audio data is determined to be available in step 536 , then operation advances to step 542 . if the audio is determined to be paused in step 534 , then in step 538 the method determines if the audio is ahead of the video or if the audio status is reported as bad . if the audio is determined to be equal to or behind the video in step 538 , then operation advances to step 542 . if the audio is determined to be ahead of the video in step 538 or if the audio status is reported as bad , then the method sets the video tempo to a nominal rate , i . e . , a rate which is calculated to be equal to the average speed of the audio playback . the video tempo is set to the nominal rate in step 540 because it is not necessary to set the video rate to large ( fast ) tempos if the audio is paused and the audio is ahead of the video . in cases where the audio is paused and is ahead of the video , this typically means that the user has either clicked on the pause or step button during the presentation , or that the audio has been halted because the audio and video were too far out of sync . in step 542 the method determines if the synchronization error calculated in step 516 is greater than a set tolerance . in the preferred embodiment the tolerance is set to 1 frame . thus the synchronization method does not adjust the video tempo unless the audio and video are at least a certain amount out of sync . if the audio and video are in sync or are relatively close to being in sync , then the tempo is not adjusted . this avoids having to call the video driver to adjust the tempo and thus reduces the overhead caused by synchronization . if the synchronization error is greater than the tolerance in step 542 , then in step 543 the method determines if the tempo value is equivalent to the last -- tempo value , i . e ., the tempo value sent to the video driver the last time the synchronization method was executed . if the current tempo value equals the last -- tempo value , then operation advances to step 554 . in this instance the video driver is already operating at this tempo , and thus there is no need to call the video driver to set the tempo value to the same value . this also serves to reduce the overhead of the synchronization method . if the tempo value does not equal the last -- tempo value in step 543 , then in step 544 the method adjusts the video frame rate using the tempo value determined in step 526 and adjusted in step 532 . as noted above the method preferably adjusts the video frame rate using mci interface calls . in an alternate embodiment , as shown in the source code listing , the synchronization method passes the video frame rate or tempo value directly to the video driver , using the avkgrptempo function call . the video driver uses the received number to adjust the video frame rate . operation then advances to step 554 . if the synchronization error is determined to not be greater than the tolerance in step 542 , then in step 546 the method determines if the synchronization error is 0 and if the previous tempo was not set to the nominal rate . if either the synchronization error is not 0 or the previous tempo was set to the nominal rate , then operation advances to step 554 . in this instance it is not necessary to adjust the tempo because the synchronization error was determined to be less than the tolerance in step 542 . if the synchronization error is 0 and the last tempo is not equal to the nominal rate , then an extra stabilizing effect is added . this extra stabilizing effect is referred to as a &# 34 ; lock - down &# 34 ; function . in step 548 the method sets the tempo to the nominal rate and in step 550 the method adjusts the video frame rate by making the appropriate mci interface call to the video driver . in step 552 the method sets the last -- tempo variable to the nominal rate to prevent steps 548 - 552 from being performed the next time the synchronization method is called . as noted above , steps 548 - 552 are performed when the synchronization error is 0 but the prior tempo was not set to the nominal rate . here it is desirable to eliminate the effects of the smoothing function applied in step 532 . if the audio and video data streams are in sync , the tempo value produced by the smoothing function in step 532 will suggest that the two streams are out of sync because part of the tempo value calculation is the weighted average of the previous tempo value with the current value . thus , if the current tempo value is zero , but a previous adjustment was required , the synchronization method would report that a tempo adjustment is necessary . therefore , in this instance the tempo is set to the nominal rate just as if the smoothing function had not been applied . thus , this lock - down function ensures that the synchronization method does not overcompensate when the audio and video are in sync . in other words , this function adds stability by locking on a point where the audio and video are in sync to prevent overcompensation from occurring , i . e ., primarily to prevent the smoothing function applied in step 532 from pushing the audio and video out of sync . without this lock - down function , if the audio and video data streams were in sync , the smoothing function would cause the streams to fall out of sync , i . e ., would cause the video data stream to oscillate between being ahead of or behind the audio stream . in step 554 the method saves the tempo value for the next call by the periodic timer . the synchronization method then completes . therefore , a method and apparatus for synchronizing the audio and video portions of a multimedia display is shown . this method provides superior synchronization over methods found in the prior art . although the method and apparatus of the present invention has been described in connection with the preferred embodiment , it is not intended to be limited to the specific form set forth herein , but on the contrary , it is intended to cover such alternatives , modifications , and equivalents , as can be reasonably included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims .	6
unless otherwise specified , identical reference symbols represent identical components , identical signals and identical time intervals with identical significance in the figures . referring now to the figures of the drawings in detail and first , particularly to fig1 thereof , there is shown a block diagram of an embodiment of the switched - mode power supply according to the invention . fig2 shows a detailed representation of a drive circuit ic of the switched - mode power supply . the switched - mode power supply shown has input terminals ek 1 , ek 2 that are supplied with an input voltage vin . the input voltage vin used is usually an alternating voltage within a range of between 85 v and 270 v . the input terminals ek 1 , ek 2 are followed by a bridge rectifier bg having four diodes . the bridge rectifier bg is followed by a capacitor cg . the bridge rectifier bg and the capacitor cg generate from the alternating input voltage vin a rectified voltage vg which is present across the capacitor cg . the switched - mode power supply also has a transformer with a primary coil l 1 and a secondary coil l 2 , a series circuit of the primary coil l 1 and of a switching element ts , for example a semiconductor power switch , being connected in parallel with the capacitor cg . the switching element ts is used for the switched application of the direct voltage vg to the primary coil l 1 as determined by a drive signal ai provided by a drive circuit ic . when the switch ts is closed , the direct voltage vg is present across the primary coil l 1 , as a result of which the primary coil l 1 consumes power . if the switch ts is subsequently opened , the power stored in the primary coil l 1 is delivered to the secondary coil l 2 . the secondary coil l 2 is part of a secondary circuit , which has a diode d 2 for rectification and a filter , which follows the diode d 2 , with capacitors c 2 , cout and an inductance l 4 . the secondary circuit has output terminals ak 1 , ak 2 at which an output voltage vout is present in parallel with the capacitor cout . a load r , which is shown dashed as a resistive impedance in the exemplary embodiment , can be connected to the output terminals ak 1 , ak 2 . it is the object of the switched - mode power supply to keep the output voltage vout largely constant both for different input voltages vin , and thus different rectified voltages vg , and for changing loads r . the drive circuit ic is , therefore , supplied with a feedback signal urk , which depends on the output voltage vout , for generating the drive signal ai at a first input terminal pin 1 . the drive signal ai is generated in the drive circuit by a signal generating circuit pwm that is , for example , a pulse - width modulator operating in current mode . the drive signal ai usually includes a sequence of drive pulses and the frequency and / or the period of the individual pulses can vary . in addition to the feedback signal urk , the signal generating circuit pwm is supplied with a current signal us that depends on the current through the primary coil l 1 and that is present at a current sensing resistor rsense connected in series with the switching element ts . if the output voltage vout drops below a predetermined setpoint value , the switching element ts is driven via the drive signal ai of the signal generating circuit pwm in such a manner that the switching element ts , after having been closed , in each case remains closed for a longer time in order to increase the power consumption of the primary coil l 1 and the subsequent power delivery to the secondary circuit . if the output voltage vout increases above the predetermined setpoint value , the switching element , after having been switched on , in each case remains closed for shorter periods so that the primary coil l 1 only consumes a low amount of power . the drive pulses of the drive signal ai are preferably generated at fixed periodic time intervals by the signal generating circuit pwm and the duration of the drive pulses varies for controlling the output voltage vout . to provide the feedback signal urk at the input terminal pin 1 of the drive circuit ic , the switched - mode power supply has a feedback branch which , on the one hand , is connected to an output terminal ak 1 of the secondary circuit and , on the other hand , to the input terminal pin 1 of the drive circuit ic . to detect the output voltage vout , a series circuit of a resistor of a light - emitting diode and of a further diode d 3 is connected to the output terminal ak 1 . the light - emitting diode is a component of an optocoupler ok that transfers the signal present at the output terminal ak 1 to the input pin 1 of the drive circuit ic . the optocoupler ok produces an inversion of the signal present at the output terminal ak 1 , i . e . a very small output voltage vout results in a very large feedback signal urk and a very large output voltage vout causes a very small feedback signal urk . if the feedback branch , particularly the connection of the optocoupler ok , is broken , a very large signal urk is present at the input pin 1 of the drive circuit ic that would only be present if the output signal vout is very small when the feedback branch is not broken . to prevent the signal generating circuit pwm , which cannot distinguish between a broken feedback branch and a very small output signal vout , from driving the switching element ts in such a manner that it in each case remains closed for a long time after it has been closed , and thus a maximum of power is transmitted to the secondary side , a protective circuit pus is provided in the drive circuit ic , to which the feedback signal urk is supplied . the protective circuit pus is constructed in such a manner that it prevents the switching element ts from being driven if the feedback signal urk exceeds the value of a first reference signal u 1 if other secondary conditions explained in greater detail in the text which follows are met . the switched - mode power supply also has a first voltage supply circuit pms 1 which is coupled to the primary coil l 1 via a third coil l 3 . a rectifier including a diode d 1 and a capacitor c vcc is connected in parallel with the third coil l 3 . a supply voltage vcc that is supplied to the drive circuit ic being present across the capacitor c vcc . the first voltage supply circuit pms 1 is also connected via a resistor rstart to a terminal k 1 at which the rectified voltage vg is present . as long as no adequate supply voltage vcc is available for the drive circuit ic , the switching element cannot be driven . in this case , a current flows via the very large resistor rstart to the capacitor c vcc until the supply voltage vcc has assumed a sufficiently large value for driving the drive circuit ic and thus the switching element ts . after that , the capacitor c vcc is essentially fed with the current consumed by the third coil l 3 from the primary coil l 1 . in the drive circuit ic , a second voltage supply circuit pms 2 is provided which generates from the supply voltage vcc internal voltages uref , u 1 , u 2 , u 3 , u 4 , which are required for operating the drive circuit ic . the configuration and the operation of a first embodiment of the drive circuit ic according to the invention is shown in fig2 . in the exemplary embodiment , the protective circuit pus shown is connected to the signal generating circuit pwm in order to enable the signal generating circuit pwm for generating a drive signal ai or to inhibit it . for this purpose , the protective circuit pus has an rs flip - flop , one output of which is connected to the signal generating circuit pwm . the protective circuit pus enables the signal generating circuit pwm when the rs flip - flop is reset . the protective circuit pus inhibits the signal generating circuit pwm when the flip - flop is set . the protective circuit pus shown fulfills two functions . on the one hand , it inhibits the signal generating circuit pwm when the feedback signal urk , after a first period t 1 has elapsed after a start of the drive circuit ic , exceeds the value of a first reference signal u 1 . on the other hand , the protective circuit pus inhibits the signal generating circuit pwm even if the supply voltage vcc , within a second period t 2 after the start of the drive circuit , exceeds the value of a second reference signal u 2 and moreover the feedback signal urk is greater than the first reference signal u 1 . the protective circuit pus has a first comparator k 1 , one input of which is supplied with the feedback signal urk and the other input of which is supplied with the first reference signal u 1 . a high level is present at the output of the first comparator k 1 when the feedback signal urk exceeds the value of the first reference signal u 1 . a third comparator k 3 of the protective circuit pus is supplied with a start phase signal uc 1 at one input and with a third reference signal u 3 at another input . a high level is present at an output of the third comparator k 3 when the start phase signal uc 1 exceeds the value of the third reference signal u 3 . the start phase signal uc 1 is generated by a series circuit of a resistor r 1 and a capacitor c 1 . a reference voltage uref provided by the second voltage supply circuit pms 2 is present across this series circuit . a bipolar transistor t 1 that can be driven by the second voltage supply circuit pms 2 is connected in parallel with the capacitor c 1 . if the drive circuit ic is in the switched - off state , i . e . if no internal supply voltages are provided by the second voltage supply circuit pms 2 , the capacitor c 1 is initially discharged . if the drive circuit ic is then started by the second voltage supply circuit pms 2 providing internal supply voltages , the capacitor c 1 is charged up with an open transistor t 1 and the start phase signal uc 1 begins to rise . the outputs of the first and third comparators k 1 , k 3 are supplied to a first and gate g 1 , the output of which is supplied via an or gate g 3 to the set input of the rs flip - flop . the rs flip - flop is only started by the start phase signal uc 1 and the feedback signal urk if the feedback signal urk is greater than the first reference signal u 1 after the start phase signal uc 1 has exceeded the value of the third reference signal u 3 . after the drive circuit ic has been started , the feedback signal urk is thus “ gated out ” for a first period t 1 . the first period t 1 is given by the period up to which the start phase signal uc 1 exceeds the third reference signal u 3 . after the switched - mode power supply and the drive circuit ic , respectively , have been started , power must first be transferred from the primary coil l 1 to the secondary side l 2 of the switched - mode power supply according to fig1 until the output voltage vout reaches its nominal value . at the beginning , the output voltage vout is still very small which results in a large feedback signal urk . to prevent then that the signal generating circuit pwm is inhibited again shortly after having been switched on because the feedback signal urk is too large , the feedback signal urk is gated out for the first period t 1 after the starting of the drive circuit ic in the manner mentioned above . if , after this first period t 1 after the start has elapsed , the feedback signal urk still exceeds the value of the first reference signal , this indicates a break in the feedback branch and the signal generating circuit is inhibited via the first and third comparator k 1 , k 3 , the and gate g 1 , the or gate g 3 and the rs flip - flop . the protective circuit pus has a second comparator k 2 , one input of which is supplied with the supply voltage vcc and the other input of which is supplied with a second reference signal u 2 . at the output of the second comparator k 2 , a high level is present when the value of the supply voltage vcc exceeds the value of the second reference signal u 2 . a fourth comparator k 4 is supplied with the start phase signal uc 1 at one input and with a fourth reference signal u 4 at another input , and at the output of the fourth comparator k 4 a high level is present until the start phase signal uc 1 reaches the value of the fourth reference signal u 4 after the drive circuit ic has been started . the outputs of the second and fourth comparator k 2 , k 4 and the output of the first comparator k 1 are supplied to a second and gate g 2 , the output of the second and gate g 2 being supplied to the set input of the rs flip - flip via the or gate g 3 . the first , second , and fourth comparator k 1 , k 2 , k 4 and the second and gate g 2 inhibit the signal generating circuit pwm via the rs flip - flop if the supply voltage vcc exceeds the value of the second reference signal u 2 during a second period t 2 after the start , i . e . up to the time at which the start phase signal uc 1 reaches the value of the fourth reference signal u 4 , and if , at the same time , the feedback signal urk is greater than the value of the first reference signal u 1 . the fact that the feedback signal urk is greater than the first reference signal u 1 in the starting phase and , at the same time , the supply voltage vcc is greater than the value of the second reference signal u 2 indicates that the feedback branch is broken and that no load is connected to the output terminals ak 1 , ak 2 . because the first voltage supply circuit pms 1 which provides the supply voltage vcc , and also the secondary circuit are coupled to the primary coil l 1 , a very high supply voltage vcc indicates a no - load condition on the secondary side . the first , second and fourth comparator k 1 , k 2 , k 4 have the effect that , in the case of this fault , the signal generating circuit pwm is inhibited again shortly after the drive circuit ic has been switched on , in order to prevent the switched - mode power supply from being destroyed . the second voltage supply circuit pms 2 , which is supplied with the supply voltage vcc , has a voltage evaluating circuit uvl and first and second switching units pdr , pur connected thereto . the first switching unit pdr is connected to the transistor t 1 connected in parallel with the capacitor c 1 . the first switching unit pdr drives the transistor t 1 in order to discharge the capacitor c 1 when the supply voltage vcc has dropped to the value of a lower reference voltage uout . the second switching unit pur is connected to the reset input of the rs flip - flop , the second switching unit pur resetting the rs flip - flop when the rising supply voltage vcc reaches the value of an upper reference voltage uon . in the text that follows , the operation of a switched - mode power supply according to fig1 with a drive circuit according to fig2 is explained using fig3 by describing selected signal variations . in fig3 the variations of the feedback signal urk , of the start phase signal uc 1 , of the drive signal ai and of the supply voltage vcc are plotted against time t . at a time t 0 , the switched - mode power supply operates faultlessly , i . e . drive pulses are generated for driving the switching element ts . the value of the feedback signal urk is below the value of the first reference signal u 1 ; the feedback branch is not broken . the capacitor c 1 is completely charged at this time and the value of the start phase signal uc 1 is approximately equal to the value of the reference voltage uref , the reference voltage uref being above the value of the third reference signal u 3 so that a high level is present at the output of the third comparator k 3 . the value of the supply voltage vcc is between the value of the lower reference voltage uout and the value of the upper reference voltage uon . if the feedback signal urk rises due to a break in the feedback branch , a high level occurs at the output of the first comparator k 1 as soon as the feedback signal urk reaches the value of the first reference signal u 1 at time t 1 . the rs flip - flop is set and the signal generating circuit pwm is inhibited so that no further drive pulses ai are generated . thus , the first voltage supply circuit pms 1 can no longer consume power via the primary coil l 1 and the supply voltage vcc drops since the drive circuit ic is still consuming current and the current , which flows into the first voltage supply circuit pms 1 via the resistor rstart , is not sufficient for covering this current demand . the supply voltage vcc drops until it reaches the value of the lower reference voltage uout at a time t 2 . at this time , the transistor t 1 is driven to discharge the capacitor c 1 via the first switching unit pdr as a result of which the start phase signal uc 1 drops to 0 . in addition , the second voltage supply pms 2 switches off the drive circuit c , i . e . no further internal supply voltages are generated and the feedback signal urk also becomes 0 . because the drive circuit ic is now no longer consuming current , at least in approximation , the voltage vcc again begins to rise slowly because the capacitor c vcc is being charged up again via the resistor rstart . when the supply voltage vcc then reaches the value of the upper reference voltage uon , the second voltage supply circuit pms 2 switches the drive circuit ic on again , i . e . internal supply voltages are being generated again and drive pulses ai are being generated again from time t 3 . if the feedback branch is still broken at this time t 3 , the feedback signal urk immediately assumes a very high value again . the start phase signal uc 1 begins to rise due to the fact that the capacitor c 1 is being charged up again via the resistor r 1 when the transistor t 1 is inhibited . due to the fact that the current consumption of the drive circuit ic is now increased again , the supply voltage vcc drops . after a first period t 1 after the drive circuit ic has started at time t 3 , the start phase signal uc 1 exceeds the value of the third reference signal u 3 and the signal generating circuit pwm is inhibited again via the first and third comparator k 1 , k 3 , the first and gate g 1 and the rs flip - flop at time t 4 . the supply voltage vcc then drops again to the value of the lower reference voltage uout , which it reaches at time t 5 at which the drive circuit is switched off again by the second voltage supply circuit pms 2 . the cycle described starts from the beginning and the drive circuit ic is switched on again at time t 11 when the supply voltage vcc again reaches the value of the upper reference voltage uon . when the feedback branch is broken in the switched - mode power supply according to the invention , the drive circuit is thus switched off and periodically switched on again , one period of this process being shown by ta in fig3 . after the start of the drive circuit ic , drive pulses ai are generated for a period t 1 and , after a further period within which the supply voltage vcc drops to the value of the lower reference voltage uout , the drive circuit ic is switched off again . in this manner , a destruction of the switched - mode power supply in the case of a broken feedback branch is reliably prevented in the switched - mode power supply according to the invention . [ 0044 ] fig4 shows the operation of the switched - mode power supply according to the invention with reference to a further fault case in which , apart from the feedback branch being broken , the secondary circuit is in a no - load condition . initially , it is again assumed that operation is correct at time t 0 , after which the feedback branch is broken and the feedback signal urk reaches the value of the first reference signal u 1 at time t 1 . after the drive circuit ic has been switched off at time t 2 , the supply voltage vcc rises again until it reaches the value of the upper reference voltage uon at time t 3 , at which the drive circuit ic is switched on again . if after the time at which it is switched on again , after the supply voltage vcc has dropped slightly , a no - load condition of the switched - mode power supply occurs on the secondary side , the supply voltage vcc rises rapidly until it reaches the value of the second reference signal u 2 at a time t 6 . if the time t 6 is still within a second period t 2 after the switching - on of the drive circuit ic , the signal generating circuit pwm is inhibited again at time t 6 by the first , second and fourth comparator k 1 , k 2 , k 4 , the second and gate g 2 , the or gate g 3 and the rs flip - flop . the period t 2 is determined by the period which elapses until the start phase signal uc 1 reaches the value of the fourth reference signal u 4 . while the configuration of the first and third comparator k 1 , k 3 and the first and gate g 1 can only inhibit the signal generating circuit pwm after the first period t 1 has elapsed after the switching - on of the drive circuit ic when the feedback branch is broken , the configuration of the first , second , and fourth comparators k 1 , k 2 , k 4 and the second and gate g 2 only inhibits the signal generating circuit pwm within the second period t 2 after the switching - on of the drive circuit ic if the feedback branch is broken and the supply voltage vcc becomes very large , for example due to a variation on the secondary side . after the signal generating circuit pwm has been inhibited at time t 6 , no further drive pulses ai are generated and no further power is delivered from the primary coil l 1 to the first voltage supply circuit pms 1 as a result of which the supply voltage vcc drops . at time t 8 , at which the supply voltage vcc reaches the value of the lower reference voltage uout , the drive circuit ic is switched off again by the second voltage supply circuit pms 2 . the supply voltage vcc then can rise again slowly since the capacitor c vcc of the first voltage supply circuit pms 1 accepts current via the resistor rstart until the supply voltage vcc again reaches the value of the upper reference voltage uon at a time t 10 and the drive circuit ic is switched on again . if the operation is correct , the supply voltage vcc can also rise to values above u 2 after the second period t 2 has elapsed . in this fault case , too , the drive circuit ic is periodically switched off when the feedback branch is broken , and switched on again for short periods which prevents the switched - mode power supply from being destroyed . [ 0048 ] fig5 shows a further embodiment of a drive circuit ic according to the invention , which differs from that shown in fig2 in that the protective circuit pus does not have the second and fourth comparators k 2 , k 4 and the second and gate g 2 present in fig2 . thus , the or gate g 3 according to fig2 can also be omitted in the exemplary embodiment according to fig5 . the exemplary embodiment of the drive circuit according to fig5 only allows a broken feedback branch to be detected after a first period t 1 has elapsed after the start of the drive circuit ic , by using the first and third comparator k 1 , k 3 and the first and gate g 1 . the operation of this exemplary embodiment can be obtained by referring to the description for fig3 . in the exemplary embodiment according to fig5 a gating - out unit ab which gates out very short signal pulses at its input and does not forward them to the output is connected between the first and gate g 1 and the rs flip - flop . this prevents short - time interference such as , for example , spikes from inhibiting the signal generating circuit pwm . when the drive circuit ic is switched on again when the supply voltage vcc reaches the value of the upper reference voltage uon , the flip - flop is reset by the second switching unit pur , both in the exemplary embodiment according to fig2 and in the exemplary embodiment according to fig5 in order to enable drive pulses ai to be generated thereafter .	7
further aspects of the ticket printing sequence and of the invention are described below with reference to the drawings wherein : fig1 is a diagrammatic layout of a ticket issuing device according to the invention ; fig2 is a schematic perspective view of a roll stock support assembly ; fig3 is a schematic perspective view of a haul - off mechanism for strip material ; fig5 is a schematic perspective view of a drive mechanism suitable for the guillotine in fig4 ; fig6 is an exploded schematic perspective view of a ticket drive mechanism for moving a ticket past an encoder to a print head ; fig7 is a schematic perspective view of a print head mounting assembly ; and fig8 is a schematic perspective view of a ticket ejector and stacking mechanism . referring to the drawings , a ticket issuing device comprises a box - like housing structure including a bed plate 1 constituting part of an upper housing section 2 connected by means of hinges 2a to a lower housing section ( not shown ). the ticket issuing machine incorporates a computer - controlled electronic circuit ( not shown ) housed within the lower housing section for operation , according to a predetermined sequence , of ticket processing modules mounted on bed plate 1 . the ticket issuing device operates using ticket roll stock web material 3 supported for rotation about the axis of the roll 3 on arms 4 which include tubular segments 4a rotatable about the axes of the arms . the continuous web 5 extends from the roll 3 to a guillotine module 10 incorporating a base plate 11 with guillotine roll stock haul - off and web guide components mounted thereon . the guillotine 12 is equipped with a drive motor 13 while the roll stock haul - off means , constituted by driven roller 14 and passive roller 15 , has a motor 16 connected to the driven roller by means of a toothed belt ( not shown ) located beneath bed plate 1 . the web 5 passes between the two sides of a sensor 17 over passive guide roller 18 equipped with a pivoted web guide 19 lightly pressed against the web 5 or guide roller 18 by means of compression spring 20 . the web 5 carries a longitudinally extending magnetic strip and is fed by the haul - off rollers 14 , 15 to a magnetic encoder module 30 . in order to monitor the quantity of available roll stock , a sensor 6 is provided beneath the roll 3 and this sensor provides a continuous reading of the reservoir of available ticket web material , the sensor 17 detects the end of the available ticket web material and operates to switch off the ticket issuing device on detection of the end of the web . the magnetic encoder module 30 incorporates a base plate 31 on which upper and lower carrier plates 32 , spaced apart by means of support posts 33 , are mounted . the carrier plates 32 have inwardly facing vertically opposed longitudinal primary grooves 34 together defining a primary guide track for the web 5 . the spacing of the plates 32 is such that the web is received edge - wise therebetween with its longitudinal edges trapped in grooves 34 . the magnetic ticket encoder module 30 also incorporates a ticket drive belt 35 which extends around pulleys 36 to 40 , the pulley 36 being driven by a motor located beneath the bed plate 1 while pulleys 37 - 40 are passive . pulley 40 is pivotally mounted on a suitable pivot plate ( not shown ) so that it may be located in a belt tensioning position . idler pinch rollers 42 , 43 and 44 are mounted on suitable pivot plates ( not shown ) biased towards engagement with pulleys 36 , 37 and 38 respectively so that the web 5 is pinched between the respective pulley and pinch roller pairs . a magnetic encoder 45 is located on the lower carrier plate 32 adjacent the primary track 34 and the web 5 , moving in the track , sweeps past the encoder 45 with its magnetic stripe suitably positioned against the encoder for appropriate storage of information magnetically on the stripe . the carrier plates 32 also have inwardly facing vertically opposed secondary grooves 46 in the nature of tributaries for the primary grooves . together they define a secondary guide track 46 linking with the primary track 34 prior to the location of encoder 45 on the primary track . an external ticket inserted into the secondary guide track 46 is pinched between a driven roller 47 and idler pinch roller 42 which can be pivoted by solenoid 41 into engagement with either pulley 36 or the driven roller 47 depending upon the need either to advance the web 5 in primary track 34 or the external ticket in secondary track 46 . the ticket encoder and drive module 30 also includes sensors 50 to 54 which detect the position of a ticket in the guide tracks 34 and 46 . a ticket emanating from the magnetic encoder module 30 passes to a printer module 60 comprising components mounted on a base plate 61 , these components include a printer 62 operating in conjunction with a drive platen roller 63 and a print ribbon cassette 64 . a ticket ejector 65 is provided for ejecting encoded and printed tickets onto a stacking tray 66 . the ticket processing sequence of the ticket issuing device is as follows . the first sensor 50 in the primary track senses the leading edge of the web 5 as it is advanced by operation of the roll stock haul - off means 14 , 15 and operates to halt the roll stock feed drive mechanism . this sensor 50 is adjustable to provide a desired length of potential ticket between the leading edge of the web and the guillotine 12 positioned on the web path prior to the entrance to the primary track 34 . upon receiving a demand for the printing of a ticket from a keyboard module ( not shown ) forming part of the computer facility associated with the ticket issuing device , the guillotine 12 is initiated causing the web 5 to be severed providing an unprinted ticket length between sensor 50 and the guillotine 12 . thereafter the belt drive pulley 36 is initiated causing the ticket to advance along primary track 34 to sensor 51 which senses the leading edge of the ticket and initiates the magnetic encoder 45 . as the ticket passes the magnetic encoder the appropriate data is magnetically stored in its magnetic stripe and this data is immediately proof - read by the encoder 60 so that a faulty encoding sequence will initiate an order to reject the ticket . the belt drive 35 proceeds to advance the ticket until sensor 52 detects the trailing edge of the ticket and initiates the print drive platen roller 63 . this initiating process also starts the roll stock haul - off drive roller 14 , after a suitable pause which is software derived , so that the web 5 once again advances to the sensor 50 before the roll stock feed is terminated . as the ticket passes sensor 53 its trailing edge is detected , the printing device is initiated and the belt drive pulley 36 is stopped . after completion of the thermal print process the exiting ticket is lodged between the ticket ejector roller 65 and its pinch roller 65a . a short pulse of current , again software derived , is applied to the ejector roller motor ( not shown ). this serves to eject the ticket onto the stacking tray 66 . the device is then ready to receive a further ticket demand signal from the keyboard module . should it be desired to process an external ticket , the latter may be inserted into the secondary track 46 where it is detected by sensor 54 . this sensor produces a signal which actuates the solenoid 41 causing pinch roller 42 to swing into engagement with drive roller 47 thereby moving the external ticket into the primary track instead of a ticket obtained from the roll stock as described above . a removable cover ( not shown ) is provided for the upper housing section 2 , such cover provides an external ticket feed aperture in the front face of the ticket issuing device and also covers the ticket ejector 65 leaving only a processed ticket exit aperture to tray 66 .	1
the invention will be described in detail in conjunction with the accompanying drawings , which show , for illustrative purposes only , a preferred embodiment of the invention . in said drawings : fig1 is a perspective view of a splice case incorporating the accumulator of the invention , with all components in stowed condition , but with its cylindrical casing removed and merely suggested by phantom outline ; fig2 is a similar view , with a removable cover element articulated to open position , to reveal detail of the accumulator ; fig3 is a plan view of the accumulator , with the cover element removed ; fig4 is a view in side elevation of the structure of fig1 ; and fig5 is a sectional view , taken at 5 -- 5 in fig1 . the accumulator of the invention and its associated splice mount are illustratively contained within a splice case 10 , which may be of a variety currently in use for containment of conventional wire - cable splicings . thus , case 10 may comprise end - wall members or bulkheads 11 - 12 of conforming contour , here shown as circular , and rigidly interconnected by parallel elongate conductive tie rods 13 - 14 , at diametrically spaced locations . each end wall 11 ( 12 ) is shown to comprise like semicylindrical halves , circumferentially clamped by a conductive ring 15 , to which the respective rods 13 - 14 are bolted . the conductive members 13 - 14 - 15 establish an electrically grounded frame , which is completed upon clamped peripheral assembly of semicylindrical halves of a metal casing , here only suggested by phantom outline 16 . each end wall , such as end wall 11 , is formed with a cable - entry port , here shown as mating semicylindrical halves of a bore at the parting line between the clamped end - wall halves . it will be understood that , at each such entry port , means such as an elastomeric bushing 17 located by and within the entry port , may accept longitudinally slidable entry of a fiber - optic cable therein , and that when the circumferential clamp of ring 15 is set , bushing 17 sealingly supports cable passage through the applicable end wall . as shown , a first cable 20 enters the splice case via one end wall ( 11 ) and a second cable 21 similarly enters the splice case via the other end wall ( 12 ). in accordance with a feature of the invention , the cylindrical volume defined by and between end - wall members 11 - 12 is divided into two substantially semicylindrical volumes , the lower one of which is structured as an accumulator a for the safe and efficient independent storage of excess length of cables 20 - 21 , while the upper volume accommodates not only a removable cover 22 for the accumulator but also desirably mounts an organizer b for the individual spliced fibers of the respective cable ends . the organizer b may be of the nature described in copending application , ser . no . 145 , 009 , filed apr . 29 , 1980 , ( now u . s . pat . no . 4 , 319 , 951 ) and therefore need not here be described in detail . it suffices to say that cover 22 may be the base for mounting two spaced elongate frames 23 - 23 &# 39 ; of the organizer , that plural elongate channels on outer walls of frames 23 - 23 &# 39 ; are sized for frictional retention of separate spliced fibers , and that a housing 24 , removably carried by cover 22 , provides protection for the delicate contents of the organizer . as best seen in fig2 and 3 , the spliced end 20 &# 39 ; of cable 20 enters the organizer via a first elongate slot 25 in cover 22 , and the spliced end 21 &# 39 ; of cable 21 enters the organizer via a second such slot 26 in cover 22 . it will be understood that clamp and stress - member tie - down connections for each cable end 20 &# 39 ;- 21 &# 39 ; may be made to cover 22 , within the organizer housing 24 ; such tie - down connections may include anchor bolts , at a tapped hole 27 ( fig2 ) for the stress member of cable end 20 &# 39 ; and at a tapped hole 28 for the stress member of cable end 21 &# 39 ;. the organizer a is shown as an elongate box - like enclosure having a rectangular bottom panel 30 , elongate upstanding side walls 31 - 32 , and end walls 33 - 34 , all fixedly suspended from bolted connections 35 - 36 of the side walls 31 - 32 to adjacent tie rods 13 - 14 , and the cable entry bushings 17 being beneath bottom panel 30 . the bolts 35 by which side wall 31 is suspended from tie rod 13 also secure one elongated plate of piano - hinge means 37 for articulated connection of the cover 22 ; the other plate of hinge means 37 is seen in fig3 to be slotted for removable accommodation of hinge bolts 38 having tapped engagement along the adjacent edge of cover 22 , whereby cover 22 and its organizer b may be readily removed from hinged connection to side wall 31 , merely by slight loosening of bolts 38 . the organizer a further includes a second box - like enclosure within the rectangular enclosure defined by and between the side and end walls 31 - 32 and 33 - 34 . more specifically , an elongate effectively continuous inner side wall 40 rises from bottom panel , in lateral and end clearance with all of the outer walls 31 - 32 - 33 - 34 . wall 40 is preferably characterized by semicylindrical longitudinal ends , of inner radius r , to which the material of cables 20 - 21 can readily and safely conform , and wall 40 is characterized by spaced parallel lengths between its semicylindrical ends ; for safe accommodation of fiber - optic cabling as presently contemplated , it is preferred that radius r be at least five times the diameter of the involved cable . a retaining permanent cover panel 41 ( 42 ) closes the respective semicylindrical ends , except for access via an elongate central upwardly open region between panels 41 - 42 , and an elongate slotted opening 43 ( fig3 ) in the bottom panel 30 provides entry access for cable 20 to an inner accumulator volume defined by and between oval wall 40 and panels 30 - 41 - 42 . an outer annular accumulator volume is defined laterally by and between oval wall 40 and the outer walls 31 - 32 - 33 - 34 , and vertically by and between bottom panel 30 and retaining strips 44 - 45 along upper edges of side walls 31 - 32 . strips 44 - 45 extend laterally inward of their respective side walls 31 - 32 , well short of adjacent elongate stretches of the oval wall 40 , to permit ready cable insertion into and removal from the annular accumulator volume ; and an elongate slotted opening 46 ( fig3 ) in the bottom panel 30 provides entry access for cable 21 to the outer annular accumulator volume . preferably , each of the respective cable - entry slotted openings 43 - 46 is adjacent an outer longitudinal wall of its associated accumulator volume , as shown . in use , a predetermined excess length of each of the cables 20 - 21 is independently accommodated by coiled ready - access storage in the respective inner and outer accumulator volumes ; such excess length may typically be 50 to 100 feet at the end of each of the two cables , and the span between end walls 33 - 34 being typically two feet . thus , some 12 to 20 coiled turns of cable 21 may be nested and self - retaining within the outer accumulator volume , and an even larger number of coiled turns of cable 20 may be nested and self - retaining within the inner accumulator volume . in both cases reliance is placed on the memory characteristic of optical fibers within the cables , to make the cables resiliently contact confining limits of the respective accumulator volumes ; in the case of the oval inner volume , cable 20 resiliently hugs the inner contour of wall 40 , and in the case of the outer annular volume , cable 21 obtains similar support from side walls 31 - 32 , but essentially only central tangential - contact support from end walls 33 - 34 . the free ends 20 &# 39 ;- 21 &# 39 ; of the accumulator - stored cabling issue from the respective coils on generally longitudinally extending alignments , close to the hinge axis of means 37 and aligned for direct entry to the splice organizer b via the cover openings 25 - 26 . of course , the splice case 10 , with its stored and spliced cable cabling , is permanently closed and sealed by its housing 16 when in normal service use . to perform a maintenance , inspection or resplicing operation , whatever the installation of the splice case 10 , its housing 16 is first removed , to expose contents , having the closed - accumulator appearance of fig1 and 4 . to perform a splicing operation , the hinge bolts 38 are merely loosened , whereupon cover 22 and its organizer b may be raised about the hinge - articulation axis ( fig5 ) and inverted ( fig2 ), making organizer b available for convenient manual grasp and lateral separation from hinge means 37 . the stored lengths of cables 20 - 21 are easily dislodged from their retained confinement by strips 44 - 45 and cover panels 41 - 42 , respectively , so that the organizer may be carried to a suitable remote location , for performing delicate fusion splicing , testing or the like operations . importantly , all fibers except the transmission fiber involved in a splicing operation may remain in continuous communication service , in spite of the removal of organizer b and in spite of cable removal from accumulator a . when splicing , testing or the like operations have been completed , the cover 22 with its housed organizer b are easily assembled to the slotted hinge plate , and bolts 38 resecured , the excess lengths of cables 20 - 21 being coiled as they are returned to their respective accumulator volumes . cover 22 is then articulated from its fig2 position to its fig1 position , and the splice - case housing 16 resecured . it will be understood that the stored excess length of each cable is ample to permit the repeated removal and replacement of the organizer , as described and that it provides ample excess length to serve as a source of fresh cable , should a break occur , so that multiple splicing in a given fiber channel can be avoided . also , it will be understood that the stored excess length of each cable may be sufficient , in conjunction with the releasably clamped nature of bushings 17 through end walls 11 - 12 , to permit relocation of splice case 10 with respect to installed cables 20 - 21 , as by shifting the splice case from access via one manhole to more convenient access via another manhole in the general vicinity of the first manhole . while the invention has been described in detail for a preferred embodiment , it will be understood that modifications may be made without departure from the scope of the invention .	6
the following description is of the best mode presently contemplated for the carrying out of the invention . this description is made for the purpose of illustrating the general principles of the invention , and is not to be taken in a limiting sense . the scope of the invention is best determined by reference to the appended claims . although specific embodiments of the invention will now be described with reference to the drawings , it should be understood that such embodiments are by way of example only and are merely illustrative of but a small number of the many possible specific embodiments to which the principles of the invention may be applied . various changes and modifications obvious to one skilled in the art to which the invention pertains are deemed to be within the spirit , scope and contemplation of the invention as further defined in the appended claims . the purpose of the experiments described here was to obtain data on the effects of “ inert gas ” on marine organisms . “ inert gas ” of a mixture hereinafter called trimix — a commercially available gas mixture of 2 % oxygen , 12 % co 2 and 84 % nitrogen resembling the gas generated by commercially used marine “ inert gas generators ”— was used . both adult and young adult marine organisms were chosen for two reasons : a ) to make the size of specimens amenable for the experimental setup and b ) to raise the significance of possible effects since adults of a species are typically more tolerant of environmental changes than juveniles or larvae . all marine organisms were collected fresh from the coastal waters off la jolla , calif . and used immediately . they are , in that particular environment , not necessarily nuisance organisms . some of the organisms might be so considered , however , should they be introduced into other waters . the plankton sample was collected with a plankton net from a small boat . the schematic of an experimental setup in validation of the principles and methods of the present invention ( and also , a miniature scale , the gaseous exchange system ) is shown in fig1 . three parallel incubations were done for each experiment . several organisms were incubated in 1 . 5 l of seawater at 22 ° c . in large erlenmeyer flasks . each incubation was equilibrated with the respective gas using aquarium stones before any organisms were introduced . the aerobic control was bubbled from an aquarium pump for approximately 15 min and left open to the atmosphere after addition of specimens . an anaerobic incubation was bubbled with 99 . 998w nitrogen for 15 min . after introduction of the organisms , the bubbling was continued for another 10 min and then the container was closed with a rubber stopper or the bubbling was continued . the incubation in trimix was treated similarly except that the gas mix was used instead of nitrogen . the oxygen concentrations were measured after the initial bubbling period using a strathkelvin oxygen electrode with a cameron instruments om - 200 oxygen analyzer . values of ph were determined using a combination electrode and a radiometer ph meter . survival of the marine specimens was determined visually by checking for motile responses to tactile stimulus ( e . g . mussels do not close their shells , barnacles to not withdraw their feet , shrimp do not move their mouthparts , worms appear limp and motionless ). after each testing of the animals , the incubation flasks were bubbled for 10 min to reestablish original conditions . to verify mortality of the specimens , they were relocated to aerobic conditions and checked again after 30 min . if they still did not respond , they were considered dead . this setup permitted comparison of responses to both nitrogen and “ trimix ” while making sure that test specimens were not gravely affected by other experimental parameters . incubation in pure nitrogen permitted comparison with published results by others . the oxygen concentrations were measured at “ non - detectable ” for the nitrogen incubations and 10 % air saturation (= 16 torr partial pressure ) for the “ trimix ”. the ph value of the water bubbled with trimix reached ph 5 . 5 after the initial 10 min . of vigorous bubbling . the aerobic and nitrogen bubbled seawater maintained their ph at 8 . the incubations showed clearly that “ trimix ” kills organisms considerably faster than incubations in pure nitrogen . see table 1 of fig2 . the shrimp and crabs incubated in “ trimix ” were dead after 15 min and 75 min , respectively . even a transfer into aerated water did not result in any movement . the brittle stars incubated under nitrogen started to move again after transferred into aerated water . all the mussels incubated in nitrogen and “ trimix ” were open after 95 min but only the ones in nitrogen still responded to tactile stimuli by closing their shells . the barnacles were judged dead after incubation in “ trimix ” when they did not withdraw their feet when disturbed , the ones incubated in nitrogen still behaved normally . the plankton sample mainly contained copepods . they stopped moving after 15 min and could not be revived in nitrogen and “ trimix ” incubations . the results are summarized in table 1 of fig2 showing the effects of trimix on marine species where the trimix is 2 % oxygen , 12 % co 2 and 86 % nitrogen . low oxygen concentrations in water are a common natural phenomenon and their effects on live organisms have been widely discussed in the past . oxygen may not be available to an organism because no water for respiratory purposes is present , e . g ., during low tide in the intertidal zone . oxygen may also be removed in stagnant waters due to bacterial or other “ life based ” actions , e . g ., in ocean basins , fjords , tide pools , or in waters with high organic content and consequently high bacterial counts , e . g ., in sewage , mangrove swamps , paper mill effluent . in addition , oxygen can also be removed by chemical reactions , e . g ., in hot springs , industrial effluents . the manuscript by tamburri et al . ( 2000 ) summarizes survival of a variety of larvae and adults of organisms including some which may be significant as “ nuisance species ” under hypoxic conditions . see tamburri , m . n ., peltzer , e . t ., friederich , g . e ., aya , i ., yamane , k . and brewer , p . g . ( 2000 ). a field study of the effects of co2 ocean disposal on mobile deep - sea animals . mar . chem . 72 , 95 - 101 . the publication supports extensively that most organisms only survive strongly hypoxic conditions for a few hours and only a few adults for several days . the authors suggest that 72 h . of hypoxia will be sufficient to kill most eucaryotic organisms , adults or larvae in ballast water . the effects of high co 2 on organisms in natural waters have become a research focus because of proposals to dispose atmospheric co 2 in the deep ocean ( haugan 1997 , omori et al . 1998 , seibel and walsh 2001 ). see haugan , p . m . ( 1997 ). impacts on the marine environment from direct and indirect ocean storage of co2 . waste management 17 , 323 - 327 . see also omori , m ., norman , c . p . and ikeda , t . ( 1998 ). oceanic disposal of co2 : potential effects on deep - sea plankton and micronekton — a review . plankton biol . ecol . 45 , 87 - 99 . see also seibel , b . a . and walsh , p . j . ( 2001 ). potential impacts of co2 injection on deep - sea biota . science 294 , 319 - 320 . two effects have to be distinguished when looking at “ trimix ” incubations in seawater : a ) the lowering of the ph from ph 8 to about ph 5 . 5 and b ) the raised co 2 concentrations in the water . while the ph change caused by the incubations in “ trimix ” are in the range of published experiments , the co 2 concentration in “ trimix ” ( about 14 %) is much higher than those investigated in the published literature ( generally about 0 . 1 % to 1 %). therefore , the hypercapnic effects of “ trimix ” incubations should be much stronger than those published previously . several publications have shown the detrimental effect of lower ph values and high co 2 levels on aquatic life . in a recent publication , yamada and ikeda ( 1999 ) tested ten oceanic zooplankton species for their ph tolerance . see yamada , y . and ikeda , t . ( 1999 ). acute toxicity of lowered ph to some oceanic zooplankton . plankton biol . ecol . 46 , 62 - 67 . they found that the lc 50 (= ph causing 50 % mortality ) after incubations of 96 hours was between ph 5 . 8 and 6 . 6 and after 48 h . it was between ph 5 . 0 and 6 . 4 . therefore , the ph value caused by incubations with “ trimix ” is well within the lethal range for this zooplankton . huesemann , et al ., ( 2002 ) demonstrate that marine nitrification is completely inhibited at a ph of 6 . see huesemann , m . h ., skilmann , a . d . and crecelius , e . a . ( 2002 ). the inhibition of marine nitrification by ocean disposal of carbon dioxide . mar . poll . bull . 44 , 142 - 148 . larger organisms were also investigated . a drop in seawater ph by only 0 . 5 diminishes the effectiveness of oxygen uptake in the midwater shrimp gnathophausia ingens ( mickel and childress 1978 ). deep sea fish hemoglobin may even be more sensitive to ph changes ( noble et al . 1986 ). see mickel , t . j . and childress , j . j . ( 1978 ), the effect of ph on oxygen consumption and activity in the bathypelagic mysid gnathophausia ingrens . bio . bull . 154 , 138 - 147 . see also noble , r . w ., kwiatkowski , l . d ., de young , a ., davis , b . j ., haedrich , r . l ., tam , l . t . and riggs , a . f . ( 1986 ). functional properties of hemoglobins from deep - sea fish correlations with depth distribution and presence of a swim bladder . biochem . biophys . acta 870 , 552 - 563 . it appears that a common metabolic response to raised co 2 levels and concomitant lowered ph is a metabolic suppression ( barnhart and mcmahon 1988 , rees and hand 1990 ). see barnhart , m . c . and mcmahon , b . r . ( 1988 ). depression of aerobic metabolism and intracellular ph by hypercapnia in land snails , otala lactea . j . exp . biol . 138 , 289 - 299 . see also rees , b . b . and hand , s . c . ( 1990 ). heat dissipation , gas exchange and acid - base status in the land snail oreohelix during short - term estivation . j . exp . biol . 152 , 77 - 92 . most recently , papers have been published investigating the effects of environmental hypercapnia in detail ( poertner et al . 1998 , langenbuch and poertner 2002 ). see poertner , h . o ., bock , c . and reipschlaeger , a . ( 2000 ). modulation of the cost of ph regulation during metabolic depression : a 31p - nmr study in invertebrate ( sipunculus nudus ) isolated muscle . j . exp . biol . 203 , 2417 - 2428 . see also langenbuch , m . and poertner , h . o . ( 2002 ). changes in metabolic rate and n excretion in the marine invertebrate sipunculus nudus under conditions of environmental hypercapnia : identifying effective acid - base variables . j . exp . biol . 205 , 1153 - 1160 . the infusion of trimix in accordance with the present invention combines both hypoxic and hypercapnic effects on marine organisms , including aquatic nuisance species . preliminary results demonstrate the effectiveness of this combination in quickly killing a variety of sample organisms . contrary to methods using additions of biocides or any chemicals in general , nothing is added to the ballast water and , therefore , nothing will be released into the environment when it is released again . methods using radiation , heating , or filtering ballast water before or during a ship &# 39 ; s trip , are much more expensive . the equipment needed to establish a rapid gassing of ballast water is available off the shelf and has been used in the marine environment . the plumbing and gas release equipment has been optimized and has been used in application such as aquaculture , sewage treatment and industrial uses . extensive supporting literature and research about the design and optimization of equipment for the aeration of water is publicly available . inert gas generators are available for fire prevention purposes on ships and other structures and are already installed on many ships , mainly tankers . they can use a variety of fuels including marine diesel to generate the inert gas . several considerations are relevant to a particular shipboard implementation for the treatment of ballast water with “ inert gas ”. these include a ) how are larvae , eggs , and plankton effected and b ) what is the effect of trimix type inert gas in fresh water . if ballast water is taken up through a screen , larger animals will not be included . the initial tests were made with adults because of easy access to them . however , if adults of a species are effected by “ inert gas ” it is most likely that their larvae will also be effected probably even more so . empirical testing can be conducted with specimens from plankton and larval cultures and with incubations of mixed plankton collected from the ocean . determinations of viability may be made by microscopic observations ( e . g . movement of mouthparts , swimming behavior ), atp measurements ( the atp levels rapidly decreases after death of an organism ), and the ability to bioluminesce ( many planktonic organisms emit light , an ability which ceases after death ). fresh water organisms are also of interest because the ph change is not as much as in seawater . freshwater in its natural environment can have ph values around 5 . 5 . it has to be proven that raised co 2 concentrations in combination with hypoxia will also affect fresh water species . only then can the method be used for both , fresh and salt water ballast . in this section 4 . is presented mathematical descriptions of the deoxygenation process and of the transfer of carbon dioxide into the ballast water , which , in turn , leads to lowering of the ph to the levels lethal to most ans . closed - form mathematical models , usable in design of a shipboard system from any set of given specifications , are presented . a list of symbols used in the equations is as follows : c concentration of carbon dioxide in the water , including ions produced by electrolytic dissociation . k h henry &# 39 ; s law constant for oxygen (= 39 . 79 × 10 − 6 ). n co2 number of moles of carbon dioxide in the bubble . p co2 partial pressure of carbon dioxide in the bubble . superscript 0 refers to quantities in the gas bubble when it is first introduced into the tank . subscript 0 refers to quantities in the water at the time t = 0 . the system analyzed places a mixture of nitrogen and carbon dioxide with a relatively small fraction of oxygen in contact with ballast water . the oxygen level in the ballast water is assumed to have reached equilibrium with air as a result of prolonged contact , and therefore would contain a concentration of oxygen sufficient to support a wide spectrum of life forms . the objective is to reduce the oxygen content to a low level by interchange with the gas mixture . the gas is bubbled through the ballast water , which assures uniform distribution of dissolved gas throughout the ballast tank . thus , diffusion within the tank can be neglected . bubbles are assumed to be small and variation of hydrostatic pressure over the vertical dimension of a bubble is neglected . the size of bubbles and the frequency of their generation are not discussed here . these two issues are addressed in existing reference literature ( see , for example , perry et al . 1984 ). the deoxygenation process is assumed to follow henry &# 39 ; s law with equilibrium achieved within the residence time of each bubble . the composition of the mixture in the bubble changes primarily due to transfer of carbon dioxide , a dynamic chemical process assumed to obey the mass action kinetics . as trimix gas is flushed through the system , the total weight of oxygen in the ballast water will be reduced . for the purpose of analyzing the deoxygenation process the presence of carbon dioxide in the trimix is neglected . when a small quantity of gas , dq , is admitted , it contains an oxygen molar fraction y 0 . by the time this quantity of gas leaves the system it contains , according to henry &# 39 ; s law , the molar fraction y / k h .  y  q = y  0 - 1 k h  y ( 1 ) q = k h  ln  y  0 - y / k h y  0 - y 0 / k h ( 2 ) from this equation it follows that pumping 5 , 200 m 3 of gas into a 32 , 200 m 3 tank reduces oxygen concentration to 0 . 83 ppm . this level of hypoxia is lethal to many ans . with the flow rate of 38 . 2 m 3 / min this can be achieved in 135 min . the relationship between the size of the tank and the time required to deoxygenate it is linear . therefore , these results can be scaled to any tank size . deoxygenation is enhanced by the under - pressure , as can be seen from the following simple argument . let p be pressure of water at a given depth in the absence of underpressure . let p u be the absolute value of the negative pressure at the top . let y be the weight fraction of oxygen in the water without underpressure and y u — the same weight fraction with underpressure . then by henry &# 39 ; s law : y - y h y = k h  yp - k h  y  ( p - p u ) k h  yp = p u p ( 3 ) from this equation it may be concluded that solubility of oxygen is reduced by underpressure . this factor becomes even more significant as a bubble rises to the surface , and the pressure inside decreases . for example , if p = 14 . 7 psi ( the usual value at the surface of the tank ) and the absolute value of the underpressure is 2 psi , then the solubility of oxygen is reduced by approximately 14 %. since it is assumed that the pressure inside the bubble depends only on the pressure of the liquid surrounding it , it follows that :  p  t = - ρ   gu ,  p = p 0 - ρ   gut ( 4 ) by definition n co2 + xn . differentiating this equation realizes the following :  n c02  t = x   n  t + n   x  t ( 5 ) however , since the reaction of carbon dioxide with water is the dominant cause of change in the chemical composition , it can be written that : n   x  t - ( 1 - x )   n c02  t ( 7 )  n c02  t = - kp c02 ( 9 ) for the partial pressure of carbon dioxide , according to dalton &# 39 ; s law p co2 = xp .  x  t = - k n 0  x  ( 1 - x ) 2  ( p 0 - ρ   gut ) ( 10 ) i  ( x ) - i  ( x 0 ) = - kt 2   n 0  ( 2  p 0 - ρ   gut ) ( 11 ) i  ( x ) = 1 1 - x + ln   x 1 - x ( 12 ) this equation can be used to calculate the parameters of the systems , including residence time of a bubble , required to achieve the desired molar fraction of carbon dioxide in the bubble . the latter quantity is related to the ph and the concentration of carbon dioxide in the water , as shall be seen in the next subsection . concentration of carbon dioxide in water can be determined as the ratio of the number of moles transferred from the bubble to the volume of the tank . the number of moles transferred from each bubble can be determined from the value of x as follows . by definition : n co2 = xn 0 1 - x ( 14 ) which gives the following answer for the concentration of carbon dioxide in water : c = n v t  ( n co2 0 - xn 0 1 - x ) ( 15 ) the concentration of the hydrogen ions in the water can be calculated from c by solving the following equation for h : the ph can be then found by taking the − log h . from this equation it can also be found that ph 5 . 5 corresponds to 2 × 10 − 5 mol / lit of carbon dioxide . equation ( 16 ) can be solved for c , with the result substituted into the equation ( 7 ). this yields after some tedious , but straightforward algebra the following relationship between the desired molar fraction of carbon dioxide in the bubble and the desired concentration of hydrogen ions in the water : x = 1 - knn co2 0 kn  ( n co2 0 + n 0 ) + ( k - h )  hv t ( 17 ) the equations ( 11 ) and ( 17 ) constitute a closed - form mathematical model of carbon dioxide transfer , usable for design of the treatment system . the most preferred ballast water treatment system in accordance with the present invention a most preferred ballast water treatment system in accordance with the present invention is next described for a large tanker of the size as 300 , 000 dwt . a tanker of this size may not be the most cost effective candidate for realization of the ballast water treatment features of the present invention . however , the design next set forth can be easily modified for smaller tankers . the most preferred ballast water treatment system in accordance with the present invention is a combination of two effective treatment systems : deoxygenation and carbonation . the system is analogous of the american underpressure system (“ aups ”) of mh systems , san diego , calif . ( husain et al . 2001 ) in that a pressure less that atmosphere , called an “ underpressure ” is pulled in the ullage spaces of the ballast water tanks . the inert gas that is preferably supplied by a standard marine gas generator is approximately 84 %- 87 % nitrogen , 12 - 14 % carbon dioxide and about 2 %- 4 % oxygen . this inert gas has all the ingredients necessary to combine the two very effective treatments of hypoxia and carbonation at a very reasonable cost . the laboratory tests at scripps institute of oceanography , described previously , show that this gas needs very little contact time to be effective . the analyses described earlier established the flow rates and control time for hypoxia carbonated conditions . each ballast tank has rows of pipe at the tank floor with downward pointing nozzles . the pressurized inert gas is jetted downward out of the piping . the jets stir up the sediment for contact with the inert gas bubbles . the bubbles then rise through the ballast water to the space above the water surface , which has previously been underpressurized to − 2 psi . for the purposes of this paper , a 300 , 000 dwt single hull tanker was used for design studies of this system to test practicality and affordability . applicability to a 300 , 000 dwt double hull tanker was also examined . an inboard profile , deck plan view , piping layout , nozzle detail and section through a ballast tank part of the ballast water treatment system of the present invention is shown in fig4 a . a schematic diagram of the preferred embodiment of a ship &# 39 ; s ballast water treatment system in accordance with the present invention — the tank of which was just previously seen in fig4 a — is shown in fig4 b . various views of the installation of the ship &# 39 ; s ballast water treatment system in accordance with the present invention , previously seen in fig4 b , on an exemplary ship are shown in fig5 a - 5 d . the exemplary ship is a 300 , 000 dwt double hull tanker . this particular ship incurs somewhat less installation cost since the tank bottom is smooth as is best shown in fig5 a . for this 300 , 000 dwt tanker , there are 8 ballast tanks as follows in table 2 of fig3 . table 2 lists the ballast water tank capacities . from analyses and experience ( tamburri et al . 2002 ), it is estimated the hypoxia and ph conditions can be set in at least 8 hours , even in the largest tanks , b3 port and starboard . the flow rate is 1350 cfm for each of these tanks . with one 1500 cfm marine gas generator , and treating each tank sequentially , it is estimated that all 8 tanks can be in a hypoxia , low - ph ( 5 . 5 - 6 ) condition in less than 48 hours . contact time for essentially total lethality may not require more than another 24 hours although the remainder of the 2 to 3 week voyage is available . the space above the liquid in each tank is underpressurized to about − 2 psi and maintained throughout the voyage . as the gas bubbles rise up to the surface , they are evacuated by a blower to maintain the underpressure of the inert gas blanket at the surface . the underpressure further facilitates the solubility of the oxygen ( see analysis ) and tends to compensate for the oxygen captured in the bubbles as they rise . since the ballast tanks are treated sequentially , only two 700 cfm compressors are required to compress the gas . the gas is compressed enough to offset the hydrostatic head plus an additional 25 % psi to provide a jet force for stirring the sediment . two compressors are provided for redundancy . if there are some concerns with the dumping of hypoxia and carbonated treated water , it is easily countered with the system discussed in this paper . the compressors will shift over from the gas generator to atmospheric and the ballast water will be oxygenated within just a few hours . in this same period of time the co 2 is readily washed out since the air contains no co 2 component . sensors are needed to monitor the ph to ensure that it never goes below about 5 . 5 . sensors will measure dissolved oxygen content to ensure an adequate deoxygenation is established . sensors will also monitor the underpressure . the control system will remotely start and stop the gas generator , the compressor and the blower . the control system also remotely controls the valves off of the inert gas manifold to each ballast tank and the valving for the underpressure manifold . the system of the present invention may be controlled by computers , or , more preferably , by a suitably designed arrangement of programmable logic controllers ( plcs ). these devices are widely commercially available . they are also easy to program and maintain . a control console with displays integrates the functions of the inert gas generator and the entire ballast water treatment system of the present invention , as well as providing for monitoring , status displays and manual override , if required . underpressurization tests have been conducted with that oil tank ullage space gas depressurization system which is , insofar as tank “ underpressures ” go , an analog of the ballast water system of the present invention . namely , the american underpressure system ( aups ) of mh systems , san diego , calif . has already been installed and tested on a naval reserve fleet tanker . this testing verified ( i ) the structural capability of ships ( oil ) tanks ( but with applicability to all ship &# 39 ; s tanks , which are equivalently constructed ) to withstand the negative pressure of − 3 psi , and also ( ii ) the controls needed to maintain the required underpressure . these findings are applicable to the equipment and controls that will be used for the ballast water treatment system of the present invention . economic evaluation of the most preferred ballast water treatment system of the present invention as used for a 300 , 000 dwt tanker ( as set forth in section 5 above ) as stated in section 5 . above , the inventors are cognizant that a large tanker of the size as 300 , 000 dwt may not be the most cost effective candidate for realization of the ballast water treatment features of the present invention . however , the following economic analysis may readily be modified for smaller tankers . in making an economic evaluation , the analysis methodology described in mackey , et al . ( 2000 ) was used . see mackey , t . p ., tagg , r . d ., parsons , m . g ., ( may , 2000 ). technologies for ballast water management , proc . 8 th icmes / sname new york metropolitan section symp . this method states , “ a logical basis for economic comparisons would be a change in required freight rate ( rfr ).” since there would be no change in cargo capacity , then : δ   rfr = [ crf  ( i , n ) * δ   p + δ   y ] c ( 18 ) where crf ( i , n ) is a capital recovery factor for an interest rate i for n for economic payback years ; δp is change in capital cost ; and δy is net change in annual operating cost and revenue . mackey et al . ( 2000 ) stated that the economic payback period for conversions is typically 5 years . see mackey , et al ., op . cit . a 300 , 000 dwt tanker is selected for analysis . as stated earlier , a ballast water treatment system applicable for ships must have the capacity for treating huge quantities of ballast water . if a system is practical and economical for treating a ship with 8 ballast tanks of 110 , 823 cubic meters , then it is practical for all ship types . the economics would have to be assessed for ships of other , smaller ballast capacity , as the economics might not scale . but obviously , the effectiveness as well as the practicality of the system would be established . table 3 of fig6 a and 6 b lists the principal parts and materials in the ballast water treatment system together with estimated prices and labor costs . the total cost is approximately $ 3 , 057 , 100 . all tankers already have some type of inert gas generating capability . the newer tankers have generators with a gas mixture discharge similar to the mix used in the above - described experiments at scripps institute of oceanography . nevertheless , for conservatism , the generator has been included in the cost . similarly tankers probably have sufficient excess electrical capacity to supply the load of this equipment — the compressors and blower . this is especially true since this is on the return trip in ballast and the machinery will only run about 48 hours each trip . nevertheless , again for extreme conservation , a 300 kw generator has been included . to make a usefully indicative estimate of operating costs , the following assumptions were made : the tanker will operate to 360 days per year . six ( 6 ) voyages per year between persian gulf and usa . half of the voyages are return trips in ballast , or 6 trips a year . the 2 compressors and blower are assumed to operate 48 hours to obtain hypoxia and carbonation in all 8 tanks ( note that actually the cfm of both compressors is only required for tanks b3 port and starboard and b6 port and starboard . operating costs are primarily the fuel costs for the inert gas generator and the 300 kw generator . the factor n is 5 years ( economic payback period ) and i ( interest rate ) is 8 %. if the gas and electric generators operate 48 hours for each of 6 voyages , then the total operating time is 288 hours per year for each generator . about 6 , 000 gallons of diesel fuel would be consumed by the electric generator and for the gas generator about 16 , 500 gallons . this is a total of 22 , 500 gallons . at a cost $ 1 . 25 per gallon , the yearly operating cost will be about $ 28 , 125 . considering the few hours per year that the machinery operates and the fact that the ship has no cargo and therefore less requirements of the crew , minimal cost has been allocated for maintenance . rfr = 0 . 25 × 3 , 057 , 100 + 28 , 125 300 , 000 × 6 = $   . 44  /  ton ( 19 ) in estimating the cost of treatment per ton of ballast water , the estimated annual operating costs of $ 28 , 125 is used . the approximate 4 million cubic feet of ballast is 128 , 000 tons . six trips are made in ballast which is a total of 768 , 000 tons treated . therefore , cost of ballast water treatment is 3 . 7 cents per ton . practicality and affordability of a ballast water treatment system in accordance with the present invention this ballast water treatment system is focused on treating the huge amounts of ballast water discharged into us harbors . it has the capacity to readily treat these huge quantities using standard marine components . for tankers that already have the major components on board , it would be very affordable . and for tankers with the aups spill containment , the added cost would be even less expensive . also , it appears ( although not tested ) that this system may be adequately effective in treating sediments . ballast water exchange leaves sediment and other residue untreated . in fact , only the filtration concept treats sediment , by eliminating it . in accordance with the preceding explanation , variations and adaptations of the ballast water treatment methods and system in accordance with the present invention will suggest themselves to a practitioner of the gas handling , gas flow , and gas diffusion arts . for example , rather than exposing a large surface of gas in the form of small bubbles to the ballast water in tanks , the surface area of the ballast water available for gaseous interchange could be augmented by spraying the ballast water in an enclosed atmosphere of the desired gases . in other words , the ( substantially ) inert gases can be brought to the ballast water , or the ballast water to the ( substantially ) inert gases . in accordance with these and other possible variations and adaptations of the present invention , the scope of the invention should be determined in accordance with the following claims , only , and not solely in accordance with that embodiment within which the invention has been taught .	8
the embodiments of the transparent conductive structure and a method for manufacturing the same of the present disclosure are discussed in detail below , but not limited the scope of the present disclosure . the same symbols or numbers are used to the same or similar portion in the drawings or the description . and the applications of the present disclosure are not limited by the following embodiments and examples which the person in the art can apply in the related field . the singular forms “ a ,” “ an ” and “ the ” used herein include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise . therefore , reference to , for example , a metal layer includes embodiments having two or more such metal layers , unless the context clearly indicates otherwise . reference throughout this specification to “ one embodiment ” means that a particular feature , structure , or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present disclosure . therefore , the appearances of the phrases “ in one embodiment ” or “ in an embodiment ” in various places throughout this specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment . further , the particular features , structures , or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments . it should be appreciated that the following figures are not drawn to scale ; rather , the figures are intended ; rather , these figures are intended for illustration . fig1 a is a three - dimensional view of a heat sink 100 a according to one embodiment of the present disclosure . in fig1 a , the heat sink 100 a comprises a thermal conductive substrate 110 a and a hollow ventilation channel 120 horizontally positioned in the thermal conductive substrate 110 a . the hollow ventilation channel 120 has two openings 122 , and the two openings 122 are respectively on two different sides of the thermal substrate 110 a . therefore , air may flow in the hollow ventilation channel 120 and take away the heat of the thermal conductive substrate 110 a . in fig1 a , the two openings 122 of the hollow ventilation channel 120 are respectively on the opposite sides of the thermal conductive substrate 110 a . the top surface and the bottom surface of the thermal conductive substrate may further comprise a plurality of metal electrodes and a plurality of conductive pillars electrically connected to the metal electrodes . in one embodiment of the present disclosure , the top surface and the bottom surface of the thermal conductive substrate 110 a respectively have metal electrodes 130 , and the metal electrodes 130 are electrically connected by a conductive pillar 132 , as shown in fig1 a . according to one embodiment of the present disclosure , the material of the thermal conductive substrate includes ceramics , metals or silicon materials . according to another embodiment of the present disclosure , the thermal conductive substrate is a copper substrate or a silicon substrate . fig1 b is a three - dimensional view of a heat sink 100 b according to one embodiment of the present disclosure . in fig1 b , the heat sink 100 b comprises a thermal conductive substrate 110 b and two hollow ventilation channels 120 parallel to each other and horizontally positioned in the thermal conductive substrate 110 b . each one of the hollow ventilation channels 120 has two openings 122 , and the two openings 122 are respectively on opposite sides of the thermal substrate 110 b . therefore , air may flow in the hollow ventilation channels 120 and take away the heat of the thermal conductive substrate 110 b . in one embodiment of the present disclosure , the heat sink has a thermal conductive substrate and a u - shaped hollow ventilation channel , wherein the u - shaped hollow ventilation channel has two openings on the same side of the thermal conductive substrate . further , in one embodiment of the present disclosure , the top surface and the bottom surface of the thermal conductive substrate 110 b respectively have metal electrodes 130 , and the metal electrodes 130 are electrically connected by a conductive pillar 132 , as shown in fig1 b . in one embodiment of the present disclosure , a light - emitting device comprises a heat sink and at least one light - emitting element on the heat sink . in one embodiment of the present disclosure , the light - emitting element may be bonded on the thermal conductive substrate and electrically connected to the metal electrode . in which , the light - emitting element may be a light - emitting diode . fig1 c is a three - dimensional view of a heat sink 100 c according to one embodiment of the present disclosure . in fig1 c , the heat sink 100 c comprises a thermal conductive substrate 110 c and three hollow ventilation channels 120 horizontally positioned in the thermal conductive substrate 110 c . each one of the hollow ventilation channels 120 has two openings 122 , and the two openings 122 are respectively on opposite sides of the thermal substrate 110 c . therefore , air may flow in the hollow ventilation channels 120 and take away the heat of the thermal conductive substrate 110 c . in fig1 c , two of the hollow ventilation channels 120 are parallel to each other , and the other hollow ventilation channel 120 is crisscrossed to the two hollow ventilation channels 120 , so as to increase the opportunity and direction of air flow . further , in one embodiment of the present disclosure , the top surface and the bottom surface of the thermal conductive substrate 110 c respectively have metal electrodes 130 , and the metal electrodes 130 are electrically connected by a conductive pillar 132 , as shown in fig1 c . fig1 d is a three - dimensional view of a heat sink 100 d according to one embodiment of the present disclosure . in fig1 d , the heat sink 100 d comprises a thermal conductive substrate 110 d and two hollow ventilation channels 120 horizontally positioned in the thermal conductive substrate 110 d . each one of the hollow ventilation channels 120 has two openings 122 , and the two openings 122 are respectively on opposite sides of the thermal substrate 110 d . therefore , air may flow in the hollow ventilation channels 120 and take away the heat of the thermal conductive substrate 110 d . different from fig1 b , the hollow ventilation channels 120 in fig1 d are positioned on a slant in the thermal conductive substrate 110 d , thus the two openings 122 of the hollow ventilation channels 120 are on the adjacent sides of the thermal conductive substrate 110 d . further , in one embodiment of the present disclosure , the top surface and the bottom surface of the thermal conductive substrate 110 d respectively have metal electrodes 130 , and the metal electrodes 130 are electrically connected by a conductive pillar 132 , as shown in fig1 d . fig1 e is a three - dimensional view of a heat sink 100 e according to one embodiment of the present disclosure . in fig1 e , the heat sink 100 e comprises a thermal conductive substrate 110 e and two hollow ventilation channels 120 horizontally positioned in the thermal conductive substrate 110 e . each one of the hollow ventilation channels 120 has two openings 122 , and the two openings 122 are respectively on opposite sides of the thermal substrate 110 e . therefore , air may flow in the hollow ventilation channels 120 and take away the heat of the thermal conductive substrate 110 e . in fig1 e , the two hollow ventilation channels 120 are crisscrossed to each other to increase the opportunity and direction of air flow . further , in one embodiment of the present disclosure , the top surface and the bottom surface of the thermal conductive substrate 110 e respectively have metal electrodes 130 , and the metal electrodes 130 are electrically connected by a conductive pillar 132 , as shown in fig1 e . fig2 a is a schematic cross - sectional view of the heat sink 100 b taken along the line a - a ′ of fig1 b . in fig2 a , the hollow ventilation channels 120 are horizontally positioned in the thermal conductive substrate 110 b , having two openings 122 respectively on opposite sides of the thermal substrate 110 b . further , the metal electrodes 130 are individually positioned on the top surface and the bottom surface of the heat sink 100 b . in which , a metal electrode 130 on the top surface and a metal electrode 130 on the bottom surface may pair up and be electrically connected by a conductive pillar 132 . fig2 b is the top view of the heat sink 100 b of fig2 b . in fig2 b , the two hollow ventilation channels 120 are parallel to each other and positioned in the thermal conductive substrate 110 b . each one of the hollow ventilation channels 120 has two openings 122 respectively on opposite sides of the thermal conductive substrate 110 b . in one embodiment of the present disclosure , the hollow ventilation channels 120 are under the metal electrodes 130 , so as to fully absorb the heat generated by electronic elements to enhance the ventilation performance . fig2 c is a schematic cross - sectional view of the heat sink 100 b taken along the line c - c ′ of fig1 b . in fig2 c , the hollow ventilation channels 120 are under the metal electrodes 130 , so as to fully absorb the heat generated by electronic elements to enhance the ventilation performance . further , the metal electrodes 130 are individually positioned on the top surface and the bottom surface of the heat sink 100 b . in which , a metal electrode 130 on the top surface and a metal electrode 130 on the bottom surface may pair up and be electrically connected by a conductive pillar 132 . fig3 a is an enlarged view of a hollow ventilation channel 120 of the region d in fig2 c . in fig3 a , the inner wall of the hollow ventilation channels 120 further comprises a composite material layer 310 a . in one embodiment of the present disclosure , the composite material layer 310 a comprises a porous material or a hygroscopic material . the porous material has greater specific area which may significantly enhance the heat exchanging efficiency between the heat sink and air , so as to increase the ventilation performance . on another way , when the hygroscopic material is used to absorb water vapor in air , the temperature of the heat sink may change gradually because of the high specific heat of water . further , water has higher heat of evaporation , so that the heat of the heat sink may be more absorbed as evaporation of water . in one embodiment of the present disclosure , the composite material layer 310 a includes a carbonaceous material , a polymer , a metal oxide or a combination thereof . fig3 b is an enlarged view of a hollow ventilation channel 120 of the region d in fig2 c . in fig3 b , the inner wall of the hollow ventilation channels 120 further comprises a roughened surface 310 b . the inner wall of the hollow ventilation channel 120 is roughened by a roughening process to generate a roughened surface 310 b . compared with a smooth surface , the roughened surface has a greater specific area which may increase the heat exchanging efficiency between the heat sink and air and enhance the performance of ventilation . in embodiments of the present disclosure , the heat sink has at least one hollow ventilation channel which may significantly enhance the heat exchanging efficiency between the heat sink and air , so as to increase the ventilation performance . further , the hollow ventilation channel is horizontally positioned in the thermal conductive substrate , and has exposed openings keeping the air in circulation . although embodiments of the present disclosure and their advantages have been described in detail , they are not used to limit the present disclosure . it should be understood that various changes , substitutions and alterations can be made herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure . therefore , the protecting scope of the present disclosure should be defined as the following claims .	5
embodiments to which the present technology is applied are described below referring to the drawings . the solid - state imaging device to which the present technology is applied is made from a solid - state imaging element , such as a complementary metal oxide semiconductor ( cmos ) image sensor , and has a laminated structure as illustrated in fig1 . that is , a solid - state imaging device 11 has the laminated structure in which an upper chip or substrate 21 , a cmos image sensor ( cis ) chip , is laminated or stacked on a lower chip or substrate 22 , a logic chip . when capturing an image , the upper chip 21 is arranged at the side of an imaging lens . furthermore , for example , the upper chip 21 is manufactured using a cis process , and the lower chip 22 is manufactured using a high - speed logic process . a pixel array unit 31 that is made from multiple unit pixels , each of which receives incident light from a photography object and photoelectricity - converts the light , and a peripheral circuit 32 - 1 that controls the drive of the solid - state imaging device 11 are provided on the upper chip 21 that makes up the solid - state imaging device 11 . furthermore , a peripheral circuit 32 - 2 that controls the drive of the solid - state imaging device 11 is provided on the lower chip 22 that makes up the solid - state imaging device 11 . for example , the peripheral circuit 32 - 1 and the peripheral circuit 32 - 2 control the drive of each unit pixel of the pixel array unit 31 , or control various processing tasks that are performed in the solid - state imaging device 11 , such as processing that reads out a signal that is obtained in each unit pixel , or processing that generates image data from the read - out signal . moreover , the peripheral circuit 32 - 1 and the peripheral circuit 32 - 2 , when it is not necessary to particularly distinguish between them , are collectively referred to as a peripheral circuit 32 . incidentally , in a case where an area of the pixel array unit 31 is greater than a total of areas of all the peripheral circuits 32 , if only the pixel array unit 31 is arranged in the upper chip 21 and the peripheral circuits 32 are arranged in the lower chip 22 , a floor plan of the chip for minimizing the solid - state imaging device 11 can be realized . on the other hand , in a case where the area of the pixel array unit 31 is smaller than the total of areas of all the peripheral circuits 32 , if only the pixel array unit 31 is arranged in the upper chip 21 and the peripheral circuits 32 are arranged in the lower chip 22 , a region into which none is integrated occurs in the upper chip 21 . in summary , the region of the upper chip 21 remains unoccupied . accordingly , according to the present technology , making the solid - state imaging device 11 smaller can be realized by arranging not only the pixel array unit 31 but also the peripheral circuit 32 - 1 , one part of the peripheral circuit 32 , on the upper chip 21 , as illustrated in the upper portion of fig1 . furthermore , in the solid - state imaging device 11 , the peripheral circuit 32 - 1 that is arranged in the upper chip 21 is a circuit that include at least neither a resistance element nor a capacitance element , and the peripheral circuit 32 - 2 that is arranged in the lower chip 22 is a circuit in which the resistance element or the capacitance element is provided when necessary . in summary , in the solid - state imaging device 11 , at least either the resistance elements or the capacitance elements that are provided within the peripheral circuit 32 are all formed in the lower chip 22 . for example , in a case of manufacturing the upper chip 21 , when the peripheral circuit 32 - 1 in the upper chip 21 includes the resistance element or the capacitance element , the number of masks that are necessary for manufacturing the upper chip 21 is increased and thus a manufacturing cost of the upper chip 21 is increased . accordingly , according to the present technology , when considering a mask cost and the like , the manufacturing cost of the upper chip 21 is suppressed by setting a circuit not including the resistance element to be the peripheral circuit 32 - 1 or by setting a circuit not including the capacitance element to be the peripheral circuit 32 - 1 . accordingly , the solid - state imaging device 11 can be manufactured at a lower cost . next , a configuration example of the solid - state imaging device 11 described above is described in more detail . for example , the solid - state imaging device 11 is configured as illustrated in detail in fig2 . moreover , in fig2 , like reference numerals are given to like parts that correspond to those in fig1 , and descriptions of the like parts are appropriately omitted . the solid - state imaging device 11 described in fig2 is configured from a pixel array unit 31 , a timing control circuit 61 , a vertical decoder 62 , a vertical drive circuit 63 , a reference signal supply unit 64 , a comparator 65 , a counter circuit 66 , a horizontal scan circuit 67 , a pixel signal processing unit 68 , an output interface ( if ) 69 , a bias generation circuit 70 , and a negative electric potential generation circuit 71 . in this example , circuits each of which does not include a low - breakdown - voltage transistor and the resistance element and is made from a high - breakdown - voltage transistor are integrated as the peripheral circuits 32 - 1 into the upper chip 21 . that is , the pixel array unit 31 , and the vertical decoder 62 , and the vertical drive circuit 63 and the comparator 65 as the peripheral circuits 32 - 1 are integrated into the upper chip 21 . for example , the comparator 65 is configured in such a manner as not to include the resistance element . at this point , the high - breakdown - voltage transistor is a transistor in which a thickness of a gate oxide film , a gate insulating film , is set to be greater than that of a normal mos transistor , and which can operate without problems at a high voltage . furthermore , the low - breakdown - voltage transistor is a transistor in which a thickness of the gate insulating film is set to be the same as that of the normal mos transistor or less , and which can operate at high speed at a low voltage and is lower in breakdown voltage than the high - breakdown - voltage transistor . for example , when both of the high - breakdown - voltage transistor and the low - breakdown - voltage transistor are integrated into the upper chip 21 , the number of masks is increased when manufacturing the upper chip 21 and the mask cost is increased . for this reason , from a perspective of the manufacturing cost , it is preferable that the high - breakdown - voltage transistor and the low - breakdown - voltage transistor be separately arranged in the upper chip 21 and lower chip 22 , respectively . furthermore , it is preferable that an element , high in breakdown voltage , be arranged in the vicinity of the pixel array unit 31 , because the pixel array unit 31 provided in the upper chip 21 is driven at a high voltage . accordingly , in the solid - state imaging device 11 , the manufacturing of the solid - state imaging device 11 at a low cost is accomplished by arranging the peripheral circuit 32 including the high - breakdown - voltage transistor in the upper chip 21 and by arranging the peripheral circuit 32 including the low - breakdown - voltage transistor in the lower chip 22 . furthermore , in the solid - state imaging device 11 , the timing control circuit 61 , the reference signal supply unit 64 , the counter circuit 66 , the horizontal scan circuit 67 , the pixel signal processing unit 68 , the output if 69 , the bias generation circuit 70 , and the negative electric potential generation circuit 71 are integrated as the peripheral circuits 32 - 2 into the lower chip 22 . for example , the timing control circuit 61 , the counter circuit 66 , the horizontal scan circuit 67 , the pixel signal processing unit 68 , and the output if 69 are a circuit in which the low - breakdown - voltage transistor that has a higher performance than the high - breakdown - voltage transistor is preferably used . furthermore , the reference signal supply unit 64 , the bias generation circuit 70 , and the negative electric potential generation circuit 71 are circuits that include a resistance element . in fig2 , the solid - state imaging device 11 has the pixel array unit 31 in which unit pixels not illustrated , each including a photoelectric transducer , are two - dimensionally arranged , in rows and columns , that is , in the shape of a matrix . furthermore , the comparator 65 and the counter circuit 66 as a circuit that makes up a column processing unit 81 are provided in the solid - state imaging device 11 . in the solid - state imaging device 11 , the timing control circuit 61 generates a clock signal , a control signal , or the like that serves as an operation reference for the vertical drive circuit 63 , the column processing unit 81 , the reference signal supply unit 64 , the negative electric potential generation circuit 71 , the horizontal scan circuit 67 , and the like , based on a master clock . furthermore , a peripheral drive mechanism that drive - controls each unit pixel of the pixel array unit 31 , or an analog mechanism , that is , the vertical drive circuit 63 , the comparator 65 of the column processing unit 81 , and the like are integrated into the upper chip 21 in the same manner as the pixel array unit 31 . on the other hand , the timing control circuit 61 , the reference signal supply unit 64 , the pixel signal processing unit 68 , and the counter circuit 66 of the column processing unit 81 , and the horizontal scan circuit 67 are integrated into the lower chip 22 , a separate semiconductor substrate from the upper chip 21 . the unit pixel provided in the pixel array unit 31 , although its illustration is omitted , has a photoelectric transducer , such as a photo diode . in addition to the photoelectric transducer , the unit pixel has , for example , a transmission transistor that transmits an electric charge , which is obtained by performing photoelectric conversion in the photoelectric transducer , to a floating diffusion unit ( hereinafter referred to as an fd unit ). for the unit pixel , a three - transistor configuration can be applied that , in addition to the transmission transistor , includes a reset transistor that controls an electric potential of the fd unit and an amplification transistor that outputs a signal that depends on the electric potential of the fd unit . alternatively , for the unit pixel , a four - transistor configuration and the like can be employed that separately includes a selection transistor in order to further perform pixel selection . in the pixel array unit 31 , unit pixels in m rows and n columns are two - dimensionally arranged , and with respect to the m - row and n - column arrangement , a row control line is provided to each row for wiring and a column signal line is provided to each column for wiring . each end of the row control line is connected to each output terminal that depends on each row in the vertical drive circuit 63 . the vertical drive circuit 63 is configured from shift registers and the like , and performs row address control and row scan control on the pixel array unit 31 via the row control line . for the transmission transistor and the selection transistor of the unit pixel , it is recommended that a negative voltage be applied to a gate at an off time . with the transmission transistor , an occurrence of a dark signal can be prevented , and with the selection transistor , a leakage current can be prevented . the negative voltage is generated in the negative electric potential generation circuit 71 that functions as a charge pump circuit , and is supplied to the transmission transistor and the selection transistor within the pixel array unit 31 via the vertical drive circuit 63 . the bias generation circuit 70 is a circuit that generates a reference voltage and a reference current that is minutely influenced by a disturbance such as a temperature or a power source voltage . the reference voltage and the reference current , which are generated in the bias generation circuit 70 , are supplied to the comparator 65 , the reference signal supply unit 64 , the negative electric potential generation circuit 71 , and the output if 69 . the column processing unit 81 has an analog digital converter ( adc ) that is provided , for example , to every column in the pixel array unit 31 , that is , to every vertical signal line lsgn , converts an analog signal that is output from each unit pixel of the pixel array unit 31 to every column into a digital signal and outputs the result of the conversion . the reference signal supply unit 64 has , for example , a digital analog converter ( dac ) in which a level changes in an inclined form as time goes by , and which generates a reference voltage vref in a so - called ramp waveform . moreover , the unit that generates the reference voltage vref in the ramp waveform is not limited to the dac . under the control of the control signal given by the timing control circuit 61 , the dac of the reference signal supply unit 64 generates the reference voltage vref in the ramp waveform , based on a clock given by the timing control circuit 61 and supplies the generated reference voltage vref to the adc of the column processing unit 81 . moreover , each adc of the column processing unit 81 has a configuration that can selectively perform ad conversion operations that correspond to an operational mode of a normal frame rate mode in a progressive scan method in which the information in all the unit pixels is read out and an operational mode of a high - speed frame rate mode , respectively . at this point , the high - speed the frame rate mode is an operational mode in which an exposure time of the unit pixel is set to 1 / n and increases a frame rate to n times as much , for example , to two times as much , compared to a case of the normal frame rate mode . switching to this operational mode is executed under the control of the control signal given by the timing control circuit 61 . furthermore , an external system controller ( not illustrated ) gives the timing control circuit 61 instruction information for switching between the operational mode of the normal frame rate mode and the operational mode of the high - speed frame rate mode . furthermore , all the adcs of the column processing unit 81 have the same configuration , and the adc is made from the comparator 65 and the counter circuit 66 . for example , the adc has a up / down counter , a transmission switch , and a memory device . the comparator 65 compares a signal voltage of the vertical signal line lsgn that depends on a signal that is output from each unit pixel in the n - th column in the pixel array unit 31 and the reference voltage vref in the ramp waveform that is supplied from the reference signal supply unit 64 . in the comparator 65 , for example , when the reference voltage vref is greater than the signal voltage , an output vco is at an “ h ” level , and when the reference voltage vref is the signal voltage or less , the output vco is at an “ l ” level . the counter circuit 66 , that is , the up / down counter , is an asynchronous counter , and the control signal from the timing control circuit 61 is supplied to the counter circuit 66 . a clock is supplied to the dac of the reference signal supply unit 64 , and at the same time , a clock from the timing control circuit 61 is given . the counter circuit 66 is synchronized with the clock from the timing control circuit 61 , and by performing down - counting or up - counting , measures a comparison period - of - time from a start of a comparison operation in the comparator to an end of the comparison operation . in this manner , the analog signal that is supplied from each unit pixel of the pixel array unit 31 to every column via the column signal line is converted by each operation of the comparator 65 and the counter circuit 66 , the up / down counter , into the n - bit digital signal and is stored in the memory device . the horizontal scan circuit 67 is configured from the shift register and the like and performs column address control and column scan control on the adc in the column processing unit 81 . under the control of the horizontal scan circuit 67 , the n - bit digital signal that is ad - converted in each of the adcs is read out one after another by a horizontal signal line lhr and is output as imaging data to the pixel signal processing unit 68 via the horizontal signal line lhr . the pixel signal processing unit 68 is a circuit that performs various signal processing tasks on the imaging data and is configured to include an image signal processor ( isp ), a microprocessor , a memory circuit and the like . the imaging data on which the signal processing is performed in the pixel signal processing unit 68 is output to the outside via the output if 69 . according to the present embodiment , in the comparator 65 mounted on the upper chip 21 , a comparison is made between the signal voltage of the vertical signal line lsgn that depends on the signal that is output from each unit pixel and the reference voltage vref in the ramp waveform that is supplied from the reference signal supply unit 64 . then , based on the result of the comparison , the comparison period - of - time from the start of the comparison operation to the end of the comparison operation is measured by the counter circuit 66 mounted on the lower chip 22 . according to the present technology as described above , the circuits each of which does not include the resistance element are integrated into the upper chip 21 and the circuits each of which includes the resistance element are integrated into the lower chip 22 , and thus the small - sized solid - state imaging device 11 can be obtained at a low cost . furthermore , the case where the circuits each of which does not include the resistance element are set to be the peripheral circuits 32 - 1 that are integrated into the upper chip 21 is described above , but the circuits each of which does not include the capacitance element may be set to be the peripheral circuits 32 - 1 . in such a case , for example , the solid - state imaging device 11 is configured as illustrated in fig3 . moreover , in fig3 , like reference numerals are given to like parts that correspond to those in fig2 , and descriptions of the like parts are appropriately omitted . according to a floor plan of the solid - state imaging device 11 described in fig3 , the circuits each of which does not include the low - breakdown - voltage transistor and the capacitance element are integrated as the peripheral circuits 32 - 1 into the upper chip 21 . in this example , the comparator 65 and the negative electric potential generation circuit 71 that include the capacitance element are integrated into the lower chip 22 , and the reference signal supply unit 64 and the bias generation circuit 70 that do not include the capacitance element are integrated into the upper chip 21 . that is , the pixel array unit 31 , and the vertical decoder 62 , the vertical drive circuit 63 , the reference signal supply unit 64 and the bias generation circuit 70 as the peripheral circuits 32 - 1 are integrated into the upper chip 21 . furthermore , the timing control circuit 61 , the comparator 65 , the counter circuit 66 , the horizontal scan circuit 67 , the pixel signal processing unit 68 , the output if 69 , and the negative electric potential generation circuit 71 are integrated as the peripheral circuits 32 - 2 into the lower chip 22 . because the peripheral circuit 32 is provided in each of the upper chip 21 and the lower chip 22 also in the solid - state imaging device 11 illustrated in fig3 , making the solid - state imaging device 11 smaller can be accomplished by a circuit arrangement that has a high degree of freedom . furthermore , in the solid - state imaging device 11 , all the peripheral circuits 32 each of which includes the capacitance element , which are a cause for increasing the mask cost , are arranged in the lower chip 22 , and thus the manufacturing cost of the solid - state imaging device 11 can be further suppressed . furthermore , the case where the circuits each of which includes neither the resistance element nor the capacitance element are set to be the peripheral circuits 32 - 1 that are integrated into the upper chip 21 is described above , but the circuits each of which includes neither the resistance element nor the capacitance element may be set to be the peripheral circuits 32 - 1 . in such a case , for example , the solid - state imaging device 11 is configured as illustrated in fig4 . moreover , in fig4 , like reference numerals are given to like parts that correspond to those in fig2 , and descriptions of the like parts are appropriately omitted . according to a floor plan of the solid - state imaging device 11 described in fig4 , the circuits each of which does not include the low - breakdown - voltage transistor , the resistance element , and the capacitance element are integrated as the peripheral circuits 32 - 1 into the upper chip 21 . in this example , the comparator 65 , the reference signal supply unit 64 , the bias generation circuit 70 , and the negative electric potential generation circuit 71 , each of which includes the resistance element or the capacitance element are integrated into the lower chip 22 . that is , the pixel array unit 31 , and the vertical decoder 62 and the vertical drive circuit 63 as the peripheral circuits 32 - 1 are integrated into the upper chip 21 . furthermore , the timing control circuit 61 , the reference signal supply unit 64 , the comparator 65 , the counter circuit 66 , the horizontal scan circuit 67 , the pixel signal processing unit 68 , the output if 69 , the bias generation circuit 70 , and the negative electric potential generation circuit 71 are integrated as the peripheral circuits 32 - 2 into the lower chip 22 . because also in the solid - state imaging device 11 illustrated in fig4 , the peripheral circuit 32 is provided in each of the lower chip 22 and the upper chip 21 that is laminated on the lower chip 22 , making the solid - state imaging device 11 smaller can be accomplished . furthermore , in the solid - state imaging device 11 , all the peripheral circuits 32 each of which includes the resistance element or the capacitance element , which are a cause for increasing the mask cost , are arranged in the lower chip 22 , and thus the manufacturing cost of the solid - state imaging device 11 can be further suppressed . furthermore , according to the first embodiment described above , the example in which the circuit that does not include the resistance element is set to be the peripheral circuit 32 - 1 is described , but one part of one circuit as the peripheral circuit 32 may be integrated into the upper chip 21 and the remaining parts including the resistance element may be integrated into the lower chip 22 . for example , the circuits each of which does not include the low - breakdown - voltage transistor and the resistance element are integrated as the peripheral circuit 32 - 1 into the upper chip 21 , and a predetermined circuit that realizes one function is divided into one part that includes the resistance element and the other part that does not include the resistance element and the one part and the other part are integrated into the upper chip 21 and the lower chip 22 , respectively . if each circuit is arranged according to this floor plan , for example , the solid - state imaging device 11 is configured as illustrated in fig5 . moreover , in fig5 , like reference numerals are given to like parts that correspond to those in fig2 , and descriptions of the like parts are appropriately omitted . according to the floor plan of the solid - state imaging device 11 described in fig5 , one bias generation circuit 70 that realizes a function of outputting the reference current to a predetermined circuit is divided into two circuits , a bias generation sub - circuit 201 and a bias generation sub - circuit 202 , and the two circuits are integrated into the upper chip 21 and the lower chip 22 , respectively . at this point , the bias generation sub - circuit 201 is a circuit that is made from elements that are different from the low - breakdown - voltage transistor and the resistance element , among elements making up the bias generation circuit 70 , and is arranged in the upper chip 21 . furthermore , the bias generation sub - circuit 202 is a circuit that is made from several elements that include at least the resistance element , among the elements making up the bias generation circuit 70 , and is arranged in the lower chip 22 . then , the bias generation sub - circuit 201 and the bias generation sub - circuit 202 are electrically connected to each other via a contact provided between the upper chip 21 and the lower chip 22 , and the analog signal is transferred and received between the bias generation sub - circuit 201 and the bias generation sub - circuit 202 . similarly , in the solid - state imaging device 11 , one negative electric potential generation circuit 71 that functions as a charge pump is divided into two circuits , a negative electric potential generation sub - circuit 203 and a negative electric potential generation sub - circuit 204 , and the two circuits are integrated into the upper chip 21 and the lower chip 22 , respectively . at this point , the negative electric potential generation sub - circuit 203 is a circuit that is made from elements that are different from the low - breakdown - voltage transistor and the resistance element , among the elements making up the negative electric potential generation circuit 71 , and is arranged in the upper chip 21 . furthermore , the negative electric potential generation sub - circuit 204 is a circuit that is made from several elements that include at least the resistance element , among the elements making up the negative electric potential generation circuit 71 , and is arranged in the lower chip 22 . then , the negative electric potential generation sub - circuit 203 and the negative electric potential generation sub - circuit 204 are electrically connected to each other via the contact provided between the upper chip 21 and the lower chip 22 , and the analog signal is transmitted and received between the negative electric potential generation sub - circuit 203 and the negative electric potential generation sub - circuit 204 . furthermore , in this example , the pixel array unit 31 , and the vertical decoder 62 , the vertical drive circuit 63 , the comparator 65 , the bias generation sub - circuit 201 , and the negative electric potential generation sub - circuit 203 as the peripheral circuits 32 - 1 are integrated into the upper chip 21 . furthermore , the timing control circuit 61 , the reference signal supply unit 64 , the counter circuit 66 , the horizontal scan circuit 67 , the pixel signal processing unit 68 , the output if 69 , the bias generation sub - circuit 202 , and the negative electric potential generation sub - circuit 204 are integrated as the peripheral circuits 32 - 2 into the lower chip 22 . because also in the solid - state imaging device 11 illustrated in fig5 , the peripheral circuit 32 is provided in each of the lower chip 22 and the upper chip 21 that is laminated on the lower chip 22 , making the solid - state imaging device 11 smaller can be accomplished by the circuit arrangement that has the high degree of freedom . particularly , one circuit such as the bias generation circuit 70 or the negative electric potential generation circuit 71 is divided into two sub - circuits , and the two sub - circuits are arranged in the upper chip 21 and the lower chip 22 , respectively . thus , the floor plan for the high degree of freedom can be further accomplished . that is , for example , in the peripheral circuit 32 , the sub - circuit that is arranged in the upper chip 21 and the sub - circuit that is arranged in the lower chip 22 can be determined with high degree of freedom . accordingly , optimization of a chip size of the solid - state imaging device 11 can be more simply performed , and further making the solid - state imaging device 11 smaller can be accomplished . furthermore , in the solid - state imaging device 11 , all the peripheral circuits 32 each of which includes the resistance element , which are a cause for increasing the mask cost , are arranged in the lower chip 22 , and thus the manufacturing cost of the solid - state imaging device 11 can be further suppressed . moreover , the bias generation circuit 70 in the solid - state imaging device 11 described in fig5 is described as being divided into the bias generation sub - circuit 201 and the bias generation sub - circuit 202 , but for example , in this case , the bias generation circuit 70 is configured as illustrated in more detail in fig6 . moreover , in fig6 , like reference numerals are given to like parts that correspond to those in fig5 , and descriptions of the like parts are appropriately omitted . in fig6 , above a dotted line is a region of the upper chip 21 and below the dotted line is a region of the lower chip 22 . in this example , the bias generation sub - circuit 201 is configured from an amplifier 231 , a transistor 232 , the transistor 233 , and the transistor 234 . furthermore , the bias generation sub - circuit 202 is configured from the resistance element 235 , and the bias generation sub - circuit 201 and the bias generation sub - circuit 202 are electrically connected to each other via a contact 236 and a contact 237 . the reference voltage is applied to a positive - side input terminal of the amplifier 231 and a negative - side input terminal of the amplifier 231 is connected to the resistance element 235 via the contact 236 . furthermore , an output terminal of the amplifier 231 is connected to a gate of the transistor 232 . one end of the transistor 232 is connected to the resistance element 235 via the contact 237 , and the other end of the transistor 232 is connected to the transistor 233 and the transistor 234 . furthermore , a gate of the transistor 233 and a gate of the transistor 234 are connected to each other . moreover , the transistor 233 and the transistor 234 are connected also to a power source , and one end of the resistance element 235 , which is opposite to the other end to which the contact 236 and the contact 237 are connected , is connected to ground . in this manner , the bias generation sub - circuit 201 is configured from an element that is different from the low - breakdown - voltage transistor or the resistance element , and the bias generation sub - circuit 202 is configured from the resistance element . at the node a 11 to which the amplifier 231 , the transistor 232 , and the resistance element 235 are connected , the bias generation circuit 70 is forced to have the same electric potential as the reference voltage to the node a 11 to which the amplifier 231 , the transistor 232 , and the resistance element 235 are connected . when this is done , an electric potential of the node a 11 , that is , a current determined from the reference voltage and the resistance element 235 , flows through the transistor 232 and the transistor 233 . with a current mirror configuration , the current through the transistor 233 is mirrored in the transistor 234 . the mirrored current is supplied as the reference current from the transistor 234 to the reference signal supply unit 64 , the comparator 65 , the output if 69 , and the negative electric potential generation sub - circuit 203 . furthermore , the negative electric potential generation circuit 71 in the solid - state imaging device 11 illustrated in fig5 , is described as being divided into the negative electric potential generation sub - circuit 203 and the negative electric potential generation sub - circuit 204 , but for example , in this case , the negative electric potential generation circuit 71 is configured as illustrated in more detail in fig7 . moreover , in fig7 , like reference numerals are given to like parts that correspond to those in fig5 , and descriptions of the like parts appropriately omitted . in fig7 , above a dotted line is a region of the upper chip 21 and below the dotted line is a region of the lower chip 22 . in this example , the negative electric potential generation sub - circuit 203 is configured from a transistor 261 , a transistor 262 , a pumping capacitor 263 , a transistor 264 , and a transistor 265 . furthermore , the negative electric potential generation sub - circuit 204 is configured from an amplifier 266 , a resistance element 267 , a resistance element 268 , and a negative voltage output node 269 . then , the negative electric potential generation sub - circuit 203 and the negative electric potential generation sub - circuit 204 are electrically connected to each other via a contact 270 and a contact 271 . one end of the transistor 261 is connected to an output terminal of the amplifier 266 via the contact 270 , and the other end of the transistor 261 is connected to the transistor 262 and the pumping capacitor 263 . furthermore , one end of the transistor 262 , which is opposite to the other end to which the transistor 261 and the pumping capacitor 263 are connected , is connected to the power source . moreover , the clock from the timing control circuit 61 is supplied to gates of the transistor 261 and the transistor 262 . one electrode that makes up the pumping capacitor 263 is connected to the transistor 261 and the transistor 262 , and the other electrode that makes up the pumping capacitor 263 is connected to the transistor 264 and the transistor 265 . furthermore , one end of the transistor 264 , which is opposite to the other end which is connected to the pumping capacitor 263 , is connected to the negative voltage output node 269 and the resistance element 268 via the contact 271 . one end of the transistor 265 , which is opposite to the other end which is connected to the pumping capacitor 263 is connected to the ground . furthermore , the reference voltage is applied to a positive - side input terminal of the amplifier 266 and a negative - side input terminal of the amplifier 266 is connected to the resistance element 267 and the resistance element 268 . one end of the resistance element 267 is connected to the power source , and the other end is connected to the resistance element 268 and the negative - side input terminal of the amplifier 266 . one end of the resistance element 268 is connected to the negative voltage output node 269 and the transistor 264 , and the other end is connected to the resistance element 267 and the negative - side input terminal of the amplifier 266 . in this manner , the negative electric potential generation sub - circuit 203 is configured from the elements that are different from the low - breakdown - voltage transistor or the resistance element , and the negative electric potential generation sub - circuit 204 is configured from several elements that include the resistance element . in this example , because the pumping capacitor 263 is large in size , when the pumping capacitor 263 is arranged in the upper chip 21 , a large circuit division effect is obtained . next , operation of the negative electric potential generation circuit 71 illustrated in fig7 is described . for example , a signal indicated by a square wave c 11 , a square wave c 12 , and a square wave c 13 illustrated in fig8 is supplied to gates of the transistor 262 and the transistor 261 in the negative electric potential generation circuit 71 , a gate of the transistor 265 , and a gate of the transistor 264 . moreover , in fig8 , the longitudinal direction indicates a voltage and the transverse direction indicates a time . in fig8 , a clock clk indicated by the square wave c 11 is supplied from the timing control circuit 61 to gates of the transistor 261 and the transistor 262 . furthermore , a control signal sw 2 indicated by the square wave c 12 and the control signal sw 1 indicated by the square wave c 13 are supplied from the timing control circuit 61 to gates of the transistor 265 and the transistor 264 , respectively . in this example , during a period of time t 1 , the transistor 262 is turned on with the clock clk indicated by the square wave c 11 and the transistor 265 is turned on with the control signal sw 2 indicated by the square wave c 12 . accordingly , the transistor 262 and the transistor 265 are in a conduction state , and the transistor 261 and the transistor 264 are in a non - conduction state . at this time , a power source voltage is applied to a positive - side electrode of the pumping capacitor 263 via the transistor 262 , and a ground voltage is applied to a negative - side electrode of the pumping capacitor 263 via the transistor 265 . then , an electric charge that depends on a difference in electric potential between the power source and the ground is accumulated in the pumping capacitor 263 . furthermore , during a period of time t 2 that follows the period of time t 1 , the transistor 261 is turned on with the clock clk indicated by the square wave c 11 . accordingly , the transistor 261 is in the conduction state , and the transistor 262 , the transistor 264 , and the transistor 265 are in the non - conduction state . at this time , a voltage of the output terminal of the amplifier 266 is applied to the positive - side electrode of the pumping capacitor 263 , and thus an electric potential of the positive - side electrode is an output electric potential of the amplifier 266 and floating is applied to the negative - side electrode of the pumping capacitor 263 . at this point , because the output electric potential of the amplifier 266 is lower than an electric potential of the power source , a negative electric charge occurs at the negative - side electrode of the pumping capacitor 263 . moreover , during a period of time t 3 , the transistor 261 is turned on with the clock clk indicated by the square wave c 11 , and the transistor 264 is turned on with the control signal sw 1 indicated by the square wave c 13 . accordingly , the transistor 261 and the transistor 264 are in the conduction state , and the transistor 262 and the transistor 265 are in a non - conduction state . at this time , the negative electric charge accumulated in the negative - side electrode of the pumping capacitor 263 is supplied to the negative voltage output node 269 . accordingly , the negative voltage is applied by the negative voltage output node 269 to the vertical drive circuit 63 . then , subsequently , the operation described above is repeatedly performed and a negative electric potential generation operation is performed . in the negative electric potential generation circuit 71 , in order to stabilize a negative electric potential with a target value , an electric potential , which results from pressure - dividing the electric power and the negative electric potential with the resistance element 267 and the resistance element 268 , is fed back to the negative - side input terminal of the amplifier 266 . if the negative voltage output node 269 is in such a state that its electric potential is higher than the target negative electric potential , an electric potential that is close to an electric potential of the ground is taken as the output electric potential of the amplifier 266 and an ability to generate the negative electric potential is increased . if the negative voltage output node 269 is in such a state that its electric potential is lower than the target negative electric potential , an electric potential that is close to that of the power source is taken as the output electric potential of the amplifier 266 and the ability to generate the negative electric potential is decreased . with this mechanism , the negative electric potential is close to a target value and is stabilized . furthermore , according to the second embodiment described above , the example in which the circuit that does not include the capacitance element is set to be the peripheral circuit 32 - 1 is described , but one part of one circuit as the peripheral circuit 32 may be integrated into the upper chip 21 and the remaining parts including the capacitance element may be integrated into the lower chip 22 . for example , circuits each of which does not include the low - breakdown - voltage transistor and the capacitance element are integrated as the peripheral circuit 32 - 1 into the upper chip 21 , and a predetermined circuit that realizes one function is divided into a part that includes the capacitance element and a part that does not include the capacitance element and the two parts are integrated into the upper chip 21 and the lower chip 22 , respectively . if each circuit is arranged according to this floor plan , for example , the solid - state imaging device 11 is configured as illustrated in fig9 . moreover , in fig9 , like reference numerals are given to like parts that correspond to those in fig2 , and descriptions of the like parts are appropriately omitted . according to a floor plan of the solid - state imaging device 11 illustrated in fig9 , one negative electric potential generation circuit 71 that functions as the charge pump is divided into two circuits , a negative electric potential generation sub - circuit 301 and a negative electric potential generation sub - circuit 302 , and the two circuits are integrated into the upper chip 21 and the lower chip 22 , respectively . at this point , the negative electric potential generation sub - circuit 301 is a circuit that is made from elements that are different from the low - breakdown - voltage transistor and the capacitance element , among the elements making up the negative electric potential generation circuit 71 , and is arranged in the upper chip 21 . furthermore , the negative electric potential generation sub - circuit 302 is a circuit that is made from several elements that include at least the capacitance element , among the elements making up the negative electric potential generation circuit 71 , and is arranged in the lower chip 22 . then , the negative electric potential generation sub - circuit 301 and the negative electric potential generation sub - circuit 302 are electrically connected to each other via the contact provided between the upper chip 21 and the lower chip 22 , and the analog signal is transmitted and received between the negative electric potential generation sub - circuit 301 and the negative electric potential generation sub - circuit 302 . furthermore , in this example , the pixel array unit 31 , and the vertical decoder 62 , the vertical drive circuit 63 , the reference signal supply unit 64 , the bias generation circuit 70 , and the negative electric potential generation sub - circuit 301 as the peripheral circuits 32 - 1 are integrated into the upper chip 21 . moreover , the timing control circuit 61 , the comparator 65 , the counter circuit 66 , the horizontal scan circuit 67 , the pixel signal processing unit 68 , the output if 69 , and the negative electric potential generation sub - circuit 302 are integrated as the peripheral circuits 32 - 2 into the lower chip 22 . because also in the solid - state imaging device 11 illustrated in fig9 , the peripheral circuit 32 is provided in each of the lower chip 22 and the upper chip 21 that is laminated on the lower chip 22 , making the solid - state imaging device 11 smaller can be accomplished by the circuit arrangement that has the high degree of freedom . particularly , the negative electric potential generation circuit 71 is divided into two sub - circuits , and the two sub - circuits are arranged in the upper chip 21 and the lower chip 22 , respectively . thus , the floor plan for the high degree of freedom can be further accomplished . accordingly , the optimization of the chip size of the solid - state imaging device 11 can be more simply performed , and further making the solid - state imaging device 11 smaller can be accomplished . furthermore , in the solid - state imaging device 11 , all the peripheral circuits 32 each of which includes the capacitance element , which are a cause for increasing the mask cost , are arranged in the lower chip 22 , and thus the manufacturing cost of the solid - state imaging device 11 can be further suppressed . moreover , the negative electric potential generation circuit 71 in the solid - state imaging device 11 illustrated in fig9 , is described as being divided into the negative electric potential generation sub - circuit 301 and the negative electric potential generation sub - circuit 302 , but for example , in this case , the negative electric potential generation circuit 71 is configured as illustrated in more detail in fig1 . moreover , in fig1 , like reference numerals are given to like parts that correspond to those in fig9 or those in fig7 , and descriptions of the like parts are appropriately omitted . in fig1 , above a dotted line is a region of the upper chip 21 and below the dotted line is a region of the lower chip 22 . in this example , the negative electric potential generation sub - circuit 301 is configured from the amplifier 266 , the resistance element 267 , and the resistance element 268 . furthermore , the negative electric potential generation sub - circuit 302 is configured from the transistor 261 , the transistor 262 , the pumping capacitor 263 , the transistor 264 , the transistor 265 , and the negative voltage output node 269 . moreover , in fig1 , the resistance element 268 is electrically connected to the negative voltage output node 269 and the transistor 264 via the contact 271 , and the output terminal of the amplifier 266 is electrically connected to the transistor 261 via the contact 270 . in this manner , the negative electric potential generation sub - circuit 301 is configured from elements that are different from the low - breakdown - voltage transistor or the capacitance element , and the negative electric potential generation sub - circuit 302 is configured from several elements that include the capacitance element . moreover , even though the negative electric potential generation circuit 71 is configured from the negative electric potential generation sub - circuit 301 and the negative electric potential generation sub - circuit 302 , relationships in connection among the parts from the transistors 261 to the negative voltage output node 269 constituting the negative electric potential generation circuit 71 are the same as in fig7 . that is , a difference between the negative electric potential generation circuit 71 illustrated in fig7 and the negative electric potential generation circuit 71 illustrated in fig1 is in whether each element is arranged in the upper chip 21 or in the lower chip 22 . therefore , the negative electric potential generation circuit 71 illustrated in fig1 performs the same operation as the operation described referring to fig8 and applies the negative voltage to the vertical drive circuit 63 . furthermore , according to the third embodiment described above , the example in which the circuit that does not include the resistance element and the capacitance element is set to be the peripheral circuit 32 - 1 is described , but one part of one circuit as the peripheral circuit 32 may be integrated into the upper chip 21 and the remaining part including the resistance element or the capacitance element may be integrated into the lower chip 22 . for example , the circuits each of which does not include the low - breakdown - voltage transistor and the resistance element and resistance element are integrated as the peripheral circuit 32 - 1 into the upper chip 21 , and each of the bias generation circuit 70 and the negative electric potential generation circuit 71 is divided into two circuits and the two circuits of each are integrated into the upper chip 21 and the lower chip 22 , respectively . if each circuit is arranged according to this floor plan , for example , the solid - state imaging device 11 is configured as illustrated in fig1 . moreover , in fig1 , like reference numerals are given to like parts that correspond to those in fig5 , and descriptions of the like parts are appropriately omitted . according to the floor plan of the solid - state imaging device 11 described in fig1 , one bias generation circuit 70 that realizes the function of outputting the reference current to a predetermined circuit is divided into two circuits , the bias generation sub - circuit 201 and the bias generation sub - circuit 202 , and the two circuits are integrated into the upper chip 21 and the lower chip 22 , respectively . moreover , as illustrated in fig6 , the bias generation sub - circuit 201 has a circuit configuration that includes neither the resistance element nor the capacitance element , and the bias generation sub - circuit 202 has a circuit configuration that includes the resistance element . furthermore , one negative electric potential generation circuit 71 that functions as the charge pump is divided into two circuits , a negative electric potential generation sub - circuit 331 and a negative electric potential generation sub - circuit 332 , and the two circuits are integrated into the upper chip 21 and the lower chip 22 , respectively . at this point , the negative electric potential generation sub - circuit 331 is a circuit that is made from elements that are different from the low - breakdown - voltage transistor , the resistance element , and the capacitance element , among the elements making up the negative electric potential generation circuit 71 , and is arranged in the upper chip 21 . furthermore , the negative electric potential generation sub - circuit 332 is a circuit that is made from several elements that include at least the resistance element or the capacitance element , among the elements making up the negative electric potential generation circuit 71 , and is arranged in the lower chip 22 . then , the negative electric potential generation sub - circuit 331 and the negative electric potential generation sub - circuit 332 are electrically connected to each other via the contact provided between the upper chip 21 and the lower chip 22 , and the analog signal is transmitted and received between the negative electric potential generation sub - circuit 331 and the negative electric potential generation sub - circuit 332 . furthermore , in this example , the pixel array unit 31 , and the vertical decoder 62 , the vertical drive circuit 63 , the bias generation sub - circuit 201 , and the negative electric potential generation sub - circuit 331 as the peripheral circuits 32 - 1 are integrated into the upper chip 21 . furthermore , the timing control circuit 61 , the reference signal supply unit 64 , the comparator 65 , the counter circuit 66 , the horizontal scan circuit 67 , the pixel signal processing unit 68 , the output if 69 , the bias generation sub - circuit 202 , and the negative electric potential generation sub - circuit 332 are integrated as the peripheral circuits 32 - 2 into the lower chip 22 . because also in the solid - state imaging device 11 illustrated in fig1 , the peripheral circuit 32 is provided in each of the lower chip 22 and the upper chip 21 that is laminated on the lower chip 22 , making the solid - state imaging device 11 smaller can be accomplished by the circuit arrangement that has the high degree of freedom . particularly , each of the bias generation circuit 70 and the negative electric potential generation circuit 71 that realize one function is divided into two sub - circuits , and the two sub - circuits of each are arranged in the upper chip 21 and the lower chip 22 , respectively . thus , the floor plan for the high degree of freedom can be further accomplished . accordingly , the optimization of the chip size of the solid - state imaging device 11 can be more simply performed , and further making the solid - state imaging device 11 smaller can be accomplished . furthermore , in the solid - state imaging device 11 , all the peripheral circuits 32 each of which includes the resistance element or the capacitance element , which are a cause for increasing the mask cost , are arranged in the lower chip 22 , and thus the manufacturing cost of the solid - state imaging device 11 can be further suppressed . moreover , the negative electric potential generation circuit 71 in the solid - state imaging device 11 illustrated in fig1 , is described as being divided into the negative electric potential generation sub - circuit 331 and the negative electric potential generation sub - circuit 332 , but for example , in this case , the negative electric potential generation circuit 71 is configured as illustrated in more detail in fig1 . moreover , in fig1 , like reference numerals are given to like parts that correspond to those in fig7 , and descriptions of the like parts are appropriately omitted . in fig1 , above a dotted line is a region of the upper chip 21 and below the dotted line is a region of the lower chip 22 . in this example , the negative electric potential generation sub - circuit 331 is configured from the amplifier 266 . furthermore , the negative electric potential generation sub - circuit 332 is configured from the transistor 261 , the transistor 262 , the pumping capacitor 263 , the transistor 264 , the transistor 265 , the resistance element 267 , the resistance element 268 , and the negative voltage output node 269 . moreover , in fig1 , the output terminal of the amplifier 266 is electrically connected to the transistor 261 via the contact 361 , and the negative - side input terminal of the amplifier 266 is electrically connected to the resistance element 267 and the resistance element 268 via the contact 362 . in this manner , the negative electric potential generation sub - circuit 331 is configured from elements that are different from the low - breakdown - voltage transistor , the resistance element and the capacitance element , and the negative electric potential generation sub - circuit 332 is configured from several elements that include the resistance element and the capacitance element . moreover , even though the negative electric potential generation circuit 71 is configured from the negative electric potential generation sub - circuit 331 and the negative electric potential generation sub - circuit 332 , relationships in connection among the parts from the transistors 261 to the negative voltage output node 269 are the same as in fig7 . that is , a difference between the negative electric potential generation circuit 71 illustrated in fig7 and the negative electric potential generation circuit 71 illustrated in fig1 is in whether each element is arranged in the upper chip 21 or in the lower chip 22 . therefore , the negative electric potential generation circuit 71 illustrated in fig1 performs the same operation as the operation described referring to fig8 and applies the negative voltage to the vertical drive circuit 63 . incidentally , as is the case with the negative electric potential generation sub - circuit 331 and the negative electric potential generation sub - circuit 332 , if the peripheral circuit 32 is divided into two sub - circuits and the two sub - circuits are arranged in the upper chip 21 and lower chip 22 , it necessary to cope with a noise problem with a signal line for the analog signal , which electrically connects the upper chip 21 and lower chip 22 . for example , as illustrated in fig1 , if the contact 361 for the analog signal is provided between the upper chip 21 and the lower chip 22 , the contact 362 that functions as a shield may be arranged between the contact 361 and the contact 363 for the signal that becomes a noise source . in fig1 , for example , each contract is illustrated when fig1 is viewed from a depth direction . that is , upper ends of the contact 361 to the contact 363 in fig1 indicate end portions of the contacts provided in the upper chip 21 , and lower ends of the contact 361 to the contact 363 in fig1 indicate end portions of the contacts provided in the lower chip 22 . for example , the contacts 361 that connect signal lines for the analog signal , which are provided in the upper chip 21 and the lower chip 22 are defined as the contact 362 and the contact 361 in fig1 , defined as the contact 236 and the contact 237 in fig6 , and so on . furthermore , representative examples of the noise source are the clock and the control signal that are output from the timing control circuit 61 , the low - breakdown - voltage power source , the low - breakdown - voltage ground and so forth . therefore , for example , if the negative electric potential generation circuit 71 is configured as illustrated in fig7 , the contact for electrically connecting the signal line , connecting the timing control circuit 61 and the gate of the transistor 261 , between the upper chip 21 and the lower chip 22 and the like is defined as the contact 363 . moreover , the contact for electrically connecting the signal lines for the high - breakdown - voltage power source and the high - breakdown - voltage ground between the upper chip 21 and the lower chip 22 may be used as the contact 362 that functions as the shield . for example , the high - breakdown - voltage power source is the power source connected to the resistance element 267 or the power source connected to the transistor 262 in fig1 , or the power source connected to the transistor 233 and the transistor 234 in fig6 , and the like . furthermore , for example , the high - breakdown - voltage ground is the ground connected to the transistor 265 in fig1 , or the ground connected to the resistance element 235 in fig6 . in this manner , the contact 362 that functions as the shield is arranged between the contact 361 that connects the signal line for the analog signal between the upper and lower chips and the contact 363 that connects the signal line that becomes the noise source , and thus the noise that occurs in the contact 361 due to an influence of the contact 363 can be suppressed . that is , the noise that the analog signal receives from the noise source can be suppressed by the shield . the measure to cope with the noise problem in this manner is possible not only in the contact , the connection part between the chips , but also in wiring in the chip . for example , in a case of electrically connecting the signal line for the analog signal between the upper chip 21 and the lower chip 22 , the long - distance wiring via the contact is necessary . at this time , if the signal line that becomes the noise source is present in the vicinity of the signal line for the analog signal , the analog signal is influenced by a signal that becomes the noise source and thus the noise occurs in the analog signal . accordingly , for example , as illustrated in fig1 , if a signal line 392 that functions as the shield is provided between a signal line 391 for the analog signal and a signal line 393 for the signal that becomes the noise source , an occurrence of the noise that results from the analog signal can be effectively suppressed . moreover , in fig1 , for example , the upper chip 21 or lower chip 22 in fig1 is indicated with the signal lines such as the peripheral circuit 32 , when viewed from above in fig1 . for example , the signal line 391 is defined as the signal line and the like provided in the upper chip 21 , among the signal lines that link the amplifier 266 in the upper chip 21 and the resistance element 267 in the lower chip 22 in fig1 . in such a case , the signal line 391 to the signal line 393 are wired in such a manner as to be in the direction parallel to a surface of the upper chip 21 . representative examples of the noise source are the clock and the control signal that are output from the timing control circuit 61 , the low - breakdown - voltage power source , the low - breakdown - voltage voltage ground and so forth . therefore , for example , the signal line 393 for the signal that becomes the noise source is a signal line that is provided between the timing control circuit 61 and the negative electric potential generation sub - circuit 331 . furthermore , the signal line 392 that functions as the shield is set as to be a signal line for the high - breakdown - voltage power source or the high - breakdown - voltage ground . in this manner , the signal line 392 that functions as the shield is arranged between the signal line 391 for the analog signal and the signal line 393 that becomes the noise source , and thus the occurrence of the noise in the signal line 391 that results from the signal line 393 can be suppressed . moreover , the measure to cope with the noise problem , described referring to fig1 and fig1 , is not limited to the solid - state imaging device 11 according to the sixth embodiment , and of course , can be applied to the solid - state imaging devices 11 according to the first to fifth embodiments . incidentally , the case where the present technology is applied to the solid - state imaging device is described above , but the present technology is limited to the solid - state imaging device and can be applied to an electronic apparatus such as a digital camera or a video camcorder as well . for example , if the present technology is applied to the electronic apparatus that has the solid - state imaging device 11 described above , such an electronic apparatus is configured as illustrated in fig1 . moreover , in fig1 , like reference numerals are given to like parts that correspond to those in fig1 , and descriptions of the like parts are appropriately omitted . an electronic apparatus 601 illustrated in fig1 has the solid - state imaging device 11 described above . furthermore , the electronic apparatus 601 has a lens 611 , as an optical system that guides incident light into the pixel array unit 31 of the solid - state imaging device 11 and images a photography object , which images the incident light on an imaging surface . furthermore , the electronic apparatus 601 has a drive circuit 612 that drives the solid - state imaging device 11 and a signal processing circuit 613 that processes an output signal from the solid - state imaging device 11 . the drive circuit 612 has a timing generator that generates various timing signals that include a start pulse or a clock pulse that drives the circuits within the solid - state imaging device 11 , and drives the solid - state imaging device 11 with a predetermined timing signal . furthermore , the signal processing circuit 613 performs predetermined signal processing on the output signal from the solid - state imaging device 11 . the image signal that is processed in the signal processing circuit 613 is recorded , for example , in a recording medium , such as a memory . image information recorded in the recording medium is printed out for hard copy by a printer and the like . furthermore , the image signal that is processed in the signal processing circuit 613 is projected , as a moving image , on a monitor made from a liquid crystal display and others . as described above , in the electronic apparatus such as the digital camera , a high - precision camera , when equipped with the solid - state imaging device 11 , can be realized . furthermore , the example in which the solid - state imaging device 11 is made from the cmos image sensor is described above , but the solid - state imaging device 11 may be configured from a backside irradiation type cmos image sensor , a charge coupled device ( ccd ) or the like . note that the presently disclosed technology can also adopt the following configurations : a second substrate , wherein the second substrate is stacked on the first substrate , the second substrate including : a peripheral circuit , wherein the peripheral circuit of the second substrate includes at least one of a resistance element or a capacitance element , the peripheral circuit of the second substrate includes a resistance element and the peripheral circuit of the first substrate does not include a resistance element , and the peripheral circuit of the second substrate includes a capacitance element and the peripheral circuit of the first substrate does not include a capacitance element , and the peripheral circuit of the second substrate includes both a resistance element and a capacitance element , and wherein the peripheral circuit of the first substrate includes neither a resistance element nor a capacitance element . b . the solid - state imaging device of claim a , wherein the peripheral circuit of the second substrate includes a resistance element , and wherein the peripheral circuit of the first substrate does not include a resistance element . c . the solid - state imaging device of claims a or b , wherein the peripheral circuit of the first substrate further includes a comparator . d . the solid - state imaging device of any of claims a to c , wherein the peripheral circuit of the first substrate further includes a vertical decoder and a vertical drive circuit . e . the solid - state imaging device of any of claims a - d , wherein the first substrate does not include a capacitance element . f . the solid - state imaging device of any of claims a - d , wherein the peripheral circuit of the second substrate includes a capacitance element , and wherein the peripheral circuit of the first substrate does not include a capacitance element . g . the solid - state imaging device of any of claims a - f , wherein the peripheral circuit of the first substrate further includes a reference signal supply unit and a bias generation circuit . h . the solid - state imaging device of any of claims a - c or e - g , wherein the peripheral circuit of the first substrate further includes a vertical decoder and a vertical drive circuit . i . the solid - state imaging device of any of claims a - g , wherein the peripheral circuit of the second substrate further includes a timing control circuit , a comparator , a counter circuit , a horizontal scan circuit , and pixel signal processing unit , an output if , and a negative electric potential generation circuit . j . the solid - state imaging device of any of claims a - i , wherein the first substrate does not include a resistance element . k . the solid - state imaging device of claim a , wherein the peripheral circuit of the second substrate includes both a resistance element and a capacitance element , and wherein the peripheral circuit of the first substrate includes neither a resistance element nor a capacitance element . a solid - state imaging device , wherein the solid - state imaging device receives light from the optical system , the solid - state imaging device including : a second substrate , wherein the second substrate is stacked on the first substrate , the second substrate including : a peripheral circuit , wherein the peripheral circuit of the second substrate includes at least one of a resistance element or a capacitance element , wherein one of : the peripheral circuit of the second substrate includes a resistance element and the peripheral circuit of the first substrate does not include a resistance element , and the peripheral circuit of the second substrate includes a capacitance element and the peripheral circuit of the first substrate does not include a capacitance element , and the peripheral circuit of the second substrate includes both a resistance element and a capacitance element , and wherein the peripheral circuit of the first substrate includes neither a resistance element nor a capacitance element ; a drive circuit , wherein the drive circuit generates timing signals provided to the solid - state imaging device ; a signal processing circuit , wherein the signal processing circuit performs signal processing on an output signal from the solid - state imaging device . m . the electronic apparatus of claim l , wherein the peripheral circuit of the second substrate includes a resistance element , and wherein the peripheral circuit of the first substrate does not include a resistance element . n . the electronic apparatus of claims l or m , wherein the first substrate does not include a capacitance element . o . the electronic apparatus of any of claims l - n , wherein the peripheral circuit of the second substrate includes a capacitance element , and wherein the peripheral circuit of the first substrate does not include a capacitance element . p . the electronic apparatus of claim l , wherein the peripheral circuit of the second substrate includes both a resistance element and a capacitance element , and wherein the peripheral circuit of the first substrate includes neither a resistance element nor a capacitance element . a second substrate , wherein the first substrate is stacked on the second substrate ; a pixel array unit , wherein the pixel array unit is included in the first substrate ; a comparator , wherein the comparator is included in a first one of the first substrate and the second substrate ; a reference signal supply unit , wherein the reference signal supply unit is included in a second one of the first substrate and the second substrate ; a bias generation circuit , wherein the bias generation unit is included in the second one of the first substrate and the second substrate . r . the imaging device of claim q , wherein the comparator is included in the first substrate , wherein the reference signal supply unit and the bias generation circuit are included in the second substrate , wherein the first substrate includes capacitance elements , and wherein the second substrate includes resistance elements . s . the imaging device of claims q or r , wherein the second substrate does not include any capacitance elements . t . the imaging device of claim q , wherein the comparator is included in the second substrate , wherein the reference signal supply unit and the bias generation circuit are included in the first substrate , wherein the first substrate includes resistance elements , wherein the second substrate includes capacitance elements , and wherein the second substrate does not include any resistance elements . moreover , embodiments of the present technology are not limited to the embodiments described above and various modifications can be made within a scope not deviating from the gist of the present technology .	7
the finger keyer , designated generally by the numeral 10 in fig1 comprises a flexible material sheath 12 for receiving a finger or thumb of the operator of device 10 , hollow cavity 14 for receiving the keyer mechanism 16 of the device , and wires 18 and 20 for completing an electrical circuit with a conventional code practice set or transceiver ( not shown ). keyer mechanism 16 comprises contact points 22 and 24 , respectively held on spring metal supports 26 and 28 , which are fastened respectively to sheath 12 and cavity 14 by a glue or adhesive , such as an epoxy glue . alternatively , spring metal supports 26 and 28 can be fastened mechanically , such as with staples , interfitting support strips , or other suitable fastening means . insulator 30 separates spring metal supports 26 and 28 mechanically and electrically , and prevents contact of connectors 32 and 34 , which receive pins 36 and 38 attached , and preferably soldered , to wires 20 and 18 , respectively . pin 36 is insertable in connector 32 and pin 38 is insertable in connector 34 , respectively , making electrical connection with spring metal support 26 and spring metal support 28 . wires 18 and 20 are insulated in a conventional manner with a material resistant to the environment within which use of the device is contemplated . accordingly , if use in an aqueous environment , such as sea water or the like , is expected , the insulation on wires 18 and 20 will be water resistant and resistant to any chemicals expected to be encountered during use of the device . in operation , the device is conveniently placed over the index finger 40 of the operator , as shown in fig2 . when the tip of the finger 44 is pressed downwardly in the view shown in fig2 pressure on the undersurface of flexible cavity 14 causes spring metal supports 26 and 28 to flex so as to permit contact points 22 and 24 to move toward each other and come in physical contact . at the moment of physical contact , electrical contact is also established , causing a flow of current through the connected elements between the transceiver or code practice set connected to wires 18 and 20 , through insulated wire 20 , connected in sequence to pin 36 , connector 32 , spring metal suport 26 , contact point 22 , contact point 24 , spring metal support 28 , connector 34 , pin 38 and insulated wire 18 . as pressure is released by finger tip 44 , contact points 22 and 24 separate due to the resilience inherent in spring metal supports 26 and 28 , causing the electrical and mechanical contact between contact points 22 and 24 to be broken . this opens the electrical circuit which has been established by contact of the contact points 22 and 24 . the sequence of contact and release results in patterns , such as dots and dashes , which make up a code such as the conventional morse code or naval code . in the event that use in a corrosive environment is contemplated , such as sea water , chemicals encountered during use , or otherwise , wires 18 and 20 can be sealed at the entrance to hollow cavity 14 . alternatively , pins 36 and 38 as well as connections 32 and 34 , and spring metal supports 26 and 28 can be constructed of a non - corrosive material , such as stainless steel , and insulator 30 can sealingly present admission of corrosive against into the interior portion of hollow cavity 14 which encloses contact points 22 and 24 . in this manner , an electrical short is prevented in this region . the keyer 10 is useful when the operator is occupied in routine activities , such as walking , sitting , or just standing and even while driving . code can be practiced or transmitted with portable equipment attached or carried on the person of the operator . when the keyer 10 is attached to the index finger , tapping against the thumb by pressing hollow cavity 14 against the tip of the thumb near the region below contact 24 is conveniently accomplished by the operator when otherwise occupied . 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 .	7
as previously indicated , the composition of the invention for administering a pharmaceutically active substance contains a biocompatible , amphiphilic steroid . in general , the steroid can be any of the biocompatible , amphiphilic steroids described in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 746 , 508 the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference . the steroid is preferably a derivative of fusidic acid or cephalosporin p 1 , most preferably a derivative having formula ( i ), above . these steroid molecules are all characterized in that they have the specific four - ring structure of fusidic acid and cephalosporin p 1 , including the boat conformation of the b ring ( in contrast to cholesterol derivatives such as bile salts , which have the b ring in the lower energy , more stable chair conformation ). the steroid of formula ( i ) can be unconjugated , e . g . d is o - na + , o - rb + , o - cs + , or some other ionic configuration , or it can be conjugated at c 21 , i . e . d is an organic group containing at least one carbon atom . the conjugation group can be , e . g . any ionic function - containing straight or branch - chained amino acid . the amino acid can be aliphatic or aromatic , and can also be a homo - or a dihomo - amino acid , e . g . homotaurine or homoglycine , or an amphoteric amino acid , e . g ., sulfobetaine or phosphobetaine . a straight or branched chain di - or tripeptide which terminates in an ionic function which is dissociated within the range from about ph 2 to about ph 12 can also be employed . peptides larger than tripeptides generally should not be used because they can unacceptably lower solubility . any suitable uronic acid , e . g . glucuronic acid , can also be used . preferred conjugating amino acids are glycine and taurine . preferred straight - chain peptides are diglycine and glutathione , and preferred branched chain peptides are sarcosylcysteine , hydroxyprolinetaurine , and sarcosyltaurine . when the conjugating group is a polyether of at least sixteen carbon atoms , the group need not ( although it can ) contain an ionic function ; the ionic function is unnecessary because such groups are highly polar and thus confer solubility without ionization . for smaller polyether groups , an ionic function is generally necessary , although it can be weakly ionizable since the smaller polyethers are polar themselves . preferably group d has a molecular weight below 600 daltons and is one of the following groups : ( a ) a peptide of one , two , or three amino acids and containing an ionic function which is dissociated within the range of about ph 2 to about ph 12 ; ( b ) a heteroalkyl group of three or fewer carbon atoms which contains an ionic function which is dissociated within the range of about ph 2 to about ph 12 ; ( c ) a uronic acid of six or fewer carbon atoms which contains an ionic function which is dissociated within the range of about ph 2 to about ph 12 ; ( d ) a polyether containing between six and fourteen carbon atoms , inclusive , which terminates in an ionic function which is dissociated within the range of about ph 2 to about ph 12 ; or ( e ) a poiyether containing between sixteen and twenty - four carbon atoms , inclusive , and optionally terminating in an ionic function which is dissociated within the range of about ph 2 to about ph 12 . the group bonded to each of c 6 and c 16 independently , ( w and e in formula [ i ]) can be oac ( ococh 3 ) as in naturally occurring fusidic acid and cephalosporin p 1 . alternatively , e can be an alkyl ( e . g ., methyl or ethyl ) or a different heteroalkyl ( e . g . alkyloxy , alkylthio , or ether derivative ) group of three or fewer carbon atoms ; larger groups should not be used because they can unacceptably lower solubility . group g , bonded to c 3 , can be oh , as in naturally occurring fusidic acid and cephlosporin p 1 . g can also be oac , a lower alkyl group , or a different lower heteroalkyl group . group w , if oac , should be in the α - position . the molecule should possess two or three polar functions , exclusive of any side chains at c 21 , at the positions indicated above where acetoxyl and hydroxyl groups can be located . the molecule can contain up to three oh groups , provided that , if three are present , one is c 16 α - axial replacing oac at that position . preferably the steroid used in the invention is characterized in that the unconjugated derivative of the steroid is retained on a hydrophobic column for a length of time sufficient to produce a k &# 39 ; factor value of at least about 4 , the k &# 39 ; factor value being obtained by subjecting a monomeric solution of 1 mg / ml of such steroid derivative to high - performance liquid column chromatography at 3 , 000 psi , using a 250 × 4 . 6 mm column having octadecylsilane - coated 5 μm silica particles as the stationary phase and a mobile phase , delivered at 1 . 0 ml / min ., consisting of 75 % methanol in water , v / v , buffered with 0 . 005m kh 2 po 4 / h 3 po 4 to give an apparent ph value , as measured using a glass electrode , of 5 . 0 , the k &# 39 ; factor value being defined by ## equ1 ## where t 0 is the retention time in the column of the solvent front and t r is the retention time in the column of the steroid derivative as measured by obtaining the elution profile of the steroid derivative by absorbance at 210 nm . preferably the steroid is further characterized in that the critical micellar temperature ( cmt ) ( the temperature at which the steroid ceases to be an insoluble crystal or gel and begins to go into solution and self - associate in solution ) of an aqueous 1 % solution , w / v , of the steroid is below human or animal body temperature , and optimally below about 0 ° c . within the range of about ph 2 to about ph 12 ( a measure of solubility ); and the critical micellar concentration ( cmc ) ( the concentration at which the steroid ceases to be an ideal solution and begins to self - associate ) is as high as 40 mm but preferably less than 15 mm , and more preferably less than 4 mm at 37 ° c . in 0 . 15 m nacl as measured by surface tension . whenever it is specified herein that the steroid molecule has an indicated property &# 34 ; within the range from about ph 2 to about ph 12 &# 34 ;, it is not required that the molecule possess the indicated property over the entire range , but rather , that it possess the indicated property within a portion of that ph range at which the formulation is to be prepared . preferred steroids are ionized or partially ionized alkali salts of fusidic acid , 24 , 25 - dihydrofusidic acid , tauro - 24 , 25 - dihydrofusidate and g ) yco - 24 , 25 - dihydrofusidate . a highly preferred steroid for use in the composition and method of the invention is sodium tauro - 24 , 25 - dihydrofusidate . any of the fusidic acid or cephalosporin p 1 derivatives are made by appropriately modifying commercially available fusidic acid or cephalosporin p 1 . such techniques are well known and are described , e . g . in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 315 , 004 , hereby incorporated by reference . the term &# 34 ; pharmaceutically active substance &# 34 ; as used herein refers to any substance which is useful in the prevention or treatment of disease or injury or in the regulation of a physiological condition in a human or animal subject . the pharmaceutically active substances which can be incorporated into the compositions of the invention preferably have a molecular weights between about 100 and 300 , 000 . a preferred class of pharmaceutically active substances for delivery by the method of this invention are polypeptides and proteins . as hereinafter used , the term &# 34 ; polypeptide &# 34 ; shall refer to any compound containing two or more amino acid moieties linked by peptide bonds , whether such compound has a molecular weight which would normally cause it to be referred to as a &# 34 ; protein &# 34 ; ( i . e . a molecular weight above about 10 , 000 daltons ) or a molecular weight which would normally cause it to be referred to as a &# 34 ; peptide &# 34 ; or &# 34 ; polypeptide &# 34 ; ( i . e . a molecular weight below about 10 , 000 daltons ). furthermore , the term &# 34 ; polypeptide &# 34 ; is intended to encompass not only the native forms of the polypeptide in question but also modifications of the native forms which retain qualitatively the biological activity of the corresponding native protein or which may enhance biological activity , including for example acid or base addition salts , amides or esters and modifications or deletion of the glycosylation pattern of the native polypeptide . also included are biologically active fragments or analogues of polypeptides known to have biological activity . there is a veritable host of useful polypeptides which can be incorporated into the compositions of the invention . one can mention , as merely illustrative thereof , hormones such as insulin , insulinotropin , glucagon , human and animal growth hormones , luteinizing hormone , luteinizing hormone releasing hormone , follicle stimulating hormone , lhrh analogues , human and animal calcitonins such as salmon calcitonin , eel calcitonin and chicken calcitonin , growth hormone releasing hormone , corticotropin releasing hormone , somatostatin , somatomedin , parathyroid hormone , chorionic gonadotropin , vasopressin , renin , corticotropin , erythropoietin , prolactin and cholecystokinin and derivatives thereof such as sincalide ; immune system modulators such as colony stimulating factor , interleukin - 1 , interleukin - 2 , α -, β - and γ - interferons , complement d and other proteins of the complement pathway ; polypeptides which affect ( the neurological system , such as enkephalins , endorphins and delta sleep inducing peptide ; and polypeptides that regulate metabolism such as human or animal adipsin . the compositions of the invention can also incorporate non - peptide drugs including the known drugs which exhibit limited bioavailability when delivered through the gastrointestinal tract ; e . g . drugs affecting the cardiovascular , renal , metabolic , hepatic , pulmonary and immune systems . non - peptide drugs which can be administered include narcotic and non - narcotic analgesics , anti - inflammatory agents , antihypertensives , antibacterials and antivirals . another group of non - peptide drugs deliverable by the method of the invention is water insoluble , fat - soluble hydrophobic drugs , e . g . steroids such as progesterone , estrogens , androgens and their analogs . the compositions of the invention contain a ( hydro / fluoro ) carbon propellant . the term &# 34 ;( hydro / fluoro ) carbon &# 34 ; is intended to encompass hydrocarbon molecules or fluorocarbon molecules or carbon - based molecules containing both hydrogen and fluorine substituents , as well as mixtures of such molecules . the propellant must be biocompatible and inert to the active components of the composition . the propellant must be normally - gaseous , that is gaseous at atmospheric pressure and ambient temperature , but capable of being compressed to a liquid at pressures employed by conventional pressure - fill equipment used in the pharmaceutical industry . preferred propellants which meet these requirements and which are commercially available are fluorocarbons that can be defined by the formula c n h x cl y f z in which n is an integer from 1 to 4 , preferably 1 or 2 ; x , y and z are integers such that the sum of x + y + z equals 2n + 2 , the sum of y + z is at least 2 and z is greater than zero . fluorocarbon propellants of this type are commercially available , for example , under the trademark freon ® ( e . i . dupont denemours & amp ; co ., wilmington , del .). particularly preferred fluorocarbon propellants or use in the compositions of the invention are the compounds ccl 3 f and ccl2f 2 or mixtures of the two . these compounds are commercially available under the designations freon ®- 11 and freon ®- 12 . if desired , low molecular weight hydrocarbon propellants can also be employed in the compositions and these may even be more acceptable from an environmental point of view . preferred hydrocarbon propellants are propane , isobutane and butane . the composition of the invention is prepared by a process which can be understood by reference to the diagram in fig1 . the schematic specifically illustrates the preparation of a composition in which sodium tauro - 24 , 25 - dihydrofusidate ( stdhf ) is the steroid component and insulin is the pharmaceutically active substance . it will be understood , however , that the illustrated process is equally applicable to the preparation of compositions employing other steroid permeation enhancers of formula i and other pharmaceutically active substances . referring to the figure , stdhf is dissolved in a buffer , e . g . phosphate buffer , at physiologic ph , i . e . from about 5 . 0 to 8 . 0 , preferably about 7 . 4 , in a suitable mixing vessel 10 equipped with temperature control means . insulin is added and then the temperature is elevated to enhance solubility , i . e . from about 30 ° c . to 40 ° c ., preferably about 37 ° c . for about 10 min . the temperature of the solution or buffer can be elevated to varying degrees , if necessary , to enhance dissolution if other pharmaceutically active substances are employed , with the particular ph and temperature being determined large ) y by the solubility characteristics of the pharmaceutically active substance . the stdhf / insulin solution is filtered , e . g . by passing it through a 0 . 2 μm filter 30 , and transferred to a freeze dryer 12 , where water is removed under vacuum to produce a lyophilized cake . the lyophilized cake is then transferred to a suitable device for comminution , such as an air attrition mill 14 . the comminuted material preferably has a particle size from about 1 micron to about 45 microns . the preferred particle size may vary depending on the desired locus of administration . for intranasal administration , a particle size from about 5 microns to about 40 microns is preferred , whereas for administration through the bronchopulmonary system , a particle size from about 2 microns to about 8 microns is preferred . the comminuted material is sized to remove oversize particles by passing it through a sieve 16 , preferably having a mesh size of about 325 mesh . the sized powder is transferred to a conventional device for metering dry powder materials 18 . the desired quantity of powder is metered into sterile containers 24 , such as glass or aluminum vials . the containers 24 are transferred , for example by conveyor 26 , to a pressure filling device or cold filling device 20 where they are filled with ( hydro / fluoro ) carbon propellant , from a propellant source ( not shown ), under sufficient pressure or low temperature such that the propellant is in a liquid state , and the containers 24 are passed to a capping station 22 , where they are crimped and capped with an aerosol valve 28 . alternatively , e . g . where the solid content is low , one may add the lyophilized particulate to bulk liquid propellant in a pressurized tank . this suspension can then be metered into individual containers . suitable equipment for pressure filling or cold filling , crimping and capping is widely commercially available . the composition in the container 24 comprises a suspension of finely divided particles in which the biocompatible amphiphilic steroid and the pharmaceutically active substance are intimately interspersed . the weight ratio of steroid to pharmaceutically active substance is from about 0 . 02 to about 20 . the amount of pharmaceutically active ingredient in the composition will vary considerably , depending on the specific substance being delivered , the condition being treated , prevented or regulated , and the desired dosing regimen . for example , insulin would be administered in amounts effective for the treatment of diabetics ; human or animal calcitonin in amounts effective for the treatment of paget &# 39 ; s disease or osteoporosis ; human growth hormone in amounts effective for the treatment of pituitary dwarfism ; and erythropoietin in amounts effective for the treatment or anemia . generally , the pharmaceutically active substance can be present in the suspension in an amount from about 0 . 001 % to about 5 % ( w / v ). the biocompatible , amphiphilic steroid is generally present in amounts from about 0 . 01 % to about 5 % ( w / v ). if desired , optional ingredients of a conventional nature can also be present in the compositions of the invention . for example , adjuvants which facilitate the formation of lyophilized cake , such as mannitol or glycine , can be present in the known effective amounts . generally , however , such adjuvants will not be required . surprisingly , we have discovered that the presence of effective amounts of the steroid of formula i allows one to lyophilize peptides and proteins ( e . g . insulin and human growth hormone ) producing uniformly distributed solid matrices without the requirement of bulking agents such as mannitol and glycine or cryoprotectants such as bovine serum albumin . these uniform solid matrices are easily crushed to fine powders which are highly suited for use in dry aerosol formulations such as the composition of the invention . furthermore , lyophilized powders produced from protein and steroid of formula i do not require the addition of lubricants such as oleic acid to prevent clogging of aerosol spray valves . in the case of polypeptide drugs , polypeptide stabilizing adjuvants generally are not required due to the highly stable nature of the polypeptide in non - aqueous suspension . nonetheless , one may , if desired , include known protein stabilizing substances , such as ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid or its salts , in the usual known effective amounts . the compositions of the invention can be used to treat , prevent or regulate a wide variety of conditions . because of the low level of irritation to the mucosal tissues , it is possible to administer the compositions of the invention on a frequent basis with minimal discomfort to the patient . this is particularly important in the case of insulin delivery . the pharmacokinetics of insulin delivery via the compositions of the invention mimic the pulsatile nature of insulin release which follows the ingestion of food in normal subjects much more closely than does subcutaneous injection of insulin . accordingly , the compositions of the invention are highly advantageous for delivering insulin , since the insulin can be delivered in a pulsatile manner following meals as often as is necessary without causing patient discomfort . another advantage of the particulate suspensions of the invention over aqueous compositions of the prior art is that it may be possible to deliver bioequivalent dosages of pharmaceutically active ingredient using less of the steroid permeation enhancer per unit dose . this is because the limited amount of moisture present in mucosal tissue allows relatively small amounts of the steroid to achieve a sufficiently high concentration upon contact with the mucosal surface to enhance permeation across the mucosal surface . the compositions of the invention are used by spraying the composition , in the form of an aerosol , onto a mucosal surface of the body . since the compositions are generally in the form of a suspension , it is desirable to agitate slightly the compositions , such as by shaking the container prior to administration , in order to assure a uniform suspension at the time of application . if desired , beads ( e . g . glass beads ) may be placed in the container to break up any agglomerates of the suspended particles . the preferred route of delivery is intranasal , however , the compositions may be applied to other mucosal surfaces such as the surfaces of the bronchopulmonary system , vaginal or rectal surfaces . preferably , the container from which the composition is dispensed is fitted with a metering chamber which is in communication with the spray valve to dispense a metered amount of aerosol each time the valve is actuated . metered dispensing devices of this type are well known in aerosol technology . the metered amount which is delivered can vary considerably , depending on the concentration of pharmaceutically active ingredient , the desired dosing regimen and the approximate surface area of the mucosal surface to which the composition is applied . the aerosol suspensions of the invention generally can be applied in a more consistent and uniform spray pattern then the aqueous solutions of the prior art . the following examples are intended to illustrate further the practice of the invention and are not intended to limit its scope in any way . a solution was prepared by admixing 60 mg of sodium tauro - 24 , 25 - dihydrofusidate ( stdhf ) with 6 ml of 20mm sodium phosphate buffer ( 14 . 4 mg ) at ph 7 . 4 followed by the addition of 54 . 3 mg of zinc insulin . the solution was heated to 37 ° c . for ten minutes , filtered and freeze dried on an edwards so8 lyophilizer . a suspension was prepared by suspending 128 . 7 mg of lyophilized powder in 6 ml of a mixture consisting of 3 parts by weight ccl 3 f to 1 part by weight ccl 2 f 2 . the suspension stored in 6 ml aluminum container with a valve calibrated to deliver a 100 μl spray . the composition of example i was administered intranasally to sheep to determine its bioavailability . as a control , there was prepared an aqueous solution of insulin and stdhf . the control ( in solution ) solution was prepared by solubilizing stdhf ( 10 mg / ml ) in 20mm sodium phosphate buffer . zinc insulin ( 2 . 26 mg / ml ) was added and the solution was heated to 37 ° c . for ten minutes to solubilize the insulin . the solution was filtered and stored in a metered dosage sprayer at 4 ° c . the sheep used in the experiment weighed approximately 37 kg ± 5 kg . six sheep were used for each dose . after dosing , the sheep were allowed to recover for 48 hours prior to the next administration . on the first day of the experiment sheep nos . 1 - 3 were administered the insulin via the control formulation ( in solution ) and sheep nos . 3 - 6 received insulin via the aerosol formulation of example i ( in aerosol ). on the third day the order was reversed . twenty - four hours prior to dosing , an indwelling catheter was inserted into the right jugular vein , fixed with adhesive , and flushed with 5 ml of sterile 20mm phosphate buffer with 0 . 15 m nacl added . the catheter was left in place : or the duration of the experiment . sheep were fasted overnight and weighed on the morning of the experiment . ten minutes prior to administration the sheep were anesthetized with ketamine hcl administered through the indwelling catheter . the in aerosol dose was not adjusted to the weight of the animal . each sheep received 100 μl of in aerosol spray in each naris through an 8 cm extension tube attached to the spray valve . the in solution dose was adjusted for the weight of each sheep ( 8 μl / kg into each naris ) administered as drops with a p - 1000 pipetman using a 7 cm polyethylene ( 1 mm i . d .) nasal delivery catheter attached with rubber cement to a micropipet tip . the volume range of 256 to 336 μl ( 32 - 42 kg ) per nostril was delivered to the ventral nasal meatus at a distance of 7 cm from the anterior nares . table 1______________________________________ [ insulin ] [ stdhf ] total adm . formulation mg / ml mg / ml vol . μl______________________________________in . sub . solution 2 . 26 10 . 0 512 - 672 * in . sub . aerosol 9 . 05 10 . 0 200______________________________________ * adjusted for sheep weight . ** indicates amount of insulin or stdhf in 1 ml of freon propellant . for the aerosol nasal spray , an 8 cm extension tube was inserted 6 cm into the ventral nasal meatus and a 100 μl spray was administered in each nostril . the total freon propellant volume administered to each sheep was 200 μl . blood samples ( 5 ml ) were drawn at the following time points : - 15 , 0 , 5 , 10 , 15 , 20 , 30 , 60 , 90 , 120 , 180 minutes . the blood samples were placed on ice , stored at 4 ° c . overnight to separate the serum . samples were spun and divided equally into 2 aliquots and stored at - 20 ° c . serum samples were assayed using a cambridge medical diagnostics insulin ria kit . fig2 compares the average profiles of serum insulin concentration vs . time for the composition of example 1 and the control formulations . both curves decrease to baseline at 60 minutes , consistent with previous insulin sheep studies using aqueous based delivery systems similar to the control formulation . ( longenecker , et al ., j . pharm . sci ., 76 , 351 [ 1987 ]. in calculating the area under the curve ( auc ) values plotted in fig2 the insulin levels at time point - 15 minutes and zero were subtracted out for each animal . average results are presented for only five of the six sheep receiving the aerosol formulation because the sixth sheep exhibited anomalously high blood levels . the area under the curve ( auc ) for the average profiles of the solution and the aerosol formulations , including t max and c max are listed in table 2 . the results of the insulin radioimmunoassay indicate that the bioavailability of the insulin aerosol formulation is greater than the solution formulation . table 2______________________________________ [ insulin ] auc auc t . sub . max c . sub . maxformulation u / kg all pts - 0 time pt . minutes μu / ml______________________________________control 1 . 00 5029 . 60 1486 . 70 5 69 . 84 ( n = 6 ) example i 1 . 35 7308 . 90 3579 . 00 * 10 - 15 142 . 30 ( n = 5 ) ______________________________________ values normalized to correct for 1 . 35 u / kg dose in aerosol . with the - 15 minute and zero time point subtracted and [ insulin ] normalized there is a 2 . 3 fold increase in relative bioavailability for the aerosol composition of example i as compared to the control solution formulation . 30 mg of sodium - 24 , 25 - dihydrofusidate is solubilized in 6 ml of 10mm sodium phosphate buffer at ph 7 . 4 . to this vehicle there is added 120 to 480 mg of human growth hormone with a bioactivity of 3 units / mg . the solution is rocked gently for 10 min . and then freeze dried on an edwards so8 lyophilizer . the resulting lyophilized powder is mixed with 6 ml of a liquid mixture of ccl 3 f and ccl 2 f 2 ( 75 : 25 ) under pressure to form a suspension . the resulting suspension is applied by spraying 100 μl into each nostril , corresponding to a dose of 12 to 48 units of growth hormone per application . 30 mg of sodium - 24 , 25 - dihydrofusidate is solubilized in 6 ml of 20 mm phosphate buffer at ph 7 . 0 . to this vehicle there is added 0 . 6 to 2 . 4 mg of salmon calcitonin having a bioactivity of 5 , 000 units / mg . the solution is freeze dried on an edwards so8 lyophilizer . the resulting lyophilized powder is mixed with 6 ml of a liquid mixture of ccl 3 f and ccl 2 f 2 ( 75 : 25 ) under pressure to form a suspension . the resulting suspension can be used to treat osteoporosis or paget &# 39 ; s disease . it is applied by spraying 100 μl into each nostril , for a total dose of 100 to 400 units per application . other forms of calcitonin may be substituted for salmon calcitonin with appropriate adjustments made for the relative bioactivity , e . g . eel calcitonin , chicken calcitonin , human calcitonin or elcatonin ( synthetic eel calcitonin derivative ). 30 mg of sodium - 24 , 25 - dihydrofusidate is solubilized in 6 ml of 20 mm phosphate buffer at ph 7 . 0 . to this vehicle there is added 0 . 3 to 3 . 0 mg of a peptide having the amino acid sequence of the n - terminal 34 amino acids of parathyroid hormone . the solution is freeze dried on an edwards so8 lyophilizer . the resulting lyophilized powder is mixed with 6 ml of a liquid mixture ( 75 : 25 p . b . w .) of ccl 3 f and ccl 2 f 2 under pressure to form a suspension . the resulting suspension is useful in the treatment of osteoporosis . it is applied by spraying 100 μl of suspension into each nostril .	8
referring to fig1 , there is disclosed a sliding valve in a dual parallel axis configuration , with its partially revealed installation position in a paintball gun . sliding valve assembly is show with valve body 14 at one end and a vented , air balancing front cap with central bore the majority of caps length 41 at the other . sliding spindle 51 is held between said valve body 14 , and said front cap 41 . the hammer 32 of a ram assembly 31 is in line to actuation end 52 of said hammer 32 of said valve body 14 . hammer 32 strikes the spindle head 52 of valve assembly along the arrow f , moving the spindle shaft 51 towards the direction of said front balancing cap 41 . high pressured air , shown entering through the grip frame 62 , is stored within the gun body between o - rings 18 ; one of said o - rings 18 is located on said valve body 14 , the other on said front cap 41 . said high pressure air is released through the plurality of apertures 16 located in extension of valve body 12 into central bore of main valve body 11 , then redirected through extension of valve body 13 into a vertical bore 17 . inside said front cap 41 , is preferably a spring ( not shown ) is held within said bore of said cap and front piston 55 of said sliding spindle 51 to bias said spindle into closed position at rest . referring to fig2 , discloses valve body 14 of valve assembly with one of the two piston 55 and o - ring 56 portions of the sliding spindle 51 , and the impact receiving end 52 of said sliding spindle 51 . valve body 14 comprising of first cylindrical portion 11 and on one side of said first cylindrical portion 11 is air tightly adjacent a second cylindrical portion 12 with a plurality of apertures 16 that serve as air transfers for high pressure air stored between o - ring 18 and front cap 41 ( seen in fig1 ). additionally air tightly attached on opposite side of 12 is an air redirection portion 13 designed to turn the air into a hole 17 which is bored perpendicularly to the longitude axis of said cylindrical extension portion 13 causing the air to be directed up and into the bolt assembly 71 ( see fig1 ) as is known in the art . when force is applied to said force end 52 of said spindle 51 , said spindle travels along line indicated by arrow h . movement of said piston and o - ring allowing high pressure air to exhaust through plurality of apertures 16 , into central bore 15 , then up bore 17 , then into and through bolt 71 ( see fig1 ) and consequently causing the firing of the paintball . there are eight ( 8 ) apertures 16 formed on the wall of said second cylindrical portion 12 in a preferred embodiment of present invention . referring to fig3 , discloses a single central axis configuration of the present invention . sliding valve assembly 10 is shown with sliding spindle 51 . an actuator 81 pushes the end 52 of said sliding spindle 51 along the path shown as arrow f . sliding spindle 51 moves towards the direction of the plurality of apertures 16 . high pressured air supplied through grip frame 62 ( not shows , see fig1 ) is held in gun body and between o - rings 18 of valve body 14 . when high pressure air flows through central bore 15 by means of said plurality of apertures 16 , said high pressure air pushes bolt ( not shown , see fig8 - 10 ) forward until said bolt clears valve body o - ring 59 , at which time the high pressure air flows through central bore of the bolt and fires the paintball . said valve body 14 comprises a first cylindrical portion 11 . on one side of said first cylindrical portion 14 is air tightly adjacent a second cylindrical portion 12 with a plurality of apertures 16 that serve as air transfers for the stored high pressure air . sliding spindle 51 is shown within said valve body 14 . said sliding spindle 51 is show in its forward position . said spindle slides by means of its activation end 52 , into forward position allowing the high pressure air stored between the two o - rings 18 to flow down said center bore 15 of said valve body portions 11 and 12 , and exhaust out the valve body through said apertures 16 to fire a paintball . there are eight ( 8 ) apertures 16 formed in the wall of said second cylindrical portion 12 in a preferred embodiment of present invention . preferably a spring ( not shown ) is held between the front of said piston 55 and front wall of said extended portion 12 of said valve body 14 to bias said sliding spindle 51 into closed position at rest . referring to fig4 , r 0 refers to the radius of the central axis through bore 20 of valve assembly 10 . in a dual parallel axis configuration of the present invention , the spindle activation end 52 ( seen in fig1 and fig2 ) protrudes out of the valve body 14 , by means of said r 0 to receive force to actuate said valve assembly 10 . in single central axis configuration r 0 refers to a vent hole or through bore in end of extension 12 , so that sliding spindle 51 ( seen in fig3 and 11 ), can slide freely without becoming air locked r 1 refers to the radius of the central bore 15 ( seen in fig2 & amp ; 3 ), said bore extending the majority of the length of valve body 14 . r 2 refers to the outer dimension of cylindrical extension portion 12 . r 2 is larger than r 1 so that a flange extension 12 is formed . r 3 refers to is the outside diameter 23 of valve body 14 . r 4 refers to the outside diameter 24 of o &# 39 ; ring groove for o - ring 18 . note : the single central axis configuration diameters &# 39 ; of r 3 and r 4 may be larger than the shown diameter in this preferred example of a dual parallel axis configuration . referring to fig5 and fig6 , at least two o - rings 56 are configured to sit on the outer surface groove of the piston portions 55 of central sliding spindle 51 to seal the flow of air from said plurality of apertures 16 ( see fig2 & amp ; 3 ), when said spindle is in its rest position . the combination of apertures 16 , piston portions 55 and o - rings 56 control the air flow in the central bore of the valve body 14 ( see fig2 & amp ; 3 ), while o - rings 18 ( see fig2 & amp ; 3 ), contain the stored air within the gun body . the equally sized , or nearly equally sized , pistons 55 and o &# 39 ; rings 56 eliminates the excessive air pressure of previous designs in which the firing air held the cap closed , this configuration making the sealing air pressure “ balanced ” ( or more balanced ) for easier opening . referring to fig6 an alternative embodiment of present invention is presented . between raised pistons 55 a middle drum 53 acts as an air cutoff so that o - rings 58 located on said middle drum straddle the air bore 62 ( see fig1 ), which delivers high pressure air to storage area between o - rings 18 . said barrel 53 with o - rings 58 cuts off the incoming air so that the shot volume is limited and defined when valve assembly 10 slides open . 57 details a through bore ( s ) and escapement cut within and on said cutoff barrel that allows continuous communication of air in stored air portion of gun body . fig7 discloses an alternate embodiment of the present invention of dual parallel axis configuration wherein the vented front cap 41 ( see fig1 ), originally containing the balancing piston 55 and o - ring 56 , has said o &# 39 ; ring 56 housed within a further extension 12 of the valve body . venting of the air , for the purposes of making a balanced operation , is then accomplished through the activation portion of the sliding spindle , more precisely a bore is drilled in the central axis of said spindle , 51 . both o - rings 18 remain in their previous respective locations , one on valve body 14 and the second on the front cap 41 ( not shown ) however said front cap is no longer vented . the stored high pressure air is still held between said o - rings 18 . an additional sealing cap 91 is shown on a further extension of valve 12 allowing for balanced air feature . both o - rings 56 are now contained within the extension of the valve body 12 . the balancing air is then vented in a bore in the sliding spindle 51 into ambient air shown as 57 or alternately into the firing air 54 . fig8 - fig1 show more precisely , the operation of a single central axis configuration of the present invention . air chamber is a fixed area located between the two o - rings 18 . the sliding spindle 51 , balances said high pressure air between two o - rings 56 . additionally shown is a blow forward bolt 61 . this type of bolt is known in the art as a “ top hat ”. said top hat bolt can be preferably returned by either : a spring or pressurized air directed between o &# 39 ; ring 63 of the top hat bolt and bolt sealing o &# 39 ; ring 64 . in fig8 , the sliding spindle 51 of the invention is fully retracted into the valve body 14 . actuation end 52 of said spindle is fully retracted into actuator 81 . the top hat bolt 61 is fully retracted and is riding on the valve body extension 12 the feed hole 9 is open to receive a paintball . in fig9 , the sliding spindle 51 has partially moved forward , high pressure air is partially escaping through plurality of apertures 16 , which causes the top hat bolt 61 to begin forward movement . said high pressure air is now clearing the sealing o - ring 59 on said valve body extension 12 for the central bore of said bolt 61 , however said high pressure as is not fully able to flow down the central bore of said bolt 61 to launch the ball . the feed hole 9 is closed but not past front seal . in fig1 , sliding spindle 51 of the invention is fully forward . the plurality of apertures 16 are fully opened , pressurized air is fully flowing through central bore of the top hat bolt 61 , which is fully forward . the said bolt 61 is closed and sealing feed hole 9 by means of o - ring seals 64 and 65 , and if a paintball was present it would have fired . fig1 more precisely discloses the escaping airflow of a single central axis configuration in which high pressure air flows around sliding spindle 51 by means of a central bore 15 cut in valve body ( not fully shown ) feeding air to transfer grooves 16 . there is a vent 20 in the valve extension 12 of valve body to allow said sliding spindle 51 to eliminate air lock allow movement . upon said forward movement of said spindle 51 , high pressure air in the gun body and held between o &# 39 ; rings 18 flows through said central bore 15 of said valve body 14 and exhausting out plurality of apertures 16 to fire the paintball . in fig8 - 10 the sliding spindle is shown with an undisclosed activation system 81 , rather figures simply show the movement said sliding spindle 51 . said movement of said sliding spindle 51 can be accomplished in alternate ways . examples are easily seen to include direct movement by a solenoid , movement by an air solenoid valve with attached rammer , or by mechanical movement . fig1 shows a rammer activated by a solenoid valve as the preferred embodiment of a dual parallel axis configuration . an alternate embodiment of the invention for said dual parallel axis configuration , and the preferred embodiment for the single central axis configuration is when the actuator end of the spindle 52 , which is used to move the sliding spindle 51 of the valve assembly , is not moved the striking impact of a rammer , but rather is moved directly by one of the coupled devices referenced in the previous paragraph . to further clarify alternate ways a dual parallel axis configuration might be configured as above , is where the movement of the bolt 71 ( see fig1 ) is no longer coupled to the ram , or linked to opening of the valve assembly 10 . rather bolt is moved by the use of a second solenoid , and where the bolt itself performs as an air powered ram pushing the ball forward and sealing the loading chamber . this said second solenoid sending pressurized air alternately to the bolt 61 to move it forwards and backwards , the opening and closing of the bolt , timed by a circuit board . the sliding spindle 51 moved by a dedicated solenoid 81 . said dedicated solenoid 81 acting on said valve assembly &# 39 ; s sliding spindle 51 , moving said sliding spindle 51 linearly by : a ) attaching to said central spindle activation end 52 a direct acting electric solenoid . said solenoid known in the art as a “ clapper valve ”, said clapper valve &# 39 ; s movement of its center spindle causing the movement of center spindle of the valve spindle , which in turn , causes the opening and closing of the valve assembly and the firing of the paintball . b ) keeping the rammer with its attached air solenoid valve as shown in fig1 . the difference being the ram &# 39 ; s movement is then of a decidedly shorter length because the ram &# 39 ; s length of movement would need to be only long enough to move the sliding spindle to alternately open and close the valve assembly . c ) another alternative is that said 5 way valve might be replace by a 3 way valve with a spring return , or in unbalanced configuration wherein the front of the ram assembly would be continuously supplied with pressurized air and the back would be selectively supplied . while there have been shown , described and pointed out the fundamental novel features of the invention as applied to the preferred embodiments , it will be understood that the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention and not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed . obvious modifications or variations are possible in light of the above teachings . the embodiments discussed were chosen and described to provide the best illustration of the principles of the invention and its practical application to enable one of ordinary skill in the art to utilize the invention in various embodiments and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated all such modifications and variations are within the scope of the invention as determined by the appended claims when interpreted in accordance with the breadth to which they are entitled . as will be recognized by those skilled in the art , the innovative concepts described in the present application can be modified and varied over a tremendous range of applications , and accordingly the scope of patented subject matter is not limited by any of the specific exemplary teachings given . it is intended to embrace all such alternatives , modifications and variations that fall within the spirit and broad scope of the appended claims . none of the description in the present application should be read as implying that any particular element , step , or function is an essential element which must be included in the claim scope : the scope of patented subject matter is defined only by the allowed claims . moreover , none of these claims are intended to invoke paragraph six of 35 usc section 112 unless the exact words “ means for ” are followed by a participle . the claims as filed are intended to be as comprehensive as possible , and no subject matter is intentionally relinquished , dedicated , or abandoned .	5
referring to fig2 , an electrohydraulic control valve 30 is illustrated inserted into an aperture 32 in a manifold 34 of a conventional variable cam phase adjustment mechanism . the ports 18 and 19 of the cam phasing mechanism 12 shown in fig1 are connected respectively to two passages 20 and 21 that extend through the manifold 34 and those passages open into the aperture 32 . a supply passage 22 extends between the engine &# 39 ; s oil pump and the manifold aperture 32 , while a return passage 23 at the interior end of the aperture leads to the oil pan ( or tank ) of the engine . the electrohydraulic valve 30 has a tubular valve body 40 with a longitudinal bore 42 and transverse openings which provide ports between the manifold passages and the longitudinal bore . specifically , a first workport 24 connects to the first passage 20 and a second workport 25 communicates with the second passage 21 . an inlet port 26 in the valve body is associated with the supply passage 22 and an outlet port 27 opens into the return passage 23 . a spool 44 is slidably received within the bore 42 of the valve body 40 and has an exterior annular notch 46 which , in selective positions of the spool , provides a fluid path between the inlet port 26 and one of the two workports 24 and 25 and thus between the associated manifold passages . in a middle , or intermediate , position of the spool travel , the inlet port 26 is closed from both workports 24 and 25 . a central aperture 48 extends between the opposite ends 47 and 49 of the spool 44 . a head 54 projects from the outward end 49 of the valve spool 44 and has an aperture 55 there through . a spring 50 biases the spool 44 away from a nose piece 52 of the valve body 40 . the valve 30 further includes an electromagnetic actuator 56 comprising a solenoid coil 58 in a non - magnetic bobbin 60 , preferably made of plastic molded around the coil to form a solenoid assembly . the solenoid coil 58 is driven by a pulse width modulated ( pwm ) signal having a duty cycle that is varied in a conventional manner to position the spool 44 in the valve body 40 . the pwm signal is applied to the electromagnetic actuator 56 via a connector 57 formed in a lateral projection of the bobbin 60 and connected by wires to the solenoid coil 58 . the electromagnetic actuator 56 further includes two magnetically conductive pole pieces 64 and 66 . the first pole piece 64 has a cylindrical tubular interior section 65 that extends into one end of the bobbin 60 . an o - ring 67 provides a hermetic seal between the first pole piece 64 and the bobbin 60 . the first pole piece 64 has a flange 68 which projects outwardly from the interior section 65 across the outer end of the valve body 40 . the second pole piece 66 has a second tubular section that extending into the opposite end of the bobbin 60 and has an interior end that is spaced from the first pole piece 64 . an annular rib 63 of the bobbin magnetically separates the first and second pole pieces 64 and 66 . the outer end of the second pole piece 66 has an outwardly projecting flange 71 and another o - ring 75 provides a hermetic seal between this flange and the bobbin 60 . a liner tube 62 , preferably of stainless steel , extends through the first and second pole pieces 64 and 66 . the liner tube 62 provides a magnetic barrier between the pole pieces as well as acting as a guide for a sliding plunger 73 . an open end of the liner tube 62 faces the valve body 40 and a closed end is adjacent the outwardly projecting flange 71 of the second pole piece 66 . the electromagnetic actuator 56 is enclosed by a metal outer housing 69 that extends around the first and second pole pieces 64 and 66 and the bobbin 60 . the open end of the outer housing 69 , adjacent the second pole piece 66 , is crimped to a disk 72 to close that opening . at the opposite end , the outer housing 69 has an inwardly projecting flange 70 which is crimped into a depression , such as an annular groove 61 , in the exterior surface of the valve body 40 , thereby securing those components together . an o - ring 59 provides a fluid tight seal between a flange on the liner tube 62 and the valve body 40 . thus the closed liner tube 62 provides a sealed inner cavity within the electromagnetic actuator 56 that contains the fluid passing through the valve body 40 . with reference to fig2 and 3 , the plunger 73 of the electromagnetic actuator 56 is slidably located within the liner tube 62 and includes an armature 74 of ferromagnetic material . a region 77 at the outer end of the armature 74 has a larger diameter than the remainder of the armature so that only a relatively small surface area engages the inside diameter of the liner tube 62 and a gap 79 exists between most of the armature and the liner tube . by minimizing this surface area of engagement , resistance to the armature 74 sliding in the liner tube 62 is minimized . however , enlarging that gap 79 increases the magnetic impedance which tends to diminish the magnetic force acting on the armature . in response , the inner end of the armature 74 has a tapered recess 81 , which forms a knife edge 82 around the outer perimeter of that end . the magnetic flux flowing between the armature and the first pole piece 64 is concentrated through the region of the knife edge 82 . concentrating the magnetic flux in this manner , counteracts the adverse effect of the gap 79 on the electromagnetic performance of the actuator 56 . the armature 74 has a longitudinal aperture in which a tubular push member 76 is received . both ends of the armature are “ ring staked ” to the push member 76 . as shown in fig4 , ring staking involves forming indentations of the armature end surfaces at locations 85 which pushes that armature material around the aperture tightly against the push member 76 . referring again to fig2 and 3 , the push member 76 projects outward from the open end of the liner tube 62 and abuts the head 54 of the valve spool 44 . the plunger 73 further includes a rolling bearing 80 mounted on the push member 76 between the armature 74 and the valve spool head 54 . an axial force is applied to the plunger 73 by the magnetic flux at the end of the first pole piece 64 and rolling bearing 80 at this location prevents binding of the armature due to that axial force . the rolling bearing 80 comprises a plastic cage 83 with five longitudinal slots 84 equidistantly spaced around its outer surface . a separate chromium plated sphere 86 is located in each slot 84 . each sphere 86 projects from the respective slot into contact with the liner tube 62 and the push member 76 and is able to roll within the respective slot 84 . other forms of rollable elements , such as cylinders , may be used in place of the spheres 86 . the cage 83 is held in place on the push member 76 by a retaining ring 88 . alternatively the cage 83 and the push member 76 can be fabricated as a single plastic part 90 as shown in fig5 . referring specifically to fig2 , the valve 30 is fabricated by placing the solenoid coil 58 in a mold into which molten plastic for the bobbin 60 is injected to encapsulate the solenoid coil . after that molded assembly has hardened , the first pole piece 64 along with the inner o - ring 67 and the second pole piece 66 with the outer o - ring 75 are placed into the bobbin . the assembly then is inserted into the outer housing 69 . next the disk 72 is positioned in the open end of the outer housing 69 and crimped in place . the liner tube 62 is inserted into the other end of the first pole piece 64 and the plunger 73 is slid into the liner tube 62 , thereby completing assembly of the electromagnetic actuator 56 . the valve components then are assembled into the valve body 40 and the nose piece 52 is pressed into the valve body to provide a spring preload . the electromagnetic actuator 56 is placed on the end of the valve body 40 with o - ring 59 between the valve body 40 and the flange of the liner tube 62 to provide a hydraulic seal . then , the flange 70 is crimped into an annular groove 61 in the valve body 40 securing the components together . references herein to directional relationships and movement , such as upper and lower or up and down , refer to the relationship and movement of the components in the orientation illustrated in the drawings , which may not be the orientation of the components as attached to machinery . when the electrohydraulic valve 30 is not activated by electric current applied to the solenoid coil 58 , the spring 50 forces the spool 44 into a position at which the annular notch 46 provides a fluid path between the inlet port 26 and the first workport 24 leading to the first manifold passage 20 . in this de - energized state , the inner end of the spool 44 is positioned to the right which opens a path between the outlet port 27 and the second workport 25 communicating with the second manifold passage 21 . pressurized engine oil now is fed through the first manifold passage 20 to port 18 of the cam phasing mechanism 12 and oil is drained from that mechanism &# 39 ; s second port 19 through the second manifold passage 21 to the oil pan , thereby advancing the valve timing . from the de - energized state , application of a relatively small magnitude electric current to the solenoid coil 58 produces movement of the armature 74 and push member 76 toward the valve body 40 . this motion also moves the spool 44 thereby reducing the size of the fluid paths described immediately above . this decreases the flow of engine oil to the cam phasing mechanism 12 which reduces the rate at which the valve timing is being changed . application of a greater magnitude electric current to the solenoid coil 58 eventually moves the spool 44 leftward in fig2 into an intermediate position closing the previous path between the second workport 25 and the outlet port 27 , via the spool &# 39 ; s central aperture 48 . the annular spool notch 46 now opens only into the inlet port 26 and both the first and second workports 24 and 25 are closed . this stops movement of the cam phasing mechanism 12 fixing the relationship between the crankshaft and the camshaft on the engine . alternatively , the annular spool notch 46 in the valve body 40 can be configured so that in this intermediate position the first and second workports 24 and 25 both communicate with the inlet port 26 . this applies equal pressure to both the first workport 24 and the second workport 25 . referring still to fig2 , applying a still greater magnitude electric current to the solenoid coil 58 eventually moves the spool 44 farther to the left into a position where the first workport 24 communicates with the central aperture 48 through the spool 44 . this opens a fluid path between the first workport 24 and the outlet port 27 . in this position the annular notch 46 of the spool provides a path between the inlet port 26 and only the second workport 25 that leads to the second port 19 of the cam phasing mechanism 12 . this applies pressurized engine oil to the mechanism &# 39 ; s second port 19 and drains the oil from the mechanism &# 39 ; s first port 18 to the oil pan , thereby retarding the phase relationship between the cam and crank shafts . the size of the openings between these passages is varied by controlling the magnitude of the electric current applied to the solenoid coil 58 to meter the flow of engine oil and thus control the rate at which valve timing changes . the foregoing description was primarily directed to preferred embodiments of the invention . although some attention was given to various alternatives within the scope of the invention , it is anticipated that one skilled in the art will likely realize additional alternatives that are now apparent from disclosure of embodiments of the invention . accordingly , the scope of the invention should be determined from the following claims and not limited by the above disclosure .	5
referring to fig1 and 2 a laminated rotor core 20 formed of a plurality of laminas 22 is shown . each lamina 22 has a plurality of teardrop shaped slot openings 24 spaced about and adjacent its perimeter ; a plurality of skew control holes 26 arcuately spaced about a circular arc that is spaced inwardly from the lamina perimeter ; a plurality of oblong vent openings 28 arcuately spaced about a circular arc that is spaced further inwardly from the perimeter ; and a central shaft hole 30 having central axis 32 . a counterbore 33 is formed in the lower end of core 20 . each lamina 22 excepting the bottom lamina in a core 20 has arcuate interlock tabs 34 depressed from the lamina lower surface to engage a corresponding tab 34 and hole 26 in the next lower lamina 22 to interlock the two laminas in a manner well known in the art . the bottom lamina 22 , or first lamina , in the core 20 stack has the interlock tab 34 areas blanked and removed since , as will become apparent , it is not desired to interlock the bottom lamina 22 to the lamina next below it , which is the top lamina in the preceding core , in order that the cores are separate from one another . each lamina 22 is arcuately displaced about axis 32 from the lamina next below it before the two laminas are interlocked in a manner such that slots 38 are formed by openings 24 so that each of the slot 38 axes is provided with a desired skew angle to axis 32 for purposes well known in the art . typically , slots 38 are filled with a molten electrically conductive metal such as aluminum and are connected at their ends in a manner to provide rotor core conductor bars , as is well known in the art . the skew angle may be left handed or right handed depending on whether the slot 38 axes cross axis 32 from left to right or right to left as one moves downwardly down the slot axes . referring to fig6 a and 6b an important function performed by this invention will be described . when laminas 22 are blanked from a strip 40 , fig4 that has nonuniform thickness in the cross feed or cross grain direction , a core 20 , fig6 a , could result . as used herein , cross feed or cross grain is a direction along a line that is perpendicular to the feed direction or length of strip 40 , such as line a - b in fig3 b and nonuniform thickness refers to the condition wherein one edge 40a of strip 40 is thicker than the opposite edge 40b in the cross feed direction and is frequently present in available metal strip stock . core 20 has an error &# 34 ; d &# 34 ; which is a deviation from a true right cylinder and results from the thicker edges of laminas 22 being vertically superposed one upon another and a parallelism error e p which is the difference in heights of diametrically opposite sides of core 20 and is referred to herein to define the maximum permissible core 20 error that is permissible for a given application . by providing a selected number of stack rotations , or reversals , or 180 °, each reversal prior to interlocking the next lamina on the stack , the thicker edges may be alternated with the thinner edges to provide a true right cylinder , fig6 b , and thus correct the error e p . in practice , it is often necessary to half turn or reverse only once , fig6 c , in an entire core 20 to provide a core stack with an acceptable parallelism error . in this invention the number of reversals may be preset and entered by the operator prior to core manufacture or automatically determined by actual measured thickness variations of opposite edges of the strip 40 during manufacture . referring now to fig3 a , 3b , 3c , and 4 , a blanking and core forming assembly 42 for the progressive blanking of an elongated stock strip 40 to form laminas 22 and core 20 will be described . the blanked or formed portions of strip 40 at each of the following described stations is shown with a cross hatch shading to distinguish over those portions blanked at previous stations . briefly , at station no . 1 , holes 26 , shaft pilot hole 44 and pilot holes 46 are blanked . at station no . 2 , thirty four slot openings 24 and six vent openings 28 are blanked . at station no . 3 , a cluster of punch pins blank six interlock tab openings 48 for the first , or bottom , lamina 22 only in a core 20 and a counterbore punch blanks a counterbore opening 49 in a specified number of laminas 22 to form counterbore opening 33 . at station no . 4 arcuate interlock tabs 34 are lanced from strip 40 and then depressed below the lower strip surface , a tab 34 being adjacent each hole 26 and having its depressed end immediately below the edge of the corresponding hole 26 , fig3 . at station no . 5 a lamina 22 is blanked from strip 40 , and shaft hole 30 is simultaneously blanked , after which lamina 22 is pushed back into the plane of strip 40 . at station no . 6 , a lamina 22 is pushed through strip 40 and into a choke ring die barrel which is rotated an angular increment to obtain the desired skew angle and direction of the axes of slots 38 and is rotated an additional 180 ° or half turn to compensate for thickness nonuniformity of strip 40 . strip 40 is fed from a supply coil or other supply , not show , and enters thickness gauge 50 . briefly described with reference to fig3 a , and 3b , gauge 50 has vertically spaced carbide rollers 51 , 52 rotatable on precision ball bearings about horizontal , transverse axles 53a , 53b respectively , above and below strip 40 , respectively . rollers 51 , 52 contact the upper and lower surfaces respectively of strip 40 at edge 40a adjacent cross - feed line a - b . in similar manner , vertically spaced carbide rollers 51a , 52a are rotatable on precision ball bearings about axles 54 , 54a respectively , above and below strip 40 , respectively and contact the upper and lower surfaces of strip 40 at edge 40b adjacent line a - b . axles 53 , 53a are affixed to one end of elongated outboard arms 55 , 55a respectively , each of which is pivoted intermediately of its length to fixed pivot 55b . the opposite ends of arms 55 , 55a are fixed respectively to aluminum target plate 57 and sensor 58 . a tension spring 59 is coupled at its opposite ends to arms 55 , 55a respectively to bias arms 55 , 55a towards one another , maintaining contact between rollers 51 , 52 and their respective surfaces of strip 40 . other arm biasing means may be used and spring 59 is diagrammatic . the lengths of arms 55 , 55a between their respective rollers 51 , 52 and pivot 55b are a fraction , e . g . one third , of their lengths between pivot 55b and target plate 57 , sensor 58 , respectively , in order to provide a mechanical advantage and magnify the relative movement between rollers 51 , 52 , which is imparted by and a measure of the thickness of strip 40 at edge 40a and increase sensitivity of the measurement . sensor 58 is of the type that can accurately measure the distance between its lower end and target plate 57 . in similar manner , axles 54 , 54a are affixed to one end of elongated outboard arms , 56 , 56a respectively , each of which is pivoted intermediately of its length to fixed pivot 56b . the opposite ends of arms 56 , 56a are pivoted respectively to aluminum target plate 57a and sensor 58a , mounted for sliding vertical movement , respectively . a tension spring 59a is coupled at its opposite ends to arms 56 , 56a respectively to bias the arms towards one another , maintaining contact between rollers 51a , 52a and their respective surfaces of strip 40 . other arm biasing means may be used and spring 59a is diagrammatic . the lengths of arms 56 , 56a between their respective rollers 51a , 52a and pivot 56b are a fraction , e . g . one third , of their lengths between pivot 56b and target plate 57a , sensor 58a , respectively , in order to magnify the relative movement between rollers 51a , 52a , which is imparted by and a measure of the thickness of strip 40 at edge 40b to increase sensitivity of the measurement . sensor 58a is of the type that can accurately measure the distance between its lower end and target plate 57a and provides strip 40 thickness measurements at each of edges 40a , 40b and also a thickness differential between edges 40a and 40b . sensors 58 , 58a are commercially available from kaman instrumentation , p . o . box 7463 , colorado springs , colo . 80933 , their kd - 4000 series . damping rollers 60 , 61 are placed above and below respectively and in pressure contact with strip 40 before the carbide sensing rollers and damping rollers 62 , 63 are placed above and below respectively and in pressure contact with strip 40 after the carbide sensing rollers to damp any vibration of strip 40 so that accurate thickness measurements are facilitated . the signals from each sensor 58 , 58a are read and averaged in gauge 50 providing an analog &# 34 ; front &# 34 ; and &# 34 ; back &# 34 ; reading for the front edge 40a and the back edge 40b respectively . the two averages are then averaged in gauge 50 or controller 190 , fig5 later described , by an additional averaging unit to provide an average strip 40 thickness . sensors 58 , 58a , may be contacting with rollers as shown , noncontacting , and electronic or air . in practice , it is preferably to clean strip 40 prior to gauging in any suitable manner known to the art and to use air jets on strip 40 immediately prior to strip 40 contact by the sensing rollers to insure accurate measurements . gauge 50 is superposed and securely mounted on elongated bolster 64 which extends longitudinally the length of assembly 42 . gauge 50 may also be placed elsewhere , e . g . between the strip 40 coil supply and assembly 42 since the thickness variations of strip 40 are sufficiently gradual that the measurement may be taken relatively close to assembly 42 although not immediately before station no . 1 as shown . elongated die shoe 66 is superposed and securely mounted to bolster 64 and extends longitudinally between gauge 50 and the opposite longitudinal end of bolster 64 . elongated die retainer 68 is superposed and securely attached to die shoe 66 and extends longitudinally the length thereof . elongated punch assembly 69 having elongated upper shoe 70 is superposed retainer 68 and is mounted for reciprocal vertical movement and is operated in a press , not shown , for use with assembly 42 and is commercially available , one source being minster machine company , minster , ohio 45865 , model p2 series , or equivalent , which includes a feed mechanism for strip 40 and punch press control 72 , fig5 later described . the press also includes a powered ram , not shown , controlled by punch press control 72 , to operate shoe 70 downwardly to blank strip 40 at each of station nos . 1 - 6 . at station no . 1 , a cluster of elongated vertical punch pins are mounted in and depend from shoe 70 , pin 74 being shown , for blanking openings 26 . the cluster is secured to shoe 70 by depending set block 76 , in a manner known in the art . the lower end of each pin in the cluster , and the other depending pins and punches to be described at station nos . 2 - 6 , in the raised position of shoe 70 are above strip 40 and provide clearance for the progressive longitudinal movement of strip 40 through the stations of assembly 42 . pin 74 , and the other station no . 1 cluster pins , are received for longitudinal movement in close fitting openings in spring stripper 78 which depends from shoe 70 and is positioned immediately above strip 40 , extends longitudinally of station nos . 1 and 2 , and is mounted in conventional manner for stripping of strip 40 from pins of the cluster . in the punching stroke of shoe 70 the lower end of pin 74 and the other cluster pins punch or blank openings 26 in strip 40 . at station no . 2 , a pin cluster is mounted in and depends from shoe 70 for blanking vent openings 28 , pin 80 being shown , in conventional manner , the pins extending through corresponding close fitting openings in set block assembly 82 which depends from and is secured to shoe 70 . assembly 82 carries a pin cluster of vertical and depending pins for blanking slot openings 24 , pins 84 , 86 being shown . the vent and slot opening pins , including pins 80 , 84 , 86 , are received for vertical sliding movement in stripper 78 and extend into corresponding close fitting openings in a die retainer 68 during the punching stroke of shoe 70 . at station no . 3 , depending counter bore punch 88 is carried in carriage 90 which is mounted for reciprocal movement in bridge stripper 91 . carriage 90 is spring urged upwardly by a pair of compression springs 92 which act between carriage 90 and stripper 91 which is supported immediately above strip 40 in conventional manner and extends longitudinally of station nos . 4 and 5 , solenoid plate 96 , shown in solid lines in its forward position , is mounted in shoe 70 for reciprocal movement longitudinally of shoe 70 as shown by double headed arrow 98 and is actuated by a solenoid , not shown . the retracted position of solenoid plate 96 is shown by the dashed line 96a . plate 96 in its forward position displaces carriage 90 downwardly relative to shoe 70 against the force of spring 92 and in this position punch 88 will blank out a counterbore opening 49 in strip 40 when shoe 70 is in a punching stroke . when plate 96 is in position 96a , carriage 90 is spring urged upwardly relative to shoe 70 and in this position punch 88 will not blank out a counterbore opening 49 in strip 40 on a punching stroke of shoe 70 . thus , by controlling the position of plate 96 , an opening 49 can be selectively made in strip 40 . carriage 104 carries a cluster of elongated vertically depending interlock tab blank punch pins , pin 106 being shown . carriage 104 has center bore 108 which slidingly clears punch 88 and carriage 104 is spring urged to an upward position relative shoe 70 by a plurality of compression springs acting between carriage 104 and stripper 91 , spring 114 being shown . a pair of solenoid arms 110 , 112 are mounted in housing 94 , which securely depends from shoe 70 , to move transversely along lines cd , ef ( fig4 ) respectively , which lines are perpendicular to the line of feed of strip 40 and are actuated simultaneously by a solenoid mechanism not shown . when arms 110 , 112 are in their extended position as shown in solid lines , they are between shoe 70 and carriage 104 displacing carriage 104 downwardly against the force of springs 114 in which position pins 106 are caused to blank interlock tab openings 48 from strip 40 . when arms 110 , 112 are retracted to the dashed line positions 110a , 112a , respectively , they are clear of carriage 104 and it is spring urged upwardly so that when shoe 70 is in a punching stroke , interlock tabs 48 are not blanked from strip 40 . thus , by position control of arms 110 , 112 openings 48 can be selectively blanked from strip 40 . at station no . 4 , carriage 118 carries a cluster of vertically depending elongated pins , pin 120 being shown , for lancing and forming interlock tabs 34 . the lower end of pin 120 , and the other carriage 118 cluster pins , has a bevel 122 , fig3 c , which imparts a corresponding bevel to each depressed tab 34 . mounted for reciprocal sliding movement in openings in die shoe 66 and die retainer 68 beneath each carriage 118 cluster pin , such as pin 120 , is an elongated vertical upwardly spring loaded supporting pin 124 against which tab 34 is formed to limit its depressed distance to one lamina thickness and prevent tab inclination . a spring 132 is mounted in die shoe 66 to provide the spring loading for each pin 124 . solenoid plate 128 , shown in solid lines in its forward position , is mounted just beneath shoe 70 for reciprocal movement longitudinally of shoe 70 as shown by double headed arrow 130 and is actuated by a solenoid , not shown . the retracted position of plate 128 is shown by dashed line 128a . plate 128 in its forward position displaces carriage 118 downwardly relative to shoe 70 against the force of a plurality of compression springs mounted between stripper 91 and the lower surface of carriage 118 , spring 126 being shown . in this position each pin 120 will lance and form a tab 34 when shoe 70 is in its punching position . when plate 128 is in position 128a , carriage 118 moves upwardly under the force of spring 126 and the other springs not shown and pins 120 will not lance and form a tab 34 on a punching stroke of shoe 70 . thus by controlling the position of plate 128 , tabs 34 can be selectively lanced and formed . all laminas 22 except the bottom lamina in core 20 have tabs 34 lanced and formed therein . it is understood that when it is desired to change the direction of the axes of slots 38 from right hand to left hand , a different cluster of pins 106 and 120 will be used to change the direction of tab blank 48 and tabs 34 from counterclockwise to clockwise from their respective holes 26 . at station no . 5 , laminas 22 are punched from strip 40 and shaft holes 30 are simultaneously blanked and the slugs removed though chute 140 , after which the laminas 22 are returned to the plane of strip 40 . cylindrical punch 136 is securely mounted in depending position from the lower surface of shoe 70 as by bolts , bolt 138 being shown , and is vertically slidably movable in an opening in spring stripper 139 which depends from shoe 70 in conventional manner and is supported immediately above strip 40 . stripper 139 extends longitudinally of station nos . 5 and 6 . punch 136 has an opening 141 for passing blanked slugs to chute 140 which is supported by flange 143 which is bolted to shoe 70 as by bolts 143a . chute 140 is shown 90 ° out of position in fig3 for illustrative purposes . a cylindrical push back ring 142 is slidably mounted for vertical movement in an opening in die ring 151 and is upwardly biased by a plurality of compression springs , spring 148 being shown , vertically slidably mounted in cylindrical block 144 which is secured in die shoe 66 by bolts , bolt 146 being shown . a plurality of heavy compression springs 145 are mounted in bolster 64 and urge spring block 145a , mounted for vertical reciprocal movement in an opening in bolster 64 , upwardly in the opening in bolster 64 . plate assembly 145b , fig3 d , is mounted for vertical reciprocal movement in an opening in die shoe 66 and is flush with and abuts the upper surface of block 145a and houses the heads of a plurality of bolts , bolt 147 shown . bolts 147 extend through respective springs 148 and are in threaded engagement with ring 142 so that ring 142 is spring urged upwardly . flanged die ring 151 is set in retainer 68 and limits the upward movement of ring 142 . also mounted in block 144 is elongated vertical center shaft hole punch 150 which registers with opening 141 . as shoe 70 descendsg , in a punching stroke , a lamina 22 is blanked from strip 40 and shaft hole 30 is blanked , the blanked slug being carried away through opening 141 and chute 140 as by applying a vacuum or reduced pressure therein . lamina 22 is returned to the plane of strip 40 by push back ring 142 after which strip 40 is advanced to carry lamina 22 to station no . 6 . at station no . 6 , cylindrical punch 154 is affixed to , and depends from , shoe 70 as by bolts , bolt 156 being shown , and is vertically slidable through an opening in stripper 139 . flanged collar 162 is mounted in die shoe 66 in a race of tapered bearings 158 for rotation about vertical axis 160 and extends through an opening in die retainer 68 . a replaceable carbide choke ring 164 is press fitted into the upper end of collar 162 and rotates therewith . spiral bevel ring gear 166 is affixed to the lower surface of collar 162 as by bolts such as bolt 168 and rotatably drives collar 162 about axis 160 . spiral bevel pinion gear 170 is in driving engagement with gear 166 and in turn is driven by servomotor 172 , fig5 . motor 172 is geared such that five motor shaft revolutions equal one revolution of ring 164 . on each punching stroke of shoe 70 , a lamina 22 is pushed from strip 40 into choke ring 164 which is dimensioned to receive and hold a stack 21 of laminas 22 in a frictional or interference fit , causing each of tabs 34 of the pushed lamina to engage and interlock with the corresponding tab openings and openings 26 of the top lamina 22 in stack 21 to secure the two laminas together in a given relative rotational position . after each downstroke of shoe 70 , servomotor 172 turns gear 170 a predetermined rotational distance to impart a rotational movement to collar 162 through ring gear 166 . the rotational distance is determined by the skew angle of the axis of slots 38 and on the thickness variations of strip 40 , as is explained more fully herein . the laminas 22 are continually stacked in ring 164 of collar 162 , the laminas in collar 162 building the stack 21 until a completed stack 21 forms a rotor core 20 . as the top lamina 22 is forcefully inserted onto stack 21 , the other laminas are pushed downwardly a distance equal to the thickness of a lamina . when all of the laminas in a stack 21 which forms a core 20 have cleared choke ring 164 , the core 20 drops on conveyor belt 176 , fig5 which carries the core 20 to another processing area . the core 20 height is determined by the number of laminas 22 in a completed stack 21 , which in turn is controlled by the number of laminas formed between two successive bottom laminas which have interlock tab blanks 48 formed therein . as explained , the bottom laminas do not have tabs 34 formed therein and therefore will not interlock with the next lower lamina thus providing separation of successive cores 20 . referring now to fig5 thickness gauge 50 , bolster 64 , die shoe 66 , and shoe 70 are shown diagrammatically , shoe 70 being only partially shown . power supply 180 has a three phase 60 hz input on line 182 from a conventional source , not shown . power supply 180 is available from kiowa corporation , 7685 corporate way , eden prairie , minn . 55344 , model no . 8360 , bus voltage + 120 to + 160 vdc , continuous current +/- 60 amps , peak current +/- 100 amps , or equivalent . supply 180 provides dc power to dc servomotor 172 through line 184 and receives motor 172 shaft rpm speed information from motor shaft coupled tachometer 186 on line 188 and a control signal from programmable controller 190 on line 192 . controller 190 receives a motor 172 shaft rpm speed signal on line 193 from motor 172 attached to tachometer 186 and motor 172 shaft angular position φ p on line 194 from motor 172 shaft coupled to optical encoder 196 . motor 172 , tachometer 186 , and optical encoder 196 are of the type commercially available from pmi motors inc ., 5 aerial way , syosset , n . y . 11791 , catalog no . mc24p , or equivalent . encoder 196 provides 1000 counts per revolution of motor 172 shaft so that there are 5000 counts from encoder 196 for each revolution of ring 164 . controller 190 also receives thickness gauge 50 signals from sensors 58 , 58a , on line 198 , which signals are also supplied to punch press control 72 on line 200 . gauge 50 may be preset to a minimum thickness and a maximum thickness for each of t 1 and t 2 and when the thickness is outside the minimum - maximum range of either of t 1 and t 2 a fault signal is sent on line 200 to press control 72 to stop the assembly 42 operation . controller 190 receives a crank position signal from punch press control 72 on line 201 to provide timing signals t a , t b , described below . crank position defines the position of shoe 70 in its punching stroke cycle . it is important that assembly 42 be coordinated so that punching stroke of shoe 70 occurs only after all of the solenoid and rotational adjustments have been made . also , it is preferable that strip 40 thickness readings by gauge 50 be made between punching strokes of shoe 70 to minimize shock and vibrations during measurement . controller 190 provides an enable interlock tab blank 48 signal to the solenoid for punch cluster arms 110 , 112 at station no . 3 on line 202 , an enable counterbore 49 punch signal to the solenoid for plate 96 at station no . 3 on line 204 , a disable interlock lance and form tabs 34 signal to the solenoid for plate 128 at station no . 4 on line 206 , a timing signal to gauge 50 on line 208 , and a stop press signal to punch press control 72 on line 210 for stopping operation of die assembly 42 , under certain conditions as described herein . prior to die assembly 42 operation , the press operator inputs the following to controller 190 : a s , skew angle of axes of slots 38 relative axis 32 ; q , minimum number of stack 21 reversals ( 0 , 1 , 3 , 5 ). note : if the number of laminas 22 that are to be reversed is preset , i . e . not to be automatically determined by the thickness variations sensed by gauge 50 , then the operator inputs the desired number of stack reversals per core 20 during stacking that would provide the correction for the parallelism error and therefor it would not be necessary to enter the parallelism error . also , even if the number of stack reversals are automatically determined , the minimum number of reversals , q , per core 20 , may also be entered . the dynamic inputs to controller 190 that are automatically input during assembly 42 operation are as follows : φ p , the actual angular position of motor 172 shaft ; t 1 , the thickness of strip 40 at point 40a ; t 2 , the thickness of strip 40 at point 40b ; t 1 minus t 2 , the differential of thickness of strip 40 at point 40a and the thickness of strip 40 at point 40b ; t a , enable time for reading t 1 and t 2 on line 198 , approximately 10 ms ; t b , enable time for servomotor 172 drive , approximately 100 ms ; t a , enable time for outputs on lines 202 , 204 , or 206 , approximately 50 ms each . in the operation of controller 190 , initial thickness readings t 1 , t 2 are taken on line 198 during a 10 ms window at time t a when strip 40 is at station no . 3 for the first lamina in the stack 21 and controller 190 provides an average of thickness readings t 1 , t 2 which is compared to the operator entered input nominal stack height h to determine the approximate number n of laminas per core stack . this approximate number n is used to determine the number of lamina 22 deposited on stack 21 before each reversal when the operator enters inputs for the minimum number of required reversals q and to determine the incremental rotations required to provide the operator input for skew angle a s . in addition , four arithmetic running totals are started . two totals are based on an average strip 40 thickness reading , and of these two , a first total is not delayed and a second total is delayed by three assembly 42 punch strokes of shoe 70 to reflect accumulated stack 21 height or thickness at station no . 6 . a running total is also started for each of sensors 58 , 58a in thickness gauge 50 , one sensor at each of strip 40 edges 40a , 40b , and these totals are also delayed by three counts or strokes of assembly 42 . the enabling of the interlock removal punch cluster at station no . 3 on line 202 occurs only on first or bottom lamina stroke in each core 20 stack . the interlock lance and tab 34 form cluster , station no . 4 , is disabled by a signal on line 206 only on the assembly 42 stroke when the first lamina , or bottom lamina , is at station no . 4 . the enabling of the counterbore 33 punch 88 is based on the above mentioned first total ( undelayed average lamina thickness running total ). punch 88 is enabled on the first assembly 42 stroke for a new stack 21 and remains enabled until such first arithmetic total is greater than the nominal counterbore depth entered by the operator . punch 88 is then disabled until the assembly 42 stroke for the next first lamina in a stack 21 . of course , if no counterbore thickness is entered by the operator , then punch 88 will always be disabled . the rotation of die ring 164 in station no . 6 is determined by : ( 1 ) operator inputs for ( a ) skew angle a s ( b ) rotor o . d ., ( c ) stack height h , ( d ) skew direction , and when entered by the operator , ( e ) minimum number of stack 21 reversals , ( f ) parallelism error e p , and ( 2 ) dynamic inputs for ( a ) accumulated differential between &# 34 ; front &# 34 ; edge 40a and &# 34 ; back &# 34 ; edge 40b thickness accumulations , a reversal or half turn of ring 164 occurring when accumulated thickness differential exceeds a factor of the permissible entered parallelism error e p ; a new differential thickness accumulation starts at each reversal of ring 164 , and ( b ) sequential lamina 22 number &# 34 ; n &# 34 ; in a core 20 stack . the sequential number n of laminas 22 in the stack 21 is used to determine a die ring 164 reversal when a minimum number of stack reversals q is entered so that the reversals occur at predetermined intervals in the stack 21 as will be explained and described more fully . when the operator enters a number of stack 21 reversals ( q ): ______________________________________condition ii______________________________________ n & lt ; ( n / 2q - 1 / 2 ) 0 ( n / 2q - 1 / 2 ) & lt ; n & lt ; ( n / 2q + 1 / 2 ) 2500 ( n / 2q + 1 / 2 ) & lt ; n & lt ; ( 1 . 5 n / 2q - 1 / 2 ) 0 ( 1 . 5 n / 2q - 1 / 2 ) & lt ; n & lt ; ( 1 . 5 n / 2q + 1 / 2 ) 2500 ( 1 . 5 n / 2q + 1 / 2 ) & lt ; n & lt ; ( 2 . 5 n / 2q - 1 / 2 ) 0 ( 2 . 5 n / 2q - 1 / 2 ) & lt ; n & lt ; ( 2 . 5 n / 2q + 1 / 2 ) 2500 ( 2 . 5 n / 2q + 1 / 2 ) & lt ; n & lt ; ( 3 . 5 n / 2q - 1 / 2 ) 0 ( 3 . 5 n / 2q - 1 / 2 ) & lt ; n & lt ; ( 3 . 5 n / 2q + 1 / 2 ) 2500 ( 3 . 5 n / 2q + 1 / 2 ) & lt ; n & lt ; ( 4 . 5 n / 2q - 1 / 2 ) 0 ( 4 . 5 n / 2q - 1 / 2 ) & lt ; n & lt ; ( 4 . 5 n / 2q + 1 / 2 ) 2500 ( 4 . 5 n / 2q + 1 / 2 ) & lt ; n 0______________________________________ h = counts of encoder 196 ( motor 172 is geared so that five shaft revolutions = one revolution of ring 164 and encoder 196 counts 1000 counts per shaft revolution so that there are 5000 counts of encoder 196 for each revolution of ring 164 ); n = h / t n = nominal total number of laminas in a core 20 stack ; n = the particular lamina number in a core 20 stack where n = 1 for the first lamina and n = n for the last lamina . t 1 = thickness measurement of strip 40 at edge 40a . t 2 = thickness measurement of strip 40 at edge 40b . in operation of controller 190 to determine the desired ring 164 angular position , φ , before interlocking the next lamina 22 on stack 21 , the accumulated rotational increments of ring 164 to obtain the desired skew angle of slots 38 is added to h or half turn rotation that was determined i the manner immediately preceding . thus , b s = a skew factor determined by controller 190 from the operator entered skew angle a s and is equal to the peripheral inches of skew between the top and bottom of a single slot 38 in a core 20 / ( core 20 o . d . x pi ); also , b s = skew angle of a slot 38 axis / 360 °; h = counts of encoder 196 relating to state of half revolution of ring 164 as determined above . φ is compared with φ p , received by controller 190 on line 194 , and if there is an error differential , an error signal is provided on line 192 to power supply 180 which provides a correction voltage on line 184 to motor 172 to servo the error differential to zero , advancing or retarding the rotational position of ring 164 through the gearing . controller 190 determines the last lamina 22 in a core 20 stack by using binary signals , 0 , 1 , for l , which is the last lamina logic symbol : s , h , and t n are defined as before . if t n is not entered by the operator , then controller 190 uses t n =( t 1 + t 2 )/ 2 , t 1 and t 2 being defined as before . when l = 1 , controller 190 resets s , n , and n s , s and n being defined as before and n s = short count , a count that is made by controller 190 for timing signal t c and is equal to n , defined as before . n s is disabled when n s & gt ; 2 . when n s = 1 , an enable signal for punch cluster to remove blanks 48 is provided on line 202 to the solenoid for arms 110 , 112 for approximately 60 ms and when n s = 2 , a disable signal for punch cluster to lanoe and form tabs 34 is provided to the solenoid for plate 128 for approximately 60 ms . ( c d - s )& gt ; t n / 2 , an enable signal for counterbore punch 88 is provided on line 204 to the solenoid for positioning plate 96 . c d is the entered counterbore 33 depth and s and t n are defined as before . a signal for disabling punch assembly 42 is provided on line 210 to control 72 when : also , when either t 1 or t 2 is outside a preset minimum - maximum range a fault signal on line 200 is sent to punch press control 72 , assembly 42 is stopped since strip 40 is too far out of thickness variation tolerance to be used . programmable controller 190 is commercially available from kiowa corporation , address as above , and is designated profiler ii motion controller ( modified ) and includes : ( 1 ) no . mic 2124 optically isolated i / o card with 24 i / o modules and dc power supply . custom software for programmable controller 190 is also commercially available from kiowa corporation , address as above , for operation of controller 190 in the manner described above , and from other sources . referring to fig7 and 8 , gauge 50a is shown and which may be mounted relative assembly 42 in the approximate position of gauge 50 , fig3 or may be mounted outboard of assembly 42 in a cleaner environment and for easier calibration . lower housing 218 has lower base 220 to which is secured horizontally spaced upstanding lower mounting arms , arms 222 , 224 being shown , by a plurality of bolts , bolt 230 shown . upper housing 232 has upper base 233 to which is secured horizontally spaced depending upper mounting arms , arms 234 , 236 being shown , by a plurality of bolts , not shown . housings 218 , 232 are resiliently coupled by a plurality of bolt - spring combinations , combination 242 shown . elongated bolt 244 has its head fitted in a shouldered opening in arm 222 and extends vertically upwardly through openings in corresponding lower and upper mounting arms 222 , 234 , respectively , and extends above base 233 where its threaded end is fastened to nuts 246 , 248 . compression spring 250 is fitted in facing shouldered openings in arms 222 , 234 , placing arms 222 , 234 under a separating spring pressure . since bolt - spring combinations similar to combination 242 in construction and mounting are placed in similar manner in each pair of corresponding lower and upper mounting arms , the arms in each pair are resiliently urged apart a distance that is adjustable by adjustably positioning nuts 246 , 248 of each bolt - spring combination longitudinally on their respective bolts , urging housings 218 , 232 resiliently apart . vertically spaced elongated damping rollers 254 , 256 each has its opposite axle ends rotatable in trunnioned mountings in respective mounting arms , the mounting of one axle end of roller 254 in arm 222 being shown , fig8 . in like manner , each of vertically spaced elongated damping rollers 262 , 264 has its opposite axle ends rotatable in trunnioned mountings in respective mounting arms , the mounting of one axle end of roller 262 in arm 224 being shown . rollers 254 , 256 , 262 , 264 each is preferably of a resilient material and nylon covered . elongated strip 40 passes between and is dampened by rollers 262 , 264 and rollers 254 , 256 which are in adjustably resilient contact with strip 40 by adjusting the spacing between housings 218 , 232 as previously explained . damping plates 270 , 272 are positioned above and below strip 40 respectively , plate 270 secured below base 233 by transversely spaced vertical arms , arm 274 being shown , and plate 272 secured above base 220 by transversely spaced vertical arms , arm 278 being shown . each of plates 270 , 272 has opposite cross feed edges that are tapered , one edge of each plate extending between and spaced from rollers 254 , 256 and the opposite edge of each plate extending between and spaced from rollers 262 , 264 . each of plates 270 , 272 has a vertical clearance of between 0 . 005 - 0 . 010 inches with its respective strip 40 surface to dampen strip 40 flutter and thus limit the movement and vibration of the thickness gauge rollers next described . gauge 50a has vertically spaced carbide rollers 292 , 294 , similar to rollers 51 , 52 , fig3 a , rotatable on precision ball bearings about horizontal , transverse axles 296 , 298 , respectively , above and below strip 40 , respectively . rollers 292 , 294 contact the upper and lower surfaces respectively of strip 40 at edge 40a . axles 296 , 298 are affixed to one end of roller arms 300 , 302 , respectively , arms 300 , 302 fixed to pivot pins 304 , 306 respectively . pins 304 , 306 are rotatable on precision ball bearings in upstanding post 308 fixedly supported on base 220 between arms 222 , 224 . fixed to the outboard ends of pins 304 , 306 are elongated gauge arms 312 , 314 respectively , arms 312 , 314 being replaceable for purposes later described . opposed ends of arms 312 , 314 carry aluminum target plate 316 , similar to target plate 57 , and sensor 318 , similar to sensor 58 , respectively . spring loaded pin 320 is slidably mounted in upstanding block 322 which is fixedly mounted to base 220 to bias arm 312 in a clockwise direction about pin 304 and spring loaded pin 324 is slidably mounted in block 326 , which is supported in fixed relation to block 322 , biasing arm 314 in a counterclockwise direction about pivot pin 306 to maintain contact between rollers 292 , 294 and their respective surfaces of strip 40 . bolts 328 , 330 fixedly support block 322 to base 220 and have upwardly extending ends that act as rotational stops for arms 314 , 312 respectively . the distance between axle 296 and pin 304 is a fraction , e . g . one third , of the distance between pin 304 and target plate 316 and the distance between axle 298 and pin 306 is a fraction , e . g . one third , of the distance between pin 306 and sensor 318 in order to magnify the movement between rollers 292 , 294 which is imparted by and a measure of the thickness of strip 40 at edge 40a and increase sensitivity of the measurement . arms 312 , 314 may be replaced with arms having a greater distance between pins 304 , 306 and plate 316 , sensor 318 respectively for greater sensitivity as is understood by those skilled in the art . in similar manner , carbide rollers and associated sensor and target plate , not shown , are mounted on the opposite cross - feed side 40b of strip 40 to measure the strip 40 thickness at edge 40b and operate to provide in conjunction with sensor 318 outputs the thickness measurement as described for sensors 58 , 58a . modifications of this invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art . if supply strip 40 has a certain differential cross feed thickness and experience shows that this differential exists over substantially the entire strip from a given supply coil , then only one or a relatively small number of thickness differentials need be read at gauge 50 and controller 190 can be set to determine the number q of stack 21 reversals per core 20 fabricated from that coil . q , the minimum stack 21 reversals per core 20 may be entered concurrently with selection of the automatic reversal determination mode of this invention to insure a minimum number of stack reversals per core 20 . also , rotations of stack 21 other than 180 ° may be made to accomplish the objectives of this invention , e . g . rotations of 90 ° to 270 ° could be used . the rotations of stack 21 could be in increasing steps for successive stack rotations , e . g . 45 ° for the first rotation , 90 ° for the second rotation , 135 ° for the third rotation , and so forth , adding 45 ° rotation to each successive rotation . to correct for a parallelism error e p , at least one accumulated reversal of stack 21 would be made . the thickness measurements t 1 , t 2 may be made at other points in the manufacturing process as long as they are timely made for determination of the reversals of stack 21 during stacking of the laminas and can be made of the lamina itself after being blanked from strip 40 . further , this invention can be used to advantage in the manufacture of other laminated parts than those described herein . in like manner , other of the above described parameters may be varied to suit a particular set of conditions for use of this invention . while this invention has been described as having a preferred design , the present invention can be further modified within the spirit and scope of this disclosure . this application is therefore intended to cover any variations , uses , or adaptations of the invention using its general principles . further , this application is intended to cover such departures from the present disclosure as come within known or customary practice in the art to which this invention pertains and which fall within the limits of the appended claims .	8
fig1 is a schematic drawing of an injection molding machine of the invention with an injection unit 1 ( which is only shown as a fragment ) in which an extruder screw 2 is provided to generate significant changes in pressure by a piston - like motion in the axial direction in addition to rotational motion . a nozzle 3 is provided to inject a flowable plastic melt 4 . a multi - part mold 5 is also provided which in the illustrated case has two parts and has a runner 6 and a mold cavity 7 defined by the mold walls . in addition , the mold 5 is equipped with additional nozzles 8 , 9 to inject a fluid into the mold cavity 7 which is completely filled beforehand with free - flowing plastic melt 4 . these nozzles 8 , 9 can be connected in the conventional manner either stationarily to a part of the tool or can be moved with respect to the part of the tool and in this embodiment are located a maximum distance from plastic melt nozzle 3 . fig1 shows the injection molding machine in a stage in which the mold cavity 7 has not yet been completely filled with flowable plastic melt 4 , a state which is indicated by the arrow marking the direction of the axial motion of the extruder screw 2 . the nozzles 8 , 9 which inject a fluid , for example compressed air , compressed nitrogen , or a pressurized suitable liquid , are not yet enveloped by the plastic melt 4 . in the nozzles a fluid pressure , which just compensates for the pressure in the mold cavity 7 in the region of the nozzle openings 10 , 11 , is maintained in this stage . fig2 shows the injection molding machine of fig1 at a later point in an injection molding cycle in which the mold cavity 7 had already been completely filled with flowable plastic melt 4 and the surface 12 of the plastic melt 4 resting against the walls of the mold cavity 7 has already set after cooling . at this point in time , on the one hand , a pressurized fluid 13 is injected through the nozzles 8 , 9 into the flowable plastic melt 4 which has not set yet , i . e ., in the melted center of the resulting plastic body , as indicated with the arrows under nozzles 8 , 9 . on the other hand , at the same time the extruder screw 2 is pulled away from the mold 5 as indicated by the arrow to increase an effective volume so that the interior of the runner 6 , nozzle 3 and injection unit 1 forms a side cavity 14 , which lies outside the mold cavity 7 but is connected to it , to receive the expelled free - flowing plastic melt 4 . each side cavity is constructed so that after filling a side cavity with a part of a melted center of a plastic body and after cooling and solidification of this plastic melt , the side cavity can be cleared of this solidified plastic material , or the expelled melted plastic can be used again for the next cycle ( in the case of using the injection unit , the injection nozzle and the runner as a side cavity ). thus , the injection and expelling of the plastic melt occurs in substantially opposite directions in this embodiment . the injection of the fluid 13 is not terminated until a portion of the plastic melt 4 interior to be expelled forms a plug in front of the runner 6 having the same wall thickness as the cooled surface 12 . the plug supplements the cooled surface 12 which is already present in its vicinity within the mold cavity 7 to form a plastic body with a smooth and continuous outer surface without any reduction in wall thickness . the runner 6 can have a cross sectional area which is adapted for the dual function of a gate and an expulsion opening and accordingly may be larger than a conventional runner which only functions as a gate . after the final setting of the plastic body that is produced and prior to opening the mold , the pressure between the fluid - filled interior of the plastic body and the atmosphere can be balanced , for example , by means of one or both of the nozzles 8 , 9 . the remainder of the expelled plastic melt which does not form the plug is available for the next molding cycle . fig3 shows a sectional view taken along line a -- a of fig2 which assumes that the plastic body to be produced is a plate - like structure with reinforcing ribs , wherein the ribs are designed as hollow ribs . in accordance with the invention , it does not matter at this point whether the body has a rectangular shape with parallel running reinforcing ribs or a round or oval shape with radially running ribs . in particular , it should also be recognized here , in addition to fig2 that in the case of complicated geometric shapes there exists the possibility of being able to define very accurately by means of the process and apparatus of the invention selected regions of a plastic body that can be produced in order to fill it with a pressurized fluid . fig4 shows another embodiment of an injection molding machine of the invention in a stage corresponding to that of fig2 in which the flowable plastic melt 4 and the pressurized fluid 13 are injected one after another by means of a coaxial nozzle 15 having an inner nozzle 16 having a circular cross section to inject the pressurized fluid 13 and an outer annular nozzle 17 to inject the free - flowing plastic melt 4 into the mold cavity 7 . following the injection of the flowable plastic melt 4 , the extruder screw 2 remains inoperative in its foremost position ; the still flowable plastic melt 4 of the melted center of the plastic body is expelled into the demoldable side cavities 18 , 19 , which are arranged outside the mold cavity 7 and connected thereto and whose connections to the mold cavity 7 can be opened and closed by means of stuffers 20 , 21 that can be actuated between open and closed positions . the side cavities 18 , 19 are located at a maximum distance from coaxial nozzle 15 in accordance with requirements imposed on the shape of the resulting plastic body . thus , the injection and expulsion of the plastic melt occurs in substantially the same direction . following the expulsion of the still flowable plastic melt 4 , the side cavities 18 , 19 can be closed in time and in such a manner that the rest of the plastic melt forms a plug which aligns with the set surface 12 of the plastic body over the stuffers 20 , 21 and whose height corresponds to at least the wall thickness of the already formed set surface 12 of the plastic body . fig5 shows another embodiment of an injection molding machine of the invention , which differs significantly from the above embodiments in that the still flowable plastic melt 4 is expelled with a single nozzle 22 separated from the plastic injecting nozzle 3 . nozzle 22 is aligned with plastic melt nozzle 3 to inject pressurized fluid in the horizontal direction of the plastic melt and is located at an opposite mold wall from nozzle 3 . nozzle 22 injects the pressurized fluid 13 into several side cavities 18 , 19 located at a maximum distance from the oppositely arranged nozzles in accordance with the requirements imposed on the shape of the plastic body . in this figure a stage of an injection molding cycle is shown in which the expulsion of the still flowable plastic melt 4 from the melted center of the plastic body has just terminated . the stuffers 20 , 21 are moved into a closing position that aligns with the surface of the mold cavity 7 . with the remainder of the plastic melt 4 , a plug , whose height corresponds to the wall thickness of the set surface 12 of the plastic body that envelops the plug , is produced above each stuffer 20 , 21 . in contrast , fig6 shows an embodiment which uses several pairs of nozzles 8 , 9 to inject the pressurized fluid 13 and uses associated side cavities 18 , 19 to provide only individual regions of a plastic body , for example interrupted reinforcing ribs at a plate - shaped structure , in a selected manner with an inner filling of pressurized fluid 13 . the nozzles 8 , 9 are located near nozzle 3 and direct the pressurized fluid toward associated side cavities 18 , 19 located at a maximum distance from the plastic melt nozzle 3 in accordance with geometric considerations of the desired plastic body . the injection molding machine is shown in a stage of an injection molding cycle in which the setting of the surface 12 of the plastic body has advanced to such a degree that the still flowable plastic melt 4 is about to be directly expelled into the side cavities 18 , 19 . the stuffers 20 , 21 are still positioned in such a manner in the mold cavity 7 so that they extend into the mold , are enclosed by already set material of the surface 12 and , upon release of the connections from the mold cavity 7 to the side cavities 18 , 19 , produce defined openings in the set surface 12 . the pressure of the fluid in the nozzles 8 , 9 compensates just the pressure in the mold cavity 7 in front of the nozzle openings . following the end of the expulsion phase and the complete cooling of the fluid - filled plastic body and prior to the opening of the mold 5 , here , as in all of the preceding cases , the pressure between the fluid - filled interior of the plastic body and the atmosphere can be balanced , for example , via the nozzles 8 , 9 to inject the pressurized fluid and , if desired , a material exchange with the atmosphere effected . in the preceding embodiments , pressurized fluid nozzles 8 , 9 and 22 may be designed driven in order to advance into and retract out of the mold cavity with respect to a cavity wall and therefore be positionable to effect proper formation of plastic body . by retracting the fluid nozzle out of mold cavity 7 , a direct channel to the atmosphere is formed to equalize pressure . this pressure equalization can also be accomplished by means of a suitable change - over valve of conventional type located in the supply line to one of the pressurized fluid nozzles . many modifications and improvements will be apparent to one skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the present invention as defined in the following claims .	8
the weight classification of passengers in a vehicle for the triggering of a multistage air bag is of increasing importance for the reliability and the efficiency of a restraint system , such as an air bag and a seat - belt tensioner . multistage means that , in accordance with the passenger classification , which is determined by the weight of the passenger , a restraining force , which is a function of the stage of the air bag , is exerted for the protection of the passenger . according to the present invention , the sensors in a seat mat that react to pressure are divided into active and inactive sensors by a threshold value comparison . since the resistance values decline as the weight pressure on the seat mat increases , the sensors having a resistance value below the threshold value are recognized as active , whereas the sensors having a resistance value above the threshold value are recognized as inactive . a pressure prestressing of the sensors in the seat mat caused by the installation may be taken into account in the software . by dividing the sensors into active and inactive , it is possible to determine a seat profile which is used for weight classification . fig1 schematically illustrates , as a block diagram , the device according to the present invention for evaluating a seat profile for a vehicle seat . a seat mat 1 is connected to a processor 2 via a data input / output . seat mat 1 sequentially supplies the individual sensor values as electrical or current values to processor 2 , sensor mat 1 including an analog / digital converter , which digitizes these current values . the pressure sensors are arranged in a matrix . processor 2 applies voltages to the rows and columns , so that in accordance with the principle of the balanced bridge , no currents flow through the pressure sensors . in response to an increased pressure , the pressure sensors have reduced resistance . if processor 2 surveys the individual pressure sensors in the sensor matrix , then processor 2 changes the voltages applied at the rows and columns , such that a current flows through an individual pressure sensor . this current is measured , is digitized by the analog / digital converter , and is then transmitted to processor 2 . from the current values , processor 2 calculates the resistances of the individual pressure sensors . processor 2 via a second data input / output is connected to a storage unit or memory 3 , which has threshold values for the comparison with the resistance values from the sensors from seat mat 1 . via a third data input / output , processor 2 is connected to a control unit 4 for a restraint system 5 . control unit 4 is connected to restraint system 5 via a second data input / output . processor 2 , based on the threshold values from storage unit 3 and on the resistance values determined by processor 2 , performs the threshold value comparison . the resistance values that are below the threshold value assure that the sensors which have demonstrated these sensor signals are recognized as active . the resistance values which are above the threshold value lead to the sensors that have generated these resistance values being recognized as inactive . the result of this threshold value comparison is determined as a seat profile having active and inactive fields at the corresponding locations of the sensors . using the seat profile , processor 2 determines a weight classification of the person . in this context , in a corresponding seat profile , a check is first performed as to whether it is either a person or an object on the vehicle seat . this results from a comparison of the stored seat profiles and the measured seat profile . in this context , parameters such as center of gravity , the seat profile magnitude and / or the ischial tuberosity spacing are compared with the preestablished values . the value resulting from the comparison is subjected to a threshold value comparison to determine whether the measured seat profile was identified by the stored seat profile . if it is an object located thereon , then a message is transmitted to control unit 4 , that for this vehicle seat no air bags should be used . if on the basis of the seat profile a person is detected , then as a result of this seat profile a weight classification is also generated to convey to control unit 4 how the corresponding restraint system should be triggered for this vehicle seat . in this context , the conclusion is made in particular on the basis of the weight of the person . this weight estimation is produced using a preestablished relation between seat profile and weight , parameters from the seat profile such as the ischial tuberosity spacing and the seat profile magnitude being used in this context . the goal is that a 45 - kg person may still be protected . for persons having a lower weight , the use of an air bag is no longer recommended due to the danger of injury by the air bag . a corresponding passenger classification on the basis of weight assures that in response to a multistage air bag a stage , and thus a restraining force , is used that corresponds to the passenger weight . the arrangement may also be combined with an absolute weight measurement to arrive at a better weight estimate and person classification . then , in response to a collision , control unit 4 triggers restraint system 5 as a function of this weight classification . this may be important for multistage air bags , because these multistage air bags may be triggered so as to minimize the risk of injury for the person . fig2 illustrates the method according to the present invention as a flowchart . in method step 6 , resistance values are generated by the sensors in the seat mat on the basis of a weight pressure on the seat mat in the vehicle seat . in method step 7 , these resistance values are read out and are transmitted to processor 2 . in method step 8 , processor 2 performs the threshold value comparison for the resistance values from the individual sensors , to divide the individual sensors into active and inactive sensors . in this context , in method step 9 , a check is performed as to whether the resistance value is above or below the preestablished threshold value in storage unit 3 . if the resistance value is above the threshold value , then in method step 10 the corresponding sensor is characterized as inactive . if the resistance value is below the threshold value from storage unit 3 , then in method step 11 the sensor is characterized as active . then , using the characterized sensors , in method step 12 , the seat profile of the seat mat in the vehicle seat is produced . in method step 13 , a weight classification of the person situated on the vehicle seat is also performed . in this context , if appropriate , further measuring values ( ischial tuberosity spacing and covered surface ) are used . this weight classification is then used for the triggering of a restraint system , such as , for example , an air bag . fig3 illustrates , as a graph , the functional relationship between the resistance values of the sensors and an assigned value range 14 . resistance characteristic curve 17 is a nonlinear curve , threshold values 15 and 16 also being illustrated in the diagram , which are valid in each case for corresponding resistance value r and corresponding value range 14 . only one of threshold values 15 and 16 is used . threshold value 15 may be easier to use for value range 14 . if value range 14 is below threshold value 15 , then the corresponding sensor is recognized as active . if resistance value r is below threshold value 16 , then the corresponding sensor is recognized as active . in the other cases , the corresponding sensors are recognized as inactive . this arrangement results in a seat profile , which is illustrated by example in fig4 . the sensor matrix is illustrated schematically , the fields have an “ a ” representing active sensors . the sensors that are characterized by the letter “ a ” constitute the seat profile . on the basis of the seat profile , a weight classification of the person situated on the vehicle seat is possible , potentially in connection with further features ( ischial tuberosity spacing and seat profile magnitude ).	1
as discussed in greater detail below , interferometric modulators can be switched between a bright and a dark state by moving a reflective part ( the “ reflective layer ”) relative to a partly - transmissive and partly - reflective part ( the “ optical stack ”), which is spaced from the reflective layer . the movement is actuated by creating electrostatic attraction between the two parts , which causes at least one of the parts to move relative to the other part . in an actuated position , one of the parts has a net positive charge , while the other part has a net negative charge , thereby causing the parts to be drawn close together . in a relaxed position , the net charge between the parts is not sufficient to overcome the mechanical resistance of the parts to movement , and the parts are spaced relatively far apart . the voltage needed to generate sufficient electrostatic attraction to draw the parts into the actuated position may be referred to as the actuation voltage . according to some preferred embodiments , the actuation voltage can be altered by incorporating positively and / or negatively charged species , such as ions , into the reflective layer and / or the optical stack . the reflective layer and / or the optical stack are preferably provided with a dielectric layer , situated between the reflective layer and the optical stack , into which the charged species can be embedded . the charged species create a constant , baseline level of charge , which augment and / or cancel part of the electrostatic attraction that is generated when applying a voltage to the optical stack and the reflective layer . as a result , a higher or lower actuation voltage may be needed to generate the net level of electrostatic attraction necessary to , e . g ., cause the reflective layer to move to an actuated position . for example , if the reflective layer and the optical stack are wired so as to have a positive and a negative charge , respectively , then the actuation voltage can be increased by implanting positively charged ions , which can repel the positively charged reflective layer . conversely , the actuation voltage can be decreased by implanting negatively charged ions , which help to attract the positively charged reflective layer . thus , the incorporation of the charged species can be used to alter the actuation voltage as desired . it will also be appreciated that , as discussed further below , the interferometric modulators exhibit a hysteresis behavior in which they remain in a particular state over a range of applied voltages . this range of applied voltages is referred to as the “ hysteresis window .” for example , the interferometric modulator remains stable in the relaxed position until the applied voltage is increased to the actuation voltage , when it switches to the actuated position . the interferometric modulator then remains stable in the actuated state until the applied voltage drops below a certain voltage . pre - charging , e . g ., by ion implantation preferably leaves the hysteresis window substantially unchanged and shifts the window with the actuation voltage . advantageously , this shifting allows the windows to be centered as desired , allowing for the simplification of driver and control systems , as discussed below . the following detailed description is directed to certain specific embodiments of the invention . however , the invention can be embodied in a multitude of different ways . in this description , reference is made to the drawings wherein like parts are designated with like numerals throughout . as will be apparent from the following description , the embodiments may be implemented in any device that is configured to display an image , whether in motion ( e . g ., video ) or stationary ( e . g ., still image ), and whether textual or pictorial . more particularly , it is contemplated that the embodiments may be implemented in or associated with a variety of electronic devices such as , but not limited to , mobile telephones , wireless devices , personal data assistants ( pdas ), hand - held or portable computers , gps receivers / navigators , cameras , mp3 players , camcorders , game consoles , wrist watches , clocks , calculators , television monitors , flat panel displays , computer monitors , auto displays ( e . g ., odometer display , etc . ), cockpit controls and / or displays , display of camera views ( e . g ., display of a rear view camera in a vehicle ), electronic photographs , electronic billboards or signs , projectors , architectural structures , packaging , and aesthetic structures ( e . g ., display of images on a piece of jewelry ). mems devices of similar structure to those described herein can also be used in non - display applications such as in electronic switching devices . one interferometric modulator display embodiment comprising an interferometric mems display element is illustrated in fig1 . in these devices , the pixels are in either a bright or dark state . in the bright (“ on ” or “ open ”) state , the display element reflects a large portion of incident visible light to a user . when in the dark (“ off ” or “ closed ”) state , the display element reflects little incident visible light to the user . depending on the embodiment , the light reflectance properties of the “ on ” and “ off ” states may be reversed . mems pixels can be configured to reflect predominantly at selected colors , allowing for a color display in addition to black and white . fig1 is an isometric view depicting two adjacent pixels in a series of pixels of a visual display , wherein each pixel comprises a mems interferometric modulator . in some embodiments , an interferometric modulator display comprises a row / column array of these interferometric modulators . each interferometric modulator includes a pair of reflective layers positioned at a variable and controllable distance from each other to form a resonant optical cavity with at least one variable dimension . in one embodiment , one of the reflective layers may be moved between two positions . in the first position , referred to herein as the relaxed position , the movable reflective layer is positioned at a relatively large distance from a fixed partially reflective layer . in the second position , referred to herein as the actuated position , the movable reflective layer is positioned more closely adjacent to the partially reflective layer . incident light that reflects from the two layers interferes constructively or destructively depending on the position of the movable reflective layer , producing either an overall reflective or non - reflective state for each pixel . the depicted portion of the pixel array in fig1 includes two adjacent interferometric modulators 12 , which may be referred to separately as 12 a and 12 b . the interferometric modulators 12 each include a movable mechanical layer 14 , which is preferably reflective , and an optical stack 16 , which may be referred to separately as movable reflective layers 14 a and 14 b and optical stacks 16 a and 16 b . in the interferometric modulator 12 a on the left , the movable reflective layer 14 a is illustrated in a relaxed position at a predetermined distance from the optical stack 16 a , which includes a partially reflective layer . in the interferometric modulator 12 b on the right , the movable reflective layer 14 b is illustrated in an actuated position adjacent to the optical stack 16 b . the optical stacks 16 a and 16 b ( collectively referred to as optical stack 16 ), as referenced herein , typically comprise of several fused layers , which can include an electrode layer , such as indium tin oxide ( ito ), a partially reflective layer , such as chromium , and a transparent dielectric . the optical stack 16 is thus electrically conductive , partially transparent and partially reflective , and may be fabricated , for example , by depositing one or more of the above layers onto a transparent substrate 20 . in some embodiments , the layers are patterned into parallel strips , and may form row electrodes in a display device as described further below . the movable reflective layers 14 a , 14 b may be formed as a series of parallel strips of a deposited metal layer or layers ( orthogonal to the row electrodes of 16 a , 16 b ) deposited on top of posts 18 and an intervening sacrificial material deposited between the posts 18 . when the sacrificial material is etched away , the movable reflective layers 14 a , 14 b are separated from the optical stacks 16 a , 16 b by a defined gap 19 . a highly conductive and reflective material , such as aluminum , may be used for the reflective layers 14 , and these strips may form column electrodes in a display device . with no applied voltage , the cavity 19 remains between the movable reflective layer 14 a and optical stack 16 a , with the movable reflective layer 14 a in a mechanically relaxed state , as illustrated by the pixel 12 a in fig1 . however , when a potential difference is applied to a selected row and column , the capacitor formed at the intersection of the row and column electrodes at the corresponding pixel becomes charged , and electrostatic forces pull the electrodes together . if the voltage is high enough , the movable reflective layer 14 is deformed and is forced against the optical stack 16 . a dielectric layer ( not illustrated in this figure ) within the optical stack 16 may prevent shorting and control the separation distance between layers 14 and 16 , in the actuated position , as illustrated by pixel 12 b on the right in fig1 . the behavior is the same regardless of the polarity of the applied potential difference . in this way , row / column actuation that can control the reflective vs . non - reflective pixel states is analogous in many ways to that used in conventional lcd and other display technologies . fig2 through 5 illustrate one exemplary process and system for using an array of interferometric modulators in a display application . fig2 is a system block diagram illustrating one embodiment of an electronic device that may incorporate aspects of the invention . in the exemplary embodiment , the electronic device includes a processor 21 which may be any general purpose single - or multi - chip microprocessor such as an arm , pentium ®, pentium ii ®, pentium iii ®, pentium iv ®, pentium ® pro , an 8051 , a mips ®, a power pc ®, an alpha ®, or any special purpose microprocessor such as a digital signal processor , microcontroller , or a programmable gate array . as is conventional in the art , the processor 21 may be configured to execute one or more software modules . in addition to executing an operating system , the processor may be configured to execute one or more software applications , including a web browser , a telephone application , an email program , or any other software application . in one embodiment , the processor 21 is also configured to communicate with an array driver 22 . in one embodiment , the array driver 22 includes a row driver circuit 24 and a column driver circuit 26 that provide signals to a panel or display array ( display ) 30 . the cross section of the array illustrated in fig1 is shown by the lines 1 - 1 in fig2 . for mems interferometric modulators , the row / column actuation protocol may take advantage of a hysteresis property of these devices illustrated in fig3 . it may require , for example , a 10 volt potential difference to cause a movable layer to deform from the relaxed state to the actuated state . however , when the voltage is reduced from that value , the movable layer maintains its state as the voltage drops back below 10 volts . in the exemplary embodiment of fig3 , the movable layer does not relax completely until the voltage drops below 2 volts . there is thus a range of voltage , about 3 to 7 v in the example illustrated in fig3 , where there exists a window of applied voltage within which the device is stable in either the relaxed or actuated state . this is referred to herein as the “ hysteresis window ” or “ stability window .” for a display array having the hysteresis characteristics of fig3 , the row / column actuation protocol can be designed such that during row strobing , pixels in the strobed row that are to be actuated are exposed to a voltage difference of about 10 volts , and pixels that are to be relaxed are exposed to a voltage difference of close to zero volts . after the strobe , the pixels are exposed to a steady state voltage difference of about 5 volts such that they remain in whatever state the row strobe put them in . after being written , each pixel sees a potential difference within the “ stability window ” of 3 - 7 volts in this example . this feature makes the pixel design illustrated in fig1 stable under the same applied voltage conditions in either an actuated or relaxed pre - existing state . since each pixel of the interferometric modulator , whether in the actuated or relaxed state , is essentially a capacitor formed by the fixed and moving reflective layers , this stable state can be held at a voltage within the hysteresis window with almost no power dissipation . essentially no current flows into the pixel if the applied potential is fixed . in typical applications , a display frame may be created by asserting the set of column electrodes in accordance with the desired set of actuated pixels in the first row . a row pulse is then applied to the row 1 electrode , actuating the pixels corresponding to the asserted column lines . the asserted set of column electrodes is then changed to correspond to the desired set of actuated pixels in the second row . a pulse is then applied to the row 2 electrode , actuating the appropriate pixels in row 2 in accordance with the asserted column electrodes . the row 1 pixels are unaffected by the row 2 pulse , and remain in the state they were set to during the row 1 pulse . this may be repeated for the entire series of rows in a sequential fashion to produce the frame . generally , the frames are refreshed and / or updated with new display data by continually repeating this process at some desired number of frames per second . a wide variety of protocols for driving row and column electrodes of pixel arrays to produce display frames are also well known and may be used in conjunction with the present invention . fig4 and 5 illustrate one possible actuation protocol for creating a display frame on the 3 × 3 array of fig2 . fig4 illustrates a possible set of column and row voltage levels that may be used for pixels exhibiting the hysteresis curves of fig3 . in the fig4 embodiment , actuating a pixel involves setting the appropriate column to − v bias , and the appropriate row to + δv , which may correspond to − 5 volts and + 5 volts respectively relaxing the pixel is accomplished by setting the appropriate column to + v bias , and the appropriate row to the same + δv , producing a zero volt potential difference across the pixel . in those rows where the row voltage is held at zero volts , the pixels are stable in whatever state they were originally in , regardless of whether the column is at + v bias , or − v bias . as is also illustrated in fig4 , it will be appreciated that voltages of opposite polarity than those described above can be used , e . g ., actuating a pixel can involve setting the appropriate column to + v bias , and the appropriate row to − δv . in this embodiment , releasing the pixel is accomplished by setting the appropriate column to − v bias , and the appropriate row to the same − δv , producing a zero volt potential difference across the pixel . fig5 b is a timing diagram showing a series of row and column signals applied to the 3 × 3 array of fig2 which will result in the display arrangement illustrated in fig5 a , where actuated pixels are non - reflective . prior to writing the frame illustrated in fig5 a , the pixels can be in any state , and in this example , all the rows are at 0 volts , and all the columns are at + 5 volts . with these applied voltages , all pixels are stable in their existing actuated or relaxed states . in the fig5 a frame , pixels ( 1 , 1 ), ( 1 , 2 ), ( 2 , 2 ), ( 3 , 2 ) and ( 3 , 3 ) are actuated . to accomplish this , during a “ line time ” for row 1 , columns 1 and 2 are set to − 5 volts , and column 3 is set to + 5 volts . this does not change the state of any pixels , because all the pixels remain in the 3 - 7 volt stability window . row 1 is then strobed with a pulse that goes from 0 , up to 5 volts , and back to zero . this actuates the ( 1 , 1 ) and ( 1 , 2 ) pixels and relaxes the ( 1 , 3 ) pixel . no other pixels in the array are affected . to set row 2 as desired , column 2 is set to − 5 volts , and columns 1 and 3 are set to + 5 volts . the same strobe applied to row 2 will then actuate pixel ( 2 , 2 ) and relax pixels ( 2 , 1 ) and ( 2 , 3 ). again , no other pixels of the array are affected . row 3 is similarly set by setting columns 2 and 3 to − 5 volts , and column 1 to + 5 volts . the row 3 strobe sets the row 3 pixels as shown in fig5 a . after writing the frame , the row potentials are zero , and the column potentials can remain at either + 5 or − 5 volts , and the display is then stable in the arrangement of fig5 a . it will be appreciated that the same procedure can be employed for arrays of dozens or hundreds of rows and columns . it will also be appreciated that the timing , sequence , and levels of voltages used to perform row and column actuation can be varied widely within the general principles outlined above , and the above example is exemplary only , and any actuation voltage method can be used with the systems and methods described herein . fig6 a and 6b are system block diagrams illustrating an embodiment of a display device 40 . the display device 40 can be , for example , a cellular or mobile telephone . however , the same components of display device 40 or slight variations thereof are also illustrative of various types of display devices such as televisions and portable media players . the display device 40 includes a housing 41 , a display 30 , an antenna 43 , a speaker 45 , a microphone 46 , and an input device 48 . the housing 41 is generally formed from any of a variety of manufacturing processes as are well known to those of skill in the art , including injection molding , and vacuum forming . in addition , the housing 41 may be made from any of a variety of materials , including but not limited to plastic , metal , glass , rubber , and ceramic , or a combination thereof . in one embodiment the housing 41 includes removable portions ( not shown ) that may be interchanged with other removable portions of different color , or containing different logos , pictures , or symbols . the display 30 of exemplary display device 40 may be any of a variety of displays , including a bi - stable display , as described herein . in other embodiments , the display 30 includes a flat - panel display , such as plasma , el , oled , stn lcd , or tft lcd as described above , or a non - flat - panel display , such as a crt or other tube device , as is well known to those of skill in the art . however , for purposes of describing the present embodiment , the display 30 includes an interferometric modulator display , as described herein . the components of one embodiment of exemplary display device 40 are schematically illustrated in fig6 b . the illustrated exemplary display device 40 includes a housing 41 and can include additional components at least partially enclosed therein . for example , in one embodiment , the exemplary display device 40 includes a network interface 27 that includes an antenna 43 which is coupled to a transceiver 47 . the transceiver 47 is connected to the processor 21 , which is connected to conditioning hardware 52 . the conditioning hardware 52 may be configured to condition a signal ( e . g ., filter a signal ). the conditioning hardware 52 is connected to a speaker 45 and a microphone 46 . the processor 21 is also connected to an input device 48 and a driver controller 29 . the driver controller 29 is coupled to a frame buffer 28 and to the array driver 22 , which in turn is coupled to a display array 30 . a power supply 50 provides power to all components as required by the particular exemplary display device 40 design . the network interface 27 includes the antenna 43 and the transceiver 47 so that the exemplary display device 40 can communicate with one or more devices over a network . in one embodiment the network interface 27 may also have some processing capabilities to relieve requirements of the processor 21 . the antenna 43 is any antenna known to those of skill in the art for transmitting and receiving signals . in one embodiment , the antenna transmits and receives rf signals according to the ieee 802 . 11 standard , including ieee 802 . 11 ( a ), ( b ), or ( g ). in another embodiment , the antenna transmits and receives rf signals according to the bluetooth standard . in the case of a cellular telephone , the antenna is designed to receive cdma , gsm , amps or other known signals that are used to communicate within a wireless cell phone network . the transceiver 47 pre - processes the signals received from the antenna 43 so that they may be received by and further manipulated by the processor 21 . the transceiver 47 also processes signals received from the processor 21 so that they may be transmitted from the exemplary display device 40 via the antenna 43 . in an alternative embodiment , the transceiver 47 can be replaced by a receiver . in yet another alternative embodiment , network interface 27 can be replaced by an image source , which can store or generate image data to be sent to the processor 21 . for example , the image source can be a digital video disc ( dvd ) or a hard - disc drive that contains image data , or a software module that generates image data . the processor 21 generally controls the overall operation of the exemplary display device 40 . the processor 21 receives data , such as compressed image data from the network interface 27 or an image source , and processes the data into raw image data or into a format that is readily processed into raw image data . the processor 21 then sends the processed data to the driver controller 29 or to frame buffer 28 for storage . raw data typically refers to the information that identifies the image characteristics at each location within an image . for example , such image characteristics can include color , saturation , and gray - scale level . in one embodiment , the processor 21 includes a microcontroller , cpu , or logic unit to control operation of the exemplary display device 40 . conditioning hardware 52 generally includes amplifiers and filters for transmitting signals to the speaker 45 , and for receiving signals from the microphone 46 . conditioning hardware 52 may be discrete components within the exemplary display device 40 , or may be incorporated within the processor 21 or other components . the driver controller 29 takes the raw image data generated by the processor 21 either directly from the processor 21 or from the frame buffer 28 and reformats the raw image data appropriately for high speed transmission to the array driver 22 . specifically , the driver controller 29 reformats the raw image data into a data flow having a raster - like format , such that it has a time order suitable for scanning across the display array 30 . then the driver controller 29 sends the formatted information to the array driver 22 . although a driver controller 29 , such as a lcd controller , is often associated with the system processor 21 as a stand - alone integrated circuit ( ic ), such controllers may be implemented in many ways . they may be embedded in the processor 21 as hardware , embedded in the processor 21 as software , or fully integrated in hardware with the array driver 22 . typically , the array driver 22 receives the formatted information from the driver controller 29 and reformats the video data into a parallel set of waveforms that are applied many times per second to the hundreds and sometimes thousands of leads coming from the display &# 39 ; s x - y matrix of pixels . in one embodiment , the driver controller 29 , array driver 22 , and display array 30 are appropriate for any of the types of displays described herein . for example , in one embodiment , the driver controller 29 is a conventional display controller or a bi - stable display controller ( e . g ., an interferometric modulator controller ). in another embodiment , the array driver 22 is a conventional driver or a bi - stable display driver ( e . g ., an interferometric modulator display ). in one embodiment , the driver controller 29 is integrated with the array driver 22 . such an embodiment is common in highly integrated systems such as cellular phones , watches , and other small area displays . in yet another embodiment , the display array 30 is a typical display array or a bi - stable display array ( e . g ., a display including an array of interferometric modulators ). the input device 48 allows a user to control the operation of the exemplary display device 40 . in one embodiment , input device 48 includes a keypad , such as a qwerty keyboard or a telephone keypad , a button , a switch , a touch - sensitive screen , a pressure - or heat - sensitive membrane . in one embodiment , the microphone 46 is an input device for the exemplary display device 40 . when the microphone 46 is used to input data to the device , voice commands may be provided by a user for controlling operations of the exemplary display device 40 . the power supply 50 can include a variety of energy storage devices as are well known in the art . for example , in one embodiment , the power supply 50 is a rechargeable battery , such as a nickel - cadmium battery or a lithium ion battery . in another embodiment , power supply 50 is a renewable energy source , a capacitor , or a solar cell , including a plastic solar cell , and solar - cell paint . in another embodiment , the power supply 50 is configured to receive power from a wall outlet . in some implementations control programmability resides , as described above , in a driver controller which can be located in several places in the electronic display system . in some cases control programmability resides in the array driver 22 . those of skill in the art will recognize that the above - described optimization may be implemented in any number of hardware and / or software components and in various configurations . the details of the structure of interferometric modulators that operate in accordance with the principles set forth above may vary widely . for example , fig7 a - 7e illustrate five different embodiments of the movable reflective layer 14 and its supporting structures . fig7 a is a cross section of the embodiment of fig1 , where a strip of metal material 14 is deposited on orthogonally extending supports 18 . in fig7 b , the moveable reflective layer 14 is attached to supports 18 at the corners only , on tethers 32 . in fig7 c , the functions of movement and reflectivity are separated . the moveable reflective layer 14 is suspended from a deformable layer 34 , which may comprise a flexible metal . the deformable layer 34 connects , directly or indirectly , to the substrate 20 around the perimeter of the deformable layer 34 . these connections are herein referred to as support posts 18 . the deformable layer 34 constitutes the mechanical layer and the layer 14 is the reflective surface . in the embodiment illustrated in fig7 d the support posts 18 include support post plugs 42 upon which the deformable layer 34 rests . the movable reflective layer 14 remains suspended over the cavity , as in fig7 a - 7c , but unlike fig7 b - 7c , the deposition of the deformable layer 34 does not form the support posts by filling holes between the deformable layer 34 and the optical stack 16 . rather , the support posts 18 are at least partially formed of a separately deposited planarization material , which is used to form support post plugs 42 . the embodiment illustrated in fig7 e is based on the embodiment shown in fig7 d , but may also be adapted to work with any of the embodiments illustrated in fig7 a - 7c as well as additional embodiments not shown . in the embodiment shown in fig7 e , an extra layer of metal or other conductive material has been used to form a bus structure 44 . this allows signal routing along the back of the interferometric modulators , eliminating a number of electrodes that may otherwise have had to be formed on the substrate 20 . in embodiments such as those shown in fig7 , the interferometric modulators function as direct - view devices , in which images are viewed from the front side of the transparent substrate 20 , the side opposite to that upon which the modulator is arranged ( i . e ., viewed from the substrate side ). in these embodiments , the reflective layer 14 optically shields some portions of the interferometric modulator on the side of the reflective layer opposite the substrate 20 , including the deformable layer 34 and the bus structure 44 . this allows the shielded areas to be configured and operated upon without negatively affecting the image quality . this separable modulator architecture allows the structural design and materials used for the electromechanical aspects and the optical aspects of the modulator to be selected and to function independently of each other . moreover , the embodiments shown in fig7 c - 7e have additional benefits deriving from the decoupling of the optical properties of the reflective layer 14 from its mechanical properties , which are carried out by the deformable layer 34 . this allows the structural design and materials used for the reflective layer 14 to be optimized with respect to the optical properties , and the structural design and materials used for the deformable layer 34 to be optimized with respect to desired mechanical properties . with reference to fig8 , a cross section of the interferometric modulator 12 is shown in an isolated view . in the exemplary illustrated embodiment , a conductor layer 100 , having a fixed position , is deposited onto the glass substrate 20 . as noted above , the fixed conductor layer 100 is preferably partially reflective and transparent to desired wavelengths of light , and can be made from , e . g ., layers of ito and chromium . a dielectric layer 102 is deposited onto conductor layer 100 . the dielectric layer 102 can comprise silicon oxide , although other dielectric materials , such as aluminum oxide , known in the art are equally applicable . for example , the layer 102 can comprise charge trapping materials , and particularly materials that trap both positive and negative charges , e . g ., al 2 o 3 , alo x ( non - stoichiometric aluminum oxide ), si 3 n 4 , sin x ( non - stoichiometric silicon nitride ), ta 2 o 5 and tao x ( non - stoichiometric tantalum oxide ). the fixed conductor layer 100 and the dielectric layer 102 form the optical stack 16 . support posts 18 are provided to support the movable , reflective layer , or mechanical / mirror element , 14 a predetermined distance ( in the relaxed mode ) above the dielectric layer 102 . the support posts 18 are preferably formed of a stable material with sufficient structural integrity to support the movable reflective layer 14 . for example , the support posts 18 can be fabricated from an organic material , such as photoresist , or from spin - on glass . the movable layer 14 is preferably formed of a flexible , conductive and highly reflective material , for example , a metal such as aluminum , nickel , chromium or combinations or alloys thereof . with continued reference to fig8 , a region 104 within the dielectric layer 102 incorporates a charged species , preferably implanted ions and / or dopants , to alter the optical response of the modulator 12 . ions implanted in the region 104 can be positively charged ( p - type ) ions or negatively charged ( n - type ) ions according to the desired effect on the threshold and / or hysteresis properties of the modulator 12 . for example , potassium can be used as a positively charged ion and phosphorous can be used as a negatively charged ion . examples of other positively charged ions , include without limitation , sodium ions and lithium ions . it will be appreciated that the ions can be disposed in various other positions in the interferometric modulator 12 . to prevent the dissipation of charge from the ions , the ions are preferably embedded within a non - conducting material , such as a dielectric , or are surrounded by or embedded within in a material surrounded by an insulator . fig9 - 10 illustrate other non - limiting examples of positions for the ions . with reference to fig9 , a dielectric layer 106 can be formed adjacent the movable layer 14 and the ion implanted region 104 can be disposed within that layer 106 . in such an arrangement , the dielectric layer 102 , which typically serves to space and prevent shorting between the movable layer 14 and the fixed conductive layer 100 , can optionally be omitted . preferably , the dielectric layer 106 is formed of a flexible material that does not significantly impede the movement of the layer 14 . as noted above , the dielectric layer 106 can be formed of silicon oxide and aluminum oxide . with reference to fig1 , where two dielectric layers , layers 102 and 106 are provided , both layers can be implanted with ions to form ion implanted regions 104 and 108 . depending on the desired effect , both regions can be implanted with ions of the same polarity or with ions of different polarities . implantation of both the layers 102 and 106 can increase the effect of the implantation . for example , where regions 104 and 108 are implanted with ions of different polarities , a constant level of attraction can be established between the layers 102 and 106 , thereby reducing the actuation voltage in cases where the layers 100 and 14 are wired to have the same polarity as the regions 104 and 108 , respectively . along with changes in the actuation voltage , the introduction of charged ions between the movable layer 14 and the fixed layer 16 can shift the optical response curves of the modulators 12 . for example , the optical response curves of fig1 - 13 plot the displacement of movable layer 14 against the voltage applied to the movable layer 14 and the fixed layer 16 of the interferometric modulator 12 of fig8 . in the positive voltage region of the graph , the movable layer 14 is connected to a voltage source to generate a positive charge in that layer 14 and the fixed conductor layer 100 is connected to the voltage source to generate a negative charge in that layer 100 . in the negative voltage region of the graph , the movable layer 14 is connected to a voltage source to generate a negative charge in that layer 14 and the fixed conductor layer 100 is connected to the voltage source to generate a positive charge in that layer 100 . at the bottom of the curves , the movable layer 14 is in the relaxed position and , at the top of the curves , the movable layer 14 is in the actuated position . fig1 illustrates the effect of implanting positively charged or p - type ions into the dielectric layer 102 . the introduction of the positively charged ions into the dielectric layer 102 causes the optical response curves to shift to the right . in the positive voltage region , the p - type ions repel the positively charged movable layer 14 , thus requiring a larger voltage and greater electrostatic attraction to be applied before the movable layer 14 can be made to collapse . in the negative voltage region , the p - type ions attract the negatively charged movable layer 14 , thus requiring a smaller voltage and lesser electrostatic attraction to be applied before the movable layer 14 can be made to collapse . optical response curves 302 a and 302 b represent the optical response characteristics for an interferometric modulator without ion implantation . the same interferometric modulator with positively charged ions in the dielectric layer displays optical response characteristics represented by optical response curves 304 a and 304 b . because the level of charge introduced by the ions is constant , the ions augment or reduce the net electrostatic attraction by the same amount , so that both the positive and negative response curves will shift to the right by the same amount . the amount of the shift in the optical response characteristics is determined by the total charge of the ions introduced into dielectric layer 102 , which may be proportional to the amount of ions implanted . fig1 illustrates the effect of implanting negatively charged or n - type ions into the dielectric layer 102 . the introduction of negatively charged ions into dielectric layer 102 causes the optical response curves to shift to the left . in the positive voltage region , the n - type ions attract the movable layer 14 to the actuated position , while in the negative voltage region , the n - type ions repel the movable layer 14 to maintain that layer in the relaxed position . optical response curves 312 a and 312 b represent the optical response characteristics for an interferometric modulator 12 without ion implantation . the same interferometric modulator 12 with negatively charged ions in the dielectric layer displays optical response characteristics represented by the optical response curves 314 a and 314 b . as in fig1 , both the positive and negative response curves shift to the left by the same amount and the amount of the shift in the optical response characteristics is determined by the amount of ions introduced into dielectric layer 102 . it will be appreciated that interferometric modulators can be formed with a hysteresis curve centered away from the zero voltage line . for example , the inteferometric modulators can be formed having a particular level of charge between the layers 14 and 16 , even without ion implantation . for example , structural defects or structural modifications in the dielectric layer 102 can result in such a charge . as a result of this charge , the hysteresis window for these interferometric modulators may not be centered relative to the zero voltage line . moreover , different interferometric modulators may exhibit a different level of charge . the charges and the different levels of charges may adversely affect the behavior of the interferometric modulators by reducing predictability and control over the actuation and release of the movable layers of the interferometric modulators . advantageously , depending upon the charge already present , ion implantation can allow the hysteresis behavior of the interferometric modulators to be re - centered about the zero voltage line by , e . g ., neutralizing the already present charge . as a result , predictability and control over the actuation and release of the movable layers of the interferometric modulators can be increased . while discussed above with reference to incorporated charged species in the dielectric layer 102 , it will be appreciated that similar affects can be achieved by incorporation of charged species in the layer 106 ( when present , as illustrated in fig9 ) or incorporation of charged species in both the layers 102 and 106 ( when present , as illustrated in fig1 ). for example , charged species can be incorporated in the layer 106 to achieve the effects illustrated in fig1 and 12 . where a voltage source is connected to the movable layer 14 and to the fixed layer 16 to generate positive and negative charges in those layers , respectively , incorporation of a negative charged species in the layer 106 will result in the rightward shift of the hysteresis curve illustrated in fig1 . conversely , in a similar arrangement , but with a positive charged species in the layer 106 , the hysteresis curve will shift to the left , as shown in fig1 . moreover , both the layers 102 and 106 can be provided in an interferometric modulator and each can be incorporated with charged species . for example , with the movable layer 14 and the fixed layer 16 again configured to be positively and negatively charged , respectively , an effect similar to that illustrated in fig1 can be achieved by incorporation of a positive charged species in the layer 102 and a negative charged species in the layer 106 . in addition , the hysteresis curves can be shifted to the left by incorporation of a negative charged species in the layer 102 and a positive charged species in the layer 106 . it will be appreciated that the effect of the incorporation of the charged species can be reversed by reversing the polarities of the layers 102 and 106 . for example , if a certain arrangement of charged species shifts the hysteresis curves to the left when the movable layer 14 and the fixed layer 16 are connected to a voltage source to generate positive and negative charges , respectively , in those layers , the same arrangement of charged species will shift the hysteresis curves to the right if the voltage source is connected to the layers 102 and 106 in reverse , i . e ., so that the polarities in those layers is reversed . with reference to fig1 , in some arrangements , interferometric modulators can be formed to generate constructive interference centered at a plurality of different frequencies to generate different perceived colors , e . g ., two or more , or three or more different colors . these interferometric modulators can be grouped to form , e . g ., the individual red , green and blue picture elements of a display . it will be appreciated that the interference behavior of the interferometric modulators is determined by the spacing between the movable layer 14 and the fixed layer 16 . thus , interferometric modulators 100 a , 100 b , and 100 c may be forming having a different spacing 110 a , 110 b , 110 c between the movable layers 14 a , 14 b , 14 c and the fixed layer 16 , thereby allowing each of the different colors to be generated . because of the different spacing , each interferometric modulator 100 a , 100 b , and 100 c can have a different actuation voltage and hysteresis curve . such a situation is illustrated in fig1 , which shows the hysteresis curves , 322 a , 322 b and 322 c , for the three interferometric modulators 100 a , 100 b , 100 c , respectively , each having a different spacing designed to give a different color . it will be appreciated that the interferometric modulators in a display can be implanted with different ions and / or with different levels of ions . advantageously , all or some of the interferometric 100 a , 100 b , 100 c modulators can be implanted with ions to shift the curves 322 a - 322 c so that they overlap . by overlapping the curves , the threshold and release voltages can be made similar , advantageously reducing the number of voltages needed for operating the interferometric modulators and thus simplifying the driver and control systems associated with the interferometric modulators . for example , in the arrangement shown in fig1 , the curve 322 b is used as a reference and the interferometric modulators associated with the curves 322 a and 322 c are implanted with different ions , so that the curve 322 a ( e . g ., with a dielectric layer , between the layer 34 a and the conductor layer in the optical stack 16 of the interferometric modulator 100 a , implanted with p - type ions ) shifts to the right and the curve 322 c ( e . g ., with a dielectric layer , between the layers 34 c and the conductor layer in the optical stack 16 of the interferometric modulator 100 c , implanted with n - type ions ) shifts to the left , thereby allowing both to overlap the curve 322 b . as a result , all three curves 322 a - 322 c can advantageously be driven , in the positive voltage region , using the same threshold and release voltages . with reference to fig1 , flowchart 350 illustrates generally steps in the formation of an interferometric modulator 12 . a first conductive part is formed 360 , e . g ., on a substrate , which can be , e . g ., glass . a dielectric is formed 370 over the first conductive part and charged species is added 380 into the dielectric layer . while various process steps are illustrated as separate blocks in fig1 and 16 , it will be appreciated that the separate blocks do not indicate that the steps are necessarily temporally separated . for example , dielectric formation and charge addition can occur simultaneously , so that charged species , e . g ., ions , are formed as as - deposited species in the dielectric . an example of a suitable process for simultaneous dielectric formation and charge addition is co - sputtering , in which ionic species and dielectric precursors are simultaneously sputtered on a substrate . in other embodiments , charge addition occurs after the formation of the dielectric . in this case , charge addition can be accomplished by various processes known in the art . in some embodiments , the ions can be implanted into the dielectric or can be diffused into the dielectric . for example , the dielectric layer can be doped , e . g ., diffusion doped . with continued reference to fig1 , a second conductive part is formed 390 over the ion implanted dielectric . it will be appreciated that the first conductive part can correspond to the one of the conductive layers of the interferometric modulator 12 ( fig8 ), e . g ., the fixed conductive layer 16 . the second conductive part can correspond to the other illustrated conductive layer of the interferometric modulator 12 , e . g ., the movable layer 14 . with reference to fig8 and 16 , flowchart 400 describes certain steps of a fabrication sequence used to make the exemplary interferometric modulator 12 illustrated in fig8 . the conductor layer 100 , typically comprising ito and chromium , is deposited 402 onto the substrate 20 . the conductor layer 100 is patterned and etched 404 to form rows of the interferometric modulators 12 . the dielectric layer 102 is deposited 406 on conductor layer 100 . this dielectric layer 102 can be formed of sio 2 , although other dielectrics compatible with the other materials and process steps for forming the interferometric modulator 12 can be used . a layer of photoresist is deposited and patterned 407 to provide a mask shielding some areas of the dielectric layer 102 and having openings allowing for implantation in desired areas of the dielectric 102 . the charged ions are implanted through the patterned photoresist and into the dielectric layer 102 , thereby forming the implanted regions 104 of the dielectric layers 102 . the charge of the implanted ions and the degree of the implantation is selected in accordance with the desired effect on optical response characteristics , as described above . for example , the polarity of the ions can be chosen based upon the direction in which a shift in a hysteresis curve ( fig1 - 13 ) is desired and the degree of the implantation can be chosen based upon the magnitude of the desired shift . it will be appreciated that the ion implantation can disrupt the structure of the dielectric . as a result , the ion implantation can be followed by an anneal to reorient the dielectric structure , to improve the optical characteristics of the implanted dielectric and to more evenly distribute the ions within the dielectric . it will be appreciated that , in some embodiments , no photoresist is needed and the step 407 can be omitted if all interferometric modulators 12 are to be uniformly implanted with the same ion or ions . in other embodiments , the patterned photoresist allows interferometric modulators 12 to be selectively implanted with ions , thereby allowing different ions to be implanted or different levels of implantation to be achieved . it will be appreciated that multiple photoresist depositions and / or patterning steps can be used to selectively implant a plurality of different ions or to selectively implant different quantities of ions . for example , the photoresist can be deposited and patterned to implant ions in some particular interferometric modulators 12 , additional photoresist can be deposited and patterned to implant ions in other interferometric modulators 12 , and so on . after the ion implantation , the photoresist is preferably removed . moreover , the charge incorporation can occur at a later step than that illustrated . for example , the ion implantation can be performed after deposition 410 of a non - metal sacrificial layer ( e . g ., silicon ), discussed below , and preferably before the formation of additional metal layers . in step 410 , a sacrificial layer ( which will later be removed to form the optical cavity of the interferometric modulator 12 ) is deposited . the sacrificial layer is formed of a solid material that can later be removed , e . g ., by etching , without disrupting the other materials of the interferometric modulator 12 . an example of a preferred material for the sacrificial layer is molybdenum . other suitable sacrificial materials include silicon and tungsten , which advantageously can also be selectively or preferentially removed using xef 2 without etching aluminum or silicon oxide . the sacrificial layer is patterned and etched 412 to provide voids into which materials to form the support posts 18 will be deposited . in step 414 , the post material is deposited , thereby forming the support posts 18 . the post material can be , e . g ., photoresist or some other organic compound or spin on glass . in step 416 , a mechanical / mirror film is deposited . as noted above , the film can be made of , e . g ., aluminum or other flexible metals . in step 418 , the mechanical film is patterned and etched to form the mechanical / mirror layer 14 . the sacrificial layer is then removed 420 . interferometric modulators according to the preferred embodiments offer numerous advantages . for example , charge incorporation allows the actuation voltage and / or hysteresis curve for a particular interferometric modulator to be shifted as desired . as a result , it is possible to reduce the voltages required to drive the interferometric modulators , thereby lowering the power requirements and power consumption of displayers utilizing the interferometric modulators . in addition , hysteresis curves can be shifted by charge incorporation to center the curves about the zero voltage line . this can be achieved , for example , by neutralizing charges that may form in the dielectric layer of between the conductive layers of the interferometric modulators . centering the hysteresis curves can make control over the states of the interferometric modulators more predictable , e . g ., by setting the actuation voltages at expected values . moreover , in cases in which multiple interferometric modulators , each naturally having a different actuation voltage and shifted hysteresis curves , are present , some or all of the interferometric modulators can be doped so that the hysteresis curves substantially overlap . as a result , the actuation voltages and the release voltages of each of the interferometric modulators overlap , thereby reducing the number of different voltages that is generated to control the interferometric modulators . thus , the driver and control systems can be simplified . while the charged species are discussed above as “ implanted ions ,” it will be appreciated that the charged species can be any charged species incorporated in a material disposed between the movable conductive layer and the fixed conductive layer . in other embodiments , the charged species can simply be deposited on a dielectric substrate and preferably has a charge as deposited . the dielectric layer , while preferably disposed on a conductive layer for simplicity of fabrication and structure , can be spaced from the conductive layers . moreover , while discussed as having one movable and one fixed conductive layer for ease of description and illustration , in some embodiments , the positions of the movable and fixed layers can be reversed from that illustrated , or both layers can be made to move . accordingly , it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various other omissions , additions and modifications may be made to the methods and structures described above without departing from the scope of the invention . all such modifications and changes are intended to fall within the scope of the invention , as defined by the appended claims .	6
the invention is hereinafter discussed in connection with the preferred embodiments , in which a film processor of a particular construction is described , using a thermoelectric peltier heat exchanger of preferred construction to process x - ray film . in addition , the invention is useful in a film processor of any construction wherein the peltier heat exchanger has any construction , regardless of whether the film being developed is x - ray or some other type . as noted above , it has been conventional , fig1 to use the wash water as the driving mechanism for a heat - exchanger 10 in a film processor . in the exchanger of fig1 the flow of the two liquids is shown as being counter - current , but co - current flow is also useful . thus , heat - exchanger 10 comprises a housing 12 having an entrance port 14 at the bottom for the hot developer , and an exit port 16 at the top . housing 12 is loosely divided into three stacked sections 18 , 20 and 22 through which the developer flows upwardly to get to exit port 16 . winding through sections 18 , 20 and 22 is a serpentine pipe 30 , having on inlet end 32 and an outlet end 34 , such pipe carrying the wash water provided from a source ( not shown ) such as a tap . both exit port 16 and outlet end 34 feed their respective liquids to the rest of the processor , fig2 . entrance port 14 necessarily draws the developer in from the developer bath of the processor . fins 36 can be optionally provided on pipe 30 to further enhance the heat exchange . as will be readily apparent , such an exchanger 10 works fine as long as the wash water entering end 32 is sufficiently cool (& lt ; 5 ° c .) than the temperature of the developer leaving port 16 . this however cannot be guaranteed in all possible environments . fig2 is illustrative of film processors that can use heat exchangers to control the temperature of the developer and of the wash water . for example , it comprises a shelf 42 upon which the operator places an exposed negative of x - ray film . the film then enters the processor 41 through the opening 43 . the course of the film through the processor 41 appears as the line 48 . after the film enters the opening 43 , it first goes into the tank 50 which contains conventional developer liquid . the developer tank 50 , at its bottom , includes a heater htr1 to warm it to its proper operating temperature . the sensor s1 provides an indication of the actual temperature within the developer tank 50 . the film then preferably passes into the fixer tank 51 which has its heater htr2 and sensor s2 . the film then travels into the tank of wash water 54 which washes the film , after which is passes into the dryer section 55 . after passing through the dryer 55 , the film then slides along the shelf 56 into the film bin 57 . although not shown , the developer tank 50 can have a standpipe drain which maintains the proper level of liquid . tank 50 also has the two openings 59 , 60 to permit the circulation of liquid through the developer tank 50 from the heat exchanger . the fixer tank 51 also has an overflow standpipe and the circulation openings 61 . the water tank 54 has openings 66 , 68 for incoming and outgoing water . to move the film through the processor , rollers 73 are provided along with conventional drive motor 72 . guides 74 are conventionally provided to deflect the film to follow desired path 48 . in dryer section 55 , openings 78 are provided in plenums 75 and 76 to deliver air from compartment 82 where it is heated by heaters htd 3 , 4 , 5 and 6 . fan 84 is used to pump the air from compartment 82 to plenums 75 and 76 . in accordance with the invention , the heat exchanger of processor 41 comprises a conventional thermoelectric peltier heat transfer device 90 , fig3 sandwiched between two thermally conductive plates 92 and 94 . as is conventional , device 90 comprises a plurality of p - n semiconductor devices serially connected so that the junctions 96 and 98 of the connections fall , in the case of junctions n - p 96 , on the left side in contact with plate 92 , and in the case of p - n junctions 98 , on the right side in contact with plate 94 . by connecting ends 100 and 102 of device 90 with a dc source 104 , device 90 conventionally makes plate 92 a heat sink , arrows q1 , and plate 94 a heat - emitting source , arrows q2 . plates 92 and 94 are formed of thermally conductive material , e . g ., aluminum . mounted in intimate contact with each of plates 92 and 94 is a serpentine coil of pipe 112 and 114 , respectively . such contact can be achieved , e . g ., by welding . as shown in fig4 which is representative of both pipes 112 and 114 , each pipe ( here , pipe 112 ) has an inlet end 120 and an outlet end 122 , with any number of coils 124 between them . pipe 112 contains the flow of the developer liquid from tank 50 , whereas pipe 114 contains the flow of the wash water from tank 54 . thus , inlet 120 of pipe 112 collects heated developer liquid from e . g ., opening 59 of tank 50 and outlet 122 delivers cooled developer to opening 60 . for pipe 114 , inlet 120 receives wash water from a tap source , regardless of its temperature , and outlet 122 of pipe 114 delivers heated wash water to either opening 66 or 68 . the other of openings 66 , 68 is used for drawing off excess water . alternatively , a standpipe can be used to remove the excess water . in this fashion , heat exchanger 90 is effective to cool the developer liquid in pipe 112 while heating wash water in pipe 114 , regardless of the temperature of the water as it enters inlet 120 of pipe 114 . that is , the wash water is not the heat sink for the developer liquid . the invention has been described in detail with particular reference to preferred embodiments thereof , but it will be understood that variations and modifications can be effected within the spirit and scope of the invention .	7
reference will now be made in detail to the embodiments of the present general inventive concept , examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings , wherein like reference numerals refer to the like elements throughout . the embodiments are described below in order to explain the present general inventive concept by referring to the figures . referring to fig1 , an image processing apparatus 100 may comprise a computer system which serves as a host to a scanning device 200 . the image processing apparatus 100 controls an operation of the scanning device 200 according to a user command . more specifically , the image processing apparatus 100 can scan a scanable object having pictures and / or text to receive a scanned image , and can generate a final image by performing a predetermined image process on the scanned image . particularly , the image processing apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment can select a certain region of the scanned image according to a user command and can generate a final image by performing the predetermined image process on the selected region . the image processing apparatus 100 determines an image process to be performed on the selected region , according to a user command . as illustrated in fig1 , the image processing apparatus 100 can comprise a user input part 110 , a storage part 120 , a user interface ( ui ) processor 130 , a display part 140 , an image processor 150 , a communicator 160 and a controller 170 . the user input part 110 can receive a user command related to a scanning operation and can transmit it to the controller 170 . the user input part 110 may comprise a keyboard , a mouse , etc . the storage part 120 can store operation data to drive the image processing apparatus 100 and result data from operations of the image processing apparatus 100 therein . the ui processor 130 can generate a user interface ( ui ) 10 ( refer to fig2 ) to be displayed on the display part 140 under control of the controller 170 . the ui 10 according to the present embodiment can comprise a scanned image 12 and selection boxes 121 a and 121 b displayed on the scanned image 12 , as well as items 11 to set a scanning operation . the positions and sizes of the selection boxes 121 a and 121 b are adjusted by a user manipulation through the user input part 110 . the ui 10 may further comprise selection box cancellation icons 122 a and 122 b to cancel the selection of regions in the selection boxes 121 a and 121 b , i . e ., to remove the selection boxes 121 a and 121 b . the display part 140 can display the ui 10 generated by the ui processor 130 . the display part 140 may comprise , for example , a cathode ray tube ( crt ) monitor or a liquid crystal display ( lcd ) monitor . the image processor 150 performs the predetermined image process on the scanned image according to the control of the controller 170 and generates the final image . the communicator 140 can communicate with the scanning device 200 according to the control of the controller 170 . the communicator 140 may comprise a network card . the controller 170 controls the image processing apparatus 100 in general . the controller 170 transmits a scanning command to the scanning device 200 according to a user command . as illustrated in fig2 , the controller 170 controls the ui processor 130 to display the ui 10 when receiving the scanned image from the scanning device 200 . the controller 170 selects at least one region 12 a and 12 b of the scanned image 12 displayed on the ui 10 , according to a user command . in the present embodiment , the inside part of the selection boxes 121 a and 121 b displayed on the scanned image 12 becomes the user selected regions 12 a and 12 b . the controller 170 controls the ui processor 130 to adjust the position or size of the selection boxes 121 a and 121 b according to a user command through the user input part 110 . also , the controller 170 determines the image process to be performed on the selected regions 12 a and 12 b , according to a user command . the image process according to the present embodiment can comprise an image process such as sharpness , blur , etc . a user may adjust the image process to be performed on the selected regions 12 a and 12 b through an adjustment item 11 b to process the image . in this case , a user may adjust separate image processes for the respective regions 12 a and 12 b of the two selection boxes 121 a and 121 b . the controller 170 can control the image processor 150 to perform the determined image processes on the selected regions 12 a and 12 b and to generate the final image . the image process can be performed on the regions 12 a and 12 b of the selection boxes 121 a and 121 b . in a case when the selection of the regions 12 a and 12 b is cancelled , the controller 170 may control the image processor 150 to restore the image process performed on the selected regions 12 a and 12 b . the controller 170 determines coordinate values of the selected regions 12 a and 12 b of the scanned image 12 , to perform the image process . the coordinate values may be represented two dimensions ( x , y ). in the present embodiment , coordinate values of corners of the selection boxes 121 a and 121 b may be used . the controller 170 determines start indexes and end indexes of the selected regions 12 a and 12 b based on the determined coordinate values . as illustrated in fig3 , the start index ( s ) and end index ( s ) according to the present embodiment respectively point to a start portion and an end portion of concerned data ( for example a data 123 a or another data 123 b ) of the scanned image 123 corresponding to the selected regions 12 a and 12 b . the controller 170 extracts the data 123 a and 123 b of the start and end indexes from the data 123 of the scanned image 12 . the controller 170 controls the image processor 150 to perform the determined image process on the extracted data 123 a and 123 b and to combine the data performed with the image process and the data 122 of the original scanned image 12 . the data 123 of the scanned image 12 may be stored in the storage part 120 . the controller 170 may store at least one of information on the selected regions 12 a and 12 b and the determined image process , in the storage part 120 . in this case , the controller 170 controls the image processor 150 to generate the final image based on the information stored in the storage part 120 . as an exemplary application of the present embodiment , public offices or banks may pixelate a part of a human face or a part of an id number among the scanned image of an id card to store and manage the partly pixilated processed image of the id card . in this case , according to an embodiment of the present general inventive concept , a user may select regions corresponding to the part of the face and the id number and determine the image processes ( i . e ., pixelating , covering , etc .) of the parts different from each other . the storage part 120 may store information on the regions corresponding to the face part and the id number part and on the image process or processes performed on the region . thus , the image processing apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment may perform the same image processes on scanned images of other id cards based on the same information of the stored region and image process . since a user &# 39 ; s repetitive commands are not required for the same operation of scanning and image processing , user convenience is improved . the controller 170 according to the present embodiment may be realized as a computer program . in this case , the controller 170 may comprise a memory such as a read only memory ( rom ) ( not illustrated ) to store the computer program therein , and a central processing unit ( cpu ) ( not illustrated ) and a random access memory ( ram ) ( not illustrated ) to execute the computer program . fig4 is a control flowchart of an image processing method according to an embodiment of the present general inventive concept . referring to fig4 , first a predetermined object to be scanned is scanned to display a scanned image ( operation s 110 ). at least one region of the displayed scanned image is then selected ( operation s 120 ). the region of the scanned image can be selected by a user command . the image processes to be performed for the selected regions are determined in operation s 130 . the image process can also be determined by a user command . the selected regions are performed with the determined image process ( operation s 140 ). the region performed with the image process is combined with the original scanned image to generate a final image ( operation s 150 ). as described above , embodiments of the present general inventive concept provide an image processing apparatus which revises ( processes ) a certain region of a scanned image to meet a user demand , and an image processing method . also , the present general inventive concept provides an image processing apparatus which does not require a user command on a same operation to perform repetitive scanning and image processes , and an image processing method . although a few embodiments of the present general inventive concept have been shown and described , it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes may be made in these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the general inventive concept , the scope of which is defined in the appended claims and their equivalents .	7
referring to the drawing , a small value ( that may be calculated by 0 . 20 volts / imax ; 0 . 20 volts is a typical maximum input voltage that is applied to the amplifier , and imax is the maximum expected current conducted through the small value resistor ) resistor 8 is placed in , by way of example , a power line 10 carrying direct current power from a power source 12 and which serves as a current measurement sensor . further , by way of example , the power source would provide a voltage on power line 10 of + 500 volts with respect to ground terminal 14 . there will appear a voltage across resistor 8 which is , of course , a direct function of the current flow , and , in the present illustration , this voltage may vary over a range of from 0 to 0 . 2 volts ( for maximum current condition ). it is contemplated that this range must be amplified and translated in order to compatibly supply indicating circuitry , typically , for example , operating in a range of 0 to 5 volts with respect to ground terminal 14 . it is to be appreciated that one cannot simply and inexpensively amplify the 0 - 0 . 2 voltage range from resistor 8 by virtue of the fact that it is impressed upon a basic or common mode voltage of 500 volts . standard and low cost current amplifying devices , such as operational amplifiers and transistors , are not capable of handling input voltages in excess of 40 volts . it is a feature of the amplifier to add two series connected darlington stages to the standard operational amplifiers that will have all of the common mode voltage applied , reducing to less than a volt the common mode voltage applied to the input of any operational amplifier . by using operational amplifiers that are required to support less than a volt common mode and transistors in the darlington configured output stage that have no more than 250 volts applied , the employment of low cost transistors and amplifying elements can be used . examining the circuitry , it is to be appreciated that with current flow in the indicated direction through power line 10 and thus resistor 8 , the voltage at terminal 11 , with respect to terminal 13 , will move positive in potential with an increase in current flow ; and , as indicated by way of example above , the relationship between the value of resistor 8 and the maximum current flow will be such that the range of voltage appearing across a resistor 8 having a value of 0 . 020 ohms , will be from 0 ( at 0 current flow ) to 0 . 2 volts ( with maximum current flow ). the positive going voltage at terminal 11 , with respect to terminal 13 , is connected to the non - inverting input of operational amplifier 16 . operational amplifier 16 is conventionally biased by ± power supplies 20 and 22 which are referenced to input terminal 13 and float above ground terminal 14 . the inverting input of operational amplifier 16 is directly connected to its output whereby operational amplifier 16 has unity voltage gain . its function is to provide a high impedance input whereby , effectively , no loading impedance is presented across resistor 8 , which could otherwise lead to inaccuracies in measurement . the output of operational amplifier 16 is fed through output resistor 24 having , in the example , the value of 200 ohms , the current through the resistor being in a range of from 0 . 000 to 0 . 001 amperes . there thus appears across resistor 24 a voltage of from 0 to 0 . 2 volts corresponding to the voltage appearing across resistor 8 . the current flow through resistor 24 is fed to the emitter input of pnp transistor 26 of darlington amplifier 28 . the base drive current of transistor 26 is fed to the emitter of transistor 30 . the transistor 30 base drive current is fed to the output of amplifier 18 through resistor 32 . the inverting input of operational amplifier 18 is connected to resistor 24 and to the emitter of transistor 26 of darlington amplifier 28 , and the non - inverting input is connected to terminal 13 of resistor 8 . the inverting and non - inverting inputs of amplifier 18 are within 5 millivolts of being equal since amplifier 18 has a high level of voltage feedback from its output to the inverting input . the voltage across resistor 24 is then equal to the voltage across resistor 8 plus the offset voltages of amplifiers 16 and 18 . the sum of offset voltages is typically less than 1 millivolt . operational amplifier 18 is powered , like operational amplifier 16 , from power supplies 20 and 22 , and it , too , thus floats above ground . by virtue of the circuit arrangement , darlington amplifier 28 is ultimately driven , differentially , responsive to the voltage first appearing across resistor 8 . significantly , essentially all of the current flow through resistor 24 , replicating flow through resistor 8 , flows through the emitter collector circuit of darlington amplifier 28 , and only a negligible amount flows through the base , this being a characteristic of a darlington transistor amplifier . in this fashion extreme accuracy is preserved . resistors 40 and 42 are conventional and are for the purpose of enabling a small bypass current flow in the event that the collector leakage of one of the transistors should become larger than the base drive required . darlington amplifier 44 is like amplifier 28 , employing pnp transistors 46 and 48 and base - emitter resistors 50 and 52 . it is driven by the collector current output of darlington amplifier 44 , and as in the case of amplifier 28 , essentially all of the current flows through the emitter - collector circuits of transistors 46 and 48 . a reference potential which follows the common mode potential on input terminal 13 is effected on the base of transistor 48 of darlington amplifier 44 by a mid point connection to a voltage divider 53 consisting of equal value resistors 54 and 56 ( each 100 , 000 ohms ) connected between terminal 13 and ground . this circuit equally divides the 500 volt common mode voltage effectively present between the inputs of darlington amplifiers 28 and 44 . since the emitter - collector output circuits of these amplifiers are alike , there is an equal division of the common mode voltage across the output circuits of the two amplifiers as determined by the input voltage division . this follows since emitter - base voltages are less than 1 volt . the common mode voltage in the example is indicated to be 500 volts , 250 volts across each of the two darlington transistor amplifier stages . this enables the employment of relatively low cost , high reliability , 300 volt rated , transistors , two of which cost substantially less than a single high reliability transistor having a rating sufficiently high to accommodate 500 volts . while the description thus far has been in terms of a sensing or measurement system wherein the common mode voltage was 500 volts , this is by no means to be considered a limitation . where it is desired to sense or make measurements in a higher voltage environment , the number of darlington stages can simply be increased accordingly with appropriate input voltage division , distributing input voltages evenly between the stages . a further significance of applicant &# 39 ; s circuitry is that it is employable with widely varying common mode voltages ranging down to zero volts . to accomplish this , 15 volt negative bias supply 70 provides a collector bias through resistor 62 , 4 , 000 ohms , and across resistor 64 , 5 , 000 ohms , between the collectors of darlington amplifier 44 and ground . thus , in the event that the common mode voltage should fall to zero , there still would be an operating bias on each of the darlington stages . in the circuit shown , and with no input signal and no signal current flow through the emitter - collector circuits of darlington stages 28 and 44 , there would be a collector bias present at the collector of darlington stage 44 of a minimum of - 8 . 3 volts , and thus as emitter - collector bias across the two darlington amplifier stages 28 and 44 . with a swing of from zero current to these stages up to 0 . 001 amperes , the applied collector voltage across the two stages would increase to - 6 . 1 volts . however , this is still sufficient to enable linear operation of each of the darlington amplifier stages which would share between them this 6 . 1 volts . the 0 - 0 . 001 amperes collector output of the second darlington stage 44 appears across resistor 64 and , as suggested above , presents a voltage swing for this current range of from - 8 . 3 to - 6 . 1 volts . this voltage excursion is converted to a more convenient range of from 0 to 5 volts by amplifier stage 66 , which employs operational amplifier 68 . operational amplifier 68 is conventionally biased by - 15 volt power supply 60 and + 15 volt power supply 70 . a voltage divider circuit consisting of resistor 72 , 4 , 000 ohms , and resistor 76 , 5 , 000 ohms , is connected , with the resistors appearing in the listed order , between the negative terminal of power supply 60 and the output of operational amplifier 68 , with the mid point between these resistors being connected to the inverting input of operational amplifier 68 . this combination sets the voltage gain from the non - inverting input of amplifier 68 to its output to r76 / r74 , which , in the example , is 2 . 273 volts . the voltage to be amplified , appearing across resistor 64 , is applied to the non - inverting input of operational amplifier 68 . the voltage divider 53 is connected to power supply 60 through resistor 74 . with a zero current signal from darlington amplifier 28 and darlington amplifier 44 , there will be a - 8 . 3 volts applied to the non - inverting input terminal of amplifier 68 and a zero voltage output from terminal 78 to ground . with a maximum input signal from darlington 44 , which is 0 . 001 amperes , the voltage on the non - inverting input of operational amplifier 68 will be - 6 . 1 volts . the voltage from terminal 78 to terminal 14 will be 5 . 0 volts . the effective transimpedance gain which is the terminal 78 voltage change divided by the change in the darlington 44 current is 5 , 000 ohms for the example and is in general equal to the value of resistor 76 . intermediate input current levels from darlington 44 signals will , or course , proportionally produce voltages between 0 and 5 volts . although the foregoing description is technically correct , additional clarification is required to assure the salient features are understood . ignoring the input current from darlington 44 , amplifier 66 is a simple differential amplifier . the input is - 15 vdc fed through input resistors 72 and 62 . the voltage applied to both the inverting and non - inverting inputs is - 8 . 3 volts . since the voltages to both inputs to the differential amplifier are equal , the amplifier 66 output voltage is zero . note that , by design , the ratio between resistors 76 and 72 is equal to the ratio between resistors 64 and 62 . basic circuit analysis predicts that if these ratios are equal , the amplifier 68 output voltage is zero . the darlington amplifier 44 output , when greater than zero , will cause the output to increase by a transimpedance gain equal to r76 . this gain can also be derived by standard circuit analysis techniques . in the example , r76 is 5 , 000 ohms , which causes the terminal 78 voltage to be 5 . 0 volts when darlington amplifier 44 output is 0 . 0010 amperes and causes the terminal 78 voltage to be zero when the darlington amplifier 44 output is zero amperes . this is the desired amplifier 68 operation . the output of amplifier stage 66 is applied to a conventional current indicator 80 with a 0 - 5 volt meter movement or applied to other measurement or control circuitry adapted to respond to the 0 - 5 volt range . from the foregoing , it is to be appreciated that there has been provided an improved amplifier for employment in the detection and / or measurement of electrical variations occurring in an electrical line or circuitry which operate at voltages substantially higher than a basic reference point . the detection or measurement is made of the quantity in question independent of the actual potential , or common mode voltage , above the reference of the line or other circuitry and independent of common mode noise on the line or circuitry . further , the amplifier is constructed with common and relatively cheap components and yet achieves an overall accuracy on the order of 1 %. with minor modifications the present invention may also be applied where the high voltage from power source 12 is negative rather than positive . the circuit would be modified to use npn rather than pnp type transistors for transistors 26 , 30 , 46 and 48 . the voltage from voltage supply 70 would be changed from + 15 volts to - 15 volts , and conversely the voltage from voltage supply 60 would be changed from negative to positive . with this configuration the output voltage at indicator 80 will be between 0 and - 5 volts . alternatively , a positive output voltage from 0 to + 5 volts could be obtained by appropriate adjustment of resistor values . although the invention has been described in relation to exemplary embodiments thereof , it will be understood by those skilled in the art that variations and modifications can be effected in these exemplary embodiments without departing from the scope of spirit of the invention .	7
the following detailed description is of example embodiments of the presently claimed invention with references to the accompanying drawings . such description is intended to be illustrative and not limiting with respect to the scope of the present invention . such embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable one of ordinary skill in the art to practice the subject invention , and it will be understood that other embodiments may be practiced with some variations without departing from the spirit or scope of the subject invention . throughout the present disclosure , absent a clear indication to the contrary from the context , it will be understood that individual circuit elements as described may be singular or plural in number . for example , the terms “ circuit ” and “ circuitry ” may include either a single component or a plurality of components , which are either active and / or passive and are connected or otherwise coupled together ( e . g ., as one or more integrated circuit chips ) to provide the described function . additionally , the term “ signal ” may refer to one or more currents , one or more voltages , or a data signal . within the drawings , like or related elements will have like or related alpha , numeric or alphanumeric designators . further , while the present invention has been discussed in the context of implementations using discrete electronic circuitry ( preferably in the form of one or more integrated circuit chips ), the functions of any part of such circuitry may alternatively be implemented using one or more appropriately programmed processors , depending upon the signal frequencies or data rates to be processed . moreover , to the extent that the figures illustrate diagrams of the functional blocks of various embodiments , the functional blocks are not necessarily indicative of the division between hardware circuitry . as discussed in more detail below , in accordance with embodiments of the presently claimed invention , interaction between a tester and a dut can be controlled in such a way as to reduce latency and necessary volume of communications between the tester and the dut , thereby reducing test time and , therefore , costs associated with test time . for example , communications latency can be reduced by enabling the tester to more rapidly transition between signal transmission and signal reception modes of operation , while communications volume can be minimized by reducing the number of control commands needed to flow from the tester to the dut . one technique for minimizing interaction between a tester and dut involves using a single command from the tester to initiate transaction of multiple , predetermined tester data packets until a predetermined number of such tester data packets have been transmitted . ( this has been disclosed in detail in u . s . patent application ser . nos . 11 / 422 , 475 , 11 / 422 , 489 and 11 / 696 , 921 , the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference .) another technique involves using a predetermined sequence of test steps known to both the dut and the tester to reduce the need for commands to be exchanged between the dut and tester . ( this has been disclosed in detail in u . s . patent application ser . nos . 11 / 279 , 778 , 11 / 839 , 814 , 11 / 839 , 788 and 11 / 839 , 828 , the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference .) however , these sequencing techniques involving multiple tester data packets and sequencing of test steps require support on the part of the tester or dut , or both , such as additional hardware , firmware or software ( e . g ., additional programming of test commands ). for example , to support these time saving test techniques , the dut might require firmware that is specific to its processing subsystem ( e . g ., its particular chipset ), and one or more manufacturers of the integrated circuits may be required to support these techniques with specific driver functions . these difficulties , however , can be avoided with the presently claimed invention , which enables multiple test data packet and test step sequencing techniques to be used without requiring special provisions to the dut , and in most cases , to the tester as well . in accordance with exemplary embodiments , an external processing subsystem is used to control the dut in coordination with the tester . this external subsystem can be designed to accommodate a variety of duts and their associated chipsets to support multiple test data packet and test step sequencing techniques , while requiring no modifications to the hardware or firmware of the dut . referring to fig1 , a conventional testing environment for testing a wireless data packet transceiver device under test ( dut ) includes the tester 12 , a dut 14 ( or , alternatively , multiple duts to be tested concurrently or sequentially , depending upon the tester configuration ), and a controller 16 ( e . g ., a personal computer ). as discussed above , a tester includes a data packet signal source 12 g ( typically in the form of a vsg ) and a data packet signal receiver and analyzer 12 a ( typically in the form of a vsa ). the tester can also include control circuitry 12 c for performing various control functions in accordance with internally stored test programs or test commands or programs received from an external source ( e . g ., the controller 16 ). the tester 12 and dut 14 communicate via a signal path 13 . this signal path 13 is typically in the form of a conductive radio frequency ( rf ) signal path , such as a coaxial cable and connectors . however , this signal path 13 can also be in the form of a radiative signal path , such as that formed by the use of rf antennas ( not shown ) connected to the signal ports of the tester 12 and dut 14 for radiating and receiving electromagnetic signals in accordance with well - known principles . the controller 16 provides testing instructions and receives test data from the tester 12 and dut 14 via signal interfaces 17 t , 17 d , which are typically in the form of multiple - conductor cables . as discussed above , such a testing environment can support sequencing of multiple test packets and test steps . however , as also discussed above , such support is achieved at the cost of modifications to hardware or firmware of at least the dut 14 , and , in some cases , to the tester 12 as well . referring to fig2 , a testing environment 100 in accordance with exemplary embodiments of the presently claimed invention includes an external subsystem 102 , 104 , which , as discussed above , operates in coordination with the tester 12 and includes any necessary hardware , firmware or software needed to support multiple test data packet and test step sequencing of the dut 14 in accordance with the requirements of the dut 14 chipset . when testing the dut 14 , the tester 12 sends data packet signals to the dut 14 via the signal path 13 , and monitors responses received from the dut 14 , e . g ., in the form of acknowledgment signals (“ ack ”) or other types of data packet signals . these responsive signals are received by the tester receiver circuitry 12 a and analyzed , such as by measuring and comparing various physical signal characteristics ( e . g ., signal power , frequency , modulation type or bit - rate ) against values specified in accordance with the signal standard in conformance with which the dut 14 is designed to operate . during such testing , coordination between the tester 12 and dut 14 is necessary , and is typically done by issuing commands to the dut 14 from the tester 12 ( e . g ., via the data packet signal interface 13 ) or in coordination with the tester 12 , such as by providing instructions to the dut 14 from the controller 16 via the control signal interface 17 d . accordingly , during a complete test sequence , numerous control commands will be required to be conveyed from the tester 12 or controller 16 to the dut 14 during one or more time intervals in which no test measurements are performed by the tester 12 ( with respect to data packet signals received from the dut 14 ) but which nonetheless consume time . hence , overall test time can be reduced if these times needed for control commands can be reduced in duration and / or number . in general , reducing the number of control commands requires that one or more commands cover more than one testing event . for example , a typical command to the dut 14 to prepare to receive a test data packet signal from the tester 12 covers one event , i . e ., the sending of the test signal . a second command to query the dut 14 as to whether the test signal was received correctly or not also covers one event . however , if the dut 14 was pre - programmed to respond to a single command by receiving a predefined number of test data packets from the tester 12 , and automatically confirming that such test data packets were correctly received , that single original command could cover a potentially extensive sequence of testing events . as a further example , if the dut 14 and tester 12 operated in accordance with a previously agreed upon sequence of test steps to execute and , upon synchronization , began executing those test steps until all test steps were completed , or one test step had timed out , then that initial exchange of synchronization signals could cover an entire testing sequence , including both receive ( rx ) and transmit ( tx ) testing ( from the perspective of the dut 14 ) with test signals having predetermined physical characteristics ( e . g ., frequency , power , modulation type , bit - rate , etc .). alternatively , the tester 12 and dut 14 can transmit or receive data packets from one another until a control or responsive signal is received by the transmitting unit from the receiving unit indicating completion of that set of test steps and signaling that the transmitting unit can proceed to the next predefined operation . in accordance with exemplary embodiments of the presently claimed invention , the external subsystem 102 is provided ( e . g ., programmed ) with programs specifically matched to the dut 14 and its chipsets , thereby ensuring that the specific characteristics and capabilities of the dut 14 can be tested adequately using time - saving testing techniques such as multiple test data packet and test step sequencing techniques . this advantageously avoids the need for special preparation or customization of the dut 14 , such as through expanded or customized hardware , firmware or modified or additional driver software . accordingly , working in conjunction with the tester 12 , it is this external processing subsystem 102 ( e . g ., a microcontroller ), rather than the dut 14 , that is aware of and tasked with managing access to and execution of the test sequencing requirements . hence , the testing speed and cost benefits of test sequencing can be achieved without requiring special preparations or modifications for the dut 14 itself . the dut controller 102 communicates ( e . g ., by exchanging control signals acting as triggers or containing instructions or data ) with the tester 12 via a control signal interface 103 t . similarly , the dut controller 102 communicates ( e . g ., by exchanging instructions and data ) with the dut 14 via another control signal interface 103 d . the instructions for the programs needed to control the dut 14 during testing can be stored internally or externally in separate memory circuitry 104 , accessible via a memory interface 105 . these programs ( e . g ., dut control instructions and signal parameter values ) can be pre - programmed into the dut controller 102 or memory 104 , or can be provided by the tester 12 ( e . g ., from the tester controller 12 c ), or provided by the external controller 16 directly to the memory 104 via another memory interface 117 m . initiation of the testing of the dut 14 normally begins with the tester 12 instructing the dut controller 102 to configure the dut 14 for the testing sequence to be performed . in response , the dut controller 102 accesses the appropriate program and provides the instructions and parameter data needed for such tests . alternatively , the external controller 16 can instruct the dut controller 102 , via a control interface 117 c , to configure the dut 14 for testing . following reception of a start signal from the tester 12 via its interface 103 t , the dut controller 102 instructs the dut 14 to initiate a sequence of sending or receiving data packets until a predetermined number of data packets has been sent by the dut 14 , or until the tester 12 informs the dut controller 102 that testing operations have been completed ( e . g ., the tester 12 has transmitted all data packets required for the current test ). for example , in cases of a dut tx signal measurement , the tester 12 would capture data packets transmitted from the dut 14 , and when the desired data packets have been captured by the tester 12 it would signal the dut controller 102 to terminate data packet transmission by the dut 14 and proceed to the next test operation . similarly , in the case of a dut rx test , the tester 12 would signal the dut 14 , via the dut controller 102 , to begin receiving data packets via the signal path 13 , and when the desired number of data packets have been transmitted by the tester 12 to the dut 14 , the tester 12 can instruct the dut controller 102 to proceed to the next dut test operation . additionally , as needed , the dut controller 102 can signal its readiness to the tester 12 via their signal interface 103 t . hence , as can be seen by these examples , multiple data packets can be transmitted and received by the tester 12 and dut 14 with a single command from the external controller 16 and a start signal from the tester 12 . as a result , communication and test flow control from the external controller 16 can be avoided and the tester 12 can control the flow of test operations based on pre - programmed test programs stored within and executed by the dedicated dut controller 102 . referring to fig3 , in accordance with an exemplary embodiment , the program flow for testing using the environment of fig2 can proceed as follows . following a start command 202 from the external controller 16 or tester 12 , the dut controller 102 and dut 14 are initialized , or “ booted ”, 204 . in the absence of the occurrence of an interrupt 209 ( e . g ., in the form of a command , request , or other type of signal from the tester 12 ), with the program index at zero , program flow 205 proceeds to determine whether or interrupt has occurred 208 . if no interrupt has occurred 209 , this step of checking for an interrupt 208 repeats until it is determined that an interrupt has occurred . program flow then continues to the next step where the index is incremented 210 , following which the next test command is executed 212 in accordance with the index value . following this , it is determined whether the test flow has been completed 214 . if not 215 , the process of checking for interrupt 208 , incrementing the index 210 and executing the next test command 212 is repeated . if test flow has been completed , then test flow reverts to the beginning , to await the next start command 202 . as a further alternative , the subsystem 102 , 104 elements can be included as part of ( e . g ., internal to ) the dut 14 . for example , the controller 102 and memory 104 can be elements within the dut 14 that , while providing functionality for the dut 14 during its normal use , also provide functionality specific for and dedicated to the testing operations as set forth above . still further alternatives include testing environments in which the tester 12 issues multiple types of commands , and in which the dut 14 transmits signals ( e . g ., either self - initiated or in response to signals from the tester 12 ). various other modifications and alternations 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 the 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 .	7
referring more specifically to the drawings the waste conditioning apparatus 1 of the invention has a working space or chamber 2 whose cover 19 is arranged as an assembly opening . the working space 2 also contains the auxiliary equipment containers 5 and 6 for receiving and dosing the bioinjurious waste . the filling of the containers 5 and 6 takes place for example via a connection 48 for globular resinous waste and via a connection 49 for sludge . a connection 50 serves for supplying deionized water . the shielding 7 around the containers 5 and 6 for protection against radiation is variably constructed e . g . of lead blocks , according to the purpose of employment of the apparatus of the invention . it is particularly advantageous to so form the arrangement of the container that for the case that only one of the containers 6 or 5 is used , the other container acts with corresponding filling , e . g . with water or suitable bulk material as shielding for the second container . the radioactive waste is received in the containers 6 and 5 by means of provided apparatus 16 and 17 , closed and subsequently conveyed to the filling stations 57 and 58 where the waste is filled into final storage containers 8 which contain predeposited solidification agents and the waste is solidified . the apparatus of the invention preferably contains several filling stations 57 and 58 so that a more economical sequence of operations is possible . also suitable is the use of one filling station 57 for globular resinous waste and the other filling station 58 for sludge waste . before filling the final storage container 8 there is lowered a slidable lift 9 to an intermediate cover 30 and it is connected there . during the filling the final storage container 8 advantageously standing in a shielding container 47 is fixed to a transportation equipment 44 which is in the filling position . after the filling the sliding lift 9 is raised and cover holding apparatus 51 closes the container . subsequently the final storage container is transportated away . the inside of the working space 2 has a slanting bottom 4 running into a sump 3 . the leakages in a given case collecting in the sump 3 are monitored by measuring instrument 18 . advantageously the control is carried out via a control panel 52 which is joined with the apparatus 1 via flexible cable 53 . the apparatus 1 has container measurements and therefore is easily transportable and variably employable . the control of the apparatus is freely programmable , fixedly wired safety controls are missing . through this there is first accomplished the compact construction and for the rest there can be quickly carried out changes in the programming of waste . by electronic cycle testing the correct carrying out of the orders is quaranteed . time delays or failures , e . g . of valves , etc ., shut off the start of power of the control until elimination of the disturbances and quitting . the apparatus thus is always converted into the safe condition with disturbances . the design of the individual components of the apparatus 1 is set forth in detail in fig3 to 11 . the final storage container 8 having an intermediate cover 30 which contains a passage for the stirrer shaft 70 connected at the upper end and constructed as a tube for the stirrer 54 mounted in the final storage container 8 as well as an opening for the waste supply 59 and the waste air 65 is , positioned by moving and turning , e . g . by means of a lift truck disposed in the filling and mixing position , to a hauling vehicle 44 having a support 45 and with the help of a positioning device 14 which contains a spot of light . by lowering the slidable lift 9 in one step there is swung away the swivelable pan 25 serving as protection against dropping and located under the waste supply line 12 , the stirrer 54 centered by means of coupling 11 and the drive shaft of the driving mechanism 10 connected and drum grasping pins 15 in holding clips 82 which are located in the intermediate cover 30 is driven in . the downward movement of the slideable lift 9 is stopped via a terminal switch ; the waste supply line 12 which , as is the waste air line 13 , is carried in the corresponding openings 59 and 65 is released by a contact switch . thereby it has proven particularly favorably to equip the ends of the lines 12 and 13 with gaskets 28 which are pressed by means of springs 29 to the intermediate cover 30 . the contact switch for releasing the waste supply line 12 can be suitably integrated in the gaskets 28 . after the end of the dosaging and mixing process the slidable lift 9 travels back from its operating position upwardly into its resting position . during this upward movement the swivel pan 25 is swung back below the waste supply and waste air line 12 and 13 and the gaskets 28 pressed on . the filled final storage container 8 is finally suitably closed by a final cover 80 and transported away . it has been shown to be particularly advantageous if the swivel pan 25 is secured on a shaft which contains a pin 67 led into a curved slot 27 so that the swinging process is released with the help of the tension or release from tension of a spring element 26 . the guiding of the shaft 66 is carried out in a guide element 68 . it is also especially favorable , e . g . via a connection 69 to pneumatically press the swinging pans 25 on the gaskets 28 . the formation of the stirrer connection 11 with a flat iron 31 as well as 2 - 4 carrier bolts 32 and a centering pin 33 has proven particularly favorably because of its robustness , likewise the use of two light indicators for the positioning device 14 . the centering pin 33 centers the stirrer 54 by driving its point into the upper open end of the stirrer shaft 70 while the carrier bolts 32 rotatingly move with an element 71 , for example a welded flat iron , fastened at the upper end of the stirrer shaft 70 in the connected operating condition and thus drive the stirrer 54 . preferably the driving mechanism 10 for the installed stirrer 54 of the final storage container 8 is connected with a dynamometer 55 . therewith it is possible to utilize in the stirring of the mixture of waste , solidifying agent and liquid other mixing properties , e . g . viscosity , as possible controls for the conditioning . the slidable arrangement of the stopping pins 15 on the slidable lift 9 has proven especially advantageous in the change of size of the final storage container . it has proven particularly favorable if the tube 34 of waste supply line 12 contains a conical valve 35 as closure which is connected via a shaft 36 with a drive 38 . the shaft 36 is led through the tube 34 by means of a sealed passage 37 . the drive 38 fastened on a stopping device 83 , hence permits the axial movement of the conical valve 35 extends into the storage container and releases the bioinjurious or radioactive material via the thus formed annular shaped opening constructed of the end of the tube 34 providing a sealing surface 39 and the spherical jacket - sealing surface 40 . in the closed position after filling the spherical jacket - sealing surface 40 seals with the sealing surface 39 at the end of the tube 34 , whereby sealing surfaces of metal have proven particularly good , so that the tube 34 can be carried away without danger from the filling opening 59 in the intermediate cover 30 by means of the slidable lift 9 . it has also proven especially favorable if the drive 38 consists of a compressed air cylinder 41 and a return spring 42 with which the axial movement of the conical valve 35 is carried out . suitably the lift of this axial movement is so limited that it is less than the axial length of the sealed passage 37 . in many cases also the shape of the bottom 29 of the conical valve 35 is of particularly advantage . it is particularly advantageous if the containers 5 and 6 and / or the shielding container 47 are constructed with double walls having a fillable hollow space between the walls . between the double walls 20 and 21 there is located a hollow space 22 which can be filled with suitable radiation protective material for the particular case . the double walls 20 and 21 is secured to a solid bottom 60 . however , the bottom likewise can also be constructed in particular cases as a double wall . there have proven particularly favorable for stabilization and maintaining the geometry of the fillable hollow space 22 spacing containers 61 whereby the spacing container 61 suitable forms an angle facing the container radius . according to the situation presented , the hollow space 22 needs to be filled only at the place of employment with water , suitable solutions or loose material or other ray absorbing materials . additional inlet and outlet devices 62 and 63 have proven particularly favorable for filling and later emptying the hollow space 22 . it is also particularly advantageous to divide the fillable hollow space 22 by partitions 64 into several compartments 23 . through this it is possible in special cases to have different filling with shielding material . it is especially advantageous to divide the hollow space 22 by concentric walls 24 into several concentric compartments 23 . the containers 5 , 6 , and 47 in a given case can be completely dedicated by filling the hollow space with concrete or other material in a so - called &# 34 ; lost concrete shielding &# 34 ;. it has proven especially favorably thereby to insert a sheet of diffusion stopping material , for example sheet aluminum against tritium permeation . in filling the hollow space with concrete or other material the spacing container 61 additionally serves as reinforcement . the hauling vehicle 44 has proven itself as a particularly favorable construction element of the apparatus of the invention in the filling stage of the final storage container 8 . a shielding container 47 which contains the final storage container 8 stands on a support 45 of the hauling vehicle 44 to which is fastened a centering device 73 . there are mounted on th support 45 tubular elements 74 which are constructed internally as hydraulic cylinders . there are fitted into the tubular elements 74 hydraulic pistons 75 on the lower side of which is located a ball element 46 , movable in all directions and suitably mounted . the hydraulic medium is conveyed through an opening 76 into a space 77 of a cylinder by means of a pump and supply line . thereby the support 45 is raised with the load so that the ball element 46 is operable in all directions on the floor 78 and the support 45 with the load can be brought both quickly and exactly into the filling position . in the filling position the support 45 is again lowered and again stands firmly on the floor 78 . thus devices such as conveyor belts , course of rollers , etc . can be eliminated . therewith in mobile waste conditioning plants there are also eliminated considerably transportation weight as well as generally at least partially the expense of decontamination . it is suitable to connect the hydraulic drive via a common ring conduit with the ball elements 46 . however , the lowering of the ball elements 46 can also take place either mechanically or electrically , although the hydraulic movement has proven particularly favorable . also especially advantageous are the annular construction of the support 45 as well as the use of three lowerable ball elements 46 on the bottom surface 79 of the support 45 . after filling the final storage container 8 the cover holding apparatus 51 , places the final cover 80 on by means of a gripping device 56 . the centering as well as the closing is carried out with suitable remote control devices . the gripping device 56 preferably operates by means of suction or magnetically . the cover holding apparatus is positioned through a drive . since the filling station and correspondingly by partially variable shielding walls 81 for the radiation protection requirements of the environment the positioning can also be carried out manually in such case .	6
the circuit arrangement for carrying out the method according to the invention shown in fig1 contains a voltage - controlled oscillator 1 , which is preceded by an adding circuit 2 . to one input 3 of the adding circuit 2 , an output 4 of a digital - to - analog converter 5 is connected , which is connected on the input side to an address bus 6 as well as to a data bus 7 of a computer 8 and is , on the other hand , in communication with a digital phase detector 18 of a calibrating device 13 via a connecting line 17 from a frequency reference value setter 14 . the phase detector 18 , which can be designed as is described in the book by tietze / schenk on page 692 , is followed by a lowpass 19 , the output 20 of which is connected to an input 22 of the adding circuit 2 via a switch 21 . in addition , the output 20 of the lowpass 19 is connected to a window comparator 23 which can be designed in a manner described on page 413 of the already mentioned book by tietze / schenk . the window comparator 23 is connected on the output side likewise to the address bus 6 and the data bus 7 of the computer 8 . for constructing a phase - lock loop circuit arrangement , the output 24 of the voltage - controlled oscillator 1 is connected via a line 25 to one input 26 of the phase detector 18 , to the further input 27 of which the connecting line 17 from the frequency reference value setter 14 is brought . referring to fig1 the method according to the invention for calibrating an adjustable frequency generator will be described in the following . in the closed condition of the switch 21 , a reference frequency f r is set at the frequency reference setter 14 , which is applied to the further input 27 of the phase detector 18 in the form of corresponding pulses . these pulses are compared with the pulses at the one input 26 of the phase detector 18 , and a pulse is generated at the output of the phase detector 18 , the pulse length of which is proportional to the respective phase difference . the pulses of the pulse sequence are integrated in the lowpass which consequently generates a voltage u ar . via the phase - locked loop circuit arrangement , a frequency f a is generated finally in a transient at the output 24 of the voltage - controlled oscillator 1 which is also present at the one input 26 of the phase detector 18 . in the steady state , a voltage is generated at the output 20 of the lowpass 19 and therefore , as the input voltage u e at the input of the voltage - controlled oscillator 1 which causes the latter to deliver a voltage with the output frequency f a which corresponds exactly to the frequency f r at the further input 27 of the phase detector 18 . subsequently , the computer 8 , to which a digital reference value signal corresponding to the frequency f r has been fed by the frequency reference value setter 14 , delivers an output voltage u d of a magnitude , for calibration , via the digital - to - analog converter to the input 3 of the adding circuit 2 , which corresponds to the output voltage u ar of the lowpass 19 . this is achieved by monitoring the output voltage of the lowpass 19 by the window comparator 23 , in that the latter delivers , at a value zero of the output voltage u ar of the lowpass 19 , a corresponding signal to the computer 8 , whereby not only the voltage u d at the output 4 of the digital - to - analog converter 5 is held , but at the same time a digital value corresponding to this analog voltage is stored in the nonvolatile memory 12 . since at the same time the frequency f r of the frequency reference value setter 14 is stored in the computer 8 , a given voltage value u d is therefore associated in digital form with the frequency f r in the computer 8 this process is run with different frequency reference values , so that , in the execution of the method according to the invention , a number of values is stored in the computer 8 which assign to a given frequency reference value a given output voltage at the digital - to - analog converter 5 . intermediate values can be determined by interpolation , if desired . thereupon the entire calibrating device 13 can be disconnected from the computer 8 and the voltage - controlled oscillator 1 , whereby an adjustable frequency generator is obtained which consists of the computer 8 , the digital - to - analog converter 5 and the voltage - controlled oscillator 1 . the adding circuit 2 can be omitted since the output 4 of the digital - to - analog converter 5 can be connected directly to the input of the voltage - controlled oscillator 1 . in this manner , a frequency generator is then obtained which can operate in start - stop mode and thus generates a signal with the desired output frequency f a upon a frequency pre - selected at the computer 8 without transients at the output 24 of the voltage - controlled oscillator , where this signal also fulfills a certain starting condition , and therefore , also for instance , begins with a zero crossing from minus to plus . if the calibrating device 13 is not disconnected from the other parts of the circuit arrangement of fig1 after the calibration is completed , an adjustable frequency generator is obtained which works , with the switch 21 closed , in continuous operation and , with the switch 21 open , can be used in start - stop operation . the circuit arrangement shown in fig2 agrees in many parts with that according to fig1 so that identical parts are designated in both figures with the same reference symbols . it is an important difference of the circuit arrangement according to fig2 from the previously described one that it contains in a calibrating device 29 a phase detector 30 with two outputs , such as described , for instance , in the book by roland best &# 34 ; theorie und anwendungen des phase - locked loops ,&# 34 ; 3rd ed ., 1982 , page 16 , last line . the phase detector 30 has two outputs 31 and 32 which are connected to a following lowpass 33 and also to a digital pulse - monitoring device 34 . the digital pulse - monitoring device 34 is connected on the output side to the address bus 6 and the data bus 7 of the computer 8 . the lowpass 33 is again connected via a switch 21 to an adding circuit 2 which is linked circuit - wise to the other building blocks exactly as in the circuit arrangement according to fig1 . in constructing an adjustable frequency generator with the circuit arrangement according to fig2 the procedure is similar to the circuit arrangement according to fig1 . differing therefrom , it is only monitored by means of the digital pulse monitoring device 34 whether there are signals at the outputs 31 and 32 which have the same phase . if this is the case , the current calibrating process is considered finished , and a digital signal corresponding to the voltage u d at the input 3 of the adding circuit 2 is stored in the computer 8 , related to the respective frequency reference value . by disconnecting the calibrating device 29 from the computer 8 and the voltage - controlled oscillator 1 , a frequency generator can then be obtained which can be used for start - stop operation . if the calibrating device 29 is not disconnected , a frequency generator is obtained which , depending on the position of the switch 21 , can be used as a continuously operating frequency generator as well as a start - stop frequency generator . in the circuit arrangement according to fig3 a calibrating device 40 contains , besides the frequency reference value setter 14 , the phase detector 18 following the former and the lowpass 19 , a comparator 41 , one input 42 of which is connected to the output 4 of the digital - to - analog converter . a further input 43 of the comparator 41 is connected to the output 20 of the lowpass 19 . the output 20 of the lowpass 19 is in addition connected to a contact 44 of a switch 45 which is connected to the voltage - controlled oscillator 1 . a further contact 46 of the switch 45 is connected to the input 42 of the comparator 41 as well as to the output 4 of the digital - to - analog coverter 5 . the comparator 41 is connected on the output side to the address bus 6 and the data bus 7 of the computer which is constructed in the same manner as shown in fig1 and 2 . the calibrating process runs , in the circuit arrangement according to fig3 in such a manner that , upon a frequency value set by means of the frequency value setter , a voltage u d is generated by the computer 8 by means of the digital - to - analog converter 5 , with the position of the switch 45 shown , which is exactly as large as the voltage u ar at the output of the lowpass 19 . equality of the voltages u d and u ar is determined by means of the comparator 41 , which in the event of voltage equality , delivers at its output a signal to the computer 8 , whereupon the just selected frequency reference value as well as , in digital form , also the voltage value u d is stored . this is again done for a number of frequency reference values . if the calibration process is finished , the circuit arrangement shown can be used in start - stop operation by changing the switch 45 to the contact 46 , where upon each preselected frequency value in the computer 8 , an output frequency f a is formed immediately without any transients at the output of the voltage - controlled oscillator 1 , which corresponds to the desired frequency . if the switch 45 is in the position shown , then the circuit arrangement shown can be used as a continuously operating frequency generator . in the foregoing specification , the invention has been described with reference to specific exemplary embodiments thereof . it will , however , be evident that various modifications and changes may be made thereunto without departing from the broader spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims . the specification and drawings are , accordingly , to be regarded in an illustrative rather than in a restrictive sense .	7
the present invention provides a device and method to ensure that a selected inner portion of a body cavity is gripped , so that a suspect area possibly containing a tumor as well as a small surrounding area of healthy tissue may be removed . the additional amount of healthy tissue being removed is necessary to provide a safety margin portion of tissue , to ensure that all of the suspect area has been cut away from the body cavity . the invention also ensures that the entire tissue sample that has been cut is actually removed from the body cavity before the endoscope and associated tools are removed . the invention prevents the cut tissue from falling out of the device and being left within the body cavity , so that further study of the removed tissue to perform a diagnosis is possible . the invention protects the cut tissue from the surrounding area while withdrawing it from the body cavity , so that the sample is not contaminated by extraneous materials on the way out of the body cavity . in addition , the invention limits the amount of healthy tissue surrounding the suspect area that is damaged when the suspect area is removed from the body cavity . fig1 shows a diagram of an embodiment according to the invention , used in conjunction with a ftrd to remove a suspect area from a body cavity . ftrd 10 is inserted within a body cavity 20 either through an incision made by the surgeon or through a natural opening of the cavity . body cavity 20 is roughly tubular in shape , and has an inner surface 22 that includes a suspect area 24 . the suspect area 24 may be either a lesion that has to be removed and analyzed to determine if it is cancerous , or a growth such as a polyp that has to be removed , or from which a biopsy must be taken . the vacuum grabber device 30 is inserted inside a working channel 36 formed in the center of the ftrd 10 , and includes a vacuum line 32 and a flexible cup 34 attached to the vacuum line 32 . the vacuum grabber device 30 is adapted to be inserted in the ftrd 10 , so that both components can be introduced within the patient &# 39 ; s body cavity 20 . the distal end of ftrd 10 is placed in position near the suspected lesion 24 located on inner wall 22 of the body cavity 20 , and the vacuum grabber device 30 can thus also reach the suspected lesion 24 . when vacuum grabber device 30 is inserted in the working channel of ftrd 10 , the flexible cup portion 34 is in the folded configuration , so that it can more easily travel through working channel 36 . fig2 shows this configuration . once ftrd 10 is positioned within the body cavity 20 near the suspect region 24 , head assembly 38 of the ftrd 10 is opened , for example by pushing on control wire 40 which connects the head assembly 38 to an area outside of the patient &# 39 ; s body . once head assembly 38 is opened , vacuum grabber device 30 is pushed outside of ftrd 10 through an opening between the main body of ftrd 10 and the head assembly 38 . although the present embodiment of the invention is described in conjunction with a ftrd , other insertion devices capable of excising a portion of tissue within a body cavity can also be used . the present invention is thus generally usable to capture a suspect portion of the inner surface of a body cavity so that treatment , observations or removal to the suspect portion of tissue may be performed . in another embodiment according to the invention , vacuum grabber device 30 could be inserted into the patient &# 39 ; s body cavity 20 by means of an insertion device other than an ftrd that can shield the vacuum line 32 and the flexible cup 34 . once the insertion device reaches the suspect area of interest , an opening could be made in the insertion device to eject the vacuum grabber device 30 . for example , the insertion device could be similar to the ftrd , but without the ability to cut and staple the tissue of the body cavity 20 . as described above , the cutting and stapling functions could be performed by additional tools inside or adjacent to the insertion device . as shown in fig1 and 3 , vacuum grabber device 30 is pushed outside of the opening made between head assembly 38 and the main body of ftrd 10 , at which point the folded flexible cup 34 automatically deploys into a substantially funnel shaped configuration . in a preferred embodiment according to the invention shown in fig3 the flexible cup in the deployed configuration has a substantially funnel shape , with a small opening 31 connected to the vacuum line 32 , and a larger opening 46 adapted to be placed over the suspect region 24 that requires treatment . the flexible cup can have openings that are not round , as long as it can be connected to the source of vacuum , and the large opening can cover the desired portion of tissue . after exiting the working channel 36 of ftrd 10 , the flexible cup 34 opens to its deployed configuration automatically , due to the force exerted by resilient elements that make up the structure of flexible cup 34 . for example , a resilient ring - like structure 42 can be disposed near the large opening 46 , so that once it is no longer constrained , flexible cup 34 will open to its funnel configuration . in addition , or instead of resilient ring 42 , several resilient ribs 44 can be located on the sides of flexible cup 34 to force it in the deployed configuration once its no longer constrained within working channel 36 . the resilient elements can be embedded in a transparent membrane 40 forming the flexible cup , or can be placed inside or outside of membrane 40 . other configurations of resilient elements 42 and 44 could be used , such as spiral configurations , multiple rings , or any other known configurations that will open flexible cup 34 to its proper shape . the vacuum grabber device 30 can be moved axially along the inside of body cavity 20 by simply pushing or pulling on the vacuum line 32 . in addition , in one embodiment according to the invention , flexible cup 34 is placed at an angle from the center line of vacuum line 32 , so that rotating vacuum line 32 will cause large opening 46 of flexible cup 34 to sweep in a generally circumferential direction along the inner surface 22 of body cavity 20 . this configuration allows large opening 46 to be placed over a selected portion of the body cavity . in one preferred embodiment according to the invention , the flexible cup 34 is made of a flexible polymer that is clear , for example , a plasticized silicon material . other materials could be used that are transparent and substantially air tight , so that a vacuum can be applied and held by the flexible cup . the materials preferably can insulate the suspect lesion or other tissue that was removed from the surrounding body cavity , so that it will not be contaminated by extraneous materials when it is withdrawn from the body . the flexible cup must be sufficiently transparent so that the tissue in question can be seen through the flexible cup . for example , an endoscope could be used to look at the tissue through membrane 40 . in yet another embodiment according to the invention , a mesh 50 or other type of screen can be located in the vacuum line 32 , or near the small opening of flexible cup 34 . this screen is designed to prevent portions of the tissue that was removed from traveling down the vacuum line , and can also be used to form a holding area for the tissue , so that it will be protected from contamination by vacuum line 32 and by the membrane 40 of flexible cup 34 . the operation of vacuum grabber device 30 will now be explained with reference to fig1 through 3 . ftrd 10 or another type of insertion device is inserted in body cavity 20 and is navigated by the surgeon to a location near suspect lesion 24 , located on inner surface 22 of the body cavity 20 . at this point , vacuum grabber device 30 is inside working channel 36 of ftrd 10 , and flexible cup 34 is in the folded configuration shown in fig2 . when ftrd 10 is in place , head assembly 38 is opened , and flexible cup portion 34 is ejected outside of ftrd 10 . as explained above , flexible cup 34 opens in its funnel configuration once no longer constrained in working channel 36 . the surgeon can look for suspect lesion 24 through the endoscope 11 which is also inserted through the working channel of ftrd 10 , and can position flexible cup 34 over the suspect le ion by rotating , pulling and pushing vacuum line 32 . by looking with the endoscope 11 through transparent membrane 40 of flexible cup 34 , the surgeon can position the funnel - like flexible cup over the suspect lesion 24 , and can start applying a vacuum by operating means , such as vacuum pump 60 , which can provide both an adjustable vacuum and positive pressure in vacuum line 32 . while looking through transparent membrane 40 of flexible cup 34 , the surgeon can vary the amount of vacuum and positive pressure applied to the flexible cup 34 , so that the selected inner portion of the body cavity containing the suspect lesion 24 as well as a safety margin portion 26 of healthy tissue surrounding the suspect lesion 24 is gripped and contained within flexible cup 34 . in a preferred embodiment , the safety margin portion 26 can extend beyond lesion 24 by about 3 mm to 6 mm . when the surgeon is satisfied that the selected inner portion of body cavity is firmly held by vacuum within flexible cup 34 , the vacuum grabber device 30 can be partially withdrawn inside the ftrd 10 to pull the selected inner portion of body cavity into a desired operating position relative to the ftrd 10 , inside the chamber 44 formed by the open head assembly 38 . the surgeon at that point can operate cutting device 56 that is part of the ftrd 10 , to separate the selected inner portion of the body cavity from the rest of inner surface 22 . for example , cutting device 56 can be an extendable and movable blade . a stapling portion 58 of ftrd 10 can be used at that point to close the wound left by the removed portion of the body cavity , so that healing will be promoted . the specific configuration of cutting device 56 and stapling portion 58 can vary , as long as a portion of the body cavity drawn inside ftrd 10 is cut and the severed sides of the remaining healthy tissue are stapled together . the selected inner portion of body cavity containing suspect lesion 24 as well as a margin of safety portion 26 of healthy tissue is thus held by vacuum within flexible cup 34 , and after cutting is withdrawn from the body of the patient while being protected from contamination by membrane 40 of flexible cup 34 . a pathology study of suspect lesion 24 can then be carried out without the concern that the results may be affected by possible contamination of the sample . according to one embodiment of the invention , the selected inner portion of body cavity that was removed can be held near the flexible cup 34 by a screen 50 acting as a sample catcher . alternatively , the selected inner portion can be drawn by vacuum all the way down vacuum line 32 , and can be collected outside of the body at the proximal opening of vacuum line 32 . in one embodiment , ftrd 10 can be inserted into the patient and can carry an endoscope in a working channel of the ftrd . alternatively , the ftrd could be inserted separately from the endoscope , in the same cavity . the important consideration in positioning the endoscope is that the surgeon must be able to see the flexible cup 34 and the suspect lesion area 24 , so that the transparent flexible cup 34 can be correctly placed over the lesion area 24 , and the selected inner portion of the body cavity can be drawn within flexible cup 34 . in yet another embodiment according to the invention , flexible cup 34 can be provided in various sizes , so that the appropriate cup can be applied to different size lesions to ensure that the entire lesion plus a safety margin of healthy tissue can be drawn inside the flexible cup 34 . in addition , for cases where the lesion 24 has a very irregular shape , specially designed flexible cups could be used , either having very high flexibility or having specific shapes of the large opening 46 to accommodate the irregularly shaped lesion . in the latter case , flexible cup 34 should have dimensions commensurate with the largest dimension of the lesion , such as the lesion length or diameter . an increased vacuum may also be necessary to firmly hold a lesion having an irregular shape within flexible cup 34 . it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the structure and methodology of the present invention , without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention . thus , it is intended that the present invention covers the modifications and variations of this invention provided they come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents .	0
the above described drawing figures illustrate the invention in at least one of its preferred embodiments , which is further defined in detail in the following description . the present invention is an apparatus for changing power steering fluid in an automotive power steering system . fluid is shown with cross - hatching in fig2 but not in the interconnecting hoses . the fluid is referred to as “ spent fluid ” which is replaced by the method of this invention , and as “ replacement fluid ,” which is substituted for the spent fluid . the vehicle &# 39 ; s fluid reservoir is shown in fig2 and identified with numeral 33 . the vehicle &# 39 ; s power steering pump is not shown , but it pulls ( pumps ) fluid from the reservoir 33 to the power steering unit , also not shown , through tube 62 , and pushes the fluid back to the reservoir 33 through tube 64 . [ 0035 ] fig2 shows the operating components of the invention including , a fluid receiving container 10 , a fluid supply container 20 , a utility fluid pump 30 which may be of any common type capable of pumping both air and a viscous liquid such as power steering fluid , a pressure actuated fluid valve 40 , and fluid conducting conduits 15 , 16 , 16 ′, 17 , 21 , 32 which are preferably plastic tubing of the type that is reinforced so as to prevent bulging under pressure and collapse under vacuum . the containers 10 and 20 are constructed so that fluids , including air , can only flow into and out of the containers via their ports . the interconnections between containers 10 , 20 and the fluid conducting conduits are tight so as not to leak when subjected to the pressures necessary for operation of the invention as herein defined . such construction is well known in the art and is of critical importance here as will be shown . the components of the invention are arranged such that fluids , both air and power steering fluid are forced to flow in the apparatus under pressures created by fluid pump 30 . when the invention apparatus is engaged with the reservoir 33 , as shown , spent fluid in the vehicle &# 39 ; s power steering system is pumped from reservoir 33 by suction in tube 35 and line 32 , into container 10 through check valve cv . drain valve 31 is closed at this time . the novelty of this arrangement is that spent fluid flows into container 10 and this causes air in container 10 and line 16 to be slightly compressed because the system is tight , so that pressure in container 10 rises . shutoff valve 80 is not open to tube 17 at this time . when a selected amount of the spent fluid from the vehicle &# 39 ; s power steering system has flowed into container 10 its pressure and that in tube 16 reaches a level that automatically opens pressure actuated valve 40 , i . e ., valve 40 is adjustable and set for a selected pressure . such pressure actuated valves are very well known in the art and are notoriously used as pressure relieve valve . when valve 40 opens , pressure in container 10 is relieved into container 20 which forces the flow of replacement fluid from container 20 into reservoir 33 through tube 21 and valve 31 ′ which is open at this time . the sizes of the containers 10 , 20 and of the tubes are such that 80 - 90 % of spent fluid in the power steering system is removed before new replacement fluid starts to enter . one of skill in the art would have the capability to configure the tube sizes and lengths so that pressure adjustment at valve 40 is capable of accomplishing this result . as noted in fig2 valve 40 is adjustable as to the pressure differential between tubes 16 and 16 ′ at which it will open . with this facilitation , it is quite simple to adjust valve 40 to open when a selected amount of the spent fluid has been removed from reservoir 33 . that is , upon first trials of the system , when the selected amount of spent fluid has been pumped from the power steering system , valve 40 is adjusted to open at the pressure differential that exists at that time between tubes 16 and 16 ′. this setting may thereafter remain unchanged for the invention to operate in the same manner in subsequent uses , assuming that the volume of each subsequent power steering system remains nearly the same . this is a critical and novel aspect of the invention and clearly results in a benefit of significant value , i . e ., only 10 - 20 % of the spent fluid is left to mix with replacement fluid . in an alternate embodiment of the invention , valve 40 is not used . however , the same result is accomplished by sizing and positioning the tubes 16 , 16 ′ and 21 and the containers 10 , 20 such that the same result as described above is accomplished . experimentation with tube conductances , pumping pressures and container volumes and relative elevational positions can easily converge on a system solution that operates without the valve 40 to achieve delayed fluid flow from the replacement container 20 relative to flow into the spent fluid container 10 . fig1 shows a system that provides the requisite configuration to achieve the objectives defined . removal of the spent fluid and insertion of the replacement fluid is accomplished without supervision ; basically automatically . the process is conducted while the engine of the vehicle is running so that the fluid is drawn off and replaced in a continuous manner , e . g ., while circulating through the vehicle &# 39 ; s power steering system via lines 62 and 64 respectively . this has the advantage of assuring that most of the spent fluid is extracted from the system prior to inserting the replacement fluid . the pump 30 may be of any type capable of pumping fluid , and as shown in fig2 it is preferably driven by a source of compressed air ( shop air ) through a regulator 70 . preferably the suction line tube 35 terminates with a magnetic suction nozzle 35 ′ for capturing metal finds in the fluid . such metal finds , i . e ., metallic dust and other particles often tend to clog the power : steering lines and valves so that capture of this material is of importance . the magnetic suction nozzle comprises a steel screen mounted on the end of the suction tube 31 the steel screen stretched across a doughnut shaped magnet so that the entire screen provides magnetic attraction to metal particles in the fluid . during fluid flow through the screen , the metal particles adhere to the screen and may later be manually removed . shutoff valve 80 , enables the use of shop air to pressurize containers 10 and 20 when necessary for draining fluids therefrom . to accomplish this , shop air is directed through regulator 70 and valve 80 ′ into tube 17 to pressurize the containers 10 , and / or 20 and at this time valves 31 and 31 ′ are closed . relief valve rv is used to assure that excessive pressure does not appear in tube 17 . the tube assembly including suction tube 35 and delivery tube 36 is a simple , light weight assembly which is manually placed into reservoir 33 during fluid replacement , and removed from reservoir 33 for draining containers 10 and / or 20 . with this assembly removed from reservoir 33 and placed into a disposal container ( not shown ) and with the opening of wither or both drain valves 31 and 31 ′ ( depending on which container is to be drained ), the containers 10 and 20 are drained directly . the step of draining the containers 10 , 20 is preferably accomplished by closing valves 31 and 31 ′, pressurizing the containers 10 and 20 and then closing shutoff valve 80 thereby isolating containers 10 , 20 while they are under pressure , whereupon the system ( all shown in fig2 except for vehicle reservoir 33 ) is then moved to a drainage site for disposal of the fluids , wherein the fluids in containers 10 and 20 are forced out by the pressure held in containers 10 and 20 through the valves 31 and / or 31 ′. no assistance from shop air is required for this forced draining . an alternate method of draining container 10 is to provide a two - way drain valve at point “ a ” in tube 15 . such a two - way drain valve in tube 15 at point “ a ” is plumbed to allow , in its first valve position , free fluid flow from pump 30 to container 10 , and in its alternate valve position , drainage of container 10 . container 10 would be pressurized as described above prior to such draining . in the preferred embodiment , containers 10 and 20 are about two feet in length and four inches in diameter , and the fluid tubes are { fraction ( 5 / 16 )} or ⅜ inch inside diameter . the pressure actuated valve 40 is set to open at a specified pressure in the range of 3 - 6 psi , and this combination has been shown to automatically extract about 80 - 90 % of the spent fluid in a typical automotive power steering system which holds about 2 quarts of fluid , prior to starting delivery of the replacement fluid . other combinations of container and tube sizes and length can be used in the present invention just as well , and the opening pressure at pressure actuated valve 40 can be set to start delivery of the replacement ps fluid at any desired stage in the process . the method of the present invention further comprises the following steps for determining and controlling the amount of replacement fluid delivered to the system . these steps include : positioning the jointly engaged suction line tube 35 and the delivery tube 36 , into the reservoir 33 of the power steering system , the suction line tube 35 positioned for sucking the spent fluid out of the reservoir 33 to the spent fluid container 10 , and the delivery tube 36 is positioned for delivering the replacement fluid to the reservoir 33 from the replacement fluid container 20 ; and determining the amount of replacement fluid delivered to the reservoir 33 by placing the tubes 35 , 36 alternately and cyclically adjacent to a bottom surface 33 ′ of the reservoir 33 until the reservoir is empty , or nearly empty , and at an upper most position 33 ″ in the reservoir 33 until the reservoir 33 is filled . if the reservoir holds a total of one quart , then delivering the replacement fluid to an empty reservoir 33 until it is filled results in a one quart delivery , and then sucking the reservoir 33 until empty again and refilling it results in a two quart delivery , and so on . while the invention has been described with reference to at least one preferred embodiment , it is to be clearly understood by those skilled in the art that the invention is not limited thereto . rather , the scope of the invention is to be interpreted only in conjunction with the appended claims .	5
referring to fig1 and 2 , a tibial base plate 1 has a top surface 2 and an upwardly extending rail 3 around the periphery of the top surface 2 . also extending upwardly from the plate 1 top surface 2 is a two - segment dovetail comprising first 4 and second 5 segments . the rail 3 merges with the second segment 5 to eliminate notches in the posterior region of the plate 1 that could weaken the plate 1 . the first segment 4 includes converging sides defining a lead - in angle . the first segment has a dovetail axis to which the converging sides converge to form the lead - in angle . the lead - in angle can vary from 1 to 179 degrees but is preferably about 32 degrees . the second segment 5 also includes converging sides converging to the same dovetail axis as the first segment and defining a lead - in angle . however , the second segment 5 sides are offset outwardly with respect to the first segment 4 sides and are therefore not co - linear with the first segment 4 sides . the first and second dovetail segments blend at a shoulder 6 to form a continuous , two - segment dovetail . preferably the lead - in angle of the second segment 5 is the same as the lead - in angle of the first segment 4 . the two - segment dovetail allows the continuous rail while maintaining dovetail engagement posteriorly , due to the offset of the second segment 5 . it simultaneously minimizes the dimensions of the first , anterior , dovetail segment 4 to reduce the requisite dovetail groove in the articular component . this results in a stronger articular component with improved resistance to material cold flow . the two - segment dovetail has a dovetail angle 7 which can vary from 1 to 89 degrees but preferably is about 45 degrees . in the preferred embodiment the dovetail angle 7 is the same for both the first 4 and second 5 segments . the preferred embodiment also contains a posterior groove 8 , formed as an undercut in a widened portion 9 of the posterior part of the rail 3 . the base plate 1 is preferably formed made of metal to provide a strong and rigid support for the articular surface component . fig3 - 5 depict an articular surface component 10 which attaches to the top surface 2 of the tibial base plate 1 . the articular component has an upper surface 11 for articular engagement with a femoral component and a lower surface 12 for matingly engaging the top surface 2 of the plate 1 . a stepped edge 13 around the periphery of the articular component 10 is adapted to engage the rail 3 to resist outward migration of the component when it is compressively loaded . a two - segment dovetail slot 14 corresponding to the two - segment dovetail is formed in the lower surface 12 . the preferred embodiment includes a posterior tongue 15 adapted to engage the posterior groove 8 . the articular surface component 10 is preferably made from a polymer such as polyethylene which has natural lubricity to aid in articulation with a femoral component and which is elastically deformable to allow the dovetail interface described below . in use the articular surface component 10 is positioned with its lower surface 12 in contact with the top of the rail 3 and with the dovetail segments 4 and 5 in alignment with the two - segment dovetail slot 14 as shown in fig6 . with a downward and rearward force , the articular component 10 is urged into engagement with the plate 1 . the two - segment dovetail slot engages the first segment 4 first and then the second segment 5 and the tongue 15 engages the groove 8 . as the dovetail engages the dovetail slot , the slot elastically deforms creating reactive forces tending to move the articular component forward , toward the front portion of the rail 18 , and downward , toward the top 2 of the plate 1 . these forces occur due to the lead - in angle and dovetail angle 7 respectively . these reactive forces are advantageously distributed over both dovetail segments 4 and 5 . as the front edge 19 of the articular component 10 clears the rail 3 , the articular component 10 moves to seat against the plate 1 . when the user removes the downward and rearward force , the reactive forces from the elastic deformation of the articular component 10 cause the articular component &# 39 ; s lower surface 12 and front edge 19 to press firmly against the plate &# 39 ; s top surface 2 and the front portion 18 of the rail 3 , respectively , as shown in fig7 . in an alternative embodiment , shown in fig8 - 12 , a spined articular component 20 includes a spine 21 for constraining the motion of a femoral component . the spined component is strengthened and further secured by a reinforcing component 22 . the reinforcing component is preferably made from a metal to provide sufficient strength and rigidity . the spined component contains a recessed area 23 and a post hole 24 and a bolt hole 25 . the reinforcing component 22 comprises a base portion 26 having a top 27 and a bottom 28 . a post 29 extends from the top 27 of the base portion 26 . the bottom 28 contains a clearance slot 30 . a bolt hole 31 extends through the base portion 26 . the reinforcing component 22 fits within the spined component 20 with the post 29 extending into the post hole 24 and the base portion 26 within the recess 23 . the bolt hole 31 in the base portion 26 aligns with the bolt hole 25 in the spined component 20 . in use , the reinforcing component 22 is placed within the spined component 20 and then the spined component 20 is placed on the tibial base plate 1 as described for the previous embodiment . however , the clearance slot 30 of the rigid base portion 26 fits over the first segment 4 of the dovetail and does not engage it . the second segment 5 does engage the dovetail slot 14 and the tongue 15 engages the groove 8 . when the spined component 20 is seated on the base plate 1 , the bolt holes 25 and 31 align with a bolt hole 32 in the base plate 1 . a bolt 33 is placed through the bolt holes 25 , 31 and 32 to engage a nut , or preferably a threaded stem extension 34 , as shown in fig1 . the bolt . 33 passes completely through the bolt hole 25 in the spined component 20 and abuts the base portion 26 of the reinforcing component 22 . when the bolt 33 is tightened , the base portion 26 of the reinforcing component 22 is pressed tightly against the top 2 of the plate . because of the close engagement of the post 29 and the walls of the post hole 24 , forces that would tend to displace the spine 21 are transmitted to the post 29 and therefore to the plate 1 . the reinforcing component 22 in conjunction with the engagement of the second dovetail segment 5 with the dovetail slot 14 and the engagement of the tongue 15 and groove 8 provides secure fixation of the spined component 20 to the plate 1 . this is because in order for the spined component 20 to disengage from the base plate 1 , it must be displaced in a tilting or sliding manner which is prevented by the reinforcing component 22 and bolt 33 . it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the foregoing has described a preferred embodiment of the present invention and that variations in design and construction may be made to the preferred embodiment without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention defined by the appended claims .	0
illustrated in fig1 - 3 is a bulk material container 10 holding viscous material m ( fig4 ) in the process of either being withdrawn or placed into a shell 25 of the container 10 through a conduit 11 ( fig1 ) by means of a suitable pump assembly , not shown . in the preferred embodiment , the pump assembly is a sump pump . the shell 25 of the container 10 is provided with an access opening 13 ( fig3 ) of conventional type and size . in a bulk material container , the access opening is generally large enough for an operator to pass through so as to be able to inspect , repair and clean the interior of the shell of the container . the access opening 13 receives a cover 15 made of suitable material , such as mild steel . the shell 25 of the container 10 may be made of suitable material , such as mild steel , stainless steel or aluminum . the top of the shell 25 of the container 10 is made of suitable material , such as mild steel . disposed in the cover 15 is a plug 16 , a suitable vacuum vent valve 17 , a suitable pressure relief valve 18 , and a suitable opening 19 for supplying fluid under pressure . a stacking ring 20 encircles the shell 25 in the vicinity of the cover 15 . at the bottom of the shell 25 of the container 10 are fork entry skids 26 . a flexible follower 30 ( fig2 and 4 ) is disposed in the shell 25 of the container 10 and follows the level of the surface of the material m . it urges the material m into the pump assembly , not shown , via the conduit 11 during the draining of the material m from the shell 25 of the container 10 . a flexible follower and shell generally of the type herein described is disclosed in detail in the patent to coleman , u . s . pat . no . 3 , 781 , 942 , issued on jan . 1 , 1974 for follower for material containers . a flexible follower and shell generally of the type herein described is disclosed in detail in my pending application , ser . no . 06 / 120 , 629 , filed on feb . 11 , 1980 , for material container having a flexible follower now u . s . pat . no . 4 , 471 , 892 , issued on sept . 18 , 1984 . the assignee of the present application is also the assignee of the cited pending application . the flexible follower 30 comprises a diaphragm 32 made from a suitable fabric , such as neoprene coated nylon fabric . the diaphragm 32 is disposed coextensive with the transverse cross - section of the shell 25 . the fabric for the diaphragm 32 , in the preferred embodiment , is a liquid impervious material , which is flexible and is relative thin and cloth - like . neoprene coated material , such as canvas , is suitable for these purposes . by employing a flexible follower , the follower can be folded to a collapsed form for removal from or entry into the shell 25 through the access opening 13 and can be expanded in the shell 25 to perform its intended functions . the diameter of the outermost wall 33 of the diaphragm 32 is dimensioned so as to engage substantially the inner surface 34 of the shell 25 . disposed along the outermost wall 33 of the diaphragm 32 and container within the diaphragm 32 is an annular sponge 40 . while the exemplary embodiment makes reference to a sponge , it is apparent that other suitable material may be employed equally as well . the sponge 40 and the outermost wall 33 form a wiper for cleaning the inner surface 34 of the shell 25 as bulk material is withdrawn from the container 10 . adjacent to the sponge 40 at the inboard side thereof is a stiffener , such as a tubular plastic ring 41 , which serves to rigidify the circumferential portion of the diaphragm 32 . an annular sleeve 42 made of suitable material , such as canvas , is fixed to the diaphragm 32 at the top and the bottom of the annular sponge 40 to retain the tubular plastic ring 41 in a fixed position relative to the diaphragm 32 . the sponge 40 is flexible and foldable so as to be contracted for removal from and insertion into the shell 25 through the access opening 13 . the sponge 40 is expanded in the shell 25 for the cleaning of the inner surface 34 of the shell 25 . the plastic ring 41 may be split for compression to facilitate its removal from and insertion into the shell 25 through the access opening 13 . when expanded in the annular sleeve 42 within the shell 25 , the ring 41 is suitable to provide a stiffener for the circumferential rim of the diaphragm 32 . inboard of the sleeve 42 and disposed within the diaphragm 32 adjacent to the sleeve 42 is a suitable weight ring 45 , made of metallic material such as mild steel . the weight ring 45 may be split for removal of and insertion into the shell 25 of the container 10 and for assembling in the diaphragm 32 . after the weight ring 45 is inserted into the shell 25 and assembled in the diaphragm 32 , the adjacent ends thereof at the split are secured together through a connecting plate fixed at one end and having an opening at the other end of the connected plate to receive a threaded stud to form a unitary structure for the weight ring 45 . thus , the weight ring 45 can be removed from and inserted into the shell 25 through the access opening 13 of the shell 25 of the container 10 . when inserted into the diaphragm 32 , the weight ring 45 is fully extended . such a ring for a flexible follower has been fully described in the aforementioned pending application , ser . no . 06 / 120 , 629 now u . s . pat . no . 4 , 471 , 892 . should it be desired to assure a complete and snug fitting of the wiper against the inner wall 34 of the shell 25 , a turnbuckle , not shown , may be provided having adjustable threaded rods whose outer ends are secured in sockets , mounted respectively on the inner surfaces of the ring 45 . the aforementioned turnbuckle is described in detail in the aforementioned u . s . pat . no . 3 , 781 , 942 . a draw string 46 is provided within a seam welt 47 . fixed to the outermost wall 33 of the diaphragm 32 is a suitable permanent magnet 50 . in the exemplary embodiment , the magnet 50 is secured to the outermost wall 33 by a canvas strip 51 , which is sewn onto the outermost wall 33 of the diaphragm 32 . it is within the contemplation of the present invention to secure a plurality of magnets 50 on the outermost wall 33 of the diaphragm 32 . the plurality of magnets 50 will assure close proximity to the shell 25 in the event the follower 30 develops a slight convex or concave configuration in its up or down movement . in the exemplary embodiment , the magnets 50 are of the type manufactured by mcmaster - carr as catalogue no . 89 , of approximate pull of 120 pounds . mounted on the outer wall of the shell 25 is suitable means responsive to a magnetic field , such as a magnetic switch 55 . the switch 55 can be fixed to the shell 25 or can be detachably secured to the shell 25 . the height of the switch 55 can be selected dependent on the material level indicator function . the height of the switch can be selected to indicate when the level of the material m in the shell 25 of the container 10 has dropped to a point requiring refilling or the replacement by a filled bulk material container or when the level of the material m in the shell 25 of the container 10 has reached a height requiring the cessation of the filling operation . the switch 55 can be moved vertically to determine the location of the height of the material m in the shell 25 of the container 10 . in the event the shell 25 of the container 10 is made of material other than aluminum or stainless steel , such as mild steel , then the section of the shell 25 of the container 10 at which one or more of the magnetic switches 55 is located will be removed and replaced with a strip of material , such as stainless steel or aluminum . the replacement of the removed section of the shell 25 of the container 10 with a strip such as aluminum or stainless steel can be carried out by welding or any suitable means . more specifically , material that provides a path for the passage of a magnetic field or magnetic flux need not have a strip inserted into the shell 25 . on the other hand , material that does not provide a suitable path for the passage of a magnetic field or magnetic flux does require the inserted strip . connected to each of the magnetic switches 55 is a suitable level indicator 60 ( fig4 ) such as a light or an alarm , or a relay to activate a level indicator , or a solenoid valve . in the exemplary embodiment , a suitable source of power 65 is connected in series with the magnetic switch 55 and the level indicator 60 . in operation , the movement of the follower 30 to a predetermined height moves the magnet 50 at a level to activate the magnetic switch 55 . the activation of the magnetic switch operates the level indicator 60 .	6
the apparatus according to the invention in one form , fig1 comprises a column 11 , at the head 12 of which , swivel arms 13 and 14 are pivotally mounted with one end on respective journal pins 15 and 16 , in such a way that they can sweep across a range of at least 180 ° . their other ends of the swivel arms 13 , 14 are hinged by means of the journal pins 17 and 18 respectively to the upper end of the supporting arm 19 , which , at its lower end carries the scooping and casting ladle 20 . the latter is pivotally mounted on the axle 21 which rests on the supporting arm 19 . in order to keep the casting ladle in a constantly horizontal position when the swivel arms 13 , 14 are swung , and finally to be able to tilt it , a control linkage system or assembly consisting of control members or rods 22 and 23 is provided , which rods are coupled to one another by an angle lever 24 swivel - mounted on the journal pin 18 . the control rod 22 is connected to the piston of a hydraulic or pneumatic drive cylinder 25 , which maintains its position during the swiveling of the swivel arms 13 , 14 , so that by way of the control linkage members 22 , 23 , 24 , the casting ladle 20 , which is coupled to the lower end of the control rod 23 , is maintained in its horizontal position . the casting ladle 20 is surrounded by a protective ring 26 , which has a horizontal inwardly - projecting stop 27 , on which the upper edge of the casting ladle 20 abuts . since in many cases the casting ladle cannot be placed directly above the inlet opening of the machines or molds , it must either have a sufficiently long pouring lip , or must be provided with a pouring spout . in this embodiment , the pouring spout 28 is integral with the protective ring 26 and rests by way of stop 29 against the supporting arm 19 of the ladle 20 , so that when the casting ladle 20 is pivoted to scoop up metal by operation of the control linkage elements 22 , 23 , 24 , the pouring spout 28 and the protective ring 26 maintain their position . for the purpose of emptying the casting ladle 20 , the control linkage 22 , 23 , 24 is moved by operation of the hydraulic or pneumatic cylinder 25 , and thus the ladle is swung upwards , counterclockwise about the axis 21 , whereby , by means of the stop 27 on the protective ring 26 , the latter is moved , together with the pouring spout 28 , into the pouring position . in this apparatus constructed according to the invention , all the essential driving members are positioned at the upper end of the column 11 and are thus outside the immediate radiation range of the metal bath and the crucible containing it , so that they are essentially removed from harmful heat influence . as a result of the exceptionally simple and practical embodiment of the control and operating elements for the casting ladle , these elements are also reliable and safe to operate , and render possible an exact dosage when scooping up molten metal as well as exact positioning when pouring the metal out of the casting ladle , i . e . pouring it into the funnel of the die - casting machine . in some cases it is expedient to suspend the casting ladle electrically insulated from the linkage which carries it and controls its movement , so that it acts as an electrode for setting off a control impulse determining the depth to which the ladle is dipped into the metal bath . this means that , on making contact with the surface of the metal bath , the casting ladle triggers off a control impulse which can be delayed in an adjustable manner so as to cut off the dipping movement of the casting ladle into the metal bath after a predetermined time or after it has covered a predetermined distance . in addition , an adjustable stop is disposed on the control linkage for terminating the swivel movement of the ladle when scooping up metal , at a particular inclined position of the ladle to fix , the quantity of metal scooped up to a predetermined volume . in the second embodiment of the apparatus constructed according to the invention wherein like elements been like primed numerals , fig2 a housing 32 is positioned at the upper end of the tubular supporting arm 19 &# 39 ; of the casting ladle 31 , said housing supporting the journal pins 17 &# 39 ;, 18 &# 39 ; for the free ends of respective swivel arms 13 &# 39 ;, 14 &# 39 ;. the journal pins 15 &# 39 ;, 16 &# 39 ; on which the opposite ends of the swivel arms 13 &# 39 ;, 14 &# 39 ; are mounted , are disposed in a housing 33 which forms the head of the column 11 &# 39 ; and in which the drive motor for the swivel arms 13 &# 39 ;, 14 &# 39 ; is also placed . connected to the casting ladle 31 is a bevel gear 34 which engages a bevel gear 36 resting on the control shaft 35 inside the tubular supporting arm 19 &# 39 ;. at the upper end of the control shaft 35 is another bevel gear 37 , which engages with the crown wheel 38 in the housing 32 and can be rotated within a certain sector by the steering rod 40 via a crankpin 39 . the steering rod 40 is coupled to the hydraulic or pneumatic cylinder 41 , which is attached at one end to a mounting member 42 on the housing 32 . the cylinder 41 and the steering rod 40 are preferably encased in a bellows sheating 50 or the like , for protection against undesired heat absorption . the crown wheel 38 can be turned via the cylinder 41 and the steering rod 40 , as desired so that by means of the control shaft 35 inside the supporting arm 19 &# 39 ; and the bevel gears 36 and 37 at its two ends , the casting ladle can be swung into the required position as shown in fig3 to 5 . the section of the casting ladle 31 which is lowered into the metal bath for filling , is likewise surrounded by a protective ring 43 , which is mounted on the axis of the casting ladle 31 and maintains the position shown in fig2 and 3 while metal is being scooped up . a separate pouring spout associated with the casting ladle is preferably used only in exceptional cases . the reason for this is that the spout itself does not reach the same temperature as the ladle , so that the molten metal flowing through the spout into the casting funnel of the machine or mold undergoes an undesired cooling . it is thus also advantageous for the casting ladle to have a long pouring lip 44 whose mouth 45 is at a relatively great distance from the swivel axis 46 of the ladle 31 . it is true that with such a pouring lip , or with an appropriately - shaped pouring spout , awkwardly - placed casting funnels can be more easily reached , but they have the disadvantage that the stream of molten metal emitted from the lip or spout describes a changing arc while pouring , so that the point of impact of the metal stream moves during pouring . to offset this , the casting ladle has to effect a compensatory movement while pouring , in order that the point of impact of the stream of molten metal remains the same throughout . the second embodiment has that advantage the all elements producing the drive or movement of the casting ladle are encased and protected from heat absorption . it has been found particularly advantageous to dispose two electrodes 47 , 48 , made for instance of tungsten , graphite or some other suitable metal , at the lower end of the supporting arm 19 &# 39 ;, which , upon touching the surface when entering the metal bath , set off an electric control signal through which the dipping movement of the casting ladle is terminated . while the invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to preferred embodiments thereof , it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the foregoing and other changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention .	1
the system of this invention can be described by the following formula : concurrent - timing access to two quadrants of disk area & lt ;( in every ¼ h radians per one revolution of disk )× 2 ( quadrants )× 4 ( two pairs )× 2 ( both sides of the number of units of platters )−( 2 sides of upper most and lower most disks of the stack of disks .) with reference to fig1 , the prior art has a rotating disk 10 and carriage arm 10 c , where the transducer head 10 b moves along a path 10 a . at that instant the transducer head 10 b can only access tracks that are on quarter 10 d . tracks on quadrant areas 10 e , 10 f and 10 g are not accessible by the straight - arm actuator 10 c at that instant in time . for example for any track on quarter area 10 g to be accessible by transducer head 10 b , the disk 10 must make many more revolutions than one single revolution or less than one revolution and even then the carriage arm 10 c has to make many swinging motions on the path 10 a until the desired track becomes accessible . the back and forth motions - direction reversals also involve vibrations as is indicated by 10 h . with reference to fig2 , the wing shaped dual actuation arm assembly 13 and 14 are able to reach concurrently two different quadrants 20 and 21 respectively of the disk 33 . the reference center line c divides the half of disk 33 area further into two equal halves to indicate the limit that one of the pair member that reaches the inner reach border of actuator 13 , that is , it shows the inner limit of the distance 17 a that one of the pair member of wing shaped actuation - carriage arm 13 moves within the ½ quarter area , ½ of the radius of disk 33 . similarly the inner actuator member 14 moves within limited distance 18 . wing shaped dual actuation arm assembly structure 13 is moved by a linear analog voice coil motor 12 and wing shaped dual actuation assembly structure 14 is moved by a second linear analog voice coil motor 11 linearly , by moving the connection and mover member 13 e ( see fig7 ). when the wing shaped actuators arms 13 and 14 are positioned on different circumferential areas , a set of adjacent multiple number of tracks 22 and 23 become accessible for r / w functions . these multiple number of tracks 22 and 23 can reach r / w heads 26 a with only less than one revolution of the disk 33 . furthermore , since the wing shaped geometry of actuators - carriage arms 13 and 14 each have a length that extends as an arc like shape along the concentric tracks of the disk 33 and conform to the track curvatures - arcs 22 and 23 , not only a multitude of tracks 22 and 23 are reached concurrently , but also many complete sectors in a row 22 c and 23 c pass under the continuous - uninterrupted reach of the r / w heads 26 a for a longer time . therefore , many complete sectors can be identified instantly - instead of sequentially — as in the serial data transfer scheme . sector interleaves and head skew would become more effective and efficient . a very fast input - output bus and large buffer in ram would be needed for this system . track 22 a is the outer most border between inner most tracks and the outer tracks — that divides ½ of the radius of the disk to two halves , upon which actuators 13 and 14 move . border tracks 22 a of fig2 a and the inner non - data zone 22 d of fig1 are located adjacent to each other . those skilled in the art will recognize that the complete hard disk sectors 22 c and 23 c depicted are not drawn to scale in fig2 , but are rather depicted as much thicker lines for visual clarity . referring to fig2 — upper right quadrant 21 , the cutaway view of the multiple r / w heads 26 a shows how the r / w heads 26 a are in a series below the wings of the wing shaped dual actuator - carriage arm 14 , and face the disk surface 33 a . the disks 33 and 34 are turned by a spindle motor 32 . with reference to fig3 , the two pairs of wing shaped actuator - carriage arms and suspensions 13 and 14 cover two quadrants 20 and 21 of the disk 33 area concurrently and can move independently . data track 23 a is one set of innermost tracks of the outer most set of tracks , that are located on the outer ½ area of the disk 33 . similarly data track 22 b is one set of the inner most tracks that are within the inner ½ area of disk 33 . the limited designated distances 17 and 17 a are assigned to each actuator members of the pair actuator 13 . similarly , the actuator pairs 14 move within the designated limited distances of 18 and 18 a . the opposite quadrants 20 and 21 that the pair of actuators 13 and 14 function upon , are the areas over which the system has concurrent r / w capability . pair actuator arms and suspension 13 moves on linear stationary micro - rail 16 . similarly , the pair of actuator arm and suspension 14 moves on linear stationary micro - rail 15 . also shown is one of the flexible printed circuit ( fpc ) electronic wiring 13 c and 13 d connection that connects wiring 13 a to the drive electronics board . with reference to fig4 , depicted in perspective view are both pairs of wing shaped actuators - carriage arms 13 and 14 that move upon the stationary micro - rails 16 and 15 respectively . this pair of actuator arms 13 enables access to two different quadrant areas 20 and 21 of the disks 33 and 34 concurrently . due to the pair of actuators 13 and 14 , a multitude number of inner tracks 22 and a multitude number of outer tracks 23 are read / written concurrently with only ½ of a revolution of the disk 33 and 34 . the flexible printed circuit ( fpc ) electronic wiring board 13 c and 13 d that have a wiring pattern that have signal lines that connect the wing shaped actuator - carriage arms 13 and 13 a and r / w heads 26 , 27 , 28 , 26 b , 27 b , 28 b ( all not shown ) to the drive electronics board . the reference center line c indicates the inner limit of the outer actuator 13 — one member of the pairs that is over the outer ½ tracks — of the disk 33 , this is the inner limit reaching border for the outer one of the actuator 13 . same applies for actuator arm assembly pair 14 . with reference to fig5 , depicted is a partial ½ side elevational view of the disk of the two platters 33 and 34 and the r / w heads 26 , 27 , 28 and their single continuous contact pad system ( not shown in this drawing ) per each one r / w head 26 , 26 a , 27 , 27 a , 28 , 28 a that move linearly on the stationary micro - rails 16 and 16 a and 16 b , by analog voice coil actuator motors 12 , 12 a and 12 b , that also have a digital mode — which enables a fast skip function of data tracks 22 , 22 a , 23 . the half of the disks of 33 and 34 is further divided into two by a reference center - line c to be indicative of the limits of the distance that one of the outer of the pair of the actuator - carriage arm system moves . these r / w heads 26 , 27 , 28 are able to read / write on disks 33 and 34 surfaces 33 a , 33 b and 34 a and 34 b concurrently . the spindle motor 32 of the double platter system is seen at left . the stationary micro - rails 16 , 16 a and 16 b cover one of the quadrant areas 20 , of the two disks 33 , 34 with both surfaces 33 a , 33 b and 34 a and 34 b being read and written upon . note , not shown are the same components that are at the other half - quarter of the disk 33 , ( left side of fig5 ,) for actuator - carriage arm 14 and r / w heads 26 b , 27 b , and 28 b and their single continuous contacts pads 26 a , 27 a , 28 a . the micro - rail 15 covers the other half area of the disk 33 . with reference to fig6 , the wing shaped actuation - carriage arms 13 and 14 are able to reach concurrently two different quadrants 20 and 21 of the disk area , when these are in a symmetrical positioning — as depicted . when the wing shaped actuators 13 and 14 are positioned symmetrically on the same opposite concentric areas , a set of multiple tracks 24 and 25 becomes accessible , this multiple number of tracks 24 and 25 reach r / w heads with only ½ of a revolution . the flexible printed circuit ( fpc ) board 13 c and 13 d and 14 c and 14 d electronics wiring - signal connection to said wing shaped actuators 13 and 14 that connect actuator and r / w heads 26 , 27 , 28 , and 26 a , 27 a , 28 a ( not shown — see drawings 2 , 5 , 7 ) respectively to the drive electronics board . r / w heads 26 through 28 a are not shown in this drawing , r / w heads 26 a through 28 a are the counter part r / w heads of actuator - carriage arm 14 that is for quadrant 21 . with reference to fig7 , the wing shaped actuator - carriage arm 14 with the cutaway view of the r / w heads 26 a that fly over disk surface 33 a , where a set of multiple tracks 22 and a row of complete - uninterrupted hard disk sectors come under the r / w heads 26 a — as the heads 26 a need not to be repositioned very frequently . with reference to fig8 , the inner side wing shaped actuator - carriage arm and suspension 13 can move linearly on the stationary micro - rail 16 towards and away from the center of the disk surface 33 a and thereby the r / w heads 26 of actuator 13 , that fly over the disk surface 33 a are capable to read / write on a set of multiple tracks 22 b , concurrently . the disks 33 and 34 are turned by spindle motor 32 . with reference to fig9 a and 9b , in sectional view , the transducer head 35 of the prior art has a wider head width gap 36 and greater head area 36 a as compared to the invention transducer head width gap 37 and invention transducer area 37 a . the fly height 39 of the invention r / w head 38 is higher by only few microns — and has continuous contact pad 43 — where fly height of transducer 38 parts are only few microns higher than the lowest fly height applied in the state of the art drives in this industry . in order to reduce the area of the transducers , so that overall dynamic friction is reduced , the transducer head 38 of the invention has a smaller transducer area 37 a that fly over disk protective layer 40 b and magnetizable layer 40 a , as compared to prior art transducer head 35 transducer area 36 a that face the disk magnetizable layer 33 c . note , fly height 39 is not to scale . the protective layer of invention is 40 b . the magnetizable layer of the invention disk 40 is 40 a . with reference to fig1 , the actuator arm 13 moves upon micro - rail 16 . the r / w transducer heads 26 and thin pads 43 are affixed to said actuator arm 13 and fly upon disk surface 33 a with a constant fly height 40 . the actuator 13 moves as its lower cylinder rail member part 13 c moves within the cylindrical cavity 16 h ( not shown in this drawing ) of micro - rail 16 . with reference to fig1 , the actuator 13 and stationary micro - rail 16 are depicted as these are disassembled . the internal surfaces are such that — enclosed by the micro rail cavity 16 h — the cylinder rail member 13 c of the actuator 13 , moves only linearly — force applied by the analog voice coil motor does not make the rail member 13 c to make any upward - vertical , downward or horizontal deflections , since the rail member 13 c of actuator 13 is a micro - cylinder and fits exactly to said cavity — as depicted by four sides 16 d , 16 e and 16 f , 16 g of micro rail 16 . the internal surfaces of cylindrical cavities 16 h of said rail 16 have internal and external surface coating 16 c that minimizes friction to near zero . such material is called near zero frictional coating ( nfc ) invented at argonne laboratories . other friction eliminating material could be applied if such is more suitable for this extremely thin layer application that involves very small components . for the form factors of 1 inch and lower , the system would enter the realm of nano - technology , as components and coatings would be proportionally smaller and thinner . r / w transducer heads 26 and thin pads 43 are seen below pairs of actuator - carriage arm 13 . with reference to fig1 , depicts in plan view , how the wing shaped pair of actuator arms 13 are able to be positioned over — at a stationary mode and receive a set of data tracks 22 and 23 at an acute angle theta — relative to the actuator arm 13 . the connection and moving member 13 e , moves the said pair of actuator arms 13 in parallel . same applies for actuator pair 14 . with reference to fig1 , sectional side view depicts the stationary micro - rail 16 that have zero friction surfaces 16 c within the inner surface of the cylindrical cavity of the micro - rail 16 sides and on upper left and right side corners of the micro - rail 16 , upon which actuator arm 13 rail - member 13 c glides within . the circular cavities 13 c are within the four sides 16 d , 16 e , 16 f , 16 g of the micro - rail 16 . with reference to fig1 , depicted are the actuator - carriage arm 13 and 14 that are at the parking mode — position when the system is in idle mode or is turned off . the inner members of the pairs of wing shaped actuator - carriage arms 13 and 14 , move to a concentrically aligned non - data zone 22 d — for inner actuator members — and non - data zone 22 e for outer members . this enables the micro - pads 43 and r / w heads 26 and 26 a ( not shown in this figure — see fig2 and 7 ) of said inner member actuators to be positioned over said ring of non - data zone 22 d . for both of the outer members of the two pairs of wing shaped actuator - carriage arms 13 and 14 , said actuators are moved to a second outer concentric ring non - data zone 22 e . with reference to fig1 , this is the top view of actuator arm 13 and its connection member 13 e that moves the pair of actuator arms in parallel . with reference to fig1 , this is the sectional view of actuator 13 along the line 41 - 41 . it shows the series of arc formation r / w heads 26 and micro - pads 43 that conform to the arcs of the set of adjacent data tracks 23 . with reference to fig1 , this shows the partial plan view of actuator arm 13 , with the cover plate of actuator completely removed - showing the multiple r / w heads 26 of the arc like formation , that conform to the data tracks 23 . thereby , this drawing shows the micro - actuation function of the integrated wing shaped actuator arm 13 member of the dual actuator arm assembly . when r / w heads 26 and thin pads 43 move from track origin o to track t 7 , the actuator 13 enables access to data tracks 23 by moving only a distance d . sub . o and r / w heads 26 are able to reach a set of points on track t 7 and as far as points on track t 7 . sub . a , as indicated by tangent reference line d . sub . r ., that is the border of maximized reach due to the arc like geometric shape of actuator 13 . the group of adjacent tracks are depicted as 23 . distance moved d . sub . o makes this distance to be multiplied and to be equal to d . prime . sub . o . as an example to adjacent tracks 23 ; actuator 13 makes d . sub . o to be equal to the micro distance dt 7 . with reference to fig1 , it is a plan view of the prior art straight arm actuator 10 c that must swing over a distance d . sub . p , as compared to the much shorter distance of the invention d . sub . o , that actuator 13 of the invention covers for an identical distance in terms of the number of adjacent tracks — from track origin o to track t 7 . the d . prime . o of fig1 equals in distance to d . sub . p in fig1 . with reference to fig1 , it is the side sectional elevation view of the continuous contact pad 43 integrated unit 42 that consists of one micro - pad 43 per two thin film transducers 38 . in compliance with the statute , the invention described herein has been described in language more or less specific as to structural features . it should be understood , however , that the invention is not limited to the specific features shown , since the means and construction shown is comprised only of the preferred embodiments for putting the invention into effect . the invention is therefore claimed in any of its forms or modifications within the legitimate and valid scope of the amended claims , appropriately interpreted in accordance with the doctrine of equivalents . the invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and applied in various other ways . the device and the method mentioned heretofore have novel features that result in a new device and method for high reliability hard disk drive actuator - carriage arm and suspension system , which is not anticipated , rendered obvious , suggested , or even implied by any of the prior art hard disk drive actuator - carriage arm devices , either alone or in any combination thereof .	6
in the conventional well known dust - proof mask shown in fig1 an intake chamber assembly 1 thereof comprises an intake cylinder 3 fitted airtight in a mask body 2 made of rubber , an intake chamber body 4 molded integral with said intake cylinder 3 , and an intake chamber cover 5 detachably mounted on the intake chamber body 4 by means of an engaging piece . in fig1 reference numeral 6 denotes a filtration medium of which outer edge portion is held by the intake chamber body 4 and the intake chamber cover 5 , 7 an intake valve , 8 a packing and 9 an expiration valve . in the conventional well known intake chamber assembly 1 , when the filtration medium is exchanged by a relatively insensitive user at site , it sometimes occurs that the whole outer edge portion of the filtration medium 6 is not positively held by the intake chamber body 4 and the intake chamber cover 5 , in which case , there is a danger that the contaminated air is suctioned into the mask as it is . fig2 is a cutaway side view of an essential portion of a mask showing one embodiment of the present invention . an intake chamber assembly 11 comprises an intake cylinder 13 fitted airtight into a mounting mouth of a mask body 12 formed of rubber having a soft resiliency , a front wall 14 positioned opposedly to the intake cylinder 13 , and a rear wall 15 composed of a filtration medium in which a fitting lip to be fitted in the intake cylinder 13 is fastened airtight to the intake cylinder 13 by deposition , adhesion and holding and the entire outer peripheral edge 19 thereof is fastened airtight to the front wall 14 by deposition , adhesion or the like . the intake chamber of the intake chamber assembly 11 is bent at its both sides towards the mask body 12 . between the intake cylinder 13 and the front wall 14 are provided connecting pieces 16 to connect them in a radially suitably spaced relation . normally , the connecting pieces 16 , the intake cylinder 13 and the front wall 14 are formed of synthetic resin . in the figure , reference numeral 17 denotes an intake valve and 18 denotes an expiration valve . the intake cylinder 13 is formed of a material such as synthetic resin and rubber which are hard or have a low resiliency , in case the mask body 12 is formed of a soft resilient material , but is formed of a material having a relatively high resiliency in case the mask body 12 is formed of a hard material such as light alloy . the front wall 14 is formed of a suitable material such as a rigid material , a flexible material and a soft resilient material . depending on the properties of the filtration medium which forms the rear wall 15 , the connecting pieces 16 can be totally omitted or in place of the connecting pieces 16 , elongated support rods can be embedded into the filtration material constituting the rear wall 15 in radially mutually spaced relation from the intake cylinder 13 so that the connecting pieces 16 may be omitted . in use of the mask , the intake flows in a direction as indicated by the arrows in the figure and enters the intake chamber . the rear wall 15 composed of the filtration medium can avoid a damage resulting from the welding spatter by the presence of the front wall 14 . fig4 is a cutaway side view of an essential portion showing a further embodiment of the present invention . in this embodiment , a required hole is made in the front wall of the mask shown in fig2 and the filtration medium is fastened airtight also to the outside of the front wall opposedly of the rear wall composed of the filtration medium by deposition , adhesion or the like . in the embodiment shown in fig4 the intake cylinder 23 is mounted on the mask body 22 by tightening the nut 24 threadably engaged with an extreme end of the intake cylinder 23 extended into the mask body 22 . the fitting lip portion fitted in the intake cylinder 23 of the rear wall 25 composed of the filtration medium is inserted between the flange of the intake cylinder 23 and the mask body 22 to serve as a packing which holds the mounting portion airtight . in fig4 reference numeral 26 denotes a front wall composed of a filtration medium and 27 an intake valve . in the embodiment of fig4 since a greater part constituting the enclosure of the intake chamber comprises a filtration medium , an extremely large filtration area as compared with the size thereof can be obtained , and as a consequence , it is possible to obtain a mask which is small in size and low in intake resistance . if the filtration is formed into a shape of an enclosure of the intake chamber and shape - retaining ribs are suitably embedded into said filtration medium ( the ribs can be attached to the inner surface or outer surface of the filtration medium instead of being embedded ), it is possible to form an arrangement which can dispense with a perforated plate 28 in the embodiment of fig4 and connecting pieces 29 for supporting said perforated plate on the intake cylinder . alternatively , a layer of filtration medium may be formed by fastening the intake cylinder to the required portion of the group of ribs arranged in the shape of the enclosure of the intake chamber and thereafter adhering fibers or the like as a material of filtration medium to the group of ribs . fig5 to 7 show a third embodiment of the present invention . in fig5 a pair of engaging projections 33 and 34 opposedly projected on the peripheral surface of the outer end of the intake cylinder 32 are respectively engaged with a pair of engaging recesses 37 and 38 provided in the inner peripheral surface of a receiving cylinder 36 of the mask body 35 and thereby an intake chamber assembly 31 is mounted on the mask body 35 . the engaging recesses 37 and 38 of the receiving cylinder 36 are respectively provided with engaging - releasing peripheral inclined surfaces 39 and 40 extending from the bottom thereof to the inner peripheral surface of the receiving cylinder 36 in the same peripheral direction . when the intake chamber of the intake chamber assembly 31 is held and the intake cylinder 32 is rotated by a predetermined angle in a direction as indicated by the arrow in fig7 with respect to the receiving cylinder 36 , and then the intake chamber assembly 31 is released from the mask body 35 , then both are separated from each other as shown in fig6 . upon rotation of the intake cylinder 32 in a direction as indicated by the arrows in fig7 the engaging projections 33 and 34 of the intake cylinder 32 are respectively pressed by the peripheral inclined surfaces 39 and 40 and then resiliently withdrawn for disengagement from the engaging recesses 37 and 38 , as a consequence of which the intake cylinder 34 can be removed for the receiving cylinder 16 . in mounting the intake chamber assembly 31 on the mask body 35 , the engaging projections 33 and 34 of the intake cylinder 32 are respectively positioned opposedly of the engaging recesses 37 and 38 of the receiving cylinder 36 of the mask body to merely insert the intake cylinder 32 into the receiving cylinder 36 , then the engaging projections 33 and 34 of the intake cylinder 32 are pressed towards the inner peripheral wall of the receiving cylinder 36 and resiliently withdrawn , under which condition the projections reach the engaging recesses 37 and 38 , respectively , of the receiving cylinder 36 , whereby they are brought into engagement with the engaging recesses 37 and 38 by the resilient stability thereof . in fig5 and 6 , reference numeral 42 denotes an intake valve provided in an opening at the inner end of the receiving cylinder 36 , 43 a front wall of the intake chamber formed of a synthetic resin plate , and 44 a rear wall of the intake chamber formed of a filtration medium . this third embodiment is characterized by the construction in which the intake chamber assembly 31 can be detachably mounted on the mask body 35 . fig8 is a cutaway side view of an essential portion showing a fourth embodiment of the present invention . the characteristic of this embodiment resides in that an opening which is opposed to the opening at the inlet of intake of the intake cylinder 51 is provided in the front wall 52 of the intake chamber , and a plate - like closing body 53 is provided so as to close said opening . the closing body 53 has an airtight expansion film 54 associated with an outer peripheral edge thereof . an outer peripheral edge portion of the expansion film 54 is joined airtight to the back of the front wall 52 . the closing body 53 is normally at a position shown in fig8 but is moved upon depression by means of a finger or the like to a position indicated at dash - dotted contour lines at the intake flow - in opening of the intake cylinder 51 . if the depression force f is released , the closing body 53 is returned to the position indicated at the solid line by the resilient returning force of the expansion film 54 . accordingly , the mask wearer , immediately after wearing the mask , depresses the closing body 53 by the finger to close the intake flow - in opening of the intake cylinder 51 , whereby he can test the contact property between the mask body 55 and the face . in fig8 denotes a rear wall of the intake chamber formed of a filtration medium , 57 an intake valve , and 58 an expiration valve . the closing body 53 may have a suitable shape suited to close the intake flow - in opening of the intake cylinder 51 , for example , a frustoconical configuration . while the closing body 53 and the expansion film 54 are normally formed of rubber , it is noted that they can be formed of other suitable material having required properties , for example , such as synthetic resin . fig1 shows an embodiment in which the closing body is formed integral with the front wall of the intake chamber . in this embodiment , the closing body 61 is connected to the front wall 63 of the intake chamber by means of the annular bellows portion 62 encircling the closing body 61 so that it may come into contact with and move away from the end edge of the intake flow - in opening of the intake cylinder 64 by the expansion and contraction of the annular bellows portion 62 .	0
fig1 is an electrical schematic diagram of a prior art input circuit for an amplifier . in fig1 , an amplifier system 10 includes an amplifier device 111 and an input section 12 . input section 12 includes a preamplifier unit 14 coupled with amplifier device 11 and coupled with input loci 16 , 18 for receiving input signals . preamplifier unit 14 receives first input signals via a first input network 20 from input locus 16 . first input network 20 includes a capacitor 24 and a resistor 26 . preamplifier unit 14 is biased with respect to first input network 20 by a resistor 28 . capacitor 24 has a value c 1 . resistor 26 has a value r 1 . resistor 28 has a value r 3 . preamplifier unit 14 receives second input signals via a second input network 30 from input locus 18 . second input network 30 includes a capacitor 34 and a resistor 36 . preamplifier unit 14 is biased with respect to second input network 30 by a resistor 38 . capacitor 34 has a value c 2 . resistor 36 has a value r 2 . resistor 38 has a value r 4 . amplifier system 10 is illustratively described herein as a fully differential amplifier system . the present invention is equally useful with a non - differential , single - ended amplifier system having only one input locus 16 or 18 . fig2 is a graphic representation of selected signals in the prior art input circuit illustrated in fig1 . in fig2 , a graphic plot 50 is presented with respect to a vertical axis 52 representing signal amplitude , such as voltage amplitude and with respect to a horizontal axis 54 representing time . a first curve 56 represents charge on first capacitor 24 ( fig1 ). a second curve 58 represents charge on second capacitor 34 ( fig1 ). times t 0 , t 1 are indicated on axis 54 . time t 0 represents the time at which amplifier system 10 is initially powered up . time t 1 represents the time at which amplifier device 11 is turned on . during the interval t 0 - t 1 , only input section 12 is turned on and amplifier device 11 is not yet powered . preamplifier unit 14 charges capacitors 24 , 34 to a voltage reference v ref which sets the common - mode voltage for amplifier device 11 during interval t 0 - t 1 . certain biases and references for operating amplifier device 11 are also permitted to settle during interval t 0 - t 1 before amplifier device 11 is turned on . time t 1 for turning on amplifier device 11 is commonly established according to standards in effect for a given product in which amplifier system 10 is employed ( not shown in fig1 ). as a consequence a difference in charge level often exists between capacitors 24 , 34 , as indicated by difference between curves 56 , 58 at time t 1 in fig2 . it is difference between charge levels of capacitors 24 , 34 that causes a voltage surge into amplifier device 11 when amplifier device 11 is turned on at time t 1 . it is desired that first input network 20 and second input network 30 are substantially the same . in the interest of simplifying explaining the present invention and avoiding unnecessary prolixity , only first input network 20 will be described with the understanding that the principles described apply equally to second input network 30 . while charging capacitor 24 first input network 20 represents a low pass filter having an rc ( resistive - capacitive ) time constant t 1 : by way of example and not by way of limitation , if amplifier system 10 were embodied in an audio amplifier typical values for c 1 , r 1 , r 3 yield a time constant t 1 in a range from 157 msec to 863 msec . time required for capacitors 24 , 34 to settle to within 0 . 1 % of their final values requires approximately 5 - 7 time constants . such a delay in turning on amplifier device 11 after powering up preamplifier unit 12 is regarded as unsatisfactory in many of today &# 39 ; s products . by way of further example and not by way of limitation , products such as personal digital assistant ( pda ) devices or cellular phones frequently enter a “ sleep ” mode to conserve battery power . having to wait for a second or more to reenter an active mode from such a sleep mode is irritating to a user . fig3 is an electrical schematic diagram of an input circuit for an amplifier configured according to the present invention . in fig3 , an amplifier system 100 includes an amplifier device 110 and an input section 112 . input section 112 includes a preamplifier unit 114 coupled with amplifier device 110 and coupled with input loci 116 , 118 for receiving input signals . preamplifier unit 114 receives first input signals via a first input network 120 from input locus 116 . first input network 120 includes a capacitor 124 and a resistor 126 . preamplifier unit 114 is biased with respect to first input network 120 by a resistor 128 . capacitor 124 has a value c 1 . resistor 126 has a value r 1 . resistor 128 has a value r 3 . first input network 120 also includes a switch 140 coupled in parallel with series - connected resistors 126 , 128 . switch 140 has a resistance r s1 when switch 140 is closed . preamplifier unit 114 receives second input signals via a second input network 130 from input locus 118 . second input network 130 includes a capacitor 134 and a resistor 136 . preamplifier unit 114 is biased with respect to second input network 130 by a resistor 138 . capacitor 134 has a value c 2 . resistor 136 has a value r 2 . resistor 138 has a value r 4 . second input network 130 also includes a switch 142 coupled in parallel with series - connected resistors 136 , 138 . switch 142 has a resistance r s2 when switch 142 is closed . amplifier system 100 is illustratively described herein as a fully differential amplifier system . the present invention is equally useful with a non - differential amplifier system having only one input locus 116 or 118 . fig4 is a graphic representation of selected signals in the input circuit illustrated in fig3 . in fig4 , a graphic plot 150 is presented with respect to a vertical axis 152 representing signal amplitude , such as voltage amplitude and with respect to a horizontal axis 154 representing time . a first curve 156 represents charge on first capacitor 124 ( fig3 ). a second curve 158 represents charge on second capacitor 134 ( fig3 ). times t 0 , t 1 are indicated on axis 154 . time t 0 represents the time at which amplifier system 100 is initially powered up . time t 1 represents the time at which amplifier device 110 is turned on . during the interval t 0 - t 1 , only input section 112 is turned on and amplifier device 111 is not yet powered . preamplifier unit 114 charges capacitors 124 , 134 to a voltage reference v ref which sets the common - mode voltage for amplifier device 110 during interval t 0 - t 1 . certain biases and references for operating amplifier device 110 are also permitted to settle during interval t 0 - t 1 before amplifier device 110 is turned on . during interval t 0 - t 1 switches 140 , 142 are closed . it is desired that first input network 120 and second input network 130 are substantially the same . in the interest of simplifying explaining the present invention and avoiding unnecessary prolixity , only first input network 120 will be described with the understanding that the principles described apply equally to second input network 130 . while charging capacitor 124 first input network 120 represents a low pass filter having an rc ( resistive - capacitive ) time constant t 2 : t 2 =[( r 1 + r 3 )∥ rs 1 ]· c 1 [ 2 ] the preferred embodiment of switch 140 is an fet ( field effect transistor ) so that resistance r s1 is established substantially as the drain - to - source resistance of switch 140 . as a consequence , so that time constant t 2 is substantially reduced to time constant t 2 is thus substantially less than time constant t 1 ( fig1 ) for a comparable product . in practical terms , this means that capacitors 124 , 134 will charge much more quickly than capacitors 24 , 34 ( fig1 ) in a comparable product so that both of capacitors 124 , 134 are similarly charged by time t 1 . there is no charge differential between capacitors 124 , 134 at time t 1 when amplifier device 110 is turned on so there is no voltage surge passed through amplifier device 110 and manifested as a pop / click or other signal anomaly . in operation , switches 140 , 142 are preferably only closed during interval t 0 - t 1 and are opened no later than time t 1 when amplifier device 110 is turned on . this may be effected using a timed interval during which switches 140 , 142 are turned on following powering up of preamplifier section 114 , or by using another control arrangement ( not shown in fig2 ). the present invention permits a very fast powering up of an amplifier device . by assuring that input capacitors ( e . g ., capacitors 124 , 134 ) are substantially fully charged before turning on an amplifier device ( e . g ., amplifier device 110 ), a designer may employ less stringently toleranced capacitors in an amplifier design and thereby use less expensive components in a design using the present invention . there is less need to closely match capacitors to reduce charge difference when turning on an amplifier device because the present invention assures that the charge difference is substantially eliminated by the time the amplifier device is turned on . it is to be understood that , while the detailed drawings and specific examples given describe preferred embodiments of the invention , they are for the purpose of illustration only , that the apparatus and method of the invention are not limited to the precise details and conditions disclosed and that various changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention which is defined by the following claims :	7
referring to fig1 there is illustrated a conventional fuel cut - off device and an in - line type fuel injection pump for multi - cylinder internal combustion engines , on which the fuel cut - off device is mounted . in the figure , the fuel injection pump 1 comprises two banks of fuel injection units a and b . each bank of the fuel injection units a , b comprises four injection poump bodies a 1 . . . a 4 , b 1 . . . b 4 , fuel feeding lines 1a and 1b connected to the suction sides of the respective injection pump bodies , four injection pipes 3a 1 . . . 3a 4 , 3b 1 . . . 3b 4 connected to the delivery sides of the respective injection pump bodies , and injection nozzles 2a 1 . . . 2a 4 , 2b 1 . . . 2b 4 connected , on one hand , to the respective injection pipes and mounted , on the other hand , on the respective cylinders of an associated engine , not shown . a fuel cut - off valve 8 , which is formed of a two port / two position solenoid valve in the illustrated embodiment , is arranged across the fuel feeding line 1a which is joined with the other fuel feeding line 1b at a location upstream of the fuel cut - off valve 8 , and the joined fuel feeding line leads to a fuel tank 4 by way of a filter 7 , a check valve 6 and a feed pump 5 . fuel in the fuel tank 5 is sucked by the feed pump 5 , fed through the check valve 6 and the filter 7 , and divided into two flows in the fuel feeding lines 1a , 1b . the fuel in the line 1a passes through the fuel cut - off valve 8 , which is opened in the illustrated position , to be fed to the injection pump bodies a 1 . . . a 4 of the first bank , while on the other hand , the fuel in the line 1b is directly fed to the injection pump bodies b 1 . . . b 4 of the second bank . then , the fuel is pumped by the injection pump bodies into the injection pipes 3a 1 . . . 3a 4 , 3b 1 . . . 3b 4 and injection nozzles 2a 1 . . . 2a 4 , 2b 1 . . . 2b 4 to be injected into the cylinders of the engine . excessive fuel in the fuel injection units a a , b is spilled into an overflow line 9 and returned to the fuel tank 4 . according to the above conventional fuel cut - off device for fuel injection pumps , to cut off the supply of fuel to the one bank , i . e . the fuel injection unit a , the fuel cut - off valve 8 is operated to its closed position to cut off the supply of fuel to the fuel feeding line 1a . then , the engine is operated in &# 34 ; one - bank operation &# 34 ; mode wherein the other bank of fuel injection units b alone are operative . however , since the fuel cut - off valve 8 is arranged at the inlet of the one fuel feeding line 1a , even when the fuel cut - off valve 8 is closed , the fuel injection is not interrupted until after all the fuel within the fuel injection units a has been injected . on the other hand , even when the fuel cut - off valve 8 is opened to start or resume the fuel injection , the fuel injection is not started until after fuel has been charged into the fuel injection units a to a sufficient amount . thus , with the conventional fuel cut arrangement , actually it takes about 5 - 7 seconds to completely cut off the fuel injection after closing of the fuel cut - off valve 8 , and its takes at least 1 second to resume the fuel injection after opening of the fuel cut - off valve 8 . the present invention will now be described with reference to fig2 illustrating an embodiment thereof . in fig2 parts or elements identical with those in fig1 are designated by like reference numerals . a fuel injection pump 1 &# 39 ; to which the invention is applied comprises two banks of fuel injection units a and b , each of which is formed of four injection pump bodies a 1 . . . a 4 , b 1 . . . b 4 , fuel feeding lines 1a and 1b connected to the suction sides of the injection pump bodies of the respective banks , four injection pipes 3a 1 . . . 3a 4 , 3b 1 . . . 3b 4 connected to the discharge sides of the respective injection pump bodies , and four injection nozzles 2a 1 . . . 2a 4 , 2b 1 . . . 2b 4 connected , on one hand , to the respective injection pipes and mounted , on the other hand , on an associated engine , not shown . the two fuel feeding lines 1a , 1b are joined together at a location upstream of the injection pump bodies and the joined fuel feeding line leads to a fuel tank 4 by way of a filter 7 , a check valve 6 and a feed pump 5 . fuel sucked from the fuel tank 4 by the feed pump 5 is fed through the check valve 6 and the filter 7 and divided into two flows in the fuel feeding lines 1a , 1b . then , the flows of fuel in the two divided lines 1a , 1b are fed to the injection pump bodies a 1 . . . a 4 , b 1 . . . b 4 of the respective banks , pumped therefrom into the respective injection pipes 3a 1 . . . 3a 4 , 3 b1 . . . 3b 4 , and then injected into the cylinders of the engine through the injection nozzles . the arrangement and operation of the fuel cut - off device of the present invention described above are substantially identical with those of the conventional one previously described with reference to fig1 . according to the present invention , a fuel cut - off valve 10 is provided which is formed of four three ways valves , i . e . three port / two position selector valves 10 1 . . . 10 4 arranged across the respective injection pipes 3a 1 . . . 3a 4 of one bank of fuel injection units a . the selector valves 10 1 . . . 10 1 each have a port p connected to a corresponding one of the injection pump bodies a 1 . . . a 4 , a port a connected to a side of a corresponding one of the injection pipes 3a 1 . . . 3a 4 toward the injection nozzles 2 a1 . . . 2a 4 , and a port r connected to the fuel tank 4 through a common return fuel line 11 . the selector valves 10 1 . . . 10 4 are juxaposed to each other , and have their valve bodies operatively connected to each other for valve position changing actions in unison with each other . when the selector valves are in a first valve position where the port p and the port a in each selector valve communicate with each other , fuel pumped from the injection pump bodies a 1 . . . a 4 is injected into the engine cylinders through the respective selector valves 10 1 . . . 10 4 , the injection pipes 3a 1 . . . 3a 4 and the injection nozzles 2a 1 . . . 2a 4 . at a second valve position of the selector valves where the port p communicates with its corresponding port r , the pumped fuel is discharged into the common return fuel line 11 through the selector valves and returned to the fuel tank 4 . the fuel cut - off valve 10 is further provided with an air cylinder 14 comprised of a cylinder 14a , a piston 14b received within the cylinder 14a , a rod 14d connecting the piston with the operatively connected valve bodies of the selector valves 10 1 . . . 10 4 , and a return spring 14c urging the piston in one direction . thus , the air cylinder 14 is drivingly connected to the selector valves 10 1 . . . 10 4 so that its internal pressure actuates them for synchronous valve position changing actions . on the other hand , the air cylinder 14 is connected to an air tank 12 by way of a solenoid operated control valve 13 , the air tank 12 being also used as an accumulator for an air brake in a vehicle in which the engine is installed , for instance . compressed air is accumulated in the air tank 12 , which is supplied from a compressor c installed in the vehicle . the solenoid operated control valve 13 is formed of a three way valve ( three port / two position valve ) having a port p connected to the air tank 12 , a port r opening in the atmosphere , and a port a connected to the air cylinder 14 , as well as a solenoid 13a and a return spring 13b . with the above arrangement , when the solenoid operated control valve 13 has its solenoid 13a deenergized , that is , it is in a first valve position as illustrated with the port p communicating with the port a , the pressurized air in the air tank 12 is supplied to the interior of the cylinder 14a of the air cylinder 14 through the control valve 13 , whereby the pressure of the pressurized air urgingly displaces the piston 14b against the force of the return spring 14c , which in turn urges the mutually connected valve bodies of the selector valves 10 1 . . . 10 4 to change them into the first valve position so that fuel pumped from the injection pump bodies a 1 . . . a 4 is delivered into the injection pipes 3a 1 . . . 3a 4 through the selector valves 10 1 . . . 10 4 , to be injected into the engine cylinders through the injection nozzles 2a 1 . . . 2a 4 . on the other hand , when the control valve 13 has its solenoid energized to be brought into a second valve position where the port a communicates with the port r , the air pressure in the air cylinder 14 is discharged into the atmosphere through the control valve 13 , so that the valve bodies of the selector valves 10 1 . . . 10 4 are instantly returned to its original position together the piston 14a by the force of the return spring 14c to promptly change the selector valves 10 1 . . . 10 4 to the second valve position , resulting in interruption of the supply of fuel pumped from the injection pump bodies a 1 . . . a 4 into the injection pipes 3a 1 . . . 3a 4 . at the same time , the pumped fuel is returned to the fuel tank 4 through the return fuel line 11 . according to the arrangement of the invention , since the amount of fuel is small in portions of the injection pipes 3a 1 . . . 3a 4 downstream of the fuel cut - off valve 10 , the fuel injection is interrupted immediately after the change of the valve position of the fuel cut - off valve 10 . further , the arrangement that the air pressure within the air cylinder 14 is released into the atmosphere through the solenoid operated control valve 13 allows prompt returning action of the valve bodies of the selector valves 10 1 . . . 10 4 by the force of the return spring 14c , further advancing the termination of the fuel injection . it has been experimentally ascertained that with the fuel cut - off device according to the invention the period of time from change of the valve position of the fuel cut - off valve to the termination of the fuel injection is within 0 . 5 second which is incomparably shorter than 5 - 7 seconds achieved by the conventional fuel cut - off device , and also the period of time from change of the valve position of the fuel cut - off valve to resumption of the fuel injection is within 1 second . moreover , even when the engine is at rest , the air pressure accumulated in the air tank can actuate the fuel cut - off valve . although in the illustrated embodiment the fuel injection pump 1 &# 39 ; is composed of two banks of fuel injection units a , b , one of which are subjected to cutting - off of fuel , the fuel injection pump units may be divided into any optional number of banks , any optional one of which may be subjected to cutting - off of fuel , to cut off the supply of fuel to any optional number of engine cylinders . also , the fuel cut - off device according to the invention is not limited to the in - line type as illustrated , but may be applied to other types of fuel injection pumps , such as the distributor type . while a preferred embodiment of the invention has been described , variations thereto will occur to those skilled in the art within the scope of the present inventive concepts which are delineated by the following claims .	5
fig1 is a schematic illustration of a microlithographic projection exposure apparatus 1 which is a wafer scanner and is used for the production of semiconductor components and other finely structured components . in order to obtain resolutions of up to fractures of micrometers , the projection exposure apparatus 1 uses in particular deep ultraviolet light ( vuv ). in order to facilitate the description of positional relationships , a cartesian x - y - z coordinate system is used for the following description . the x - axis runs upward in fig1 . the y - axis is perpendicular to the drawing plane of fig1 and runs towards the observer . the z - direction runs to the right in fig1 . a scanning direction of the projection exposure apparatus 1 coincides with the y - direction . in the meridional section according to fig1 , all optical components of the projection exposure apparatus 1 are arranged in a row along an optical axis 2 . the optical axis 2 may of course also be randomly folded , in particular to obtain a compactly designed projection exposure apparatus 1 . an illumination system of the projection exposure apparatus 1 , the entirety of which is designated by the reference numeral 5 , serves to achieve a defined illumination of an object field or illumination field 3 in a reticle plane 4 in which a structure in the form of a reticle is arranged , which structure ( not shown in more detail ) is to be transmitted by projection exposure . the object field 3 and the illumination field may coincide with each other . as a rule , the object field 3 is disposed in the illumination field . an f 2 - laser with a working wavelength of 157 nm serves as primary light source 6 whose illumination light beam is coaxial with the optical axis 2 . other duv or uv light sources such as an arf excimer laser with a working wavelength of 193 nm , a krf excimer laser with a working wavelength of 248 nm and other primary light sources with higher or lower working wavelengths are conceivable as well . in order to facilitate the description , components of an illumination optical system of the illumination system 5 are represented as refractive optical components . alternatively or additionally , these components may also be replaced or supplemented by reflective components , in other words mirrors . instead of the essentially dioptric system according to fig1 , it is therefore conceivable as well to use a catadioptric system or a catoptric system . a reflective design of the illumination system 5 may in particular be used if the primary light source 6 is an euv light source which generates useful light with a wavelength in the range of between 5 nm and 30 nm , in particular in the range of 13 . 5 nm . the first component on which the light beam 6 , which has a small rectangular cross - section , impinges after being emitted by the light source 6 is a beam expansion optical system 7 which generates an output beam 8 with essentially parallel light and a larger rectangular cross - section . the illumination light beam 8 has an x / y aspect ratio which may be in the range of 1 or may even be greater than 1 . the beam expansion optical system 7 may include elements for coherence reduction of the illumination light 8 . having been essentially parallelized by the beam expansion optical system 7 , the illumination light 8 then impinges on a diffractive optical element ( doe ) 9 which is a computer - generated hologram ( cgh ) for generating an illumination light angular distribution . when passing through a fourier lens arrangement , in other words a condenser 10 which is shown in a highly schematic illustration and which is located at a position relative to the doe 9 that corresponds to its focal width , the angular distribution of the illumination light 8 generated by the doe 9 is converted into a illumination light intensity distribution which is two - dimensional , in other words position - dependent in a direction perpendicular to the optical axis 2 . the intensity distribution thus generated is therefore present in a first illumination plane 11 of the illumination system 5 . together with the condenser 10 , the doe 9 therefore forms a light distribution device for generating a two - dimensional illumination light intensity distribution . this light distribution device is also referred to as pupil defining element ( pde ). in the region of the first illumination plane 11 , there is arranged a first raster arrangement 12 of a raster module 13 which is also referred to as honeycomb condenser . the raster module 13 is also referred to as field defining element ( fde ). the raster module 13 serves to generate a defined intensity and illumination angle distribution of the illumination light 8 . in fig1 , the raster module 13 is only shown in a schematic illustration in order to describe the basic functioning principle thereof . fig2 and 5 et seq . show other embodiments of the raster module 13 according to the disclosure . a second raster arrangement 15 is arranged in another illumination plane 14 which is downstream of the first illumination plane 11 . the two raster arrangements 12 , 15 form the honeycomb condenser 13 of the illumination system 5 . arranged downstream of the other illumination plane 14 is a pupil plane 16 of the illumination system 5 . arranged downstream of the raster module 13 is another condenser 17 which is also referred to as field lens . together with the second raster arrangement 15 , the condenser 17 images approximately the first illumination plane 11 into an intermediate field plane 18 of the illumination system 5 . in the intermediate field plane 18 , a reticle masking system ( rema ) 19 may be arranged which is an adjustable shading stop for generating a sharp edge of the illumination light intensity distribution . a downstream objective 20 , which is also referred to as relay objective , images the intermediate field plane 18 onto the reticle , in other words the lithography template . a projection objective 21 is used to image the object field 3 onto a wafer ( not shown in fig1 ) arranged in an image field 22 in an image plane 23 , the wafer being displaced along the y - direction intermittently or continuously . a pupil plane of the projection objective 21 is indicated at 23 a in fig1 . if the projection exposure apparatus 1 is operated in such a way that the reticle and the wafer are displaced intermittently , then it is also referred to as stepper . if the projection exposure apparatus 1 is operated in such a way that the reticle and the wafer are displaced continuously , then it is also referred to as scanner . the first raster arrangement 12 has individual first raster elements 24 which are arranged in columns and rows . the first raster elements 24 have a rectangular aperture with an x / y aspect ratio of for example 2 / 1 . other , in particular larger aspect ratios of the first raster elements 24 are conceivable as well . in order to facilitate the description , first raster elements 24 are hereinafter shown to have an x / y aspect ratio of 1 / 1 in fig8 to 10 . alternatively , the raster arrangements 12 and 15 may in each case consist of cylindrical lenses which are arranged crosswise and disposed next to one another . each of the raster arrangements 12 , 15 may in this case be designed as a monolithic lens block . one of the two optical surfaces of the lens block then includes cylindrical lens surfaces which are oriented in a first direction while the opposite one of the two optical surfaces includes cylindrical lens surfaces which are oriented in a direction perpendicular thereto . the meridional section according to fig1 runs along an x - raster column . the first raster elements 24 are microlenses which have a positive refractive power . in the illustration according to fig1 , these microlenses are shown to be plane convex . in the schematic illustration according to fig1 , the plane surfaces of the two raster arrangements 12 , 15 face each other . as will hereinafter be explained via fig2 and 5 et seq ., the convex surfaces of the two raster arrangements 12 , 15 may also be arranged in such a way as to face each other . a biconvex design is conceivable as well . the rectangular shape of the first raster elements 24 corresponds to the rectangular shape of the illumination field 3 . the first raster elements 24 are arranged in such a way as to directly abut each other in a raster which corresponds to their rectangular shape , in other words they fill essentially the entire surface . the first raster elements 24 are also referred to as field honeycombs . the bundle - forming effect of the first raster elements 24 of the first raster arrangement 12 causes the illumination light 8 to be divided into a number of partial bundles 25 ( cf . for example fig2 ) which number corresponds to the number of illuminated first raster elements 24 ; the partial bundles 25 are also referred to as light channels or illumination channels as they are at first guided through the raster module 13 separately from each other . the raster module 13 may be provided with several hundreds of such light channels which are in each case offset relative to each other by the respective x or y raster size when seen in the x or y direction . these light channels are superimposed in the object field 3 . in order to transmit the respective partial bundle 25 , second raster elements 26 of the second raster arrangement 15 are allocated to the first raster elements 24 of the first raster arrangement 12 . the second raster elements 26 are microlenses which have a positive refractive power as well . fig1 shows five light channels of this type which are arranged next to one another when seen in the x - direction . in the embodiments of the raster module 13 according to the disclosure , a total of seven raster elements 24 , 26 , which are arranged next to one another when seen in the x - direction , are shown in fig2 and 5 et seq . for generating seven adjacent partial bundles or light channels 25 . the distance of the second raster arrangement 15 from the first raster arrangement 12 approximately corresponds to the focal width of the raster elements 24 . the distance of the pupil plane 16 from the second raster arrangement 15 in turn corresponds to the focal width of the second raster elements 26 . the raster elements 24 , 26 are aspheric lenses . a sagittal height h of the each of the lens surfaces of the raster elements 24 , 26 may be represented by the following aspheric equation : h ( x ) represents the sagittal height as a function of the x - coordinate ( field or lens coordinate ); the first raster arrangement 12 has various types of first raster elements 24 , in other words various types of aspheric microlenses . the types of the first raster elements 24 have different bundle - influencing , in other words refractive effects . fig3 shows a division of the first raster arrangement 12 of the raster module 13 into a total of five raster areas 27 to 31 . each of the raster areas 27 to 31 runs in the y - direction in the shape of a column . when seen in the x - direction , each of the raster areas 27 to 31 may include exactly one raster element 24 or a plurality of raster elements 24 . usually , each of the raster areas 27 to 31 has a plurality of raster elements 24 . each of the raster areas 27 to 31 is composed of raster elements 24 of exactly one type , in other words they have exactly one refractive effect . for the following description , the schematic division according to fig2 including a total of seven raster elements 24 which are arranged next to one another when seen in the x - direction is as follows : the uppermost raster element 24 according to fig2 is part of the raster area 27 , the two raster elements 24 arranged closest thereto are part of the raster area 28 , the central raster element 24 of fig2 is part of the raster area 29 , the two raster elements 24 arranged closest thereto are part of the raster area 30 and the lowermost raster element 24 of fig2 is part of the raster area 31 . the raster elements 24 in the central raster area 29 belong to type i of the raster elements which have a conical constant c in the range of 0 . 2 and a smallest lens radius r , in other words they have the highest refractive effect . the raster elements 24 in the raster areas 28 and 30 are of a type ii with a conical constant c in the range of 0 . 05 and a refractive effect which is lower than that of the raster elements 24 in the raster area 29 , in other words they have a slightly larger lens radius r . the raster elements 24 in the raster areas 27 and 31 are of a type iii with a conical constant c in the range of − 0 . 1 and a lowest refractive effect , in other words a largest lens radius r . between type i and type iii , the conical constant c thus differs by 0 . 3 . the conical constants c of the types i , ii , iii may also assume other values from a range of values for the conical constant c of between − 0 . 3 and + 0 . 3 , wherein the type with the highest refractive effect has the greatest conical constant c while the type with the lowest refractive effect has the smallest conical constant c . in another embodiment , the conical constant c is in the range of 0 . 05 for type ii , in the range of 0 . 1 for type i and in the range of 0 . 0 for type iii . the conical constant c of type i may for example vary in a range of between 0 . 09 and 0 . 25 . the conical constant of type ii may vary in a range of between − 0 . 09 and + 0 . 09 . the conical constant c of type iii may vary in a range of between − 0 . 25 and − 0 . 09 . fig4 shows an effect of the raster elements 24 of type i and iii which , because of their different refractive powers , is not distance - compensated , in other words it is not according to the disclosure . the figure shows an intensity i across a field coordinate x in the region of the object field 3 . the high refractive effect of the raster elements 24 of type i causes the allocated partial bundle 25 to be heavily constricted on the allocated entrance surfaces of the allocated second raster elements 26 which in turn causes an intensity curve 32 across the field coordinate x to be constricted as well . the conical constant c of the raster elements 24 of type i results in a “ concave ” intensity curve 32 across the object field 3 , in other words the intensity curve 32 is curved in such a way as to be upwardly open . due to their lower refractive powers , the bundle - guiding effects of the raster elements 24 of type iii causes the partial bundles to be constricted less on the second raster elements 26 which in turn results in a broader intensity curve 33 across the field coordinate x . the conical constant c of the raster elements 24 of type iii results in a “ convex ” intensity curve 33 across the object field 3 , in other words the intensity curve 33 is downwardly open . if there is no distance compensation as will be explained below , the constricting effect of the raster elements 24 of type i , which have a higher refractive effect than the raster elements 24 of type iii , results in that when integrated over the object field 3 , the intensity contribution of type i is higher than that of type iii as will become apparent when comparing the intensity levels of the intensity curves 32 , 33 across the object field 3 in fig4 . according to the disclosure , this intensity difference of the curves 32 , 33 across the object field 3 is compensated for by a variation of distances δ between the raster elements 24 , 26 allocated to each other via the partial bundles 25 . this will hereinafter be explained via fig2 . as discussed above , the raster elements 24 of type i have a higher refractive effect than the raster elements of type iii . therefore , the partial bundles 25 i formed by the raster elements 24 of type i have edge rays which converge more than those of the partial bundles 25 iii generated by the raster elements 24 of type iii . on the other hand , the distance δ i between the raster elements 24 , 26 in the raster area 29 is smaller than the distance δ iii between the raster elements 24 , 26 of the raster areas 27 and 31 . so regardless of whether it is of type i or iii , the partial bundle 25 impinging upon the allocated raster element 26 therefore has the same extension x 0 in the x - dimension despite the higher refractive effect of the raster elements 24 of type i compared to type iii . likewise , type iii of the raster elements , which has a lower refractive effect , has a higher intensity effect across the object field 3 as the larger distance δ iii causes the partial bundle 25 iii to be collected along the same x - dimension x 0 as the partial bundle 25 i . in the region of the object field 3 , the intensity curve 33 generated by type iii is thus raised up to the intensity curve 34 which is illustrated by a dot - dashed line . when integrated over the object field 3 , the two types i and iii provide the same intensity contribution despite their different refractive effects , which intensity contribution differs only in terms of its concave or convex curve which is due to the different conical constants of the types i and iii . the different refractive effect of the types i and iii therefore allows an intensity offset correction to be performed across the used object field 3 , which is indicated in fig4 by “ e - offset ” and a double - headed arrow extending along the intensity axis . the refractive effect of type ii of the raster elements 24 in the raster areas 28 , 30 is between the refractive effects of types i and iii , with the result that type ii has a corresponding intensity - adjusting effect . the schematic illustration of the raster module 13 according to fig2 shows two different distances δ between the allocated raster elements 24 , 26 in the raster areas 28 , 30 , with the result that a distance variation is obtained between individual elements of the second raster arrangement 15 . the second raster elements 26 of the second raster arrangement 15 may alternatively be arranged at a uniform distance δ from the allocated raster elements 24 of the first raster arrangement 12 as shown in fig2 by a dashed line at 35 so that in this case , a uniform distance δ ii is provided . the distance variation with the different distances aδ i , δ ii , δ iii is obtained via a thickness variation of the second raster arrangement 15 which thickness variation extends across the x - direction in the manner of a ridge . the second raster arrangement 15 has a highest raster thickness s i in the center , in other words in the raster area 29 , and a lowest thickness s iii at the edge , in other words in the raster areas 27 , 31 . when looking at the second raster arrangement 15 which is represented by a continuous line , the thickness s measured in the z - direction decreases from element to element via distance steps 36 . the distances δ between the raster arrangements 12 , 15 are greatly exaggerated in fig2 and 5 et seq . when compared to the respective x - dimension of the raster elements 24 , 26 . the following tables show examples of absolute distance or air gap changes which are used when the conical constant c or the radius of curvature of the respective first raster element 24 is changed . the change of the conical constant c is referred to by δc in the first table . when the conical constant c is changed by for example 0 . 05 , a change of the distance δ of 13 μm is used for compensation . the change of radius is given in percent in the second table . fig3 shows an exemplary quadrupole illumination of the first raster arrangement 12 and therefore of the raster module 13 of the illumination system 5 of the projection exposure apparatus 1 . the first raster arrangement 12 is exposed to a total of four partial bundles which impinge upon the first raster arrangement 12 at the corners of a rhombus . in other words , the central raster area 29 is impinged by two partial bundles 25 which , when seen in the y - direction , are in each case close to the two edges of the raster area 29 . in the raster areas 27 and 31 , the first raster arrangement 12 is impinged centrally by a respective one of the partial bundles 25 when seen in the y - direction . in this quadrupole illumination , the different types i and iii of the raster elements 24 allow an ellipticity variation of the illumination of the object field 3 , which is caused by other optical components of the projection exposure apparatus 1 , to be compensated for . the ellipticity is a measure for assessing the quality of the illumination of the object field 3 in the object plane 4 . determining the ellipticity allows one to better predict the distribution of energy or intensity across an entrance pupil of the projection objective 21 . to this end , the entrance pupil of the projection objective 21 is divided into eight octants which are numbered by o 1 to o 8 in the anticlockwise direction as is common practice in mathematics . the energy or intensity contribution provided by the octants o 1 to o 8 of the entrance pupil for illuminating a field point is hereinafter referred to as energy or intensity contribution i 1 to i 8 . the following quantity is referred to as − 45 °/ 45 ° ellipticity ( elly , e − 45 °/ 45 °): e - 45 ⁢ ° / 45 ⁢ ° = i ⁢ ⁢ 1 + i ⁢ ⁢ 2 + i ⁢ ⁢ 5 + i ⁢ ⁢ 6 i ⁢ ⁢ 3 + i ⁢ ⁢ 4 + i ⁢ ⁢ 7 + i ⁢ ⁢ 8 while the following quantity is referred to as 0 °/ 90 ° ellipticity ( ellx , e 0 °/ 90 °): the aspheric shape of the first raster elements 24 is produced in a multistage forming process . in this process , the raster arrangement 12 is at first produced in such a way as to have raster elements 24 with one and the same conical constant . afterwards , a desired variation of the conical constants is performed which results in the different types i , ii , iii . this also results in the different lens radii , and therefore in the different refractive effects of the types i to iii . alternatively , the raster arrangement 12 may also be provided with the different lens radii of the types i to iii in a single production step . fig5 shows another embodiment of a raster module 13 which is provided with distance variations between individual elements . components and effects which correspond to those that have already been explained above with reference to fig1 to 4 are denoted by the same reference numerals and are not discussed in detail again . in the embodiment of the raster module 13 according to fig5 , the first raster arrangement 12 is provided with distance variations in the manner of a ridge between individual elements . as a result , there is a smallest distance δ i between the allocated raster elements 24 and 26 in the central raster area 29 while there is a largest distance δ iii between the allocated raster elements 24 and 26 . in analogy to the above description relating to the embodiment according to fig2 , the different constricting effects of types i and iii exerted on the partial bundles 25 i to 25 iii by the raster elements 24 are distance - compensated as well , with the result that the partial bundles 25 i to 25 iii again have the same x - extension x 0 on the raster elements 26 of the second raster arrangement 15 . consequently , the same offset compensation of the different intensity curves is obtained as already discussed above with reference to fig4 . fig6 shows another embodiment of a raster module 13 . components and effects which correspond to those that have already been explained above with reference to fig1 and 5 are denoted by the same reference numerals and are not discussed in detail again . the raster arrangement 12 according to fig6 is designed in the manner of an inverted ridge , in other words it has a smallest thickness s 3 in the region of the center and a largest thickness s 1 at the edges . likewise , the types i to iii of the first raster elements 24 in the embodiment of the first raster arrangement according to fig6 are distributed across the x - dimension of the first raster arrangement 12 in an inverted manner as well . type iii with the lowest refractive effect is disposed in the center , in other words in the raster area 29 . the raster elements 24 of type i , in other words the raster elements 24 with the highest refractive power , are disposed at the edges , in other words in the raster areas 27 , 31 . the raster elements 24 of type ii are arranged in - between , in other words in the raster areas 28 and 30 . the raster arrangement 12 according to fig6 is provided with distance steps 36 between the individual elements as well . the distance δ iii , which is large compared to the distance δ i , compensates for the refractive effect of type iii which is lower than that of type i , with the result that regardless of whether the raster elements 26 are equipped with type i , ii or iii , the partial bundles 25 1 to 25 3 also have the same x - extension x 0 in the raster module 13 according to fig6 . fig7 shows another embodiment of a raster module 13 . components and effects which correspond to those that have already been explained above with reference to fig1 to 6 are denoted by the same reference numerals and are not discussed in detail again . in fig7 , in contrast to the raster module 13 according to fig6 , it is not the first raster arrangement 12 but the second raster arrangement 15 which is an element in the shape of an inverted ridge having a smallest thickness s iii in the center and a largest thickness s i at the edges . as a result , the distances δ i to δ iii have a corresponding compensatory effect on the partial bundles 25 1 to 25 3 as already explained above with reference to the raster module 13 according to fig6 . fig8 shows another embodiment of a raster module 13 . components and effects which correspond to those that have already been explained above with reference to fig1 to 7 are denoted by the same reference numerals and are not discussed in detail again . in the raster module 13 according to fig8 , both raster arrangements 12 , 15 are provided with ridge - like steps between individual elements . the two ridges of the raster arrangements 12 , 15 face each other , with the result that there is a lowest distance δ i in the raster area 29 while there is a largest distance δ iii between the raster elements 24 , 26 at the edges . the arrangement of the raster module 13 according to fig8 is selected if the types i and iii have a larger difference in terms of their refractive effects than those of the arrangement according to fig2 and 5 . fig9 shows another embodiment of a raster module 13 . components and effects which correspond to those that have already been explained above with reference to fig1 to 8 are denoted by the same reference numerals and are not discussed in detail again . other than in the embodiments according to fig2 and 5 to 8 described above , the embodiment according to fig9 is only provided with three raster areas , namely the raster areas 37 , 38 and 39 . in the schematic illustration according to fig9 , the first raster arrangement 12 of the raster module 13 according to fig9 again has a total of seven of the first raster elements 24 when seen in the x - direction . the raster elements 24 in the raster areas 37 and 39 are of type i which has the higher refractive power . the raster elements 24 of the first raster arrangement 12 in the central raster area 28 are of type iii which has the lower refractive power . in the raster areas 37 and 39 , there are in each case two raster elements 24 of type i . in the raster area 38 , there are three raster elements 24 of type iii which are disposed next to one another . between the raster areas 37 and 38 on the one hand and between the raster areas 38 and 39 on the other , the first raster arrangement 12 includes in each case one distance step 40 . a distance δ i between the raster elements 24 in the raster area 37 and the allocated raster elements 26 of the second raster arrangement 15 is smaller than a distance δ iii between the first raster elements 24 in the raster area 38 and the allocated second raster elements 26 . as a result , the different distances δ i and δ iii compensate for the different refractive effects of types i and iii as already explained above with reference to the raster module 13 according to fig6 . fig1 shows another embodiment of a raster module 13 . components and effects which correspond to those that have already been explained above with reference to fig1 to 8 and in particular with reference to fig9 are denoted by the same reference numerals and are not discussed in detail again . in the raster module 13 according to fig1 , the first raster arrangement 12 is inverted relative to the raster arrangement 12 according to fig9 . the raster elements 24 of type i with the higher refractive power are arranged in the central raster area 38 while the raster elements 24 of type iii with the lower refractive power are arranged in the raster areas 37 and 39 at the edges . as the distance δ iii at the edges now exceeds the distance δ i , a compensatory effect is obtained as already explained with reference to the embodiment of the raster module 13 according to fig5 . during microlithographic production of a microstructured or nanostructured component using the projection exposure apparatus 1 , a substrate is provided which is at least partially provided with a layer of a light - sensitive material . the substrate is usually a wafer . furthermore a reticle is provided which is provided with the structure to be imaged . the projection exposure apparatus 1 is then used to project at least a portion of the reticle onto a region of the light - sensitive layer on the substrate . the following is a description of another embodiment of a raster module 13 according to fig1 . components and effects which correspond to those that have already been explained above with reference to fig1 to 10 are denoted by the same reference numerals and are not discussed in detail again . in the raster module 13 according to fig1 , the two raster arrangements 12 , 15 are provided with reflective first raster elements 24 and with reflective second raster elements 26 . because of their reflective powers , the raster elements 24 of the first raster arrangement 12 in the embodiment according to fig1 have different bundle - influencing effects instead of different refractive effects . thus the raster element 24 iii of type iii shown at the top of fig1 may be designed in such a way as to exert a lowest focusing effect on a partial bundle 25 iii while the raster element 24 i of type i shown at the bottom of fig1 may be designed in such a way as to have a highest focusing effect on a partial bundle 25 i . the focusing effect exerted on the partial bundle 25 ii by the raster element 24 ii shown in - between lies between the two focusing effects of the raster elements 24 i and 24 iii . the two raster arrangements 12 , 15 are arranged in space relative to each other in such a way that an optical path length a between one of the first raster elements 24 and a second raster element 26 of the second raster arrangement 15 allocated thereto is such that the following relation applies : this individual allocation of distances δ i to δ iii to type i to iii of the first raster element 24 results in a compensating effect as already explained above for example with reference to the raster module 13 according to fig2 . the two raster arrangements 12 , 15 of the embodiments explained above may also be arranged in the beam path of the illumination light 8 in the opposite order . fig1 is a schematic illustration of another embodiment of the raster module 13 including raster arrangements 12 , 15 with raster elements 24 , 26 . components and effects which correspond to those that have already been explained above with reference to fig1 to 11 are denoted by the same reference numerals and are not discussed in detail again . in the raster module 13 according to fig1 , the two raster arrangements 12 , 15 are displaceable in the z - direction , in other words perpendicular to the xy - planes spanned by the two raster arrangements 12 , 15 , along a displacement path δ z . in the embodiment shown in fig1 , it is the second raster arrangement 15 that is displaced in the z - direction . to this end , the second raster arrangement 15 is mechanically connected to a displacement device 41 . the displacement device 41 may be a linear displacement unit suitable for the displacement of optical components or a micromechanical actuator . an output coupling mirror 42 is arranged in the beam path downstream of the second raster arrangement 15 which output coupling mirror 42 is partially permeable to the illumination light 8 . via the output coupling mirror 42 , a partial beam 43 of the illumination light 8 is transmitted to a position - sensitive detector 44 such as a ccd array . the detector 44 is in a signal connection with the displacement device 41 via a central control device not shown in the drawing . the detector 44 detects an illumination intensity distribution of the partial beam 43 which allows conclusions to be drawn about an illumination intensity distribution and / or an illumination angle distribution of the illumination light 8 in the object plane 4 . the δ z displacement of the raster arrangement 15 relative to the raster arrangement 12 allows an offset correction of the intensity across the used object field 3 to be performed as already explained above with reference to fig4 . the larger a distance z between the two raster arrangements 12 , 15 , the smaller an x - extension of the illumination field , with the result that the intensity is focused more in the object field 3 . furthermore , the δ z displacement may be used to achieve an offset of ellipticity , in other words of the quantities e − 45 °/ 45 ° or e 0 °/ 90 °, for example , which have already been discussed above . the δ z displacement also allows a uniformity of an illumination of the object field 3 to be adjusted . the uniformity is defined as the normalized scan - integrated total energy se ( x ) for an x - value in the object field 3 , in other words a field height . the uniformity u is such that u ( in percent )= 100 ( se ( x max )− se ( x min ))/( se ( x max )+ se ( x min )), with se ( x max ) being the total energy for the x - value x max with the highest scan - integrated total energy . se ( x min ) on the other hand is the total energy for the x - value x min with the lowest scan - integrated total energy . furthermore , the δ z displacement may be used to perform an offset correction of a telecentricity . the telecentricity is a measure for a chief illumination angle direction of the energy or intensity of the illumination light incident on the object field 3 . a chief ray of a light bundle allocated to a field point is defined for each field point of the illuminated object field . the chief ray has the energy - weighted direction of the light bundle emitted by this field point . ideally , the chief ray of each field point is parallel to the principal ray determined by the illumination optical system or the projection objective 21 . the direction of the principal ray { right arrow over ( s )} 0 ( x , y ) is known from the design data of the illumination optical system or the projection objective 21 . the principal ray of a field point is defined by the connection line between the field point and the central point of the entrance pupil of the projection objective 21 . the direction of the chief ray at a field point x , y in the object field in the object plane 3 is obtained as follows : e ( u , v , x , y ) is the energy distribution for the field point x , y as a function of the pupil coordinates u , v , in other words it depends on the illumination angle seen by the respective field point x , y . { tilde over ( e )}( x , y )=∫ dudve ( u , v , x , y ) is the total energy incident on the point x , y . a for example central object field point x 0 , y 0 sees the radiation of partial radiation bundles from directions u , v which are defined by the position of the respective raster elements 26 on the second raster arrangement 15 . in this illumination example , the chief ray s travels along the principal ray only if the different energies or intensities of the partial radiation bundles or illumination channels allocated to the raster elements 26 combine to form a chief ray direction which is integrated over all raster elements 26 and which is parallel to a principal ray direction of the illumination light 8 . this is only the case under ideal circumstances . in practical application , there is a deviation between the chief ray direction { right arrow over ( s )}( x , y ) and the principal ray direction { right arrow over ( s )} 0 ( x , y ) which is referred to as telecentricity error { right arrow over ( t )}( x , y ): { right arrow over ( t )}( x , y )={ right arrow over ( s )}( x , y )− { right arrow over ( s )} 0 ( x , y ) in the practical application of the projection exposure apparatus 1 , it is not the local telecentricity error at a particular object field point ( x , y ) to be corrected but the telecentricity error which is scan - integrated at x = x 0 . this telecentricity error is obtained as follows : in other words , the telecentricity error is corrected which is integrated by a point ( x , e . g . x 0 ) on the reticle moving through the object field 3 in the object plane 4 during the scanning process , wherein a difference is made between an x - telecentricity error and a y - telecentricity error . the x - telecentricity error t x is defined as the deviation of the chief ray from the principal ray in the direction perpendicular to the scanning direction , in other words across the field height . the y - telecentricity error t y is defined as a deviation of the chief ray from the principal ray in the scanning direction . the illumination parameters are controllable via the detector 44 , the central control device and the displacement device 41 , thus allowing the raster module 13 to be operated as a corrective element which can be used during the operation to adjust actual values of the illumination parameters to predetermined desired values . to this end , the central control device evaluates the illumination parameters of the partial beam 43 detected by the detector 44 which allow conclusions to be drawn about the illumination parameters of the illumination light 8 . depending on the actual values of the illumination parameters determined in this manner , the second raster arrangement 15 is then displaced by correspondingly actuating the displacement device 41 via the central control device . fig1 is an illustration similar to fig1 of another embodiment of a raster module 13 with different degrees of freedom for displacement between the two raster arrangements 12 and 15 . components which correspond to those which have already been explained above with reference to the embodiments described above and in particular with reference to the embodiment according to fig1 are denoted by the same reference numerals and are not discussed in detail again . in the raster module 13 according to fig1 , the second raster arrangement 15 is displaceable relative to the first raster arrangement 12 in the x - direction and in the y - direction along displacement paths δ x , δ y . to this end , the raster module 13 is again equipped with a displacement device 41 which is mechanically coupled with the second raster module 15 . a δ x or δ y displacement of the second raster arrangement 15 relative to the first raster arrangement 12 allows a relative x or y position of the illumination field to be defined relative to the object field 3 . a tilt dependence of the telecentricity across the field height x , a so - called telecentricity tilt , as well as a tilt dependence of the ellipticity across the field height x are also adjustable via a δ x or δ y displacement . combined with a δ x or δ y displacement , an additional δ z displacement , which — corresponding to the description of the raster module 13 according to fig1 — is conceivable for the raster module 13 according to fig1 as well , allows an intensity offset of the illumination light 8 to be adjusted across the object field 3 . if the raster module includes a raster arrangement such as the raster arrangement 12 which is divided into raster areas having different bundle - influencing effects such as the raster areas 27 to 31 according to fig3 , then a δ x or δ y displacement results in a tilt change of the ellipticity across the object field 3 . this may be used to adjust an ellipticity tilt across the field height x . a parameter control via a detector and the central control device as described above for the raster module 13 according to fig1 is conceivable for the raster module 13 according to fig1 as well . fig1 is an illustration similar to fig1 of another embodiment of a raster module 13 with different degrees of freedom for displacement between the two raster arrangements 12 and 15 . components which correspond to those which have already been explained above with reference to the embodiments described above and in particular with reference to the embodiment according to fig1 are denoted by the same reference numerals and are not discussed in detail again . in the raster module 13 according to fig1 , it is again the second raster arrangement 15 which is displaceable along the z - direction relative to the first raster arrangement 12 . the individual raster elements 26 of the second raster arrangement 15 are displaceable individually and independently of one another along displacement paths δ z1 , δ z2 , . . . , δ zn . each of the raster elements 26 is mechanically coupled with an allocated displacement device 41 as schematically indicated in fig1 . the displacement devices 41 provide for the individual displacement of the raster elements 26 in the z - direction . an individual displacement device 41 may be allocated to each of the raster elements 26 . the displacement of the raster elements 26 via the displacement devices 41 is again controlled by the central control device which is not shown . an illumination parameter control via a detector and the central control device as described above for the raster module 13 according to fig1 is conceivable for the raster module 13 according to fig1 as well . depending on the position of the z - displaced raster element 26 , locally varying the distances δ zi allows a size of the illumination field segment belonging to the illumination channel to be defined in an adjustable manner , the size of the illumination field segment being determined by the associated illumination channel . consequently , the ellipse offset can be adjusted as well . a course of the ellipse across the object field 3 may for instance be influenced by varying the distances δ zi in such a way that a predetermined distribution is achieved . this allows the ellipse to be corrected . likewise , the uniformity may also be adjusted by varying the distances δ zi . in the raster modules 13 according to fig1 to 14 , the displacement devices 41 explained above may be designed in such a way that a periodic displacement of at least one segment of the first raster arrangement 12 , in other words at least one of the raster elements 24 , a group of raster elements 24 or the entire first raster arrangement 12 , relative to at least one segment of the second raster arrangement 15 , in other words relative to at least one raster element 26 , at least a group of raster elements 26 or relative to the entire raster arrangement 15 takes place at a period which is small compared to a time of exposure of the object or illumination field 3 . a displacement device 41 which is able to perform a periodic displacement of this type is also referred to as wobbler . a wobbler of this type displaces the raster arrangement 15 or segments thereof at a time constant which is such that the illumination channels are displaced each time a light pulse is generated by the primary light source 6 . during the time of exposure of a particular segment on a wafer to be illuminated via the projection exposure apparatus 1 , this segment is impinged by for example 30 light pulses of the light source 6 . during these 30 light pulses , a periodic displacement of the wobbler may occur . fig1 is an illustration similar to fig1 of another embodiment of a raster module 13 with different degrees of freedom for displacement between the two raster arrangements 12 and 15 . components which correspond to those which have already been explained above with reference to the embodiments described above and in particular with reference to the embodiment according to fig1 are denoted by the same reference numerals and are not discussed in detail again . a displacement device 41 for the raster elements 26 of the second raster arrangement 15 ensures an individual x , y displacement of the raster elements 26 along displacement paths δ x1 , δ x2 , . . . , δ xn or δ y1 , δ y2 , . . . δ yn , respectively . this x , y displacement results in a pupil - dependent displacement of the illumination channels which are displaced in the object field 3 . this may be used for optimizing a superimposition of the illumination channels in the object field 3 and therefore for optimizing the intensity distribution across the object field 3 . the x or y displacement δ xi , δ yi results in a tilt dependence of the intensity distribution of the respective illumination channel of the displaced raster element 26 , which has corresponding effects on the uniformity . this allows a tilt dependence of the telecentricity to be corrected . the effects of an x displacement of raster areas of a first raster arrangement 12 will hereinafter be explained in more detail via fig1 to 18 . components or functions which correspond to those that have already been discussed above with reference to fig1 to 15 are denoted by the same reference numerals and are not explained in detail again . the first raster arrangement 12 according to fig1 has three raster areas 45 , 46 , 47 which have different bundle - influencing effects , in other words they include raster elements 24 with different conical constants , for example , corresponding to the above description relating to the raster areas 27 to 31 of the first raster arrangement 12 according to fig3 . starting from a reference position of the three raster areas 45 to 47 relative to one another , the raster area 45 on the left - hand side of fig1 is displaced to the left relative to the central raster area 46 by a path − δ x while the raster area 47 on the right - hand side of fig1 is displaced to the right relative to the stationary central raster area 46 by a path δ x . the two displacements − δ x , δ x cause the intensity curve across the object field to change as shown in fig1 . corresponding to fig4 , fig1 shows an i ( x ) diagram of the scan - integrated intensity across the field height x . when the raster area 45 is displaced by the path − δ x , this results in a tilted intensity curve 48 with a highest intensity at the left - hand edge of the object field 3 according to fig1 and a lowest intensity at the right - hand edge of the object field 3 according to fig1 . displacing the raster area 47 by the path δ x results in an intensity curve 49 with an opposite tilt , in other words with a lowest intensity at the left - hand field edge of fig1 and a highest intensity at the right - hand field edge of fig1 . the tilted intensity curves 48 , 49 result in a telecentricity curve 50 across the object field 3 as shown in fig1 . this is due to the fact that on the left - hand edge of the object field 3 according to fig1 , it is the intensity contribution from the raster area 47 that is most dominant while on the right - hand edge of the object field 3 according to fig1 , it is the intensity contribution from the raster area 45 that is most dominant . the effect of a relative displacement of raster areas 45 , 47 relative to the stationary central raster area 46 of the second raster arrangement 15 on particular illumination parameters of the illumination of the object field 3 is explained via fig1 to 21 . components which correspond to those that have already discussed above with reference to fig1 to 18 and in particular with reference to fig1 to 18 are denoted by the same reference numerals and are not described in detail again . in contrast to fig1 which shows the first raster arrangement 12 , it is the second raster arrangement 15 which is shown in fig1 . starting from a reference position of the raster areas 45 to 47 relative to one another , a displacement according to fig1 is performed in such a way that the raster area 45 is displaced to the right relative to the raster area 46 in fig1 by a path δ x while the raster area 47 is displaced relative to the stationary central raster area 46 by a path δ x as well . the two outer raster areas 45 , 47 are therefore both displaced relative to the central raster area 46 in the same direction , namely in the positive x - direction . the central raster area 46 on the one hand and the two outer raster areas 45 , 47 on the other are composed of raster elements having different bundle - guiding effects . the central raster area 46 includes raster elements of a first bundle - influencing type i , for example with a first conical constant . the two outer raster areas 45 , 47 include raster elements 26 of a second type ii having another bundle - influencing effect , in particular a conical constant which differs from that of type i . the δ x displacements of the two outermost raster areas 45 , 47 relative to the central raster area 46 result in a tilt of the field - dependent intensity distribution of type ii which is such that the left field edge is impinged by a higher intensity than the right field edge ( compare intensity curve 51 in fig2 ). as the central raster area 46 is not displaced , the intensity curve 52 thereof remains unchanged across the object field 3 . the tilt of the intensity curve 51 results in a corresponding tilt of an ellipticity curve 53 which is shown in fig2 . the ellipticity curve 53 shown in fig2 may be the curve of the ellipticity e − 45 °/ 45 ° or the curve of the ellipticity e 0 °/ 90 °. the tilt of the ellipticity curve 53 results in an ellipticity offset 54 on the right - hand side of the object field 3 according to fig2 . starting from a reference position , the displacement paths δ x , δ y for the raster arrangements 12 , 15 or for the groups or areas of raster elements 24 , 26 or for the individual raster elements 24 , 26 may be in a range of between − 10 μm and + 10 μm . consequently , the absolute total displacement paths may amount to 20 μm . an absolute δ z displacement path for the raster arrangements 12 , 15 or for the groups or areas of raster elements 24 , 26 or for the individual raster elements 24 , 26 may amount to 30 μm . the displacement in the z - direction is a displacement which is performed essentially along a beam direction of the illumination light . the x or y displacement is a displacement which is performed essentially transverse to the beam direction of the illumination light 8 . alternatively , the displacement device 41 may be designed in such a way that one of the two raster arrangements 12 , 15 is pivotable relative to the other one of the two raster arrangements 15 , 12 about a pivot axis which is for example parallel to the x - axis or to the y - axis . in this case , the displacement device 41 is designed as a pivot drive for at least one of the two raster arrangements 12 , 15 . depending on the design of the raster module , the types of raster elements described above may be parts of the first raster arrangement 12 and / or parts of the second raster arrangement 15 .	6
a preferred embodiment of an image density controlling method for an image formation apparatus according to the present invention is now described in detail based on fig1 and 7 - 11 . the image formation apparatus shown in fig1 employs this embodiment , in which each of the image formation means 1a , 1b , 1c and 1d include an image formation member ( light - sensitive drum ) 10 facing a transfer belt 2 and rotatably supported about an axis , and a first charger 11 , an optical image input portion 12 , a developing means 13 , and a transfer corotron discharger 14 arranged on the reverse side of the transfer belt 2 , and a cleaning device 15 . the toner image developed by the developing means 13 on the image formation member 10 is transferred to the transfer sheet carried on the transfer belt 2 disposed in contact with each of the image formation members 10 by a corresponding transfer corotron charger 14 . the transfer belt 2 may be used with high insulation materials such as polyethyleneterephthalate , polyvinylidene fluoride resin , polyester , polycarbonate , or polyetheretherketone film , which are cut into a predetermined size and formed into an endless belt by ultrasonic welding of the ends for carrying the transfer sheets . in this embodiment , a polyethyleneterephthalate film with thickness of 50 - 200 μm and volume resistivity of 10 16 - 10 20 ωcm is used as the transfer belt . the diameter of the image formation member 10 is 84 mm , the length of the transfer belt 2 is 1920 mm , and space between the axes of two image formation members , namely , the distance between developing points is 196 mm . in the above - described image formation apparatus , the transfer corona dischargers 14 of image formation means 1a - 1d apply different voltages , for example , 4 . 2 - 12 . 0 kv ; therefore the total current for the transfer process ranges from 50 to 2000 μa . a detachment means for removing the transfer sheet on which a toner image is transferred from the transfer belt 2 comprises a detachment corona discharger 4 for reducing the electrostatic attachment force and a detaching claw 5 made of an insulating material such as a plastic . the detachment corona discharger 4 of the detachment means is capable of applying a dc bias voltage superimposed on an ac voltage . inside charge discharger 6a disposed inside of the transfer belt 2 , and outside charge discharger 6b disposed outside of the transfer belt 2 of the detachment corona discharger 6 , as well as the detachment means , are corona dischargers capable of applying the dc bias voltage superimposed on the ac voltage . in addition to the above - described construction , this embodiment further comprises a reflective type photosensor consisting of a light emission portion and a light detecting portion for detecting the position of the seam of the transfer belt 2 . because the seam of the transfer belt 2 is formed by joining the ends of a cut sheet such as a film by ultrasonic welding , for example , the seam portion is thicker and the dielectric constant thereof is different from other portions , and consequently the charge imparted to the portion corresponding to the seam portion on the transfer sheet differs from other portions of the transfer sheet causing irregularities in density of the transferred image on the part corresponding to the seam portion . to avoid this problem , japanese patent application unexamined publication no . sho . 62 - 269160 ( 1987 ) discloses a seam detector in which a hole or a pattern is formed at a position at a predetermined distance from a seam portion of a transfer belt and a photosensor detects the hole or pattern to recognize the position of the seam of the transfer belt . this seam detector further comprises a pulse generator which outputs a pulse signal for every movement of the transfer belt for a predetermined distance and a counter for counting the pulses , wherein the number of pulses in one revolution of the transfer belt is divided equally into the number of image areas to determine the image areas . hereafter , this operation will be referred to as a panel division . by this method , timing to start advancing the transfer sheets avoiding the seam is determined and the transfer belt is divided into plural parts of equal lengths avoiding the seam portion in accordance with the size of the transfer sheet , thus arranging so that there are an integral number of transfer sheets for each rotation cycle of the transfer belt . for example , panel division in the case where the length of the transfer belt is 1920 mm is now explained . when panel division is used to divide the transfer belt of the above - described length into 4 - 8 panels is carried out , the divisions are as shown in table 1 . table 1______________________________________ interval between number of panels transfer sheetssheet size after division on the transfer belt ( mm ) ______________________________________a4 transverse 8 30b4 longitudinal 4 116a3 longitudinal 4 60______________________________________ when the transfer belt is divided into panels as described above , it is convenient and most productive to control the seam 17 of the transfer belt 2 to be located approximately at the center of the interval between transfer sheets . to increase the operation rate , it might be possible to ignore the seam and use the portion corresponding to the seam as the image area . however , as described above , since the seam portion is thicker than the other portions , the dielectric constant of the seam portion is different from the other portions , which causes defects in the transferred image . though toner attached to the surface of the transfer belt 2 is removed by the cleaning device 15 , some toner remaining on both ends of the seam portion , where the thickness of the transfer belt 2 changes , evades the cleaning device 15 and is transferred to the reverse of the next transfer sheet carried on the seam portion . therefore this method is not a suitable one . next a method for transferring the toner image patch on the non - image area of the transfer belt 2 for controlling the image density will be described . in fig1 the toner image patch density detecting means 20 for all toner colors comprising the photosensor 3 is disposed at a point next to the working area of the last image formation means 1d . the density of the toner image patch transferred to a polyethyleneterephthalate film is read out by the photosensor , comprising a photoemitter and photoreceptor disposed above and beneath the transfer belt 2 , by converting the amount of the transmitted light into an output voltage of the photosensor , that is , a density detection signal . according to the output voltage , a toner replenishment signal is controlled to be on or off . several different arrangements of the sensor and toner image patches transferred to the transfer belt 2 for controlling the density in a full color image formation process might be considered , and some of those are shown in fig8 ( 1 ) a .-( 3 ) b . in these figures and fig7 k , y , m and c are toner image patches for black , yellow , magenta and cyan , respectively , which further correspond to the first , second , third and fourth image formation means 1a - 1d , respectively . the arrangement of the toner image patches and sensor may be considered as follows : ( 1 ) a line in the transverse direction , ( 2 ) a line in the direction of belt rotation , and ( 3 ) a combination of lines in the transverse and belt rotation direction . when ( 1 ) is employed , that is , the toner image patches are formed in a line in the transverse direction , each toner image needs a sensor , but the extent of the toner image patches in the longitudinal direction is small , and therefore the spacings between the transfer sheets are reduced and the operation rate increases . in the case where a4 size sheets are transversely arranged on the above - described transfer belt 2 with a length of 1920 mm and the spacing between the transfer sheets is 30 mm , the spacing is ample to hold the toner image patches even assuming they are 16 - mm square , which makes it possible to transfer the toner image patches to the areas between the transfer sheets in every copying cycle , thus providing the highest capability of controlling the image density . when the toner image patches are disposed in the longitudinal direction of rotation of the transfer belt 2 , it is sufficient to have one set of the density detecting means 20 , but is necessary to have a considerably large spacing between the transfer sheets . assuming the toner image patch is 16 - mm square and the spacing between the patches is 2mm , the space is required in accordance with the following expression : wherein α is the margin at each end of the transfer sheet . α is at least approximately 4 mm , taking into consideration the registration errors of transfer sheets with respect to the image to be transferred caused by a sheet feeding means , skew of the transfer sheet , irregular timing for forming the toner image patches , inaccurate detection by the sensor for detecting the seam position of the transfer belt 2 , and so forth . in this case , accordingly , a spacing between the transfer sheets of when a4 size sheets ( 210 mm × 297 mm ) are transversely arranged on the transfer belt 2 with the length of 1920 mm and the belt is divided into 7 panels , the spacing between the transfer sheets is which is insufficient . it is necessary to reduce the number of panels to 6 to satisfy the demand for the size of spacing , which is calculated as follows : suppose that the process speed of the transfer belt 2 is 160 mm / s and the time required for one rotation cycle of the belt is 12 s . in the case where the number of the divided panels is 8 , the copying speed is in the above - described example , the toner image patches are transferred to the transfer belt 2 in every copying cycle to detect their density . however , as a means for overcoming the problem mentioned above , limitation of the patch transfer operation to the first copying cycle can be considered . if the limitation is carried out , even though the toner image patches are arranged in a line in the direction of the rotation of the transfer belt 2 and a4 size transfer sheets are transversely disposed on the belt , 7 transfer sheets can be successively carried during one rotation cycle of the belt by transferring the patches only to the first panel out of 8 divided panels . but , in this case , there occurs another problem that reliability is extremely reduced from the viewpoint of maintenance of the image quality in the use of a copying machine for full - color image which is required to strictly maintain the image density . the formation of the toner image patches and arrangement thereof have been explained ; next is described a method for preventing variation of the capability for transferring the toner image patches between the first cycle and the second and subsequent cycles of the belt rotation in the image formation process , which is caused by insufficient discharge of toner image patch portions on the transfer belt 2 . in the following examples , a3 size paper is used as the transfer sheets and the number of the divided panels is 4 , that is , 4 transfer sheets are continuously supplied on the transfer belt 2 during one rotation cycle of the belt . though the size of the paper is changed , all operations are the same as the following examples except for the number of the divided panels . in all of the following cases , the transfer sheet is guided by the transfer belt 2 from the first image formation means to the last image formation means , where each image formation means transfers an image to the transfer sheet and toner image patches for controlling the image density to an area between the transfer sheets on the transfer belt ( where no image is transferred ), whereby the toner image patches in their various arrangements are transferred to the non - image area as shown in fig9 and the photosensor for reading the density is disposed at the position corresponding to the toner image patch formation position in the direction of the transfer belt rotation . in fig9 the rotation cycle numbers n , n + 1 , n + 2 , and so forth of the transfer belt mean the number of rotation cycles of the transfer belt after a printing button of the image formation apparatus is pushed to operate the apparatus and the image formation process is started . in practice , after pushing the printing button and the lapse of a predetermined startup time of the apparatus , the image formation process is started when n = 1 . arranging the toner image patches and sensors in a line in the transverse direction of the transfer belt -- 1 fig9 ( 1 ) shows this case . in the four panels of the first rotation cycle , four toner image patches are transferred to the non - image area at the end portion of the first and third panels and no toner image patches are transferred to the non - image area at the end portion of the second and fourth panels . in the second rotation cycle , no toner image patches are transferred to the non - image area at the end portion of the first and third panels and the toner image patches are transferred to the non - image area at the end portion of the second and fourth panels . as a result , each panel goes through the toner image patch transfer every other rotation cycle of the belt . repetition of the above - described operation resolves the difficulty of image density control caused by variation in the capability for transferring the toner image patches between n and n + 1 rotation cycles generated by insufficient discharge of the toner image patch portion of the transfer belt as described above . arranging the toner image patches and sensor in a line in the transverse direction of the transfer belt -- 2 . this example is shown in fig9 ( 2 ). it is a variation of example 1 , wherein the four toner image patches arranged in a line are divided into two groups each of which is alternatively transferred . that is , during the first rotation cycle , toner image patches belonging to group 1 are transferred to the non - image area at the end portion of the first and third panels out of four panels and the patches belonging to group 2 are transferred to the non - image area at the end portion of the second and fourth panels . on the other hand , during the second rotation cycle , the patches of the group 2 are transferred to the non - image portion at the end portion of the first and third panels and the patches of the group 1 are transferred to the non - image area at the end portion of the second and fourth panels . as a result , the two groups of toner image patches are transferred for every other rotation cycle of the belt . repetition of the above - described operation resolves the difficulty in image density control caused by variation in the capability for transferring the toner image patches between n and n + 1 rotation cycles generated by insufficient discharge of the toner image patch portion of the transfer belt , the same as in example 1 . in the two examples described above , the toner image patch formation and detection of density for each color are carried out alternately during one rotation cycle . of course , it is most preferable to form the toner image patches and detect their density for every divided panel . as previously described , in the first image formation means , failure to control the image density caused by variation of the capability for transferring the toner image patches between n and n + 1 rotation cycles due to the insufficient discharge of the toner image patch portions on the transfer belt occurs with great severity . in a full - color image copying process , the frequency of use of black toner is lower than that of the yellow , magenta and cyan colors to form an image ; and therefore the frequency of formation of the toner image patches for controlling the image density for black toner may be lower than those of the three other color toners . taking the above - described matters into consideration , another method of toner image patch formation is now described , which is shown in fig8 ( 1 ) b . in this case , the black toner which is of lowest frequency in use is assigned to the first image formation means and two toner image patch portions are prepared and the patches for controlling the black toner image are formed on the alternate portions in rotation cycles of the belt while patches for other color images are formed on the respective portions in every rotation cycle . therefore , the frequently used colors yellow , magenta and cyan are used in every coping cycle . moreover , toner image patches in every copying cycle , and moreover , is the problem peculiar to the color black is resolved , that is , the variation of capability for transferring the toner image patches between n and n + 1 rotation cycles occurs with great severity due to insufficient discharge of the toner image patch portions . for example , as shown in fig9 ( 3 ), in each of the cases where the toner image patches are arranged in a line in the transverse direction of the belt , where the toner image patches are arranged in a line in the longitudinal direction of the belt , and where the toner image patches are arranged in a combination of lines in the transverse direction and longitudinal directions , two toner image patch portions for black toner are provided , and the toner image patch formation and detection of the image density for the colors other than black are carried out at the portion for patch formation corresponding to each color in every copying cycle , while the toner image patches for black toner are transferred to two portions in alternate rotation cycles of the transfer belt and the image density thereof is detected . fig1 shows an embodiment using one image formation means and a transfer belt for carrying transfer sheets . the previous embodiment describes the image formation apparatus having a plurality of image formation means , but as shown in fig1 , the image density controlling method of the present invention is applicable to an image formation apparatus having a single image formation means . again , in the previous embodiment , the moving member is a means for carrying the transfer member such as a transfer belt carrying a transfer sheet on which an image is formed by the image formation means . however , as shown in fig1 , it is possible to use an intermediate transfer member 18 as the moving member , to which an image formed by the image formation means is primarily transferred and then secondarily transferred to the transfer sheet . according to the present invention , as seen from the above description , toner image patches of stabilized density can be formed , whereby reliable image density control can thereby be carried out regardless of insufficient discharge of the toner image patch portions of the transfer belt by the image formation apparatus controlling the image density by detecting the density of toner image patches transferred to the non - image area on the transfer belt . the foregoing description of 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 light of the above teachings or may be acquired from practice of the invention . the embodiments were 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 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 .	6
[ 0012 ] fig1 is a schematic illustration of a known instrument transformer 10 arrangement . busbar 12 is a primary conductor in an alternating current ( ac ) switchgear panel ( not shown ) and is conducted through a toroidal core 13 of a current transformer 14 such that busbar 12 and a plurality of electrical windings 15 within current transformer 14 are magnetically coupled electrical terminations 16 and 18 couple current transformer 14 to copper conductors 20 and 22 respectively to transmit a signal generated by current transformer 14 to a measuring device ( not shown ). in operation , an alternating current flowing in busbar 12 induces a proportional current signal in windings 15 of current transformer 14 . the current signal is transmitted via terminations 16 and 18 to conductors 17 and 19 which transmit the current signal to a measuring device . [ 0014 ] fig2 is a schematic illustration of an instrument transformer arrangement 20 . a switchgear busbar 22 is a primary conductor conducted through and magnetically coupled to a current transformer 24 . electrical terminations 26 and 28 couple current transformer 24 to a retrofit relay front end module 30 . in the exemplary embodiment , relay front end module 30 is mechanically supported by as well as electrically coupled to , current transformer 24 by terminations 26 and 28 . in another embodiment , an auxiliary attachment is used to couple relay front end module 30 to current transformer 24 . the details of the relay front end module 30 are discussed below . the output of relay front end module 30 is transmitted through conduit 32 to a relay protection module ( shown in fig4 ). in an alternative embodiment , front end module 30 may be coupled to other switchgear electrical or electronic devices such as , for example , a limit switch , timer , transfer switch , panel control or display . [ 0015 ] fig3 is a schematic illustration of an alternative embodiment of an instrument transformer arrangement 40 . instrument transformer 40 is similar to instrument transformer 20 ( shown in fig2 ) and components in instrument transformer 40 that are identical to components of instrument transformer 20 are identified in fig3 using the same reference numerals used in fig2 . accordingly , instrument transformer 40 includes switchgear busbar 22 which is a primary conductor conducted through and magnetically coupled to a current transformer 24 . relay front end module 30 is integrally formed with current transformer 24 . the details of the relay front end module 30 are discussed below . the output of relay front end module 30 is transmitted through conduit 32 to a relay protection module ( shown in fig4 ). in an alternative embodiment , front end module 30 may be integrally formed and coupled to other switchgear electrical or electronic devices such as , for example , a limit switch , timer , transfer switch , panel control or display . [ 0016 ] fig4 illustrates a block diagram of an instrument transformer 50 that may be used within instrument transformer arrangements 20 or 40 ( shown in fig2 and 3 respectively ). instrument transformer 50 includes a current transformer ( ct ) 52 , a relay front end module 54 , a protection module 56 , a user interface module 58 and a fiber optic power supply module 60 . in one embodiment , current transformer 52 , is a known ct that is retrofitted to receive relay front end module 54 . terminals 62 and 64 couple relay front end module 54 to current transformer 52 . current transformer 52 includes a toroidal shaped secondary winding 66 , through which a primary winding 68 is conducted . in the exemplary embodiment , primary winding 68 is a switchgear busbar or cable . a raw current signal from current transformer 52 is conducted to step down transformer 70 which reduces an amplitude of the raw current signal to a level suitable for processing within relay front end module 54 . an instrument level signal is conducted via conduit 72 to a current to voltage converter 74 , wherein the current signal is converted to a proportional voltage signal . the voltage signal is conducted via conduit 76 to an analog to digital ( a / d ) converter 78 wherein the signal is digitized and transmitted via a conduit 80 to a fiber optic interface 82 . fiber optic interface 82 communicates via fiber optic bus 84 with protection module 56 . this communication is bi - directional , such that signal data is transmitted to protection module 56 , while limit value and setup data may be transmitted to fiber optic interface 82 . protection module 56 communicates data to user interface module 58 via conduit 86 and receives commands and limit values from user interface module 58 . in one embodiment , user interface module 58 is a thin screen module mounted to a user accessible portion of a switchgear panel exterior . in another embodiment , user interface module 58 is mounted remotely , for example , in a central control room for remote monitoring of a status of instrument transformer 50 . user interface module 58 includes a user input portion ( not shown ), for example , a key pad , touch screen , and communications port or any combination thereof . the communications port may be coupled to a personal computer or another data processing device . user interface module 58 also includes a display for indicating a status of the instrument transformer including , but not limited to , operational status , fault status , self diagnostic results and additional programmable status indications . in one embodiment , bus 86 facilitates communication with a plurality of protection modules 56 and one or more user interface modules 58 . the flexibility of a fiber optic data highway communications path allows many systems to be monitored and controlled from a central location or any number of remote locations . communications conduits 84 and 86 are not limited to a fiber optic architecture but , may be any of a wide array of standard communications bus architectures including , but not limited to ethernet , rs - 485 , or other applicable bus architectures . communications conduits 84 and 86 may use any of a number of applicable communications protocols including , but not limited to profibus , profibus dp , tcp / ip , or any other applicable communications protocol . fiber optic power supply module 60 , in one embodiment , is located in the switchgear panel proximate user interface module 58 . fiber optic power supply module 60 supplies power via conduit 88 to relay front end module fiber optic components through fiber optic power supply 90 and conduit 92 . the exemplary embodiment has heretofore been described as an instrument transformer with a current transformer as the sensor . other similar instrument transformers based on other sensors may be incorporated in the same manner . for example , voltage , frequency , temperature , infrared spectrum energy , vibration , flow , interlocks and safety devices can be modularized in similar fashion and incorporated into the monitoring and protection system described herein . in operation , coupling a relay front end module 30 directly to a current transformer 24 reduces the amount of copper connecting wire required to manufacture switchgear . instead , most of the signal carrying conduit is fiber optic . the electromagnetic environment within electrical switchgear in the area of the busbars is characterized by high electrical and magnetic field strength and often by the presence of high levels of electrical “ noise ,” that is , unwanted signals which interfere with instrumentation and measurement . these conditions may severely affect electrical equipment and communications . for this reason , instrument transformer signals in switchgear are at relatively high electrical levels , such as 5 amperes for current transformer signals and 120 volts for voltage transformer signals . in addition , electrical shielding is provided between the high voltage compartments and the instrumentation and relaying compartments by means of grounded steel enclosures . fiber optic communications signals are not affected by this relatively low - frequency electromagnetic environment , and thus are an ideal communications medium for electrical switchgear . fiber optics are commonly used in the industry for triggering high - voltage thyristors , and for communications with high voltage equipment . this invention describes a new application of fiber optics to electrical switchgear . the electrical module ( 54 in fig4 ) should be shielded from electromagnetic interference with means such as a grounded steel container . alternatively , it may be designed using electronic devices which do not require such shielding . the invention described here is not limited in terms of its application to instrument transformer circuits . the entire wiring harness assembly of electrical switchgear may be replaced by fiber - optic cables . each device , such as panel controls and displays , metering , instrumentation and relaying , and all other devices , such as limit switches , timers , transfer switches , and so forth may be connected by a fiber optic network much smaller in size and lower in cost than the copper wire assemblies in present use . the above described instrument transformer configuration for switchgear is cost - effective and reliable . the instrument transformer includes a sensor coupled to a relay front end module . the sensor includes a current transformer but , may be any number of electrical or process sensors depending on a user &# 39 ; s requirements . the relay front end module includes signal conversion and conditioning components and a communications module to receive data and commands and pass data on to a protection module over a fiber optic or other suitable conduit . mounting the relay front end module to the sensor and using a fiber optic communications bus instead of copper panel wire will reduce a high cost construction component and labor intensive manufacturing step . as a result , a reliable and durable instrument assembly is provided for a switchgear . while the invention has been described in terms of various specific embodiments , those skilled in the art will recognize that the invention can be practiced with modification within the spirit and scope of the claims .	8
exemplary embodiments of the invention as described herein generally include systems and methods for automatically extracting the body from medical images . an exemplary medical imaging modality is that of computed topography ( ct ), however , embodiments of the invention are applicable to any 3 - dimensional imaging modality . accordingly , while the invention is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms , specific embodiments thereof are shown by way of example in the drawings and will herein be described in detail . it should be understood , however , that there is no intent to limit the invention to the particular forms disclosed , but on the contrary , the invention is to cover all modifications , equivalents , and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the invention . as used herein , the term “ image ” refers to multi - dimensional data composed of discrete image elements ( e . g ., pixels for 2 - d images and voxels for 3 - d images ). the image may be , for example , a medical image of a subject collected by computer tomography , magnetic resonance imaging , ultrasound , or any other medical imaging system known to one of skill in the art . the image may also be provided from non - medical contexts , such as , for example , remote sensing systems , electron microscopy , etc . although an image can be thought of as a function from r 3 to r , the methods of the inventions are not limited to such images , and can be applied to images of any dimension , e . g . a 2 - d picture or a 3 - d volume . for a 2 - or 3 - dimensional image , the domain of the image is typically a 2 - or 3 - dimensional rectangular array , wherein each pixel or voxel can be addressed with reference to a set of 2 or 3 mutually orthogonal axes . the terms “ digital ” and “ digitized ” as used herein will refer to images or volumes , as appropriate , in a digital or digitized format acquired via a digital acquisition system or via conversion from an analog image . a method for removing non - body structures from a medical image according to an embodiment of the invention faces several challenges . in some cases , the table might not be present in the image , in which case the method should not remove any structure from the image . sometimes a table includes a cushion or head - rest , however , because of their deformability , no a priori information about their shape can be assumed . at the contact point between the patient and the table , a method should be able to distinguish the table form the patient . images are frequently noisy , blurring object boundaries . in addition , occlusions may be present , in which case a method should only remove what is necessary . the objects - of - interest in the images , such as intestines , lungs , heart , skeleton , etc . come in a variety of shapes and scales . sometimes , structural elements in the table can resemble anatomical structures , such as high intensity structural blocks , which have an image intensity range similar to that of bone structures . a method according to an embodiment of the invention uses an original adaptation of the deformable model which does not require any user interaction and works within a very short amount of time , making it useable in existing medical 3d visualization workstations . it needs only to compute image features locally , contrary to other methods which need to compute the features globally prior to the iterative process . the use of deformable elastic models in medical imaging was introduced by terzopoulos in 1988 . deformable models can simulate the behavior of non - rigid physical objects having elastic properties , and are evolved to find the state of minimum energy . these models typically incorporate two types of forces : ( 1 ) internal forces , which characterize the deformation of a stretchable flexible contour ; and ( 2 ) external forces , which characterize the image volume , where extrema coincide with edges , intensity extrema , etc . the best known deformable models are referred to as snakes . snakes are planar deformable contours that are useful in several image analysis tasks . they are often used to approximate the locations and shapes of object boundaries in images based on the reasonable assumption that boundaries are piecewise continuous or smooth . in its basic form , the mathematical formulation of snakes draws from the theory of optimal approximation involving functionals . geometrically , a snake is a parametric contour embedded in the image plane ( x , y ) εr . the contour is represented as v ( s )=( x ( s ), y ( s )) t , where x and y are the coordinate functions and sε [ 0 , 1 ] is the parametric domain . the shape of the contour subject to an image i ( x ; y ) is dictated by the functional this functional can be viewed as a representation of the energy of the contour and the final shape of the contour corresponds to the minimum of this energy . the first term of the functional , s ⁡ ( v ) = ∫ 0 1 ⁢ ( w 1 ⁡ ( s ) ⁢  ∂ v ∂ s  2 + w 2 ⁡ ( s ) ⁢  ∂ 2 ⁢ v ∂ 2 ⁢ s  2 ) ⁢ ⅆ s , is the internal deformation energy . it characterizes the deformation of a stretchy , flexible contour . two physical parameter functions dictate the simulated physical characteristics of the contour : w 1 ( s ) controls the “ tension ” of the contour while w 2 ( s ) controls its “ rigidity ”. the values of the non - negative functions w 1 ( s ) and w 2 ( s ) determine the extent to which the snake can stretch or bend at any point s on the snake . for example , increasing the magnitude of w 1 ( s ) increases the “ tension ” and tends to eliminate extraneous loops and ripples by reducing the length of the snake . increasing w 2 ( s ) increases the bending “ rigidity ” of the snake and tends to make the snake smoother and less flexible . setting the value of one or both of these functions to zero at a point s permits discontinuities in the contour at s . the second term in ( 1 ) couples the snake to the image . the second term typically takes the form p ⁡ ( v ) = ∫ 0 1 ⁢ p ⁡ ( v ⁡ ( s ) ) ⁢ ⅆ s , where p ( x , y ) denotes a scalar potential function defined on the image plane . to apply snakes to images , external potentials are designed whose local minima coincide with intensity extrema , edges , and other image features of interest . for example , the contour will be attracted to intensity edges in an image i ( x , y ) by choosing a potential where c controls the magnitude of the potential , ∇ is the gradient operator , and g σ * i denotes the image convolved with a ( gaussian ) smoothing filter whose characteristic width σ controls the spatial extent of the local minima of p . according to the calculus of variations , the contour v ( s ) which minimizes the energy e ( v ) satisfies the euler - lagrange equation - ∂ ∂ s ⁢ ( w 1 ⁢ ∂ v ∂ s ) + ∂ 2 ∂ s 2 ⁢ ( w 2 ⁢ ∂ 2 ⁢ v ∂ s 2 ) + ∇ p ⁡ ( v ⁡ ( s , t ) ) = 0 . this vector - valued partial differential equation expresses the balance of internal and external forces when the contour rests at equilibrium . the first two terms represent the internal stretching and bending forces , respectively , while the third term represents the external forces that couple the snake to the image data . the usual approach to solving this equation is through the application of numerical algorithms . while it is natural to view energy minimization as a static problem , a potent approach to computing the local minima of a functional is to construct a dynamical system that is governed by the functional and allow the system to evolve to equilibrium . the system may be constructed by applying the principles of lagrangian mechanics . this leads to dynamic deformable models that unify the description of shape and motion , making it possible to quantify not just static shape , but also shape evolution through time . dynamic models are valuable for medical image analysis , since most anatomical structures are deformable and continually undergo non - rigid motion in vivo . moreover , dynamic models exhibit intuitively meaningful physical behaviors , making their evolution amenable to interactive guidance from a user . a simple example is a dynamic snake which can be represented by introducing a time - varying contour v ( s , t )=( x ( s , t ), y ( s , t )) t with a mass density μ ( s ) and a damping density γ ( s ). the lagrange equations of motion for a snake with the internal energy and external energy given above is μ ⁢ ∂ 2 ⁢ v ∂ t 2 + γ ⁢ ∂ v ∂ t - ∂ ∂ s ⁢ ( w 1 ⁢ ∂ v ∂ s ) + ∂ 2 ∂ s 2 ⁢ ( w 2 ⁢ ∂ 2 ⁢ v ∂ s 2 ) = - ∇ p ⁡ ( v ⁡ ( s , t ) ) . the first two terms on the left hand side of this partial differential equation represent inertial and damping forces , while the remaining terms represent the internal stretching and bending forces , while the right hand side represents the external forces . equilibrium is achieved when the internal and external forces balance and the contour comes to rest ( i . e ., ∂ v /∂ t =∂ 2 v /∂ t 2 = 0 ), which yields the equilibrium condition . according to an embodiment of the invention , a deformable elastic model involves a surface moving through the image . the surface crosses the table , but is stopped by the body &# 39 ; s boundaries . the table is located below the patient , and the orientation of the table in the image is given by the dicom header included with the image . the surface is initialized to be at the bottom of the image , and is represented by a matrix that contains the vertical coordinates of each pixel in the surface . the surface is moved upward to detect the body and deformed in the process , in directions determined by vectors normal to the surface . a vector normal to the surface at a point can be determined from the gradient of the average image intensity in the neighborhood of the surface point . this can be obtained by convolving the image with a gaussian kernel of the form - x σ 3 ⁢ 2 ⁢ π ⁢ exp ⁡ ( - x 2 2 ⁢ σ 2 ) in order to control the motion of the surface through the image , a plurality of forces can be defined that act on the surface . an exemplary , non - limiting force includes three components . a first force is a gravity - like force that causes the surface go up to the body . the gravity - like force , defined as f gravity = α 2 , where α is a value corresponding to the intensity value at the border of the body , causes the surface to move up toward the patient &# 39 ; s body . a second force takes into account the average intensity in the neighborhood of the surface , so as to compensate for the gravity when the surface comes close to the body . the image force , defined as f image ( x )= average ( i ( x )) 2 for all points in a neighborhood of x , takes into account the image features , and balances f gravity when the surface is close to the body . both f gravity and f image are external forces . fig2 is a graph illustrating the balance between the gravity - like force and the image force , according to an embodiment of the invention . the total external force is f ext = f image + f gravity , with the force vectors pointing in opposite directions . the horizontal dotted line in the figure indicates α 2 , the magnitude of the gravity - like force , while the gray curve indicates the magnitude of f image . the magnitude of the intensity is indicated by the black curve . note that the curves intersect the α 2 line by the vertical dotted line , which indicates where the body begins in the intensity . as can be seen , the force f ext = 0 at the border of the body , where the average intensity = α . f ext & gt ; 0 if the surface penetrates the body , and f ext & lt ; 0 outside the body . in addition , there is a third force , and elastic force that models the elastic properties of the surface , and is calculated implicitly in a regularization step . as some regions of the volume convey more information than others , they are allotted more weight in the computation of this internal force . in particular , the parts of the surface located in a region with high gradient intensity are allocated more weight than parts located in uniform intensity areas . an issue that arises in the motion of the surface is that the surface might not stop at the border of the body , and might remove parts of the body from the image . to prevent this , a regularization step is used , in which the elasticity of the surface is introduced as an additional internal force . this force is calculated using a gaussian kernel and controls the stiffness of the surface . this issue is dealt with by allocating more weight to points of the surface located in regions of interest in the image . these weights are used in the computation of the elasticity of the model to take into account the fact that some regions in the volume convey most of the information . according to an embodiment of the invention , a region of interest is a region with a high gradient magnitude . the additional weight makes the surface more rigid when it is close to the body , as recognized by high gradients . in other words , the weights are used to change the elasticity of the surface for pixels with a high gradient . the surface can then be regularized with a normalized convolution to take into account these weights : fig3 illustrates the balance of forces on a body , according to an embodiment of the invention . referring to the figure , the surface is indicated by the interface of the gray and black regions , and the body is the white region . the elastic forces are indicated by the black arrows , while the external forces that advance the surface are indicated by the gray arrows . the region where the surface overlaps the body is indicated by arrows , where the gray surface overlaps the white body . in addition , to ensure that the surface does not penetrate the patient &# 39 ; s body at all , a method according to an embodiment of the invention includes a fine tuning step . fine tuning assumes that the surface has crossed the table and s is already close to the body . for all points on the surface , high intensity points are points in the patient &# 39 ; s body , and low intensity points are in the background . the fine tuning can ensure that regions of interest are not removed from the final image , and allows the surface to be moved closer to the body . according to an embodiment of the invention , an adjustment is performed wherein all points in high intensity regions are moved down to low intensity regions . the steps of adjustment and regularization are performed for a fixed number of iterations and the step of fine tuning is performed after the last iteration has finished . according to an embodiment of the invention , a multi - scale framework is introduced that enables a reduction of the computational load necessary to obtain local information around the surface , as well as to adapt the weights of the several parameters to the features of interest at the current resolution . downsampling is performed in a multi - scale framework to improve time efficiency . downsampling is accomplished by reducing the size of the image volume . for example , for downsampling by one level , one would use only every 2nd column , every 2nd row , and every 2nd slice of the image volume . for a 2 - level downsampling , one would use only every 4th column , row , and slice . for a 3 - level downsampling , it would be every 8th column , row , and slice and so forth . essentially , an n - level downsampling uses every 2 n th column , row , and slice . according to an embodiment of the invention , a 3 - level downsampling is used initially to make the surface move upwards faster . once the contour of the body has been reached , a process according to an embodiment of the invention switches to a volume with a higher resolution , by incorporating some of the data previously not used . this technique is referred to as upsampling . the coordinates of the surface are transformed to the new coordinate system and the movement of the surface is continued at a higher resolution . this whole concept of starting at a lower resolution and increasing the resolution based on the intermediate results is also called multi - scale approach . the effect is that the surface moves much faster while away from the body and slows down when it approaches the body . upsampling is continued until a finest scale of resolution is reached . the finest scale is the original resolution where all pixels are used . theoretically this could also be any other level and can be defined based on the application . a flow chart of a body extraction method according to an embodiment of the invention is shown in fig1 . a method according to an embodiment of the invention is based on the physical model of elastic deformable models , implemented in a multi - scale framework . referring to the flow chart , a surface is initialized at step 11 at the bottom of the image , below the patient and the table , and the external forces are defined that will move the surface iteratively through the table but stop at the surface of the body . the 3 - level downsampling of the image volume is performed , and the forces are initialized on this downsampled volume . at step 12 , the surface is moved upward until the body is detected . this step includes steps 13 to 16 . at step 13 , the external forces acting on the surface are calculated , and the surface is displaced accordingly at step 14 . the displaced surface is regularized at step 15 . step 16 loops back to repeat steps 13 , 14 , and 15 until the surface has approached and is close to the body . the stop criterion at step 16 is satisfied when the number of modified surface pixels in the last iteration is below a predetermined threshold . at step 17 , an upsampling is performed , and step 18 loops steps 12 to 17 until the upsampling reaches the finest resolution scale permitted by the image or the application . then , at step 19 , fine tuning , is performed . finally , those parts of the image traversed by the surface are removed from the image or otherwise processed to reduce their visibility in the image . a method according to an embodiment of the invention has been tested without any human interaction on a database of 115 ct volumes coming from several hospitals . in this database , volumes are found from several parts of the body : full body , chest or lower abdomen . the size of the volumes ranges from 512 × 512 × 53 voxels to 512 × 512 × 883 , with an average resolution of 0 . 83 × 0 . 83 × 1 . 77 millimeters per voxel . in this dataset , the table and cushions are not always present ( being outside of the reconstruction area ), or only partially , some volumes are very noisy , the table has in some cases a solid dense inner structure element with high density , and some patients have parts of their body in direct contact with the high - density part of the table . fig4 is a table of results of an algorithm on the whole database , on a system using intel ® xeon ™ processor running at 3 . 06 ghz . the columns of the table are arranged by the number of slices . the table of fig4 shows the number of corresponding volumes , average , standard deviation , minimum and maximum time necessary to run the algorithm for the volumes in the database . to validate the accuracy of an algorithm according to an embodiment of the invention , a visual inspection has been made for all volumes , both slice by slice and using a 3d renderer . in no case have any body parts been removed , while the table has always been completely removed . additional results are shown in fig5 and 6 . fig5 ( a )-( f ) depict the superposition of the original image and of the mask generated by the algorithm according to an embodiment of the invention . fig5 ( a ) shows an axial view of a patient with zoom of the region between the arm and the body of the patient . fig5 ( b ) shows a coronal view of a patient , specifically an example where the algorithm starts both from the top and the bottom of the patient . fig5 ( c )-( d ) depict coronal and axial views of a patient . note that the segmentation has been successful despite the noise in the image . fig5 ( e )-( f ) depict coronal and axial views of a patient . here , the head support has been removed but details of the body such as the ears are retained . fig6 ( a 1 )-( b 2 ) depict comparisons of images obtained from a 3d visualization application , using pre - established presets , according to an embodiment of the invention . fig6 ( a 1 ) depicts a view of the lungs ( preset “ lungs ”) in an original image . fig6 ( a 2 ) shows the corresponding view after applying a body extracting method according to an embodiment of the invention . fig6 ( b 1 ) illustrates a view of the spine ( preset “ spine shaded ”) in an original image . fig6 ( b 2 ) illustrates the corresponding view after applying a body extracting method according to an embodiment of the invention . in particular , fig5 ( b ) shows that an algorithm according to an embodiment of the invention might also be useful to remove medical equipment on top of the patient . according to an embodiment of the invention , the surface was initialized at the top of the image and it was moved downwards until it attached to the body . a method according to an embodiment of the invention to automatically extract the patient &# 39 ; s body from ct volumes provides very good results while being fast and using little memory . the use of deformable elastic surfaces appears to be an efficient way of segmenting large regular structures in 3d volumes . it is to be understood that the present invention can be implemented in various forms of hardware , software , firmware , special purpose processes , or a combination thereof . in one embodiment , the present invention can be implemented in software as an application program tangible embodied on a computer readable program storage device . the application program can be uploaded to , and executed by , a machine comprising any suitable architecture . fig7 is a block diagram of an exemplary computer system for implementing a body extraction method according to an embodiment of the invention . referring now to fig7 , a computer system 71 for implementing an embodiment of the present invention can comprise , inter alia , a central processing unit ( cpu ) 72 , a memory 73 and an input / output ( i / o ) interface 74 . the computer system 71 is generally coupled through the i / o interface 74 to a display 75 and various input devices 76 such as a mouse and a keyboard . the support circuits can include circuits such as cache , power supplies , clock circuits , and a communication bus . the memory 73 can include random access memory ( ram ), read only memory ( rom ), disk drive , tape drive , etc ., or a combinations thereof . the present invention can be implemented as a routine 77 that is stored in memory 73 and executed by the cpu 72 to process the signal from the signal source 78 . as such , the computer system 71 is a general purpose computer system that becomes a specific purpose computer system when executing the routine 77 of the present invention . the computer system 71 also includes an operating system and micro instruction code . the various processes and functions described herein can either be part of the micro instruction code or part of the application program ( or combination thereof ) which is executed via the operating system . in addition , various other peripheral devices can be connected to the computer platform such as an additional data storage device and a printing device . it is to be further understood that , because some of the constituent system components and method steps depicted in the accompanying figures can be implemented in software , the actual connections between the systems components ( or the process steps ) may differ depending upon the manner in which the present invention is programmed . given the teachings of the present invention provided herein , one of ordinary skill in the related art will be able to contemplate these and similar implementations or configurations of the present invention . while the present invention has been described in detail with reference to a preferred embodiment , those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications and substitutions can be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims .	6
fig1 is a drawing of an exemplary wireless communications system 100 , e . g ., a multiple access orthogonal frequency division multiplexing ( ofdm ) wireless communications system in accordance with various embodiments . exemplary wireless system 100 includes a plurality of base stations including multi - sector base station 1 102 . base station 1 102 is coupled to other network nodes , e . g ., other base stations , routers , aaa nodes , home agent nodes , etc ., and / or the internet via network link 101 , e . g ., a fiber optic link . base station 1 102 has a corresponding cellular coverage area represented by cell 1 104 which includes a sector a region 112 , a sector b region 114 and a sector c region 116 . base station 1 102 is a three sector base station including : a base station sector a module 106 which interfaces with sector a antenna face 118 ; a base station sector b module 108 which interfaces with sector b antenna face 120 ; and a base station sector c module 110 which interfaces with sector c antenna face 122 . base station 1 102 , has synchronized symbol timing with respect to its sectors . exemplary wireless communications system 100 also includes a plurality of wireless terminal , e . g . mobile nodes . in this example , exemplary wireless terminals ( wt 1 124 , wt 2 126 , wt 3 128 , wt 4 130 , wt 5 132 ) are currently coupled to base station 1 102 and using bs 1 102 as a point of network attachment . wt 1 is currently in a sector state of operation and is communicating with bs 1 102 via antenna face 120 as illustrated by arrow 134 . wt 2 is currently in a sector pair state of operation and is communicating with bs 1 102 via antenna face 118 as illustrated by arrow 136 and via antenna face 122 as indicated by arrow 138 . wt 3 is currently in a sector pair state of operation and is communicating with bs 1 102 via antenna face 118 as illustrated by arrow 140 and via antenna face 122 as indicated by arrow 142 . wt 4 is currently in a sector pair state of operation and is communicating with bs 1 102 via antenna face 120 as illustrated by arrow 144 and via antenna face 122 as indicated by arrow 146 . wt 5 is currently in a sector state of operation and is communicating with bs 1 102 via antenna face 122 as illustrated by arrow 148 . now consider an example , wt 2 and wt 3 are both in a sector pair state corresponding to same sector pair . bs 1 102 may , and sometimes does , allocate the same tones to be used concurrently in both sector a and sector c by both wt 2 and wt 3 for at least some signaling . wt 4 130 is in a sector pair state and wt 5 132 is in a sector state . bs 1 102 may , and sometimes does , allocate the same tones to be used concurrently in sector c by wt 5 132 and by wt 4 130 . wt 4 130 is in a sector pair state and wt 1 124 is in a sector state . bs 1 102 may , and sometimes does , allocate the same tones to be used concurrently in sector b by wt 4 130 and by wt 1 124 . the wireless terminals in a sector pair state , e . g ., wireless terminal 4 130 , includes a plurality of antennas and are communicating in a mimo mode of operation with the base station 102 . fig6 and fig7 provide more detailed exemplary illustrations . the sectors of the base station 102 are symbol timing synchronized facilitating such operations . fig2 is a drawing 200 of an exemplary base station 202 coupled to a multi - face receive antenna 204 and a multiple face transmit antenna 206 in accordance with various embodiments . in some embodiments , the same antenna is used for receive and transmit signaling . in this exemplary embodiment base station 200 is a three sector base station ; however in other embodiments , the base station includes a different number of sectors , e . g ., two , four , five , six , or more than six . exemplary base station 202 includes a wireless communications module 220 , a processor 226 , an i / o interface 228 and a memory 230 coupled together via a bus 231 over which the various elements may interchange data and information . memory 230 includes routines 232 and data / information 234 . the processor 226 , e . g ., a cpu , executes the routines 232 and uses the data / information 234 in memory 230 to control the operations of the base station 202 and implement methods , e . g ., the method of flowchart 400 of fig4 . wireless communications module 220 communicates with a plurality of wireless terminals , wherein communication with an individual wireless terminal uses a number of faces determined by the state corresponding to the wireless terminal . for example , if the communication is uplink communication and the wireless terminal being communicated with is in a sector state , one antenna face of receive antenna faces ( 208 , 210 , 212 ) is used ; however if the wireless terminal in a sector pair state 2 adjacent receive antenna faces are used , which is one of receive antenna face pairs ( 208 , 210 ), ( 210 , 212 ) and ( 212 , 208 ). continuing with the example , if the communication is downlink communication and the wireless terminal being communicated with is in a sector state , one antenna face of transmit antenna faces ( 214 , 216 , 218 ) is used ; however if the wireless terminal in a sector pair state 2 adjacent transmit antenna faces are used , which is one of transmit antenna face pairs ( 214 , 216 ), ( 216 , 218 ) and ( 218 , 214 ). wireless communications module 220 includes a wireless receiver module 222 and a wireless transmitter module 224 . the wireless receiver module 222 , e . g ., a multi - sector ofdm receiver , is coupled to multi - face receive antenna 204 via which the base station receives uplink signals from wireless terminals . multi - face receive antenna 204 is a three face receive antenna , each face ( 208 , 210 , 212 ) of said antenna 204 corresponding to a different sector of a cell . in this exemplary embodiment , the sectors are timing synchronized . consider that receive antenna face ( 208 , 210 , 212 ) corresponds to sector ( a , b , c ), respectively . antenna faces ( 208 , 210 ) correspond to a first sector pair of ( sector a and sector b ); antenna faces ( 210 , 212 ) correspond to a second sector pair of ( sector b and sector c ); antenna faces ( 212 , 208 ) correspond to a third sector pair of ( sector c and sector a ). wireless receiver module 222 receives uplink signals from wireless terminals . receiver module 222 receives a signal using the same set of tones from two adjacent antenna faces . operations of receiver module 222 include receiving a signal on a first set of tones from first antenna face , e . g ., antenna face 208 , corresponding to the first sector , and concurrently receiving a signal on the first set of tones from the second antenna face , e . g ., antenna face 210 , corresponding to the second sector . receiver module 222 also receives from a wireless terminal path loss information corresponding to multiple adjacent sectors . for example , receiver module 222 receives path loss information corresponding to a first antenna face in antenna face pair and path loss information corresponding to a second antenna face in the antenna face pair . for example , a wireless terminal may be situated in a region such that it can receive downlink signals from both transmit antenna face 214 and transmit antenna face 216 , and the wireless terminal receives pilot channel signals from each antenna face ( 214 , 216 ) and generates a channel condition feedback report conveying path loss information , which is transmitted in uplink signals and received by receiver module 222 . in some embodiments , the received path loss information is a power measurement of a signal transmitted on a tone during a period of time during which the adjacent antenna face does not transmit on the same tone . for example , in one exemplary embodiment , at least one pilot tone signal transmitted into a first sector via one transmit antenna face corresponds , in time and frequency , to an intentional transmit null in a second sector , the first and second sectors being adjacent ; and at least one pilot tone signal transmitted into the second sector via a second transmit antenna face , said second antenna face being adjacent said first antenna face , corresponds , in time and frequency , to an intentional transmit null in said first sector . the wireless transmitter module 224 , e . g ., a multi - sector ofdm transmitter , is coupled to multi - face transmit antenna 206 via which the base station transmits downlink signals to wireless terminals . multi - face transmit antenna 206 is a three face transmit antenna , each face ( 214 , 216 , 218 ) of said antenna 206 corresponding to a different sector of a cell . in this exemplary embodiment , the sectors are timing synchronized . consider that transmit antenna face ( 214 , 216 , 218 ) correspond to sector ( a , b , c ), respectively . antenna faces ( 214 , 216 ) correspond to a first sector pair of ( sector a and sector b ); antenna faces ( 216 , 218 ) correspond to a second sector pair of ( sector b and sector c ); antenna faces ( 218 , 214 ) correspond to a third sector pair of ( sector c and sector a ). operations of wireless transmitter module 224 include transmitting downlink signals to wireless terminal . for example , the transmitter module 224 can , and sometimes does , transmit the same information from each of the antenna faces of a sector pair , e . g ., antenna faces 214 , 216 , to a first wireless terminal . during some times , the transmitter module 224 transmits different information to first and second wireless terminals using the same set of tones and using both antenna faces of antenna pair at the same time , said first and second wireless terminals each being in a sector pair state . routines 232 include a wireless terminal state information maintenance module 236 , a tone allocation module 238 , a tone hopping module 240 , a combiner module 242 , an extraction module 244 , a cancellation module 246 , an information recovery module 248 , a state determination module 250 , and a symbol time synchronization module 252 . wireless terminal state information maintenance module 236 maintains information indicating whether a wireless terminal is in a sector or sector pair state for each of a plurality of wireless terminals in the base station &# 39 ; s cell which are using the base station as a point of network attachment . tone allocation module 238 allocates sets of tones to wireless terminals . tone allocation module 238 allocates a first set of tones for communication with a first wireless terminal in a sector pair state , the first set of tones being allocated to the first wireless terminal in each of a first and second sector of a sector pair . the tone allocation module 238 further allocates the first set of tones to a second wireless terminal in said first sector during at least a portion of time in which said first set of tones are allocated to the first wireless terminal . the second wireless terminal is in one of a sector state and a sector pair state . tone hopping module 240 hops sets of tones in a time synchronized manner in the sectors of the cell . for example , tone hopping module 240 hops a first set of tones over time in a time synchronized manner in a sector pair of the cell . in various embodiments , different hopping schemes are utilized for uplink and for downlink signals . in some embodiments , the downlink is hopped at a faster rate than the uplink is hopped . tone hopping may , and sometimes does , represents hopping of indexed tones in a logical channel structure to indexed physical tones used for transmission purposes . combiner module 242 combines a signal received on a first antenna face with a signal received on a second antenna face . extraction module 244 extracts a signal corresponding to one of a first and second wireless terminal from a combined signal from combiner module 242 , to recover at least some information transmitted by at least one of said first and second wireless terminals . cancellation module 246 cancels the extracted signal from the signal received on one of the antenna faces to generate a processed signal . information recovery module 248 recovers information communicated by the second wireless terminal from the processed signal . state determination module 250 determines if a wireless terminal is in a sector state or sector pair state based on received path loss information , e . g ., a channel condition feedback report corresponding to two adjacent sectors . symbol time synchronization module 252 maintains symbol timing synchronization between the different sectors of the cell , e . g ., ofdm symbol timing synchronization . data information 234 includes wireless terminal data / information 254 and timing frequency structure information 260 . wireless terminal data / information 254 includes information corresponding to a plurality of wireless terminals using the base station as point of network attachment ( wt 1 data information 256 , . . . , wt n data / information 258 ). wt 1 data / information 256 includes state information 262 , sector or sector pair identification information 264 , allocated tone set information 266 , path loss information corresponding to a 1 st antenna face 272 , and path loss information corresponding to a 2 nd antenna face 274 . data / information 256 also includes one or more of recovered information being communicated 268 and information to transmit 270 . state information 262 includes information indicating whether wireless terminal 1 is in a sector state or sector pair state . state information 262 represents an output of state determination module 250 . sector or sector pair identification information 264 includes information identifying , for a wireless terminal in a sector state , the sector , the transmit antenna face , and the receive antenna face to which the sector state corresponds . sector or sector pair identification information 264 includes information identifying , for a wireless terminal in a sector pair state , the pair of adjacent sectors , the pair of adjacent transmit antenna faces , and the pair of receive antenna faces to which the sector pair state corresponds . sector or sector pair identification information 264 also includes information identifying which sectors and antenna faces received path loss information corresponds to . allocated tone set information 266 includes information identifying a set of tones currently allocated to wireless terminal 1 by tone allocation module 240 . the set of allocated tones can correspond to a downlink set of tones or an uplink set of tones . path loss information corresponding to 1 st antenna face 272 is , e . g ., feedback information received from wt 1 indicative of channel conditions between a 1 st antenna face and wt 1 . path loss information corresponding to 2 nd antenna face 274 is , e . g ., feedback information received from wt 1 indicative of channel conditions between a 2 nd antenna face and wt 1 , the second antenna face being adjacent said first antenna face . path loss information ( 272 , 274 ) is used by state determination module 250 in deciding the state for wt 1 , e . g ., sector state or sector pair state . in general , for a wireless terminal near a sector boundary , the wireless terminal is in a sector pair state , while for a wireless terminal far away from a sector boundary the wireless terminal is in a sector state . recovered information being communicated 268 includes information output from extraction module 244 and / or information output from information recovery module 248 . timing / frequency structure information 260 includes downlink timing / frequency structure information and uplink timing frequency structure information . downlink timing / frequency structure information includes information identifying and / or defining : downlink channel structure including logical channel segments , downlink frequency bands , downlink tone set information , subsets of tones which can be allocated to a wireless terminal , pilot signal information corresponding to each of the sectors , and downlink timing structure information including information defining symbol transmission timing intervals , groupings of symbols , e . g ., into slots , superslots , beaconslots , ultraslots , etc ., and recurring pattern information . uplink timing / frequency structure information includes information identifying and / or defining : uplink channel structure including logical channel segments , uplink frequency bands , uplink tone set information , subsets of tones which can be allocated to a wireless terminal , and uplink timing structure information including information defining symbol transmission timing intervals , groupings of symbols , e . g ., into dwells and recurring pattern information . timing / frequency structure information 260 also includes tone hopping information 276 . in various embodiments , different tone hopping information is used for the downlink and the uplink . fig3 is a drawing of an exemplary wireless terminal 300 , e . g ., mobile node , in accordance with various embodiments . exemplary wireless terminal 300 is , e . g ., one of the wireless terminals in system 100 of fig1 . exemplary wireless terminal 300 is for use in a sectorized cell , each sector of said sectorized cell being adjacent at least one other sector in the cell , adjacent sectors forming sector pairs , the cell including a base station coupled to a multi - face antenna , each face of said base station antenna corresponding to a different sector of said cell , said sectors being timing synchronized . in some embodiments , the base station has three sectors . exemplary wireless terminal 300 includes a wireless receiver module 302 , a wireless transmitter module 304 , a processor 308 , user i / o devices 310 and memory 312 coupled together via bus 314 over which the various elements interchange data and information . memory 312 includes routines 316 and data / information 318 . the processor 308 , e . g ., a cpu , executes the routines 316 and uses the data / information 318 in memory 312 to control the operation of the wireless terminal 300 and implement methods , e . g ., the method of flowchart 500 of fig5 . wireless terminal 300 also includes a plurality of antennas ( antenna 1 303 , . . . , antenna n 305 ), and a duplex module 306 . the duplex module 303 couples one or more of the antennas ( antenna 1 303 , . . . , antenna n 305 ) to wireless receiver module 302 . the duplex module 303 also couples one or more of the antennas ( antenna 1 303 , . . . , antenna n 305 ) to wireless transmitter module 304 . in some other embodiments , different antennas are used for transmission and reception . wireless receiver module 302 , e . g ., an ofdm receiver with mimo capabilities , is used for receiving downlink signals from a base station . wireless transmitter module 304 , e . g ., an ofdm transmitter with mimo capabilities , is used for transmitting uplink signals to a base station . information transmitted by transmitter module 304 includes path loss information corresponding to a first antenna face of an antenna face pair and path loss information corresponding to a second antenna face in the antenna face pair , wherein said first and second antenna faces are adjacent antenna faces . information transmitted by transmitter module 304 also includes uplink user data , e . g ., uplink traffic channel segment data . user i / o devices 310 , e . g ., microphone , keypad , keyboard , mouse , camera , switches , speaker , display , etc ., are used to receive input from the user of wireless terminal 300 and output information to the user of wireless terminal 300 . in addition , user i / o devices 310 allow a user of wireless terminal 300 to control at least some functions of the wireless terminal , e . g ., initiate a communications session . routines 316 includes a state information maintenance module 320 , a mode determination module 322 , a mimo module 324 , a non - mimo mode module 326 , a tone allocation determination module 328 , a tone hopping module 330 , a state information recovery module 332 , a power measurement module 334 , and a path loss determination module 336 . state information maintenance module 320 maintains information indicating whether said wireless terminal is in a sector state or sector pair state . mode determination module 322 determines whether the wireless terminal is to operate in a mimo or non - mimo mode of operation as a function of the maintained information indicating whether said wireless terminal is in a sector state or sector pair state . mimo module 324 is used for communicating with a base station when the wireless terminal 300 is in a mimo mode of operation , as determined by module 322 . non - mimo mode module 326 is used for communicating with a base station when the wireless terminal 300 is in a non - mimo mode of operation , e . g ., a siso mode of operation , as determined by module 322 . modules 324 and 326 control various operations of wireless receiver module 302 , wireless transmitter module 304 , and duplex module 306 to implement a determined mode of operation . in various embodiments , communicating with a base station in a mimo mode of operation includes using at least two wireless terminal antennas from the set of antennas ( 303 , . . . , 305 ) in communications with two adjacent base station antenna faces . in some such embodiments , communicating with the base station in a mimo mode of operation further includes using a first set of tones for communicating with both base station antenna faces of two adjacent base station antenna faces during the same time . tone allocation determination module 328 determines from received signal that a wireless terminal has been allocated a first set of tones for communicating . during some times , the tone allocation determination module 328 determines from received signals , e . g ., received assignment signals , that the wireless terminal has been allocated a first set of tones for communication with both a first antenna face of the multi - face base station antenna and a second antenna face of the multi - face base station antenna , said first and second faces being adjacent . tone hopping module 330 uses stored information , e . g ., stored tone hopping information 364 corresponding to base station 1 to implement tone hopping , wherein the first set of tones allocated to wireless terminal 300 are hopped over time in a synchronized manner in a sector pair . state information recovery module 332 recovers from a received signal a base station determination indicating whether said wireless terminal is to be in a sector state or sector pair state , wherein said base station determination is based upon received path loss information communicated from the wireless terminal to the base station . power measurement module 334 performs a power measurement of a signal received on a tone during a period of time during which a first base station antenna face transmits a pilot tone signal and a second base station antenna face intentionally does not transmit on that tone , said first and second base station antenna faces being adjacent . this use of pilot signals from one base station antenna face intentionally paired with an intentional null from an adjacent base station antenna face , facilitates wireless terminal determination of path loss information with respect to individual base station antenna faces . path loss determination module 336 determines path loss information as a function of power measurement information from module 334 . data / information 318 includes state information 338 , base station identification information 340 , sector or sector pair identification information 342 , allocated tone set information 344 , recovered information being communicated 346 , information to transmit 348 , pilot / sector null measurement information 350 , path loss information corresponding to a 1 st antenna face 352 , path loss information corresponding to a 2 nd antenna face 354 , and system data / information 356 . state information 338 includes information indicating whether the wireless terminal 300 is currently in a sector state or in a sector pair state . base station identification information 340 includes information identifying which base station , from the plurality of base stations in the communications system , the wireless terminal is currently using as its point of network attachment . sector or sector pair identification information 342 includes information identifying the particular sector of the base station for which tones are allocated to the wireless terminal when in the sector state and information identifying the pair of adjacent sectors of the base station for which tones are allocated to the wireless terminal for concurrent use when in the sector pair state . information 342 also includes information identifying the sectors used to which the path loss information being communicated corresponds . recovered information being communicated 346 includes user data recovered using a mimo decoding operation of the receiver module 302 when the wireless terminal is in a sector pair state . recovered information being communicated 346 also includes user data recovered using a siso decoding operation of the receiver module 302 when the wireless terminal is in a sector state . information to be transmitted 348 includes user data to be transmitted which is subjected to mimo encoding operations by wireless transmitter module 304 , when the wireless terminal is in a sector pair state . information to be transmitted 348 also includes user data to be transmitted which is subjected to siso encoding operations by wireless transmitter module 304 , when the wireless terminal is in a sector state . pilot / sector null measurement information 350 represents output of power measurement module 334 and an input to path loss determination module 336 . path loss information corresponding to 1 st base station antenna face 352 and path loss information corresponding to 2 nd base station antenna face 354 represents outputs of path loss determination module 336 . in some embodiments , the path loss information 352 is communicated independently from the path loss information 354 ; while in other embodiments , the information ( 352 , 354 ) is transmitted in a jointly coded single report . in some embodiments , the report is a sector boundary report , e . g ., as part of an uplink dedicated control channel reporting structure . system data information 356 includes a plurality of sets of base station information ( base station 1 data / information 358 , . . . , base station n data / information 360 ). base station 1 data / information 358 includes base station identification information , base station sector identification information and timing / frequency structure information 362 . timing frequency structure information 362 includes , e . g ., downlink carrier frequency information , uplink carrier frequency information , downlink frequency band information , uplink frequency band information , downlink tone block information , uplink tone block information , individual tone definition information , recurring downlink timing information , recurring uplink timing information , ofdm symbol transmission timing information , information identifying grouping of ofdm symbols into , e . g ., slots or dwells , downlink channel structure information and uplink channel structure information . timing / frequency structure information 362 also includes tone hopping information 364 . tone hopping information 364 , in some embodiments , includes different tone hopping information corresponding to the uplink and downlink . for example , the tone hopping , can be and sometimes is , different in both the hopping equations used and the rate of the hopping , e . g ., tone hopping between successive ofdm transmission time intervals for the downlink and tone hopping based on dwells of seven successive ofdm symbol transmission time intervals for the uplink . fig4 comprising the combination of fig4 a , fig4 b and fig4 c is a flowchart 400 of an exemplary method of operating a base station in accordance with various embodiments . the base station is , e . g ., a base station in a sectorized cell , each sector being adjacent at least one other sector in the cell , adjacent sectoring forming sector pairs , said base station being coupled to a multi - face antenna , each face of said antenna corresponding to a different sector or said cell , said sectors being timing synchronized . in some embodiments , the base station has three sectors . the base station is , e . g ., base station 200 of fig2 . in some other embodiments , the base station has six sectors . multi - sector base stations with different numbers of sectors are also possible . in various embodiments , said base station is a base station in an ofdm communications system and said timing synchronization is ofdm symbol time synchronization . operation of the exemplary method starts in step 402 , where the base station is powered on and initialized and proceeds to steps 404 , 408 , 410 , and 436 . operation proceeds to step 404 , for each of a plurality of wireless terminals . in step 404 , the base station receives path loss information corresponding to a first antenna face in an antenna face pair , and in step 405 , the base station receives path loss information corresponding to a second antenna face in an antenna face pair . in various embodiments , the received path loss information is a power measurement of a signal transmitted on a tone during a time during which the adjacent antenna face does not transmit on said tone . for example , in some ofdm embodiments , there are at least some sector null and some corresponding pilot signals using the same tone at the same time in adjacent sectors . operation proceeds from step 405 to step 406 , in which the base station determines if said wireless terminal is in a sector state or sector pair state based on the received path loss information . wireless terminal state information 407 , identifying one of a sector state or sector pair state , is output from step 406 and input to step 408 . operation proceeds from step 406 to step 404 , where the base station receives additional path loss information corresponding to the same wireless terminal . in step 408 , which is performed for each of a plurality of wireless terminals , on an ongoing basis , the base station maintains information indicating whether the wireless terminal is in a sector state or sector pair state . operation proceeds from start step 402 to step 410 for a receive opportunity corresponding to a pair of wireless terminals . in step 410 , the base station allocates a first set of tones for communication with a first wireless terminal in said sector pair state , the first set of tones being allocated in each of a first and second sector of sector pair state . in some embodiments , the tones of the first set of tones are hopped in a synchronized manner in the sector pair . operation proceeds from step 410 to step 412 . in step 412 , the base station allocates said first set of tones to a second wireless terminal in said first sector during at least a portion of time in which said first set of tones are allocated to the first wireless terminal . in some embodiments , the base station allocates said first set of tones to a second wireless terminal in said first sector during the same time in which said first set of tones are allocated to the first wireless terminal . operation proceeds from step 412 via connecting node a 414 to step 416 . in step 416 the base station communicates with wireless terminals , wherein communication with a particular wireless terminal uses a number of antenna faces determined by the state corresponding to the particular wireless terminal . in some such embodiments , the number is one or two . step 416 includes sub - steps 418 , 426 , 428 and 434 . in sub - step 418 , the base station communicates with said first wireless terminal using two antenna faces . sub - step 418 includes sub - steps 420 , 422 and 424 . in sub - step 420 , the base station receives a signal on said first set of tones from a first antenna face corresponding to a first sector and concurrently receives a signal on said first set of tones from a second antenna face corresponding to a second sector . then , in sub - step 422 , the base station combines the signal received from the first antenna face with the signal received from the second antenna face . operation proceeds from sub - step 422 to sub - step 424 . in sub - step 424 , the base station extracts a signal corresponding to said first wireless terminal from said combined signal to recover at least some information communicated by the first wireless terminal . operation proceeds from sub - step 418 to sub - step 426 . in sub - step 426 the base station determines whether the second wireless terminal is in the sector state or sector pair state . if the second wireless terminal is in the sector state , then operation proceeds from sub - step 426 to sub - step 428 ; however , if the second wireless terminal is in the sector pair state , then operation proceeds from sub - step 426 to sub - step 434 . in sub - step 428 the base station communicates with said second wireless terminal using one antenna face . sub - step 428 includes sub - step 430 and sub - step 432 . in sub - step 430 , the base station cancels the extracted signal , obtained in sub - step 424 , from the signal received on one of the antenna faces to generate a processed signal . operation proceeds from sub - step 430 to sub - step 432 . in sub - step 432 , the base station recovers information communicated by the second wireless terminal from the processed signal . returning to sub - step 434 , in sub - step 434 , the base station communicates with said second wireless terminal using two antenna faces . operation proceeds from start step 402 to step 436 for a transmit opportunity corresponding to a pair of wireless terminals . in step 436 , the base station allocates a second set of tones for communication with a third wireless terminal in said sector pair state , the second set of tones being allocated in each of a first and second sector of sector pair state . in some embodiments , the second set of tones are hopped over time in a synchronized manner in the sector pair . operation proceeds from step 436 to step 438 . in step 438 , the base station allocates said second set of tones to a fourth wireless terminal in said first sector during at least a portion of time in which said second set of tones are allocated to the third wireless terminals . in some embodiments , the base station allocates said second set of tones to a fourth wireless terminal in said first sector during the same time in which said second set of tones are allocated to the third wireless terminals . operation proceeds from step 438 via connecting node b 440 to step 441 . in step 441 the base station communicates with wireless terminals , wherein communication with a particular wireless terminal uses a number of antenna faces determined by the state corresponding to the particular wireless terminal . step 441 includes sub - steps 442 , 446 , 448 and 452 . in sub - step 442 , the base station communicates with said third wireless terminal using two antenna faces . sub - step 442 includes sub - step 444 . in sub - step 444 , the base station transmits the same information from each of two antenna faces to said third wireless terminal using the second set of tones . in sub - step 446 the base station determines whether the fourth wireless terminal is in the sector state or sector pair state . if the fourth wireless terminal is in the sector state , then operation proceeds from sub - step 446 to sub - step 448 ; however , if the fourth wireless terminal is in the sector pair state , then operation proceeds from sub - step 446 to sub - step 452 . in sub - step 448 the base station communicates with said fourth wireless terminal using one antenna face . sub - step 448 includes sub - step 450 . in sub - step 450 , the base station transmits to the fourth wireless terminal using one antenna face and using the second set of tones . returning to sub - step 452 , in sub - step 452 , the base station communicates with said fourth wireless terminal using two antenna faces . sub - step 452 includes sub - step 454 . in sub - step 454 , the base station transmits different information to the fourth wireless terminal than the information being transmitted to the third wireless terminal using the second set of tones and uses both faces of the antenna pair at the same time . fig5 comprising the combination of fig5 a and fig5 b is a flowchart 500 of an exemplary method of operating a wireless terminal in accordance with various embodiments . the exemplary wireless terminal is a wireless terminal in a sectorized cell , each sector being adjacent at least one other sector in the cell , adjacent sectors forming sector pairs , the cell including a base station , e . g ., a three sector base station , coupled to a multi - face antenna , each face of said base station antenna corresponding to a different sector of the cell , said sectors being timing synchronized . the exemplary wireless terminal includes at least two antennas and supports mimo signaling . in various embodiments , the wireless terminal is part of an ofdm wireless communications system and the sectors of a cell corresponding to a base station are ofdm symbol timing synchronized operation starts in step 502 , where the wireless terminal is powered on and initialized and proceeds to step 504 . operation proceeds from start step 502 to step 504 , step 508 , step 526 via connecting node a 510 , and step 540 via connecting node b 512 . in step 526 , the wireless terminal performs power measurements of pilot tone signals and sector null signals . step 526 includes sub - steps 528 and 530 . in sub - step 528 , the wireless terminal performs a power measurement of a signal received on a tone during a period of time during which a first base station antenna face transmits a pilot tone signal and a second base station antenna face intentionally does not transmit on that tone , said first and second antenna faces being adjacent . in sub - step 530 , the wireless terminal performs a power measurement of a signal received on a tone during a period of time during which said second base station antenna face transmits a pilot tone signal and said first base station antenna face intentionally does not transmit on that tone . operation proceeds from step 526 to step 532 , in which the base station determines path loss information as a function of said power measurement information . operation proceeds from step 532 to step 534 . in step 534 , the base station transmits path loss information . step 534 includes sub - step 536 and sub - step 538 . in sub - step 536 , the base station transmits path loss information corresponding to said first base station antenna face and in step 538 , the base station transmits path loss information corresponding to said second base station antenna face , said first and second base station antenna faces being part of antenna pair face . in some embodiments , path loss information corresponding to the first antenna face is transmitted independently of the path loss information corresponding to the second antenna face . in some embodiments , path loss information corresponding to the first antenna face is communicated in the same report as path loss information corresponding to the second antenna face . returning to step 504 , in step 504 , which is performed on an ongoing basis , the wireless terminal monitors for state assignment signals . operation proceeds from step 504 to step 506 for a received state assignment signal intended for the wireless terminal . in step 506 , the wireless terminal receives a base station determination as to whether said wireless terminal is to be in a sector state or sector pair state . the base station determination is based upon received path loss information from the wireless terminal . wt state information 507 , e . g ., an indication of either sector state or sector pair state , is an output from step 506 which is used an input in step 508 . in step 508 , which is performed on an ongoing basis , the wireless terminal maintains information indicating whether said wireless terminal is in a sector state or sector pair state . operation proceeds from step 508 to step 514 . in step 514 , the wireless terminal communicates with said base station in one of a mimo mode of operation and a non - mimo mode of operation , the mode of operation used for communication being a function of whether said maintained information indicates that said wireless terminal is in a sector state or sector pair state . step 514 includes sub - steps 516 , 518 and 520 . in sub - step 516 , the wireless terminal checks if the wireless terminal is in a sector state or sector pair state . if the wireless terminal is determined to be in a sector pair state operation proceeds from sub - step 516 to sub - step 518 ; otherwise operation proceeds from sub - step 516 to sub - step 520 . in sub - step 518 , the wireless terminal communicates with said base station in a mimo mode of operation . sub - step 518 includes sub - steps 522 and 524 . in sub - step 522 , the wireless terminal uses at least two wireless terminal antennas to communicate with two adjacent base station antenna faces . in sub - step 524 , the wireless terminal uses a first set of tones to communicate with both faces of said two adjacent base station antenna faces during the same time . returning to step 520 , in step 520 , the wireless terminal communicates with the base station in a non - mimo mode of operation , e . g ., a siso mode of operation or a mode of operation or a mode of operation using two or more wireless terminal antennas communicating with a single base station antenna face . returning to step 540 , in step 540 , which is performed on an ongoing basis , the wireless terminal monitors for tone allocation information . operation proceeds from step 540 to step 542 in response to detected tone allocation information intended for the wireless terminal . in step 542 , the wireless terminal receives tone allocation information indicating that said wireless terminal has been allocated a first set of tones . step 542 includes sub - step 544 for some tone allocations , e . g ., a tone allocation when said wireless terminal is in a sector pair state . in sub - step 544 , the wireless terminal receives tone allocation information indicating that said wireless terminal has been allocated a first set of tones for communication with both a first antenna face of said multi - face base station antenna and second antenna face of said multi - face base station antenna , said first and second antenna faces being adjacent . in various embodiments , the first set of tones are hopped in a time synchronized manner in the sector pair . fig6 is a drawing 600 illustrating an exemplary embodiment corresponding system 100 of fig1 in which wt 4 130 includes two antennas ( antenna 1 602 , antenna 2 604 ). communications 144 between base station sector b antenna face 120 and wt 4 130 includes a first portion 144 a corresponding to antenna 1 602 and a second portion 144 b corresponding to antenna 2 604 . similarly , communications 146 between base station sector c antenna face 122 and wt 4 130 includes a first portion 146 a corresponding to antenna 1 602 and a second portion 146 b corresponding to antenna 2 604 . fig7 is a drawing 700 illustrating an exemplary embodiment corresponding system 100 of fig1 in which wt 4 130 includes three antennas ( antenna 1 702 , antenna 2 704 , antenna 3 706 ). communications 144 between base station sector b antenna face 120 and wt 4 130 includes a first portion 144 c corresponding to antenna 1 702 , a second portion 144 d corresponding to antenna 2 704 , and a third portion 144 e corresponding to antenna 3 706 . similarly , communications 146 between base station sector c antenna face 122 and wt 4 130 includes a first portion 146 c corresponding to antenna 1 702 , a second portion 146 d corresponding to antenna 2 704 , and a third portion 146 e corresponding to antenna 3 706 . embodiments , with wireless terminals having more than three antennas are also possible . fig8 is a drawing 800 illustrating exemplary air link resources corresponding to different sectors of a base station and exemplary tone allocation to wireless terminals in accordance with various embodiments . drawing 800 includes a first graph 802 corresponding to sector a , a second graph 804 corresponding to sector b , and a third graph 806 corresponding to sector c . each graph ( 802 , 804 , 806 ) includes a vertical axis 810 representing frequency , e . g ., ofdm tone index in frequency band a , and a horizontal axis 812 of time , e . g ., ofdm symbol index . it should be noted that the three sectors of the base station are synchronized in terms of both time and frequency . in this exemplary embodiment , tone hopping , e . g ., in terms of logical channel tone index designation to physical tone index designation , is also synchronized with respect to the sectors . block 814 in graph 802 represents 64 basic units of air link resources , e . g ., 64 ofdm tone - symbols , used by sector a and illustrates exemplary allocation of those resources . block 816 in graph 804 represents 64 basic units of air link resources , e . g ., 64 ofdm tone - symbols , used by sector b and illustrates exemplary allocation of those resources . block 818 in graph 806 represents 64 basic units of air link resources , e . g ., 64 ofdm tone - symbols , used by sector a and illustrates exemplary allocation of those resources . legend 808 indicates that a tone - symbol allocated to wt 2 , which is in sector pair state with the sectors of the pair being a and c , is indicated by diagonal line shading with descending slope from left to right as shown in example small block 820 . legend 808 indicates that a tone - symbol allocated to wt 3 , which is in sector pair state with the sectors of the pair being a and c , is indicated by diagonal line shading with ascending slope from left to right as shown in example small block 822 . legend 808 indicates that a tone - symbol allocated to wt 4 , which is in sector pair state with the sectors of the pair being b and c , is indicated by horizontal line shading as shown in example small block 824 . legend 808 indicates that a tone - symbol allocated to wt 5 , which is in sector state with the sector being c , is indicated by vertical line shading as shown in example small block 826 . legend 808 indicates that a tone - symbol allocated to wt 1 , which is in sector state with the sector being b , is indicated by dotted shading as shown in example small block 828 . fig9 is a drawing 900 illustrating sector nulls corresponding to pilot tones in an exemplary ofdm wireless communications system implementing synchronized sectors . drawing 800 includes a first graph 902 corresponding to sector a , a second graph 904 corresponding to sector b , and a third graph 906 corresponding to sector c . each graph ( 902 , 904 , 906 ) includes a vertical axis 910 representing frequency , e . g ., ofdm tone index in downlink frequency band , and a horizontal axis 912 of time , e . g ., ofdm symbol index . it should be noted that the three sectors of the base station are synchronized in terms of both time and frequency . block 914 in graph 902 represents 64 basic units of air link resources , e . g ., 64 ofdm tone - symbols , used by sector a and illustrates exemplary allocation of those resources with regard to pilot tone signals and intentional nulls . block 916 in graph 904 represents 64 basic units of air link resources , e . g ., 64 ofdm tone - symbols , used by sector b and illustrates exemplary allocation of those resources with regard to pilot tone signals and intentional nulls . block 918 in graph 906 represents 64 basic units of air link resources , e . g ., 64 ofdm tone - symbols , used by sector c and illustrates exemplary allocation of those resources with regard to pilot tone signals and intentional nulls . legend 908 indicates that a tone - symbol allocated to convey a pilot tone signal is represented by a small box including an o , as shown in example element 920 ; while a tone - symbol allocated to convey an intentional sector null is represented by a small box including an x , as shown in example element 922 . in various embodiments one or more channel quality measurements and / or indicators are used by state determination module 250 in deciding the state for a wireless terminal wt , e . g ., sector state or sector pair state . in the above description , the channel quality indicator used by the state determination module 250 has been described as path loss information . however , other types of channel quality information may , and in some embodiments are , used in the place of path loss information . consider for example snr measurements which are used in the place of path loss information by the state determination module 250 in making the state determination in some embodiments . such an embodiment is particularly well suited when an uplink transmission snr value is available for use . in such a case , the snr value is dependent on path loss but may also be dependent on other factors such as sector interference . the snr may , and in some embodiments is , measured separately from sector interference measurements . sector interference is an example of a channel quality measurement upon which the state determination may be made instead of path loss however , as can be appreciated , other channel quality indicates may be used instead or in addition to snr and / or path loss information . it should also be appreciated that while determining path loss has been described in the above example as being done , at least in some embodiments by measuring path loss through the use of sector pilots and / or sector nulls other approaches may be used for determining path loss . for example , in some embodiments rather than have the mobile determine and communicate path loss information to the base station , the base station may determine path loss by monitoring one or more persistent , periodic or otherwise recurring uplink signals from the mobile transmitted at , e . g ., a power level known to the base station . in one particular embodiment , the base station monitors a dedicated uplink control channel between the mobile and the base station and estimates path loss based on measurements of signals received from the mobile node which correspond to the dedicated uplink control channel . other base station centric ways of measuring and / or estimating path loss could be used depending on the particular embodiment and the above examples are intended to facilitate an understanding of various embodiments but not limit the scope of subject matter thereto . while described in the context of an ofdm system , the methods and apparatus of various embodiments are applicable to a wide range of communications systems including many non - ofdm and / or non - cellular systems . in various embodiments nodes described herein are implemented using one or more modules to perform the steps corresponding to one or more methods , for example , maintaining information indicating a sector state or sector pair state , communicating with a wireless terminal using a number of base station antenna faces determined by the state corresponding to the wireless terminal , determining a state for a wireless terminal as a function of received path loss information , maintaining timing synchronization between sectors , transmitting pilots in conjunction with sector nulls , etc . in some embodiments various features are implemented using modules . such modules may be implemented using software , hardware or a combination of software and hardware . many of the above described methods or method steps can be implemented using machine executable instructions , such as software , included in a machine readable medium such as a memory device , e . g ., ram , floppy disk , etc . to control a machine , e . g ., general purpose computer with or without additional hardware , to implement all or portions of the above described methods , e . g ., in one or more nodes . accordingly , among other things , various embodiments are directed to a machine - readable medium including machine executable instructions for causing a machine , e . g ., processor and associated hardware , to perform one or more of the steps of the above - described method ( s ). in some embodiments , the processor or processors , e . g ., cpus , of one or more devices , e . g ., communications devices such as wireless terminals are configured to perform the steps of the methods described as being as being performed by the communications device . accordingly , some but not all embodiments are directed to a device , e . g ., communications device , with a processor which includes a module corresponding to each of the steps of the various described methods performed by the device in which the processor is included . in some but not all embodiments a device , e . g ., communications device , includes a module corresponding to each of the steps of the various described methods performed by the device in which the processor is included . the modules may be implemented using software and / or hardware . numerous additional variations on the methods and apparatus described above will be apparent to those skilled in the art in view of the above descriptions . such variations are to be considered within scope . the methods and apparatus of various embodiments may be , and in various embodiments are , used with cdma , orthogonal frequency division multiplexing ( ofdm ), and / or various other types of communications techniques which may be used to provide wireless communications links between access nodes and mobile nodes . in some embodiments the access nodes are implemented as base stations which establish communications links with mobile nodes using ofdm and / or cdma . in various embodiments the mobile nodes are implemented as notebook computers , personal data assistants ( pdas ), or other portable devices including receiver / transmitter circuits and logic and / or routines , for implementing the methods of various embodiments .	7
in the practice of this invention , referring to fig1 tent 24 is shown with two longitudinal walls 2 and 4 . longitudinal wall 2 lacks an opening . longitudinal wall 4 contains an opening 10 with attachment means 28 encompassing the edge of opening 10 . cover means 16 is connected as a flap above and on each side of opening 10 in a manner sufficient to prevent water from entering longitudinal wall 4 . prior to erecting tent 24 , panel 12 containing the phase change material is placed over opening 10 . as is preferred , panel 12 is secured onto longitudinal wall 4 via a hook and loop attachment means 28 which encompasses the outer edge of panel 12 . when contact is made with hook and loop attachment means 28 that encompasses opening 10 and hook and loop attachment means encompassing outer edge of panel 12 , pcm panel 12 is then securely attached to longitudinal wall 4 . hook and loop attachment means 28 is shown in fig4 . also shown in cross sectional view fig4 is phase change material 22 . in another embodiment , referring to fig2 a zipper attachment means 30 is depicted . alternatively , pcm panel 12 can be secured to longitudinal wall 4 via a zipper attachment means . to accomplish this , one side of zipper attachment means 30 is affixed along the outer edge of opening 10 . the other side of zipper means 30 is attached along the outer edge of pcm panel 12 . when panel 10 is placed within opening 10 , it is secured therein when zipper means 30 is fully engaged . once pcm panel 12 is secured in longitudinal wall 4 , it along with longitudinal wall 2 and end walls 32 is raised . these walls are held up when adjustable pole means 8 is positioned under longitudinal walls 2 and 4 in proximity to end walls 32 . to stabilize the tent , ropes 6 or other support means are employed . once erected , floor 14 can be placed inside the tent if desired . as will be understood by those skilled the art , at least one pcm panel 12 can be used on other tent designs so long as the surface area of at least one longitudinal wall 4 are large enough to contain said panel . for example , as is shown in fig5 pcm panel 12 can be utilized in a room tent . the phase change material can be employed in a foldable polyhedral tent as disclosed by gillis in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 809 , 726 that issued on mar . 7 , 1989 . this patent is incorporated by reference herein . the phase change material can be in a panel as taught above or manufactured into the tent &# 39 ; s fabric as described below . in another embodiment of this invention , as is depicted in fig5 a phase change material can be permanently incorporated into longitudinal wall 2 . in this embodiment , a layer of translucent plastic material 20 is placed over a second layer of fabric 26 containing a phase change material . the amount of phase change material contained in the fabric is sufficient to obtain a desired internal temperature in the tent . as will be readily apparent to one skilled in the art , the amount of phase change material will vary depending on several variables . these variables include the following : the size of the tent ; fabric utilized in the manufacture of the tent ; environmental condition to be encountered ; and the number of occupants expected to be sheltered in the tent . as is shown in fig6 line 36 represents a cross - sectional view of first translucent plastic layer 20 and second layer 26 containing the pcm . as is preferred , sodium acetate is the desired pcm to be incorporated into second layer 26 . fig2 and 4 are cross - sectional views of pcms in panel 12 graphically detailing how the phase change materials are contained in said panel . another pcm which can be used in the practice of this invention is disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 755 , 988 assigned to dow chemical co . this patent issued on may 26 , 1998 and is hereby incorporated by reference here in . this patent discloses dibasic acid based phase change compositions . the phase change material comprises a high molecular weight dibasic organic acid and mixtures thereof . miscible aliphatic and aryl monobasic acids are also suitable as pcm constituents . this pcm is capable of absorbing thermal energy from air and radiation sources . in the course of absorbing thermal energy the pcm undergoes a reversible melt . when the pcm is exposed to a temperature below its melting temperature it releases stored latent heat of fusion energy absorbed upon melting and undergoes a reversible freeze . u . s . pat . no . 5 , 755 , 987 assigned to dow chemical co . disclosed dibasic ester based phase change material compositions . this patent issued on may 5 , 1998 and is hereby incorporated by reference herein . a family of organic compounds having chemical properties that make them suitable for use as phase change materials is described . these compositions comprise esters of dibasic acids . these materials have high latent heats of fusion , low flammability , low miscibility with water , low cost , availability and a range of melting temperatures . these pcms may be enclosed in a single , non - compartmentalized container with immiscible phase change material substances to moderate the melting temperatures of the pqms . another phase change material that can be used herein is disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 669 , 584 which issued on sep . 23 , 1997 . this patent is incorporated by reference herein . disclosed is a space vehicle apparatus including a cellular sandwich with phase change material . this apparatus is used to hold a space vehicle at a constant temperature . the cellular sandwich has two outer layers and translucent cells between the two outer layers . the translucent cells contain a pcm . the outer layer is more distant from the space vehicle so as to transmit sunlight to the translucent cells and also transmit radiation away from the translucent cells . the phase change material absorbs sunlight and radiates energy to maintain the space vehicle at a constant temperature in sunlight and darkness . in the preferred practice of this invention , a selected phase change material is placed into panel 12 . after the tent with longitudinal wall 4 has panel 12 secured therein , tent 24 as shown in fig1 is erected and positioned to receive maximum amount of sunlight . when solar energy contacts translucent plastic material 20 , it heats up and transfers thermal energy to pcm contained in panel 12 . thermal energy absorbed by the pcm causes the pcm to change its state . the pcm continues to absorb and store thermal energy from solar energy while the sun shines . absorption of solar energy via panel 12 results in a lower temperature in the tent &# 39 ; s interior . when the sun goes down , thermal energy stored in panel 12 is released into the tent &# 39 ; s interior thereby keeping occupants of the tent warm . thermal energy continues to be released from pcms in panel 12 until the pcms cool enough to revert back to its original state . once the pcm has reverted back to its original state , additional solar energy can be absorbed by it when the sun comes up . in this manner , the process of cooling and heating the tent &# 39 ; s interior can be repeated over and over again . although the present invention is described with preferred embodiments , it is to be understood that modifications and variations may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of this invention as those skilled in the art will readily understand . such modifications and variations are considered to be within the purview and scope of the appended claims .	4
fig1 shows a top view of the test setup used for implementing the method . the ground vibration test is performed by providing the airplane 1 or airplane structure with a plurality of vibration exciters 2 to 10 . the vibration exciters can be vibration exciters with an electromagnetic and / or piezoelectric and / or electromechanical effect . in the exemplary test setup shown on fig1 , vibration exciters 2 , 3 are arranged on the wing ends , while additional vibration exciters 4 , 5 are positioned in the area of the elevator unit ends of the airplane 1 . a vibration exciter 6 is arranged on the ruder unit end . to other vibration exciters 7 , 8 are situated in the area of the engines , while two vibration exciters 9 , 10 are located in the area of the aft fuselage and nose of the airplane 1 . fewer or more than the number of vibration exciters can also be provided at the mentioned measuring points . the invention can provide that the vibration exciters 2 to 10 excite the fuselage structure in a frequency range of between 0 hz and 50 hz . the form , vibration amplitude and excitation vibration frequency are here varied with a computer . in addition , the change in set excitation frequency as a function of time can be varied over time (“ wobbled ”). for example , the excitation frequency generated by the vibration exciters can follow the mathematical relation sin ( omega ( t )· t ), meaning that the angular frequency omega depends on time t . in addition , the airplane 1 or airplane structure incorporates a plurality of accelerometers , of which only one accelerometer 11 is provided with a reference number to provide a better illustrative overview . depending on the size of the airplane 1 , up to 1 , 000 accelerometers might be necessary , more than 1 , 000 in isolated cases . in addition , other measuring transducers can be provided , for example position measuring devices or dynamometers . the measuring transducers scan be situated outside and / or inside the airplane 1 . it is further possible to also use measuring transducers present in the onboard electronic system of the airplane to perform the ground vibration test . a powerful computer or evaluator is used to acquire and evaluate the measured acceleration values provided by the accelerometers , actuate the electromagnetically acting vibration exciters 2 to 10 , and acquire and evaluate the measured values provided by other measuring transducers . prior to the ground vibration test , the construction data for the airplane 1 are used to generate a numerical vibration model for theoretically simulating the vibration behavior of the airplane . depending on the size of the airplane 1 , this vibration model can encompass in particular up to 5 · 10 6 node points each with up to six degrees of freedom , which also interact . the six degrees of freedom per node point represent the total of three translatory and three rotational movements possible for every node point . in one exemplary embodiment of the method according to the invention , the computer or evaluator has an adjustment function , with which the theoretical variation model of airplane 1 is harmonized with the measured acceleration values determined by the accelerometers during the ground vibration test performed with the method , thereby continuously improving their accuracy . according to the invention , the airplane 1 or fuselage structure is held in several holding points ( so - called “ jacking points ”) by the holding devices ( not shown on fig1 ) during the vibration test , wherein the airplane is held in these holding points in a stable manner . the holding devices can be realized by known hydraulic lifting devices , which jack up the airplane 1 on the ground 15 . in this case , the airplane can beheld in three holding points 12 , 13 , 14 , the so - called “ jacking points ”. two holding points 12 , 13 of these three “ jacking points ” are situated underneath the two wings of the airplane 1 , while the third holding point 14 of the later is situated in the area underneath the nose . the three holding points 12 to 14 are arranged in such a way that the airplane 1 is roughly at equilibrium when jacked . the holding devices provided to hold the airplane or hydraulic lifting devices 12 to 14 or hydraulic lifts used for jacking up the airplane 1 bring about a nearly “ rigid ” coupling between the airplane made to vibrate by the electromagnetic exciters and the ground 15 , which is mathematically treated as rigid in the evaluation function implemented in the evaluator . the invention does not involve vibration decoupling between the airplane and the ground using elastic elements , for example in the form of rubber rings , air cushions , reduced air pressure in the elevator unit tires or the like . this precludes nonlinear damping effects , which otherwise would negatively influence ( disrupt ) the structural damping of the airplane . as a consequence , it is easier to mathematically cancel out the influence of the holding devices or lifting devices in the holding points 12 to 14 . the holding devices or lifting devices preferably each exhibit at least one dynamometer and at least one accelerometer . position measuring devices can also be provided to enable the computer - controlled positioning of the airplane relative to the ground 15 ( surface ) during the ground vibration test . if prescribed ( mechanical ) limits are exceeded with respect to the forces and / or accelerations acting on the hydraulic lifting devices during the ground vibration test , the vibration exciters 2 to 10 , which can in particular be electromagnetic vibration exciters , can be deactivated immediately to terminate the ground vibration test . a powerful computer with which the evaluator and controller is realized executes all of the regulation and control functions involved in the ground vibration test , including the acquisition and evaluation of measured values or acceleration values determined by the measuring transducers or accelerometers , and also actuates the vibration exciters 2 to 10 . during the use of hydraulic lifting devices , the computer or evaluator and control unit can be used to position the hydraulic lifting devices . this computer also stores the numerical vibration model derived in advance from the structural data for the airplane 1 , thereby already enabling a continuous harmonization between the theoretical model and currently determined acceleration values during the ground vibration test . the invention can provide that the controller actuate the vibration exciters , and evaluate acquire the signals sent by the measured value transducers . the numerical vibration or airplane model is to be adjusted through a comparison of setpoint and actual values . it can here be provided that the vibration excitations of the actual airplane 1 caused by the vibration exciters and acquired by the measuring transducers in a specific set of actuation commands to the vibration exciter be compared with excitations corresponding to the same set of actuation commands to the vibration exciter used to calculate the mathematical vibration model . if a difference is encountered or a maximum permissible setpoint - actual value deviation is exceeded during this setpoint - actual value comparison , an adjustment function is used to change preset parameters of the airplane model in such a way that the setpoint - actual value comparison drops below the maximum setpoint - actual value deviation value . the adjustment function can incorporate an iterative process in which a combination of parameters for the airplane model is systematically changed . the adjustment function can incorporate an iterative process in which a combination of parameters for the airplane model is systematically changed . as an alternative or in addition , the adjustment function can be based on an estimation and / or filter function used to change or optimized a predetermined set of parameters for the airplane model as a whole with a view to the required maximum deviation . the influence of rigid holding at the holding points 12 , 13 , 14 can be cancelled out in the evaluator , here in particular by multiplying this influence by the acquired measured values or subtracting this influence from the acquired measured values . in this case , the influence of rigidly holding , i . e ., a simple rigid holding model , can be determined beforehand through testing and / or mathematical calculation , and stored in the evaluator . this model can then be used to multiply the influences or influencing factors possibly depending on the excitations by the determined excitations , or subtract influencing values from the determined excitations . in an exemplary embodiment of the method according to the invention , the airplane 1 is incorporated undamped (“ rigidly ”) in the at least three holding points 12 , 13 , 14 with hydraulic lifts during the vibration test of the ground 15 , lifted and held in this position . in the lifted position of the airplane 1 , the vibration exciters 2 to 10 excite the airplane structure . the accelerations are here determined at all relevant points of the airplane 1 by means of up to 1 , 000 accelerometers . the boundary conditions are then removed , meaning that the influence of the hydraulic lifting devices in the three holding points 12 to 14 is mathematically cancelled out , as though the airplane were flying “ freely ” in the air . as a result , the acceleration values determined by the accelerometers occupy the state referred to in aerolastic as “ free - free ”, reflecting the actual vibrations that affect a freely flying airplane . the theoretical vibration model for the airplane structure is preferably continuously adjusted during the ground vibration test . in another exemplary embodiment of the method according to the invention , the already present holding points underneath the airplane 1 in conjunction with the known standard lifting devices are used to lift the airplane from the ground , thereby preventing the ground vibration test from being influenced by nonlinear damping effects generated by elastic coupling elements .	6
with reference to fig1 and 2 , a pump in a first embodiment of the invention comprises a circular deformable diaphragm 1 , in this example made of elastomer , constrained to vibrate perpendicularly to its own plane between two rigid plates 2 and 3 as can be seen in section in fig2 . vibration of the diaphragm 1 acts in known manner to suck fluid in through inlets situated at the periphery of the diaphragm 1 , the fluid being forced by the vibration of the diaphragm towards a central opening in one of the plates , following the path represented by arrows in fig2 . in this example , the pump is of the undulating diaphragm type . as already known from u . s . pat . no . 6 , 361 , 284 , the plates are shaped to damp a wave reflected from the diaphragm that would otherwise propagate from the central opening towards the periphery , so that the diaphragm vibrates with a traveling wave that enables energy to be transferred from the vibration of the diaphragm to the fluid in the form of kinetic energy , thus causing said fluid to move towards the central opening . the diaphragm 1 is constrained to vibrate perpendicularly to its plane by means of an electromagnetic motor comprising : a stationary part or stator that comprises a coil 6 and a core 7 of ferromagnetic material ( preferably constituted by a stack of laminations ). the core 7 is made up of branches 8 one of which passes through the coil 6 , each branch having two ends that are terminated by respective faces 9 extending parallel to similar faces at the ends of adjacent branches . the facing faces 9 together form respective pairs of active walls 9 of the core 7 , defining between them respective spaces in the core 7 ; and moving parts or rotors 10 of circularly cylindrical shape , having magnetically polarized regions extending between two parallel faces 13 , and being disposed in the spaces that exist between the pairs of active walls of the core 7 . it should be observed that said spaces are disposed angularly in regular manner such that the rotors 10 are diametrically opposite in pairs . as can be seen in fig2 , each rotor 10 includes a peripheral notch 12 having a portion of the edge 5 of the diaphragm 1 engaged therein . when the coil 6 is powered with alternative current ( ac ), that generates an alternating magnetic field which travels in the branches 8 of the core 7 and passes through the rotors 10 . as explained below with reference to fig3 to 7 , this drives synchronous alternating rotary motion of the rotors 10 about respective axes 11 that coincide substantially with their geometrical axes . the diametrically opposite rotors 10 turn in opposite directions , such that the portions of the edge 5 of the diaphragm 1 engaged in the notches 12 in the rotors 10 are simultaneously raised and lowered synchronously , at the rate of the alternating rotary motion of the rotors 10 . the edge 5 of the diaphragm 1 is thus constrained to oscillate perpendicularly to the plane of the diaphragm 1 , thus causing it to vibrate perpendicularly to its plane . the diaphragm 1 is thus caused to vibrate by using moving parts ( the rotors 10 ) that perform rotary motion only , that are circularly cylindrical in shape , and that therefore give rise to no pulsed displacement of air that could give rise to a coherent sound source . furthermore , by turning the rotors 10 that are diametrically opposite in opposite directions , the inertial forces generated by said rotors turning naturally cancel in pairs , thus eliminating a potential source of vibration and thus of noise . in addition , the presence of the notch 12 causes the centers of gravity of the rotors 10 to be offset a little away from their notches . since the rotors 10 turn substantially about their geometrical axes , this offset leads to unbalance , thereby constituting a mass that balances the inertial forces generated by the oscillations of the diaphragm 1 . this natural balancing also contributes to reducing pump vibration ( and thus noise ). the operating principle of the electromagnetic motor of the pump is explained below with reference to fig3 to 7 . fig3 shows a portion of the electromagnetic motor comprising a rotor 10 disposed in the space between two active walls 9 of the core 7 . it can be seen that the parallel faces 13 of the rotor 10 extend with a small airgap facing each active wall 9 of the core 7 . the rotor 10 is made of metal that has been subjected to metallurgical treatment conferring four magnetized sectors ( with the direction of magnetization extending from one face to the other of each rotor 10 ), these sectors being disposed in such a manner that two adjacent sectors are of opposite polarities , referenced n and s ( for north and south respectively ), as can be seen in fig4 . the four sectors form magnetically polarized regions that subdivide the rotor 10 into four portions of equal area , the sectors being centered on the geometrical axis 11 of the rotor 10 . at rest , when the coil 6 is not powered , the rotor 10 takes up a position as shown in fig4 in which the north and south sectors n and s present areas facing the active walls 9 that are all the same . to visualize this area identity more clearly , the area presented by each sector n facing the active walls 9 is emphasized by shading with chain - dotted lines , while the area presented by each sectors s facing the active walls 9 is emphasized by a stippling of dots . this position is a stable equilibrium position and corresponds to maximum closure of the magnetic flux induced by the magnetized sectors of the rotor 10 in the adjacent branches 8 of the core 7 . when the rotor 10 is moved angularly away from this position , an electromagnetic return force acts on the rotor 10 to return it into the equilibrium position . the return force also acts against any linear displacement ( in particular vertical displacement ) of the rotor 10 . the rotor is thus naturally held in levitation in its equilibrium position , thus avoiding any need to use a supporting pin or spring , thereby contributing to the simplicity of the motor , and to its silent operation . this stability is due firstly to the non - circular shape of the active walls 9 of the core 7 , and secondly to the dimensions of said active walls each of which presents an area facing a face of the rotor 10 that is smaller than the sum of the areas of the magnetically polarized regions . this stability is also due to the fact that the active walls extend facing a central region of the faces of the rotor 10 . a magnetic flux generated by the coil 6 in the core 7 changes the equilibrium and causes the rotor 10 to turn about its geometrical axis 11 in a direction that tends to increase the area presented facing the active walls 9 by those of its sectors n or s that are oriented in the same direction as the magnetic flux generated by the coil 6 . fig5 and 6 show the angular positions of the rotor 10 as it turns under the effect of the magnetic field generated by the coil 6 . in fig5 , the rotor 10 is shown turning in a first direction so that the area of the sectors s facing the active faces 9 tends to increase to the detriment of the area of the sectors n . in fig6 , the rotor 10 is shown turning in a second direction for which the area of the sectors n facing the active faces 9 tends to increase to the detriment of the area of the sectors s . in practice , the rotor 10 oscillates over an angular stroke that depends on the ratio between the intensity of the magnetic field generated by the coil 6 and the inertia of the moving parts of the pump . fig7 shows a variant embodiment 10 ′ of the rotor which is constituted by a circularly cylindrical block of resin having segments 14 of a magnetic bar embedded therein , the segments 14 being disposed circumferentially and presenting alternating directions of magnetization . each of the segments 14 forms a magnetically polarized region . this type of rotor behaves in a manner similar to that described with reference to fig3 to 6 . the position shown in fig7 is the equilibrium position , in which the areas presented by the segments n facing the active walls 9 of the core are equal to the areas presented by the segments s facing the active walls 9 . in a second embodiment of the invention as shown in fig8 and 9 , the circular vibrator diaphragm 1 , still constrained to vibrate between plates 2 and 3 , has its edge 5 connected to two rotors 20 by means of flexible metal blades 25 that extend from the edge 5 of the diaphragm so as to meet the peripheries of the rotors 20 tangentially . the blades 25 are secured to the rotors 20 by any suitable means , such as screw fastening or adhesive . the rotors 20 form portions of an electromagnetic motor also comprising a coil 16 and a core 17 made up of two branches 18 ( one of which passes through the coil 16 ). the branches 18 are terminated by active walls 19 between which the rotors 20 are disposed . the operation of this motor is entirely similar to that described with reference to fig3 to 7 . the alternating rotary motion of the rotors 20 driven by powering the coil 16 with ac causes synchronized alternating traction / compression forces to be generated in the blades 25 , thereby causing the edge 5 of the diaphragm 1 to oscillate in a direction perpendicular to its plane , and thus causing the diaphragm 1 to vibrate . the rotors 20 turn in opposite directions so that the inertial effects of the rotors 20 turning cancel naturally . in order to oppose the inertial forces generated by the displacements and the vibration of the diaphragm , it is possible to provide for the rotors 20 to be unbalanced . in a particular embodiment of the invention , it is also possible to offset the axis of rotation of each rotor relative to its center of gravity by causing the magnetically polarized regions to be distributed around an axis that is offset from the center of gravity . as can be seen in fig8 , the magnetized sectors n and s are not exactly symmetrical , but extend from a point c that is offset from the center of gravity g of the rotor 20 . the offset is exaggerated in the figure to make it more visible . the center of gravity is thus offset from the center of rotation of the rotor 20 , thereby generating unbalance suitable for opposing the inertial forces of the diaphragm 1 . in a variant embodiment , the pump of fig8 does not have a two - rotor motor , but has two motors each having a single rotor , as shown in fig1 . each of the rotors 20 ′ is associated with a core 17 ′ and a coil 16 ′. the cores 17 ′ are constituted by respective single branches passing through the corresponding coil 16 and extending in the form of a fork so as to present active end walls 19 ′ that face each other . the coils 16 ′ are associated electrically so that the rotors 20 ′ turn synchronously in opposite directions to each other . in a variant , the above single - rotor motors can be replaced by single - rotor motors of the kind shown in fig1 , comprising a rotor 30 co - operating with a stationary part made up of a coil 26 and a core 27 having two branches 28 ( one of which passes through the coil 26 ). each branch 28 is generally u - shaped and its ends define respective active walls 29 of the core . as can be seen in fig1 , the rotor 30 has two magnetized sectors ( referenced n , s ) that are magnetized in opposite directions . in the equilibrium position , as shown in fig1 , the sector n presents an area facing the active walls 29 of the core 27 that is equal to the area presented by the sector s facing the active walls of the core . when the coil 26 is powered , the branches 28 of the core 27 convey the magnetic flux generated by the coil 26 so as to impart opposite polarities at the two ends of a given branch . the rotor 30 is thus caused to turn so as to present the sector having the corresponding polarity facing each end . fig1 and 14 show the angular positions taken by the rotor 30 as it turns under the effect of the magnetic field generated by the coil 26 . in a variant embodiment shown in fig1 , the rotor 30 ′ comprises a block of resin of circularly cylindrical shape having six magnetized bar segments 31 embedded therein , the segments being disposed circumferentially so that adjacent pairs of segments have opposite polarities . the rotor naturally takes up an equilibrium position as shown in fig1 in which the areas of the segments s facing the core are equal to the areas of the segments n facing the core . the invention is applicable to pumps having non - plane diaphragms , as shown in fig1 , in which the diaphragm 41 is tubular . the rotors 40 are disposed close to an edge 45 of the diaphragm 41 in order to receive said edge in respective notches 52 . the diaphragm 41 is tensioned by tensioning means that are not shown . the pump also has an internal plate extending inside the diaphragm and an external plate extending around the diaphragm . these plates are not shown . the rotors 40 are arranged to turn in opposition in pairs . the synchronized alternating rotary motion of the rotors 40 leads to alternating deformation of the edge 45 of the diaphragm 41 . the tension imposed on the diaphragm 41 transforms it into a propagation medium allowing a wave that is generated by the alternating deformation of the edge 45 to propagate from said edge towards the free edge of the diaphragm 41 . the invention can similarly be applied to a pump having a rectangular diaphragm , as shown in fig1 . one of the edges 55 of the diaphragm 51 is received in the notch of a rotor 60 that co - operates with a stationary part made up of a core 58 passing through a coil 56 . the alternating rotary motion of the rotor 60 leads to the edge 55 of the diaphragm 51 oscillating , thereby causing it to undulate between the plates 52 and 53 , with the diaphragm 51 being tensioned by tensioner means that are not shown . the invention is not restricted to the particular embodiments described above , but on the contrary covers any variant coming within the ambit of the invention as defined by the claims . in particular , although the rotors are being shown as returning naturally towards an equilibrium position by closing the flux of the regions in the core that are magnetically polarized , it is possible to provide rotors that are secured mechanically to the core via respective pivot pins or centering springs . although the moving parts are shown as being rotors that are accurately circular , the moving parts could take any other shape , while nevertheless taking care to minimize any pulsed movement of air generated by the alternating rotary motion of the moving part that could give rise to a soundwave . although the figures show machines having diaphragms that are associated with respective electromagnetic motors and operating as pumps , it is clear that the invention covers inverse operation of said machines in which the diaphragm is set into vibration by force passage of a fluid , with the vibration of the diaphragm driving alternating oscillations of the rotor ( s ), thereby generating alternating current in the coil ( s ). although it is stated that the moving parts comprise magnetically polarized regions constituted by magnetized sectors or magnetized bar segments , each of the magnetically polarized regions could be replaced in strictly equivalent manner by a conductor wire coil on an axis extending perpendicularly to the faces of the moving part , the coil being fed with direct current ( dc ) via a rotary contact or indeed via flexible wires . clearly the functions of the stationary part and of the moving part could be inverted , for example by replacing the core with a permanent magnet and providing coils in the moving part that are powered with ac .	7
the present invention will be described in the following in connection with one embodiment thereof with reference to the accompanying drawings . the multi - color printing apparatus according to the present invention is constructed to comprise : a table mechanism 4 including an index table 44 , which supports at positions of an equal center angle ( e . g ., 18 degrees in the shown embodiment , as shown in fig6 ) on the circumferential edge portion thereof a plurality of such holding jigs 53 in rotatable manners and in upright positions as are made operative to hold thereon cylindrical articles s made of a synthetic resin and which are made intermittently rotatable or adapted to be indexed at the above - specified equal center angle , and an article rotating cylinder 46 and a printing rotary ring 50 both of which are coaxially assembled in the index table 44 ; a plurality of printers 6 which are arranged to face the articles s held on the aforementioned holding jigs 53 without any slippage and stopped at predetermined positions so that they may print the outer circumferences of the articles s in desired colors of ink of ultraviolet - ray set type with desired patterns ; a plurality of setting mechanisms 3 are arranged along the transferred passages of the articles s downstream of the aforementioned respective printers so as to irradiate the outer circumferences of the articles with an ultraviolet ray thereby to set the ink just applied ; a loading mechanism for receiving articles s to be printed from the outside of the apparatus and for loading them onto the aforementioned holding jigs 53 ; an unloading mechanism for unloading the articles s , which have been printed with the patterns in the desired multiple colors , so that the unloaded articles s may be carried out ; a rotation transmitting mechanism 2 for transmitting the rotationally driving force to the article rotating cylinder 46 and the printing rotary ring 50 of the aforementioned table mechanism 4 , the brackets 62 of the printers 6 , the loading mechanism 5 and the unloading mechanism 7 ; and a drive mechanism 1 for rotationally driving the index table 44 of the aforementioned table mechanism 4 in an intermittent manner at the aforementioned equal center angle and for transmitting the rotational force at a constant speed to the aforementioned rotation transmitting mechanism 2 . moreover , the multi - color printing apparatus according to the present invention is constructed such that the brackets 62 of the aforementioned printers 6 and the articles s held on their holding jigs 53 are continuously rotated while having an identical circumferential speed . in addition to the constructions thus far described , in order to more ensure the registrations among the patterns in different colors to be printed on one article s by the respective printers 6 , there are provided a plurality of article clamping mechanisms 8 for clamping the articles s , which are held on the holding jigs 53 stopped at positions to face the respective printers 6 , on the same holding jigs 53 . the article clamping mechanisms 8 are constructed such that their clamping shafts 84 for exerting the clamping forces upon the articles s are rotated in the same direction and at the same speed as those of the holding jigs 53 . in the case of the embodiment shown , incidentally , the respective constructional mechanisms thus far described are mounted on a box - shaped bed 101 which is covered with a mounting platform 102 . in the following description , the constructions of the respective mechanisms of the present invention will be separately explained : the drive mechanism 1 is a unit for imparting the driving force to the respective mechanisms of the apparatus according to the present invention and is arranged in the box - shaped bed 101 . the drive mechanism 1 thus arranged is constructed to include a main motor 10 acting as a variable motor , a clutch brake 11 , an index unit 12 , a first gear box 13 and a second gear box 14 . the rotational driving force from the main motor 10 is transmitted through a transmission belt to the clutch brake 11 , from which it is further transmitted through a transmission belt to such an input shaft of the index unit 12 as is borne on a bearing . this index unit 12 has integrated therewith the index table 44 of the table mechanism 4 . the constant speed rotating force fed to that index unit 12 is partly converted into the intermittent rotating force of the index table 44 and partly fed as it is as the constant speed rotating force to the first gear box 13 and likewise through a transmission belt to the second gear box 14 . moreover , the first and second gear boxes 13 and 14 , to which the constant speed rotating force is transmitted through the index unit 12 , are equipped with first and second upright shafts 15 and 16 , which are made operative to rotate at constant speeds , respectively . in short , the drive mechanism 1 arranged in the bed 101 , partly transmits the intermittent rotating force of the equal center angle to the index table 44 , which is positioned above the mounting platform 102 , and partly continuously rotate the first and second upright shifts 15 and 16 , which are positioned to have their upper ends protruding upward from the mounting platform 102 , at the constant speeds . the rotating transmitting mechanism 2 is a unit for transmitting the constant - speed continuous rotating force from the drive mechanism 1 , i . e ., the rotating forces of the first and second upright shafts 15 and 16 to the table mechanism 4 , the printers 6 , the article clamping mechanisms 8 , the loading mechanism 5 and the unloading mechanism 7 , respectively , so that these mechanisms may be driven at predetermined timings . to the upper end of the first upright shaft 15 protruding upward from the mounting platform 102 , there is fixed an assembly which is integrally constructed of a first gear 20 meshing with the toothed portion 51 of the printing rotary ring 50 of the table mechanism 4 and a transmission gear 21 . to a rotary shaft which is fixed upright on the mounting platform 102 , there is rotatably attached an assembly which is integrally constructed of an intermediate gear 22 meshing with the aforementioned transmission gear 21 and a second drive gear 23 meshing with the second toothed portion 48 of the article rotating cylinder 46 of the table mechanism 4 . to the lower end of a holding rotary shaft 25 which is rotatably arranged upright , there is fixed a follower gear 24 which meshes with the second toothed portion 48 of the article rotating cylinder 46 similarly to the aforementioned second drive gear 23 . moreover , a drive roller 26 is fixed to the upper end of the second upright shaft 16 which protrudes upward from the aforementioned mounting platform 102 . by making a transmission belt 32 run on not only the aforementioned drive roller 26 but also both a loading roller 27 , which is fixed to the lower end of a loading shaft 28 rotatably mounted upright on the mounting platform 102 , and an unloading roller 29 which is fixed to the lower end of an unloading shaft 30 rotatably mounted upright on the mounting platform 102 , both the loading shaft 28 and the unloading shaft 30 are rotationally driven . in the case of the embodiment shown , moreover , in order to transmit the rotating force of the drive roller 26 more precisely and reliably to the loading roller 27 and the unloading roller 29 , a guide roller 31 acting as a tension roller is rotatably mounted on the mounting platform 102 so that the transmission belt 32 is made to run not only the drive roller 26 , the unloading roller 29 and the loading roller 27 but also the guide roller 31 . the table mechanism 4 plays the most important role in the apparatus of the invention and is constructed to include at its center a stationary center portion 40 which is fixed on the bed 101 but rises to above the mounting platform 102 . the index table 44 to be driven by the aforementioned index unit 12 is so mounted through bearings 45 and 45 that it can rotate on the axis of that stationary center portion 40 . moreover , the article rotating cylinder 46 and the printing rotary ring 50 are rotatably mounted through bearings 49 and 52 , respectively , coaxially of the aforementioned index table 44 on a stationary frame 41 which is fixed on the bed 101 while taking such a shape as to enclose the mounting portion of that index table 44 on the stationary center portion 40 . on the circumferential end portion of the aforementioned index table 44 , there are rotatably and upright at such equal center angles the holding jigs 53 for holding the articles s without any slippage as are equal to the center angle for the intermittent rotations of that index table 44 . to the lower end of each of the holding jigs 53 protruding downward from the index table 44 , there is fixed a rotary gear 54 which is in meshing engagement with the first toothed portion of the aforementioned article rotating cylinder 46 . on the upper surface of the aforementioned stationary center portion 40 , there are fixed upright a center column 42 for providing the mounting base of the article clamping mechanism 8 and a mounting column 43 for holding a rocking arm 81 and the clamping shaft 84 both belonging to that clamping mechanism 8 . incidentally , the article rotating cylinder 46 has its second toothed portion 48 meshing with the second drive gear 23 of the aforementioned rotation transmitting mechanism 2 so that it is rotationally driven by the latter . likewise that article rotating cylinder 46 , the printing rotary ring 50 , which is rotatably mounted on the stationary frame 41 through the bearing 52 , has its toothed portion 51 formed in the outer circumference thereof and meshing with the toothed portion 68 of a drum gear 67 of the corresponding printer 6 so that the drum gear 67 of each printer 6 is rotated at an equal speed by the rotational drive of that first drive gear 20 of the aforementioned rotation transmitting mechanism 2 , which is in meshing engagement with the toothed portion 51 of that printing rotary ring 50 . printers 6 ( especially with reference to fig2 and 7 ) the printers 6 prints the outer circumferences of the articles s , which are so held by the holding jigs 53 that they are being continuously rotated at a constant speed , with desired patterns in desired colors of ultraviolet - ray set type ink . on a printer base plate 73 , there are mounted an inking roller unit 60 , a printing drum 61 formed with the pattern to be printed , and the bracket 62 for transferring the desired color of ultraviolet - ray set type ink to the outer circumference of the article s . a drum gear 63 is fixed to that lower end of a drum shaft 64 fixing the printing drum 61 in a rotatable manner to that printer base plate 73 , which protrudes dowward from this base plate 73 . a bracket gear 65 to mesh with the aforementioned drum gear 63 is fixed to that lower end of a bracket shaft 66 fixing the bracket 62 in a rotatable manner to the printer base plate 73 , which protrudes downward from this base plate 73 . moreover , the drum gear 67 is rotatably mounted upright through a bearing 69 on the base 101 just below the bracket 63 . to the upper end of the shaft member mounted upright in the bottom wall of that drum gear 67 , there is connected through an equal - speed joint 70 a rotary shaft 71 , which has its upper end connected through another equal - speed joint 70 to the lower end of the bracket shaft 66 . still morever , the aforementioned printed base plate 73 is attached through a position holding mechanism 74 to the mounting platform 102 so that the inclined position of the bracket 62 can be set in accordance with the inclined angle of the outer circumference of the article s to be printed . now , the drum gear 67 has its lower end rotatably mounted through the bearing 69 on the base 101 and its upper end portion rotatably held through a bearing 72 in the mounting platform 102 so that it is enabled to rotate while holding its upright position . since the toothed portion 68 formed in the upper end of the drum gear 67 thus constructed is in meshing engagement with the toothed portion 51 of the printing rotary ring 50 , the rotational drive force transmitted through the printing rotary gear 50 is transmitted partly to the bracket shaft 66 by way of the drum gear 67 , the equal - speed joints 70 and the rotary shaft 71 and partly to the drum shaft 64 from the branket gear 65 through the drum gear 63 . incidentally , the construction that the rotating force of the printing rotary ring 50 is to be transmitted to the bracket shaft 66 through the drum gear 67 having the equal - speed joints 70 and the rotary shaft 71 is intended to ensure the accurate transmission of the constant rotating speed , even if the bracket shaft 66 takes the inclined position as in the shown embodiment , because the bracket shaft 66 is inclined in accordance with the shape of the article s to be printed with respect to the printing rotary ring 50 rotating in a predetermined position at all times . as is quite natural , moreover , the bracket 62 has its outer circumference divided , as shown in fig8 into a land surface portion 62a , which is used to transfer the ink from the printing drum 61 to the surface of the article s , and a recessed surface portion 62b which is so stepwise recessed inward from that land surface portion 62a that it may not abut against the outer circumference of the article s . the circumferential length of the printing land surface portion 62a is set to be twice as large as that of the outer circumferential portion of the article s having a circumferential speed equal to that of the branket 62 so that the smooth and reliable print of the article s may be achieved . each of the printers 6 is so arranged that its bracket 62 faces the predetermined stop position of the corresponding holding jig 53 which is supported on the intermittently rotatable index table 44 . in the case of the shown embodiment , as shown in fig9 the index table 44 is intermittently rotated at the center angle of 18 degrees so that each of the holding jigs 53 is consecutively stopped at twenty stop positions t 1 , t 2 , - - - , and t 20 . the respective printers 6 are so arranged that the printer 6 for applying yellow ink of ultraviolet - ray set type is positioned to face the stop position t 4 , that the printer 6 for red ink is positioned to face the stop position t 8 , that the printer 6 for blue ink is positioned to face the stop position t 12 , and that the printer 6 for black ink is positioned to face the stop position t 16 . as a result , the article s loaded at the stop position t 1 onto the printing apparatus and held on the corresponding holding jig 53 has its outer circumference printed with the patterns of the yellow , red , blue and black ink in this order until it is unloaded at the stop position t 18 from that printing apparatus . article clamping mechanisms 8 ( with reference to fig3 and 7 ) the article clamping mechanism 8 clamps the articles s , which are held on such holding jigs 53 as have their revolutions interrupted while rotating at their constant speed at the printing positions ( i . e ., at the stop positions t 4 , t 8 , t 12 and t 16 of fig9 ) thereby to eliminate any idle rotation , i . e ., any shear between the holding jigs 53 and the articles s held on the former during the printing operations of the articles . each of the article clamping mechanisms 8 thus far described is constructed to include a portion for clamping an article s onto the corresponding holding jig 53 and a portion for rotating that clamping portion at a speed equal to that of the article s . the portion for exerting the clamping force upon the article s is constructed such that a follower roller 96 having a larger diameter is rotatably mounted on the upper end of the center column 42 of the table mechanism 4 , such that there is integrally fixed to that follower roller 96 a cam disc 88 which is made rotatable about the aforementioned center column 42 , and such that the cam disc 88 has its lower side formed on its circumferential edge portion with a plurality of cam portions 89 which correspond to the respective printing positions . above the stationary center portion 40 of the table mechanism 4 , there are mounted on the upper ends of the mounting columns 43 through supporting brackets 82 in a manner to rock about the aforementioned center column 42 the rocking arms 81 in the number corresponding to the printing positions , which carry such cam followers 90 as can abut against the aforementioned cam portions 89 . the clamping shaft 84 is attached to the leading end of each of the rocking arms 81 in a vertically immovable manner but in a rotatable manner although it is enabled to freely rotate by means of a bearing 83 . between that rocking arm 81 and the mounting column 43 , there is sandwiched under tension a spring 85 having a spring force , by which the cam follower 90 carried on the base end of the rocking arm 81 is biased to contact with the cam portions 89 at all times . the clamping shaft 84 for directly exerting the clamping force upon the article s is rotatably and axially slidably borne in a guide bearing 87 which is secured to the mounting column 43 . in the vicinity of that guide bearing 87 , there is assembled with the guide bearing 87 a rotary roller 86 which is mounted idly irrotatably but axially slidably on that clamping shaft 84 . by making a third belt 99 run on both a second drive roller 95 , which is fixed on the upper end of the loading shaft 28 of the rotation transmission mechanism 2 , and the aforementioned follower roller 96 , more specifically , the cam disc 88 is rotated integrally with the follower roller 96 so that the rocking arm 81 is rocked during the rotating operation of the index table 44 against the spring force of the spring 85 thereby to lift the clamping shaft 84 and so that this clamping shaft 84 is thursted during the stop period of the index table 44 by the elastic force of the spring 85 onto the article s which is stopped at one of the printing positions , i . e ., the stop positions t 4 , t 8 , t 12 and t 16 . on the other hand , the portion for rotating at the speed equal to that of the article the clamping shaft for directly exerting the clamping force upon the article s is constructed such that transmission rollers 92 and first and second guide rollers 93 and 94 , which are coaxially arranged in a manner to correspond to the respective clamping shafts 84 , are rotatably mounted on a mounting table 80 which is fixed to the center column 42 , and such that a first belt 97 is made to run on a first drive roller 91 , which is fixed on the upper end of the holding rotary shaft 25 of the rotation transmission mechanism 2 , and on the first guide rollers 93 while being guided by the transmission rollers 92 , whereas a second belt 98 is made to run on each of the second guide rollers 94 and the corresponding rotary roller 86 , thereby to rotate each of the clamping shafts 84 at the same speed as that of the articles s . the setting mechanisms 3 are units which are arranged along the transferred passages of the articles s downstream of and in a manner to correspond to the respective printers 6 so that they may abruptly set the printing ink applied to the articles s by those printers 6 . each of the ink setting mechanisms 3 thus arranged has an ultraviolet - ray lamp accommodated in the frame thereof and is mounted on the mounting platform 102 by means of a position holding mechanism 3 - 1 similarly to the printers 6 . in the case of the shown embodiment , the ink setting mechanisms 3 are arranged not only at the stop positions t 6 , t 10 and t 14 , respetively , but also at the sideway position of a carry - out belt conveyor 9 . the loading mechanism 5 is driven by the loading shaft 28 of the rotation transmitting mechanism 2 thereby to receive and hold the articles s in predetermined positions through a not - shown feed chute and to drop and load the articles s one by one onto the holding jigs 53 which are stopped at the loading position ( i . e ., the stop position t 1 ) during the stop or blank period the index table 44 . the unloading mechanism 7 is driven by the unloading shaft 30 of the rotation transmitting mechanism 2 thereby to suck or unload the printed articles s one by one from the holding jigs 53 , which are stopped at the stop position t 18 during the stop or blank period of the index table 44 , by an evacuating operation and to place them as they are upon the carry - out belt conveyor 9 . carry - out belt conveyor 9 ( with reference to fig3 and 10 ) the carry - out belt conveyor 9 conveys the printed and set articles s out of the printing apparatus , while rotating them , by the action of its conveyor belt 9d . this conveyor belt 9d is assembled in an inclined position in a conveyor frame 9a forming an elongated groove such that its lower side edge positioned below a wall step 9b which is formed to extend in a horizontal direction from one side wall of the frame 9a . this conveyor frame 9a is formed with a communication pipe 9c which provides communication between such an internal space of the frame 9a as is opened upward through the gap between that wall step 9b and the conveyor belt 9d and the not - shown evacuating system . more specifically , each of the articles s unloaded from the corresponding holding jig 53 and placed on the carry - out conveyor belt 9 by the action of the unloading mechanism 7 is conveyed , while having its one end seated on the wall step 9b , by the conveyor belt 9d so that it is carried out , while rotating in its inverted position , to a predetermined position by the running action of the conveyor belt 9d . in this meanwhile , since the inside of the conveyor frame 9a is evacuated , it is considered that the articles s are conveyed , while being forced to rotate on the conveyor belt 9d and the wall step 9b , so that they may not fall down in their conveyed cources . the conveyance of the articles s while rotating in their inverted positions is intended to effectively irradiating all the outer circumferences of the articles s with the ultraviolet ray by the action of the last ink setting mechanism 3 which is arranged in the vicinity of that carry - out belt conveyor 9 , as shown in fig3 . on the other hand , as shown in fig1 , each of the holding jigs 53 is constructed such that a head 53b , on which each article s is closed fitted , is formed at the upper end of a shaft cylinder 53a acting as a rotary shaft . this shaft cylinder 53a of the holding jig 53 is formed therein with a communication passage 53d which has its upper end opend as suction ports 53c in the circumference and upper side of the head 53b . on the other hand , the lower end of that communication passage 53d is opened in a circumferential groove 53e , which is formed in the index table 44 supporting the holding jig 53 closely and rotatably , and is connected with the not - shown evacuating system by way of an evacuation passage 53f which is formed in the index table 44 in a manner to communicate with that circumferential groove 53e . as a result , the holding jig 53 exerts the evacuating action , although it is rotated at all times , upon the article s held on the head 53b by the suction , which transmits from the suction ports 53c by way of the evacuation passage 53f , the circumferential groove 53e and the communication passage 53d , so that it holds the article s thereon without any slippage by the action of that suction . here , the communication between the evacuation passage 53f and the not - shown evacuating system is limited to the stop positions t 1 to t 16 of the index table 44 , i . e , to the positions from the loading one to the last printing one so that the suction is not effected from the stop position t 17 to the stop position t 20 . this limitation is intended to ensure the unloading operation of the articles s from the holding jigs 53 at the stop position t 18 , i . e ., at the unloading position . on the other hand , a control panel unit 100 is rotatably attached to the upper end of the center column 42 of the table mechanism 4 thereby to allow the operator to control the operations of the printing apparatus , if necessary , from any position while monitoring the operations of the apparatus . the operations of the printing apparatus having the constructions thus far described according to the present invention will be consecutively explained hereinafter . first of all , the operations of the respective mechanisms constructing the apparatus of the present invention will be in the following . the constant - speed rotating force from the main motor 10 is transmitted through the clutch brake 11 to the index unit 12 thereby to intermittently rotate the index table 44 , which is mounted on that index unit 12 , at the center angle of 18 degrees . the rotating force transmitted to that index unit 12 is fed as it is to the first and second gear boxes 13 and 14 thereby to continuously rotate both the first upright shaft 15 of the first gear box 13 and the second upright shaft 16 of the second gear box 14 at the constant speed . the rotating force thus transmitted to the first upright shaft 15 is transmitted to the printing rotary ring 50 , which is in meshing engagement with the first drive gear 20 fixed to the upper end of that first upright shaft 15 , thereby to rotate those drum gears 67 of the respective printers 6 , which are in meshing engagement with that printing rotary ring 50 , until it rotationally drives the printing drums 61 and brackets 62 of the respective printers 6 at the predetermined speed in the same direction . on the other hand , the transmission gear 21 is mounted on the upper end of the first upright shaft 15 separately of the first drive gear 20 , and the second drive gear 23 , which is coaxially fixed to the intermediate gear 22 meshing with that transmission gear 21 , is in meshing engagement with the second toothed portion 48 of the article rotating cylinder 46 . this article rotating cylinder 46 is rotationally driven at a speed determined by the number of the teeth of the intermediate gear 22 thereby to rotate the holding jigs 53 , which have their rotary gears 54 meshing with that first toothed portion 47 , at the desired rotational speed , i . e ., at the desired r . p . m . with the second toothed portion 48 of the article rotating cylinder 46 which is rotationally driven by the second drive gear 23 , there meshes the follower gear 24 which is secured to the holding rotary shaft 25 mounted rotatably and upright on the mounting platform 102 . as a result , the r . p . m . of the clamping shafts 84 of the article clamping mechanisms 8 rotationally driven by that holding rotary shaft 25 is determined by the number of the teeth of the intermediate gear 22 similarly to the holding jigs 53 . in short , the holding jigs 53 are driven at such an r . p . m . that the circumferential speed of the outer circumferences of the articles s held thereon becomes identical to that of the brackets 62 , and the clamping shafts 84 are rotationally driven at the same speed as the aforementioned holding jigs 53 . the rotational drive of the holding jigs 53 will now be described in more detail . this rotational drive is transmitted through the first belt 97 , which is made to run on both the first drive roller 91 fixed to the upper end of the holding rotary shaft 25 and the first guide roller 93 while being guided by the tranmission roller 92 , to the second guide roller 94 , which is integrated with the first guide roller 93 , and further through the second belt 98 , which is made to run on both that second guide roller 94 and the rotary rollers 86 mounted on the upper end portions of the clamping shafts 84 arranged corresponding to the stop positions t 4 , t 8 , t 12 and t 16 , i . e , the respective printing positions , to those rotary rollers 86 thereby to rotationally drive the respective clamping shafts 84 mounting those rotary rollers 86 thereon . thus , the respective printers 6 , the respective holding jigs 53 and the respective article clamping mechanisms 8 are rotationally driven by the single first upright shaft 15 . as a result , the same r . p . m . among the respective printers , holding jigs and article clamping mechanisms 6 , 53 and 8 thus far described can be attained easily and reliably . on the drive roller 26 which is fixed to the upper end of the second upright shaft 16 , there is made to run the transmission belt 32 , which is also made to run on the three rollers , i . e ., the loading roller 27 fixed to the loading shaft 28 for driving the loading mechanism 5 , the unloading roller 29 fixed to the unloading shaft 30 for driving the unloading mechanism 7 , and the guide roller 31 , thereby to drive the loading mechanism 5 and the unloading mechanism 7 and to rotationally drive the follower roller 96 , which is fixed to the cam disc 88 mounted rotatably on the center column 42 , from the second drive roller 95 , which is fixed to the upper end of the loading shaft 28 , through the third belt 99 so that the rocking arms 81 are rocked by the coactions of the cam portions 89 formed on the cam disc 88 and the cam followers 90 of the rocking arms 81 whereby the clamping shafts 84 are lifted during the rotating period of the index table 44 against the elastic force of the springs 85 . the respective mechanisms constructing the printing apparatus according to the present invention perform the operations thus far described . the printing operations of the articles s will be consecutively explained hereinafter . the loading mechanism 5 having received the articles s from the not - shown loading chute drops and loads the articles s onto the holding jig 53 , which is stopped at the stop position t 1 , during the stop or blank period of the index table 44 which has its intermittent rotations interrupted . since , in this meanwhile , the communication passage 53d formed in the holding jig 53 stopped at that stop position t 1 is connected with the not - shown evacuating system , the articles s fed from the loading mechanism 5 are sucked and held immovably on the heat 53b of the holding jig 53 . the article s , which is loaded onto the holding jig 53 stopped at the stop position t 1 , is indexed or intermittently moved to the stop positions t 2 and t 3 in accordance with the indexed intermittent rotations of the index table 44 until it reaches the stop position t 4 . at the instant when the article is stopped at the first printing position , i . e ., at the stop position t 4 , the corresponding bracket 62 rotating at the constant speed has its rotational position set such that its recessed surface portion 62b faces the article s under consideration . as a result , the article s having intermittently revolved is not subjected to the printing process simultaneously as it stops at that printing position . this is intended to make more precise the printing registration for the multiple printing processes . more specifically , the article s held on the holding jig 53 has its outer circumference rotating at the same circumferential speed as that of the circumference of the corresponding branket 62 . in spite of this fact , it is only while the article s is at the stop positions t that the article s is rotating at the same circumferential speed as that of the bracket 62 , and the article s is rotating at a completely different circumferential speed when it is revolving or being transferred . therefore , if the printing process is started simultaneously as the holding jig 53 reaches one of those stop positions , there arises a fear that the printing registration may not be precisely achieved . when the printing process of the first color at the stop position t 4 is completed , the article s is again indexed to intermittently revolve in the order of the stop positions t 5 and t 6 by the indexing actions of the index table 44 until it is irradiated at that stop position t 6 with the ultraviolet ray by the corresponding setting mechanism 3 to set the ultraviolet - ray set type ink which has been applied to the circumference thereof . the article s having been subjected at the stop position t 6 to the setting treatment is indexed to the stop position t 8 , i . e ., the second printing position , in which it is additionally printed with the ink in the second color similarly to the aforementioned printing process at the first printing position . upon this second printing process , it is necessary that the second print to be overlapped on the first print be precisely registered with the first print . this registration of the second print with respect to the first print is achieved easily and precisely as a result that the holding jigs 53 and the brackets 62 are driven by the single first upright shaft 15 . more specifically , since both the holding jigs 53 and the brackets 62 are coupled by the meshing engagement between the first upright shaft 15 and the gears , the circumferential position of each holding jig 53 at the instant when the indexed revolution is interrupted at each stop position t is always made identical . likewise , since the bracket 62 of each printer 6 is rotating at the constant speed , its circumferential position when the index table 44 is stopped at each time interval is always made identical . therefore , if the printing registration of the ink onto the land surface portion 62a of the bracket 62 is so set as to become identical to that of the printed article s while being informed in advance of both the circumferential position of the bracket 62 and the circumferential position of the article s held on the corresponding holding jig 53 at the time instant when the index table 44 is stopped , the printing position of the article s necessarily becomes precisely identical . this printing registration of the article s will be explained more specifically in the following . the registered printing position of the article s is determined by the first printing process at the stop position t 4 . therefore , the really precise printing registration is not required before the second or subsequent printing processes . at the second or subsequent printing positions ( i . e ., the stop positions t 8 , t 12 and t 16 ), the circumferential position of the article s having its revolutions interrupted does not fail to face that of the corresponding bracket 62 always in a predetermined positional relationship . therefore , by locating the position of the land surface portion 62a facing the registration position a 1 ( which should be referred to fig8 ) of the article s , which has been determined by the first printing process , at the registration position b 1 of the bracket 62 while being informed of which position of the land surface portion 62a of the bracket 62 that registration position a 1 faces during the stop period of the index table 44 , both the two positions a 1 and b 1 at that printing position never fail to be precisely registered . thus , the setting of the printing registration b 1 of the land surface portion 62a of the bracket 62 of each printer 6 is performed on the basis of which position of that land surface portion 62a the printing registration a 1 of the article s faces . as a result , the ink to be applied from each printer 6 never fails to be remarkably precisely registered for the printing process . thus , the printing registration b 1 of the bracket 62 is set to correspond to the printing registration a 1 of the corresponding article s . however , it is not before the actual run of the printing apparatus which position of the land surface portion 62a the printing position a 1 of the article s faces . it is , therefore , conceivable that the bracket 62 abuts against the circumference of the article at a position where its contact starting position 62a &# 39 ; ( which should be referred to fig8 ) slightly passes over the printing registration a 1 of the article s . in order that the printing process of the article s by the bracket 62 may be smoothly achieved even in that case , it is necessary to make the circumferential length of the land surface portion 62a of the bracket 62 twice as long as that of the article s . during this printing process of the circumference of the article s at that printing position , the article s is held immovable on the holding jig 53 by the suction , and this holding jig 53 itself is so rotating that the circumferential speed of the article s held thereon is identical to that of the bracket 62 . it is hardly conceivable that the article s idly shifts relative to its holding jig 53 . however , in case the article s has its outer circumference formed into a frustoconical cylinder so that its circumferential speed is determined at the center of the printing area of its outer circumference , frictional forces acting in opposite directions are generated between the bracket 62 and the upper and lower areas of the outer circumference of the article s to abut against the bracket 62 are established to invite a fear that the article s may idly shift , although slightly , relative to its holding jig 53 . in order to ensure the prevention of that fear of the idle shear of the article s relative to the holding jig 53 during the printing process , the article clamping mechanism 8 is disposed to face each of the printers 6 . when the index table 44 is stopped , more specifically , the cam portions 89 fixed to the cam disc 88 rotating at the constant speed are released from their abutting contacts with the cam follower 90 . as a result , the rocking arm 81 is rocked by the elastic force of the corresponding spring 85 thereby to carry down the clamping shaft 84 which is rotatably held on the leading end thereof . although that clamping shaft 84 is rotating at the same speed as that of the holding jigs 53 , as has been described hereinbefore , the holding jig 53 holding that article s is stopped just below the clamping shaft 84 because it is during the stop period of the index table 44 . as a result , the clamping shaft 84 has its lower end urged by the aforementioned elastic force of the spring 85 onto the article s being held on the holding jig 53 so that the article s is firmly clamped between the holding jig 53 and the clamping shaft 84 . by the actions of both the clamping force resulting from the corresponding holding jig and clamping shaft 53 and 84 and the suction of the holding jig 53 , the article s is firmly held on the holding jig 53 during its printing period so that it is prevented from idly shifting with respect to the holding jig 53 . thus , the article s , which is transferred , while intermittently revolving , by the indexed intermitting rotations of the index table 44 , is multi - color printed , while being repeatedly printed and set in the consecutive manner , until it reaches the stop position t 18 . immediately before the article s reaches the stop position t 18 , its holding action through the suction by the holding jig 53 is released . then , while the article s is halted at the stop position t 18 , it is unloaded from the holding jig 53 and placed on the carry - out belt conveyor 9 by the action of the unloading mechanism 7 so that it is conveyed out of the printing apparatus by the action of that belt conveyor 9 . in the case of the shown embodiment , there is no space for arranging the setting mechanism 3 between the stop position t 16 , i . e ., the last printing position and the stop position t 18 , i . e ., the unloading position . as shown in fig1 and 3 , therefore , the last setting mechanism 3 is disposed in the vicinity of the side of the carry - out belt conveyor 9 . thus , by arranging the last setting mechanism 3 apart from the index table 44 but in the vicinity of the carry - out belt conveyor 9 or the like , a sufficient irradiation time of the ultraviolet ray can be retained so that the multiple prints applied to the article s to be carried out as a complete product can be sufficiently set . in case the article s being conveyed by that carry - out belt conveyor 9 is to be exposed to the ultraviolet ray , it is sufficient that the belt conveyor 9 is so constructed , as shown in fig1 , that the article s being conveyed may be moved while rotating in its upright position . more specifically , the article s being conveyed by he carry - out belt conveyor 9 has its one end seated on the conveyor belt 9d and its other end seated on the wall step 9b of the conveyor frame 9a , and the inside of this frame 9a is connected with the not - shown evacuating system by way of the communication pipe 9c formed in that frame 9a . as a result , the article s is partly held in its inverted position on the wall step 9b and the conveyor belt 9d by the suction , which is propagated through the gap between the wall step 9b and the conveyor belt 9d , and partly conveyed , while rotating , in the direction of the conveyor belt 9d by the running action of the belt 9d . thus , since the article s is conveyed , while rotating in its inverted position , by the action of the carry - out belt conveyor 9 , it has its whole circumference irradiated reliably with the ultraviolet ray which is emitted from the setting mechanism 3 disposed in the vicinity of the side of that belt conveyor 9 . as has been described hereinbefore , according to the printing apparatus of the present invention , the outer circumferences of cylindrical articles having cylindrical circumferential walls can be multi - printed in precise registration with multiple colors . since the ink applied is set before the subsequent printing process , the apparatus according to the present invention can completely exclude the disadvantage that the bracket of the printer for the subsequent printing process is blotted with that ink in a different color , which has already been applied to the article s . moreover , since ink in a different color can be additionally applied to the ink having already been applied , a completely composed color is enabled to appear thereby to freely exhibit a color of half tone and to remarkably reduce the number of the colors of ink to be used . according to the printing apparatus of the present invention , therefore , all the colors except metal colors can be exhibited by the use of three colors of yellow , red and blue , and it is sufficient to determine the number of the printers so that the printing processes can be completed by the use of the four colors consisting of black for letters or frames in addition to the above - specified three colors . incidentally , when the mutli - printing processes are to be carried out by the use of the above - listed four colors , it is advantageous that the articles s are printed with these four colors in the order of the higher brightness , i . e ., first the yellow ink , next the red ink , next the blue ink and finally the black ink . this is because , if the color of the higher brightness is applied later , it is severely influenced by the color of the lower brightness having already been applied so that a more natural coloring cannot be expected . if the color of the lower brightness is applied later , on the contrary , it is not influenced , even if it is directly applied to the color having already been applied , by the underlying color of the higher brightness so that the respective colors can be multiply printed without resorting to any troublesome &# 34 ; offprint &# 34 ;. as is now apparent from the description thus far made , the present invention can enjoy the following many excellent advantages : that the multi - color printing processes can be accomplished smoothly without any mixing of the different colors of ink in the respective printers ; that the printing registrations can be attained remarkably precisely and reliably with ease ; that the numerous articles s can be printed continuously and uniformly ; that the number of the colors to be used may be limited notwithstanding that not only a color of half tone but also most colors are enabled to appear by the printing processes so that the number of the printers can be four at most to simplify the whole construction of the printing apparatus and to provide this apparatus at a reasonable price ; and that the printing registrations are invariable , once they are set , the subsequent printing processes can be automatically accomplished while ensuring the reliable registrations .	1
fig1 shows a basic structure of a circuit for controlling a servo motor 1 with an integrated auxiliary circuit 2 . the circuit includes a lead for setpoint 3 , which comes from an adjustment potentiometer ( not shown ) in the operating unit , another line which transmits the actual value 4 , a switching unit 5 with an integrated motor driver 6 and an evaluation unit 7 for comparing the setpoint and actual value , and a servo motor 1 , which is connected to the switching unit 5 . the auxiliary circuit 2 comprises a counting unit 8 , which includes a binary counter 9 and a pulse shaper and coupling circuit 10 , connected downstream of the counting unit 8 . via lead 11 , counting unit 8 is connected to the adjustment potentiometer for setpoint 3 , so that immediately after actuation of the operating element of the adjustment potentiometer a start pulse is transmitted via lead 11 to counting unit 8 . the signal initiated in counting unit 8 via pulse shaper and coupling circuit 10 reaches linkage point 12 , in which the generated signal is superposed on setpoint 3 . in addition , auxiliary circuit 2 comprises a feedback 13 by which the counting unit 8 is deactivated after a time settable by the binary counter 9 . this deactivation signal of feedback 13 is also transmitted to switching unit 5 , as a result of which motor driver 6 is also deactivated . a modified setpoint 3 is now set via the adjustment potentiometer , so that hereby a signal is simultaneously transmitted to counting unit 8 via lead 11 . a frequency is now generated in counting unit 8 by an oscillator 14 integrated into binary counter 9 . binary counter 9 has several outputs q from which a pulse - shaped signal , in each case dividing the frequency by a factor 2 n , is output . here , n stands for the specific output q at binary counter 9 . if now , for example , a frequency of 400 hz is generated in the oscillator and the fifth output at the binary counter is tapped , a tappable frequency thus results from the calculation of 400 hz : 2 4 , which corresponds to a frequency of 25 hz . this frequency corresponds to a pulse sequence of 20 ms to 20 ms . in the circuit diagram shown in this exemplary embodiment , this pulse sequence is supplied to the downstream pulse shaper and coupling circuit 10 . here , the pulse sequence can be minimized to preferably 100 μs , for example , via an rc element and the positive pulses can be uncoupled by a diode . a still more preferred pulse has a pulse length of 10 μs . this signal modulated in pulse shaper 10 and in coupling circuit 10 is superposed on the newly set setpoint 3 in linkage point 12 and supplied to motor driver 6 in the switching unit 5 . if the setpoint change in the adjustment potentiometer of the operating device was now so small that the setpoint change was not sufficient to exceed the hysteresis of the motor driver 6 , the voltage peaks of the pulses superposed on the setpoint go beyond the hysteresis and thereby activate motor driver 6 . this in turn leads to a change in the actual value of servo motor 1 and as a result also to a matching of the actual value to the setpoint . the addition of auxiliary circuit 2 , according to the invention , to the drive arrangement for servo motor 1 thereby offers the advantage that even the smallest changes in setpoint 3 lead to the activation of servo motor 1 . in addition to the pulse - shaped signal , which is taken from binary counter 9 for supplying a pulse above setpoint 3 , a signal that leads to the deactivation of counting unit 8 is also picked up from binary counter 9 at one of its outputs . this additional picked up signal is fed back 13 , on the one hand , and supplied to switching unit 5 and motor driver 6 , on the other . the signal of feedback 13 stops the counting unit , on the one hand , and the signal , on the other hand , causes motor driver 6 to be deactivated . depending on the selected output at binary counter 9 , thereby the duration of the superposition of the setpoint by the pulse - shaped signal can be set . to illustrate the mode of operation of a driver component 6 in regard to the minimal changes in the setpoint , two diagrams are depicted in fig2 , whereby the top diagram shows the course of setpoint 3 as an absolute voltage value over time . the bottom diagram in fig2 shows the voltage curve u m at servo motor 1 , which is plotted over time t . in the top diagram , the hysteresis of driver component 5 is also shown in its upper 15 and lower 16 limits . in addition , the course of actual value 4 is plotted on the diagram as a broken line . at time t 0 servo motor 1 is in an idle state . at time t l , the setpoint potentiometer is actuated by the operator by means of the operating device , whereby the setpoint is changed by a minimal amount . in order to present here an illustration of the magnitude of the applied voltages a setpoint change of about 40 mv can be assumed , which corresponds to a notch on the operating element or , without a locking device , to a minimal adjustment of the operating element . the hysteresis of motor driver 6 can have , for example , a value of about 100 mv as the upper deviation from the setpoint . the setpoint change at time t 2 , thus does not go beyond the hysteresis of motor driver 6 ; consequently , servo motor 1 is not activated . even the again minimal change in the setpoint at time t 2 does not go beyond the hysteresis of driver component 6 , so that servo motor 1 is again not activated . the upper hysteresis limit is exceeded only after another change in the setpoint at time t 3 and servo motor 1 is activated . at this time t 4 , the actual value follows the setpoint up to a time t 5 , at which the actual value is again matched to the setpoint . for this time period t 4 to t 5 , the motor voltage u m is shown as a function of time in the bottom diagram of fig2 . it is pointed out below that the matching of the setpoint and actual value , which have an equally high voltage in this diagram , is possible but not imperative . rather , this diagram is intended to show the difference between setpoint 3 and actual value 4 , without the voltage values of the setpoint and actual value 3 , 4 having to correspond in their absolute values . this applies particularly also to the diagram in fig3 . the top diagram in fig2 represents the conventional art , in which the actual value follows the setpoint only after a very great change in the setpoint . this disadvantage can be eliminated according to the use of the auxiliary circuit according to the invention to control servo motor 1 . a corresponding course of setpoint and actual values is shown in fig3 . fig3 shows the pulse and action diagram of a circuit provided with an auxiliary circuit according to the invention to improve the initiation of the control of servo motor 1 . the top diagram in fig3 again shows the course of setpoint 3 and the deviations of actual value 4 , as a broken line , as well as the upper 15 and lower 16 limits of the hysteresis of driver component 6 . in addition , the diagram shows pulses 17 superposed on setpoint 3 by the auxiliary circuit 2 . at time t 01 , the positioning elements and / or servo motor 1 are in the idle state . at time t 1 , the setpoint of the setpoint potentiometer is again changed by the operating device by the operator by an amount of , for example , 40 mv . as already described in fig1 , counting unit 8 is activated via lead 11 and a pulse - shaped signal 17 is superposed on setpoint 3 . because pulse - shaped signal 17 of the invention is greater than the maximum difference between setpoint 3 and upper limit 15 of the hysteresis , pulse - shaped signal 17 goes beyond the hysteresis of driver component 6 and motor driver 6 is released to control servo motor 1 . as shown in the bottom diagram of fig3 , servo motor 1 is now supplied with the voltage u m at time t 2 . it is also clearly evident that the superposition of the pulse - shaped signals ends with the matching of the setpoint and actual value 3 , 4 , because motor driver 6 is turned off at this time . according to the invention , even with the minimum changes in setpoint 3 , this assures that servo motor 1 follows the changes of setpoint 3 . actual value 4 is thereby matched very rapidly to the newly set setpoint . these very good dynamics of the matching of the setpoint and actual value is another advantage of the invention . it is naturally understood that with an adjustment of the setpoint potentiometer in the opposite direction , servo motor 1 moves in the opposite direction , whereby pulse - shaped signals 17 are also superposed on setpoint 3 and are used for measuring the initiation of the control of servo motor 1 . in regard to the actual course , during actuation of the setpoint potentiometer a reset is triggered at binary counter 9 ; thereby , all outputs are changed to low , the time is started , and driver component 6 released . in so doing , the time and / or the duration for supplying pulse - shaped signals 17 with a setpoint 3 , as described , via the tapped output , are set at binary counter 9 . depending on the tapped output at binary counter 9 , the duration of the supplying can thereby be varied . if the preset time has now elapsed , the output q is set to high . this high signal is transmitted , on the one hand , to downstream switching unit 5 and thereby to motor driver 6 and , on the other , supplied via feedback 13 as input to counting unit 8 . the high signal , on the one hand , now causes motor driver 6 to be deactivated and , on the other hand , counting unit 8 is turned off via feedback 13 . the time thereby is set to a maximum value , which takes into account the maximum adjustment time of the positioning element , as described below . after the matching of the setpoint and actual value 3 , 4 is detected by evaluation unit 7 , motor driver 6 is again turned off . at a maximum adjustment of the positioning element by the servo motor 1 , i . e ., when the setpoint potentiometer is adjusted from its zero position to the end stop by movement of the operator , this maximum travel time of servo motor 1 is thus a measure for the maximum duration of the generated pulse from counting unit 8 . the output of binary counter 9 to feedback 13 , i . e ., to stop counting unit 8 , is selected according to the invention in such a way that the output signal for deactivating counting unit 8 occurs after a time after which servo motor 1 would have been able to travel from an end stop , i . e ., totally opened , up to its other end stop , i . e ., totally closed . the invention being thus described , it will be obvious that the same may be varied in many ways . such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the invention , and all such modifications as would be obvious to one skilled in the art are to be included within the scope of the following claims .	6

Subsets and Splits

No community queries yet

The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.